Australian PC World articles from February 2005

Australian PC World archives from February 2005

It's all geek to me: have you had your fill of techno gadgets, or spent too much time tweaking your PC? If you feel you've maxed out on online communication you're not alone. Here are my suggestions to ensure you don't become a slave to technology.(Editorial)
February 1, 2005... It is amazing how quickly technology can consume all parts of your life, whether you want it to or not. And it's all around you too. It may be fun to play "eye spy an iPod" on the bus, or read someone's e-mail over their shoulder, but when is...

Trend Micro gives away mobile antivirus software.
February 1, 2005... Trend Micro is the latest major antivirus software company to provide protection against mobile phone viruses, with new antivirus and antispam software for mobile phones running the Microsoft Windows Mobile and Symbian operating systems. ...

Desktop search avalanche set to hit.
February 1, 2005... Microsoft, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves are all set to jump into the desktop search space, two months after Internet search leader Google offered a test version of a tool that lets users search for information stored on their desktop computers. ...

IBM now just taking care of big business.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2005... Now that IBM has decided to sell its PC division to China-based Lenovo Group, the company must now try to keep its corporate and government customers--who helped make IBM the third largest PC vendor in the world--from moving off of its...

A-peeling TV plans.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2005... Seiko Epson is developing flexible display technologies that it expects will lead to the commercialisation of electronic paper before the end of the decade, and later TVs that can be peeled off walls. The company is developing "e-paper"...

Pop-ups hijack threat.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2005... Security researchers have warned of a vulnerability in most Web browsers which could potentially allow scammers to launch phishing attacks from pop-up windows on trusted Web sites. The vulnerability arises when an Internet user opens...

PC giant pushes TV into Aussie bedrooms.
February 1, 2005... Dell is moving into Australian bedrooms with its introduction of an affordable 48cm LCD TV for under $1500. Dell has been selling TVs in the US for over a year and has now launched its cheapest model in Australia for the first time. Dell's...

Thunderbird 1.0 takes on Outlook Express, Eudora.
February 1, 2005... The Mozilla Foundation has released version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client, which is aimed at advanced e-mail users and competes with products such as Microsoft's Outlook Express and Qualcomm's Eudora. The stand-alone open source...

IM, P-to-P threat team.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2005... A group of Internet security and instant messaging (IM) providers have teamed up to detect and thwart the growing threat of IM and peer-to-peer (P-to-P) viruses and worms. The consortium, led by corporate IM software vendor IMlogic, is...

ACA trials spam buster.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2005... Pacific Internet customers are leading the fight against the growing threat of e-mail spam with new software being trialled by the Australian Communications Authority (ACA). The ACA has been trialling locally developed forensic spam reporting...

Hybrid DVD paves way for HD format.
February 1, 2005... Memory-Tech will start mass production later this year of read-only discs that can contain data stored in both DVD and HD-DVDs (High Definition/High Density-DVDs) layers, the company has announced. The new discs could help film studios and...

Optus trials to take on wireless rivals.
February 1, 2005... Optus has announced plans to trial wireless broadband in Sydney in a bid to take on rivals such as Unwired Australia. Optus said it would start a technology trial for wireless broadband in Sydney in February, six months after Unwired...

Dual-PCIe mobo: ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... IF you want the absolute latest technology you can muster, then look no further than ASUS's new Socket-939-based motherboard--the A8N SLI Deluxe. It has an unprecedented amount of connectivity and should offer great performance for a few years....

Plug and play, PC to TV! TVIX.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... If you've ever spent a weekend wrestling with a recalcitrant media server, you'll be relieved to hear that there's a much simpler alternative. Essentially a hard drive enclosure with video firmware, Dvico's new TViX connects to your PC's...

Best digital SLR in its price range? EOS 20D.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... Canon's EOS 20D is an 8.2Mp D-SLR (digital single lens reflex) which--at $2699 for the body alone (or $2899 with EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens)--is aimed at keen amateurs and professionals. Most obviously, Canon has increased the resolution...

Oz accounting for SMEs: EzyCashBook+.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... EzyCashBook+ is an Australian-made program aimed at taking the pain and time out of bookkeeping and Business Activity Statements (BAS). Following installation you are greeted with the Home Menu containing links to the program's main...

Serious photo imaging: Paint Shop Pro 9.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... Paint Shop Pro 9 is the only serious competitor to Photoshop CS when working with images at the professional level. It presents a user interface and workflow that is clean and efficient, without the gimmicks and wizards that define many...

CD/DVD encyclopedias: Encarta 2005 premium suite CD and Britannica reference suite 2005 DVD.(First Looks)
February 1, 2005... Encyclopedias are exceptional learning tools and are of great educational value for all types of people. The traditional thick, bound-volume print format used to often make finding the right information a tiresome task. Digital versions of...

New tricks for Tungsten, Axim.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... If you're going to shell out around $800 for a handheld that isn't also a phone or a camera, you expect more than a plain-vanilla PDA. Both PalmOne's Tungsten T5 and Doll's Axim X50v deliver that something extra--but they do so in notably...

[O.sub.2] closes PDA-phone gap.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... The gap between Smartphones and phone-enabled PDAs (personal digital assistants)is pretty narrow, and the introduction of the [O.sub.2] Xda II mini closes it even further. Dubbed "the smallest PDA-phone on the market", the Xda II mini is a...

Versatile network hard disk.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... The ASUS WL-WDD is an external hard drive designed to be used over a wired 10/100 Ethernet or 802.11b/g wireless network. Ideal for business or home users, it provides a location all computers can access to dump files (data, music, videos...

CD and DVD authoring software.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... MyDVD Studio Deluxe 6.0 is ideal for those who prefer to spend time sharing videos, photos and music on DVD and CD, rather than wrestling with complex software. It is available in several flavours--the more you pay, the more features you get....

Reuseable digital notepad.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... If you regularly jot down meeting information or fill out forms, and being able to digitally archive them sounds interesting, take note. The ACECAD DigiMemo A501 looks like a clipboard but does much more. Begin by writing on a paper pad...

Easy-does-it database.(Quick Takes)
February 1, 2005... The latest Alpha Five software adds enhanced scripting functions and a set of tools to simplify the writing of Web-based front-ends for your databases. Coding knowledge isn't required--you simply pick your preferences and Alpha Five does the...

Secure with XP SP2.(Readers' Forum)
February 1, 2005... I know it's fashionable to pick on Microsoft, but I have to say Windows XP SP2 is providing a real solution to the problems with living in a society full of hackers, script kiddies and virus writers and it really is stable. I just wish when...

More SP2 challenges.(Readers' Forum)
February 1, 2005... A few weeks ago two things happened (and note: in that order!): 1. I got your SP2 disk, which I carefully installed etc. With that job out of the way, I began to 2. Install my recently acquired Nikon Coolscan V ED film scanner. After...

Missive of the month.(Readers' Forum)
February 1, 2005... Congratulations to Frank Bolt! 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 betters for...

Dilbert[R].(Readers' Forum)
February 1, 2005... WE'VE EXPANDED OUR CUSTOMER DISSERVICE PROGRAM. ... DOUBLED OUR UNHELPFUL TECHNICAL SUPPORT ADVICE. ... STRETCHED OUR TELEPHONE HOLD TIMES TO LETHAL DURATIONS... ... AND CLEANSED OUR ONLINE SUPPORT DATABASE OF ALL USEFUL ARTICLES....

10,118 points!! ASUS SLI motherboard shatters 3DMark05 record: whether it's listening to music, watching DVD and TV or playing games, more and more people are using PCs for entertainment. Especially in gaming applications, the improvement in graphics technology has given PCs more power to deliver realistic images.(ASUS special report: motherboards)
February 1, 2005... NVIDIA[R] SLI[TM] Technology(Scalable Link Interface) is the latest motherboard platform that enables simultaneous operation of two PCI Express graphics card to deliver extreme video performance. The ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard set a new...

Identity theft: phishers and other online thieves are targeting your money and personal data--and they're getting sneakier. Here's how to defend yourself and how to repair the damage if you get scammed.
February 1, 2005... Barbara Head, a stay-at-home mother of three, was checking her e-mail and saw a notice from AOL saying she needed to update her account information. It looked legit, so she followed the link. But she ended up handing her personal and financial...

How to choose a colour Multi-Function Centre[R].(Sponsored Buying Guide)
February 1, 2005... What is a Multi-Function Centre? A Multi-Function Centre (MFC[R]) combines any number of features such as printer, scanner, copier, fax, PC fax, digital camera media card slots, telephone, answering machine and speaker phone into one...

What's new and what's next tech 2005: the products you use are about to get smarter, faster, smaller, cheaper and more colourful. Here's your guide to what's ahead in PCs, software, mobile gadgets, home electronics and more.
February 1, 2005... Upgrading your future PC could become child's play. You'll plug in building-block-like modules that pack anything from twin 64-bit processors to dual graphics boards. You'll gaze at stunning flat-panel monitors that display a wider range of...

New Linuxes, old problems: Matthew Newton keeps a watchful eye on open source and free software, and shows that you don't need commercial apps to get the job done. This month he looks at several new distributions that make communicating with a Windows network more difficult than it should be.
February 1, 2005... I have had a frustrating few weeks with Linux. I've lost count of the number of installations I've done, and I don't want to think about the number of hours I've lost to troubleshooting. I'm used to having a far happier, far more productive...

Upgrade your notebook: the latest notebooks have specs to rival those of desktop PCs. But you don't have to buy new to get top specs: there's plenty you can do with a laptop that's only a year or two old to bring it bang up-to-date. Ben Camm-Jones and Rosemary Haworth consider a range of easy upgrades and useful add-ons.(improve upgrade)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... Portable computers are almost as popular as desktop systems, Features such as wireless networking, Bluetooth and GPRS (general packet radio service) are increasingly common, while graphics chips and built-in sound have improved dramatically....

Products for the paranoid: fingerprint scanners, security keys, encryption software: which tools should you use to keep sensitive data from prying eyes?
February 1, 2005... Last year's tax return. Sensitive personnel information from your boss. Your bank records. Aunty Bev's secret pavlova recipe. There's a good chance that all these things, or things just as private, reside on your hard drive. And if your...

Top devices tested: multi-functional inkjets.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... In the Test Centre this month we focused our attention to one of the most popular imaging product categories on the market--inkjet multifunction devices. Space saving, inexpensive and with more features than ever, multi-function devices are...

GeForce 6600GT hits AGP.(Sweet Spot)
February 1, 2005... When constructing a PC it's worth looking out for hardware pieces that can offer the highest levels of performance without the heftiest of price tags. These components sit in what is called the sweet spot. The rule that we use to determine the...

Over-$3500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... Plus Corporation Altera FX-55 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] A perfect system to meet all types of computing needs, the Altera FX-55 is feature-packed and boasts some great expansion possibilities for future upgrades. A black Coolermaster...

$1500-3500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... APUS Universe Pro 3500A9 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] A Thermaltake Tsunami case houses the components, is constructed wholly of aluminium and features various security features. A large swingable door on the front can be locked with a key at...

Can the Pinnacle Media Center[TM] put the fun back in this relationship?(Special Advertising Section)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2005... The Smiths have a problem. They've got a PC and they use it for all of their work--the bills, the emails, the take home work. But all work and no play make the Smiths and their PC pretty dull. Isn't it about time they had a little fun with...

Sub-$1500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... i-Tech AMD Athlon XP Award series [pc world BEST BUYS*] [1] A full PC package for under $1500 is a reality: fast, reliable systems can be used for business or at home, and the Athlon XP Award series from i-Tech is a good example. ...

PCs: over $3500, $1500-$3500, sub-$1500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... VALUE MAKE/MODEL ADDING SPEED RATING REAL WORLD TESTS OVER $3500 (1) Plus Corporation 108 (A) 369 (F) 2m14s Altera FX-55 (B) 27913 (G)...

Over $4000.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... Toshiba Qosmio G10 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] The Qosmio G10's (pronounced "Kozmio") $5999 price tag might seem a lot, but this audiovisual enthusiast's dream machine goes a long way to justify the outlay. It's intended to be more of a...

$2500-$4000.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... Dell Inspiron 9200 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] NEW This success, to Dell's well-received Inspiron 9100 offering has new white/ silver styling first seen on Dell's compact Inspiron 700m notebook (reviewed page on page 30 of the January issue)....

Sub-$2500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... Pioneer CentriNote 805 [pc world BEST BUYS] [1] NEW This is an interesting and fairly well constructed offering from Pioneer that delivers a bit for its $2499 price tag. A Centrino-branded model, core specifications include Intel's...

Notebooks: over $4000, $2500-$4000, sub-$2500.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... VALUE MAKE/MODEL RATING BENCHMARK SCORES REAL WORLD TESTS OVER $4000 (1) Toshiba 79 (A) 291 (D) 48s Qosmio G10 (B) 12600 (E) 4m32s ...

Inkjet multi-function devices.(Best Buys)
February 1, 2005... The inkjet multi-function device market has grown dramatically over the last 12 months, with at least one manufacturer claiming growth over 80 per cent in this sector, while single-function devices experienced a loss of 15 per cent. This should...

Used, but not seen.(Windows Me)
February 1, 2005... Q I have used the Windows Me Task Scheduler to run batch files at certain times. However, even though I start each file with the "echo off" command, the MS-DOS window appears and stays on-screen until the task is completed. How can I prevent...

Green square.(Windows XP)
February 1, 2005... Q When I open the properties of a folder in Windows XP, the Read-only checkbox has a green square in it. If I click the checkbox, it cycles between checked, clear and the green square again. What does the green square mean? --Doug Ames ...

Time slip.(Windows XP)
February 1, 2005... Q My computer clock loses a couple of minutes a day. use the Windows XP Internet Time service, which synchronises the clock with an Internet time standard once a week. Is there a way to make it run more often? --Cedric Brown A or some...

Thunderbird's a go!(Top Tip)
February 1, 2005... We've previously covered how to avoid spam in Outlook Express by restricting incoming mail to contacts in the address book. But the solution isn't very convenient or practical. Most other mail clients can do this, though, so one solution is...

Listing heavily.(Windows XP)
February 1, 2005... Q When I use Run on the Start menu, everything I type there stays forever. How can I clear the list? --Roy Williams A You can clear the Run list by deleting all the values in Hkey_Current_User\Software\...

Smart move.(Hardware)
February 1, 2005... Q I have a Packard Bell laptop. During the last bootup, which was painfully slow, I received the message: "Smart failure predicted on hard disk O: Fujitsu MHM2200AT--(PM). Warning: immediately back up your data and replace your hard disk drive....

Failing memory.(Hardware)
February 1, 2005... Q I'm trying to add more memory to my computer. When I install it in Slot 2, the computer starts up and then stops responding. The same thing happens if I swap the memory modules around. With only the new module installed, the computer just...

Crash and burn.(Miscellaneous)
February 1, 2005... Q Following a system crash caused by a virus, I tried to reinstall my operating system and applications using a backup made with Nero Burning ROM 5.0. The archive spans 13 CDs, but one of them is corrupted so a restore is impossible. I have...

Error code.(Miscellaneous)
February 1, 2005... Q I have some music files that I want to burn to a CD. I have done this before, but when I try to do it now, Media Player reports that a fault has occurred: error code OxC00D11C9. Can you help? --George Carr A This particular error...

Persistent files.(Miscellaneous)
February 1, 2005... Q I'm using McAfee VirusScan on my desktop (Windows XP) and my laptop (Windows 98). Both computers have the same version of the product installed and both appear to be updating as they should, but on the laptop, McAfee displays a message saying...

Talking screenshots.(Helpscreen Online)
February 1, 2005... It may sound obvious to those of us who already know about this feature, but you don't need to use a dedicated utility to capture the content of your screen. The print screen button, which used to dump the contents of an old DOS screen to a...

There's no escape: Google has become the number one place to go for information on the web, but watch out--it could be about to take over your digital life.(Imaging)
February 1, 2005... Everywhere I've looked in the past few months, I seem to have run into a Google product. It all started innocently enough six weeks ago, when I picked up a Gmail beta account with a hefty gigabyte of storage space. At about the same time,...

Trick shots: there are several tricks you can employ to make your video projects more visually interesting. But some are easier to achieve than others.(Digital Video)
February 1, 2005... I am probably wrong--and I'm sure someone will tell me if I am--but Steven Spielberg's toothy epic Jaws was the first film to use the now astoundingly commonplace shifting perspective effect. You know the one, Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) is...

Control freaks: part 1: in this first of a two-part series, Danny Allen investigates the practical, intriguing and outright odd world of music controllers.(Audio)
February 1, 2005... There's no better way to wrestle back a human or performance-orientated feel in your computer-aided music endeavours than to use a hardware MIDI controller. New MIDI controllers can connect to (and be powered by) your PC via USB, thus...

Coming out of your shell: much more powerful than a windows batch file, shell scripts can be used to run multiple tasks. Here's a brief introduction.(Linux)
February 1, 2005... One of the underlying attractions of the Linux operating system is the power given to users through the shell. This month I'll introduce you to the Linux shell and give some examples of how you can use Linux more efficiently with an...

One careful owner: safeguarding your images on the internet isn't as easy as you think. Perhaps the answer lies in digital watermarking?(Internet)
February 1, 2005... The Internet makes it simple to copy and distribute media, but, as any record company or movie conglomerate will tell you, that isn't always a good thing. The success of file sharing tools such as Kazaa provides clear evidence of the rampant...

Carry on streaming: all network and no "net play" would make anybody fairly dull. So put any extra LAN bandwidth to good use and share some quality time with your colleagues.(Networking)
February 1, 2005... Most networks appear to be inextricably linked with their second syllable, "work". But it doesn't have to be that way. On most small to medium networks, network traffic is usually pretty light. This means that there is oodles of bandwidth lying...

Halo 2.(Xbox)
February 1, 2005... The pre-release hype that surrounded the latest iteration of the Halo series reached never-before-seen levels. Microsoft even took the step of advertising the game launch on one half of the most famous billboard in Sydney (the first company to...

Dual screen duels.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... Nintendo's DS player is now on sale in Japan and in the States. The player's most distinctive feature is its dual 3in LCD screens, one of which is touch-sensitive. A microphone is also embedded and can be used to feed information into games...

Chamois for your chassis?(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... The Vento 3600 from ASUS features an interesting design that looks like some sort of hybrid between a high performance car and a PC chassis. Painted in UV paint for that high gloss finish and available in three different colours (red, green and...

Wearable electronics.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... Fashion label Rosner has created a limited edition MP3 jacket for its 2004-2005 collection, hoping to the attract fashion- and technology-conscious. The jacket has a 128MB MP3 player with Sennheiser headsets built into the collar, controlled...

Portable PlayStation.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... The Portable Sony PlayStation (PSP) promises to pack the power of a PlayStation 2 into a portable handheld device that will be priced at [yen] 19,800 ($US188). That's slightly cheaper than many people had been guessing and about the same price...

Sexy sound, but pricey too.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... Bose's new SoundDock digital music system works with your third- or fourth-generation Apple iPod (or iPod Mini) music player, simultaneously charging it and blaring your tunes to the world. The sleek, shoebox-size device produces solid sound,...

Stabilise that iPod.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... Belkin recently introduced a few peripherals that could be handy additions to cars and homes. Belkin's accessory for the iPod Mini, the $39.95 TuneDok, docks the MP3 player in a car's cup holder, so it can play tunes while riding in the car....

Backpack with power adapter.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... American Power Conversion's (APC's) TravelPower BackPack TPC-19OOPI is more precisely, a computer bag with a power adapter. It has capabilities to power and charge notebooks, cell phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) from almost any...

Pocket entertainment.(Backbytes)
February 1, 2005... Mobile phones have evolved into entertainment devices with some success in recent years. This latest offering from Sony Ericsson offers some nifty features including: a 1.9in 65,000-colour TFT screen and a five-way joystick--a necessity for...

Things you should know.(Bytesback)
February 1, 2005... Gentle PC World reader, here are some facts that will serve you well as you find your way through our silicon-wafer-enhanced world. Bon voyage. * Lockheed, the largest military contractor in the US, writes more computer code than...