Computer Shopper articles from February 2001

Computer Shopper archives from February 2001

The Wireless Way.(Technology Information)(Editorial)
February 1, 2001... The year has barely begun, and the industry has already latched onto its buzzword for 2001: wireless. Every- where you turn-newspapers, magazines, television, even the sides of city buses-you'll encounter debate about wireless. Some say this is...

Feedback Forum.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2001... A Worthwhile Upgrade? Regarding Bill O'Brien's "Put Some Pep in Your Old PC" (December 2000, p. 97), my first thought is that while the Evergreen Performa600 might be a worthwhile CPU upgrade, it certainly isn't one for which I would...

Coming Next Month.(News Briefs)
February 1, 2001... Towers of Power Between Intel's unleashing of its Pentium 4 processor and the union of AMD's Athlon CPU with DDR memory, PC speed has shifted into overdrive. What are the real performance differences between these technologies? Our March...

Pentium 4: Do You Really Need the Speed?(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... Intel Corp.'s Pentium 4 blasted off late last year with blow-your-hair- back speeds of 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz, but marketing systems powered by this hot-rod chip may prove to be slow going. That's because performance tests have shown no real...

Get the Goods.(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Shopping online or by catalog is undeniably convenient-unless you don't happen to have a butler to handle deliveries from the post office, UPS, and Federal Express. The zBox, a new product from zBox Co., can eliminate extra trips to the...

Net Nosh.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Good news for travelers looking to log in and lunch at the same time: Travel supersite Expedia.com has opened its first Expedia Cafe, at the San Jose International Airport. While the eatery offers no free lunch, there's no cost for Internet...

Get Your Mojo Working.
February 1, 2001... Napster? Now that Bertelsmann has invested, they're in league with the Germans. Gnutella? Gnot going to work. Where's the fan of peer-to-peer communications to turn? Mojo, baby. That's right. Mojo Nation is the new open-source software...

Sharing the Groove.(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Home users have Mojo to share files, but corporate networks can get in on the Groove to take advantage of peer-to-peer computing. Groove Networks, a company headed by Lotus Notes creator Ray Ozzie, has created an application that provides...

A Star Is Born.(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... As any new parent will tell you, some of the best bonuses accompanying that little bundle of joy are the bragging rights. And a new service, BabyPressConference.com (www.babypressconference.com), aims to make the boasting easy-and...

Screening Teen Spending.(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Scared to send your teenagers to the mall with a fistful of cash? That fear could be justified. After all, they may tell you they're off to catch the latest Adam Sandler movie, while they're actually chasing down a pitcher of frozen margaritas...

Get Scanned and Go Shopping.(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Finding a comfortable fit is all but guaranteed for Lands' End shoppers who use ImageTwin's 3D Personal Body Scanning. That's because the technology enables men and women to have their body dimensions scanned, then hop online and use the My...

Buy It By Bar Code.(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... The capability to browse offline and buy online just got easier, thanks to new bar-code readers such as the Qoder. The $39.95 wireless device, developed by a company called Qode (www.qode.com), stores up to 100 UPC codes, which can deliver...

The Unforeseeable Future of Wireless.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... Will next year's wireless wonders be Web-connected PDAs, souped-up Net phones, or a uber-gadget that fuses both? No one knows for sure, not even the executives running the companies likely to market these devices. But several participants at a...

SideStep, Easy Step.(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Finding and booking a low airfare on the Internet has taken a bold leap with the debut of SideStep, a browser plug-in that is the fastest and simplest fare finder we've ever seen. Better yet, while other booking engines overlook smaller...

Value Line: Desktop PCs.(News Briefs)
February 1, 2001... A range of desktop systems found on computershopper.com Compaq Presario 7360 $549 500MHz AMD K6-2, 64MB RAM, 10GB hard drive, CD-ROM, no monitor Dell Dimension L667 $969 667MHz Pentium III, 64MB RAM, 10GB hard drive, 15"...

The Stuff You Want.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Slick Pix What do you get when you fuse 2.31-megapixel resolution with a 3x optical zoom lens and duh-simple operation? If you're lucky, Minolta's $449 Dimage 2330 Zoom. This pocket-size autofocus digicam has an optical viewfinder for...

Computer Shopper Best Buys: February 2001.(News Briefs)
February 1, 2001... Computer Shopper and ZDNet editors pick the best values among the latest tech products. Hardware Evergreen Performa600 Before you buy a new PC, check out the Performa600. Evergreen's processor upgrade lets you pop a 600MHz Celeron...

Toward Software As a Service.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... After much screaming and kicking, competing standards and devices will one day function together. Today's software powerhouses, from Microsoft to Oracle to IBM, now describe software as a service. In the early days of computing-15 years...

Trade-Offs Impede Shift to Broadband - The four flavors of fast Internet access offer an inexpensive alternative to T1 lines, but caveats remain.(Technology Information)
February 1, 2001... The rollout of broadband services was at the crux of many Internet startups, and the snags have seriously curtailed more than a few Internet stocks. Exactly why anyone would invest in a business model that relies on an industry that's still in...

M-Commerce Off to a Slow Start - Shopping via wireless devices hasn't caught on yet, but it will.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... The image of failing dot-coms may be tainting reports about the future of shopping on mobile devices. Analysts note daunting technical hurdles, including confusion over protocols, competing wireless networks, devices with differing...

Mobile Internet? Not Yet - The i-mode may be big in Japan, but we'll have to get past some hurdles before the wireless Web takes off in the United States.(Technology Information)
February 1, 2001... We're hearing a lot of talk about mobile Internet. Is it the wave of the future, or just another industry attempt to foist more technology on an unsuspecting public? The wireless Internet products available today are effective for those...

Acer Veriton FP2-T800A: More Panache Than Performance.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Take back some space on your desktop with Acer America Corp.'s diminutive and stylish Veriton FP2-T800A. It leaves a tiny 6x13-inch footprint and, thanks to its LCD monitor, occupies fewer cubic inches overall than a 17-inch monitor. It works...

Compaq Presario 7000Z-1.1: The Porsche of Power Systems.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Initial impressions can sometimes be wrong. At first glance, we thought Compaq had simply tossed every high-tech part it could find, willy- nilly, into the $2,851 Presario 7000Z-1.1 to justify its hefty price. But after a closer look, we...

Micronpc.com ClientPro CN: This Desktop Means Business.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... The ClientPro Cn from micronpc.com is all work and no play. You won't find a fast 3D gaming card, top-notch audio, or other "distractions" in this no-frills system that's targeted to business users. What you will get in the $2,164-direct...

3dfx VoodooTV 200 PCI: Tune In Again Tomorrow.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... If that computing voodoo you do includes TV and radio capture, you may want to check out 3dfx Inter active's $99.99-list VoodooTV 200 PCI card. The VoodooTV is among the first cards to use the Microtune silicon tuner, and includes input...

Ricoh MP7120A: The Concorde Of CD-RWs.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Calling the Ricoh MP7120A a fast CD-RW is like calling the Concorde a fast airplane. Rated at 12x/10x/32x maximum speeds, that translates to up to 4.8MB/sec for CD-ROM reads. And at $249 direct, you pay just a small premium for this...

Maxtor 1394 External Storage Solution: External Drives Boost PC Storage.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Users of PCs never took to external hard drives the way the Macintosh community did, perhaps because SCSI never attained the same ubiquity in the Windows world. Maxtor Corp. takes advantage of SCSI's emerging successor, the IEEE 1394 (FireWire)...

Sony DCR-TRV20: A Dual-Purpose DV Grabber.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Digital video (DV) camcorders deliver great-quality video, but most are poor choices for shooting still images. Sony's $1,799 DCR-TRV20 DV camcorder, equipped with a megapixel CCD and Memory Stick support, is adept at both. The DCR-TRV20...

Sonigistix Monsoon MM-2000 Flat Panel Surround System: A Monsoon Of Sound.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... The Sonigistix Mon soon line of flat- panel speakers has wowed desktop audiophiles for more than two years. Based on innovative planar-driver technology, the Monsoons combine sparkling sonics with futuristic aesthetics. Sonigistix's latest...

D-link DWL-500 Wireless LAN PCI Card 11MBPs: Wireless LAN, Tangled Setup.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... You don't have to wait for wireless networking-D-Link Systems' DWL-500 Wireless LAN PCI Card 11Mbps is available now, and it's actually two products in one. The DWL-500 consists of a PCI card that has an onboard socket to accept PC Cards, and a...

Handspring Visor Modules: Modular Makeovers - These four expansion modules pump up your Visor's potential, making it a truly protean PDA.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Imagine instantly morphing your PDA into any number of high-tech gadgets just by plugging in a new hardware cartridge. Idle fantasy? Not if you own a Handspring Visor organizer. Snap an expansion module into its Springboard slot, and the PDA...

Sony Vaio PCG-SR17k: Light as Air, Fast as Lightning.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... It may seem that there's a law that says all notebooks must look alike, but if there is, no one has told Sony Electronics. The company's $2,399 VAIO PCG-SR17K is a feast for the eyes with its silver-and-gray shell, purple accents, and curvy...

TransPort GX: A Business Model With Flair and Flaws.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... A sleek new notebook aimed at the small-business and home-office markets, micronpc.com's $3,787-direct TransPort GX stands out as the most stylish business notebook the company has ever delivered. But if you look beyond its pretty face and...

Fujitsu LifeBook S-4542: An Ultrathin Notebook Decked Out With DVD.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... When designing ultrathin notebooks, many manufacturers exile the optical drives to external hinterlands to keep the pounds off. But Fujitsu PC Corp. has created a lightweight option that doesn't force you to connect the drives externally. Its...

McAfee Office 3.11: More Utilities For the Money.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Utility addicts will find what they crave in McAfee Office 3.11. Network Associates' latest version of its utility suite incorporates all of the company's most popular utilities-including Internet security features not found in rival Symantec...

DeLorme Street Atlas USA Road Warrior edition: Don't Forget Your Compass.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... An offshoot of DeLorme's Street Atlas USA 8.0, Street Atlas USA Road Warrior Edition (RWE) is geared for life on the road. Designed specifically for use on notebook PCs in conjunction with a GPS receiver, RWE has several features not found in...

Microsoft Works Suite 2001: Works Suite Suits Word Fans.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Not much has changed in the basic Works package from last year's version. The most significant enhancements are found in the Word Processor module, which now offers hyperlink support, AutoCorrect, and wider support for image formats. The...

CorelDraw 10 Graphics Suite: Better Graphics Tools for All.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... It's not as extensive an overhaul as its predecessor, but CorelDraw 10 Graphics Suite has many fine additions, including a new vector- animation program, Corel RAVE. Corel has streamlined the interfaces for CorelDraw and Photo-Paint, and...

PayPal: Netting Some Easy Cash.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... Money is fast becoming the lifeblood of the Web, yet there hasn't been a simple way for individuals to send and receive cash online. Credit cards work well for most e-commerce sites, but what about auctions, or the occasional sale from your...

Snapfish: A Snappy Deal For Shutterbugs.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... Things that sound too good to be true usually are. That's why we're so excited about Snapfish, a film-developing and photo-sharing service that's arguably one of the best deals on the Web. When you mail in a roll of 35mm film (or a disposable...

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: The Cold War Freezes Over.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Westwood Studios may have missed the mark with Tiberian Sun, the sequel to Command & Conquer, but the company is back in top form with Red Alert 2. This engrossing real-time strategy game posits an alternate post-World War II era in which the...

Panzer General III: Scorched Earth: Rushin' to The Front.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... The original Panzer General helped revitalize the stagnant war-game market by providing gameplay that was both challenging and accessible. The latest game in the series, Panzer General III: Scorched Earth, puts you at the Russian Front, where...

Midtown Madness 2: The Trail of Two Cities.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Microsoft Corp.'s Midtown Madness was a refreshing alternative to the usual blur of racing games, a freewheeling dash through downtown Chicago in everything from a VW Beetle to a city bus. The sequel, Midtown Madness 2, delivers more of the...

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theater: The Sky's the Limit.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Microsoft Corp.'s second release in its Combat Flight Simulator series takes the battle to the Pacific. If you thought air combat was challenging, get ready for the thrill of landing a damaged Hellcat on a postage-stamp-size aircraft carrier...

Upwardly Mobile - These five new consumer notebooks let you make a fashion statement without paying for it in power or performance.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Historically speaking, consumers only bought notebook PCs for use on the move or to accommodate a lack of living space. When it came to price and performance, the cards were clearly stacked in favor of desktop systems. Though that still holds...

Crusoe: It Keeps Going and Going.(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... For months before its official unveiling in January 2000, Transmeta Corp.'s power-thrifty mobile CPU, Crusoe, was making waves as a threat to Intel Corp.'s dominance of the industry. Now, Crusoe is finally here-first in an ultraportable device...

Pix that Click - In photography, image is everything. If you want the sharpest digital photos possible, aim for a 3-megapixel camera.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but is it worth $1,000? That's the first decision you have to make when shopping for a 3-megapixel digital camera. Sure, you can find good 3-megapixel models priced at about $800, but those generally cut back...

Nikon Coolpix 880.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Nikon's pedigree of building cameras for professional photographers is clear in the $799-estimated Coolpix 880. Although it lacks a rechargeable battery and an AC power supply, experienced users and hobbyists won't run out of camera before they...

Olympus C-3030 Zoom.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Once you view the excellent image quality and abundant feature set of the Olympus C-3030 Zoom, you won't want to put the camera down. The $999-estimated C-3030 also offers a solid design and a high level of control over image settings. ...

Ricoh RDC-7.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Ricoh has equipped its $799.99-direct RDC-7 with a number of features designed to appeal to enthusiasts and professionals, including a Pro mode that interpolates output resolution up to 7 megapixels, a zoom lens equivalent to a 35mm-to-105mm...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S70.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Almost everything about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S70 is distinctive-its compactness, feature set, ease of use, bundled software, and, unfortunately, its storage media. This $799.95-direct digicam captures both high-quality still images and...

Toshiba PDR-M70.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... You expect a 3-megapixel digital camera to offer top-notch image quality, but the Toshiba PDR-M70 falls short of the mark. Add to this the camera's confusing menus and controls, and the PDR-M70 quickly drops behind the competition, despite some...

Twos to Choose.(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... If your budget can't accommodate a 3-megapixel camera, or if you can get by with lower-resolution images, consider one of these 2-megapixel models. (For full reviews of these and other 2-megapixel-and 3-megapixel- digicams, go to...

Computer Shopper's Essential Guide: Buying Photo-quality Inkjets.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Photo-Quality Printers Get Affordable Within the last year, true photo-quality inkjets have stormed the market, accompanied by superior resolution, lower cost, and long- lasting inks. Even some professional-quality inkjets are now available...

No Strings Attached.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... In the 1967 movie The Graduate, the future is summed up in one word: plastics. If the movie were made today, the future might be summed up with another one: wireless. According to the Cahners In-Stat Group, the wireless data market will grow...

Computer Shopper's Essential Guide: Buying Scanners.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2001... Make a Sharp Buy With These Shopping Tips Scanners now come in all shapes and sizes, from pen-style "digital highlighters" to large flatbeds. This variety can make it hard to figure out exactly what you should purchase. Take a look at our...

Financial Advisors Face Off.(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... After years of additions, modifications, evolution, and tweaking, the latest personal-finance managers, Microsoft Money 2001 Deluxe and Intuit's Quicken 2001 Deluxe, continue to improve. Both come loaded with features-many of which are quite...

Software For Smart Shoppers - Companion applets travel with you from site to site, helping to find the best bargains.(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... For some people, online shopping is as simple as surfing up to a favorite site, clicking on a specific product, checking out, and then checking the mail. But this quick-and-dirty approach doesn't work for everyone, particularly those who like...

Web Buyer: All You Need Is Love (And a Few Good URLs) - Nothing shows how much you care like a hovercraft built for two from Hammacher Schlemmer.
February 1, 2001... There's nothing wrong with flowers and candy on Valentine's Day. They're easy to find and almost always welcome, unless your valentine has a floral allergy or a strict dietary regimen. But if you want to buck the holiday tradition, hop online,...

Web Buyer - Site Reviews for Online Shopping.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... PC Shopping Sites The sites in this listing sell products from multiple manufacturers. See the sites under "PC Direct Vendors," or check the Computer Shopper Source Directory (cgi.zdnet.com/slink?8145) for more information on PC...

Computer Shopper's Site of the Month: Gomez.com.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... Go to Gomez.com for the buzz on your favorite e-commerce sites. It offers ratings and consumer reviews of e-sellers and e-services in many varied markets: computers, apparel, music, online brokers, banks, travel agents, insurance carriers, and...

Go Public With Your Network.(Cisco Systems Internet Mobile Office)(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Good news for mobile professionals: It's now easier than ever to take your work-and your network-on the road. That's because Cisco Systems has launched an initiative called Internet Mobile Office (www.cisco.com/warp/ public/779/smbiz/cmo) that...

Will Work for Stock.(Advise4Stock alternative to venture capital)(Company Business and Marketing)
February 1, 2001... Cash-hungry startups may find the sustenance they need in a new program launched by Advise4Stock (www.advise4stock.com). The company provides an alternative to venture capital (VC) and angel financing by connecting startups with advisors...

E-Sales Soar.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Research firm eMarketer projects B2C e-commerce sales will skyrocket from $19.4 billion in 1999 to $125.6 billion by 2004, translating to an annual growth rate of 47 percent. At press time, the company anticipated e-tail revenue to total $37...

Get Your IM to Go - New and improved mobile capabilities make instant messaging a valuable business tool.(AOL Instant Messenger and Microsoft MSN Messenger Service)(Software Review)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... It started as a fun way to chat up your pals. But as developers strive to make instant messaging more attractive to business users, the technology has become increasingly robust, with features geared toward the mobile corporate set. In...

Here's Looking at You.(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... For years, videoconferencing has been out of reach for many small businesses. In-house systems to connect two or more satellite offices fell in the five- and six-figure range, and conferencing centers charged about $1,000 a minute to rent their...

Maximize Uptime for Minimal Cost - You can't afford not to implement these inexpensive solutions for minimizing downtime.(Technology Information)
February 1, 2001... The sad truth about computers is that it's not a matter of "if" a piece of equipment will break down, it's a matter of "when." Every PC has at least two moving parts (a hard drive and a cooling fan), and these parts will eventually stop...

Virus Avoidance Tips - Make sure your users follow these simple procedures.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... - Trust no one. Most users are infected by attachments sent, or seemingly sent, by people they know and trust. Scan every incoming document. - Disable/remove Windows Script Host (WSH). Microsoft added WSH to later versions of Windows and...

Which GUI To Go With? Check out the key differences between two outstanding graphical user interfaces for Linux.(KDE 2.0 and Gnome 1.4)(Product Information)
February 1, 2001... Newcomers to Linux are often boggled by the number of components they can, and often must, choose from in setting up their systems. Nowhere is this situation better demonstrated than in the area of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), where you...

The Hard Edge - Snaring Hardware From Failed Dot-Coms; Transmeta Soars; and Inside Netscape 6.0.
February 1, 2001... Ah, February! The month of hearts and flowers, songs and dreamy looks, long sighs and infatuations. It's a month of such excellent moods, one needs to wonder why they made it the shortest month of the year. It must have been devised by a...

Doubling Up - Adding A Second Hard Drive For Backup.
February 1, 2001... You hear it time and time again: "Did you have a backup?" And the answer is almost always no. If you've ever gotten a virus, wiped out entire directories of precious files, or installed a program that hosed your system, read on. You can...

Alfred Poor's Computer Cures.(Questions and Answers)
February 1, 2001... Com-port commotion Dear Alfred: I've been trying to set up an older computer for my mom to use for Internet access, but I'm having problems. I replaced an ISA network adapter card with a modem card, but Windows is reporting a...

Alfred Poor's Computer Cures: Tip of the Month.
February 1, 2001... Loud and clear Let's face it: Component-supply contracts for computers and their parts sometimes go to the lowest bidder, and in some cases the quality of parts may leave something to be desired. This problem can extend to some of the...

Buying Advisor: Laser Sharp - Finding a laser printer that pumps out crisp, bold text-and has a reputation for reliability-is a challenge when relying on other users' opinions.(Industry Trend or Event)
February 1, 2001... We recently helped a New York photographer choose an affordable inkjet printer to produce vivid color proofs for prospective clients (December, p. 262). But for some people, color is beside the point-all they need is razor-sharp monochrome...

Computer Shopper's Essential Guide: 20 Ways To Shop Smart Online.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... How to Shop Safe Make Your Connection 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 secure connection....

Stop the Snoops - You may be alone when you shop online, but marketers want to know what you're up to-and they're willing to pay to find out.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
February 1, 2001... The past few years have brought consumers reason to rejoice, as online shopping has become increasingly prevalent and convenient. Recently, though, there's been an undercurrent of unease beneath the elation. What happens to all that personal...