Australian PC World articles from April 2003

Australian PC World archives from April 2003

Taking it for a spin: this year is fast becoming one of technology razzle-dazzle, as vendors showcase a slew of new products and show us what's hot on the horizon. This month we give you more than just a taste of what's to come. (Editorial).
April 1, 2003... If you're a mobile professional--and these days, who isn't?--put on your shades, because the mobile future is brighter than ever. Intel's Developer Forum always provides an insightful look down the road ahead, and this year was no...

Price of freeware rises. (Analysis News).
April 1, 2003... We all know the Internet free ride is over. And one of the holdouts, freeware, also looks like it's headed for the endangered species list. Small software publishers complain that as the online software distribution business matures,...

Scheme launched for tracking music online.
April 1, 2003... In a move to keep tabs on Internet music sales so artists are compensated, a music industry group has launched a new tracking system for digital music files. The system, Global Release Identifier (GRid), is in effect an electronic version...

Purple Plate peddler sentenced.
April 1, 2003... The proprietor of a bizarre Web site selling purple plates on the Internet, which were claimed to have exceptional powers, has been jailed for one month for contempt of court. The sentence follows action for misleading and deceptive conduct by...

Tool to rein in at-work IM use.
April 1, 2003... At-work instant messaging (IM) addicts beware: Web security firm Blue Coat Systems is planning to release an application that can monitor, log and manage employees' consumer IM use. The company's IM Traffic Control product, which is set to...

Wireless hotspot heaven.
April 1, 2003... British Telecommunications is pushing forward with its plans to create a cable-free broadband Britain, announcing yesterday that it has installed 80 public wireless LAN hotspots, as an alternative to 3G (third generation) networks. The...

Corporate spy sprung. (Analysis News).
April 1, 2003... An Australian IT company has been the victim of a worm that was modified to scan hard disks and send sensitive data to a specific IP address. The targeted company, which wishes to remain anonymous, was able to obtain documented evidence of...

Finance privacy fears. (Analysis News).
April 1, 2003... Money-related concerns top the list of complaints made about breaches under the first 12 months of Australia's Privacy Act. Despite investing millions of dollars to make IT systems and procedures compliant with the Federal Privacy Act over...

Chat, game with Nokia's N-Gage device. (Analysis News).
April 1, 2003... Nokia has entered the games market with the launch of its N-Gage device, which is both a games console and mobile phone. Games available on MultiMedia Cards (MMCs) for the console, to be available across all GSM (Global System for Mobile...

Say hello to InfoPath.
April 1, 2003... Microsoft Office's newest family member has a name. The company has announced that the XML document creation application previously code-named XDocs is now called InfoPath. Microsoft will release InfoPath this winter, in the same timeframe...

Office 11 becomes Office 2003.
April 1, 2003... The next version of Microsoft's Office, now known as Office 11, will likely be called Office 2003 from the release of the second beta version, according to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans. The naming of the productivity application...

Google buys blog company. (Analysis News).
April 1, 2003... Search powerhouse Google has snapped up Pyra Labs, the company behind Web log site Blogger, giving it a boost in both Web content and services. The acquisition, which was disclosed in a posting on the Blogger site, will allow Google to...

Searches usurp surfing.
April 1, 2003... When it comes to Internet navigation, Internet users are apparently finished with surfing. According to a new survey, a majority of users now go directly where they want to go by typing in URLs and using bookmarks, rather than hopping from Web...

PC grid for smallpox.
April 1, 2003... A massive grid computing network is being created to use the idle computing cycles in millions of computers around the world to find a cure for smallpox. Like similar grid computing efforts used for cancer research and in the Search for...

iPrimus goes wireless. (Broadband).
April 1, 2003... With ISPs Telstra, OzEmail, Azure Wireless and Pacific Wireless all investing time and money into wireless high-speed services, it seems the broadband industry can't get enough of Wi-Fi. iPrimus Telecom is the latest Australian ISP to jump on...

Telstra calls on BigPond users for help. (Broadband Briefs).
April 1, 2003... According to a recent report posted on online broadband user forum Whirlpool, a market research firm acting on behalf of Telstra has e-mailed select BigPond users to ask them if they would approve charges for premium helpdesk services. The...

Sky's the limit for WLAN. (Broadband Briefs).
April 1, 2003... Extending WLAN to new heights, Lufthansa has begun a three-month trial for a new onboard wireless broadband service that allows travellers to connect to the Internet while in the air. The German airline is working with Connexion by Boeing...

Handy but pricey wireless LCD: Airpanel V110 Smart Display. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Some day, every truly digital home may have a convenient, wireless monitor-type device like this one. Formerly codenamed Mira, Smart Displays consist of an LCD touch screen that you can carry from room to room and use to control a separate...

LCD monitor & TV combined: PanaView TX-LCD17S. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... If you're after an affordable, large LCD screen to drive your PC, or even act as your TV, take a look at Panasonic's new PanaView TX-LCD17S. It is a 17in display with a native resolution of 1280x1024, has a contrast ratio of 450:1 and has...

Watch and record TV: Personal Video Station 3. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Dedicated digital video recorder (DVR) boxes that let you automatically record, watch and pause live TV programs without using VHS tapes are all the rage in the US, though they have yet to arrive in Australia. It is possible, however, to...

Wide screen, killer graphics: Inspiron 8500. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Using a Pentium 4-M processor running at 2.4GHz together with 512MB of DDR SDRAM (from a 2GB limit), our evaluation Dell Inspiron 8500 had a 15.4in wide aspect (16:10) display capable of a maximum resolution of 1920x1200. It blitzed the 3DMark...

Elegant portable audio: SlimX IMP-400. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Stylish design, an abundance of features and good anti-shock capabilities should make the iRiver SlimX IMP-400 one of the most sought-after portable CD/FM radio/MP3 players on the market. It is a solidly built unit with a metal lid whose...

Versatile, compact camera: FinePix M603. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Fujifilm's FinePix M603 is more like a multifunction device than a run of the-mill digital camera. This stylish, ultracompact camera offers users the choice of capturing still images at a resolution of 3.1-megapixels or recording video with...

Print, scan, copy in one: Stylus CX5100. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... For the small or home office environment, a multifunction device makes good sense where space is at a premium, and printing, copying and scanning tasks are undertaken regularly. Fitting the bill is Epson's Stylus CX5100, an inkjet-based MFD...

Protect against data loss: pcShadow. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Installing new hardware or software can sometimes be hazardous to your Pig's health. Suddenly, the operating system begins to crash haphazardly, you've lost all your work, and there is no way to roll back the installed software and restore the...

Web site menus made easy: Xara Menu Maker 1.0. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Menu Maker is a bit of a one-trick pony, but it performs that trick well: creating dynamic menus for a Web site. This program takes a wizard-driven approach to creating graphical menus that incorporate JavaScript and DHTML (dynamic hypertext...

Fight e-mail spam: Eudora for Windows 5.2. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Qualcomm's Eudora for Windows 5.2 concentrates on the ever-rising tide of unsolicited and sometimes malicious e-mail, otherwise known as spam, which accounts for close to a fifth of the 20 billion e-mails sent each day around the world. This...

Feature-rich video editing: MediaStudio Pro 7. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... The emphasis of this release of Ulead's high-end video editing package is improvements to existing technology rather than packing in a host of new tools. This has made the program easier to use than previous releases, but it won't provide a...

Make interactive Web images: ImageZoom Pro 2.0. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... ImageZoom will appeal to Web designers who wish to create interactive images that, as the name suggests, can be zoomed into. At its simplest, you load high-resolution images into ImageZoom and divide them into sections that can be enlarged when...

Manage your digital images: Picasa 1.5, ACDSee 5, Photoshop Album. (First Looks).
April 1, 2003... Digital camera owners often find themselves overwhelmed by hundreds or even thousands of pictures stored on their PCs. I looked at three new software packages that try to make importing, editing and organising images into a digital photo...

External Audigy 2 sound card. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... The new $599 SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX consists of an Audigy 2-based PCI sound card plus a 15-pin MIDI/joystick port an a separate bracket, an external input/output module, a remote control and a software bundle. The Audigy 2's...

Opera 7 Internet browser. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... The Opera 7 browser offers a host of new innovations including a links panel that features all the links on a particular page, and a `fast forward' feature that takes users to the next page they are most likely to visit. The browser also...

Light on weight, not style. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Panasonic's new Toughbook Light range comprises the $3999 CF-R1 (pictured), featuring a 10.4in anti-glare display, and the $41999 CF-T1, which is identical apart from its larger 12.1in display. During its short stay in the PC World Test Centre,...

New Apple desktops. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Apple has added two new iMacs to its desktop range. The $3795 top-of-the-line 17in wide screen model features a 1GHz G4 processor, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, and an updated 4x SuperDrive that creates both CDs and DVDs. The machine uses an NVIDIA...

BitDefender Professional 6.5. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... This antivirus and personal firewall solution comprises six modules: Murphy Shield, BitDefender Live, Quarantine, Scheduler, BitDefender P2P and Shell Extension. After a speedy installation, Medium protection is the default. The...

Acecat 302 graphics tablet. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Can't quite afford the latest tablet PCs or a Wacom-style graphics tablet? The Acecat 302 pen and graphics tablet combo is a cost-effective solution. The device is ideal for users with little or no experience in tablets or computers, as it...

Palm Tungsten T. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Palm has kept a low profile in the last few months while competitors such as Sony have continued to beat it at its own game, with PDAs featuring high-quality, high-resolution screens attractive designs and tonnes of add-ons. But Palm is...

FruitLoops comes of age? (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Expected to be available towards the end of March is FL Studio 4.0. An easy introduction to sampling, receding and sequencing FruityLoops has long boasted one of the easiest and most intuitive interfaces around. Version 4.0 promises new...

Canon CanoScan 5000F. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... After a period of calm with low-priced models, the new breed of USB 2.0 scanner is pushing the asking price back towards the $500 mark The benefits of the enhanced interface are clear--the 12Mbps speed of USB 1.1 is easily eclipsed by the...

Imation FlashGo! 2.0. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... For users of devices that rely on card-based media--especially digital cameras--there is nothing more annoying than first having to connect your device to the PC and then having to load up the appropriate interface software to access the data...

Kyocera Finecam S5. (Quick Takes).
April 1, 2003... Kyocera says that its $1395 Finecam S5 is the world's smallest 5-megapixel camera. The size is indeed wonderful, but the quality of the camera's images leaves much to be desired. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Finecam S5's small,...

Improve server performance. (Linuxworld).
April 1, 2003... Linux has a well-deserved reputation for being a reliable server operating system; however, even that is not always a guarantee of reliability. Software can never be bug-free and hardware can fail. In this month's column, we examine Linux's...

Fan rewiring. (Readers' Forum).
April 1, 2003... I thought the clear case you made in the February 2003 edition of PC World looked excellent (In Depth Custom PC Modification, page 116), but I have just a couple of questions. Where did you rewire the fans to? Did you connect them straight onto...

Brand names only? (Readers' Forum).
April 1, 2003... I am a subscriber to your fine magazine and have just received my March 2003 issue. As usual it is crammed with interesting stuff--thanks! For once, I can answer a question or at least expand on it. In HelpScreen Miscellaneous (p128), a...

SIM security concern. (Readers' Forum).
April 1, 2003... I read with dread about the new Teleadapt SIMbackup product mention in the February 2003 issue in QuickTakes (page 32). This easy-to-use device is designed to copy SIM card information to provide users with a backup. This means that thieves who...

Missive of the month. (Readers' Forum).
April 1, 2003... Congratulations to Ben Rogers! 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...

Dilbert.
April 1, 2003... I DECIDED TO BECOME A BUSINESS MANAGER FOR CELEBRITIES. WHY? BECAUSE BANKS HAVE LOCKS. EVERYTHING YOU OWN HAS BEEN PUT IN MY NAME.. FOR... UM.. TAX PURPOSES. YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD FRIEND. HOW CAN I EVER REPAY YOU? YOU...

Stay connected on the road: just because you're away from home or the office doesn't mean you have to be offline--here are some ways the net can help you stay in touch. (Web & You).
April 1, 2003... A certain friend of ours (we won't divulge his name so he can continue incognito) is a master at taking advantage of anything that comes his way to get online away from the office. Spare powerpoints are shamelessly commandeered in public...

Image makers: you can pay a little or a lot for a photo-capable printer. Before you go shopping for the latest addition to your digital darkroom, read our guide to the technology.
April 1, 2003... In the same manner that digital cameras have revolutionised the way we take pictures, inkjet printers have revolutionised the way we print them. Gone are the days of waiting two weeks for a reprint or an enlargement; now you simply turn on your...

Overhaul your notebook: like desktops, notebooks start off guns ablaze, ready to take on any imaginable computing task, but eventually lose their get up and go. This month, we show you how to reinvigorate a lacklustre notebook with a combination of hardware and software upgrades.
April 1, 2003... When you spent your hard-earned cash on a fantastic new notebook, for a while it felt like it could do anything. You played the most demanding games on it, wrote up reports containing flashy 3D pie charts, sent and received hundreds of e-mails,...

No strings attached: your complete guide to wireless networking!
April 1, 2003... Increasingly, many homes, and most small businesses, have multiple PCs, and it makes sense to connect them on a network to share files, printers, and Internet connections (especially if you have a broadband connection). Setting up a...

Get set for Intel's Centrino: just as this issue hit news-stands, Intel launched one of its most ambitious efforts to date: Centrino, its vision for mobile computing. To get you up to speed, PC World went behind the lines to learn what Centrino is all about. Plus, we checked out some early notebooks sporting the technology--read on for the results.
April 1, 2003... Dissecting Centrino Centrino is Intel's name for its new wireless mobile computing technology--its first brand to include a combination of products. Centrino comprises three elements: Intel P-M (Pentium-Mobile) processor formerly...

Storage solutions: hard drives and DVD writers. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... In this month's Best Buys we look at the latest internal devices on the market for hard disk optical storage. There is no doubt that DVD writers are capturing the interest of many consumers already, despite the confusion about which standard...

Linux minibook--notice. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... It has come to our attention that CD4--disc 1 of the Mandrake 9.0 install set--in the latest PC World Linux Minibook may in some packages have a fault. If you have a problem with your Mandrake CD4 disc, please complete the form at this...

DigitalDoc5.
April 1, 2003... Hardcore overclockers and case modders will always agree that you can never have too much cooling in a PC. More people are starting to push the envelope with their hardware, trying to see if they can take it to the next level without blowing up...

AMD Athlon XP 3000+. (Tech.Files).
April 1, 2003... In the November 2002 issue we first got a glimpse of AMD's fastest CPU, the 2800+, which runs at 2.25GHz and has a 333MHz from side bus speed. Many vendors we spoke to clearly had trouble obtaining this CPU, along with the 2700+, for their...

Latest AGP 8X graphics cards.
April 1, 2003... We tested both these cards on a brand new Athlon XP 3000+ platform. It was built on an ASUS A7N8X motherboard, which features NVIDIA's nForce2 chipset and AGP 8X capabilities. 512MB of DDR400 memory was installed along with a 120GB Western...

Albatron Ti 4800 128DDR.
April 1, 2003... Albatron's most recent offering in the graphics card market features NVIDIA's latest GeForce4 processor, the 4800, which brings 8X AGP capabilities to the top-of-the-line GeForce4 Ti 4600. The naming convention of this chip here in Australia is...

Sparkle Ti 4200-8X platinum.
April 1, 2003... The GeForce4 Ti 4200 chip has always been a prime candidate for overclocking, and the commanding heatsink that wraps around this potent Sparkle card reinforces these capabilities, as do two 4cm cooling fans. Like the GeForce4 Ti 4600- and...

The right stuff. (Sweet Spot).
April 1, 2003... Half the perceived problem with determining the best course of action when selecting computer components on a budget are the issues of cost and obsolescence. The truth is that today's top-of-the-heap accessory will always become tomorrow's...

Over $4000 home. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Plus Corporation Astra H11 [1] Plus Corporation's latest offering in the Over $4000 category is a complete powerhouse. Our review machine came with a top-of-the-line Pentium 4 processor that straddles a Gigabyte GA-SPE667 Ultra 2...

Over $4000 business. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Acer Veriton 7500G [1] NEW This latest system from Acer, the Veriton 7500G, is packed with features and boasts great performance. The $5999 price tag may seem a bit steep for some corporate users, but those who do purchase this system will...

$2001-$4000 home. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... PC Direct Grunt Master [1] PC Direct was one of two vendors to submit a windowed case (the other being Infocom), a feature that lets the user admire what's under the hood without actually having to lift the hood. On the Grunt Master this...

$2001-$4000 business. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Plus Corporation Stealth G14 [1] Housed in a stealth black full tower case that offers plenty of opportunity for expansion, the Stealth G14 is a powerhouse machine for the professional user and is well supported by a three-year onsite...

Sub-$2000 home. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Infocom M-100 [1] NEW An aggressively priced system targeted at the home user, the Infocom M-100 has some great features. The system is based around a Pentium 4 2.4GHz processor running at 533MHz front side bus speed, and a Gigabyte...

Sub-$2000 business. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Altech Computers Viper XP 2200+ [1] As a system targeted at office users, the Viper XP provides good business and graphics performance as well as the ability to create CDs and listen to music via a 2.1 speaker system. Its price point falls...

Over $6000. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Dell Precision M50 [1] Marketed as a mobile workstation, the M50's feature set and $6514 price tag underscore its professional leanings. The M50 is the first notebook we've seen with an NVIDIA Quadro4 500 GoGL graphics controller. Tested...

$3001-$6000. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... Toshiba Satellite 5200 [1] NEW Targeted at the home office user, this desktop replacement is described as a `digital convergence' notebook--able to meet a variety of productivity and multimedia needs primarily on the desk, but also on the...

Sub-$3000.
April 1, 2003... Hi-Grade Notino R5400. [1] NEW That this notebook achieved a number one rank was certainly aided by Hi-Grade's after-sales support and warranty benefits. For reasons like that it managed to just nose its way in front of the same machine...

DVD writers. (Best Buys).
April 1, 2003... This month we have rounded up the latest DVD writers to hit the market, along with some very large hard disk drives, to bring you the ultimate in internal computer storage devices. Seven devices were reviewed in each category. Best Buys for DVD...

LaCie DVD-RW internal drive. (DVD Dash Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: This drive's plain fascia lacks a brand identifier but it was recognised as a Pioneer A05 drive by both Windows XP and the motherboard BIOS. The identification sticker atop this unit confirms it as being a drive made by Pioneer. It...

LG DVD GMA-4020B. (DVD Dash Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: This multi drive couples DVD-R/-RW capabilities with DVD-RAM. Business users will appreciate the robustness of the DVD-RAM format, which can be rerecorded up to 100,000 times, compared to 1000 times for a DVD-RW or DVD+RW...

Panasonic LFD521E. (DVD Dash Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: As the second of the multi drives in our review, the Panasonic LFD521E is very competitively priced and is perfect for users who need to create video discs or back up data. In particular, the DVD-RAM format is one that many...

Pioneer A05. (DVD Dash Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: This drive shares the fastest writing and rewriting speeds for DVD-R/-RW (4x and 2x) with the LaCie drive, and is a well performing and well bundled kit for the video enthusiast or the user who wants a reliable and fast optical...

Sony DRU-500A. (Dual Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: Sony's DRU-500A is a great-looking unit able to write on both plus and dash media, offering peace of mind and convenience for the consumer who wants to be able to burn DVDs without delving too deeply into the standards war. It...

AOpen DVD+RW/+R. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: AOpen's contribution to the DVD writer market is a good one, as this drive comes well packaged with one each type of media that the drive supports as well as video editing software to get you creating DVD videos straight away. The...

Diamond Data DVD+RW-A1. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: This plain-looking drive from Diamond Data is a good choice for the person looking for a reliable and well performing DVD burner for data storage or video authoring. It is adequately bundled to get you up and running straight away,...

Hard drives. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... If you're in the market for a new hard drive, you may want to consider some of the larger capacities ones that are available at the moment, ranging from 60GB up to 200GB. Capacities such as these are perfect for users who work heavily with...

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 80GB SATA/150, 200GB ATA/133, 200GB SATA/150. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: Maxtor submitted three hard drives for this review, two with Serial ATA connectivity--the 80GB and one of the 200GB drives--and the other 200GB drive with a Parallel ATA133 interface. The large 200GB hard drives have similar...

Seagate Barracuda ATA V 120GB, SATA V 120GB. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: The Barracuda drives submitted for this review have the same capacity and specifications, apart from their interface, so a good indication of the performance differences between Parallel and Serial ATA can be given. Both drives...

Western Digital Caviar WD1200 Special Edition, WD2000 Special Edition. (DVD Plus Standard).
April 1, 2003... DESCRIPTION: Western Digital does not yet have Serial ATA drives on the market, so these two both feature an ATA100 interface. The 120GB and 200GB drives are exactly the same in terms of specifications, featuring an 8MB cache and a spin speed...

Expanding your PC's potential: nifty PC add-ons. (Here's How).
April 1, 2003... People who didn't take holidays over Christmas may be looking to go overseas soon to cure those working blues. As we all know, holidays don't always go as planned. Deanne McIntosh's In Depth article on PDAs shows you how to prepare for those...

PDAs: the perfect travelling companion. (In Depth).
April 1, 2003... Everyone knows personal digital assistants (PDAs) are great tools in the business environment, but they can be just as helpful during your leisure hours. I took my Palm PDA on a month-long trip to Europe and found it a useful addition to my...

Add high-speed ports for turbocharged peripherals. (Upgrader).
April 1, 2003... The latest high-performance peripherals--including scanners, external drives, and DV camcorders--are shipping with new interfaces. USB 2.0 and FireWire offer higher speeds than older USB 1.1 ports, and they're hot-pluggable. Only the newest PCs...