Computer Shopper articles from February 2006

Computer Shopper archives from February 2006

Editor's note.
February 1, 2006... TOP-PRODUCT LISTS are far from unique among technology and gadget magazines. Plenty of editorial staffs present a "best of the year" to help you sift through gazillions of new products released by tech manufacturers. Of course, my biased...

An easier way to DVD.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... John Burek did a nice job answering the challenge of turning old VHS cassettes into DVDs ("Exit Videotapes, Enter DVDs," December, p.128). I recently faced the same daunting task. But the solution I recommend doesn't involve a computer at all....

Great gift shortlist.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I found the "Thrifty Gifts" sidebar in your December issue to be worth the price of the magazine ("Present Tech," p. 91). Your recommendations for simple, affordable gifts are universal, and any tech geek would love to have them.

Truly free faxing.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... In regards to Nancy Lang-Feldman's January column ("eFax Eats Your Free Lunch," p. 108), eFax also threatened to cut off my service when I went over the 20-page incoming-fax limit. I found another free fax service, K7.net (www.K7.net). There is...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2006... We incorrectly stated the editors' rating for the Dell Inspiron 6000 as 6.3 in "More Go, Less Dough," (December, p. 94]. The correct rating is 6.1, as stated in the Feature Comparison table on p. 100 of that story. We reviewed two...

Dell tests the retail waters by offering systems at Costco.(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... COULD DELL'S burgeoning relationship with big-box retailer Costco lead to more retail channels for the computer giant? Recently sighted at some Costco warehouse outlets were $899.99 Dell 2200 15-inch laptops with 1.7GHz 540-series Pentium 4...

Trendspotting.(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... A few years from now, you might be able to carry a home theater system in your pocket. Finland's Upstream Engineering is working on a light-emitting diode (LED) projection system that could potentially, because of its small size and...

Consumers learning to love new tech.(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Are tech phobias fading? Acceptance of new technology among consumers is on the rise, a new survey shows. About 28 percent of consumers say they are more inclined to accept new technology now versus a year ago, while only 6, percent are now...

How much do you spend on a new PC?(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... How Much Do You Spend on a New PC? $1,500 to 19.8% $2,000 $1,000 to 28.6% $1,500 $500 to 32% $1,000 Less than 6.9% 500 ...

TiVo adds iPod, PlayStation Portable support.(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... TIVO IS looking to attract more customers by collaborating with Apple Computer and Sony, makers of the two most popular mobile devices on the market: the iPod and the PlayStation Portable. The company, whose box has become synonymous with...

Samsung sees the light on mobile screens.(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... SAMSUNG is applying its expertise in manufacturing oversize flat screens to a much smaller arena: handheld displays. With hopes of replicating the success it's had with large LCD screens, the company is converting its televisions'...

Competitors to iPod seek a common connection.(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Hoping to loosen Apple Computer's grip on the market for digital music players, Microsoft is rallying consumer-electronics companies to foster a connection they would all share--literally. The software maker is part of a working group...

Dialing in style.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Crafted with sleek lines sure to please tech fashionistas, the model-thin Nokia 7380 eliminates the traditional phone keypad in favor of a circular dialer. Beyond the attractively etched chassis, the $649 handset also features a 2-megapixel...

PlayStation isolation.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Designed to shut out disruptive external sounds, the $299 Shure E4g Sound Isolating Earphones: Gaming Edition really get you in the game. Intended for use with handheld audio/game devices such as the Sony PlayStation Portable, the stereo...

Tank drive.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Toss the Buffalo MiniStation into your bag or pocket, and you'll always be ready to grab or share important files. Not only does this portable hard drive connect to PCs via USB 2.0, it also features a nifty shock-absorbing case and floating...

Tech pack.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The $59.99 Targus Urban Messenger bag will get you noticed for your sense of style, not for a bulging notebook. Tailored to fit laptops with screens measuring up to 15.4 inches, the satchel features distinctive black-and-orange accents and...

PDA pilot.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... The $599 Asus MyPal A636 Pocket PC runs Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile operating system, version 5, and has a speedy 416MHz CPU. The PDA also features both Bluetooth and 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking. And in case you get lost, the...

Detect and connect.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... Sniff out wireless networks wherever you roam with the Linksys WUSBFS4G Wireless-G USB Adapter With Wi-Fi Finder. Powered by an internal rechargeable battery, the $79 device enables you to search for, identify, and filter available access...

Velocity Micro Gamer's Edge DualX T1300: boutique brings handcrafted PC to retail buyers.(REVIEWS: THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... THE GAMER'S EDGE DualX T1300 is Velocity Micro's entry into the electronics retail channel. Available in Best Buy's retail outlets and on its Web site (www.bestbuy.com), the $1,990 T1300 is a serious gaming machine. It's one of three...

Logitech Z-5450 Digital: wireless rear speakers provide clutter-free surround sound.(REVIEWS: THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2006... THE TROUBLE WITH surround-sound setups is that their wiring, well, surrounds you. Logitech's Z-5450 Digital untangles the mess by adding two wireless rear speakers to an otherwise typical 5.1 setup. How do they sound? Like music to our ears....

HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline: compact box is quiet, affordable.(REVIEWS: DESKTOPS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... HEWLETT-PACKARD'S tiniest small-form-factor PC yet, the $569.99 Pavilion s7220n Slimline is a stylish, quiet, and able budget performer. Its lack of expandability makes it better suited for use as a second PC, however. The s7220n's case,...

Vigor Hornet: a well-priced, entry-level 3D gamer.(REVIEWS: DESKTOPS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... VIGOR GAMING is a relative newcomer to the boutique-PC market, and its Hornet desktop ($1,577 as configured, without monitor or speakers) is a serious 3D-gaming rig that won't overtax your budget. A huge, gloss-black custom chassis with...

Bully Surgeon: liquid-cooled midrange PC has room to grow.(REVIEWS: DESKTOPS)
February 1, 2006... AIMED AT USERS who want a fully customizable, hand-built PC without shelling out for a high-cost machine, the Bully Surgeon offers midrange performance for a similarly midrange $1,499 (without speakers or a monitor). The Surgeon's...

Sony VAIO VGC-RC110G: a quiet, attractive, well-rounded Media Center.(REVIEWS: DESKTOPS)
February 1, 2006... THE $1,299 Sony VAIO VGC-RCll0G is a mainstream Media Center PC that earns points for its attractive case, quiet operation, and generous A/V-connectivity options, though having a manual or two in the box would greatly aid setup. This...

HP Pavilion DV8000z: a multimedia-friendly machine, but no 3D pro.(REVIEWS: NOTEBOOKS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... HEWLETT-PACKARD'S $1,699 Pavilion DV8000z is a feature-rich yet competitively priced desktop replacement with enough performance for basic home use. Instead of the Intel Pentium M processors most laptops have, the notebook features a...

Dell XPS M140: luxe laptop is an impressive performer.(REVIEWS: NOTEBOOKS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... THE NEWEST member of Dell's XPS luxury laptop line, the XPS M140 delivers speedy mobile performance and lengthy battery life. Our $2,049 test configuration came with top-shelf parts for its high price, including a 2.13GHz Pentium M 770...

Asus W2V: one stylish Media Center machine.(REVIEWS: NOTEBOOKS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... THE $2,599 Asus W2V is elegantly designed and features impressive multimedia capabilities. With a brushed-aluminum chassis measuring 1.4x17.6x12.7 inches, the W2V is wide but possesses a sleek, high-end look. Weighing a reasonable 7.5...

Averatec 3715-EH1: affordable portable is no powerhouse.(REVIEWS: NOTEBOOKS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... THE $949.99 Averatec 3715-EH1's light weight and low price can't completely make up for its slow performance and short battery life. Our test model carried a 1.8GHz AMD Sempron 3000+ processor, 512MB of slow 333MHz memory, a 12.1-inch...

Sony VAIO FJ170/B: swift lightweight has a sharp screen.(REVIEWS: NOTEBOOKS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... SONY'S reasonably priced VAIO FJ170/B satisfies with its strong performance and good-enough battery life. Our $1,499 test model came configured with a 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 processor, a mammoth 100GB hard drive, a double-layer DVD burner,...

ATI Radeon X1600 XT: next-gen card falls short on 3D performance.(REVIEWS: COMPONENTS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... WE FIND IT hard to recommend ATI's 256MB Radeon X1600 XT when nVidia's GeForce 6800 and 6800 GT cards remain on the market. Chances are, you can find a better-performing nVidia card for less than ATI's $249 asking price. If upgrading your home...

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser: a wireless media manager for your PC.(REVIEWS: COMPONENTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... WE DON'T NORMALLY get weak in the knees over keyboard-and-mouse bundles, but Logitech's MX 5000 Laser had us blushing at the mere mention of its name. The $149.99 kit consists of the MX1000 mouse, which tracks more accurately than any...

Pioneer DVR-R100.(FIRST TAKE)
February 1, 2006... The next-generation DVD-format wars are raging, but Pioneer briefly sidestepped the battle to announce the DVR-R100, a high-speed internal CD/DVD burner that may give your music and movies a new lease on life. Upside: Available in black or...

LaCie 319: pricey LCD offers advanced features.(REVIEWS: DISPLAYS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... A LOT OF people are in the market for a svelte, high-performing LCD. Unless you're a graphics pro, however, LaCie's 319 might be out of your range. Sure, its color performance is excellent, but at $999, the display costs twice as much as a...

Sony SDM-S75A: a no-frills display suitable for office use.(REVIEWS: DISPLAYS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... WITH THE 17-inch SDM-S75A, Sony trades the glitzy look of its flagship LCDs for a more restrained design. At $315.99, the monitor is an entry-level display fit only for office use. The screen's bottom edge is fixed 5.75 inches from the...

BenQ FP91E: stylish screen delivers subpar performance.(REVIEWS: DISPLAYS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THERE'S NO denying the visual appeal of the $479 BenQ FP91E, but this 19-inch LCD's image quality doesn't justify the asking price. The display is adequate for basic tasks such as word processing and Web surfing, but graphics enthusiasts should...

Canon Pixma iP4200: versatile inkjet for the budget crowd.(REVIEWS: PRINTERS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... CANON'S PIXMA iP4200 may not be perfect, but considering it costs just $129.99, it has plenty to offer. Featuring automatic duplexing (double-sided printing), this four-color inkier prints bordered or borderless color photos, and it's...

Lexmark T640: an office laser with room for extreme expansion.(REVIEWS: PRINTERS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THE MODEST-LOOKING Lexmark T640 laser printer hides big potential for growth. If you're willing to shell out for extras atop its $699 price, you can get add-on paper drawers that hold as many as 3,850 sheets in total, or an optional duplexer...

Epson PictureMate Express Edition.(FIRST TAKE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... When we first reviewed Epson's PictureMate Deluxe Viewer, we found it delivered great all-around 4x6-inch prints. It was somewhat slow, but unlike its precursor, the PictureMate, the Deluxe had a 2.4-inch color LCD and supported all our...

Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router: MIMO on the cheap, but with a performance hit.(REVIEWS: HOME NETWORKING)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... BASED ON Airgo Networks' True MIMO chipset and featuring dual antennas, the value-price Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router bested or tied with some of its pricier three-antenna multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) competitors in our testing....

Netgear SC101 Storage Central: do-it-yourself network storage.(REVIEWS: HOME NETWORKING)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... IF YOU'RE LOOKING for a network storage device but have been stymied by the high price per gigabyte, Netgear's $149.99 SC101 Storage Central may just be what you're after. An unpopulated box with two easy-access drive bays for standard ATA...

APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router: not the friendliest travel companion.(REVIEWS: HOME NETWORKING)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... AMERICAN POWER Conversion's $69.99 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router can transform a hotel-room Ethernet jack into an 802.11b/g wireless hot spot. Toting this small, light device along on your travels is easy, and its support for Wi-Fi Protected...

Dell Axim X51v: features galore, but needs more pep.(REVIEWS: MOBILE PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THE $499 Dell Axim X51v offers an agreeable combination of functions and a big software bundle, but we were unimpressed by the PDA's performance and subpar battery life. At 4.7x2.9x0.7 inches and 6.2 ounces, the X51v won't weigh you down....

Archos AV500: pricey pocket-size video device is highly capable.(REVIEWS: MOBILE PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THE COSTLY ($499.95) Archos AV500 puts high-quality wide-screen video in the palm of your hand, but getting viewable content onto the device isn't quite a point-and-click process. With its brushed-metal exterior, the 9-ounce AV500 has an...

Kodak EasyShare One: Wi-Fi camera shares better than it shoots.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... WITH ITS 3-inch touch-screen LCD and Wi-Fi transfer capabilities, Kodak's $599.95 EasyShare One enables photographers to instantly share pictures. If only the 4-megapixel camera were as adept at shooting them. The EasyShare One can...

Konica Minolta DiMage Z6: appealing 12x zoom lens, but so-so images.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... KEEN-EYED photographers may fuss over its image quality, but Konica Minolta's $399.99 DiMage Z6 offers enough to attract enthusiasts who want the feel of a single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera and a long-reach lens. The 6-megapixel Z6's main...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1: advanced shooter snaps 10-megapixel photos.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... WITH ITS crisp 5x zoom lens, the $999.95 Sony Cyber-shot DSG-R1 makes a worthy competitor to the digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) cameras in its price range. It's a handy, versatile camera with excellent image quality. The DSC-R1 offers a...

Iriver U10: unique player is packed with features.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL AUDIO)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... IRIVER'S U10 is a superbly designed flash-memory player that's easy to use and feature-rich. The sleek and stylish, if pricey, device comes in 512MB ($199.95) and 1GB ($249.95) capacities. Shaped like a miniature television with a vibrant...

Sennheiser PXC300: noise-canceling headphones are travel-friendly.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... FEATHER-LIGHT and comfortable, Sennheiser's $219.95 PXC300 noise-canceling headphones produce sound quality approaching that of some full-size models. The road-ready headphones fold flat for easy storage in the supplied soft travel case, and...

JVC Alneo XA-HD500.(FIRST TAKE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... Apple may have killed off its iPod Mini, but micro-hard-drive MP3 players are still alive and playing. Just ask JVC--in an effort to shore up its digital-audio credibility, the company has released the $249.95 Alneo XA-HDS00, a 6GB player that...

HP PL4200N: PC maker turns out a worthy plasma television.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL LIVING)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... WE'VE HAD mixed results with computer-branded high-definition televisions (HDTVs) in the past from Dell and Gateway, but Hewlett-Packard's $3,299 PL4200N 42-inch plasma panel is the first we can heartily endorse. This full-featured set isn't...

Panasonic PT-52LCX65: low-cost projection set is no bargain.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... PANASONIC'S budget-price PT52LCX65, a 52-inch LCD-based rear-projection high-definition television (HDTV) that sells for $2,299, proves that you get the image quality you pay for. The PT-52LCX65 includes a built-in ATSC tuner for receiving...

Bose 3-2-1 Series II: a novel surround-sound solution.(REVIEWS: DIGITAL CAMERAS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THE PRICEY $999 Bose 3-2-1 Series II Home Entertainment System uses digital signal processing to simulate surround sound with just two small satellites and a subwoofer. Its sparse video connectivity, however, makes it less versatile than many...

Safeguard your data: two top-notch backup utilities face off.(REVIEWS: SOFTWARE)
February 1, 2006... AFTER YEARS OF watching Symantec do little to improve its venerable Norton Ghost program (version 8.0, for example, still ran in DOS long after its competitors had switched to Windows), we were delighted to discover Acronis' True Image last...

System Mechanic 6 Professional: top of the PC-maintenance heap.(REVIEWS: SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... THE MAIN INTERFACE is overly complex, but the $69.95 System Mechanic 6 Professional still remains the best package of utilities for optimizing and protecting your Windows PC. The program launches quickly. Its various utilities are...

BeInSync 1.6: simple, Web-based remote access.(REVIEWS: SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... BEINSYNC redefines file-sharing technology by turning it into a secure collaboration and remote-access tool. The service's clean, intuitive wizard-based interface is a definite plus, but it lacks some important features--including configurable...

CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0: animation app misses the mark.(REVIEWS: SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... REALLUSION'S $149.95 CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0 takes a still image of a face (or almost any object you choose) and digitally manipulates it to lip-sync prerecorded or synthesized speech. In our tests, speech synchronization was, at best,...

MediaMonkey 2.4: a tool to manage your music.(REVIEWS: DOWNLOADS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... DESPITE A GLUT of free music players/ encoders, it's tough to find one that meets our expectations. Formerly known as Sound DB, the rechristened MediaMonkey from Ventis Media has excellent library-management tools to keep the largest digital...

IronTrainer 2: keep your workouts on track.(REVIEWS: DOWNLOADS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... IRONTRAINER 2 is a comprehensive workout, weight, and dietary log that helps you track your progress on your way to a healthier body. Through its tabbed interface, you can follow your progress in a number of areas, including detailed workouts,...

EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0: turn memories into months.(REVIEWS: DOWNLOADS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 1, 2006... SPECTRUM SOFTWARE'S EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0 allows you to design basic photo calendars. Creating a calendar with your own photo collection is a no-brainer. Simply select one of six calendar formats (including wall and desk), choose a...

Top 25: this month's best desktops, notebooks, flash-memory MP3 players, 17-inch LCD monitors, and home-PC software.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... Top 25 This month's best desktops, notebooks, flash-memory MP3 players, 17-inch LCD monitors, and home-PC software. MEDIA-CENTER DESKTOPS Slick PCs that add brains to your home entertainment system. PRODUCT ...

20th Annual Shoppers' Choice Awards 2005: our readers pick the year's best products, services, and places to buy.
February 1, 2006... TWO DECADES AGO, when Microsoft and Dell were fledgling companies and Computer Shopper was printed on newsprint, we launched our annual readers' choice awards. This poll gives our readers the chance to tell us what they consider the most...

Hand-crafted computers: don't settle for a cookie-cutter PC--get exactly what you want from a custom desktop builder.
February 1, 2006... FOR MOST SHOPPERS, buying a PC means heading to the online configurators of Dell, Gateway, and Hewlett-Packard, and choosing among the components listed in the dropdown menus. While these offerings will please most PC buyers most of the time,...

Give or go green: donate or recycle those outdated tech products in exchange for some good karma--and maybe a discount on future shopping.
February 1, 2006... IF YOU STARTED OFF THE NEW YEAR with a shiny new computer, chances are you didn't even get it plugged in before the question hit: "What am I going to do with the old one?" It might seem tempting to dispatch that bulky tower and huge CRT to a...

Salvage the small stuff.(waste management of computer peripherals)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... CHANCES ARE YOU DON'T DISPOSE of large items like desktops, notebooks, and displays very often. But what about smaller gadgets and consumables that become old (:or depleted) much quicker? These are also harmful to the environment and need to be...

Divide and conquer.(COMPUTER CURES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... I have a new desktop running Windows XP Professional, with 4GB of RAM and two internal hard drives (250GB each). I bought the PC primarily for image processing in Photoshop. I plan to install Photoshop on the C: drive, and I want to partition...

Registry residue.(COMPUTER CURES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... I was poking around in my Registry and decided to search for a program that I had deleted--or thought I had. I found the app, along with some other old programs I thought I'd deleted. Are these files taking up disk space? And are there other...

Scratch paper.(COMPUTER CURES)
February 1, 2006... I am interested in making paper and was wondering if you had any information on what kind of coating is applied to paper to make it good for inkjet printing. LORI TRIBURGO I've created homemade paper in the past, but I've never made...

Ditch those diskettes!(COMPUTER CURES)
February 1, 2006... I just bought a removable flash drive because I want to copy--then dispose of--the hundreds of floppies I have all over my desk. I thought I could copy from a floppy directly to the flash drive. When I tried this, I received an error message...

TV on my PC?(COMPUTER CURES)
February 1, 2006... I've recently seen several online ads for Internet television. What is it? HARRY OLIVERO Internet television--also called IPTV or Next-Generation TV--simply means that programming is delivered over the Web instead of the traditional...

Random resets.(COMPUTER CURES)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... My PC was stuck on the opening screen (the one right before the BIOS screen). I restarted the PC, and it booted up properly. Shortly after that, I was surfing the Web, and the PC suddenly reset itself again and went back to the beginning...

Tip of the month: a non-windows boot solution.
February 1, 2006... In the good old days, if your hard drive had problems and you couldn't boot Windows, you could grab a DOS floppy and boot with that, then access your hard drive to rescue files and troubleshoot the problem. Not so with Windows XP, which doesn't...

Kick-start your bootup: a little PC maintenance can speed up your startups.(WEEKEND PROJECT: SOFTWARE)
February 1, 2006... DOES IT SEEM LIKE the more time you spend with your Windows XP installation, the longer your PC takes to pull itself out of bed when booting up? It's not a sign of old age; it's the ever-growing accumulation of detritus that various...

Safety Net: protect your children from online predators.(WEEKEND PROJECT: SOFTWARE)
February 1, 2006... A few months back, a steady procession of predators showed up at a home rigged with Dateline NBC hidden cameras to meet a 12-year-old who indicated she was open to the idea of having sex. The teen was a decoy volunteer from vigilante group...

2006: a storage space odyssey: the Advisor spins up five roomy Serial ATA hard drives.(BUYING ADVISOR)
February 1, 2006... A SURE SIGN you're talking with a member of Generation Net: He casually refers to programs as "appz" and "gamez." In our advisee's case, he's out of room for both. "I need a 7,200rpm internal Serial ATA drive," writes Diego DeGracia, a...

Whom to call when things go wrong.(CONSUMER ALERT)
February 1, 2006... OKAY, ONLINE SHOPPING is a wonderful thing, enabling you to browse without a salesperson looking over your shoulder, and check competitors' prices with just a few clicks. Sadly, though, when problems arise, you'll find this aversion to human...

Small-office/home-office desktops.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW PROCESSOR Time is money, so steer clear of slower budget processors. Getting a CPU that's one or two steps down from the fastest will give you the power you need at a good price. Upgrade: Expect to spend $90 for every...

Desktop-replacement notebooks (more than 7 pounds).(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW PROCESSOR When choosing a CPU, configure your system with a robust processor such as Intel's desktop Pentium 4 with Hyper-Threading technology, a fast Pentium M, or AMD's 64-bit Athlon 64. Upgrade: Expect to pay about $50 for...

Home and small-office laser printers.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW COLOR OR MONOCHROME With a few color laser models priced under $1,000, some small businesses might find it worth the splurge to add some extra pop to its printed materials. For the most part, however, monochrome lasers are a...

Performance 3D-graphics cards ($299 and higher).(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW MEMORY When it comes to graphics memory, you can never have too much, especially if you're a hard-core garner. More RAM means better performance, improved 3D texturing, and higher display resolutions. If you're an avid gamer...

External DVD burners.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW FORMAT When DVD burners first emerged, buyers had to make an often-confusing choice between two incompatible formats: DVD-R/DVD-RW and DVD+R/DVD+RW. Thankfully, drive manufacturers now offer multiformat drives that can write...

Smartphones.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW SIZE AND CAPABILITY Smartphones come in a wide range of shapes and sizes but can be divided into three major styles based on primary function. Large, PDA-like handsets tend to be powerful organizers first and cell phones...

Warranties and service plans for desktops and notebooks.
February 1, 2006... NEED TO KNOW TERM Major vendors such as Dell and Gateway are trying to set the benchmark for support at 90 days, but no PC owner should settle for a warranty that short. If you're looking at a term shorter than one year, consider an...

Tech products.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... acortech.com Inexpensive PC accessories abound at Acortech.com, We found 17-inch ICD monitors for under $300, flash drives for under $20, optical mice for less than $5, and other low-cost goodies for certified tech geeks. altex.com ...

Apple hardware and software.(Buyers Guide)
February 1, 2006... club-mac.com Join the club--the selection of Apple hardware, peripherals, and software at ClubMac is hard to beat. Click the category tabs to zoom in on a bountiful selection of USB and FireWire add-ons, or check the Blowout Deals tab for...