Computer Shopper articles from February 2003

Computer Shopper archives from February 2003

Undiscovered treasures. (from the editor in chief).(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... Regular readers of Computer Shopper--or anyone skimming through this issue, for that matter--is probably already familiar with several Web sites that provide information and advice on technology products and services. Not only do we partner...

Re-bate and switch? (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I enjoyed Rik Fairlie's column "The Price for Some Rebates Is Months of Aggravation" (January, p. 38). I've purchased three PCs with rebates in the last two years. With the first, it took five months to receive rebates from...

Trash talk turns stomach. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... Please tell me I'm not the only reader who finds it sickening that several companies are coming out with disposable mobile phones ("Giving New Meaning to Trash Talk," January, p. 28). With America's natural resources in serious danger from...

Back it up, stow it away. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... Regarding your Tune-Up article "Drive Mirroring" (January, p. 156), it should be noted that mirroring a hard drive is no substitute for periodic backups, as it provides no protection from viruses or Registry corruption. Mirroring is intended to...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2003... Due to an editing error in our "Top 100 of 2002" story (November 2002, p. 109), we misnamed our pick for Best Wireless Gateway. We incorrectly cited the $107 Netgear RP614, but the description we provided was indeed of the correct product, the...

Are media center PCs ready for prime time? (Trends).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The invasion of the PC into the living room is in full swing, with five computer makers joining Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com) in the race for space beside your sofa. ABS Computer Technologies (www.buyabs.com), Alienware (www.alienware.com),...

More tunes come online. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Give the people what they want: The Kinks said as much in their classic tune, and it looks like Universal Music Group (www.umusic.com) has heeded the advice. The record label has unveiled an a la carte system for previewing, purchasing, and...

The painful truth about PCs. (Trends).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Researchers have scientifically documented what dwellers of Dilbertville have known for years: Prolonged daily computer use can make you sore and sap your strength, energy, and motivation. In a three-year study of more than 25,000 workers,...

Customers bank on online bill-paying services. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Americans are paying fewer bills at the kitchen table these days, thanks to online bill paying. According to a recent Jupiter Research report, such services are responsible for a major shift in how we pay our debts. By 2006, the firm predicts...

Keeping terrorist money laundering offline. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Online payment services such as PayPal (www.paypal.com) make it easy to send a few dollars to pay for auction winnings. Unfortunately, the same services could make it easy for terrorists to launder money, too. The USA PATRIOT Act, passed...

Ink cartridges outsell desktops.
February 1, 2003... If you've ever used an inkjet printer, it shouldn't surprise you that replacement ink cartridges became the biggest-selling computer product in 2002, according to NPDTechworld. And while desktop PCs and inkjet printers saw year-over-year sales...

Freeing hands from the mousetrap. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Deskbound and wrist-punishing, computer mice are awkward but indispensable. But now, new technology offers relief by promising mice that can be freed not only from the desktop, but even the hand. Air mice are familiar to some business...

A palm for your wrist. (Trends).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Several attempts have been made to fuse fashion with data functionality and strap it to your wrist, but none has seemed as plausible--or as wearable--as the upcoming Wrist PDA from Fossil (www.fossil.com). The wristwatch/Palm-device combo,...

Transmeta answers Intel's Banias with an Astro. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Chip maker Transmeta (www.transmeta.com), which has endured a difficult couple of years, is gearing up for a comeback with Astro, a newly designed microprocessor due out midyear. Astro is the second generation of the company's energy-efficient...

Wireless broadband gallops into rural areas. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... A wireless Net service provider, Monet Mobile Networks (www.monetmobile.com), has unveiled a broadband service that it claims offers speeds 20 times faster than typical dial-up services. According to the company, the Monet Broadband service...

Wi-Fi hits home. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Been hearing a lot of chatter lately about 802.11-based wireless net-working (Wi-Fi) for home networks? According to a recent In-Stat/MDR report, it's a lot more than just talk. The research firm predicts that over 30 million Wi-Fi home nodes...

WirelessUSB bites at Bluetooth. (Trends).
February 1, 2003... Cypress Semiconductor (www.cypress.com) is seeking to attract users to the new WirelessUSB standard for wirelessly linking peripherals such as mice and keyboards to a PC. WirelessUSB operates on the unregulated 2.4GHz band and can connect...

Cell/Cam snaps with style: Nokia 7250. (Gear).
February 1, 2003... * She's a beauty: Fans of Nokia's pint-size phones will flip for the new 7250, with its sleek, ultracompact design, innovative keypad layout, and customizable display-color schemes--not to mention its sophisticated image-display and audio...

Easy-on-the-pocket pc. (Gear).(HP iPaq Pocket PC h1910)
February 1, 2003... Wish you could ditch your clunky PDA, but don't want to spend a mint on a souped-up Pocket PC? HP's $299 iPaq Pocket PC h1910 weighs a lean 4.2 ounces and is only slightly larger in dimension than its 3.5-inch screen. The ultracompact 64MB...

Propagate your ports. (Gear).(D-Link DUB-H4 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub )
February 1, 2003... If you're a hard-core hardware junkie jonesing for ports to plug in your USB devices, fret not: D-Link's $39 DUB-H4 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 4-Port Hub quadruples the plug-in power of one USB port. The ultracompact 1x4x2-inch unit is compatible with...

Inner-ear symphony. (Gear).(Shure E2c headphones )
February 1, 2003... Tired of the amateur audio produced by ordinary headphones? Shure's E2c earphones deliver studio-caliber sound by combining high-energy driver construction with complete sound isolation. Unlike other earbuds, the fit comfortably inside your...

Tote a musical vision. (Gear).(Bantam Interactive BA800 )
February 1, 2003... Satisfy your senses of sound and sight with Bantam Interactive's $299.99 BA800 digital audio player. The 256MB flash-memory device holds up to 8 hours of tunes and has a 1.8-inch TFT color LCD for viewing still photos. The tiny 3-ounce unit...

Slim shots plus tracks. (Gear).(Casio Exilim EX-M2)
February 1, 2003... Sure, tiny digital cameras are cute, but most have sacrificed image quality for pocketability--until now. At less than half an inch thick and weighing a mere 3.1 ounces, Casio's Exilim EX-M2 is positively lilliputian while offering the photo...

Unblinded by science. (Gear).
February 1, 2003... Squinting to see a specimen through a conventional microscope's eyepiece is so last-century. Olympus' $995 Mic-D microscope uses a small digital camera to produce full-color images on a PC monitor, allowing multiple eyes to view images at once,...

Read the fine print for a better rate of returns: return rules can be restrictive and complex, so make sure you understand exactly what items vendors will allow you to send back--and when. (opinions).
February 1, 2003... YOU MAY HAVE SNATCHED UP a great end-of-year-deal on a new computer, but did you get a great PC? If you're not satisfied, check the calendar fast: The number of days you have to return it is rapidly diminishing. In fact, it may already be...

Hot on the trail of the elusive Bluetooth device: let the pundits debate the saint-like qualities of this forever-impending wireless technology-we've tracked down some live specimens. (opinions).(Column)
February 1, 2003... THIS IS MY THIRD BLUETOOTH article in three years, which means this annual exercise is either becoming a tradition or a status report, depending on how you look at it. For the uninitiated, Bluetooth is the industry standard for the short-range...

The incredible shrinking computer: PCs may still be getting faster, but many vendors are concentrating on making them as small as possible. (opinions).
February 1, 2003... THIS IS THE YEAR THE PC BEcomes the XPC or Micro PC or some other new moniker, as the popularity of the emerging Compact ATX, Mini-ATX, and Mini-iTX motherboards increases to the point where everyone wants one. I'm turning all my towers and...

Editors' top 5.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2003... Computer Shopper editors handpick this month's best desktops, notebooks, mobile products, hardware, and software. DESKTOPS EDITORS' PRODUCT RATING PRICE SPECS Falcon Northwest...

Linux PC's low price matches its performance; Microtel Sysmar710.
February 1, 2003... UNTIL NOW, IF YOU WERE IN the market for an ultracheap PC, more than likely you were looking at a generations-old clunker or a bare-bones Internet device. But budget-conscious neophytes or families in need of a second PC can now get a...

Dressed in black, but suited up for IT; IBM NetVista S42.
February 1, 2003... THE $1,632 IBM NETVISTA S42 IS A WELL-ROUNDED but bland-looking corporate PC. Big Blue makes a few missteps in the hardware, but the company's excellent IT tools and warranty compensate for the system's lack of flash. The NetVista comes in...

Support takes backseat to power and price; PC Progress X-Theory Platinum.
February 1, 2003... PC PROGRESS MAY BE A SMALL SHOP NOW, BUT IF its X-Theory Platinum PC is any indication, the company is bound for bigger things. For just $1,499, the system delivers enough performance to satisfy power users. The external peripherals and...

Low-cost system offers improved support; EMachines T1742.
February 1, 2003... WITHOUT A MONITOR, EMACHINES' T1742 WILL cost you less than a high-end handheld, but there's nothing cheap about this PC. Its performance is sufficient for most everyday apps, and, in a dramatic turnaround for the company service and support is...

Sleek all-in-one PC favors form over function; Sony VAIO PCV-W10.
February 1, 2003... LIKE THE STYLISH MINI COOPER, DESIGNED FOR city driving and easy parking, Sony Electronics' VAIO PCV-W10 has its place. In the PCV-W10's case, it's cramped apartments, bedrooms, and dorm rooms. The system has some major flaws, but if you're...

Trim desktop replacement brings power to more places; Acer TravelMate 420 Series.
February 1, 2003... ACER AMERICA'S TRIM DESKtop-replacement notebooks, the TravelMate 420 Series, provide top-notch performance, innovative features, and solid value. These handsome, two-spindle laptops are slick and sturdily built. But even though the 420 Series...

Hefty thin-and-light that's costly but stuffed right; HP Compaq Presario 2800 Series.
February 1, 2003... HEWLETT-PACKARD'S NEW home and small-office laptop line, the Compaq Presario 2800 Series, straddles the line between thin-and-light and desktop replacement. While not quite light enough for the ultrafrequent traveler, these pricey portables...

Loaded with features, light on performance; Fujitsu LifeBook C Series.
February 1, 2003... HE FUJITSU LIFEBOOK C SERIES PROVES THAT heavily loaded laptops aren't always speed demons. Unlike a lot of desktop replacements, the C Series doesn't ship with the fastest processor or the best graphics chip, but it is affordable considering...

Retail giant pushes powerful portable; Best Buy VPR Matrix 200A5.
February 1, 2003... BEST BUY, FAMOUS FOR ITS CHAIN OF RETAIL electronics stores, has burst into the notebook arena with a sleek new laptop, the VPR Matrix 200A5. This $2,399 portable is not only attractive, but it packs powerful performance as well. The 200A5...

Fashionable player plus plenty of features; IRiver IFP-180T.
February 1, 2003... THE $139.99 IRIVER IFP-180T IS A CLASSY-looking, feature-rich MP3 player that comes with 128MB of built-in memory and an assortment of premium features, including an FM tuner and a voice-memo function. With its fashionable design and excellent...

A phone/PDA hybrid for the rest of us; T-Mobile Sidekick.
February 1, 2003... T-MOBILE'S SIDEKICK, ALSO CALLED THE Danger Hiptop, has been touted as a BlackBerry for the masses, a phone/PDA hybrid at an affordable $249.99. Impressively, the slickly designed Sidekick lives up to its hype, though it does have a few small...

New elements elevate latest palm; Palm Tungsten T.
February 1, 2003... NO DOUBT ABOUT IT: PALM'S FLAGSHIP ORGANIZER, the $499 Tungsten T, is sleek, elegantly designed, and a bit of a status symbol. This attractive PDA performs well, too, but it's not quite as polished as it should be, especially considering its...

A tart blend of wireless voice and data; RIM BlackBerry 5810.
February 1, 2003... WITH THE BLACKBERRY 5810, RESEARCH IN Motion combines the capabilities of its popular wireless handheld organizers with a full-featured GSM cell phone. Though the BlackBerry's familiar features are all here, the 5810 lacks the seamless...

A do-it-all digicam for all but the pros; Fujifilm FinePix S602 Zoom.
February 1, 2003... FUJIFILM'S FINEPIX S602 ZOOM IS A HIGHLY ABLE redesign of the also-excellent FinePix 6900Z. This new $699.95 camera retains its predecessor's 6x zoom lens, plus adds a third-generation 3-megapixel CCD and vastly improved video capability, among...

Recordable-DVD drive handles all formats; Sony DRU-500A.
February 1, 2003... WITH SONY'S DRU-500A INTERNAL DVD BURNER, you no longer have to worry about competing DVD-recording formats. This remarkable $349.99 drive supports all the major ones--DVD-R, DVD-RW,, DVD+R, and DVD+RW--and offers superior performance and a...

A multitalented printer for light office duty; HP PSC 2210 All-In-One.
February 1, 2003... HEWLETT-PACKARD'S $399.99 PSC 2210 ALL-IN-ONE is a compact multifunction printer (MFP) that rivals stand-alone printers in output quality, and even reads memory cards from digital cameras. But its high ink costs and relatively slow speeds make...

Irksome installation mars next-generation sound; Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2.
February 1, 2003... LONG THE SOUND-CARD LEADER, CREATIVE LABS has released its follow-up to the highly successful Audigy card. The THX-certified Sound Blaster Audigy 2 offers 24-bit audio resolution, as well as support for 6.1-channel surround sound and DVD-Audio....

Hefty external hard drive raises the capacity bar; Maxtor Personal Storage 5000XT.
February 1, 2003... MUSIC AND VIDEO MAVENS, AS WELL AS DATA pack rats, should line up for Maxtor's Personal Storage 5000XT external 250GB hard drive. While we have our misgivings--the $399.95 drive's software is difficult to use, and it's slow for digital video...

Picture-in-picture sets LCD/TV apart; Envision EN-7500.
February 1, 2003... ENVISION'S EN-7500 17-INCH LCD MONITOR, WHICH includes a built-in TV tuner, can save you serious space by doubling as a TV screen. At $599, it's also among the least-expensive 17-inch LCD/TVs we've seen. The EN-7500's comprehensive...

This 17-inch CRT is best for basics; Samsung SyncMaster 765MB.(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... WITH ITS UNIFORM COLORS AND FIRST-CLASS brightness and graphics controls, Samsung Electronics U.S.A.'s SyncMaster 765MB is suitable for home users, as well as office users performing basic business tasks. But this $199 monitor has trouble...

Fast and affordable wireless networking; D-Link Airplus DWL-900AP+.(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... AMONG 802.11A WIRELESS PRODUCTS, MANY UNITS feature enhanced modes that break the 54Mbps speed limit. Such torrential throughput makes 802.11b's 11Mbps rate seem like a trickle. But D-Link's AirPlus DWL-900AP+ access point has a special mode...

Eighth time's a charm? AOL and MSN have both turned 8.0. Should you jump ship, or just upgrade your current software?(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... AOL 8.0 EDITORS' RATING 6.4 PROS: Autoreconnect feature; easier e-mail management CONS: Cluttered interface; lacks junk-mail filters AOL 8.0 ($23.90 per month) offers a slicker look and better e-mail tools than version 7.0,...

DOS past haunts disk-imaging program; Norton Ghost 2003.(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... OVER THE YEARS, NORTON GHOST HAS MAINtained a well-deserved reputation as a powerful and reliable disk-imaging application. The latest version, the $69.95 Ghost 2003, maintains that tradition, adding an improved interface and more storage...

A video app even your grandmother could use; Pinnacle Expression.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... EASE OF USE SEEMS TO BE THE TREND IN THE current wave of so-simple-your-grandmother-could-use-it video apps. Pinnacle Expression, a $49.99 CD- and DVD-authoring app, makes video production snap-simple and produces great-looking results. ...

Scattershot utility suite lacks mass appeal; Acronis PowerUtilities 2003.(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... DO-IT-ALL COLLECTIONS OF PC UTILITIES SHOULD always be greater than the sum of their parts, but we question whether this is true of the $59.99 Acronis PowerUtilities 2003. Only one of the five utilities, PrivacyExpert, is of much value to most...

The great communicator comes at a price; Trillian Pro.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... TRILLIAN PRO NOW COMES WITH A $25 price tag--unlike most other, gratis instant messengers out there--but it's worth every penny to power IM users who have buddies on AIM, ICQ, MSN, or Yahoo. Casual IM users can stick with the free Trillian...

This third-party OS wants your system's vote; LindowsOS 3.0.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... AS A LINUX-BASED OPERATING SYSTEM, THE $129 ($119 download) LindowsOS 3.0 isn't too hard-core for the average user, and it's nowhere near as expensive to buy and operate as Windows. Plus, it's easy to use, sports an attractive interface, and...

Scanning software performs OCR A-OK; OmniPage Pro 12 Office.(Software Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... THE 12TH VERSION OF SCANSOFT'S OMNIPAGE PRO Office shows the competition exactly who's boss. Other optical-character-recognition (OCR) programs, such as Abbyy FineReader 6.0, can't quite match OmniPage's simplicity and power. The $599.99...

The hobbled hobbit; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... Unlike most Lord of the Rings-inspired products, Black Label Games' third-person action/adventure title The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was based on the novel rather than the movie, and was approved by Tolkien Enterprises....

Go past go again; Monopoly 3.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... Although many versions of Monopoly have been released for the PC, Infogrames' latest adaptation, Monopoly 3, has just the right combination of 3D graphics, animations, and sounds. You can play against human or computer opponents on a single...

Gods and monsters; Age of Mythology.(Software Review)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... Ensemble Studios' Age of Mythology is not only the first Age of Empires (AoE) game to feature a fully 3D graphics engine, it's also the first to stray from the series' purely historical context. Still present are the realistic armies of...

Squirm or scram; Worms Blast.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... After producing seven Worms games using the same turn-based premise, U.K.-based developer Team17 has applied the entertaining annelid theme to a fast-paced puzzle game. The result is a solid, highly enjoyable puzzler. In Worms Blast,...

The best tech sites <you've never seen>; looking for new, undiscovered sites for technology information, product evaluation, support, and downloads? These 50 favorites deliver the goods. (Undiscovered Tech Sites).(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... Need tech info, and need it fast? There's no speedier source than the Web--if you know where to look. Truly savvy suffers click on their Web browser's Favorites list first. Not everyone is diligent about keeping the Favorites list...

How much is that PC in the window? Buying a PC at retail has clear advantages and pitfalls. Here's how to get the most out of the experience--and how to minimize the risks. (Store-Bought PCs).
February 1, 2003... Ariana Kramer of Portland, Ore., knew it was time to retire her creaky old Macintosh when she entered a master's program in educational leadership last fall. Kramer needed a system that could actually run today's Web browsers--not to mention...

Tough travelers: today's thin-and-light notebooks can easily handle Office XP, but how well can they withstand the rigors of the real world? (Notebook Durability).(Hardware Review)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2003... "Uh-oh!" Holding your breath, you reach frantically for the On button and punch it repeatedly. Nothing happens. You remove and replace the battery, then plug in the AC adapter. Still nothing: no lights, no sounds, no gentle vibration of the...

Drive time: these four affordable 48x CD burners can mint a music or data CD before you can fetch a cup of coffee. (CD-RW Drives).(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2003... After more than two decades--and despite years of dire predictions--the compact disc continues to thrive. DVDs may offer greater capacity and throughput, but that hasn't been enough to displace the CD as the preferred way of storing music and...

Burning for you: want to turn all those MP3s on your hard drive into CDs, or back up all your valuable data? With these CD-burning apps, disc creation is just a few clicks away.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2003... Shrinking prices for blank CDs and the inclusion of CD burners with most new computers have helped CDs become the standard for cheap recordable media. To get the most out of your recordings, however, you need good CD-burning software. Most...

10 quick fixes for common PC problems: are your PC's blowups giving you headaches? Get your system back in form with these helpful cures. (PC Fixes).
February 1, 2003... Computers can be like spoiled children: cranky; unpredictable, and occasionally a source of hair-pulling frustration. In an ideal world, you'd have a 24-hour nanny (make that an IT guy) on call for every tantrum, but that's not an option for...

The Hard Edge: "Hard Edge" history 101; innovation everywhere; and are AMD and Cray cursed? (help & how-to).
February 1, 2003... WHEN ALICE HAD NOT ONE but two lunches recently where the topic was "Are computers boring commodities now?" she knowingly shook her head and ran from the room to phone Bill. Suddenly, history was not only repeating itself, it was happening in...

Wall-to-wall sound: adding room-rocking 5.1 audio to your desktop system is all about positioning. Here's how to put all the pieces in the right place. (Tune-Up).
February 1, 2003... Walk into a high-end audio store, and you'll soon be won over by the sensory pleasures of surround sound. Two- and three-speaker audio systems are out; six- and seven-speaker systems are in. Ordinary music CDs seem fiat and lifeless after...

Restart me up. (computer cures).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... When I try to restart my Windows 98-based PC, the monitor goes blank as if the machine's going to restart, but that's all that happens. I don't hear the hard drive spinning, and I see no other signs that the system is rebooting. To restart the...

Hell without free cell. (computer cures).
February 1, 2003... My wife frequently played and enjoyed Free Cell--one of the card games included in Windows 98--on our home computer, but recently the program just stopped working. Now, when she clicks on the icon, the cursor changes to an hourglass but the...

Help, taskbar's too text-heavy. (computer cures).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... I recently right-clicked on some empty space in the Quick Launch toolbar (located just to the right of the Windows Start button) and selected Show Text. Now my Quick Launch toolbar programs are represented with words ("Show Desktop," "Launch...

From pixels to print. (computer cures).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... How does Computer Shopper's art department create high-resolution screenshots of software for the magazine? Miles Wolbe As you noted, high resolution is the key to success at creating good-looking printed screen captures. No difficult...

Clearing codec confusion. (computer cures).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... I seem to have a lot of videofiles with missing codecs, and as a result those files won't play. How can I figure out which codecs I have and which ones I need? Michael Victory For those unfamiliar with the term, a "codec" is a bit of...

Let sleeping mice lie. (tip of the month).
February 1, 2003... With screensavers, hard drives that spin down, and processors that sleep, the power-management features of today's desktop systems are impressive. And all you have to do to wake up your PC again is tap a key or nudge your mouse. But what if...

Follow the path of Zen to Jukebox Nirvana: our Advisor uncovers a sleek, inexpensive, easy-to-use MP3 jukebox that just might be an iPod killer. (Buying Advisor).
February 1, 2003... VERONICA SMITH, 36, IS NOT an early music-technology adopter. "It took me forever to upgrade from cassettes to CDs," she admits. But she's finally ready to make the move to MP3 so she can convert her CD collection and download audio files from...

Tech shopping. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... abesofmaine.com Abe's of Maine Cameras and Electronics specializes in all types of cameras, with a healthy dose of audio and video electronics thrown in for good measure. You'll get a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on everything you buy,...

Dealcam.com. (Site of the month).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... dealcam.com You've finally decided to ditch your prehistoric Polaroid and dive into digital photography, but that's only part of the picture. For too many buyers, digital-camera shopping is a two-pronged trauma: First, you need to choose...

Mac hardware and software. (Site Reviews).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... clubmac.com Join the club--the selection of Macintosh hardware, peripherals, and software at ClubMac is hard to beat. Click on category tabs to zoom in on a bountiful selection of USB or FireWire add-ons, or check out the Clearance page...

Home networking products and resources. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... cable-dsl.home.att.net Tune to the Navas Cable Modem/DSL Tuning Guide for recommendations on hardware and software for sharing your Internet connection among several computers. You'll also find tips on speeding up your connection and...

Direct PC vendors. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... buy-atlas.com Atlas Micro offers desktop PCs built around Pentium, Celeron, and AMD processors. Buyers can use drop-down menus to create a custom configuration and are protected by a reasonable 30-day return policy. dell.com Dell...

Gaming PCs. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... abspc.com Expect gaming and multimedia PCs aplenty at ABS Computer Technologies. The company's Diablo game systems offer a choice of Intel or AMD processors, a three-year parts and lifetime labor warranty, and toll-free technical support....

PC resources. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... annoyances.org Does Microsoft Windows have you on edge? Visit Annoyances.org, where you'll find information about living peaceably with Windows. Tip-laden categories include Customizing, Reducing Clutter, and Troubleshooting. If Windows...

Software sites. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... academicsuperstore.com If you can produce a student or faculty ID, you'll qualify for big discounts on software at Academic Superstore. Each product-info page includes a chart that shows who's eligible for the discounted price. If you find...

Blank media. (Site Reviews).
February 1, 2003... americal.com Burn, baby, burn! Americal Micro Products sells all array of disc formats, including DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM. Use the handy scroll-down menu to zoom to the type of CD-R media you need, including high-speed-rated,...