Computer Shopper articles from September 2005

Computer Shopper archives from September 2005

Editor's note.(market research of laptop computers)(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... I'VE HAD A LAPTOP-only household for several years now. Living in a Manhattan apartment meant space was tight, so it was a pretty easy decision to get rid of the big PC box and its jungle of cables. Ever since I bought a desktop-replacement...

Don't bite on rebates!(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Thanks to Nancy Feldman for revealing the dirty secrets of rebates ("Just Say No to Rebates," August, p. 122). My experiences with rebates on consumer-electronics products have been similar. Even after sending the original proof-of-purchase...

Sidestepping spyware.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I too have found unwanted and undisclosed spyware on vendor CDs ("Is Your Hardware Spying on You?" June, p. 131). A simple solution, particularly with hardware, is to ignore the supplied CD and go to the vendor's Web site to download only what...

Performance versus speed.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... Using the word "performance" to refer to the speed at which a camera takes pictures is misleading ("Shooting Gallery," July, p. 68). In the world of digital cameras, the truest measure of performance is the quality of the resulting pictures....

Intel, AMD bring 64-bit tech to their budget processors.(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... HAVING ALREADY begun a 64-bit processor duel in the market for high-end desktop PCs, chip makers AMD and Intel are preparing for a similar battle at the budget level. Intel has released the new Celeron D 351 64-bit chip, the heir apparent...

Trendspotting.(capacity of hard disk drives)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Hard drives could reach 1 terabyte in capacity sometime in 2007 or 2008, according to a recent study from research firm IDC. The terabyte capacity could result in part from the transition to perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR). Using...

Thin is in for home offices.(survey on selection of laptop computers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Thin Is In for Home Offices Type of laptop most likely to be purchased by PC-owning home-office households, 2004 Ultraportable 4% Thin-and-light 56% Desktop replacement 33% Media Center 4%...

Broadband providers jostle for speed lead.(TRENDS: UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS)(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A broadband speed war is emerging as cable operators raise data rates in regions where Verizon Communications is selling its Fios fiber-to-the-home service. In May, Cox Communications boosted speeds in its Northern Virginia territory to...

Will P2P software find a haven on cell phones?(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(peer-to-peer networking)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... WHILE THE technology has been vilified for making it easy to swap illegally copied music over the Internet, peer-to-peer (P2P) software is increasingly being embraced by cellular-phone manufacturers and service providers to help their nascent...

Dell may trigger laser-printer price war.(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... DELL HAS unveiled a black-and-white laser printer priced at $99--low enough, possibly, to kick off a price war in the home and small-office printer market. The Dell Laser Printer 1100 cranks out up to 1S pages a minute with a resolution of...

Confidence in e-commerce weakens.(TRENDS: TECH NEWS)(survey)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Consumer confidence in online commerce is dwindling. According to a recent study by market-research firm Gartner, three out of four Web shoppers say they are more cautious about where they buy goods online, while one in three reports buying...

Zen and the art of A/V.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... Equipped with a 30GB hard drive, Creative's Zen Vision portable video device can play popular audio formats as well as image and video files. Available in white or black, the slick 8.2-ounce player screens media on its 3.7-inch display and...

A smarter pedometer.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... Turn ordinary strolls into scientifically measured fitness sessions with the $179.95 Navman W300, designed to calculate your speed, distance, and calories expended while hiking. A water-resistant GPS receiver, the W300 has rubberized edges that...

Power play.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... Outfitting your PC with the PNY Verto GeForce 7800 GTX graphics card gives you the latest and greatest in high-octane 3D power from chip designer nVidia. The next step beyond adapters based on GeForce 6800 technology, this $599.99 PCI Express...

From iPod to hi-fi.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... Convert your lovable Apple iPod into a wireless component of your stereo system with the $179.99 Belkin TuneStage for iPod. This gadget consists of a receiver that sits near your home audio equipment and a transmitter that broadcasts music via...

Coffee-table computing.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... Make living-room surfing easier with Nokia's $350 770 Internet Tablet. Running the Linux-based Internet Tablet operating system, the 770 connects to the Internet via its internal 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio or a cellular modem. The 800x480 color...

Battle immersion.(GEAR: NEW PRODUCTS)
September 1, 2005... The $99.95 Ear Force HPA headphones from Turtle Beach let you experience the glory of 5.1 surround sound without having to deploy an army of satellite speakers around the room. Gamers will appreciate the detachable microphone for easily...

Apple iMac G5: more muscle beneath its sleek exterior.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... FINALLY, APPLE SPARES its customers an underpowered iMac by moving its latest iMac G5 more solidly into the performance camp. The high-end $1,799 model we tested has a 2GHz PowerPC G5 processor, 512MB of RAM, a large 7,200rpm 250GB hard drive,...

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT: quick, lightweight dSLR delivers excellent image quality.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... EDITORS' CHOICE THE CANON EOS Digital Rebel XT digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) camera represents a leap forward from its predecessor, the original Digital Rebel. The Rebel XT brings more creative control, an 8-megapixel complementary...

HP Pavilion a1050y: an able midrange great for burning chores.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... IF YOU SPEND a lot of time burning CDs or DVDs, you'll want to check out the HP Pavilion a1050y. It has both a CD-ROM and a DVD burner, and the DVD is a LightScribe model that can emblazon your own designs onto the label surface of specially...

Cyberpower Gamer Ultra 6600SE: no-nonsense gaming PC leaves room to grow.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... BASIC GAMING--PC designs under $1,000 are increasingly common, but Cyberpower has created a standout, if somewhat straightforward, machine with its $799 Gamer Ultra 6600SE. Its black, angular case has a sturdy door concealing dual optical...

Shuttle XPC G5 8300mc: small, sexy, functional Media Center.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... SHUTTLE'S XPC G5 8300mc ($1,452 in our test configuration) is a fine example of what the company does best--build slick little boxes for business and pleasure. Its black 7x12x7-inch (HWD) case, with its series of mirrored front panels, will fit...

Apple Power Mac G5: fast dual-CPU tower with limited expandability.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... SURE TO BE the wanton desire of many design and video professionals, Apple's Power Mac G5 flaunts two 2.7GHz G5 processors and is a top performer right out of the box. (The base model costs $2,999; our tested configuration rang up at $5,097,...

AOpen XC Cube Mini PC.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... FIRST TAKE We're stating the obvious here, but the AOpen XC Cube Mini PC is the current front-runner for the best Windows-based Apple Mac Mini look-alike. It's available fully configured or bare-bones (just case and motherboard]), and...

Averatec 4200: colorful bargain machine needs more speed.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... LIVELY LOOKING and inexpensive, the Averatec 4200 turned in good battery life but served up slow performance. The 4200% lid is navy blue, and its interior comes clad in a white hue reminiscent of an Apple iBook. Measuring 1.3x12.5x8.8...

HP Compaq Tablet PC TC4200: a powerful convertible with impressive battery life.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... A THIRD-GENERATION Tablet PC, the HP Compaq TC4200 has a lot to like, from top performance to nearly 5 hours of battery life. Our $1,849 test machine came with a 1.86GHz Pentium M 750 processor and 512MB of 400MHz RAM, expandable to 2GB....

Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513: king of multimedia has power to play.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... EDITORS' CHOICE THOUGH PRICEY, the $2,999 Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513 delivers the most impressive multimedia experience in a laptop yet. Built on a blazing 2GHz Pentium M 760 processor and running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005,...

Gateway M460S: affordable portable packs stellar battery life.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE FAIR-PRICED Gateway M460S offers strong performance and battery life. Inside our $1,359 test PC was a 1.86GHz Pentium M 750 processor, along with Intel's 915 graphics engine and 512MB of RAM. The 4,200rpm 40GB hard drive was small and...

Acer TravelMate TM3002WTCi: a featherweight with a long-lasting battery.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... AN INEXPENSIVE ultraportable, the TravelMate TM3002WTCi offers lots of speed and battery life. The $1,299 machine we tested came with a t.73GHz Pentium M 740 processor, 512MB of speedy 533MHz memory, and an average-size 60GB hard drive...

Wacom Graphire Bluetooth: costly tablet offers pinpoint accuracy.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE LATEST ADDITION to Wacom's popular Graphire pen/tablet/mouse family, the Graphire Bluetooth brings wireless connectivity to the gathering. This input device isn't cheap, however: At $249.95, only serious artists and designers need apply....

Sony VAIO Mouse VGP-UMS50: stylish mouse glides past competition.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... GIVEN ITS sharp angles and soft curves, one would think the VAIO VGP-UMS50 was Sony's foray into the automobile market. Instead, this $39.99 mouse is a style-conscious alternative to your otherwise lifeless clicker. Although the...

ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 Edition.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... FIRST TAKE Whether it's playing DVDs or recording live television, ATI's latest graphics card claims to do it all. Priced at $199, the All-In-Wonder 2006 Edition turns your PC into a media junkie's haven without forcing you to shell out...

Samsung SyncMaster 915N: fast pixel-response rate should suit gamers.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... BIG ON PERFORMANCE, but small on features, Samsung's SyncMaster 915N is a 19-inch LCD with virtually no extras. Aside from three performance-enhancing utilities--MagicBright, MagicTune, and MagicSpeed--the $400 915N offers little else....

Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW: wide-screen wonder buries the competition.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... IF YOU'RE looking for proof that size matters, look no further. Wide, affordable, and loaded with features, Dell's UltraSharp 2405FPW is 24 inches of pure technolust. With a maximum resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels, this $1,199 display...

LaCie 319.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... FIRST TAKE Proof that brains and good looks aren't mutually exclusive, LaCie's 319 LCD monitor promises to deliver CRT-like performance in a package slick enough to complement the most stylish PC you can pair it with. Upside: In our...

Lexmark P4350: photo-friendly MFP lacks fax.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... LEXMARK'S P4350 is an all-in-one inkjet that incorporates scanning, copying, and direct photo printing into a compact package that's easy to use. Although it has a few shortcomings--like mediocre scanning and uneven print quality--this $129.99...

Brother Mprint Micro Printer: a pocket-size printer for your handheld.(Brother Mprint MW-140BT Micro Printer)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... BROTHER'S palm-size Mprint Micro Printer (MW-140BT) is a handy companion for your PDA, but before you invest $399.99, note that it only prints on proprietary 3x4-inch thermal paper. This sleek metallic printer measures 0.7x3.9x6.3 inches...

HP Business Inkjet 2800: high-quality printing, but slow and lacking features.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... WE CAN'T MOCK Hewlett-Packard's $499 Business Inkjet 2800 for its size; this hulk prints everything from 4x6-inch postcards to 13x19-inch posters, flexibility that makes it an excellent asset for offices with various printing needs. But...

Dell Wireless 2350 WLAN Broadband Router: decent 802.11b/g router can't compete with MIMO devices.(multiple input multiple output, wireless local area network)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE DELL WIRELESS 2350 WLAN Broadband Router is like an old friend you've known forever: It offers a steady, if not exciting, experience. This 802.11b/g router moves data at only half the speed of the multiple input, multiple output (MIMO)...

Buffalo TeraStation NAS: immense-capacity network storage.(network attached storage)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... IF YOU NEED AN enormous amount of shared storage for your home or small-business network, you'll find few easier or cheaper ways to add it than with one of Buffalo Technology's TeraStation TeraByte Network Attached Storage (NAS) boxes. All...

Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard: frees Skype users from headsets.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE ACTIONTEC INTERNET Phone Wizard works in combination with Skype's excellent Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software, letting you make free Internet telephone calls to other Skype users through an analog phone--while allowing you to...

Garmin StreetPilot c330: an on-course driving companion.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE $964.27 Garmin StreetPilot c330 is an extremely accurate and easy-to-operate GPS tool. Ready to use right out of the box, it's surprisingly capable and comes with its maps preloaded. Weighing just 9.5 ounces, the compact c330 is highly...

Motorola i605: hefty, sturdy workhorse pulls its weight.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE $299.99 MOTOROLA i605 is brawny, but it has impressive push-to-talk features and tough construction. It should appeal to users who lead a rough-and-tumble life. The unwieldy i605 measures 4.9x2x1.1 inches and weighs a heavy 5.9 ounces...

Plantronics M2500: elegant hands-free chat.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... A COMPACT wireless headset, the $89.95 Plantronics M2500 offers a compact wireless headset that offers a simple, fast way to use the hands-free capabilities of Bluetooth phones. Crafted in silver and blue, the M2500's earpiece looks overly...

Nikon Coolpix 7900: handsome cam makes taking excellent images easy.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... IN ITS BASIC-black attire, the 7-megapixel, 3x-optical-zoom Coolpix 7900 adds a touch of class to Nikon's line of compact digital cameras. In addition to a wealth of scene modes and a built-in help system, this $399.95 Coolpix comes equipped...

Canon PowerShot SD400: a quick 5-megapixel snapshooter.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... AN ULTRACOMPACT 5-megapixel snapshot camera with quick performance, the $399.99 Canon PowerShot SD400 is one of the better choices in the current Canon Digital Elph lineup. The SD400 uses Carton's DIGIC II DSP to boost performance to...

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7: big view from 7.2-megapixel camera.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... SONY'S $449.95 Cyber-shot DSC-W7 is a fairly responsive 7.2-megapixel camera with solid automatic settings and superb image quality. It also features a big 2.5-inch LCD, a metal-alloy body, and a 3x zoom lens. It lacks full manual controls for...

Pioneer PDP-5050HD: well-connected 50-inch plasma HDTV.(high definition television)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... ALTHOUGH ITS IMAGE quality isn't up to the stiff competition of the best sets, Pioneer's $7,000 PDP-5050HD is a competent performer among 50-inch plasmas, if not a reference-quality display. The set has a native resolution of 1,280x768,...

Lite-On LVW-5045: combo recorder faces syncing issues.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE $349 LITE-ON LVW-5045, Lite-On's first hard drive/DVD recorder, costs less than just about any comparable product on the market. It also features a refreshingly simple interface that puts the arcane menus of competing, better-known decks to...

Panasonic SC-HT930: solid home theater system with wireless option.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... PANASONIC'S $499.95 SCHT930 home theater in a box (HTIB) is loaded with a five-disc DVD changer, a potent subwoofer, and sexy tower speakers. Plus, it can be paired with an optional $199.95 2.4GHz wireless module that eliminates the need for...

Digital Networks Rio CE2100: slim audio device with super sonics.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... THE $179.99 Digital Networks Rio CE2100 has a stylish design and stellar battery life, plus support for MP3, secure and unsecure WMA, and Audible files. So why do we hesitate to recommend this 2.5GB miniature hard drive player? Because, for...

Philips ShoqBox PSS110: tiny boom box shockingly lacks memory options.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... PHILIPS BUILT tiny speakers into a 2S6MB flash-based MP3 player to create the $149 ShoqBox PSS110 Personal Sound System. It's decidedly cute and would make an ideal travel companion if it had more storage options and better sound quality. ...

Samsung YH-820 micro HDD Jukebox: feature-filled hard drive player.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... SAMSUNG'S $229.99 YH-820 Micro HDD Jukebox is aimed at the type of buyers who have been snapping up Apple iPod Minis since the Mini's debut last year. The 5GB YH-820 has an intuitive interface that pales only in comparison with that of Apple's...

Browser battle: Internet Explorer's features look antiquated compared with these three Web-surfing options.(Deepnet Explorer, Netscape 8.0 and Opera 8.0)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... MICROSOFT'S TIGHT GRIP on the Internet-browser market is rapidly slipping. What's making people leave Internet Explorer (IE) are its numerous security concerns and the fact that certain functionality--such as a built-in Really Simple...

Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium: a worthy successor to the ultimate design suite.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... WITH CREATIVE SUITE 2 Premium (CS2), Adobe Systems integrates its photo and design-environment components into one versatile package, letting print- and Web-based graphic designers share files among applications more easily. Included are...

Ulead VideoStudio 9.0: valuable tools for video hobbyists and newbies alike.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... FOR EVERY AMATEUR filmmaker who spends hours tweaking his or her creation, twice as many just want to burn their videos to DVD quickly and be done with it. The $99.99 ($49.99 upgrade) VideoStudio 9.0 will satisfy both. For users with basic...

Rhapsody 3.0: streaming-audio service continues to impress.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... A LONGTIME PLAYER in the online music game, the Rhapsody service is still going strong. It has continued to expand its catalog, now offering music from more than 500 independent labels, and it remains the best provider of streaming audio....

PhatNotes 4.5 Professional Edition: a powerful, complex digital organizer.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... PHATWARE'S $39.95 PhatNotes 4.5 Professional Edition takes traditional digital-organizer functions and adds powerful options while simplifying the organizational process. As you might expect, the basic unit of organization is the "note": a...

Top 25: this month's best desktops, notebooks, home-theater-in-a-box packages, input devices, and home PC software.(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... Top 25 This month's best desktops, notebooks, home-theater-in-a-box packages, input devices, and home PC software. PRODUCT PRICE SPECS/REQUIREMENTS ALTERNATIVE-BRAND DESKTOPS >> Power PCs that provide...

Lifestyle laptops: somewhere within these five categories is a notebook that fits the way you live.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... With notebooks now outselling desktops, it's easy to understand why vendors continue to expand their mobile-computing lines. More choice is great, for certain, but it can make shopping a challenge. To minimize the information overload, we've...

Rating the retailers: we go undercover to five major chains to see which is your best bet when PC shopping.
September 1, 2005... IT'S EASIER THAN EVER TO HOP ON THE INTERNET and buy a new PC, whether directly from vendors such as Alienware and Dell or from online stores like Amazon.com and Buy.com. And yet many people still head down to their neighborhood...

Photo finishers: do your memories justice with one of these 14 photo printers.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... PRINTING DIGITAL IMAGES sure is a lot easier than it used to be--just bring your media card to the local photo store or upload your images to an online photo service. Sometimes, though, nothing less than instant gratification will do,...

Seeing stripes.(repair of liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I have a two-year-old LCD that has stopped working properly--it turns on but only shows stripes. I can't find my original receipt, but the manufacturer tells me that based on the serial number, the unit is out of warranty. The company also says...

Help! This heat's causing a racket.(maintenance of computer cooling fans)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I'm not sure if it was merely coincidence, but as soon as the weather heated up, the fan noise on my new PC became really loud. I contacted the manufacturer, who advised me to take the tower apart, which I don't want to do. Is this a common...

Robo-recorder?(tips about computer automation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I would like my computer to access the Internet in the middle of the night, go to a specific URL (a radio station), open my recording program, and record the radio show for a few hours. Then the PC should close all the programs. Can I automate...

Please standby.(COMPUTER CURES)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Does setting your PC to hibernate require much more energy than simply shutting it down? What exactly is hibernation (Standby) mode? YANG ZHOU Hibernating consumes little additional energy, if any, on most PCs. It simply takes a...

The bigger picture.(purchasing of liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... I'm planning to purchase three large LCDs (20-inch diagonal or more), using them side by side in portrait mode along with a small-chassis PC to reduce my space requirements and lower heat and noise substantially. Do you have any thoughts or...

Tip of the month: which end is up?(usage of input/output ports)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... In the good old days, parallel and serial cables relied on large, D-shaped connectors that made it easy to see which way they fit into a port. Like everything in technology, connections are getting faster and smaller, and it's not always easy...

Extend your Wi-Fi reach: overhaul your network for better wireless range.(WEEKEND PROJECT: HARDWARE)
September 1, 2005... WHEN YOU FIRST SET UP your Wi-Fi network, you probably assumed you'd get a strong signal no matter where you wandered. Now you're having trouble surfing in the sun room and Googling in the garden. You don't need a smaller house; you just need a...

Fantastic flash: your USB drive is more than just a glorified floppy disk. Use it to the max!(WEEKEND PROJECT: SOFTWARE)
September 1, 2005... USB FLASH DRIVES have all but killed the floppy disk. To drive the nail further into floppies' 3.5-inch coffins, developers are making apps that launch directly from a flash drive for use on any computer. You don't need to install the programs...

Getting the complete picture: a power user is hunting for a flatbed scanner that's a master of all media. The Advisor bags the trophy model.(BUYING ADVISOR)
September 1, 2005... ANTHONY DIBIASE, a Rhode Island small-business owner, is a man with a plan to scan. He's abandoning his aging HP Scanjet 5370C. "It's too slow, and the quality is acceptable, but not great," he says. "Plus, it didn't come with much software."...

Big vendors' warranties get small.(CONSUMER ALERT)(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... IF YOU'VE BEEN SHOPPING for a new computer lately, you may have noticed something scary happening to warranties: They're shrinking. And not just on the low-end models. Recently, two of the biggest names in the PC business--Dell and...

Budget desktops ($749 and less).(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 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 $80...

Desktop-replacement notebooks.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 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, a fast Pentium M, or AMD's 64-bit Athlon 64. Upgrade: Expect to pay about $50 for...

3D-graphics cards.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW MEMORY When it comes to graphics memory, you can never have too much, especially if you're a hard-core gamer. More RAM means better performance, improved 3D texturing, and higher display resolutions. If you're not an avid...

Internal DVD burners.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... 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...

17-inch flat-panel displays.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 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...

Digital cameras (6-megapixel and higher).(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 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. An 8-megapixel camera, for example, should capture more image detail than a 6-megapixel model. Only an...

Power PDAs.(TECHMARKET: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... NEED TO KNOW OPERATING SYSTEM The two common operating systems for handhelds are the Palm OS and Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003. The Palm OS is favored by many for its ease of use, while those who seek tight compatibility with Windows opt...

Tech products.(WEB BUYER: THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING)(websites, services)
September 1, 2005... abtelectronics.com Do you crave a 400-disc CD changer or a surround-sound speaker system? Abt Electronics, in business for 69 years, has them. You'll also find big-screen televisions, home appliances, and computer products. ...

Used and refurbished hardware.(WEB BUYER: THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING)(websites, services)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... electrified.com Electrified Discounters will shock you with deals on discontinued, refurbished, and no-longer-state-of-the-art computers and consumer electronics. You'll find printers, handheld organizers, and plasma televisions, most with...

Printer ink.(WEB BUYER: THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... bulkinkjetcarts.com With $6 flat-rate shipping and a satisfaction guarantee, BulkInkJetCarts.com will keep your Brother, Canon, Epson, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, or Xerox printer humming. The site sells a variety of high-quality photo...

Direct PC vendors.(WEB BUYER: THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING)(websites, services)
September 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. Visit the...

Software.(WEB BUYER: THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING)(websites, services)
September 1, 2005... atomicpark.com AtomicPark.com'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 minutes, not days. ...