Computer Shopper articles from March 2005

Computer Shopper archives from March 2005

Editor's note.
March 1, 2005... I ADMIT IT: I'm a pack-rat. I've spent many years trying to rehabilitate myself, and while I've managed to stop squirreling away old magazines and newspaper clippings (because I plan to read them "someday"), I find it much harder to part with...

Building without windows?(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Microsoft doesn't offer a retail version of Windows XP Media Center Edition? (See "The Rocky Upgrade Path to Media Center 2005," February, p. 120.) So the only way to get it is to "cheat" with vendors like Newegg.com, and even then you're only...

Overlooked underdog.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... In your article on lesser-known PC vendors ("Small Names, Big Power," January, p. 102), why didn't you include Systemax? AOL has attached its name to a first-class Systemax assembly: a mini-tower with a 2GHz Celeron processor, a 40GB hard...

Words are cheap.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Kudos to John Burek, who recommended NEC's MobilePro 900c to a reader looking for a mobile word-processing device ("Word to Go, Without the Weight," January, p. 128). In addition to the current MobilePro model, you might note that previous...

Correction.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2005... Due to an editing error, the Editors' Rating for the Creative PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook sound card [February, p. 42], was misstated. The correct rating is 8.7. Also, the product earned an Editor's Choice award.

Wal-Mart rolling back prices with its new line of electronics.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)
March 1, 2005... WAL-MART STORES, eyeing potentially huge profits in electronics, is hoping that customers who come in for a 12-pack of tube socks will leave with a tubeless TV set as well. The retailer, which has sold traditional consumer-electronics items...

Our readers go pro.(Trends: upcoming technologies and products)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Our Readers Go Pro What operating system Computer Shopper readers use on their primary computer: Windows XP Professional 40 percent Windows XP Home Edition 39 percent Windows 98 6 percent Windows 2000 5...

Toshiba.(Trendspotting)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Toshiba is planning to launch televisions with a new display technology that it says produces better picture quality and consumes less power than current plasma sets. The flat-panel technology is called surface-conduction electron-emitter...

More homes getting their fiber (optics).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The number of U.S. homes that can get broadband Internet through ultrafast fiber-optic lines more than doubled over the last year, according to a recent study conducted by industry marketing-research firm Render, Vanderslice & Associates. ...

Flash-memory storage shrinks again.(Trends Tech News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... IF YOU THOUGHT flash-memory storage couldn't get any smaller, then you better whip out your magnifying glass for the latest ultra-portable products from Lexar Media and Samsung. Lexar has introduced a USB flash drive about the size of a...

Online music lovers subbing in for downloads.(Trends Tech News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Subscription-based music services are becoming popular among young adults and will eventually outgrow a la carte song downloads, a new study predicts. While 16 percent of online adults currently enjoy downloading 99-cent singles; 17...

Film fading away.(Trends Tech News)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Percentage of photos printed that are taken with digital cameras: 2004 36 percent 2006 56 percent 2008 71 percent Source: IDC

Camera connected.(Gear New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Snap shots, then send them to your friends wirelessly with Eastman Kodak's new $599 EasyShare-One digital camera. The 4-megapixel digicam is outfitted with its own SDIO 802.11b Wi-Fi card, which allows it to display and transfer images to...

The pint-size office.(Gear New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Stay in touch on the go, Windows-style, using BenQ's P50 communicator. The $800 device runs the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition OS and is a robust combination of a PDA and a GSM world phone. It also features a handy keyboard for...

Time machine.(Gear New Products)
March 1, 2005... Mammoth Toys' new D2TV Commodore 64 Joystick Plug N Play lets you relive the glory days of computer games long past. The $19.99 D2TV plugs directly into a TV set and comes packed with 30 Commodore 64 game titles, including classics such as...

Play with power.(Gear New Products)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) lets you enjoy PlayStation 2-caliber games, MP3 music, digital photos, and video all on specially designed Universal Media Disc (UMD) media. About the size of a large PDA, the 9.2-ounce PSP also features a...

A/V aplenty.(Gear New Products)
March 1, 2005... Not just a mere DVD player, the $349 LinkTheater from Buffalo Technology connects wirelessly to home networks via its integrated 802.11g Wi-Fi radio and can play high-definition Windows Media and DivX video files stored on your PC. The...

Electro frame.(Gear New Products)
March 1, 2005... Always have precious photos at the ready with the $99 Magpix Pocket Photo Album. Weighing 2.2 ounces, the palm-size device features a 1.5-inch LCD and 16MB of internal memory in addition to an SD/MultiMediaCard slot for extra storage space....

PC showcases new technology at a great price: Gateway 7200XL.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... EDITORS' CHOICE GATEWAY'S REDESIGNED 7200XL desktop combines the latest technology with an array of high-end components. The first system we've seen with Intel's Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) design, the $2,575 7200XL ushers in a new...

Nintendo DS: an innovative gadget for mobile gamers.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE FEATURE-PACKED Nintendo DS is a truly worthy successor to the hugely popular Game Boy Advance (GBA) SP. Best of all, the highly capable DS can be had for an easy-to-swallow $149 price. Though the DS is roughly the size of the original...

Falcon Northwest FragBox 2: a small box with big performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... FALCON NORTHWEST'S FRAGBOX 2 is an unabashedly game-friendly system shoehorned into a small-form-factor case. Our $3,995 test system (without monitor or speakers) was so blazingly fast, LAN-circuit garners won't have to sacrifice performance...

Velocity Micro Vector SX-V: boutique-quality midrange PC offers good config, performance.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... VELOCITY MICRO established itself by building top-performing, well-crafted PCs, usually at high-end prices. Its new Vector SX-V budget system delivers the same expertise and careful assembly in a fast PC made for the masses. Our $1,395 SX-V's...

Sys TaskMaster $3100: chip says low-end, frills say midrange.(Reviews Desktops)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... SYS TECHNOLOGY'S $1,669 TaskMaster $3100 suffers from an identity crisis--its budget AMD Sempron 3100+ processor is at odds with its many frills. It has 1GB of RAM when 512MB will do. And unless you're gaming, the 128MB GeForce FX 5900 XT...

MPC ClientPro 565: big price for business power.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE ROAR of an airplane's engine is the first thing that comes to mind when turning on the $3,759 MPC ClientPro 565. Even after startup, this machine is by no means quiet, though its volume does hint at its business-desktop abilities. ...

Alienware Bot.(First Take)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... As one of the market leaders in boutique gaming systems, Alienware has built some of the most powerful PCs we've seen. So when the company said it would be putting its name on a budget desktop line, we were intrigued. After all, we'd never...

ABS Mayhem G3: portable gamer doesn't disappoint.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... FOR A REASONABLE $1,699, the ABS Mayhem G3 delivers awesome performance and comes fully loaded. ABS took a chance and outfitted our Mayhem G3 with AMD's less expensive, though still potent, 64-bit Athlon 64 3400+ chip. The notebook has...

Dell Inspiron 5160: affordable mobility comes without speed.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $1,424 INSPIRON 5160, Dell's follow-up to its Editors' Choice-winning Inspiron 5150, is a good low-cost notebook for average folks, but speed-seeking garners and graphics pros should look elsewhere. We tested an Inspiron 5160 system...

HP Pavilion ZD8000: serious power and impressive multimedia prowess.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... [EDITORS' CHOICE] THE $2,549 HP PAVILION ZD8000 packs a comprehensive collection of features for entertainment and productivity into one powerful PC. We tested a system richly configured with a top 3.6GHz Pentium 4 processor, 1GB of...

Gateway M520X Plus: solid speed, good price, and loads of features.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $1,624 GATEWAY M520X Plus lacks flash but offers good performance and features. Our test system came with a 3.06GHz Pentium 4 532 CPU, 512MB of SDRAM, and an 80GB rd drive. (A 100GB drive is now standard.) For disc burning, you get...

Sharp Actius MP30.(First Take)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... Sharp gives its line of ultraportable laptops a serious Upgrade (and a Apple-inspired makeover) with the new Actius MP30. At 2.7 pounds, this tiny, glossy-white system packs new features and powerful components that could make it a serious...

Logitech Z-2300: three-piece system delivers more with less.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... [EDITORS' CHOICE] WE WERE a bit skeptical about Logitech's attempt to mess with a classic, but its $149.95 Z-2300 speakers improve upon its predecessor, the Z-2200, more than we thought possible. These 2.1-channel, THX-certified...

BenQ DW1620: double-layer drive burns at 16x but lacks a few frills.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... BENQ AMERICA'S $89 DW1620 distinguishes itself as one of the first drives to write DVD [+ or -] R at 16x. The speed you'll achieve, however, isn't much faster than what you'll get from less-expensive 8x and 12x recorders. The face of the...

Microsoft Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth: oversize keyboard cures RF blues.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... BLUETOOTH KEYBOARDS and mice have long taken a backseat to their radio frequency (RF) brethren, but Microsoft's $159 Optical Desktop Elite for Bluetooth is making a solid case for ditching RF once and for all. This keyboard-and-mouse combo...

Logitech DiNovo Cordless Desktop: swank-looking input set has shortfalls.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... ITS LOOK IS SEDUCTIVE, but we're casting a wary eye on Logitech's $149.95 DiNovo Cordless Desktop set for its pared-down features and inadequate portable mouse. Now clad in matte metal gray, the razor-thin keyboard and detachable MediaPad...

Wacom Intuos3 4x5: pricey digital tablet may need upsizing.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE WACOM INTUOS3 4x5 tablet makes pen-based computing a breeze, but its steep $219.95 price may scare away first-time users. The tablet connects to your PC via USB and includes an RF receiver for the mouse and pen. Each component has...

Formac Gallery Xtreme 1900: Apple-inspired display needs polish.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... FORMAC IS KNOWN for its elegant, Apple-inspired designs, but its new $599 Gallery Xtreme 1900 left us comparing apples to oranges. The 19-inch LCD offers lovely image quality at a reasonable price, but its easel-like design looks bizarre next...

ViewSonic VP912b: staid-looking LCD is rich in features.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... UNLIKE MOST ViewSonic models, the $675 VP912b isn't adorned with any silver accents. Instead, the 19-inch display comes wrapped in a stoic black bezel. Still, despite its everyday looks, this LCD monitor is feature-rich and highly flexible, and...

Dell Photo Printer 540: budget printer makes great snapshots.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... SHUTTERBUGS HAVE a new reason to rejoice. Not only does Dell's Photo Printer 540 deliver exceptional 4x6-inch prints, but at $169, it's also among the thriftiest photo printers you can find. Like many other thermal-dye printers, the 540...

Lexmark P6250 Home Photo Center All-In-One: stylish MFP puts form before function.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THERE ARE A LOT of uninspired multifunction printers (MFPs) to be had, but the Lexmark P6250 Home Photo Center All-In-One isn't one of them. This $199.99 MFP's small footprint and stylish cut bring to mind Mac-style design. The easy-to-use...

Kodak Professional 1400 Digital Photo Printer.(First Take)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... Kodak's latest dye-sublimation printer, the Professional 1400 Digital Photo Printer, aims squarely at professional photographers looking to go beyond today's entry-level photo printers. Upside: The 1400 will appeal especially to...

Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router: the best-performing router we've tested to date.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $149.99 BELKIN Wireless Pre-N Router is the first on the market to include a revolutionary new technology called True Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO). True MIMO uses a single channel for multiple data streams, promising to greatly...

Buffalo AirStation 125* High-Speed Mode WBR2-G54S: only Buffalo-device owners need apply.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... ALTHOUGH THE $79.99 Buffalo AirStation 125* High-Speed Mode WBR2-G54S cable/DSL router includes many useful features, such as VPN pass-through and instant connectivity to other Buffalo AirStation OneTouch Secure System (AOSS) devices--it lacks...

Tritton WiFi NAS: pricey network-storage solution lacks flexibility.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE MARRIAGE of an 802.11g access point and a hard drive, Tritton Technologies' WiFi NAS should be the perfect complement to any home or small-office network for backing up files and distributing Web access. But the pricing is steep ($399 for...

HP iPaq HX2750: potent performance, looks, and features.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... OFFERING PROFESSIONALS another mobile business-PDA choice, the high-end $549 HP iPaq HX2750 has an impressive mix of strong performance, security, and wireless networking. Solidly built, the HX2750 seems sturdy enough to withstand some...

APC universal Notebook Battery: full-size spare will get you across the country.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... BETWEEN VANISHING MEAL service and dated in-flight-movie offerings, transcontinental flights can be a real drag. With APC's $249.99 Universal Notebook Battery and your notebook's own battery, you can get from coast to coast with juice to spare....

Motorola Razr V3: trendsetting design meets advanced cell technology.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE LONG-AWAITED $499.99 Motorola Razr V3 is more than just a pretty face--it offers a radical design with solid features and excellent performance. Measuring 3.8x2x0.5 inches and weighing 3.3 ounces, the Razr V3 is an outstandingly...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3: quick 7.2-megapixel shooter with enthusiast appeal.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $699.95 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3 is an attractive 7.2-megapixel camera with a 4x Carl Zeiss zoom lens, a big 2.5-inch LCD, plenty of advanced features, and fairly sprightly performance. Though its image quality isn't top-tier, this model will...

Canon PowerShot A95: capable cam for beginners and advanced users.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... CANON'S $349 5-megapixel PowerShot A95 offers simplicity for entry-level photographers, a versatile feature set for experienced shooters, and excellent image quality for both. Snapshooters will feel comfortable with the Auto, Program AE,...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20: big-zoom performance for telephoto fans.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... OFFERING A stunning, optically stabilized 12x Leica zoom lens that reaches out to 432mm (35mm equivalent), the $599.99 5-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 looks like the camera to beat if you love supertelephoto photography. Though the...

Panasonic VDR-M70: DVD camcorder isn't ready for prime time.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... DVD CAMCORDERS such as Panasonic's $849.95 VDR-M70 seem like a great idea until you realize that mini DVD-R and mini DVD-RAM discs are still very expensive and that you can't just pull the discs out of the camera and stick them into your...

Canon Elura 70: MiniDV cam proves just good enough.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $799 CANON ELURA 70 is a decent but undistinguished home-movie MiniDV camcorder for people on a budget. In addition to the standard set of automatic features, the Elura 70 can also be switched into manual focus and exposure modes. Its...

Sony DCR-HC30 Digital HandyCam: smooth shooting in a compact design.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... SONY'S $499.99 DCR-HC30 Digital HandyCam is a decent budget MiniDV camcorder with a compact design. A smoothly operating 10x zoom lens and a strong automatic feature set make the DCR-HC30 a well-rounded home-video camera. Although you...

Archos Gmini XS200: big hard drive, tiny player.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... WHILE THE $249 Archos Gmini XS200 is just as palm-friendly as the similarly priced 5GB Apple iPod Mini, it's stocked with a comparatively monstrous 20GB hard drive. At 2.9x2.3x0.75 inches and 4.3 ounces, the Gmini is a bit wider and...

Motorola m25 Digital Audio Player: flash-based gym buddy needs a new menu.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... A 256MB FLASH-BASED DEVICE with bright-orange rubber trimmings, Motorola's $129.99 m25 Digital Audio Player is designed for active types who want to listen to their tunes during a workout. The m25, which is available only at RadioShack, has...

Sennheiser RS120: wireless headphones close to corded quality.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... SENNHEISER ELECTRONIC'S latest RF wireless-headphone set, the $109.95 RS120, looks hip and offers home theater and music performance that's considerably better than that of the company's more expensive RS65. Were it not for the occasional...

Hitachi UltraVision CineForm 42HDT51: pricey plasma has the right connections.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... HITACHI'S UltraVision CineForm 42HDT51, a 42-inch plasma television, combines a swank design and reasonably good performance with an excellent feature package that includes a built-in HDTV tuner and a CableCard slot. But at $6,999, it's pricey...

Sharp LC-32GD4U Aquos: the best LCD television lots of money can buy.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... [EDITORS' CHOICE] THE $3,999 LC-32GD4U, Sharp's top-of-the-line 32-inch Aquos set, shows off the best that LCD TV technology has to offer. Squeezed into the LC-32GD4U's thin 4-inch frame are a built-in over-the-air HDTV tuner and a...

Sony DAV-FR9 DVD Dream: home theater system is a dream come true.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... THE $799.95 DAV-FR9 offers the best combination of value and performance in Sony's DVD Dream System home-theater-in-a-box lineup. The four tower speakers are elegantly designed. A matching center speaker completes the main speaker array,...

Search and enjoy: handy search toolbars from A9.com, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... WANT TO RESEARCH SOMETHING FAST? Install a search-engine toolbar within your browser, and you won't need to navigate to another Web site to begin the search. The four we tested work with Internet Explorer, let you search the Web or just a page,...

Corel Painter IX: painting software brushes off competition.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... [EDITORS' CHOICE] NO OTHER PROGRAM can touch Corel Painter's exceptional range of brushes and special effects, though the sheer breadth of features and the complex interface make for a steep learning curve. Version IX of the program is...

Nero 6 Ultra Edition 6.6: tremendous feature set makes for a worthy upgrade.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... MAKING THE BEST BETTER is truly a challenge, but Nero manages to do it with Nero 6 Ultra Edition 6.6. Its suite of optical-disc-handling functions is enormous. Not only does it burn video to DVDs and CDs (and with MPEG-4, you can tuck quite a...

Top 25: Computer Shopper editors handpick this month's best Media Center desktops, Tablet PCs, digital camcorders, inkjet printers, and video-editing software.(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Top 25 Computer Shopper editors handpick this month's best Media Center desktops, Tablet PCs, digital camcorders, inkjet printers, and video-editing software MEDIA CENTER DESKTOPS Slick PCs that add brains to your home...

Slick and slim: at less than 4 pounds, these lightweight notebooks let you go mobile with style.(Product/Service Evaluation)
March 1, 2005... HOIST THE AVERAGE NOTEBOOK into an airplane's overhead bin, and the novelty of traveling with a portable can evaporate faster than your enthusiasm for in-flight "entertainment." That's because most laptops weigh 7 to 8 pounds, a...

10 essential upgrades: want room-shaking speakers? Better 3D performance for gaming? These peripherals will add some joie to your PC's vivre.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY OTHER day the latest "next big thing" comes out, and that big old thing under your desk just isn't equal to the challenge. No need to curse your PC's inadequacies and search for a replacement, though--it may just need a...

Privacy protectors: these five spyware killers will keep your personal information safe as you surf the Net.
March 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION BY SEAN PORTNOY COMPUTER VIRUSES GET ALL the headlines when it comes to Internet security threats, but spyware's running even more rampant. According to EarthLink, the average Internet-enabled PC has 26 spyware programs on its...

25 ways to shop like a pro: scoring the very best deal when you buy online isn't as hard as you think. Here are the tips you need to succeed.
March 1, 2005... THERE'S SOMETHING MAGICAL about online shopping. You grab your laptop, plop down on the sofa, type in a few numbers, and suddenly, you've beckoned the Web fairies to bring you a shiny new plasma television. Wow, that was easy! You went directly...

Computer cures.(Help & how-to: tips and tricks to make tech easier)
March 1, 2005... DOMESTIC DESKTOP DISORDER I have an urgent problem I hope you can solve. I've altered the display settings on my wife's laptop, and I don't know how to change them back. I've reduced the area of the desktop, and the maximize icon in the...

The sound of silence; PC case noise is a disease. We have the cure.(Tune-up: hardware)
March 1, 2005... TODAY'S OPUS, graphics processors, and other chips generate heat that can't always be dissipated without spinning, and often noisy, fans. But if your PC's case roars or hums to the point of distraction, take solace. Though no modern desktop can...

VHS to DVD: bring your analog tapes into the 21st century with our guide to going digital.(Tune-Up: software)
March 1, 2005... AS VCRs FADE INTO THE SUNSET, you're going to need a way to transfer your videotaped treasures to DVD. Fortunately, the job is easy. Aside from a PC and a VCR, all you need is a device to convert your VCR's analog signals to digital. That, plus...

The biggest blast for the budget: a student garner sets his crosshairs on a $200 graphics card. Which is the best to shoot for?(Buying Advisor)
March 1, 2005... FIRST-PERSON SHOOTERS, strategy titles, even Sim games: College student John Nunes' personal curriculum is the wide world of gaming. But he needs a new graphics card--his GeForce FX 5200 is aging fast. "I'm a serious gamer, but I can't...

E-tailers with multiple identities.(Consumer Alert)
March 1, 2005... FINDING THE BEST PRICE ONLINE has become something of a low-impact, noncontact sport. The only problem: The online retailers keep changing the rules without telling us, and we always seem to be three points behind with no time left to play. ...

Budget desktops ($749 and less).(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)
March 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW PROCESSOR You'll pay a premium for the fastest processor, so go with a CPU several cycles behind the top clock speed. It will save you money, yet still yield a PC plenty fast for everyday tasks. Upgrade: Expect to spend $50...

Desktop-replacement notebooks.(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... 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 or AMD's 64-bit Athlon 64. Upgrade: Expect to pay about $50 for every...

Budget inkjet printers.(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW RESOLUTION Resolution figures refer to the maximum number of horizontal and vertical dots a printer can lay down within a 1-inch-square space. In theory, a higher-resolution printer can produce more-detailed text and images,...

Digital cameras (4- to 5 megapixel).(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW RESOLUTION The quality of digital photos is measured primarily by the number of pixels a camera's image sensor can capture. A 5-megapixel camera, therefore, should capture more image detail than a 4-megapixel model. Still,...

3D-graphics cards.(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW MEMORY When it comes to graphics memory, you can never have too much, especially if you're an avid gamer. More RAM means better performance, improved 3D texturing, and higher display resolutions. If you're not a hard-core...

17-inch flat-panel displays.(Techmarket: the complete guide to smart technology shopping)(Buyers Guide)
March 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW ASPECT RATIO The standard proportion of width to height for a computer monitor is 4-to-3, although some monitors that double as televisions have a wider format of 16-to-9, designed for viewing movies or high-definition...

Tech products.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)
March 1, 2005... amazon.com Amazon.com is an unparalleled superstore with a massive inventory equaled only by its special features, such as personalized product recommendations and mobile access. The Early Adopter Products pages show what's fresh in...

Speakers and sound card.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... logitech.com If movies and gaming are your thing, Logitech's line of PC speakers will be a sound investment. Pump up the volume with a 400-watt, five-speaker system, or opt for a THX-certified configuration that will turn your PC into a...

DVR hardware and software.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... microsoft.com/windowsxp/ mediacenter Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of Windows with a built-in digital video recorder [DVR] and other media functions, but it's only available preloaded on new Media Center PCs. Here you can...

Direct PC vendors.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)
March 1, 2005... abspc.com Expect gaming, multimedia, and business PCs aplenty at ABS Computer Technologies. The company offers a choice of Intel or AMD processors, a three-year parts and lifetime labor warranty, and toll-free technical support. Every...

Linux applications and resources.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Keep current with the latest Linux and FreeBSD distributions at DistroWatch.com. You'll find news about free operating systems and links to the most popular distros in categories that include multimedia, beginner-friendly, and live CDs. ...

Software.(Web buyer: the best site for online shopping)
March 1, 2005... atomicpark.com AtomicPark.com is the bomb. The site's entire selection of business and productivity apps includes free shipping. Plus, you'll never pay a restocking fee. The new Direct Downloads section lets you use new software in...

The right thin-and-light notebook: if you're looking for a notebook that strikes the perfect balance between the features of a desktop replacement and the compactness of an ultraportable, a thin-and-light machine is the perfect fit.(Buying basics: how to buy)
March 1, 2005... SOME NOTEBOOKS OFFER the performance of a desktop PC but weigh almost as much. Others weigh just a few pounds but, with a tiny screen and cramped keyboard, sacrifice functionality and ergonomics. If you're looking for a better balance between...