Computer Shopper articles from August 2004

Computer Shopper archives from August 2004

Desktop displacement.(from the editor in chief)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... As I write this, I'm staring at a bulky CRT monitor. Sure, its 19-inch display delivers ample onscreen real estate, but the thing is also 19 inches deep and weighs a whopping 54 pounds. If someone slips into my orifice unannounced, I almost...

You can go home again.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I read with interest Nancy Feldman's column on overseas call centers ("Vote with Your PC Purchase for Stateside Tech Support," June, p. 40). Last month I spent three hours on the phone with an HP tech from India. Most of the conversation...

Learn from the library?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Your article on file swapping raised an interesting question ("Psycho-acoustic File-Swap Killer," June, p. 20): What's the difference between swapping song files and borrowing books or recordings from the public library? In both cases, an...

Found in translation.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... I accepted John Dvorak's invitation, and, on the first try, my Tablet PC's speech subsystem translated his idiomatic sentence of 'And I mean literally laughable since these translations can be a total hoot" as "And I mean literally laughable...

Don't try this at home.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... It was irresponsible to publish an illustration of a man who had climbed an electric power pole to connect his laptop to a primary-circuit wire energized with thousands of volts ("FCC to Energize Broadband Over Utility Power Lines," June, p....

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2004... We incorrectly reported that the Nikon Coolpix 8700 costs $999.95 for the camera body only ("Snap Decisions," June, p. 114). The purchase price includes a fixed 8x optical zoom lens. Nikon offers teleconverter, wide-angle, and fish-eye adapters...

Longhorn sends Windows into another dimension.(Trends)(Microsoft Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The next version of Windows will sport some fancy three-dimensional but for those with an older graphics card, Longhorn will look a lot like windows 2000. That's because with Longhorn, Microsoft plans to offer three different graphical...

Scammers go 'phishing' for online victims.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... An estimated one in five Americans was the target of a "phishing" attack in the past year, according to a research study. Projecting from the results of a survey of 5,000 wired adults, research firm Gartner suggests 57 million consumers in...

Satellite TV starts beaming to cell phones.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Coming to cell phones soon: reality shows and cartoons. Samsung plans to release a phone that can receive satellite-TV signals and launch a service package that lets customers receive up to 40 stations. The company expects to launch both...

Alienware goes up, up, and array.(Trends)(Video Array)
August 1, 2004... For gamers who want the ultimate graphics PC, there's a new game in town. Alienware (www.alienware. com) is raising the stakes in the pixel arena with Video Array, a system that allows two graphics cards to work together to draw a single...

DVRs go prime time.(Trends)(Digital video recorders)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... Worldwide Shipments of Digital Video Recorders 2002 1.5 million 2003 4.6 million 2004 11 million * * = Estimates The market for digital video recorders (DVRs), hard-drive-based units for recording TV programs, is...

The Army's still gunning for gamers.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The U.S. Army is still looking for a few good gamers. Beginning the second year of its experiment in using free, custom-built PC games to give young people a taste of military life, the Army is finding the games to be not only spectacularly...

Media players put video, games in your pocket.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... This holiday season, the hottest tech products might be a new generation of pocket-size devices that could make video entertainment as stylishly portable as the iPod made digital audio. Microsoft's Windows Portable Media Center will let you...

DSL gets naked.(Trends)(digital subscriber line)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Verizon Communications will soon become the second Baby Bell in the United States to offer broadband to consumers regardless of whether those customers also buy its local phone service. The company plans to offer what's been called "naked"...

AMD sets its sights on the budget buyer.(Trends)(Advanced Micro Devices)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Sempron, thy name is bargain. Advanced Micro Devices has announced a new chip due in the second half of the year, called Sempron, that is geared toward notebooks that cost less than $999 and desktops that sell for under $549. At press...

Media machines: percentage of computers sold by 2008 that are "media PCs".(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Early adopters betting on the PC being the central household hub for digital media will soon have plenty of company, according to Parks Associates' recent research. The firm projects that mediacentric PC sales will rise to 7 million units by...

Handheld hard drives still not booting.(Trends)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Your new iPod Mini has a tiny hard drive, so why not your cell phone or PDA? With developments from manufacturers like Toshiba, which announced a 0.85-inch hard drive--not much larger than a quarter--earlier this year, your wait may be over...

A cell of masked talents.(Gear)
August 1, 2004... Motorola A630 Covert intelligence: Boasting more features than handsets twice its size, the new A630 from Motorola offers an abundance of enticing attributes for just about everyone. On the surface, this uniquely designed smartphone...

The confusing truth about when a warranty starts--and ends: hard drive vendors start coverage on the date of manufacture rather than the date of purchase. This can rob you of a full warranty.(opinions)
August 1, 2004... LATELY, WE'VE BEEN HEARING a lot of grumbling from readers (and columnists--see the June "Hard Edge," p 142) about Maxtor hard drives. Some complained the drives failed shortly after arrival; others found they waited until the warranty expired...

On-the-go gaming wars: can Nintendo keep its upper hand? The battle for supremacy in the handheld-game market is heating up. Will the competition dethrone the gaming giant?(opinions)
August 1, 2004... POOR NINTENDO. FIRST Microsoft muscled in on its action with Xbox, and now it seems like everyone wants a piece of its Game Boy Advance business. At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Sony trotted out its PlayStation Portable...

Expertise, not economics: lamenting the digital divide: how the dummies are ruining the computing experience for the rest of us.(opinions)
August 1, 2004... I THINK MOST OF YOU WILL understand what I mean when I say the heyday of the PC is over. Sure, it sounds a little strange covering this topic in a computer magazine, but new users just aren't interested in technology the way the rest of us...

The top 25: Computer Shopper editors handpick the best desktops, notebooks, DVD burners, flatbed scanners, and spyware killers.(top 25)
August 1, 2004... HOME DESKTOPS PRODUCT PRICE SPECS Gateway eMachines $1,119 2.17GHz Athlon XP 3000+; 512MB DDR; T3085 16OGB hard drive; DVD[+ or -]RW; www.e4me.com 15-inch...

Luggable gamer is powerful but cursed by poor design: VoodooPC HeXx.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... VOODOOPC'S HEXX TRIES to please buyers--especially LAN gamers--who seek a desktop that's both a top performer and compact enough to carry from place to place. The $3,300 desktop satisfies both roles reasonably well, but it doesn't excel at...

Unusual space saver leaves no room to grow: Sony VAIO PCV-V200G.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... SONY ELECTRONICS' $1,699 VAIO PCV-V200G IS A nice piece of computing machinery for those who value pretty lines and an economical footprint over power and performance. But you can find competing systems that offer much more for less cash. ...

A stereo on the outside, all PC on the inside: ZeusPC Thunder Vibe.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... THE $1,987 ZEUSPC THUNDER VIBE LOOKS LIKE a stereo outside, but inside, it's all PC. While the unit's small form factor makes it highly portable, it's most attractive for its home entertainment functions, including a built in AM/FM tuner and...

Modest all-in-one Mac ably handles essentials: Apple eMac.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... AT $999, THE APPLE EMAC IS ONE OF THE MOST affordable DVD recording options on the market. The 50-pound all-in one departs from the flashy iMac's desk-lamp look by incorporating a 17 inch CRT display Expansion room is limited, but the eMac's...

Budget desktop boasts good parts, performance: Polywell Poly 880NF2-MX.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... WITH DECENT PERFORMANCE AND A GOOD mix of components, the $999 Polywell Poly 880NF2-MX demonstrates that budget systems have become legitimate options. This attractive if utilitarian PC features a 2.17GHZ Athlon XP 3000+ processor. 512MB...

This soaring performer, brought down by gravity: Hypersonic Aviator AX6.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... BEING AN INNOVATOR counts for a lot in the computer business, and the Aviator AX6 certainly gives Hypersonic PC Systems bragging rights. But even though this high-performance machine is one of the first notebooks we've seen to feature AMD's...

Long-lasting laptop is loaded yet affordable: Toshiba Satellite A45-S250.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... BY NATURE, A BUDGET LAPTOP HAS TO SACRIFICE some features to keep its price low, but the mainstream Toshiba Satellite A45-$250 makes some of the smartest trade-offs we've seen. The $1,549 Satellite model we tested came to us well configured...

Cleanly designed portable will please frugal travelers: Averatec AV3225HS.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... SOMETIMES LESS FEELS LIKE A LOT MORE. Such is the case with Averatec's AV3225HS. An affordable ultraportable with a few value added extras, this mobile AMD based notebook is a surprisingly good deal. Our $1,049 test model arrived running a...

Striking mobile prowess weighed down by size: HP Pavilion ZV5000Z.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... THANKS TO A ROBUST, EXOTIC CONFIGURATION, the surprisingly affordable $1,577 (before a $100 mail-in rebate) HP Pavilion ZV5000z stands near the top of the class in mobile performance. Plus, the notebook offers excellent battery life. Our...

This lightweight slate displays big performance: Fujitzu Stylistic ST5010 Tablet PC.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... FUJITSU COMPUTER SYSTEMS' NEW $2,299 Stylistic ST5010 Tablet PC features the same smart design as older models, but with a few improvements that help it emerge as a terrific slate-style tablet. Bigger than the older ST4000 it replaces, the...

A PDA/GPS combo that offers handy navigation: M10 168.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... THE $499 MIO 168 HITS A COUPLE OF ROAD-blocks in the city but manages to drive off with a winning PDA/GPS combo. The Mio 168 has a 300MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor, 32MB of ROM, and 64MB of SDRAM. It runs Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket...

Fun and functionality built into new handheld: Palmone Zire 72.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... AS THE ZIRE 71 GOES INTO RETIREMENT, PalmOne's $299 Zire 72 is here to take its place. Bringing more memory and a faster processor, the Zire 72 lets you listen to music, take photos and videos, and connect to devices via Bluetooth. Its...

This mini-mouse loves to travel: BENQ M310 Wireless Mini Optical Mouse.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Notebook toters weary of the touch pad have a sleek new alternative. BenQ's $39.99 M310 Wireless Mini Optical Mouse is small and attractive, and has a substantial feel. Plus, it comes in a neat black velvet pouch. Measuring approximately...

Beauty and brains in a small package: Sony Ericsson P900.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... DESPITE MINOR GLITCHES AND A hefty $799.99 price, Sony Ericsson's P900 offers worthy features and extensive connectivity in a trim package. Measuring 4.5x2.2x0.9 inches and weighing 5.2 ounces, the P900 is slim and light. The phone runs...

Feature-rich player defeats iPod on size: Jetaudio Cowon Iaudio M3.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... JetAudio's multitalented $369 Cowon iAudio M3 is slimmer than Apple's ipod, though it takes a few design shortcuts to achieve its tiny size. Elegant yet sturdy, the 20GB M3 measures 4.1x2.4x0.6 inches. At 4.8 ounces, it's also 15 percent...

Shoot like a pro with impressive dSLR: Nikon D70 Outfit.(digital single-lens-reflex)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... BEWARE: THE MINUTE YOU START USING THE $1,299 Nikon D70 Outfit, you'll believe you're a great photographer. With a solid and well-designed body, intelligently implemented features, speedy performance, and impressive photo quality,, this 6...

A snapshot printer for the living room: Sony DPP-EX50 Picturestation.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... SONY'S $179 DPP-EX50 PICTURESTATION PHOTO printer is designed to slip into your entertainment center next to your television, so you can share and print your photos in comfort. It prints well and quickly, but we're not quite sold on the idea of...

New gamer card topples rival's reign: ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... AFTER YEARS OF FINISHING SECOND TO NVIDIA in the race for graphics supremacy, ATI has finally outperformed its rival. The $499 256MB ATI Radeon X800 XT Platinum Edition trounced nVidia's new GeForce 6800 Ultra soundly in our tests, making it...

Big-screen LCD excels but for a hint of tint: ViewSonic VP201B.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... VIEWSONIC BUILT ITS TOP-OF-THE LINE $1,119 VP201b 20-inch LCD for video editors, financial traders, CAD/CAM engineers, and power gamers. Its versatile design and useful features are worthy of such an audience, but its image quality, while...

Pricey portable printer is speedy and very slick: Canon CP-330.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... The $279 Canon CP-330 dye-sublimation photo printer is pretty, portable, PictBridge-compatible--and pricey. Still, though it lacks an LCD and slots for removable media, it won us over with its compact design and fast snapshot printing. The...

Digital media library offers little value: FIA ON3 Digital Media Player and Library.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... THE $449 FIA ON3 DIGITAL MEDIA Player and Library connects to your home theater and plays video, audio, and image files from its 80GB bard drive. The device can't stream content from networked PCs or the Internet, however, and lacks the...

Turn your monitor into a television: AVerMedia TVBox 9.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... IF YOU WANT TO TURN A COMPUTER monitor--thin LCD or hulking CRT--into a television, the $179.99 AVerMedia TVBox 9 can do so without bringing a PC into the equation. Alternatively, a picture-in-picture option lets you watch programming while...

Stream tunes wirelessly to your home stereo: NetGear MP101 Wireless Digital Music Player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... NETGEAR'S $125 MP101 WIRELESS DIGITAL MUSIC Player is among the first digital media receivers to play songs from Rhapsody's 650,000-track online streaming music service. Shaped like a miniature home audio component, the inexpensive MP101 has a...

Router, Repeater Kit extends network range: Buffalo WRB-G54K Wireless Router and Repeater Kit.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY'S $149.99 WRB-G54K Wireless Router and Repeater Kit solves one of today's most common Wi-Fi network problems: insufficient range. Using Buffalo's proprietary Wireless Distribution System (WDS) technology,, the WRB-G54K relays...

An able alternative to Microsoft Office: WordPerfect Office 12.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... COREL'S $299.99 WORDPERFECT OFFICE 12 IS A feature-rich productivity suite and an affordable alternative to Microsoft Office for small-business, student, and home users. But companies standardized on Microsoft Office should test version 12's...

Take the tedium out of small-biz accounting: MYOB Plus 2004.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... THE $249 MYOB PLUS 2004 IS A FINE ACCOUNTING tool for small business owners more interested in managing the books than fussing with forecasting and cash-flow-projection tools such as those found in its pricier competitor, Intuit's QuickBooks...

Slick spyware stopper, but slow system scans: Spy Sweeper 2.6.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... WEBROOT SOFTWARE'S SPY SWEEPER 2.6 IS A well designed spyware-removal program, though it scans more slowly than the competition. Webroot's free demo version of Spy Sweeper limits you to a single access to its updated spyware definitions file,...

TV utility turns your desktop PC into a DVR: Beyond TV 3.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... SNAPSTREAM MEDIA'S $69.99 ($59.99 DOWNLOAD) Beyond TV 3 gives your PC TiVo-like functionality without the monthly subscription fee. This digital-video-recorder (DVR) program also offers a number of welcome improvements over previous versions....

Misflagged e-mail douses this Antispam app's flame: Spamfire Pro 1.5.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... MATTERFORM MEDIA'S $39.95 SPAMFIRE PRO 1.5 is not your average spam filter, and it has some unique features. It's hard to use, however, and flags too much legitimate mail as junk. As a result, we can't recommend it. Spamfire automatically...

P2P security software keeps files, not you, safe: Steganos Secure Filesharing 6.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... FILE TRADING USED TO BE A FEAR-FREE process, but the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) changed that with its lawsuits against individual downloaders. Steganos' $35.95 ($29.95 download) Secure FileSharing 6 will allay some of...

Radiant keys help you rule your games: Saitek Gamer's Keyboard.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Saitek Industries' $59.99 Gamer's Keyboard is designed to give serious garners myriad control options while brightening their desktop. Split into two sections, the USB input device consists of a traditional-layout computer keyboard, plus a...

Swallow a dose of this supernatural shooter: painkiller.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... REMINISCENT OF SHOOTER classics like Quake, Painkiller is simple at heart but expertly assembled. Packed with spectacular action, it's a thrill to play. The semblance of plot: Killed in a car accident. Daniel Garner faces an assignment in...

Dungeon questing can be so testing: Sacred.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... SACRED IS A GREAT-LOOKING, mostly solid fantasy role-playing game (RPG) whose open-ended gaming world sets it apart. But its combat system can be finicky--a problem for a hack and-slash RPG. Heavily inspired by the popular Diablo series,...

Rating the retailers: we visited seven major computer chains to see how well they handle novice buyers. Which stores made the grade? You may be surprised.(The Best Retail Stores)
August 1, 2004... A guy walks into a computer store wanting to buy a PC for his retired parents. His dad wants to do video editing with his camcorder; his mom is planning to buy a digital camera. He's not sure if they need USB or FireWire, Windows XP Home or...

New muscle for the Pentium: three new Intel Pentium M processors promise to change the way you work and play while on the move. Should you believe the hype?(Pentium M Laptops)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... INTRODUCTION BY JOSHUA GOLDMAN IF you spend more time working on the road than at a desk, you've no doubt heard the words "Centrino," "Bahias," or even "Dothan" Floating around lately, as Intel has been busy hawking its Pentium M...

Tech prereq 101: these high-tech study aids and productivity boosters leave more time for what college is really all about--partying!(College Tech Buying Guide)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... The lazy hum of summer is still in the air, but it's time to start thinking of falling leaves, cooler days, and stuffing that backpack full of high tech gear for the coming fall semester. Here we slip you cheat sheets on the hottest new...

I want my MP3 player: set your life to music with one of these 20 great portable digital audio players.(Digital Audio Players)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2004... If you've ever missed your morning train waiting for the last mournful line of "Stairway to Heaven" to emanate from the car radio, you need an MP3 player. Yes, it's time you joined the legions of happy, earbud-wearing zombies you see on the...

The 411 on net phones: these five VoIP services let you place phone calls over the Internet for rates that are cheaper than a regular call.(Voice Over IP)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... Have a broadband connection? Tired of wading through the maze of calling plans that phone companies have constructed? Then you might be ready for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, which lets you make telephone calls over the Net to...

Open Windows, let in Linux: a dual-boot PC with Linux and Windows XP gives you the best of both worlds.(tune-up)
August 1, 2004... It's out there and it's free, or at least close to it. But you just haven't had the guts to take the plunge and try Linux. We've got good news. It's not necessary to make a complete commitment to the open-source operating system. You can have...

The hard edge: Alice goes high-def; Bill does 64-bit Windows; and happy 12 years writing "The Hard Edge," A and B!(help & how-to)(High Definition Television)
August 1, 2004... NOW THAT "THE HARD Edge" has come to the end of its 12th year and is beginning lucky 13, it's time to reveal a deep, dark secret: Bill is a bit of a Luddite. He automatically filters out e-mail containing single letters in the subject (such as...

Restoration gone awry.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... I was having problems with my Windows Me system, and the manufacturer's tech-support rep had me run the restoration disks. Now, when installing a new program, the system boots with a "non-system disk" error message. What's wrong, and how can I...

Amiga + PC = Amigos.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... I have hundreds of floppy disks from an Amiga 2000, including a novel that I've written. Is there an emulator or other program I can install on my PC that will allow me to recover these valuable files? Harrison C. Mondy A standard PC...

Help! Browser is bananas.(computer cures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... My browser's home page keeps getting reset to some page of links. I keep trying to change it back to the page I originally had, but when I log off and load the browser again, it changes back to the unwanted home page. My ISP's tech-support team...

Save the music.(computer cures)(backing up hard disk)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... I have about 1,000 digital music files on my hard drive and fear losing them if my computer crashes. What's the best way to back up my hard drive? Billy Cherry Most users don't bother to back up until after their first crash. I was...

LCD in the pink.(computer cures)(liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... From time to time, the entire screen of my LCD gets a pink cast. What's causing this, and how can I fix it? (The monitor manufacturer wasn't able to help me.) Frank Omilian The pink tint could indicate a loose connection in the...

A UPS that delivers.(computer cures)(uninterruptible power supply)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... I want to purchase an uninterruptible power supply for my system. What should I be looking for in terms of amps and other specifications? Korey Hines You'll actually run across two types of battery-backup devices. A true...

An even better browser.(tip of the month)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In the June 2004 issue (p. 146), I answered a question about how to print a list of files in a folder from within Windows, using a DOS window. This prompted a number of responses from other readers, explaining other ways to use the DOS window...

Recipe for a digital camera that rises to the occasion: choosing the right digicam is rarely a piece of cake, but our Advisor serves up a sweet slice of high-res, high-value shooters.(Buying Advisor)(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2004... DIANNE DAYS, A SOON-TO-BE retired cake decorator, is setting aside her frosting tips and thinking like a baker, carefully measuring and weighing her ingredients. Not to whip up a delicious batter, but to pick her first digital camera--she came...

WebBuyer.(Directory)
August 1, 2004... Tech Shopping altex.com With a big dose of Texan pride, Altex Electronics has corralled enough computer and networking gear to fill a 10-gallon hat. Mosey over to the Power Accessories section for line conditioners, power supplies,...

Essential guide: 20 ways to shop smart online.
August 1, 2004... Shop Safe, Not Sorry 1 make sure your connection's secure Before you submit any sensitive or private information about yourself--especially your credit-card number--make sure that the data will be encrypted and transmitted over a...

How to buy the right flat-panel display.(buying basics)
August 1, 2004... Strong demand may be keeping prices high, but if you're looking to update your desk and save space, a flat-panel display is a good investment. Here's what you need to consider when purchasing a new LCD to replace that old space-hogging CRT...