Australian PC World articles from July 2005

Australian PC World archives from July 2005

Fighting fit!(new products in the market)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... It's official, the gloves are off and the battle lines are drawn. Big-name technology rivals Intel and AMD, as well as Microsoft and Sony (in the console ring), are set for their fiercest confrontation yet. These vendors are pulling out all the...

Dream streams.(READERS' FORUM)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I was interested to read your article on Streaming Audio options. Rosemary Haworth and Danny Allen claim the only streaming radio available in Australia is a Bondi FM station; I beg to differ. Here in Perth, RTRFM 92.1 (non-commercial) provides...

Linux lessons.(READERS' FORUM)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Congratulations on your interesting Linux column. I'm not a newbie, have cut my teeth on Unix system 3 and later on the Sun 3 graphical workstation, and appreciate your in-depth Linux information. I'd like to point out that your article on...

Dilbert[R].(READERS' FORUM)
July 1, 2005... CAREER COUNSELING I LOVE TO HEAR MYSELF TALK. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I RECOMMEND A CAREER IN MANAGEMENT. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BUT I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE ROLL THEIR EYES AND GO "PHHHT." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Hackers tipped to target VoIP.(voice over internet protocol)
July 1, 2005... Internet telephone service's appeal as a cutting-edge technology for reducing phone costs is convincing more and more people to ditch their landlines and go hi-tech with Voice over Internet Protocol--but there could be a catch. VoIP...

Notebook drives top 100GB.(new product from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Fujitsu Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and Fujitsu have both begun shipping new notebook hard-disk drives that offer more storage capacity and better performance over previous models, they said recently. Both drives, Hitachi's Travelstar 7K100...

Australian ISPs targeted in spyware fight.(internet service providers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A Private Member's Bill has been introduced to the Australian Parliament to combat spyware, with a prison term proposed for Internet service providers who distribute malicious code. Australian Democrats Senator Brian Greig said the key issue...

ATI rejuvenates AGP line-up.(GeCube, accelerated graphics port)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... For those of you who want to update an AGP platform, GeCube has just released its first AGP 8X-based ATI Radeon X700Pro graphics card. This card has a processor clock speed of 425MHz, a memory clock speed of 864MHz and eight pixel pipelines,...

The Birth of an industrial design giant: ASUS W1 series wins iF gold award for design excellence.(Industrie Forum)
July 1, 2005... Industrie Forum (iF), internationally renowned as one of the world's leading design institutions, hands out the prestigious iF Design Awards every year to products that achieved the highest standard in industrial design. The top honor of the...

Bluetooth looks to UWB for speed.(ultrawideband)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The body that oversees the Bluetooth personal-area wireless specification wants to take advantage of emerging UWB (ultrawideband) technology to create fast networks that are backward-compatible with current Bluetooth products. Bluetooth,...

New ratings for longer-lasting photos.(Wilhelm Imaging Research)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Wilhelm Imaging Research, a developer of respected tests for projecting inkjet photo print longevity, has launched a certification program for printers, inks and papers. To qualify for a WIR Certification seal on its packaging, a product...

PCI Express cards hit 512MB.(SWEET SPOT)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... KingMax also indicated that 512MB DDRII versions of GeCube's X700Pro PCI Express graphics cards would be available soon. ATI is the first vendor to release a card with this much memory, but NVIDIA may not be far behind with versions of its...

One-click PDF.(portable document format)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... One of the easiest ways to share documents online is to convert them to PDF (Portable Document Format). Unfortunately, a lot of programs, including the Microsoft Office Suite, don't allow you to do this by default. PDF-Xchange Pro solves...

Notebook security system.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... There are several things you can do to keep your notebook computer safe, from physical locks to not actually flashing it about in public in the first place. If you work with sensitive information or you're just plain careless, you could take a...

AMD improves Athlon 64.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)
July 1, 2005... While AMD has been focused on its dual-core server and consumer desktop chips over the last few months, it has also been busy updating the core (underlying technology) of its Athlon 64 chips. The new core is called Venice, while the old one was...

Notebook media marvel.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Toshiba's stylish new Qosmio (pronounced "Kozmio") G20 desktop replacement notebook uses Windows XP Media Center Edition and is ideal for the lounge room. Features include an in-house developed image processing chip and other enhancements...

Extend your Wi-Fi reach.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Huge wireless antennas are generally reserved for enthusiasts who like to tinker with tech gear, or even businesses that have a wide range of premises within line-of-site and want convenient connectivity without messy wiring installations....

Pentium 4 SLI mobo P5ND2-SLI Deluxe.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... The new ASUS P5ND2-SLI Deluxe is a Pentium 4-based motherboard equipped to handle the latest and greatest components you throw at it. It will handle 64-bit, Extreme Edition and even dual-core processors in its LGA775 CPU socket. In...

Intel's dual-core: first tests: Pentium Extreme Edition 840.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Our tests show Intel's new dual-core desktop processors should deliver some real benefit when used with software designed to take advantage of the two cores, or when you're performing multiple tasks simultaneously--virus scanning while surfing...

Small body, long zoom: Lumix DMC-FZ5.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-FZ5 is an upgrade to the popular DMC-FZ3, and brings with it a higher resolution CCD and a slightly tweaked design. Although seemingly identical to its predecessor, closer inspection reveals a more substantial...

Good shots made simple: Coolpix 7900.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... The Coolpix 7900 does its best to prevent you taking bad shots. Blur Warning is to let you know when camera shake or hand shake has affected a shot--but we found far too many blurred shots still slipped past the sensor's eye. ...

Security camera with night vision: night hawk wireless outdoor camera.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... If you're keen to watch over the kids while they're in the pool/backyard or even monitor your office or home--whether you're there or not--this kit from Swann is an easy way to get started. The Night Hawk package consists of a wall- or...

More mini rivalry: H10.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... The iRiver's 5GB capacity makes it a middleweight contender, aiming for the iPod mini's corner of the market. While at $399 it costs more than the mini (which gives you 4GB storage for $299), it has more than just an extra gig of space to...

Economical mono-laser printer: FS-920.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Few manufacturers can match Kyocera for overall cost of ownership. The company's ECOSYS technology means this printer is quiet and low-maintenance. Add a price tag of $519 (including $145 toner cartridge) to the reasonable print speeds and...

Value MFD good, but not great: PIXMA MP130.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(multi-function device)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... The Pixma MP130 is Canon's answer to Epson's $209 Stylus CX3500 MFD (multi-function device), and weighs in with a bundle of great features for a fairly modest $199. It may not be the most robustly built MFD, but the MP130's specifications...

Fast but not foolproof OCR: Readiris Pro 10.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Transforming printed documents into editable text requires an optical character recognition (OCR) program. The basic OCR programs that come with most scanners are fine for simple tasks, but more-complex documents require a full-featured package...

Easy digital image management: ACDSee 7.0.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... ACDSee 7.0 makes it easier to organise, search and manipulate your digital images and this version offers faster-than-ever transfer and viewing speeds. Using the device synchronisation feature, users can automate the transfer of images...

Even better backups: NovaBACKUP Professional 7.2, BackUp MyPC Deluxe.(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... We tested the latest shipping versions of two popular backup packages: NovaStor's NovaBACKUP Professional 7.2 and Roxio's Backup MyPC Deluxe. Both have undergone minor facelifts and feature lots of small, worthwhile improvements, but NovaBACKUP...

Tiger lives up to the hype: Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4).(FIRST LOOKS: NEW PRODUCTS, HANDS-ON TESTS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Is this latest release of Mac OS X worth $199 bucks? The answer is yes and the improvements aren't just cosmetic. Rather, new features such as Tiger's desktop search tool are powerful enough to change the way you use your Mac. ...

Next generation Windows: Longhorn developers' alpha release.
July 1, 2005... Microsoft recently released a developers' alpha version of Longhorn at its Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC). After playing with it for a few hours, I can tell you that Longhorn is far from complete, but what I saw looked great....

Battle of the desktop PCs: top brands head-to-head: we crown the champion.(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Our Best Buys section has loads of great PC options that combine good performance with attractive prices, but what if you want the assurance of brand recognition? Recent figures show that almost 50 per cent of PC buyers in Australia...

Get your game on: the next generation of games is more cinematic, networked, and addictive than ever. And it's arriving now: in the living room, on your PC, and in the palm of you hand.
July 1, 2005... Imagine 64-bit PC games that offer breathtaking environments you can lose yourself in, at least until you meet that perfectly rendered lizard thing with big, sharp teeth and all-too-keen artificial intelligence. How about new consoles and games...

XP goes to 64 bits: Microsoft's first 64-bit desktop OS performed well in our tests, and proved surprisingly compatible with 32-bit apps.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... The slow but inexorable march to 64-bit computing seems poised to speed up, with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition now available to the public. The newly updated operating system (OS) is the successor to familiar 32-bit x86-based technology,...

Intel, AMD plan new 64-bit desktop CPUs.(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)
July 1, 2005... What's on tap lot new PCs? 64-bit chips. Systems that run on XP x64 should not be hard to find. Both AMD and--at long last--Intel, have CPU parts capable of running 04-bit software. Later in the year each vendor will roll out its first...

Tune in to tune out.(BEST BUYS: TOP HARDWARE, REVIEWED AND RATED)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... TV Tuner technology is going from strength to strength for those of us wanting to use our PCs and notebooks as digital video recorders. Tune into page 85, where we review. some of the best PCI and USB 2.0 digital TV tuner devices on the...

Sub-$1500.(BEST BUYS: PCs)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Pacstar Powerhouse PC 775 1 [NEW] Debuting at the number one rank this month, the Powerhouse PC 775 is one of two new PCs to enter the Sub-S1500 chart that feature PCI Express (PCIe) chipsets. The system's Gigabyte GA-81915PLG...

$1500-$3500.(BEST BUYS: PCs)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... APUS Universe Pro 3500A9 1 The wholly aluminium Thermaltake Tsunami case which houses the components has several security features. A large swingable door on the front can be locked at the side of the case with a key. It also has a...

Over $3500.(BEST BUYS: PCs)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Plus Corporation Altera FX-55 1 A perfect system to meet all types of computing needs, the Altera FX-55 is feature-packed and has some great expansion possibilities for future upgrades. The black Coolermaster Cavalier mid-tower case...

Sub-$2500.(BEST BUYS: NOTEBOOKS)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Pioneer DreamBook Slim 805 1 An original Centrino-branded model, core specifications include Intel's Pentium M processor running at 1.7GHz along with 512MB of DDR SDRAM, a 60GB Hitachi hard disk and a multi-format DVD writer drive. The...

$2500-$4000.(BEST BUYS: NOTEBOOKS)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Dell Inspiron 9300 1 This model included a 17in display with UXGA (1920x1200 pixel resolution) option and a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 graphics controller supplying both VGA- and DVI-external monitor outputs. Also aided by the 2GHz...

Digital TV tuner devices.(BEST BUYS)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Digital TV broadcasts offer better than DVD quality free-to-air TV programs that can be viewed on your PC using a digital TV tuner device. These devices give you the ability to not only watch TV on your PC, but also to record it, time-shift it...

Grounded: Windows XP.(usage of the operating system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q I enjoy playing an old flight simulator, Flight Unlimited III, which was originally released for Windows 95/98. I have it working on my home-built computer that runs Windows XP Home. After installing it on my notebook (which also has XP Home)...

Can't sleep?(usage of basic input output system)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q MY new PC with Windows XP seems to switch itself on for no apparent reason. I use it during the evening, turn it off, it's still off the next morning, but when I get home from work it has switched itself on. Why does it do this? --Jim...

Stop stopping.(usage of utilities)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q I bought a wireless network card for my laptop but couldn't get it running, so I removed it and uninstalled the software. Now the computer is often very slow to shut down and I receive a blue screen with the message: "Stop: 0X0000000A...

Top tweaks for AVG.(tips to use anti-virus software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Our thanks to reader Adrian West who sent in these tips for anyone that uses AVG 7.0. 1. To stop those pesky "attachment" paperclips appearing next to all your received e-mails (they're certificates, showing the e-mail is virus-free, that...

Mystery window.(usage of menus)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q A small white window has started appearing at the bottom left of my monitor, indicating the status of the numerals lock key. It says Num Lock On or Off. Almost any movement of the mouse brings it up briefly. I don't know what started it. Do...

SP2 for Windows 98.(usage of operating system and system security software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q I have two PCs, one of which still runs Windows 98. I've heard that a utility called Qwik-Fix can give this operating system the kind of security SP2 gives to my Windows XP machine. Is it worth installing it? --Dave Flemming A Some...

Out of context.(use of utility menus)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q I am running Windows XP Home Edition. When I right-click an icon on the desktop or in My Documents the hourglass appears for about 15 seconds. All the icons disappear from the desktop, after which it returns to normal. If I am in My Documents...

Mail error.(methods of use of email software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q When I click on an e-mail link in a Web page I receive the message: "Error loading C:\ Program Files\MSN\MSNSharedFiles\mailmapi.dll. The specified module could not be found". How can I fix this? --John Hunt A It sounds as though...

Recovery position.(methods to use backup software)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q MY computer runs Windows 98 SE and has two hard drives--named C: and D:. After installing AVG Free Edition, I discovered that a virus and some worms had corrupted 255 files. AVG reduced the number of corrupt files to 31, so I decided to run...

Batch conversion.(use of digital video disks players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q I have a DVD player which claims to be compatible with PhotoCDs. However, although it plays CDs I have burned myself, containing my digital snaps in JPEG format, the PhotoCDs will not play. Does that mean I will have to convert the PCD files...

Old history.(TOP TIP)(web browser)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... If you've suddenly lost your ability to view your browser history (recently visited pages), it might be that you've been hit by malware. If this is the case, then running Spybot Search and Destroy should help (see www.safer-networking. org or...

Motherboards: a motherboard upgrade isn't for the faint-hearted, but may be the only way to add new components to your PC that doesn't involve buying an entirely new system.(HERE'S HOW: BACK TO BASICS)
July 1, 2005... There's a point in every computer's life when the options for upgrading become limited by the age of your motherboard. But upgrading your motherboard isn't just about support for new components. Depending on the model you choose, you may also...

Search me: Windows file search is great if you like thumb twiddling. Fortunately for those of us who don't enjoy wasting time there are much better ways of finding things on your PC.(HERE'S HOW: WINDOWS)
July 1, 2005... Getting more hard drive space is really handy, particularly if you've started dabbling in megabyte-gobbling hobbies such as digital music, video, or photography. But combine enlarged file capacity with increasing forgetfulness and you're likely...

For the love of mike: usually, your camcorder's microphone is the weakest link in your video production. The trick here is to think outside of the box.(HERE'S HOW: DIGITAL VIDEO)
July 1, 2005... Compact upright camcorders like my trusty old DCR-PC5 are great if you want something that's portable and ideal for candid shots, but they're not without their drawbacks. As well as being notoriously uncomfortable for long periods of handheld...

Getting beta all the time: one of the many neat things about free software is that you get to play with stuff before it's officially bone. Matthew Newton sinks his teeth into Sun Microsystems' latest.(HERE'S HOW: LINUX)(Column)
July 1, 2005... Thanks to the delay between me writing this and the issue hitting the shelves, the title of this month's column may not be appropriate any more, but it was too good a headline to turn down. On the docket this month: OpenOffice.org 2.0 beta, and...

NAT's the way: network address translation means that your networked PCs can share IP addresses with other systems. And it can repel internet nasties, too.(HERE'S HOW: NETWORKING)
July 1, 2005... You may have come across the acronym NAT in the course of your networking travels. It stands for network address translation and describes a useful networking technology--so good, in fact, that almost all shared Internet connections employ it....

Start your engines: the easiest way for visitors to navigate your web site is with keywords. Creating a search engine from scratch is difficult, but there are plenty of options.(HERE'S HOW: INTERNET)(Column)
July 1, 2005... Designing your own search engine for a site has, until recently, been fiendishly difficult, involving no small amount of skill in scripting languages or creating databases. To be honest, a fully-customised, searchable database still requires...

Take note: sometimes a picture needs a thousand words--or a few, at least. A photo without a caption can be meaningless, but how do you add information to an electronic shot?(HERE'S HOW: IMAGING)(Column)
July 1, 2005... Recently, I came across a quirky photo among a pile of dusty heirlooms in the attic--see FIGURE 1. It looked very old, but it was only when I turned it over that its value became clear. In spidery handwriting, someone had noted the names of the...

Midnight Club 3: dub edition.(BACKBYTES)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... [Xbox] Midnight Club pioneered the open city/car modding race genre but its success has led to complications. One of the chief complications has been the emergence of stiff competition since MC2 came out in early 2003--namely the hugely...

LCD monitor sounds good to me.(liquid crystal displays)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Eizo's 19in MultiEdge L778 LCD combines gorgeous colour, great contrast, and smooth 12ms response with the best built-in speakers you're likely to find on a monitor. Most integrated speakers are weak, but these are loud and bass-enhanced, and...

Lightning on demand.(services of an user group)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... I was originally going to call this bit "why Americans shouldn't be allowed near electricity", but it occurred to me that, without insanity like this, what would I have to write about? Lightning On Demand (www.lod.org) is a bunch of guys...

The Sims 2: University.(BACKBYTES)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... [PC] If you're just tuning in, The Sims 2 catapulted far beyond its predecessor's gameplay value by introducing the passage of time. Ageing allows for your Sims to experience each stage of life with such realism that you actually feel...

Lego Star Wars.(BACKBYTES)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... [PC] It's a great concept, taking the brutally unfunny Star Wars universe and turning the entire thing into innately hilarious Lego figurines. The format is pretty simple, but very effective. There is a hub, called Dexter's Diner, where...

Serving up the beats.(new music server from Synergy Audio Visual)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... AudioFile technology is the driving force behind the Azur 640H music server. It's based on the Azur 640C, Cambridge Audio's standalone CO player, with added 160GB hard drive, a CD burner and Wi-Fi capabilities. This means you can store and...

Front face flap friends.(new product from Fresh)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Fresh from Japan, land of the injection-moulded oddity, comes Cubee, the landfill of tomorrow. I'm not in a habit of copying and pasting text from the manufacturer's Web site (www.takara-usa. com), but it's the only way I could get "Front face...

This bears repeating ...
July 1, 2005... ASI Solutions has employed some "fuzzy logic" in the creation of Fusby, the MP3 Bear. Sitting a half-metre tall, the plush toy lets you download a sound, piece of music or a personal message, which can be played back at the press of a paw. ...

One-button VHS to DVD transfer.(BACKBYTES)
July 1, 2005... Transfer all your old analog movies to DVD easily with one button using Pioneer's first combination VHS/DVD recorder with built-in hard drive. The DVR-RT7R 3-in-1 combination recorder has a One-button Auto Dubbing feature, which takes care of...

Vogon poetry tools.(new software from Vogon International)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The film version of Douglas Adams' cult classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has left the fan base split between those who felt it embodied the essence of Adams' quirky writing style, and those who felt it should only have been displayed in...

Paintball, without the pain!(BACKBYTES)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Like the idea of paintball, but shirk at the thought of being hit by a paint pellet travelling around 250km/h? Hasbro has released a realistic-looking, battery-powered "paintball" gun with interactive TV game. Simply connect the gun to a TV,...

Mary Poppins, eat your heart out.
July 1, 2005... The sun is sinking slowly on the horizon as your friends are enjoying themselves at your latest soiree. Don't worry--you won't get left in the dark with a Solar Lighted Umbrella. The illuminated night shade is fitted with 48 bright LED lights,...