If you used a computer in the 1980s, you probably used Lotus 1-2-3. With the rise of the IBM PC, it fast became the world's most popular spreadsheet software, only to be eclipsed by Microsoft's Excel.

IBM owns Lotus now, and while the computer giant still sells a version of Lotus 1-2-3 ($298), it now offers another spreadsheet, and for most folks, the price sounds a lot better.

It's free.

IBM Lotus Symphony (available for Windows and Linux operating sytems) not only has a spreadsheet, but it also incorporates a word processor and a presentation software that match up nicely against similar components from Microsoft Office ($150 to $500 depending on the version).

I had some problems getting Symphony to install on my Computer Corner notebook PC after downloading it from the Lotus Web site running Windows XP. I did get the download to work on my home computer running Windows Vista.

Symphony isn't quite as sophisticated as Office, and support is on a do-it-yourself basis, although IBM does supply a variety of tutorials and interactive, animated demonstration videos.

But for penny-pinching students or that spare computer without a purpose, lets give thanks to IBM for some useful and free software.

And if you watch Computer Corner religiously, you may observe that IBM Lotus Symphony bears more than a passing resemblance OpenOffice.org 2.0, which we first showed you back in 2005, and which I've been using on my home computers for several years now. OpenOffice is a project that — as its name implies — is a freely-distributed clone of Microsoft Office that adds drawing and database modules to the document, spreadsheet and presentation functions of IBM Lotus Symphony.

OpenOffice.org 2.X is also available for Mac OS X and Solaris operating systems, and if you feel especially adventurous, you an download the beta version of OpenOffice.org 3.0 which appears to have some incremental new features.

WFAA-TV

ABC News provides one of the widgets in Yahoo! Go 3.0.

You probably know that your mobile phone is capable of doing a lot more things than you currently do with it. You're just waiting for someone to make it all easier.

Our friends at Yahoo are hard at work trying to do that just that with Yahoo! Go 3.0, the latest incarnation of an intriguing add-on we first told you about last summer.

Yahoo! Go 3.0 works with scores of cell phone models. It features an easy-to-use "carousel" interface that zips you between available applications, including e-mail.

There's also a cool mapping function that helps you pinpoint the nearest pizza purveyors. Unfortunately, it doesn't share the Google Mobile Maps killer feature that roughly plots your location on a map by figuring out where the nearest cell phone tower is. Yahoo! Go 3.0 will plot your location only if your phone is equipped with GPS (global positioning system) circuitry.

The best part of Yahoo! Go 3.0 is its expandability using what it calls "widgets," small software add-ons that provide additional functions.

For instance, there's an ABC News widget offering access to the latest headlines.

An eBay widget lets you bid and buy while on the move.

And a Wikipedia widget gives you pocket-sized access to just about any info tidbit that strikes your fancy.

Yahoo invites developers to add even more narrowly-focused widgets, so this could provide a universe of useful information if Yahoo's take on mobile technology catches on.

While Yahoo! Go 3.0 is free to download and use, be aware that it can use a lot of data, depending upon how you use it. An unlimited data plan from your wireless carrier is highly recommended to avoid unexpected surprises in your next bill!

Watch Computer Corner every week on News 8 Midday at noon (usually seen on Wednesdays, but this week on Friday), or online any time.

E-mail askwalt@wfaa.com