New Year, New Software: Get Help with Your Taxes, Learn Italian, and more

Your "festive" rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" last weekend signified hope, wistful longing, and determination to get the most out of 2012, but it also means that another fiscal year is in the books. And that means that the taxman will soon come a-callin'. Now's the time to pick up the proper software so you can get your tax refund (fingers crossed) as early as possible.

That said, today's roundup of software deals includes a discount on tax return programs, as well as software for learning Italian, video editing, audio enhancement, and font selection. The latter four will, you know, help keep those creative juices flowing amidst all the math and numbers.

1. H&R Block at Home Deluxe Federal + State 2011
   Vendor: Target retail stores
   Price: $29 via $10 printable coupon
   Lowest By: $7
   Expires: January 7

   Is It Worth It?: Instead of attacking your tax returns alone this year, get some solid software to offer some support. Head to your local Target for the H&R Block At Home Deluxe Federal + State 2011 for Windows or Mac, and bring this $10 printable coupon which cuts the price to $29. Ideal for homeowners and investors alike, this software brings to bear the vast experience and expertise available from H&R Block, such as audit support, expert advice from the H&R Block community of tax specialists, an H&R Block enrolled agent to represent you in the event of an audit, and H&R Block's maximum refund guarantee. With this program you can file five federal e-files for free.

2. SRS Labs iWOW Premium for iTunes for PC or Mac
   Vendor: SRS Labs via Buy.com
   Price: $14.99 with free shipping
   Lowest By?: $37

   Is It Worth It?: As you chug along through your tax return, you'll likely want some soothing tunes to keep you in a calm, happy place — in which case you might want to give iWow Premium a go. This iTunes plug-in purports to provide "full and incredibly rich" surround sound, 3D audio, and more using standard headphones, desktop, or notebook speakers. Not only is this software available at a sizable low, but it's even $9 under the best price we could find for a downloadable version.

3. WinX DVD Copy Pro for Windows Downloads
   Vendor: Digiarty Software Inc.
   Price: Free
   Lowest By: $36

   Is It Worth It?: This software purports to allow you to make copies of DVDs without any quality loss, which is ideal if you want to, say, clone the homemade DVD you received of your niece saying her first words. Preserve that adorableness! It allows for DVD to DVD copies, as well as DVD to ISO and DVD to MPEG-2. Note that this "giveaway version" does not include tech support and is ineligible for free upgrades. To find the download, look on the left under "DVD Copy & Clone."

4. MacWare FontPack Pro Font Collection Downloads
   Vendor: MacWare
   Price: $1 via coupon code "FPP1US"
   Lowest By: $149
   

   Is It Worth It?: HTML doesn't allow us to set this paragraph in Comic Sans, so we can't tease the typographically inclined among our readers. (Font mavens despise Comic Sans, see.) Ah, we wish we could. We can totally get away with annoying the font-obsessed out there because we're counterbalancing it with an utterly amazing deal. Get this: MacWare is offering downloads of its FontPack Pro Font Collection for Mac for $150, but if you add the coupon code "FPP1US", the price drops to $1! (To get this price, just remove the backup CD and the Backup Protection from your cart.) The FontPack Pro Font Collection includes more than 1,000 OpenType fonts, including Loopi, Intermedio, Knuckle Black, and even some that don't have ridiculous names. The package comes with a 5-computer license.

5. Berlitz Italian Premier for PC and Mac
   Vendor: Fry's Electronics
   Price: $0 via $20 mail-in rebate and $10 mail-in rebate with in-store pickup
   Lowest By: $30
   Expires: January 5

   Is It Worth It?: Berlitz is the traditional leader in language instruction, and right now Fry's Electronics is offering Berlitz Italian Premier for Windows and Mac for $29.99 — but this $20 mail-in rebate and this $10 mail-in rebate knock the price down to ... free! Che Bello! The software is designed to be used on your computer, in your car, or on your MP3 player. It covers beginner, intermediate, and advanced language skills via interactive games, speech playback, and more, so diligent use of the product should ramp up your Italian fluency very quickly. Note that this product is only available via in-store pickup.

Front page photo credit: IT News