Computer Act!ve articles from April 2007

Computer Act!ve archives from April 2007

The Sims: Life Stories.(computer simulation game)(Product/service evaluation)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Eddie Henderson The Sims: Life Stories If you're in a love affair with The Sims, then Life Stories is for you The beauty of The Sims to some people is what makes it so infuriating to others -- the fact that it's less...

Samsung K3.
April 5, 2007... Byline: David Phelan Samsung K3 Samsung's latest music player is a slimline cutie to rival the iPod Nano Last year, Samsung released the K5, a stylish and capable mp3 player with slide-out speakers. The K5's success has led to...

Evesham Lightbook.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Evesham Lightbook Notebook too heavy? Consider this low-powered portable The hankering for smaller, lighter notebook computers continues to grow, though a highly portable computer usually goes hand in hand...

Intelligent Converters Pdf-to-Word.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Intelligent Converters Pdf-to-Word A low-cost converter to turn Pdf files into Word documents sounds tempting, but is it accurate? The Adobe Pdf document format is widely used. There are many ways to make...

McAfee Total Protection 2007.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester McAfee Total Protection 2007 This security suite for PCs scores high on flexible options and clarity of presentation These days it is essential to have a range of internet security tools, including a firewall,...

Stay within your broadband.(bandwidth-monitoring program)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Stay within your broadband usage plan Keeping within a broadband-usage allowance is easy with a free bandwidth-monitoring program With more people enjoying the benefits of broadband, larger files are being...

Hint 1.(cell references usage in Microsoft Excel)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey All joined up In Excel, to place in one cell a forename and surname stored in two separate cells, click on a separate cell and type in the cell references of the two names to be joined. For example, to join a...

Rinse and repeat.(repeating commands in Microsoft Excel by using keyboard shortcut)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Rinse and repeat In Excel or the Microsoft Works spreadsheet, it is possible to quickly repeat the last formatting applied to a cell, be it font, font colour, cell shading or whatever. To do this, first apply the...

Hint 3.(changing the names of digital photographs on the personal computer)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Rapid rename Many people will have collections of digital photographs, all with different names. And perhaps you gave them the wrong name when transferring them from the camera to the PC. Either way, you probably...

Hint 4.(TinyURL is used to get the short name for desired uniform resource locator)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Duke of URL Though the idea of shortening web addresses using TinyURL is an excellent idea (see Workshops issue 235), especially for those written on paper, Outlook Express users may like to share this easy method....

Become an Internet Explorer 7.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Become an Internet Explorer 7 expert We explored the basics of Internet Explorer 7 last issue. Try out the next level with our surfing masterclass In last issue's Workshops we took a look at getting...

Create a slipstreamed.(Windows XP installation CD with every update)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Create a slipstreamed Windows XP CD We explain how to create a 'slipstreamed' Windows XP installation CD with every update you want Sometimes reinstalling Windows XP is just the thing to get a PC back...

Send files and leave voicemail.(Google's instant messaging tool, Google Talk)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Send files and leave voicemail messages As well as voice calls and typed chat, Google Talk has file-transfer and voicemail features. Here's what to do We looked at Google's instant messaging tool, Google Talk,...

D-Link Medialounge DSM-520.(home video equipment)(Product/service evaluation)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester D-Link Medialounge DSM-520 Wirelessly stream digital media from your computer to a home cinema setup D-Link's previous media streaming devices have been uninspiring. Various wireless stability problems often...

Prada by LG.(wireless telephone)(Product/service evaluation)
April 5, 2007... Byline: David Phelan Prada by LG A touch-sensitive mobile phone with fashion sense After the success of the Chocolate phone with its touch-sensitive controls, LG has come up with a phone with almost no buttons. Designed from the...

Web main copy.(creating a website)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Every computer user has a website inside them -- we show you how to unleash your creativity on the internet It is often said that everyone has a novel inside them, and the same thing could be said about creating a...

Email hosting.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Email hosting After putting together a website, it makes sense to provide a way for visitors to get in touch, and email would seem to be the obvious choice. While it is possible to simply add any email address to...

Web boxout2.(alternatives to hosting media services)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Alternatives to hosting media Many websites offer streaming video, and there is no reason why you wouldn't want to do the same with your site. However, video files can take up a lot of space on your site, and if a...

Easy peasy.(adding web tools for website)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Easy peasy While creating a website can be made as easy or difficult as you want it to be, the process can still be off-putting for some people. If you fancy the idea of having a website, but don't feel...

Creatures Triple Pack.(computer simulation game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Creatures Triple Pack Creatures isn't an ordinary game, apparently. No, according to the description on the box, players indulging themselves with Creatures Triple Pack will be taking part in the largest-ever...

Select Desktop Publishing.(desktop publishing software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Select Desktop Publishing In this age, there's something faintly quaint about the term 'desktop publishing' as a software category. After all, almost any desktop application able to output user-designed materials...

Select Graphic Design Studio.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Select Graphic Design Studio This release is a repackaging of two image-manipulation software tools from Serif -- Draw Plus 6.0 and 3DPlus 3.0. Draw Plus is the core of Graphic Design Studio, and is essentially...

Variety pack.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Variety pack This issue we look at graphic design packages, web site tools, lots of creatures and card games We are blessed with a miscellaneous selection of CD-Roms this issue. We start by dealing with...

WebEasy 6 Professional.(web development software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey WebEasy 6 Professional Cheap web-design software rarely manages to impress us because so many of these packages seem to be stuck in the online dark ages, where web pages consist of a few static images, a column of...

Ultimate solitaire.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Ultimate Solitaire 750 Hold on -- doesn't Windows come with a software version of the card game solitaire? Sure it does. But what the Windows version lacks that Ultimate Solitaire 750 offers is several-hundred...

The right connections.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Iain Thomson The right connections Setting up a home network can be bewildering because of the number of Wifi standards available. Find out how to choose between them Wireless networking has been in the mainstream for...

Keep it simple.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Iain Thomson Keep it simple With so much second-hand Wifi equipment out there, it might be tempting to go onto Ebay and try and save a few pennies, but doing so could prove very expensive indeed. To start with, older...

Maxfield Max-Ivy.(MP3 player)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Maxfield Max-Ivy Maxfield's latest audio, photo and video player, the Max-Ivy, has several intriguing differences from run-of-the-mill players. Imagine a black iPod Nano with its top and bottom curved off to...

Net chart.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Computeractive TV You may have noticed a strange item appearing on the Computeractive home page -- that's Computeractive TV, in the top-right corner. Using it, view some of the new products we're reviewing,...

Free download.(Internet Cleanup 4.0)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles Set up Internet Cleanup 4 and schedule the cleansing process 1Look at the settings area of the interface and choose how to clean personal information from the PC. If you go to the cookies section, you can choose the...

Free download.(Internet Cleanup 5.0)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles AuAu Upgrade offer upgrade to Internet Cleanup 5.0 By buying the latest version of Internet Cleanup, you can make sure your computer is protected against the latest scams and attacks, while also cleaning every...

Samsung Lily.(mobile phone)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou Samsung Lily As the mobile phone has evolved, demand has increased for phones bearing fashion features. The Samsung Lily has been co-developed by fashion designer Miss Sixty and is aimed at...

Downloads.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Create attractive icons Creating your own icons is a great way to personalise a computer. Icon Craft is a good program for doing just that. Ask Oscar www.computeractive.co.uk/2185050 Help your...

Xitel Moviecentre.(mp3 player peripheral)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Xitel Moviecentre Xitel Moviecentre for iPod is an innovative way to view photos, watch video or listen to music through a television or stereo. It's a simple iPod dock finished in black, with an infrared...

Bullguard Backup.(Backup software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Bullguard Backup Back-up files online as well as onto CD and DVD The importance of protecting data cannot be overstated, and Bullguard Backup offers online backup in addition to the more common methods of copying...

Genius G-Note 5000.(Handheld data devices)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Genius G-Note 5000 A digital pad that can store hundreds of pages The G-Note 5000 is best described as a digital note recorder that captures everything written or drawn on it. As well as having a piece of paper...

Artrage 2.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Artrage 2 A low-cost, natural-media paint application Like Corel's Painter, Artrage is a painting program, as distinct from a photo-editing program. The idea is to create paintings and sketches that look like...

Belkin Wireless 802.11g print server.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Belkin Wireless 802.11g print server One thing usually missing from home networks is the ability to share a printer -- usually it's connected to one of the computers, which needs to be on in order to print...

Internet Cleanup 4.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles Internet Cleanup 4 Erase internet tracks and stored personal information information Download from: www.computeractive.co.uk/cleanup4/index System requirements: Windows 98SE, Me, 2000 or XP, 50MB...

Heavenly handsets.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Heavenly handsets We tell you the key features to look out for when buying an internet telephony handset The cost of phoning a friend has fallen greatly in recent years, thanks in part to technology...

Very PC GreenPC 478.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Very PC GreenPC 478 This desktop PC promises to reduce energy consumption and noise, but there is a price to pay PCs typically cost some [pounds sterling]20 a year in energy, and the cost to the environment is...

Internet phone service providers.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Internet phone service providers There are, broadly speaking, three types of internet phone company. There's Skype, which uses its own easy-to-set-up technology; you have to buy a compatible phone, many of which...

Picture perfect.(edit photos on computers using image processing software)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Rod Lawton Picture perfect You've taken a smashing picture, but the colours are all out of whack when you print it. In the first of a two-part series, we show you how to get accurate colours on your computer Digital...

White balance.(digital camera settings)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Rod Lawton White balance If you've experimented at all with your digital camera you'll know that it has a white balance setting. Usually this will be set to auto. The camera analyses the light and adjusts the colour...

Logitech Audiostation Express.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Logitech Audiostation Express Another mid-range speaker for iPod users We're not short of iPod accessories and portable speakers at the Computeractive office, but not many have proved to be ideal, annoyingly....

Building blockbusters.(editing your own home movies on computers)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Building blockbusters Editing your own home movies on a PC needn't be difficult or expensive -- just follow our guide and you could soon produce a mini masterpiece There's no getting away from the fact...

Camcorders.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Camcorders There are just two basic types of camcorder -- digital and analogue -- but each comes in many varieties. If you bought your camcorder a while ago, it may use analogue tape (VHS-C, Video8 or Hi8),...

Capture hardware.(video editing on computers)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Capture hardware If you have a digital (DV) camcorder (see box on page 57), then the process of transferring footage to your PC is simple. The camcorder will have a port named 'iLink' or 'DV'. You will also...

Net chart.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Technology blogs aren't all jargon-filled or boring: here are some of the best on the net www.f-secure.com/weblog While many anti-virus companies have blogs, F-Secure's is probably the most interesting...

No problem.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Anthony Dhanendran Avant problem QI am currently using Avant Browser, which is set as the default browser. However, each time I click an internet link from my email software (Mozilla Thunderbird), it takes me into...

Avanquest Ringtone Media Studio 2.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Avanquest Ringtone Media Studio 2 Upload music to a mobile phone for free People who like to personalise their possessions -- putting wallpaper on a PC and alloys on a car -- are often the ones who like to...

Email hosting.
April 5, 2007... Email hosting After putting together a website, it makes sense to provide a way for visitors to get in touch, and email would seem to be the obvious choice. While it is possible to simply add any email address to the 'Contact Us'...

Readers to rescue.(Letter to the editor)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith The Problem My broadband has been upgraded to 8Mbits/sec, but I have not noticed any speed increase. The icon in the Notification Area of Windows remains at 54Mbits/sec. Do I need a more powerful router? ...

Nibs.
April 5, 2007... Byline: staff Sit and deliver Consumers can now book delivery slots for supermarkets on price comparison website Mysupermarket. The site, which enables users to compare grocery prices across Ocado, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, has also...

Virgin territory for travellers Virgin Trains has revamped its website to make it easier to find the cheapest tickets available online. The new site will provide customers with a range of services, from enquiries to ticket purchases, so passengers can bu.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Andrea Vassou Virgin territory for travellers Virgin Trains has revamped its website to make it easier to find the cheapest tickets available online. The new site will provide customers with a range of services, from...

Nibs.(Federation Against Copyright Theft seized pirate DVDs)(Shred the hard disk data)(Elton John's albums available online)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Staff Sir Elton goes online Elton John's back catalogue of music tracks has been made available to download for the first time. With a career spanning four decades, the catalogue comprises more than 30 albums and more than...

TV phone-in probe begins.(UK Office of Communications launching a major inquiry on broadcaster regarding to overcharging viewers)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Byline: Dinah Greek TV phone-in probe begins After weeks of controversy, the fall-out from the premium-rate TV line phone-ins continues, with media regulator Ofcom now launching a major inquiry into the fiasco. Allegations...

Sky stands by its energy-saving plan.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Dinah Greek Sky stands by its energy-saving plan Sky wants to do its bit for the environment this year by introducing an automatic standby mode for all of its Sky HD boxes and, later, for its Sky+ boxes. The broadcaster...

Norton 360.
April 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Norton 360 Symantec's all-in-one security suite Hot on the heels of McAfee's Total Protection 2007 is all-in-one PC security suite Norton 360. Its tools fall into four simple categories: PC security,...

Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050.(digital camera)(Product/service evaluation)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Gavin Stoker Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050 Slender 10.1-megapixel pocket camera gets even smaller upgrade When most camera manufacturers are churning out digital SLRs (DSLRs) to bring in the bucks, Casio has instead upgraded...

Nokia 6300.
April 19, 2007... Byline: David Phelan Nokia 6300 Thin and eye-catching, this is Nokia's latest mobile that aims to combine looks and brains This is the kind of phone that Nokia does unbeatably well -- beautifully styled, great to use and with...

Sony SRS-DZ10 speakers.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Sony SRS-DZ10 Stylish speakers from the technology giant Sony's latest 2.1 speaker set, the SRS-DZ10, certainly ticks all the boxes when it comes to style. It's a beautiful-looking arrangement, finished in...

Corel Painter X.(drawing software)(Product/service evaluation)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Corel Painter X Create art without mess with this electronic painting program Used by professional artists and photographers alike, Corel Painter has the tools to produce original artwork without ever dipping...

Use Excel to analyse a.(hom loan)(Column)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Paul Wardley Use Excel to analyse a home loan Work out exactly how much your mortgage costs and how it might be affected by rises in interest rates With interest rates predicted to rise further this year it's...

Hints.(transfering files to hard disk using Microsoft Windows)(Brief article)(Column)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Choosing your destination Flitting through many folders to transfer files from one area of a computer's hard disk to another can be a real pain. In Windows users have the option to 'send' a file to a location...

Safer saving.(Microsoft Word)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Safer saving In Microsoft Word, it is possible to make the program save a backup copy of a document every time it is saved. This means that if you accidentally save a change that you didn't want, an earlier version...

Hints.(currency calculations using Excel)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Cashing up When doing currency calculations, Excel can sometimes seem incapable of correctly adding up the figures, resulting in totals that are a penny or two out. To rectify this, Open the Tools menu, select...

Hints.(using Microsoft Word)(Column)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Icon increase When using Microsoft Word the first few times, the small icons in the toolbars can be difficult to tell apart. However, they can easily be made bigger. To do this, open the Tools menu and select...

Workshop intro.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Run multiple operating systems on the same PC We show you how virtual PCs can run older versions of Windows p40A Analyse your home loan Work out exactly how much your mortgage costs with Excel p44A ...

Discover new and old tunes with.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Discover new and old tunes with Musicovery Tired of ordinary internet radio? Musicovery's unusual interface offers free listening to suit different moods The internet is a fantastic way to discover new...

Run an online health check with.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Run an online health check with Shields Up Find out how well your PC is protected against online threats using a free online tool The internet is often portrayed as a sort of new Wild West where...

Run multiple operating systems.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Run multiple operating systems on the same PC Fancy running more than one operating system? We show you how virtual PCs can make things easier Many computer users love to try new software or investigate...

Next issue.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Explorer Windows Media Player 11 Create crossword puzzles on PC Iron out printing problems Create a personalised start page online Hints & Tips

Perfect home publishing.
April 19, 2007... Perfect home publishing Design posters andbooklets like a professional with free desktop publishing software Virtually every computer comes with a word processing program installed, and while the likes of Microsoft Word are...

HP Pavilion tx1020ea.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen HP Pavilion tx1020ea A touch-screen portable PC with bags of media capabilities Tablet PCs have been around for a while. They look like notebook computers but their differentiating factor is the ability to...

Steel Security.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Steel Security Complete security suite with the gamer in mind A dequate security is just as important when playing games as it is when doing anything else on a PC -- especially when playing online -- but with...

Magix Music Maker 12 XXL.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Magix Music Maker 12 XXL Create realistic sounds with your computer For those who would like to try creating music with a computer, Magix Music Maker 12 XXL is a good place to start. The very capable software is...

Liteon 8x SSM-85H5SX.(dvd drives)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Liteon 8x SSM-85H5SX Make copies of DVDs and CDs on the move Liteon has been making Lightscribe DVD writers for two years now and the slimline SSM-85H5SX is one of its smallest yet. It plugs into a spare USB...

Laplink PCmover.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Laplink PCmover PCmover provides an easy way to transfer files between computers and works with Vista. It comes with a USB cable to connect the two computers. However, once the software is installed on a...

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.5.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.5 Most users don't concern themselves much with hard disk care, or if they do, it's using the basic utilities included with Windows. Paragon's Hard Disk Manager 8.5 combines these and...

Lexar Image Rescue 3.(image processing software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Karl Foster Lexar Image Rescue 3 It's easy to accidentally delete pictures from a digital camera memory card -- the menus often put the Delete Photo option next to Delete All Photos -- and it's not unknown for cards to become...

Net chart.(digital maps)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Each of our selection of maps sites does something different with their diagrams www.walkit.com While there are lots of sites that show you how to get from A to B by car or even bike, this is the only...

Printing perfect.
April 19, 2007... Byline: Rod Lawton Printing perfect colour Achieve accurate colour reproduction from your printer with the minimum of fuss Getting stunning, accurate colour on the photos, documents and pictures you print at home can be a...

Getting good subjects.(digital photography)(Brief article)
April 19, 2007... Byline: Rod Lawton Getting good subjects A well set-up printer is a bit useless without something good to print on it. Try shooting vivid colours with your digital camera and see how they come out on the printer. Suitable subjects...