Australian PC World articles from April 2002

Australian PC World archives from April 2002

Get ya head read! You heard the spiel, you bought the software. Satisfaction guaranteed, eXPerience the difference. Just a few bugs. It's as well Telstra has announced a $50 million stimulus package for the local broadband market -- because to get these fixes, you'll want a broadband connection. (Editorial).
April 1, 2002... Welcome to the complacent country. Recently, it has started to feel as if no one really wants to put their hand up and say they are not satisfied. Can we all really be that happy with the PC tools we use and pay for? I have seen a trailing...

GeForce4 goes titanium. (news).
April 1, 2002... The PC graphics game has entered new level with the launch of NVIDIA's two new graphics processors -- the GeForce4 Titanium chip and GeForce4 MX chip. The Titanium boasts specifications designed to make PC gamers drool, while the budget MX chip...

White-box makers gain hold in small biz market.
April 1, 2002... The battle for small business PC customers has intensified in the past year with significant inroads being made by white-box producers, according to an analyst report. Kourosh Ghassemi, an IDC analyst for small business and vertical...

Microsoft makes accountancy Quick `n' easy.
April 1, 2002... Microsoft has found a new distribution channel for its Windows and Office XP products, announcing a new partnership with accounting software firm Quicken. Unlike typical bundling deals, Microsoft and Quicken have integrated their products into...

Sun embraces Linux. (news).
April 1, 2002... Sun Microsystems has extended a significant olive branch to the Linux community by embracing a wide range of Linux initiatives surrounding Sun's Solaris operating environment. Sun will soon begin shipping an expanded line of low-end Linux...

Microsoft ready for Biz. (news).
April 1, 2002... In an effort to help companies talk the ebiz talk (specifically, to allow companies to exchange data between applications inside and outside their corporate firewalls), Microsoft has released the second version of its BizTalk Server software....

NAI sells Gauntlet firewall line to Secure Computing.
April 1, 2002... Making good on a promise made by company CEO George Samenuk last October to sell off product lines that could not lead in their markets, Network Associates has announced that it will sell its Gauntlet line of firewall and VPN (virtual private...

Industry group releases wireless IM spec.
April 1, 2002... Supporters of the Wireless Village initiative have unveiled Version 1.0 of their specification for the interoperability of mobile instant messaging and presence services (IMPS). The open specification allows devices such as mobile phones, PDAs...

OptusNet accounts hacked. (news).
April 1, 2002... The NSW Police Force has launched its biggest computer crime investigation after hackers hijacked the account details of 400,000 Optus Internet dial-up customers. Both Optus and the NSW Police recently confirmed the hack attack in which the...

Palm lifts the lid on OS 5.
April 1, 2002... Palm has taken the lid off the beta version of Palm OS 5, the company's next operating system version, and at the same time announced a change in the name of its operating system subsidiary to PalmSource, from the more wordy `Palm's operating...

AMD to move into PDAs. (news).
April 1, 2002... Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is expanding its processor business to handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) after it announced that it is acquiring Alchemy Semiconductor. The new business will be part of a newly created...

ACCC defends gamers. (news).
April 1, 2002... The ACCC is batting for PlayStation owners in court on the issue of regional playback control (RPC) technology, fearing consumers stand to lose money on games purchased overseas at significantly cheaper prices by being denied the right to use...

Doctors call for warning on vibrating game controllers.
April 1, 2002... Vibrating handheld game controllers should carry health warnings because they can cause damage to hands, doctors of the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital in England, have warned. They cited the case of a 15-year-old boy who spent up to seven...

CAD goes mouseless.
April 1, 2002... Autodesk is giving its CAD (Computer Assisted Drawing) products a free hand. The software vendor has just released Architectural Studio, a new product that, for the first time, gives Autodesk customers the ability to design without the aid of a...

Broadband market opens. (broadband).
April 1, 2002... Although Telstra's BigPond ADSL offering has recently been plagued by network outages and Optus's cable service (although performing well) is confined to houses -- apartments and units still do not get the service -- Australia's residential and...

Harvey Norman joins broadband push. (broadband briefs).
April 1, 2002... In a significant boost to the broadband cause, retailer Harvey Norman is set to launch a broadband modem and services bundle, believed to be the first such offering to make it onto mass merchant shelves. For the first time, home consumers and...

Comcast to stop tracking customer Web use. (broadband briefs).
April 1, 2002... US cable provider Comcast has acknowledged that it had been tracking and storing information on its cable Internet service subscribers' Web usage, but said it will end the practice immediately in response to customer concerns. Comcast had...

Hide and seek. (music copy protection).
April 1, 2002... Imagine a time in the near future. Your CDs no longer play in your computer. Expensive MP3 players lay silent. Your favourite CD won't play because of a tiny scratch. If the latest experiments by the record industry come to fruition, then...

Dell shelves local hosting service. (online news).
April 1, 2002... Dell Australia has canned any plans it may have had of entering the hosting business in Australia, following the "mild" success of its DellHost business in the US. Web hosting in Australia is better left in the hands of its well...

Telstra scraps Easymail. (online news).
April 1, 2002... Telstra has abandoned its Easymail service, leaving almost 70,000 customers to find new (and more expensive) means of accessing e-mail. Telstra spokesperson Stuart Gray said Easymail was "no longer commercially viable" for the...

IBM, Peugeot to diagnose car faults over Net. (online news).
April 1, 2002... IBM and French car maker Peugeot are working together to develop an Internet-based vehicle diagnostic system. When a car is taken to a Peugeot technician, it will be linked up via the Internet to a central diagnostics server that has...

MSN Messenger flaw can disclose user data. (online news).
April 1, 2002... Microsoft has confirmed that its instant messaging programs MSN Messenger and the Windows Messenger included with the company's Windows XP operating system can allow users' names and e-mail addresses, as well as those of all their chat buddies,...

New graphics cards. (tech.files).
April 1, 2002... Since the advent of PC gaming and 3D multimedia, the job of the engineers who make graphics cards is to try to provide us with the most realistic on-screen experience possible. The card also needs to have a useful and intuitive driver. This...

HP, UCLA push ahead in nanochip chase. (tech.news).
April 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard, in conjunction with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), has developed technology which will enable it to build complex molecular-scale chips simply and inexpensively. These chips are about 100 times smaller than...

Intel enters the age of X-Scale. (tech.news).
April 1, 2002... Intel has ushered in the dawn of its X-Scale architecture for multimedia phones and advanced PDAs with the launch of two new X-Scale chips. The samples, boards, and software of the Intel PXA250 and PXA210 processors are now available, and...

Dell Inspiron 8200: notebook computer. (first looks).
April 1, 2002... It was only a year ago that CPU speeds of 2GHz in a notebook computer were thought to be far off on the horizon. Yet now this milestone is imminent, with Intel's recent launch of its new mobile processor in Australia, the Pentium 4 Mobile or...

Palm m515, Palm m130, Sony Clie T615, NEC MobilePro P300: handheld computers. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Palm users envious of the latest Pocket PC releases over the past couple of months can take heart: both Palm and PalmOS licensee Sony have launched new PDAs. On the Pocket PC front, meanwhile, newcomer NEC has released a Pocket PC 2002-based...

Ulead VideoStudio 6: video editing software. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Drag-and-drop video editing? Yes, it's really that easy. Creating professional looking movies with snazzy effects can be as simple as drag and drop. Take heed of suggested system requirements: at least 128MB of RAM, 4GB of disk space, and...

Ulead PhotoImpact 7.0: design and web graphics software. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Ulead has upgraded its photo-editing package, creating a multitalented graphics suite for the serious digital photographer and Web designer. It now has a lot more to offer than traditional competitors such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro and newcomers...

Creative Labs Extigy: external sound card. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... The arrival of Creative Lab's stylish, external Dolby Digital 5.1 SoundBlaster audio solution answers the prayers of many notebook users who have put up with inferior sound. It is more than just a PC peripheral, as it can be used as a...

ViewSonic ViewPanel VG191: 19IN LCD monitor. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Toiling away as I do with a 17in screen, even a 19in CRT would be a big improvement, but a 19in LCD monitor -- now, that's really something. ViewSonic's new 19in ViewPanel VG191 with supercrisp text is definitely worth a look -- if you have a...

Panasonic DMR-E20: DVD video recorder. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... PC technology takes another step farther into the living room with the arrival Panasonic's latest DVD recorder, the DMR-E20. Many home entertainment enthusiasts have been waiting for a device such as the DMR-E20, which provides video recorder...

iRiver SlimX IMP-350: MP3/CD player. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... The SlimX is probably the best built, most portable, digital audio player to come into the PC World Test Centre, and one of the most feature rich. It's a CD-based player, yet it also has a built-in FM stereo tuner that allows you to preset and...

Maxtor Personal Storage 160GB 3000XT: external firewire hard drive. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Aimed at everyone from video, movie and music buffs to creative and production professionals, the $999 Maxtor Personal Storage 3000XT packs a hefty 160GB 5400rpm hard drive into an opaque, Apple-inspired compact external casing (41x152x219 mm...

ScanSoft Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred 6: speech recognition software. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Yakking to the PC isn't everyone's cup of tea. However, if you have trouble typing or want to give your hands a break from the keyboard, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 6 Preferred can help. Despite its financial turmoil, Lernout & Hauspie was...

Desktop DNA 3.5: PC migration software. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Version 3.5 of Desktop DNA can quickly and easily replicate practically any of your computer's settings. It can be used effectively to recover and replace a PC's environment as well as transfer (or migrate) system settings, application...

Hewlett-Packard DVD100i: rewritable-DVD drive. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... After years of promises, HP has finally shipped a DVD+RW drive. The good news? It stores up to 4.7GB of data per disc, and rewrites discs more than twice as quickly as rival Pioneer's DVR-A03 DVD-R/RW drive. It also runs rings around its rivals...

PowerQuest Drive Image 5.0 and Norton Ghost 2002: hard drive imaging software. (First Looks).
April 1, 2002... Cloning a hard drive means making an exact copy of it, including the operating system, hidden files and every last bit and byte of data. The result is called an image file. Cloning goes beyond the scope of an everyday data backup, the point...

Invasion of the browser snatchers. (Readers' forum).
April 1, 2002... Thanks for the article "Invasion of the browser snatchers", sent in the PC World Daily news service on 18 February [This topic was also canvassed in last month's Alt.net column, "Born-again porn" p22]. Like other readers, I have encountered...

Be a professional. (Readers' forum).
April 1, 2002... I have heard businesses complain that they have lost their @easymail.com.au e-mail address and will have to reprint letterhead and brochures. This was echoed last year when OneTel users lost their e-mail addresses. The solution is easy....

Missive of the month. (Readers' forum).
April 1, 2002... Congratulations Tom Milledge? You are this month's winner of a year's subscription to PC World worth $66. We are pleased to receive your letters, but please keep them to less than 300 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for...

The language of the world wide Web: travellers and would-be linguists -- make the Net your first destination. You'll find a wealth of resources for learning a new language online. (Feature Web And You).
April 1, 2002... Learning a new language can be a thoroughly rewarding undertaking. Whether you plan to travel to the country where the language is spoken or you have an interest in learning about other cultures, building your communications skills will more...

Must-see DV; become a hotshot movie producer with this ultimate guide to digital video making. From buying a camcorder to how to kit out your pc to make your next video -- we'll show you how! (Feature Digital Video Buying Guide)(Cover Story).
April 1, 2002... Interest in digital video (DV) has exploded over the past few years, as the ability to accomplish video editing and effects on a home PC becomes a reality for the average PC user. To get started, you need to find the right tools. Fortunately,...

Browsing & beyond: we pick 13 must-have tools for today's Internet, including the best in browsers and add-ons, e-mail, instant messaging, and much more. (Feature Web Software).
April 1, 2002... Socks, toasters, Internet software. what do these things have in common? They're essential, yet we take them for granted. Your Internet tools really deserve a little more of your attention. While the world's great minds aren't obsessed with...

Word: the write stuff: fifteen essential tips for smarter, faster word processing -- for version 6 or later of Word or WordPerfect. (Feauture Word Processing Tips).
April 1, 2002... The workhorse of any office suite, whether preloaded or store bought, is its word processing application. Even though each new version adds capabilities, ostensibly to boost productivity, we still value the basics' formatting documents and...

Get the right PC: judging from questions from friends, relatives, acquaintances, co-workers and many readers of our magazine, the quest for the right machine can often be a confusing, wearying and trying one. It is very easy to get bamboozled by a myriad of details suddenly thrust upon you when you shop around for a new PC. (Feature PC Head-To-Head).
April 1, 2002... Here, we offer some information that should be helpful in determining which current system best suits your wants and budget, using two Intel-based systems and two AMD-based systems to illustrate. This article will not tell you which brand of...

Holey software: new security bugs that let hackers attack your data appear weekly. Here's why apps are so full of holes and how you can protect yourself. (Feature Software Bugs).
April 1, 2002... Imagine you own a small company that has a few high-profile clients. One day you discover that confidential data you store about these clients -- credit card numbers, personal contact information, promotional plans -- are being broadcast over...

Over $4000, $2001-$4000, sub-$2000 PCs. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2002... OVER $4000 HOME 1 Xenon Metro 855 Multimedia PC This PC features the latest processor from the Intel camp, the 0.13-micron manufactured 2.2GHz Pentium 4. This processor resides in an Intel motherboard that features DDR SDRAM...

Notebooks. (best buys).
April 1, 2002... OVER $6000 1 Dell Latitude C400 The C400's Intel Pentium III-M 1.2GHz processor coupled with 128MB of RAM achieved a PC WorldBench 4 score of 102 and a SYSMark 2001 score of 121 under Windows 2000.3D duties are handled by the Intel...

DV for free. (using Linux).
April 1, 2002... In connection with this month's digital video feature (Must See DV, page 56), LinuxWorld takes a look at the support available for DV-related technologies under Linux. It is possible to take advantage of your DV hardware and perform simple...

Installing an AMD processor. (here's how).
April 1, 2002... In the January 2002 edition I went through the process of installing a Pentium 4 processor. It was a fairly basic process, made easier by the fact that Pentium 4 chips now use a heatsink retention mechanism superior to that of Pentium III...

Basic and Dynamic Disks and Volumes. (Windows 2000).
April 1, 2002... Windows 2000 has some advanced disk management tricks up its sleeve. You can use these to bump up disk performance, among other things. Although you could do some of these things with Windows NT 4, Windows 2000 takes the concept further...

Setting up multiple monitors. (Windows 2000).
April 1, 2002... Multiple monitor support is a great feature of Windows Me (and Windows 98) that allows your desktop to be viewed on more than one screen simultaneously, or even to be stretched across more than one screen. To utilise it, though, you need...

Burning desire. (Windows XP).
April 1, 2002... Last month in Bugs and Fixes I mentioned that certain versions of the Easy CD Creator software from Roxio will not be supported in Windows XP. Only the newest versions of Roxio's software will work and only if you download the appropriate...

Secure communications with OpenSSH. (Linux).
April 1, 2002... This month we take a look at a suite of tools for secure remote administration and file transfers over a network, OpenSSH. When it comes to tasks such as remote administration, the need for security and encrypted communications become obvious....

Using iPhoto 1.0: Part 2. (Mac OS).
April 1, 2002... In March we looked at setting up and using Apple's iPhoto software to facilitate the organisation and search functionality of your favourite image collections, such as those from a digital camera or the Web. This month we finish by covering the...

Capturing vinyl with LP Recorder. (audio).
April 1, 2002... Recording 33, 45 and 78rpm vinyl, tapes, radio or even audio from a VHS cassette into your computer for future safeguarding can all be undertaken with LP Recorder, found on this month's cover CD. We've also included a trial version of LP...

Restoring photographs: Part 2. (graphics).
April 1, 2002... Last month, this column covered the basics of getting started with image restoration. By now, your image should be scanned, rotated and ready for finer adjustments. Using most types of filters will make changes that are hard to reverse, so...

Advanced forms. (html).
April 1, 2002... Last month in our introduction to forms, we investigated input types and essential form elements. First we introduced the script required to start your forms, then we investigated commonly used input types such as text, password, checkbox and...

Search multiple fields. (PHP).
April 1, 2002... This month, we will look at modifying last month's AB2 code to allow searching of multiple data fields. WORKING WITH INDICES AB2 is designed to store address data in relation to the last name of the person's address. In database talk, AB2...

Operating systems: Windows XP: get more from Search tool. (help screen).
April 1, 2002... The mountain of data and media files accumulating on your PC's drives makes a good file-searching tool a necessity these days. Unfortunately, Windows XP's revamped Search feature isn't that tool. XP's Search is handicapped by annoying...

Office applications: (help screen).
April 1, 2002... OFFICE XP More macros Last month, I described Office XP macros and how to record them. As I boldly proclaimed, you can save yourself time and trouble by recording commonly used keystrokes in a macro and running it whenever you need...

Internet. (help screen).
April 1, 2002... Get that #@&* spyware off my computer! Have you downloaded a new version of Netscape Communicator or RealPlayer, only to discover that you received an uninvited "download manager" in the deal? If you think a download manager sounds...

Hardware. (help screen).
April 1, 2002... Any AGP port in a storm? Q My brother just gave me his old Pentium III PC minus a graphics card. I opened up its case to add the AGP 2X graphics card I took from my former computer, but the AGP slot in the P-III PC is much longer than the...

Windows 2000 security rollup package. (bugs & fixes).
April 1, 2002... Microsoft has recently released all the latest updates to its Windows 2000 operating system in a single 17MB package. It contains all of the most significant updates that have been provided via Microsoft's Security Bulletins since the release...

Digital video training. (skills).
April 1, 2002... Digital video (DV) camera training for most new camera users usually begins at the point of purchase, where many first-time DV users will be offered enough basic advice to get started. If you find that a salesperson can't answer your initial...

Course providers. (skills).
April 1, 2002... All of the providers below provide digital video courses, in many cases as part of a diploma or certificate. Metro Screen Phone: (02) 9361 5318 URL: www.metroscreen.com.au OPENChannel Phone: (03) 9419 5111 URL:...

Rough Guide to the Internet (2002 Edition). (on the shelf).
April 1, 2002... BY ANGUS J. KENNEDY According to the blurb on the back, this "million-selling" book will "make you an Internet guru in the shortest possible time". The aim is similar to the Dummies books, but the Rough Guide version wears a cooler guise....

Computer Desktop Encyclopedia (9th Edition). (books).
April 1, 2002... BY ALAN FREEDMAN If you're in the market for a hard copy reference for computer terms, the Computer Desktop Encyclopedia presents a good package. As well as the book you get a CD with expanded definitions and illustrations. Combined,...

PC Performance Tuning & Upgrading. (books).
April 1, 2002... BY KRIS JAMSA When people start using computers, it soon becomes clear to them that there is a huge amount to learn. Of course, the Internet can be a great resource, but a reference book like PC Performance can be more helpful in coming to...

TNT Magazine: www.tntmagazine.com. (web).
April 1, 2002... For 20-somethings, spending a year working abroad -- usually in the UK -- has almost become de rigueur. If you're planning such a trip or you know someone about to embark on this adventure, take a look at the TNT Magazine site. This Web version...

Subway Navigator: www.subwaynavigator.com. (web).
April 1, 2002... What is about subways that sends so many people into a state of panic? If you need to go from Elephant and Castle to Finsbury Park in London, or from Lexington Avenue to Canal St in New York, or some other public transport test in a strange...

Backyard Birdwatch: www2.abc.net.au/science/birds/ default.htm. (web).
April 1, 2002... If you'd like to know a little more about the feathered friends visiting your garden, surf to Backyard Birdwatch. This site promises to help you identify birds common to urban Australia using basic data like the size of the bird and main...

The Program: www.theprogram.com.au. (web).
April 1, 2002... The Program is an Australia Council initiative designed to give young artists and creative people space on the Web. The site has sections profiling artists (designers, animators, etc.) and detailing call-outs (projects people can submit to)....

Art appreciation online. (editor's choice).
April 1, 2002... Want to see the world's art treasures without leaving home? Great museums and art galleries around the world exhibit their collections online, but the results are not always worth the bandwidth. Take the Louvre (www.louvre.fr), in Paris,...

Mouse pad pads. (gadgets).
April 1, 2002... Now you don't even have to move to find your note-pad -- it's right under your hand. That's right, these nifty mouse mats double as note pads, or vice versa. They come in red, orange and blue, and because you are inclined to write so much, each...

Imation RipGO. (gadgets).
April 1, 2002... Designed to fit in the palm of your hand, this mini CD-R burner is the ultimate in hi-tech streetwear. The Imation RipGO doubles as a digital audio player using mini 8mm discs, and can store up to six hours of digital info. Perfect for the...

RemotePoint RF. (gadgets).
April 1, 2002... The RemotePoint RF is a wireless keyboard/remote control combo. It's perfect for the conference room and allows such niceties as wireless text entry and mouse control -- without you ever having to go near your keyboard. To get connected, all...

Multi function numeric keypad. (gadgets).
April 1, 2002... The Multi Keypad is a convenient solution to the awkward numeric setup of conventional keyboards. Handy for laptop users, the Multi Keypad is light and compact, making it ideal for travelling, and can be positioned to suit right- or left-handed...

Fujitsu MHR series. (gizmos).
April 1, 2002... This new mobile hard disk range offers 10, 20, 30 and 40GB models. Ideal for laptop computers, the devices feature Fujitsu's second-generation head-load and unload facility and silent hard drive technology to improve reliability in harsh...

Pilot Pentopia. (gizmos).
April 1, 2002... If you feel the black plastic stylus pen that came with your PDA is a tad boring, then it is time to get snazzy with a neon-coloured Pentopia from Pilot. The Pentopia features both a stylus tip and a ballpoint pen and is for suitable for Palm,...

XyLoc. (gizmos).
April 1, 2002... Xyloc is a wireless PC security control system which allows you to step away from your work PC and keep your information secure from prying workmates. Using a radio transceiver "lock" that plugs into the computer and a wireless transmitter...

Hitachi Wearable Internet Appliance. (gizmos).
April 1, 2002... Aimed at workers on the move, the WIA-100NB Wearable Internet Appliance will allow workers to access the Internet or intranets and to browse data while keeping their hands free. The head-mount display, which can be placed in front of an eye...

New Legends. (xbox).
April 1, 2002... New Legends is a game at war with itself. On one front, hero Sun Soo and his allies struggle against the endless hordes of the evil warlord Xao Gon in an epic action/adventure; on another, great ideas clash headlong with lame execution in a...