Computer Shopper articles from April 2005

Computer Shopper archives from April 2005

Editor's note.(consumer spendings on computer peripherals)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... EVERY TIME I stroll through my local Best Buy, I feel like a kid in a candy store--I'm always lusting after stuff I shouldn't buy. While the impulsive spendthrift in me wants to get the fastest, most-tricked-out tech gear on the shelves, my...

Overdrive unsung?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... I was disappointed that you gave the Overdrive Torque.64 only a 7.8 rating ("Small Names, Big Power," January, p. 102). The Torque.64 competed with hardware that should normally be crushed by the other PCs in your roundup, but due to its...

Perfect PC advice.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Joshua Goldman's desktop-buying guide ("How to Buy in '05," January, p. 97) was the most edifying article I've seen in any computer magazine. (I subscribe to three.) Recommendations and reviews of systems are always interesting and sometimes...

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2005... We incorrectly stated that the Epson Stylus CX6600 multifunction device has faxing capabilities ("One-Stop Print Shops," January, p. 108). It cannot send or receive faxes. We want to hear from you. WRITE: Letters, Computer Shopper 28...

Media Center still looking for a seat on your couch.(enhanced operating system from Microsoft Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... MICROSOFT has made significant inroads with the latest version of its Windows Media Center operating system, but the entertainment-oriented software has yet to find a permanent seat in the living room. After selling just a million copies...

Samsung Electronics.(new product from Samsung Electronics Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Electronics giant Samsung Electronics has unveiled a motion-sensitive handset that measures movements the user makes with the phone and translates them into commands, the company says. If a user shakes the phone twice, for example, it will end...

Wi-Fi takes over.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... Wi-Fi Takes Over Percentage of U.S. home networks using wireless technology: 2002 9 percent 2003 21 percent 2004 52 percent Source: Parks Associates

Microsoft develops PC 'capability' ratings.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... "Will this work on my PC?" Microsoft aims to take the guesswork out of answering that question with a new method for evaluating a PC's capability to run a given piece of software, including the complex games that often choke older PCs. ...

Hard drives shrink, but for how much longer?(Hitachi Global Storage Technologies enhanced its hard disk drives)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... HARD DRIVE MAKER Hitachi Global Storage Tech nologies has reduced the size of its miniature hard drives and its 1.8-inch drives by using better packaging and shrinking the electronics. "Mikey," the code name for Hitachi's smaller...

SBC looks to be master of the U-verse.(new service from SBC Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... SBC COMMUNICATIONS is preparing its Internet-based TV service U verse for an ambitious challenge to the cable industry later this year. In a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Edward Whitacre Jr., chief executive...

Carbon-based TVs: diamonds in the rough.(new technology in the design of flat panel displays)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... You can find carbon in coal and tennis rackets, and a few years from now, it could run your television. Various companies are currently trying to perfect the technology behind a new type of flat-panel display that will rely on diamonds or...

Slim shooter.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Samsung gives you the freedom to shoot digital video in unlikely places with its ultraportable $599 SC-X10BL camcorder. Water-resistant and tapeless, the SC-X105L has a 10x optical zoom, 512MB of internal memory, a Memory Stick slot, and an...

A/V in hand.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Logitech's latest universal remote control, the $249.95 Harmony 880, is one smart clicker. Decked out with a big color LCD, the Harmony can command various home theater devices using simple activity-based buttons. Better still, it features its...

Chat enabled.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Have the option of either banging out speedy text messages in private or gabbing it up the old-fashioned way with LG's new F9100 cell phone. The dual-band GSM F9100 slides open to reveal a backlit QWERTY keyboard for easy instant messages and...

Tune transmission.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The $199 Roku SoundBridge M500 lets you enjoy all your PC-based music wirelessly anywhere you have powered speakers or a stereo. Connecting to networked computers via Ethernet or 802.11b Wi-Fi, the SoundBridge supports MP3, WAV, AIFF, and...

RAM for showoffs.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The XMS Xpert memory modules from Corsair don't just outfit your PC with high-performance RAM. These advanced 512MB upgrades each feature two rows of memory-activity lights, plus an LED display that allows you to monitor important information...

Picture player.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Carry both tunes and photos in your pocket with Toshiba's $449 Gigabeat MEG-F40 digital audio player. The attractive device features a vibrant 2.2-inch color screen and a fat 40GB hard drive, and functions as both a snapshot viewer and a...

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX: two graphics cards for top 3D performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... VELOCITY MICRO'S $4,280 Gamer's Edge DualX is the first system we've seen to use nVidia's Scalable Link Interface (SLI). nVidia's nForce4 motherboard chipset with SLI support has two PCI Express x16 slots and a bridge chip that plugs into two...

UTStarcom Audiovox PPC-6601: brainy windows phone for calls and text.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE $629.99 UTSTARCOM Audiovox PPC-6601 is a great smartphone for people who prefer something other than the Palm OS or want more functionality than a Black-Berry provides. The device's high price, hefty size, and short talk time will...

Apple Mac Mini: small, stylish, quiet, and surprisingly inexpensive.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... WINDOWS USERS are running out of excuses not to switch to Mac OS X. At $499, the stand-alone Mac Mini (and it really stands alone--without a keyboard, mouse, monitor, or speakers) offers would-be Apple converts an inexpensive, stylish...

Gateway E-6300: well-priced, capable business PC.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... GATEWAY'S $1,258 E-6300 business desktop may not revolutionize your workplace, but it's a competent, reasonably priced PC. Inside, the BTX layout allows for two large, quiet 120mm fans: one up front to draw air in across the CPU and memory,...

WinBook PowerSpec 9262: solid, utilitarian PC performance.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... KNOWN MORE FOR ITS LAPTOPS, WinBook proves it can put together a serviceable desktop with the PowerSpec 9262. For $1,839, this model is a potent system for day-to-day computing, though nothing about it is overly compelling. We recommend it if...

Trigem Kloss KL-1915A: slick DIY media center.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... TRIGEM'S BEAUTIFUL bare-bones $400 Kloss KL-I915A media center gives you a great excuse to circumvent system builders. Trigem positions the motherboard in the middle of the case, creating two separate component zones for better cooling,...

Shuttle XPC i 8600b.(First Take)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... Shuttle's first small-form-factor (SFF) PC on the market to use a BTX motherboard, the XPC i 8600b exploits this board's enhanced airflow capabilities to make a tiny, powerful, and quiet desktop. It's sweet-looking, too. Upside: The clean...

Dell Inspiron 9200: muscular wide-screen is great for games and DVDs.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE $2,700 DELL INSPIRON 9200, laden with cutting-edge features and a sweeping wide-screen display, is everything a desktop-replacement laptop should be. Our test model featured a powerful 2GHz Pentium M 755 CEU with a 2MB L2 cache, IGB of...

Apple iBook G4: sweetened, but support is still hard to swallow.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... WITH ITS REFRESHED $1,499 14-inch iBook G4, Apple delivers another clean, white, minimalist notebook. With a few welcome upgrades, it's a dependable and affordable choice for home users and students. The new model we tested featured an...

Sony VAIO VGN-B100B02 Professional Notebook.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... Great for business, but little endurance WITH THE VAIO VGN-B100B02 Professional Notebook, Sony has created a nicely packaged thin-and-light with mobile businesspeople in mind. Our midrange test unit, relatively costly at $1,699, was...

Sharp Actius MP30: far from nimble, yet tiny and capable.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... AT 2.8 POUNDS, the $1,699 Sharp Actius MP30 packs many features into a lightweight, if sluggish, ultraportable. Although our test machine was ably equipped with 512MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive, the MP30 relies...

Dell Inspiron 6000.(First Take)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... Dell has unveiled its Inspiron 6000 notebook, among the first laptop to hit the market with Intel's new Sonoma technology. According to Intel, Sonoma will deliver faster data processing, smoother audio and video performance, and its own brand...

Transcend StoreJet 1.8-Inch Portable HDD: budget drive is compact but slow.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... TRANSCEND'S USB-powered 20GB StoreJet 1.8-Inch Portable HDD is no speed demon, but its file transfers were reliable, and $145 is a great price for this much mobile storage. The 4.2-ounce drive's elegant white-plastic, chrome-accented case...

LaCie Mobile Hard Drive: a portable drive that's fast and roomy.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... LACIE'S 100GB MOBILE Hard Drive, designed by F.A. Porsche, packs a lot of speed and storage into minimalist, modern package. At $319, this USB 2.0/FireWire drive is a bit pricey, but it's worth the premium. The titanium-hued device is...

Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer with Fingerprint Reader: mouse/fingerprint reader is a dynamic duo.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE $84.95 MICROSOFT Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer With Fingerprint Reader set is worth the investment, but only if you're a devotee of Internet Explorer--it doesn't work with other browsers. Once you register your fingerprint, you can go...

Dell UltraSharp 1905FP: great views for a fair price.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... DELL'S $629 ULTRASHARP 1905FP has all the features you'd want in an LCD: adjustability, excellent image quality, and a competitive price. The sturdy 19-inch display has a height-adjustment range of about 5 inches. It tilts and swivels...

Samsung SyncMaster 910T: 19-inch LCD forfeits frills for affordability.(liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... SAMSUNG'S $439 SYNCMASTER 910T represents a great buy for a 19-inch LCD, as long as you don't need multimedia extras such as speakers or a headphone jack. The 910T has a crisp, professional air without any flashy distractions. In fact, the...

HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One: solid performance from pricey MFP.(multifunction printer)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THOUGH EXPENSIVE at $399.99, the HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One is a capable multifunction device. It prints beautiful text and photos, copies in black and color, does a tolerable job scanning, and even has a built-in stand-alone fax. What's...

Canon ImageClass MF8170c: color laser MFP is feature-rich but not too swift.(multifunction printer )(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... CANON'S $999 IMAGECLASS MF8170c is the first color laser multifunction we've seen that cracks the $1,000 barrier. Home users will love its quality printing, wealth of features, and ease of use; business users will appreciate the Ethernet...

Planon DocuPen R700: portable scanner is handy in a pinch.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... PLANON'S $199 DocuPen R700 won't win any imaging-quality awards, but if you absolutely have to scan documents on the road and don't need color, this is a handy device to pack in your bag or slip in a shirt pocket. The device looks like a...

Axentra Net-Box H-70: networking appliance does a lot, but not enough.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... IF A WIRELESS ROUTER is not enough and a Windows server is too much for handling your networking needs, Axentra's $499 Net-Box H-70, a Linux-based home network appliance, may be just right. Inside the H-70's large white tower is a budget...

Netgear WG302 ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point: avoid signal interference--at a cost.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... FOR GADGET LOVERS who've hit the interference wall, Netgear offers the $234 WG302 ProSafe 802.11g Wireless Access Point (WAP). This device supports Propagate Networks' AutoCell technology, a firmware solution designed to help Wi-Fi...

PalmOne Treo 650 Smartphone: leading the pack with enhanced capabilities.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THOUGH IT HAS some shortcomings, the $599 PalmOne Treo 650 Smartphone offers solid performance and adds some great features missing in its predecessor, the Treo 600. Measuring 4.4x2.3x0.9 inches and weighing 6.3 ounces, the Treo 650 isn't...

Sony Ericsson P910a: impressively capable, but pricey.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE HIGH-PRICED $749 Sony Ericsson P910a is a capable, full-featured smartphone for road warriors. At 2.3x1x4.5 inches and 5.5 ounces, the P910a is a bit large, though comfortable to hold. We found the flip-down QWERTY keyboard's tiny keys...

Belkin Pre-N Notebook Network Card: easy-to-use, breakthrough Wi-Fi.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... ALTHOUGH BELKIN'S NEW $109.99 Pre-N Notebook Network Card looks like other adapters, it harbors a technology that's poised to change Wi-Fi as we know it. Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) technology is this card's big secret. 802.11n...

Fujifilm FinePix S5100: a responsive megazoom camera.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE SUCCESSOR to the disappointing FinePix $5000, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A.'s $499.99 FinePix $5100 keeps the big 10x optical zoom, but thankfully trades in the previous model's 3-megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor for a conventional 4-megapixel CCD,...

Kodak EasyShare LS743: a versatile 4-megapixel shooter for digicam newbies.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... SNAPSHOOTERS who want good image quality and ease of operation--and won't miss having manual controls--will love the $249.95 Kodak EasyShare LS743, a slim, totable 4-megapixel model. While its zoom range is limited to 2.8x, close focusing, a...

Olympus E-7000 Zoom: plenty of pixels, but some key flaws.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... MIXED PERFORMANCE and artifacts in compressed photos hold back the otherwise promising 7-megapixel Olympus C-7000 Zoom. This $599.99 camera is a typical compact alternative to a digital single-lens-reflex model. Full manual controls,...

Sony S2 Sports Network Walkman NW-S23: native MP3 support from the electronics giant--finally.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... IT'S SPORTY, it's long-lasting--and it plays MP3s! Sony takes a huge step forward with the $179.95 $2 Sports Network Walkman NW-S23, one of its first portable digital audio players to natively support the most popular music-file format. ...

DLO iBoom Boombox for iPod: turn your iPod into a boom box.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... DIGITAL LIFESTYLE Outfitters' $149.99 iBoom Boombox is the first Apple iPod accessory we've seen that turns any dockable iPod (including the Mini) into a boom box. Once the iPod is ensconced in the iBoom, turn it on, start the music, and you're...

DMC Xclef 500: 100GB player needs to lose some heft.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... DIGITAL MIND'S $449 Xclef 500 is a porky music player with a 2.5-inch hard drive capable of storing a whopping 100GB of tunes. The Xclef is bigger than any digital audio player we've tested in the past few years, measuring 5x3.2x0.8 inches...

TTE RCA Scenium Profiles HD61THW263: wall-mountable DLP set lacks color.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE LATEST INNOVATION in rear-projection-TV design under TTE's RGA brand, the ultraslim 61-inch Scenium Profiles HD61THW263 is definitely eye-catching, and its thin profile will appeal to many buyers. Still, of the units we've tested featuring...

Sony RDR-HX900: intiguing combo recorder needs a better guide.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... SONY'S SLICK, promising 160GB digital-video-recorder (DVR)/DVD-recorder combo, the $799.95 RDR-HX900, is hobbled by its limited electronic programming guide. The unit offers a fine selection of DVD recording features, and it's one of the...

Philips Streamium MX6000i: home theater system is networked, but light on bass.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... THE $799.99 PHILIPS STREAMIUM MX6000i is one of the first home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) systems capable of streaming audio, video, and digital photos (via 802.11g Wi-Fi) from networked PCs and the Net. The MX6000i also packs a complete...

Safe and secure: McAfee Internet Security Suite 2005, Norton Internet Security 2005, PC-cillin Internet Security 2005, and ZoneAlarm Security Suite 5.5.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... LOOKING FOR A SOFTWARE PACKAGE to handle antivirus protection, firewall blocking, and Internet privacy? These are our four leading choices in Internet security suites for 2005. MCAFEE INTERNET SECURITY SUITE 2005 McAfee's $79.99...

Nero PhotoShow Elite: basic photo manager falls short of top status.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... NERO PHOTOSHOW ELITE ($49.99 boxed, $39.99 downloadable) aims to tame huge collections of digital photos and Web images. It's capable of delivering attractive photo presentations on PCs, but it won't replace a proper photo-gallery application....

WordPerfect Office 12 Home Edition: an affordable, compatible productivity suite.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... COREL HAS DONE an admirable job not only of making its $89 (before a $20 mail-in rebate) WordPerfect Office 12 Home Edition a viable productivity package in its own right, but also of maintaining its backward compatibility with older versions...

Sound Forge Audio Studio: a versatile, capable budget audio editor.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... SONY'S $69.95 Sound Forge Audio Studio is perhaps the easiest-to-use and most complete budget application for creating and manipulating digital audio with a PC. This single-track audio-recording and -editing program has more than 30 built-in...

Ulead CD & DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe: slide-show and photo-organization app proves powerful.(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2005... ULEAD'S $49.99 ($34.99 upgrade) CD & DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe is a mouthful of a way to say "a program that creates digital slide shows." The package, which at times feels overly engineered, delivers a wealth of resources to spice up photo...

Top 25: Computer Shopper editors handpick this month's best desktops, notebooks, high-resolution televisions, graphic cards, and VoIP services.(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... Top 25 Computer Shopper editors handpicks this month's best desktops, notebooks, high-resolution televisions, graphics cards, and VoIP services. GAMING DESKTOPS >> Get your game on with one of these mean machines. PRODUCT ...

The ultimate & the affordable: whether your budget's tight or sky's the limit, one of these 10 PCs will suit your spending style.(Buyers Guide)
April 1, 2005... In the world of technology buying, as in life, there are two types of people: those who will settle for nothing less than the top of the line, and those who let pesky things like rent or mortgage payments temper their material urges. Whichever...

Smart music.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Photo giant Olympus enters the digital music competition with its sleek M:robe 500. This $499.99 20GB MP3 player packs a roomy 3.7-inch color touch-screen interface along with a 1.3-megapixel camera. Plus, this stylish device can intelligently...

The big(gest) picture.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Samsung's $6,999 HLR6768W isn't cheap, but it's certainly big. At a monstrous 67 inches, it's the company's largest Digital Light Processing (DLP) television to date. Plus, it features 1,920x1,080 resolution, which means it can display every...

Tunes in every room.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Philips' slick WACS700 Wireless Audio System can be linked to five satellite stations in rooms throughout your home. This $999 system includes a CD player, a 40GB hard drive to rip discs to, and slim built-in speakers. You can also stream music...

DVD does Windows.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... LG kicks media accessibility up a notch with its LRM-519--the first DVR/DVD recorder with new software from Microsoft for tight integration with Windows XP PCs. Record television to DVD or hard drive, plus pull down digital media from your...

Web streamer.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... In addition to handling all the usual stuff--streaming audio, video, and photos from a networked PC to your entertainment center--the Linksys Wireless-G Media Link (WMLV54G) uses cutting-edge tech to stream high-quality video straight from the...

Righteous remote.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Are you a control freak with unruly digital media scattered throughout the house? Consider the Nero SL from Universal Electronics. This sleekly designed $799 universal remote includes built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi and can control 19,000 different...

Retro Satellite.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... The past meets the future of radio in the classically styled Tivoli Model Satellite. This $299.99 cherry-wood table radio features the same AM/FM tuner and smooth-turning tuning dial you'll find in other Tivoli table units, but it adds a...

Radio Star.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... At a feathery 6 ounces, the $129.95 Sirius Star Mate portable satellite radio is still big enough to support a three-line display, 30 presets, and an FM transmitter with 100 frequencies. It also comes with a remote control and a windshield...

It's all random.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Digital-music top dog Apple enters the flash-based foray with its latest tiny white wonder, the $149 1GB iPod Shuffle. (A 512MB version is $99.) Pop the under-an-ounce player into a USB port, and it randomly fills with tunes from your entire...

Gaming goes flat.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Remember when you wouldn't be caught dead playing a first-person shooter on an LCD? Those days are over--NEC has created a frag-worthy flat-panel monitor. The slim 19-inch MultiSync LCD1970GX features a fast 8-millisecond response time that...

Take to the TuneStage.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Hardcore 'Pod people will appreciate Belkin's TuneStage, a Bluetooth accessory kit enabling an iPod to wirelessly stream music to a home stereo; the iPod itself serves as the remote control. The $169.99 transmitter/ receiver combo will work...

Indie filmmaker.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Archos' Pocket Media Assistant PMA400 can record from television, DVD, and VCR, letting you screen the videos in your palm. The $799.95 miniature movie machine has a 30GB hard drive and built-in 802.11b wireless. It runs the Linux OS, which...

Cheap shots.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Canon claims its Selphy CP-400 portable photo printer will produce a 4x6-inch photo in as little as 81 seconds. Sure, hard-copy prints will woo on-the-go snapshooters, but we also like that this lightweight model is PictBridge-compatible, has...

One hot burner.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... BenQ's TW200Q is an external 2.4x double-layer DVD burner that's also a fashion plate. Not short on substance, this slim model comes with QVideo 2 software for faster capturing, rendering, authoring, and burning. But as with most supermodels,...

Drive with style.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Available in 1($134.99), 2GB ($279.99), and other capacities, Lexar's stainless steel JumpDrive Lightning has curves in all the right places. This shiny thumb drive features swift read/write speeds, as well as file encryption and decryption....

Dynamic duo.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Because you really need two different types of lenses to do still photography and video, Samsung presents its SC-D6550 Duocam. The $799.99 do-it-all device features dedicated lenses for digital video (a 680,000-pixel CCD with 10x optical zoom)...

Big-time backup.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Buffalo's TeraStation external storage device goes way beyond gigs. In addition to the $999.99 drive's full terabyte of disk space, it's a backup solution that supports disk mirroring and, better yet, RAID 5, converting its four replaceable,...

DVD-disc cam.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... One of the drawbacks of many DVD camcorders is their size--an 8cm DVD disc imposes a strict limit on how compact the design can be. Sony's approach: Shave around the edges. The result is a videocam that looks remarkably like a CD Walkman. The...

Share with Wi-Fi.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... The $599 Kodak EasyShare One has a bright 3-inch LCD screen, 256MB of onboard memory, and a 4-megapixel CCD sensor, but its most compelling feature may be its optional 802.11b Wi-Fi compatibility, which lets you e-mail photos to friends...

Loud, clear, and free.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... iBiquity Digital's HD Radio technology brings you the broadcast radio stations you know and love in crystal-clear digital sound. But unlike the XM and Sirius satellite-radio services, it's as free as the airwaves. The sound quality is superior...

National navigator.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Garmin's $964 StreetPilot C330 is the sparrow of in-car GPS units. It doesn't do anything unique, but it does everything with a new ease. It's a snap to enter your destination, the screen is easy to read, and the unit is simple to mount. Plus,...

Burn rubber, rip tunes.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... The $650 Estone Ripper 510 Car MP3 Player is a new unit with a neat twist. In addition to playing MP3 and standard audio CDs, and receiving AM/FM radio, it can rip music CDs directly to its 20GB hard drive. Plus, you can remove the hard drive...

Mondo fun gizmo.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Tiger Telematics aims to put fun in the palm of your hand. In addition to on-the-go gaming, the $399 Gizmondo delivers wireless text messaging and e-mail, GPS capabilities, a digital camera, and a portable video player. It also includes an...

TV for the taking.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... Sling Media's $249 Slingbox lets TV fans access live programming and PVR-recorded content from anywhere, at any time, using an add-on box that connects a cable box, satellite receiver, or PVR with a home network. Fire up a Wi-Fi laptop and take...

Pickup lines.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... While Bluetooth headsets deliver the convenience of wireless, hands-free chatting, screening calls still means staying close to your handset. Not anymore: The $149 Jabra BT800 headset liberates you by integrating a small LCD that provides...

Hot spotter.(Premiere Gear)
April 1, 2005... You can barely walk a block these days without hitting a Wi-Fi hot spot. But is that connection open and the signal strong? Find out with the $49.99 Advanced WiFi Scanner from Targus. The tiny 2-ounce device identifies available channels and...