Australian PC World articles from August 2002

Australian PC World archives from August 2002

Hot to trot: this month the mobile market hots up. With Pentium 4 notebooks breaking the 2GHz barrier and the touting of Tablet PCs as the Next Big Thing, the options are endless for anyone with get up and go. And we give you a sneak peek at the latest technology--first! (Editorial).
August 1, 2002... Ever since the launch of the convertible PC from IBM over 15 years ago, the computing fraternity has been constantly looking for ways to develop a true desktop computing replacement for those on the go. While most of the true believers, also...

Mobile PCs in tablets. (Analysis News).
August 1, 2002... It's official: Tablet PCs are coming. Keeping to their word of delivering products to market by the year's end, a raft of vendors has begun divulging details about the next generation of computing hardware. Toshiba, one of many...

Hyundai enters PC market.
August 1, 2002... Korean giant Hyundai is teaming up with PC consumables and office products distributor Daisytek to launch a range of PCs in Australia during August. Aron Jackson, CEO of Hyundai MultiCAV Australia, said the company will sell everything...

Sony cuts PS2 price.
August 1, 2002... The games console wars continues to heat up. Like Nintende and Microsoft before it, Sony has dropped the price of its PlayStation 2 console by $100 to $399.95. The move is a reaction to drastic price drops from competing consoles....

Java comes to WinXP. (Analysis News).
August 1, 2002... Reversing last year's hard-line stance, Microsoft says the upcoming update to its Windows XP desktop operating system will include the software code necessary to run Java applications--but not for long. The first Service Pack for Windows XP...

United Linux vs. Red Hat. (Analysis News).
August 1, 2002... In what might signal an end to the wide-open days of open source Linux, a band of four second-tier Linux vendors has vowed to meld their products into one operating system they say will draw customers away from market front-runner Red Hat. ...

Student extracts secret keys from Xbox.
August 1, 2002... A computer science graduate student claims to have cracked the security system in Microsoft's Xbox game console, potentially allowing users to run software of their choice on the device. Using a custom circuit board, made in three weeks for...

A-P software piracy up for second year running: BSA.
August 1, 2002... Losses due to the purchase of unlicensed software in Asia-Pacific in 2001 grew by 15.7 per cent in dollar terms to reach $US4.73 billion, according to a study released by anti-piracy organisation Business Software Alliance. The rate of...

Audiogalaxy napstered. (Analysis News).
August 1, 2002... The free ride music enthusiasts have enjoyed thanks to peer-to-peer audio sites appears to be coming quickly to an end. Audiogalaxy (AG), the company behind the Audiogalaxy.com peer-to-peer music file sharing service, is now to pay music...

NVIDIA launches Cg. (Analysis News).
August 1, 2002... Not content with dominating the graphics chipset market, NVIDIA has now branched into the software industry, releasing its own graphics programming language, Cg. The C stands for the C programming language, to which it is similar, while the g...

Software sales double.
August 1, 2002... Retailers had a bumper May with software sales more than double that of the same month last year. The latest figures released by research company Inform suggest that over 56,000 units were sold over the month, a 172 per cent increase on May...

Mass Bluetooth use is years away.
August 1, 2002... Mass use of Bluetooth for short-range wireless communication is years away. The technology's backers hyped Bluetooth, but now predict that it will be eight years before Bluetooth is as commonly used as a mobile phone is today. "We did...

OzEmail launches ADSL. (Broadband).
August 1, 2002... While competition between Telstra and OzEmail in the dial-up space has been fierce, Telstra's early grasp on the broadband market with BigPond ADSL two years age has kept the competition between the two companies one-sided. All this could...

Telstra guarantees DSL service, or your money back. (Broadband Briefs).
August 1, 2002... In a bid to overcome the lingering stigma surrounding its ADSL network, Telstra has renounced it will provide ADSL customers with service level guarantees and offer rebates if network availability falls below 99 per cent per month. The new...

Watch the bus. (Tech.Files [right arrow] Upgrade Path).
August 1, 2002... When the Pentium 4 was first released, it was in a socket form factor that was physically large and contained 423 pins, based on Intel's 0.18-micron manufacturing process. A short time later, Intel moved to the smaller 0.13-micron manufacturing...

Motorola readies MRAM. (Tech.News).
August 1, 2002... Motorola is on track to ship sample MRAM (Magnetic RAM) chips next year, with commercial production of the next-generation non-volatile memory chips slated to begin in 2004. MRAM stores data by applying magnetic fields that cause certain...

Hitachi buys IBM's hard drive business for $US2 billion. (Tech.News).
August 1, 2002... IBM and Hitachi have reached a final agreement to combine their hard disk drive (HDD) units into a new company majority-owned by Hitachi. Hitachi plans to purchase the majority of IBM's HDD-related assets for $US2.05 billion, including...

New pets on the block. (Alt.Net [right arrow] Robotic Pets).
August 1, 2002... Despite the hype of science fiction films and novels, robots are yet to make our beds or fight our wars. With computer power finally getting to an advanced level, however, the idea of robots in our daily lives is slowly becoming a reality. ...

ABS: internet users at home in Hornsby. (Online News).
August 1, 2002... Almost half of Australia's total households are using personal computers and over one third are accessing the Internet, according to the results of the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) national census. The ABS Census,...

Mozilla 1.0 finally unleashed. (Online News).
August 1, 2002... Open source development group Mozilla.org finally unleashed its long-awaited Mozilla 1.0 browser suite, after four years of toil and testing. It boasts a Web browser, an e-mail reader and a chat client, as well as a cross-platform toolkit for...

Government department busted for spam. (Online News).
August 1, 2002... The Department of Family and Community Services has got itself into a spot of bother with the Federal Privacy Commissioner over a spamming incident on its youth site, "The Source". "We are aware of allegations that a federal government Web...

Effort launched to educate developers. (Online News).
August 1, 2002... Having declared a victory in the battle to make Web browsers more inclusive, the Web Standards Project (WaSP) has relaunched itself with the new goal of educating Web developers about the benefits of building sites that incorporate standards,...

Dell latitude C840: 2GHZ P4-M notebook. (Fist Looks).
August 1, 2002... Last month, PC World hinted in the Best Buys that a notebook featuring Intel's 0.13-micron 2GHz Pentium 4 Mobile (P4-M) processor was just around the corner. Well, the wait is over! This month, we have exclusively reviewed Dell's new Latitude...

ASUS P4B533-E and Gigabyte GA-8IEXP: Pentium 4 motherboards. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Two competing Pentium 4 based motherboards go head to head this month in the Test Centre. ASUS This latest Pentium 4 motherboard supports all socket 478-based processors, including the latest and fastest 533MHz front side bus-equipped...

TrendMicro PC-cillin 2002: antivirus software. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Virus protection has always been important but it's even more vital now that more of us have permanent connections to the Internet. After all, nobody wants to be caught out by a devious macro virus that spews out infected mail to all your...

CrossOver office: windows-to-Linux software. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Are you itching to try Linux but unwilling to leave Microsoft Office behind? Check out CrossOver Office from CodeWeavers. This software allows users of the Linux operating system to run the 97 and 2000 (but not Office XP) editions of Word,...

Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX and ColdFusion MX: web design software. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Until the recent release of Flash MX, things had been rather quiet from the Macromedia stable. Now all three releases of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and ColdFusion boast the new MX tag, which brings design, server and client technologies all under...

Creative digital MP3 player 2: portable MP3 player. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... While most people prefer the capacity and versatility afforded by CD-based portable MP3 players, there is no doubt that solid state players are still the best choice for anyone who wants a small, convenient and guaranteed shock-resistant...

mStation car jukebox: car MP3 player. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... You can get 10 CDs' worth of music in MP3 format onto one CD and many car stereo manufacturers have started producing stereos that will recognise and play MP3s. At the moment, most people with car CD sound systems either have a CD stacker or...

Toshiba Pocket PC e310 and e740, and Sony Clie PEG-NR70VG: personal digital assi stants. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Fusing good looks and functionality, three new PDAs are set to give Palm a run for its money. Toshiba Pocket PC e310 and e740 When it comes to choosing a PDA you might want the functionality offered by a Pocket PC-based device but be...

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1, beta 1: Operating System Service Pack. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Microsoft recently released the first beta of Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, to some 10,000 beta testers. The software is available in three versions. A stand-alone single executable, weighing a hefty 120MB, contains all the files in the...

Microsoft works suite 2002: home software bundle. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... In the shape of Works, Microsoft has a long pedigree of marketing popular family-friendly products at a budget price--a fact not lost on computer manufacturers, who just love preinstalling it on new systems instead of the pricier Office. We're...

Teac CD-W540EK and LG GCE-8400B: CD-RW drives. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... Teac and LG have raised the bar yet again with a pair of revolutionary CD-RW drives that effortlessly outclass the previous 32x models. Offering CD-R rates of up to 40x, these two drives are pushing existing technology to its extremes. ...

Teac CD-W540EK. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... pc world RECOMMENDS * Teac drives invariably deliver blistering performance, even if its prices aren't always the most alluring. The CD-W540EK displays plenty of flair, and contains a swag of advanced features designed to deliver a...

LG GCE-8400B. (First Looks).
August 1, 2002... pc world RECOMMENDS * The Teac may be replete with features, but for solid, affordable 40x access, the LG GCE 8400B comes into its own. Although it lacks Mount Rainier support, FineFocus and the 8MB data buffer, the LG nevertheless has a...

TransGaming WineX. (Linux World).
August 1, 2002... The main reason any Linux user decides to keep a copy of Windows on their computer is summed up in one word--games. At the moment, the number of major games that will run under Linux can almost be counted on two hands. WineX from TransGaming...

Open source requests. (Readers' Forum).
August 1, 2002... I am very strongly in favour of an open source column for your magazine as posited by a reader in the Letters page of the July 2002 issue. Furthermore, with so many open source projects currently reaching the watershed of a 1.0 release, it...

More free stuff. (Readers' Forum).
August 1, 2002... Anyone who's interested in Free Stuff online should check out www.pricelessware.org. It lists freeware as voted for by readers of the Freeware newsgroup. Not a bad newsgroup, by the way, for finding almost anything your little heart...

Broadband take-up. (Readers' Forum).
August 1, 2002... Recently, I applied to Telstra Big Pond for ADSL. After a week, they contacted me via e-mail to say that my service was not able to have ADSL, despite earlier preliminary investigations suggesting that it could be available. They said that...

Dilbert[R].
August 1, 2002... DOGBERT THE CONSULTANT THIS IS MY FINAL REPORT. I'M RECOMMENDING BIG, BIG CHANGES... BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE TOO COWARDLY TO IMPLEMENT THEM. SO... IT WILL BE OUR FAULT IF NOTHING IMPROVES. EXACTLY. AAAGH!! WE CAN'T DO...

Missive of the month.
August 1, 2002... Congratulations to David LeSage! 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...

Winners.
August 1, 2002... The winner of the 17in ViewSonic monitor, Readers' Survey competition in the May 2002 edition of Australian PC World is D. Burgess, VIC. The winner of the IBM ThinkPad A31, subscription competition in the April and May 2002 editions of...

I'll be with you in an instant: instant messaging leaves e-mail in the dust because it lets you chat and exchange files and links in real time. So, what are waiting for? Leave that laden e-mail box behind and get in on IM. (Web & You).
August 1, 2002... IM is the little app that we can't do without. Teenagers think it's a way to chat after school without parents listening in; office workers use it to avoid voicemail hell; and millions of other people use it to simply catch up, gossip, or check...

How to troubleshoot your PC; want to solve the weirdest PC mysteries? Here are our top-secret methods for ridding your hardware and software of alien phenomena.
August 1, 2002... Do you ever wonder if your PC was manufactured in Roswell? If it had been, that would explain a lot--such as all those close encounters with paranormal crashes, extraterrestrial error messages, and strange hardware phenomena. They're enough to...

How to buy the best stuff: we share timely tips for choosing the right computers and peripherals right now.
August 1, 2002... It's part of working at PC World: whenever relatives, friends, or friends-of-friends are in the market for PC hardware, they call us for advice. We can't provide a one-on-one consultation for each of our almost 60,000 readers, but this article...

The perfect PC. (How to buy the best stuff).
August 1, 2002... BY ALAN STAFFORD PCs are getting to be like cars. At some point, everyone must trade in an old clunker for a zippy new model. Like car salespeople, some PC vendors will say anything to close a deal: "you shouldn't buy anything smaller than...

A superior screen. (How to buy the best stuff).
August 1, 2002... BY KALPANA NARAYANAMURTHI Should you get an oh-so-sleek LCD or a regular old CRT monitor? You can find a 15in LCD for as little as $900--about the same as a 19in CRT of comparable quality. So which is the better buy? The answer depends...

The graphics game. (How to buy the best stuff).
August 1, 2002... BY ALEXANDRA KRASNE Every six months or so, graphics chip vendors release new products that promise higher frame rates, better image quality, and all sorts of new special effects. Not everyone needs the latest hotshot features, and even...

Notebook buying: pick the right portable.
August 1, 2002... It's tough choosing a notebook PC these days because you have so many options. Short on cash? Even sub-$3000 machines have 12.1in screens, 20GB hard drives, and built-in floppy and CD-ROM drives. Spend twice that amount, and you'll find a...

The superb CD-RW. (How to buy the best stuff).
August 1, 2002... BY MELISSA J. PERENSON A new CD-RW drive will definitely boost performance--but perhaps not as much as the specs indicate, And upgrades may involve hidden costs. You can add a cutting-edge CD-RW drive to your older PC Plextor, for...

Should you buy or upgrade? (Features Comparison).
August 1, 2002... SHOULD YOU BUY OR UPGRADE? CHECK EACH ITEM YOU WANT RULE-OF-THUMB UPGRADE TO REPLACE REQUIREMENTS FUNCTIONALITY ENHANCEMENT * Monitor Any PC built in the past five years ...

How to evade data disaster: smart strategies for backing up your most vital files--and for recovering them if you didn't.
August 1, 2002... You've heard all the reasons you should back up your data files regularly: one errant click could wipe out a critical document; a virus could munch whole folders; and mechanical problems could destroy your hard drive. So why do so few...

How to improve your images: here are some tricks that turn digital snapshots into prints you'll treasure.
August 1, 2002... You captured some priceless moments at your friend's surprise party with your digital camera. You sifted through the images on your hard drive and found the gems you wanted to print. But, somehow, the photo prints from your inkier printer...

How to take back your privacy: keep spammers and online snoops at bay with these tips culled from the advice of privacy pros.
August 1, 2002... Do you feel helpless when it comes to protecting your privacy online? You're not alone. As we register for more and more sites and services on the Web, there is a very real danger of handing out too much personal information. ESSENTIAL...

Networking answers: new technologies. (The no-hassle networking guide).
August 1, 2002... Ready to connect your PCs quickly and securely, with no additional wires? The time is right--and we've got answers to all your questions. Not yet ready to take to the air? Our setup and security tips are applicable to both new-style wireless...

Glossary.
August 1, 2002... Unless you work in an IT department, you'll rarely come across most networking terminology. Enrich your networking lexicon with these terms, and you'll have most of the information you need to lay out a network. ACCESS POINT: a wireless...

Networking answers: setup tips. (The no-hassle networking guide).
August 1, 2002... Q: What equipment do I need? A: First, you'll need an adapter for each device on the network. In some cases your PC may have a built-in adapter--for example, an Ethernet port or 802.11b adapter (found in a growing number of notebooks). If...

Networking answers: security tips. (The no-hassle networking guide).
August 1, 2002... Q: What kind of security precautions should I take during setup? A: In general, you should start by changing any default passwords or network IDs and you should change these every 30 days. For a wireless network, use the built-in encryption...

Electronic entertainment: a stellar showcase of gaming delights Expo: every year gamers eagerly await news from E3--the leading video game tradeshow. Well, here it is! All the news and top picks from one of the best E3 shows in years. Plus, get ready for online gaming: if E3 is anything to go by, it's going to go huge in 2002.
August 1, 2002... If you are into video games, then downtown Los Angeles is the epicentre of your world once a year. E3 is the biggest video game trade expo on the planet, showcasing all of the best video games in development for the 70,000 attendees who flock...

Laser-sharp: printers perfect for SOHOs. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Laser printers This month we looked at 10 laser printers suited for personal and small office/home office (SOHO) use. The 10 printers came from 10 different vendors and represent a snapshot of the sub-$1000 laser printer market. This...

Over $4000 home. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Altech Computers Redstorm 2.2GHz pc world BEST BUYS * [1] The machine's grunt comes from a Pentium 4 2.2GHz CPU, which sits in an ASUS P4S333 motherboard featuring an SiS 645a chipset. Previously named Home P4 2.2GHz, it is based on...

Over $4000 business. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Altech Computers Red Cyclone 2.2GHz pc world BEST BUYS * [1] This machine (previously called Business P4 2.2GHz) is perfect for graphics endeavours and any demanding Internet content creation tasks, and ships with a big 19in monitor...

$2001-$4000 home. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Altech Computers Blue Wind 2GHz. pc world BEST BUYS * [1] Altech has created a system (previously known as the Home P4 2GHz) for the enthusiast and gamer based on a huge full-tower ATX case. Its size is such that, ideally, you will...

$2001-$4000 business. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Acer Veriton 7200D pc world BEST BUYS * [1] Boasting an extremely rich configuration, the Veriton 7200D topped our productivity benchmarks and managed to produce hefty results in all our 3D tests. Running under Windows XP Professional...

Sub-$2000 home. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Altech Computers Hyperdrive 1700 pc world BEST BUYS * [1] This solidly-built unit from Altech is suitable for the business environment as well as the home thanks to the inclusion of a network adapter and its solid performance results....

Sub-$200 business. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... AcerPower Sd pc world BEST BUYS * [1] Built in a small micro-tower enclosure, this 2GHz Pentium 4 system performed on par with other 2GHz Pentium 4 systems we have seen (refer to the table) and should be adequate for users who are...

Over $6000. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... IBM ThinkPad T30 pc world BEST BUYS * [1] NEW The first of IBM's T-series to feature the Intel Pentium 4-Mobile processor, our review T30 (model number 2366-42M) featured a 1.8GHz P4-M processor, 256MB of DDR (double data rate) RAM...

$3001-$6000. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Dell Inspiron 8200 pc world BEST BUYS * [1] Our test 8200 shipped with 256MB of DDR RAM from a maximum 1024MB. Graphics are delivered courtesy of an NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go graphics controller with 64MB of DDR memory, which returned an...

Sub-$3000. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Digital Star PowerNote 240MDT pc world BEST BUYS * [1] Featuring an Intel Pentium III 1GHz processor, 256MB of RAM, a 20GB hard disk, a 14.1in display and an SiS 630 graphics chipset (which can share a maximum of 64MB with main...

Personal & Soho Laser Printers. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... A considerable amount of time has passed since our last personal laser printer review, which was in March 2001. This affords us an excellent opportunity to gauge which changes have occurred and to determine if you are getting more for your...

Brother HL-1440. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: This is one of four 14ppm printers in the review. It weighs a hefty 9.2kg yet has a footprint similar to the majority of the field. A single control button and four status lights adorn the left side front of the HL-1440, and a...

Canon LBP-810. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The LBP-810 is the successor to the LBP-800 reviewed in March last year. Little has changed since the previous model, with the exception of the addition of a USB port to the existing parallel port. Dimensions, weight and power...

Epson EPL-6100. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: This 8.4kg offering from Epson has impressive specifications. It is one of only two 16ppm printers in the review, uses a 200MHz 64-bit RISC processor and provides a true 1200dpi on request. Status lights indicate error, ready,...

Fuji-Xerox Phaser P3110. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The P3110 weighs a low 6.5kg and boasts one of the smallest footprints in the review. Three control buttons and three status lights are at the base of the output tray located at the front of the printer. The P3110 is configured...

Kyocera Mita ECOSYS FS-1010. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... pc world BEST BUYS * DESCRIPTION: The FS-1010 maintains the tradition of the ECOSYS range of being the most environmentally friendly printers on the market. It also keeps with the tradition of fast printing at a low cost. Its 9.5kg weight...

Lexmark E322. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The E322 is the basis of the E322N, weighs 9kg and sports a 16ppm print engine combining with a 133MHz Toshiba 3297 RISC processor and 8MB of memory expandable to 72MB. The E322 is definitely a business printer that offers a host...

Minolta-QMS PagePro 1250E. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The PagePro 1250E is Minolta's latest offering. It bears more than a passing similarity to the Epson EPL-6100, sharing the same print engine speed of 16ppm and the same 1200dpi resolution. Power usage is also identical. It uses a...

OKI okipage 8Z. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: This 8ppm laser printer weighs only 4.2kg and has a very small footprint. A minimalist approach is used, there being no controls or status windows and only a single green lamp on the front fascia next to the manual paper feed. ...

Panasonic KX-P7100. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The KX-P7100 distinguishes itself from the rest of the field by providing a 14ppm print engine for under $600. Its weight of 10kg and substantial footprint means the Panasonic will require a little more desk space than most of the...

Samsung ML1450. (Personal & Soho Laser Printers).
August 1, 2002... DESCRIPTION: The ML1450 provides a 14ppm print engine, 600dpi resolution and 4MB of memory upgradeable to 68MB. It's a substantial printer, weighing 12.4kg, yet does not require much more desk space than the other printers. Physical...

Printer drivers. (Best Buys).
August 1, 2002... Even though it is sometimes overlooked during the purchasing decision, the driver is one of the most important aspects of your printing solution. The CD disc that ships with your printer will often contain a variety of drivers covering a number...

Best buys: personal & soho laser printers.
August 1, 2002... BROTHER HL-1440 Date Released August 2001 Price (Including GST) $679 Warranty 12 months RTB Vendor Brother International ...

Peak performance PCs. (Preventative Maintenance).
August 1, 2002... With August being the last month of winter, in this issue of PC World we've taken a special look at giving your PC a bit of a spring clean to help keep it in peak working condition. Elias Plastiras, PC World's technical editor, took some...

Reclaim hard-drive space. (Upgrader).
August 1, 2002... Today's hard drives feature jaw-dropping amounts of space. But no matter how big your drive, you'll be amazed at how quickly application installs, browser caches, and temporary files can eat up your free space and clutter your system. Some...