One of my favorite things about being a geek is that I always seem to be �ahead� of the game as far as having the latest and greatest software. Today is no different. Last Friday marked the official release date for Nero Burning ROM 6 Ultra Edition. By late Friday afternoon, I already had my trial copy downloaded and waiting to be tested. Nero has been known for several years now as the premier CD authoring software for power users and geeks alike, but more recently has been gaining a larger share of the retail market. After completing my initial exploration of Nero 6, I wasn�t flooded with joy, as there didn�t seem to be very many differences aside from the new, prettier, XP style buttons used throughout the interface. However, upon further exploring, I found the version to be much improved in terms of usability.

With each release, Ahead has become closer and closer to competitor Roxio Easy CD Creator in terms of user-friendliness, and Nero 6 continues that trend. Nero 6 now includes StartSmart, a unified panel that allows you access all the features of the program. The icons across the top of StartSmart are simple enough to understand and give you access to common tasks for Data, Audio, Photo and Video, and Copy & Backup. Also within the StartSmart is a �Favorites� area where Nero lists the tasks you do most often such as creating an audio CD and picture CD. The final button is labeled as Extras and gives you access to erasing a CD-RW disc and the Nero Cover Designer. When you launch one of the functions from StartSmart, it automatically minimizes itself until you finish using that application. When you complete your task, StartSmart is ready and waiting to pop back up and let you choose your next weapon. Quite possibly my favorite thing about StartSmart is its ability to customize the colors. I am definitely a sucker for eye-candy when it comes to an application I spend a lot of time in.

As far as features are concerned, I challenge you to find an entire collection of programs as powerful as what Ahead has assembled. Of course you get the standard Audio/DVD/Video/Picture CD authoring tools, but that only scratches the surface. NeroExpress is included for novices and allows someone who has never created a CD before to understand and burn one in only minutes. In the 20MB download, you also get SoundTrax, CD ripping functionality, a full-fledged hard disk backup tool, Nero�s WaveEditor, and a tool that lets you mount CD images (ISO files) as virtual CD drives. Once I opened SoundTrax, I couldn�t stop playing with it long enough to finish this review. Import several MP3�s or other audio files and then you can trim, overlap, and cross fade them before burning the CD. The audio ripping from a CD functioned as expected and now I can rip MP3�s with Nero instead of being stuck with WMA�s generated by Windows Media Player. The backup tool seems to work well enough. It’s slower than a program designed solely as a backup tool, but I can deal with that considering I have one less program to purchase and install. Being able to mount CD images as virtual drives is a much welcomed feature as well. Nero will allow you make an ISO of your favorite computer game, then you can mount it as a virtual CD which is MUCH faster than it�s plastic counterpart and saves you even more time by not having to juggle a bunch of different CD�s when you want to change games.

After hammering at the program for a couple of hours, I could only come up with one tiny little complaint. The interface is a fairly large (and welcomed) leap forward from previous 5.x versions. The buttons and icons throughout the program are definitely more Windows XP�ish than before, but not as smooth around the edges as they need to be if that is the look Ahead is trying to accomplish.

If you have a �burning� desire to try this yourself, download a free trial from Nero�s website, and give it a test drive. I don�t think you will be disappointed. If you are, it�s a free trial and you�ve lost nothing but a few 1�s and 0�s. If you already own a license for a previous 5.x version, an upgrade serial can be obtained from Ahead for only $49. The full version will be available for purchase online soon for $70 and the boxed retail version should already be on a store shelf near you. Suggested retail for the boxed version is around $100. Burn baby, burn!

Additional Resources:
Nero Downloads
Nero 6 Ultra Home Page
Nero 6 Ultra Upgrade Page
Nero Store