Australian PC World articles from December 2003

Australian PC World archives from December 2003

Speed racers! The next generation of 64-bit computing is here, so what's it all about? Are you ready to make the move? Do you need the extra grunt, without the extra costs? This month we deliver extreme performance, no matter what your needs are!(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... It doesn't seem that long ago when megahertz was what mattered when buying a PC or notebook. Since 2000, when PC World tested one of the first 1000MHz computers, processor performance has rapidly increased with each succeeding year. The...

Music sales down, file swapping up.
December 1, 2003... The recording industry lashed out at file swappers again, blaming illegal downloads for the 11 per cent fall in world music sales. Figures released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Institute (IFPI), a group representing...

OpenOffice releases final version of 1.1.
December 1, 2003... The OpenOffice.org group has released the final version 1.1 of its free open-source productivity suite. Version 1.1 offers enhanced compatibility with rival Microsoft's Office and is loaded with new features, such as the ability to export...

Microsoft's patch pickle.(Analysis News)
December 1, 2003... In the wake of recent widespread worm attacks on the Internet, Microsoft's considering taking an unprecedented step: making automatic download and installation of security updates the default option for Windows and perhaps Microsoft Office. But...

Worms gain power.(Analysis News)
December 1, 2003... Worms are spreading more quickly and causing more damage than ever before, with blended threats increasing 20 per cent in the first half of 2003, according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec. By using combinations...

E-mail laws drafted.(Analysis News)
December 1, 2003... After years of debate, industrial disputes and legal wrangling, legislation is finally being introduced to cover e-mail monitoring in the workplace. The state of New South Wales has taken the lead, announcing that the proposed Workplace...

HKU puts library in users' hands.
December 1, 2003... The University of Hong Kong Libraries (HKU Libraries) has launched the first wireless-LAN (WLAN) application for accessing library resources and services through Palm's handheld devices. Named MyLibrary@Hand, the application enables up to...

VIA to ship smallest PC processor.
December 1, 2003... VIA Technologies will begin shipping its smallest PC processor and motherboard before the end of the year, the chip vendor has announced. Small enough to fit on the end of a finger, the Nano-BGA (Ball Grid Array) version of VIA's 1GHz C3...

Heftier DVDs on the way.(Analysis News)
December 1, 2003... There was good news at the recent Ceatec Japan 2003 exhibition for users looking to squeeze extra data onto a recordable DVD disc. Pioneer, Philips and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, the latter better known by its Verbatim brand name, have said...

Bigger hard drives, too.(Analysis News)
December 1, 2003... MMC Technology, a subsidiary of hard drive maker Maxtor, claims to have found an economical way to transition to perpendicular recording--a disk technology that promises to keep hard drive capacity growing steadily. Perpendicular recording...

Stop buying from spammers, Net industry says.
December 1, 2003... "Stop responding to spam" is the message behind a new consumer awareness campaign launched by the Internet Industry Association (IIA). The goal is to raise awareness among consumers that by buying goods from spammers they are adding to the...

Samsung develops smaller 4Gb flash memory chip.
December 1, 2003... Samsung Electronics has developed a prototype flash memory chip that has a capacity equal to the company's current largest commercial flash memory but at a smaller physical size. The new chip can store 4Gb of memory and has a memory gate...

Telstra answers ADSL calls.(Broadband)
December 1, 2003... Potential broadband users currently unable to access ADSL in their neighbourhood can now take on a more active role in getting their local exchange enabled for the service, thanks to Telstra's new online demand register. The new service...

Broadband users top 500,000.(Broadband Briefs)
December 1, 2003... The latest quarterly Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report on broadband has revealed more than half a million Australians are now accessing the Internet over high-speed services. The new Snapshot of Broadband Deployment...

SMEs prefer ADSL consumer plans.(Broadband Briefs)
December 1, 2003... Many Australian small businesses are still opting for consumer broadband products instead of business plans, according to the latest Pacific Internet Broadband Barometer. The second instalment of the quarterly report found metropolitan...

Intel challenges Athlon 64: Pentium 4 with hyper-threading extreme edition.(First Looks)
December 1, 2003... Intel is rolling out a new higher-performance processor dubbed the Pentium 4 With Hyper-Threading Extreme Edition (HT EE) and first tests indicate a close race with AMD's FX-51. Intel's new CPU did outperform PCs running today's fastest P4 chip...

Imaging devices with style: Scan Jet 4670, Photosmart 7960.(First Looks)
December 1, 2003... The 4670 A4 flatbed scanner is unique in that the scanning bed can be removed from its holder and used to scan objects simply by holding it over them. This makes it somewhat portable, although you are obviously limited by the combined USB and...

Palm's power line-up: Tungsten E, Tungsten T3, Zire 21.(First Looks)
December 1, 2003... If you're wavering between a Palm and a Pocket PC for your next PDA, Palm makes the decision even harder with innovative models that address prior products' weaknesses. I tried out the $799 Tungsten T3 and the $399 Tungsten E, as well as the...

Home productivity suites: Works Suite 2004, Wordperfect Family Pack 5.(First Looks)
December 1, 2003... Home productivity suites from Microsoft and Corel have long been favourites with consumers keen on having all the necessary tools at less cost than full-blown office suites. The value in this year's releases of Microsoft Works Suite 2004 and...

Extra-suite virus and spam: Internet Security Suite 6, Norton Internet Security 2004.(First Looks)
December 1, 2003... The biggest movers in the PC protection business, Symantec and McAfee, sell software to protect your computer from various online thugs. Now, both companies have updated their suites so that one installation routine delivers better antivirus...

Broadband on the go.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Personal Broadband Australia (PBBA) is launching a high-speed wireless alternative called iBurst, slated to be available by December. Similar to a mobile phone network, iBurst works by sending a transmitted signal from the various base...

Microsoft's new mouse, keyboard.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... The new Microsoft Wireless (radio frequency) Optical Desktop Elite keyboard desktop bundle consists of a new wireless optical mouse with tilt wheel technology and the Elite keyboard with improved functionality. The new mouse features a new...

Long-awaited Adobe upgrades.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... The Adobe Creative Suite delivers long-awaited upgrades to Adobe's print and Web publishing applications for the PC and Mac. For around $2000, users can have a unified package of applications for photo editing (Photoshop CS replacing Photoshop...

Stylish multimedia phone.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Vodafone claims the GX20's combination of digital camera resolution. at 350 pixels, and its 320x240-pixel screen resolution, surpass those of other models on the market today. In fine quality mode, this shows. The pictures are crisp, and with...

Network through your power point.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Whether they're taking advantage of high bandwidth services such as ADSL or creating a small manageable LAN, PC users are embracing networking technology. The standard procedure for a home network setup usually involves copious amounts of...

Phone also does games.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... The new Nokia N-Gage, a palm-sized 137g wireless gaming unit with mobile phone, is now available and can also play MP3s. The device allows mobile multiplayer gaming over GPRS networks, in addition to Bluetooth connectivity for local N-Gages in...

Secure messages.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... The company behind ZoneAlarm now offers Iisecure Pro, which supports such popular IM clients as AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Trillian--but not ICQ or IRC. (There also is a free basic IMsecure program.) ...

Audio editing with Adobe.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Adobe bought the rights to Syntrillium's software technology (including Cool Edit Pro) in May this year and Adobe Audition is the first fruit of that union. Audition 1.0 is more of a rebranding exercise with very minor tweaks thrown in to make...

Feature-Packed Camcorder.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... Canon has launched the MVX3i, a single-chip MiniDV camcorder with the kind of features you'd expect from a three-chip model. It's the first in the MVX range to use a horizontal form factor, which allows it to accommodate a large and...

Beginners' package.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... With its Movieshop Deluxe package, Mindscape has done its best to simplify matters so that people with little or no experience can cut together footage with relative ease. Starting a fresh project is as simple as choosing the quality level...

Top DVD writer.(Quick Takes)
December 1, 2003... as with most new DVD writers, the DRU-510AK supports both DVD+R/RW and DVDR/RW. The user-friendly DVD-RAM standard has been omitted, but with DVD+RW and DVD-RW both supported, users are unlikely to find media becoming obsolete any time soon....

All-in-one media player.(Linuxworld)
December 1, 2003... For a long time, Linux has lacked an all-in-one media player along the lines of Windows Media Player. All this changed with the launch of MPlayer, an all-purpose media player and encoder supporting most popular audio and video file formats....

More ADSL answers.(Reader's Forum)
December 1, 2003... I think Nadia Cameron's news article, Telstra answers ADSL demand with new customer register, posted to the PC World Web site (http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index. php?id=525865171&fp=512&fpid=130802 3504), should have raised the question of "pair...

'Best ever' Linux distribution.(Reader's Forum)
December 1, 2003... I never fail to find at least one useful program on your enclosed CDs, but the Knoppix Linux CD is the best ever (October issue). It loaded and ran beautifully in about 30 minutes on the collection of new, second-hand and legacy hardware that...

Missive of the month.(Reader's Forum)
December 1, 2003... Congratulations to Robert Griffiths! You are this month's winner of a copy of ZoneAlarm Pro 4 software, from Manaccom. This great software--valued at $100--is a well-regarded firewall for securing your system. We are pleased to receive...

Dilbert[R].
December 1, 2003... I "THOUGHT OF A GREAT IDEA. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MY IDEAS ARE POORLY CONCEIVED?! I CAN'T SEE THE BIG PICTURE? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YOU COULD LET THE PROJECT MANAGERS MANAGE THEIR OWN BUDGETS... WHAT? [ILLUSTRATION...

Party people go online.(Web & You)
December 1, 2003... It's warming up outside and Christmas is on its way--both signs the party season is about to get going. If you're thinking of planning your own shindig, we have some help to make your event shine this year: great sites that take some of the...

25+ easy speed tweaks: installing programs, downloading applications and recording audio files and video clips can soon clog up the hard drive of even the newest PC and prevent it from working at full tilt. Here's how to coax a sluggish PC back to life and improve its performance by tweaking the setup.
December 1, 2003... NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR PRESENT PC RUNS we're certain that, like the rest of us, you'd love to squeeze more speed out of that beige box--whether it's to prevent your beloved system falling into obsolescence, to keep it at the cutting edge of...

Cool gear for a hot Christmas: need inspiration for your Christmas shopping? We have ideas for everyone on your list! (And maybe a few just for you.) This year our gift guide includes products that have scored highly in our reviews throughout 2003--so you know your generosity will be well regarded.
December 1, 2003... UNDER $200 TDK I'MASPEAKER Give this present and the giftee will have music wherever they go! TDK's I'MASPEAKER is a CD soft case with concealed flat-panel speakers capable of a peak of 20W. An attached 15in cord connects to your...

Safe and secure: whether a door has been left open, passwords are known to all or there's insufficient protection from external threats, it's easy for data to go walkabout. PC World explains everything you need to consider to keep your PC and your documents secure.
December 1, 2003... This article is being typed on a notebook computer--what can I tell you, the sun's out. My work will travel wirelessly to the router that's connected to the Internet, which will then transmit it to the publisher. At this stage it will bounce...

64-bit takesoff: AMD's chip supports 64-bit computing, ushering in a new era for desktops. Read on for the details, and take a look at apple's 64-bit G5 and windows XP 64-bit edition. But What about Intel?
December 1, 2003... 64-bit desktop computing has taken a significant step toward becoming a pervasive reality: AMD's release of its Athlon 64 chips (the 3200+ and the FX-51)--and Apple's launch of its G5 CPUs--means 64-bit processors, once reserved for servers and...

The grunt masters: want the fastest, most powerful PC out there? You want a gruntmaster. We put four candidates (plus a mobile option) through the ringer to see if they're good enough to wear this label.
December 1, 2003... Every buyer of a PC wants the most powerful system for their money, but what exactly is a gruntmaster? The term refers to a system that is capable of delivering maximum power in every aspect of computing--be it productivity, multimedia or...

Gaming devices and MP3 players.(Bring It On)
December 1, 2003... We've pinned down the latest budget and high-end gamepads, steering wheels and foot pedals, jet fighter-style joysticks and throttles, plus some truly eye-catching devices suitable for everything from first person shooters, motorbike racing,...

Turning light into electricity.(Tech.Files)
December 1, 2003... Among the digital devices available to consumers today, none has had wider appeal or been easier to relate to than the digital camera. Digital cameras function through the use of CMOS and CCD technologies. CMOS CMOS stands for...

Taking a swap at the market.(Sweet Spot)
December 1, 2003... If you're looking for ways to cut even more off the price of buying PC components, there's a good chance you'll pick up a bargain at a computer fair. Computer fairs (also called 'swap meets' or computer markets) are the PC enthusiasts'...

Over $3500.(PC)
December 1, 2003... Acer Veriton 7600G [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] NEW The Acer Veriton 7600G submitted this month bears the same name as another in the Best Buys but this configuration packs a lot more performance punch. Targeted at garners, home theatre or...

$1500-$3500.(PC)
December 1, 2003... Trinity International AMD Super Power Pack [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] NEW Trinity International is the first of what we expect will be many vendors to submit a system with AMD's flagship processor, the Athlon 64-bit. PC World was eager to...

Sub-$1500.(PC)
December 1, 2003... APUS Universe 2500 Avx [pc world [BEST BUYS*] [1] NEW Another entrant into the Best Buys charts from APUS this month, the Universe 2500 slides into the number one position in the Sub-$1500 chart. Offering plenty of space for future...

PC.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... MAKE/MODEL VALUE SPEED RATING READ WORLD TEST RATING OVER $3500 (1) Acer Veriton 198 325 (a) 5m16s (e) 7600G 17731 (b) 3m29s (f) ...

Over $4000.(Notebooks)
December 1, 2003... Hi-Grade UltiNote M6600 [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] The $4005 (down from $4095 last month) UltiNote M6600's optical drive can write DVD-R discs at 2x and rewrite at 1x, and write and rewrite CDs at 16x and 10x, respectively, in addition to...

$2500-$4000.(Notebooks)
December 1, 2003... Dell Inspiron 8600 [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] With a 15.4in widescreen display capable of 1280x800 and the first 1.7GHz Pentium M processor we've seen, the Inspiron 8600 also features an NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5650 graphics controller....

Sub-$2500.(Notebooks)
December 1, 2003... Mitac MiNote 8080 [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] Although recording a SYSMark 2001 productivity benchmark score of 190, which is lower than its peers, in addition to just 1808 in 3DMark 2001, the MiNote 8080 more than offsets this with a...

Notebooks.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... Notebooks: over $4000, $2500-$4000, sub-$2500 VALUE BENCHMARK REAL WORLD MAKE/MODEL RATING SCORES TESTS OVER $4000 (1) Hi-Grade 105.5 216 (a) 2m7s (c) ...

Gaming devices.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... The game controller market has matured somewhat since PC World last rounded up such devices in December 2001. Microsoft's popular Sidewinder range of gaming devices is no longer; the software giant now focuses much of its hardware energies on...

Belkin Nostromo n45 gamepad.(Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: The Nostromo n45 is a unique-looking and well-built game-pad with two rubber-topped analog sticks that double as buttons, four front triggers, and an eight-way D-pad thumb controller, in addition to game menu Esc and Enter...

Essential reality P5 glove.(Beyond Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... The P5 Glove is a unique virtual 3D input device. The lightweight glove has rings that hook around the top third of your fingers and thumb. The glove then plugs into a USB-connected receptor, which blinks when the glove is outside the...

Belkin Nostromo n52 SpeedPad.(Beyond Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... Touted as a keyboard-gamepad hybrid, the n52 SpeedPad is an ideal left-side companion and keyboard replacement to right-hand mouse use in games such as first person shooters. The sturdily-built USB device has 14 keyboard-style keys, two thumb...

Gameon E-Shock AT-0739 Twin Pack.(Beyond Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: This package features twin PS2 replica controllers that are actually conjoined--they connect using a single USB cable and can move about 1.5m apart from one another. Each has the same look, feel and button placement of a PS2...

Logitech cordless RumblePad.(Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... [pc world RECOMMENDS*] BUILD DESCRIPTION: The cordless (within 8-10m) RumblePad was the largest gamepad we looked at due to the four AA batteries needed to power it. The front of this solid gamepad has four flipper buttons and the main face has...

Thrustmaster firestorm dual analogue 3.(Gamepads)
December 1, 2003... [pc world RECOMMENDS*] BUILD DESCRIPTION: The rubber-textured, robust Firestorm has a simple button layout, and buttons click when pressed. The unique console-style left and right middle finger triggers on the underside of the device are a plus...

CH Products Flight Sim Yoke and Pro Pedals.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... If you take your flight simulations seriously but don't want to pay through the nose to get closer to the action, this combination from CH Products is one of the best options around that delivers true quality in build and performance. The...

Logitech extreme 3D pro joystick.(Joysticks)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: The well-constructed silver-and-black fighter pilot design features a large non-slip, well-balanced base with six programmable buttons and small throttle. The joystick stem is protected by a flexible rubber sheath, is...

Saitek X45 digital joystick and throttle.(Joysticks)
December 1, 2003... [pc world RECOMMENDS*] BUILD DESCRIPTION: In quality and function, the Saitek X45 is the daddy of all the joysticks we tested. Similar to the Afterburner, you get a full-sized, fighter pilot-style joystick and separate throttle. The top face of...

Thrustmaster top gun afterburner.(Joysticks)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: The right-hand-oriented joystick stem features a rubber protection sheath, and the joystick itself can rotate for rudder control and has three programmable buttons, a trigger and an eight-way hat switch. The full-sized,...

Gameon super wheelie FT2004.(Steering Wheels And Foot Pedals)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: We were interested to see how much this device--which is just under half the price of the MOMO Force--would bring to the table. Although not of the same build quality as Logitech's effort, the pure functionality of this...

Thrustmaster FreeStyler Bike.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... If you prefer the action of motorbike games to car racing, take note: Thrustmaster has released its rubber-handled FreeStyler Bike product that has both leaning and turning abilities. You can play while sitting on the small but functional seat,...

Gaming devices.
December 1, 2003... RRP (incl. GST/ GAMING DEVICES Warranty What's in the box GAMEPADS Belkin Nostromo n45 $49.95/lifetime Gamepad, quick-start Gamepad defect guide,...

Logitech MOMO racing force steering wheel.(Steering Wheels And Foot Pedals)
December 1, 2003... BUILD DESCRIPTION: This package, which is well designed, features a full rubber-gripped wheel (with optical sensor) fashioned in the famous MOMO style, side-switchable gear shift (up and down) and sturdy analog racing pedals complete with...

MP3 players.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... Portable devices that play MP3s have well and truly entered the mainstream, and continue to evolve. Various models reviewed here support a range of compressed music formats including WMA, WAV, AIFF, MP3 Pro and AAC, and one supported video and...

Creative NOMAD Jukebox ZEN Xtra.(Jukebox Competition Heats Up For Summer)
December 1, 2003... Three new hard disk players will be vying for your attention this Christmas. The table on page 128 has contact details for each company. Creative's silver and white NOMAD Jukebox ZEN Xtra will have Apple's iPod firmly in its sights with...

iRiver iHP-100.(Jukebox Competition Heats Up For Summer)
December 1, 2003... JNC will be releasing the long-awaited sleek iRiver iHP-100, a10GB player with large blue backlit LCD, optical-in and -out, USB 2.0 connectivity plus integrated FM tuner and voice recording, for $699. Again the focus here is on a larger screen...

Archos AV300 series.(Jukebox Competition Heats Up For Summer)
December 1, 2003... Archos's AV300 series player has a 3.8in colour LCD display, supports MP3s, movies and photo slide shows, and is available in 20GB ($1390), 40GB ($1570) and 80GB ($1870) versions. Combined with the DivX codec and open source Virtual Dub...

Apple iPod 40GB.(Hard Disk Players)
December 1, 2003... [pc world BEST BUYS*] A recent software update added support for new optional voice recording and photo storage accessories to the elegant, third-generation iPod range--10GB ($529), 20GB ($699), and 40GB ($899). Apple has released a Windows...

Archos jukebox multimedia 120.(Hard Disk Players)
December 1, 2003... Like its AV300 series big brother, the JBM120 uses software to prepare AVI, MPEG and DivX video files for playback on a roughly 1.5in (237x234pixel) colour LCD. The device is a little bigger than Apple's and Creative's models, partly because of...

Creative NOMAD jukebox ZEN NX.(Hard Disk Players)
December 1, 2003... This $499 20GB hard disk player's build quality is very rigid, even though the front face is removable in order for the rechargeable Lithium Ion battery to be installed. Menu and navigation buttons are placed on the sides of the player and the...

Acer MagicDrive MF-350.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... [pc world BEST BUYS*] Operating from one AAA battery and having a stated life of eight hours, this handy USB 1.1 thumb drive has 128MB of memory. It supports WMA and MP3, and FM radio (with 10 station presets), and can record both radio and...

Apacer audio steno BP300.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... This $199 USB 1.1 thumb drive supports MP3 and WMA music file playback, has five equalisation modes, 128MB of memory and can store PC data files. It performs voice recording at various qualities for extended length (only using the integrated...

Creative NOMAD MuVo NX.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... The AAA battery module on this stylish little device detaches from the flash memory USB 1.1 thumb drive module that allows files easily to be dragged and dropped in Windows. The stated battery life is up to 11 hours, and up to eight hours can...

JNC digital SSF-11.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... [pc world RECOMMENDS*] The $329 SSF-11 is a compact and very solidly-built player with MP3/WMA playback, voice recorder, FM radio and data transfer capabilities, powered by two AAA batteries and having a stated life of up to 12 hours. Although...

Rome Dual Sports digital audio player.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... Supporting firmware upgrades, the Dual Sports can play back WMA, MP3 and WAV music formats and has an FM radio tuner with 12 station presets. It can directly record nine hours (MP3 at 128Kbps) of FM radio or voice (using the integrated...

Xclef MT-500.(Solid State Players)
December 1, 2003... [pc world BEST BUYS*] Although it doesn't quite have the same build quality as some of its peers, the slightly higher price of the MT-500 is offset by its increased 256MB memory that can be expanded further (up to an extra 256MB) with Secure...

Havin' Exonion slim.(CD MP3 Players)
December 1, 2003... The first-generation Exonion MP3 CD was certainly well ahead of the pack in terms of quality and features, and this latest $265 16.9mm, metallic-red-finished model continues the legacy. The package contains an AC adapter, soft carry case,...

iRiver SlimX iMP-550.(CD MP3 Players)
December 1, 2003... [pc world BEST BUYS*] Just 13.7mm thick, this $359 audio CD/FM radio/ MP3/WMA player's casework is made from magnesium die-cast to help protect against shock and scratches. Boasting a stated 55 hours of playback life, the iMP-550 is bundled...

MP3 players.(Best Buys)
December 1, 2003... RRP (inc MP3 PLAYERS GST)/Warranty What's in the box Apple iPod 40GB $899/1 year Player, dock station, wired remote control, AC adapter, ...