Computer Shopper articles from January 2005

Computer Shopper archives from January 2005

Editor's note.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... HAVING STARTED MY CAREER in tech journalism 15 years ago at Computer Shopper, I am always touched when readers write to me reminiscing about the old days. Many remember the Shopper of the 1990s--a tabloid-size behemoth toppling newsstands and...

Phish tales.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I wish I'd read Nancy Feldman's column about phishing ("If It Smells Bad. It Must Be Phish," November, p. 140) months ago, when I started getting messages from Yahoo stating that my account had been compromised and that the company needed my...

Second-best of?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Some of your "best of" picks could have been a little better ("The Best in Tech 2004," November, p. 92). While I agree that Netflix is an excellent service, it seems to have been trumped by Blockbuster Online. Blockbuster provides the same...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2005... We incorrectly reported that the Brother MFC-8220 multifunction device is network-ready ("Top 25," November, p. 88). A network hoard does not come standard with the MFC-8220; it is a $169 option. Also, last month's Consumer Alert column...

Will TV programming ring up sales for cell-phone carriers?(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... CAN TELEVISION SAVE the cell-phone industry? In two years, technology prognosticators say, about 70 percent of cell phones will have built-in digital-TV receivers. By then, phones will have enough memory and processing power to handle a...

Trendspotting.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... MP3 is still the overwhelming favorite music format of file traders, but the once-universal format's popularity has been going quietly but steadily down in personal music collections for the last year. According to the NPD Group's...

Internet's a hard habit to break.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Tobacco companies and Starbucks beware--the Internet may be giving you a run for the money in the addiction department. According to a recent study sponsored by Yahoo and advertising company OMD, Internet detox makes people feel emotionally...

Taking the show on the road.(Tech News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... YOUR DIGITAL HOME entertainment system is about to take a road trip. Consumer electronics makers are racing to find new offerings to entertain American families when they're stuck in traffic, driving home for the holidays, or just out for...

Stadiums hope to win with Wi-Fi.(Tech News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... "Take me out to the ball game/ Take me out with the crowd/Buy me some Wi-Fi access and Cracker Jack...." As hard as it may seem to baseball purists, more and more teams are offering fans the chance to catch up on the latest stats and e-mail...

Blu-ray gets green light for camcorders.(bluelaser optical discs )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A group promoting bluelaser optical discs is developing a smaller version of the technology for devices such as camcorders in an effort to make the format more widely accepted. The Blu-ray Disc Association recently announced that the...

Media Center PC prototypes designed for real living.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... WOOD PANELING and chrome made your dad's station wagon look like a million bucks, and they might also be just the ticket for Microsoft's fledgling effort to put a Media Center PC in every living room. Those materials dominate one of two...

Is VoIP the next big thing--for spammers?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... YOU'RE ALREADY inundated with junk e-mail and instant messages. What's next? The new spam frontier could be your telephone. As Voice over IP (VoIP) services become more prevalent, experts anticipate unscrupulous advertisers to turn to Internet...

Chic shots.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... Available in four fashionable colors, the compact Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Elph is more powerful than its attractive 3.5-ounce frame suggests. A full-fledged 5-megapixel digital camera, the $349.99 SD20 features a 6.5x digital zoom and a...

Cell evolution.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... Improving on the legendary functionality of its Treo 600, PalmOne ups the smartphone ante yet again with the Treo 650. This new handheld is roughly the same comfortable size as its predecessor, but now has a sharper 320x320-pixel display,...

Rock 'n' roam.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... If you like to groove to tunes on your iPaq but can't stand cumbersome cords, you're in luck. Designed with peripheral maker Logitech, the HP iPaq Bluetooth Stereo Headphones allow you to enjoy audio hands-free. The $99 headphones are...

Bag your backup.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... Always have plenty of storage on hand with the $199 USB2 Pocket Hard Drive from Seagate. The tiny, circular hard drive is small enough to slip into shirt pockets yet has a roomy 5GB of disk space. A retractable USB 2.0 cord also stows away for...

Chat with class.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... Sleek and styled like no other mobile phone, Motorola's new $500 Razr V3 may just become the globe's next status cell. The Razr measures just under 0.6 inch thick and is crafted in aluminum, magnesium, and nickel-plated copper. A GSM world...

Bring the party.(New Products)
January 1, 2005... The Dell Pocket DJ lets you discreetly carry more music wherever you may travel. Weighing only 4.4 ounces, the $199 miniature jukebox delivers 5GB of hard drive space, connects to PCs via USB 2.0, and features an interface designed for easy...

One-size-fits-all desktop is a strong combo of power, features, and looks: eMachines T3256.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... EDITORS' CHOICE EMACHINES HAS A KNACK for delivering more low-end PC for your money. Whether you're a beginning buyer or just looking for an inexpensive second PC, you'll be pleased with the $599 TB256's good performance, impressive budget...

OQO Model 01: a compact device for groundbreaking portability, not performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... BIGGER THAN A PDA but smaller than an ultralight notebook, the pricey $1,999 OQO Model 01 is an ultrasmall Windows XP computer that will appeal primarily to businesspeople who need applications with them at all times. Weighing 14 ounces...

Apple iMac G5: sexy all-in-one makes others whistle while you work.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE LATEST IMAC is the natural evolution of a desktop that keeps getting more compact. In this third iteration, the computer has seemingly disappeared altogether. We looked at the $1,499 17-inch iMac, though a few upgrades bumped up our test...

Dell Dimension 3000: a budget PC with skimpy features and performance.(personal computers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... AT $749 (with a 17-inch CRT), the Dell Dimension 3000 we tested is definitely well-priced. As far as features and performance, however, this PC loses out to its competitor, the eMachines T3256, reviewed earlier in this section. The...

Cyberpower Media Center Ultra Edition.(First Take)
January 1, 2005... The Cyberpower Media Center Ultra Edition is one of the first desktops we've seen with Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OS. The PC features an attractive, component-style case and a number of high-end parts, making it a complete...

Asus Ensemble WIN: wide-screen laptop has good looks and power to match.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... BETTER KNOWN FOR its motherboards, Asus also creates bare-bones notebooks that are traditionally rebranded and sold by various dealers. With the $2,399 Ensemble W1N, however, Asus has stepped out on its own and created an amazingly slick...

Toshiba Qosmio E15-AV101: Multimedia star shines bright but doesn't last long.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... TOSHIBA'S $2,599 Qosmio E15-AV101, with its huge assortment of connectivity options and outstanding display technology, takes Media Center laptops to a new level of quality. Our model came with a 1.7GHz Pentium M 735 processor, 512MB of...

HP Compaq Business Notebook NC4010: light business-class traveler grounded by its battery.(Hewlett-Packard's)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... HEWLETT-PACKARD'S $2,149 Compaq Business Notebook NC4010 made quick work of our mobile benchmarks, but it won't please corporate travelers who need a laptop that will go the distance. Minimally designed, the NC4010 weighs just 3.7 pounds...

JVC MP-XV841: ultraportable has pep and stamina, but may be too small.(Product/Service Evaluation)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE PRICEY $2,399 JVC MP-XV841 is small even for an ultraportable laptop. It offers fairly fast performance and long battery life--but none of that makes it any easier to use this tiny laptop. Weighing only 3.2 pounds and measuring...

Sony VAIO VGN-U50: this pricey superportable is capable but not practical.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... SONY'S STEEPLY PRICED $1,999 VAIO VGN-U50 palmtop is a full-on Windows XP portable in a pocket-size package. But this Japanese import, sold in the United States only by Dynamism.com, can't compete with full-size laptops. Sony packed a real...

ATI Radeon X700 XT: despite its new technology, midrange card fails to impress.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $199 RADEON X700 XT is ATI Technologies' first graphics card to use new technology from the chip on up. The midrange card uses the new PCI Express (PCIe) interface, features an entirely new processing chip that provides twice as much...

Ximeta NetDisk: external storage for your entire network.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... ARE THE PCs on your home network filled to the brim? Ximeta's $199 NetDisk provides 120GB of additional storage for all the computers on your network. With both USB 2.0 and Ethernet interfaces, the 7,200rpm hard drive works with computers...

Sony DVDirect VRD-VC10.
January 1, 2005... Sony's $299.99 DVDirect VRD-VC10 is a stand-alone real-time DVD recorder you can attach to a digital or analog camcorder, letting you transfer videotapes to DVD or record directly from camcorder to DVD. It also attaches to a PC as a DVD burner....

Samsung SyncMaster 711T: LCD is pretty but pricey.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE ELEGANTLY DESIGNED 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 711T may be a bit pricey at $599, but for your money you get the kind of performance, adjustability, and features rarely found in the bargain basement. The VESA-compatible monitor adjusts up...

ViewSonic VX710: flat panel's looks can't compensate for its performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $349 VIEWSONIC VX710's two-tone casing and razor-thin bezel are sure to turn some heads, but strip away this 17-inch LCD's good looks, and you're left wanting more. The VX710 accepts digital and analog signals, with both cables...

HP f2304: bright concept, but image lacks luster.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... WITH ITS WIDE-screen display, embedded speakers, and multitude of connections, Hewlett-Packard's HDTV-ready 23-inch f2304 LCD monitor is an attempt at bridging computing and entertainment. But its $2,199 price and disappointing performance make...

Samsung ML-2250: laser printer is fit for a prince, priced for a pauper.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... IT'S NOT THE FASTEST laser printer you can buy, but topnotch performance and impressive print quality make Samsung's $229.99 ML-2250 worth every dime. Suitable for a home office, the ML-2250 houses a central 250-sheet tray along with a...

Epson Perfection 2580 Photo: a scanner to satisfy hobbyists with casual needs.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... WHETHER YOU'RE A beginner, or a pro looking for a second home scanner, Epson's Perfection 2580 Photo is sure to serve you well. This stylish film scanner is easy to set up and use, comes with a decent set of software tools, and is affordable at...

Lexmark P915 home photo printer.
January 1, 2005... At $149.99, the Lexmark P915 is an affordable six-color printer that claims fast print speeds and all the features you'll need for an entry-level home photo lab. Upside: Technophobes no longer need to wonder how to replace their printer's...

Buffalo LinkStation Network Storage Center 250GB: an easy solution for adding shared storage to your network.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... EDITORS' CHOICE BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY'S $399 LinkStation Network Storage Center 250GB adds the convenience of net work-attached storage to homes and small businesses. A standard Ethernet cable connects the LinkStation to a router,...

D-Link DWL-G520 AirPlus Xtreme G: install Wi-Fi inside your PC.
January 1, 2005... IDEAL FOR OLDER PCs that lack USB 2.0 ports, the $59 D-Link DWL-G520 AirPlus Xtreme G is an internal PCI wireless-networking card that lets you upgrade to fast 802.11g Wi-Fi transfer speeds. You'll also appreciate the DWL-G520's removable...

Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander (WRE54G).
January 1, 2005... The $99 Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander (WRE54G) answers the question: How can I pick up my Wi-Fi network's signal in the rooms on the far side of the house from my PC? It's designed to boost signal strength where it's starting to peter out,...

Dell Axim X50v: robust organizer doesn't quite live up to high expectations.(Personal digital assistants from Dell Inc.)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... DELL HAS UNLEASHED its newest multitalented PDA, the $499 Axim X50v, which aims to blend powerful digital entertainment with the productivity of a full-function organizer. But despite being the company's flagship handheld, the X50v suffers from...

PalmOne Tungsten T5: a trim workhorse with plenty of strength and staying power.(Personal digital assistants)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... WITH THE $399 Tungsten T5, PalmOne is betting there's still room in your bag for a simple yet powerful PDA. At 5.1 ounces and 4.8x3.1x0.6 inches, the T5 is sleek, elegantly styled, and easy to carry. A gorgeous 3.7-inch screen displays...

SmartDisk FireFly: tiny hard drive lets you slip plenty of data into your pocket.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THOUGH IT'S A BIT more expensive than a USB key-chain drive, SmartDisk's $179.99 FireFly makes it a breeze to carry large amounts of data in a device that's not much bigger. Measuring 2.5x4x0.5 inches and weighing just 3.3 ounces, the...

NEC 535M HDM: hefty call snaps great pics and syncs with Outlook.(Hardware Device Module)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... NEC'S NEW $349 535M HDM handset is the first phone we've tested to feature a 1.3-megapixel CCD sensor. With its impressive array of slick camera functions, it's sure to please cell sharpshooters. Measuring a hefty 4x1.9x1 inches and tipping...

Samsung SCH-a790: jet-set phone comes up short on extras.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... SAMSUNG'S $349.99 SCH-a790 for Verizon Wireless is the first cell phone in the United States to roam on both CDMA and GSM high-speed networks. It lacks some key features, however. Measuring 3.4x2x1 inches, the SCH-a790 fits easily in a...

Audiovox SMT5600.
January 1, 2005... The Audiovox SMT5600 is one of the first Windows Mobile-based smartphones to include the portable version of Windows Media Player 10. It supports the playback of not only music but recorded television (if you have a Media Center PC), video,...

Konica Minolta DiMage Z2: Megazoom 4-megapixel camera shoots excellent video.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... A RESPONSIVE 4-MEGAPIXEL big-zoom camera with impressive video-recording capability and pleasing output, the $549 Konica Minolta DiMage Z2 makes an excellent travel companion for shooters who don't require a semipro feature set. The DiMage...

Nikon Coolpix 3200: budget shooter for the budding photographer.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $199.95 NIKON Coolpix 3200 3.2-megapixel camera is best suited to photographers who will benefit from digital training wheels. For example, the camera's most useful features revolve around the 15 different scene modes, which simplify...

Pentax OptioMX; part camera, part camcorder: master of neither.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $399.95 PENTAX OptioMX blurs the line between digital cameras and camcorders by offering moderate-quality photos and video recordings. The OptioMX is both a 3.2-megapixel digital camera and a VGA-resolution, 30-frame-per-second MPEG-4...

Canon ZR90: a slightly above-average camcorder for home moviemaking.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $599 CANON ZR90 MiniDV camcorder offers a good range of features, as well as comfortable, smooth operation, but its video quality doesn't rise above average. Weighing a little more than a pound, the ZR90 isn't the smallest MiniDV...

Panasonic PV-GS200: an affordable, quite portable three-CCD videocam.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... A SMALL, PORTABLE three-CCD camera at an attractively low price, the $999.95 Panasonic PV-GS200 also demands a few trade-offs. In addition to being easily portable--weighing just over a pound and with no dimension being longer than 5...

Rio Forge Sport: stylish MP3 player makes an ideal workout companion.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... DIGITAL NETWORKS' $169.99 Rio Forge Sport 256MB music player makes a terrific, stylish workout companion. In addition to playing MP3 and WMA files (including protected WMAs from online music stores), plus Audible content, the Forge is a...

iRiver iFP-890: killer battery life from this flash player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $149.99 IRIVER iFP-890 256MB flash-based audio player and recording device delivers spectacular battery life and solid playback, though it isn't without a few drawbacks. The iFP-890's impressive list of features includes an FM...

Delphi XM Roady2: hit the road with this tiny satellite-radio receiver.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... IF YOU'RE LOOKING for a compact satellite-radio receiver that you can shuttle between car and home, the $130 Delphi XM Roady2 is a worthy choice. The Roady2 comes with everything you need for in-car use, including a cigarette-lighter...

Mitsubishi WD-52525 MicroDisplay: a 52-inch rear-projection set that sees the light.
January 1, 2005... MITSUBISHI'S 52-inch WD-52525 MicroDisplay ranks as one of the top Digital Light Processing (DLP) sets currently on the market. The $3,999 WD-52525 has a native resolution of 1,280x720, an exact match for 720 progressive (720p) HDTV....

Dell W2600: an LCD television better suited to casual viewers.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... DELL'S $1,999 W2600 is one of the least-expensive and best-looking 26-inch LCD televisions on the market. The set's native resolution of 1,280x768 can display every pixel of 720 progressive (720p) HDTV. While two analog tuners are included...

Humax T2500 TiVo Series2 DVR: a video recorder with maximum capacity.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... HUMAX'S $699 T2500 TiVo Series2 digital video recorder (DVR) offers a whopping 300-hour capacity, the largest currently available. The T2500 offers the features TiVo is known for, including the ability to pause live television and...

Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0: not just Photoshop Lite anymore.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... NO LONGER SIMPLY a stripped-down version of Photoshop, the $99.99 ($89.99 for the Mac version) Photoshop Elements 3.0--Adobe's hobbyist-targeted image-editing package--looks, feels, and behaves more like competitors from Microsoft, Ulead, and...

Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 With GPS Locator: lack of voice navigation leads this package off-course.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... THE $129 Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 With GPS Locator is a bargain alternative compared with expensive car-navigation systems. Combining the latest version of Microsoft's popular mapping software with a 2-inch-square GPS receiver, it...

Adobe Audition 1.5: powerful audio tools easy enough for novices to use.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... ADOBE ACQUIRED Syntrillium Software in 2003 and morphed its flagship Cool Edit Pro product into Adobe Audition. Version 1.5, fairly priced at $299, is a dynamic yet accessible audio-editing powerhouse, now better integrated with Adobe's...

PopUpCop 2.5: put down pop-up ads.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... POPUPCOP 2.5 stops all kinds of ads--animations, audio files, pop-ups, even cookies. In addition, this $19.95 app includes XGuard, which can protect your PC from future ad-serving software and malicious scripts. Once you download the...

Personal Computrace: three years of peace of mind at one low price.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... AT $124.95 for three years of coverage, Absolute Software's Personal Computrace answers the question "Now what?" if your notebook is stolen. If your laptop running Computrace goes missing, you first file a police report, then fill out an...

Top 25: Computer Shopper editors handpick this month's best desktops, notebooks, graphics cards, wireless routers, and home PC software.(Illustration)
January 1, 2005... Top 25 MIDRANGE DESKTOPS These machines are surprisingly well-configured and won't break the bank. PRODUCT PRICE SPECS eMachines T3256 $999.98 2.2GHz Athlon XP 3200+; 512MB DDR; www.e4me.com ...

Alienware area-51 ALX.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... PRICE: $6,546 www.alienware.com REVIEWED: December 2004, p. 34 [WE SAID...] EDITORS' RATING: (8.1) PROS: Uses latest technology; first-rate components, customer care CONS: Very expensive; bulky case; despite the...

Acer aspire 2020.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... PRICE: $2,299 www.acer.com/us REVIEWED: December 2004, p. 40 EDITORS' RATING: (8.0) PROS: Refined design; top-notch performance; long battery life; no-tray DVD CONS: Expensive THE BOTTOM LINE: Acer's exceptional...

Creative zen portable Media Center.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... PRICE: $499.99 us.creative.com REVIEWED: December 2004, p. 35 EDITORS' RATING: (8.0) PROS: Intuitive onscreen interface; big, colorful screen; impressive integration with Windows Media Player 10, Windows XP Media Center...

Panasonic SC-HT05.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... PRICE: $249.95 www.panasonic.com REVIEWED: December 2004, p. 68 [WE SAID...] EDITORS' RATING: (8.0) (a) PROS: High-quality sound; budget price CONS: Doesn't include DVD player; no S-Video, component-video...

25 years of technology: a look back, from DOS to VoIP.(disk operating systems, voice over internet protocol)
January 1, 2005... THE LAUNCH OF COMPUTER SHOPPER IN JANUARY 1980 WENT LARGELY UNHERALDED. At that time, computers were only for hobbyists, and the word "geek," in its current connotation, had yet to be added to our lexicon. Since then, the PC has evolved...

How to buy in '05: here's what you need to know to get the right PC at a great price.(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2005... SHOP FOR A DESKTOP ON MOST vendors' sites, and you'll be faced with a long list of configuration options. Processor, memory, hard drive, graphics card--almost every component offering is tweakable. With so many choices just a few clicks away,...

Small names, big power: if you're the type who loves an underdog, these five PCs will give you something to cheer about.(personal computers)(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... A QUICK SCAN of the desktop market may have you convinced the only way to get a PC is to buy from Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, or Sony. Dig a little deeper, though, and you'll find second- and third-tier builders scattered across the...

One-stop print shops: one affordable device serves your printing, scanning, faxing, and copying needs.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... WHEN IT COMES to space efficiency, nothing beats a multifunction printer (MPP). An MFP combines copy, scan, print, and often fax functions, making it a perfect device for cramped spaces. What's more, buying an MFP is almost always less...

Infection protection: viral attacks on PCs are only getting worse. These six antivirus programs can inoculate your system against malicious code.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2005... BY NOW, EVERYONE KNOWS you need to protect your PC with an antivirus program, or you'll suffer an inevitable attack from a virus, Trojan horse, worm, or other virtual nasty. Right? Amazingly enough, more than one-third of PC users believe...

Which RAM rules?(Computer Cures)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... What is RDRAM? Is it faster than SDRAM? YANG ZHOU RDRAM IS MEMORY BUILT by a company called Rambus, and it's faster than SDRAM. But there's more to the story than that. DRAM stands for "dynamic random access memory," and it's the...

Let's go to the video disc!(Computer Cures)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Because VHS is on its way out, I was considering buying a DVD player for about $100. Then I noticed that DVD recorders have come down in price this year, so I'm thinking about one of those instead. Is the recording quality comparable to that of...

Complex capacity calculations.(Computer Cures)(hard drives)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... I've seen that hard drives have specs that list cylinders, sectors, and heads, but how does this translate into capacity in gigabytes? HARVEY PHILLIPS THIS DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE QUESTION quickly gets complicated. If you had the hard...

Getting graphics.(Computer Cures)(Outlook Express)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... I use an Internet cafe to access my e-mail. I like to retrieve all my messages at once, then read them at home later. When I view the messages in Outlook Express, they have many small red Xs where images should be. I would love to know what the...

Attack of the giant icons.(Computer Cures)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... I am a legally blind computer user, and I have my screen resolution set to 800x600 pixels. I've filled the screen with so many program icons, I simply can't fit any more. Is there a way to move the program icons into groups without having to...

Tip of the month: drive directions.(Computer Cures)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... In the good old days, PCs had just a single floppy drive, and your biggest data-management problem was filling out the label on a floppy disk. But now, with enormous partitioned hard drives, various optical drives, solid-state storage, and the...

Perfectly calibrate your LCD television: expertly adjust your flat-panel TV to get the best image for your DVDs.
January 1, 2005... SO YOU'VE FINALLY stepped up and ditched your bulky tube television for a sleek new flat-panel LCD set. Problem is, most LCD televisions are preconfigured to make an impact on the sales floor of your local electronics superstore, not in your...

Switch to Mac without a fight: hassle-free file transfer from a PC to a Mac.(Outlook2Mac, Move2Mac)
January 1, 2005... "I WAS SIFTING through the cast-aside holiday cards, ribbons, and wrapping paper, and there it was--a brand-new, shiny white iMac--and all I had to do was plug it in." Okay, so that's not exactly what happened. Your reasons for leaving the PC...

Word to go, without the weight: an aspiring writer seeks a light, low-cost device for word processing. A little creativity delivers the perfect find.(buying advisor)
January 1, 2005... WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES, will you be ready for it? Walli Amato, of Hicksville, N.Y., is preparing to be. An ex-teacher, now a bookkeeper in a family-run business, she likes to write, and her daughter dabbles in screenplays. She's seeking...

Online florist has a thorny side.(Consumer Alert)(Column)
January 1, 2005... WHILE CRUISING THE MEDITERRANEAN, I found a few spare minutes between shipboard buffets to visit the Internet room. Actually, it was a sad occasion. Our cruise mate's mother died before she and her husband were able to board the ship, and we...

Performance desktops ($1,500 and higher).(Need To Know)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2005... PROCESSOR Power users need the best. Go with a top-notch Intel or AMD processor. You'll have maximum power and the best protection possible from system extinction. MEMORY Start with 1GB and make sure your motherboard supports 2GB or even...

Ultraportable notebooks (less than 4 pounds).(Need To Know)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 2005... PROCESSOR Intel's Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Pentium M processors deliver the longest battery life. Save money by choosing a CPU speed a few notches below the fastest. MEMORY Because an ultraportable's system RAM often does double duty as its...