Computer Act!ve articles from May 2007

Computer Act!ve archives from May 2007

Silverfall.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Mike Anderiesz Silverfall This adventure game seems to be missing a subtitle. Silverfall: close to Bug City. Come to think of it, this game is missing a lot of things. Stability for one. It crashes under Vista, it seems to...

Reallusion Facefilter 2.(image processing software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Reallusion Facefilter 2 A special program for editing portrait photos There is plenty of photo-editing software around, most of which seems to compete by adding endless lists of extra features; artistic paint...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Gavin Stoker Kodak Easyshare V803 Cheap as chips yet competent compact Kodak's recent compacts have dared to be different by sporting two lenses for longer zooming, so the more conventional 3x optical zoom V803 seems less...

Make free crossword.(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Make free crossword puzzles on a PC Use free software to create criss-cross word games for printing out or adding to a web page Crosswords are notoriously difficult to construct and typically require piles...

headline.(typing name of website on the browser)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Dotcom control When typing in website addresses beginning in 'www' and ending in '.com' there is a useful keyboard shortcut. Instead of typing the whole web address, such as 'www.msn.com', just type 'msn' and hold...

Font of all wisdom.(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Font of all wisdom Here are two simple ways of fine-tuning the positioning of text and graphics on pages requiring a special layout, such as document title pages or posters. As well as changing the font size, you...

headline.(using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software)(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Equal measures In an Excel spreadsheet, it is sometimes necessary to have the entire worksheet in squares of equal height and width. There is a quick and simple way to do this and see the result immediately....

Create your own online.(web portal page)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Create your own online portal page Use a free tool to build a personalised online starting point, with whatever services you wish to add The Windows Desktop used to be where we spent our time working, playing and trying to stay...

Iron out problems in.(document printing)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Sheila Hill Iron out problems in printed documents Printing documents can be fraught with problems. We show how to avoid common pitfalls Documents that look right on the screen don't always appear so great when...

Welcome to Windows.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Welcome to Windows Media Player 11 Discover all the new features in the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player program Windows Media Player (WMP) has often felt like a poor relation to Apple's...

A Byte to Eat.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Niall Magennis A Byte to Eat Cook up a storm in the kitchen with our selection of digital treats and labour-savers Years ago if you wanted to see the effect technology was having on the home you'd look in the kitchen...

Magnetic Attraction.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Niall Magnetic Attraction A few years ago if you asked top cooks whether they'd ever consider using an electric hob, they would have laughed. Quality cooking meant using a gas hob, but new induction technology is changing the...

The jaws of Mozilla.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams The jaws of Mozilla Although it's less popular than the big names, the Mozilla browser in its many variants -- including Netscape 8.1, has good security options. In Netscape all the security settings have been...

Safe as browsers.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Safe as browsers The web is a great place to explore, but only with the protection of the latest browsers. We show you how to make your browser ironclad for surfing in safety It must say something about...

Solwise Vesenet Homeplug Camera.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Will Stapley Solwise Vesenet Homeplug Camera Network cameras can be used to keep track on what's going on at home while you're away. It uses the mains power wiring to both power the camera and transmit images. That means...

Magix Photos on CD & DVD 6 Deluxe.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Paul Lester Magix Photos on CD & DVD 6 Deluxe Don't be misled by the name This multimedia suite has something of a misleading name, as it actually offers much more than just photo management -- in fact, it's akin to...

Wacom Graphire4 Classic.(tablet computers)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Wacom Graphire4 Classic This latest version of the Graphire4 Classic, Wacom's graphics tablet for beginners, is now Vista- compatible. Once attached to the computer it acts like a mouse. That's to be welcomed...

Vodafone at Home.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Vodafone at Home Internet and home phone connection Vodafone has decided it's time to join the ranks of companies that provide broadband and phone connections, with Vodafone at Home. It's only open to...

headline.(digital photography)(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles Find the most effective method of enhancing your photos 1You can get professional results without needing a degree in photography. Magix Photo Clinic comes with a 1-Click touch-up option to improve photos easily....

headline.(using Magix Photo Manager 2006 image processing software)(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles AA UPGRADE OFFER Upgrade to magix photo manager 2006 deluxe If you're impressed with MAGIX Photo Clinic, or if you have outgrown the features it provides, there are a number of upgrade options available. ...

MAGIX Photo Clinic 5.5.(image processing software)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles MAGIX Photo Clinic 5.5 Download from: www.computeractive.co.uk/photoclinic55/index Give your photos a professional makeover System requirements: Windows 2000, XP or Vista, 50MB hard disk space Contact:...

headline.(free Desktop utilities)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Notepad2 www.computeractive.co.uk/2167428 Excellent Notepad replacement The Notepad included with Windows is great for quick text editing, but Notepad2 adds useful features and keyboard shortcuts....

Gigabyte GN-BT01H Bluetooth headset.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Gigabyte GN-BT01H Bluetooth headset Bluetooth headsets are becoming increasingly common among mobile phone owners. The Gigabyte GN-BT01H is one such headset that can be paired with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone,...

Route 66 Chicago 600.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Route 66 Chicago 600 Dashboard unit from the software maker The Chicago 6000 from Route 66 is the first one-box navigation device to come from a company that's better known for selling navigation...

Nikon Coolpix S500.(digital camera)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Gavin Stoker Nikon Coolpix S500 Stainless steel bodied pocket snapshot that sees in the dark One of the most compact and attractive Nikon cameras in existence -- a smaller surface area than a credit card and slimmer than a...

headline.(RIM Blackberry 8800 smart phone)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: David Phelan Blackberry 8800 For a device that's comfortable to use for email and calls, Blackberry's latest aims to please The Blackberry 8800 is trying to be the best of both worlds. The first devices from the masters of...

Philips VOIP841.(cordless telephone)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: David Phelan Philips VOIP841 The latest Philips cordless home phone has Skype capabilities, too Since cordless phones went digital, they've been easy to use, secure and simple to expand. With DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless...

headline.(Thought Audio and its online music service)(restaurants providing online booking)(installing linux can be difficult)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Site Seeing Bored? Stuck for something new to do? Short on inspiration? Check out our selection of sites www.thoughtaudio.com Thought Audio contains a collection of books as mp3 downloads narrated...

Hauppauge WinTV Nova-TD.(tv tuners)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Hauppauge WinTV Nova-TD Two tuners are better than one The WinTV Nova-TD builds on Hauppauge's Nova-T product, which offered digital television reception for notebook and desktop computers through a...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Magix MP3 Maker 12 A full platter of music-management features, but does that complicate things? With the continuing popularity of iPod-style music players, many of us use iTunes or some similar housekeeping...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Simon Williams Laplink PC Mover Vista Take the pain out of moving to a new PC When upgrading from one PC to another, there are things you'll always want to take with you. Documents, letters, music tracks, videos, email...

Big questions answered.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Big questions answered We answer some of the more unusual questions readers have asked us about the world of computers over the years Computers are now so commonplace that it is all too easy to take them for...

Debunking urban myths.(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Debunking urban myths So far we have looked at some of the myths that surround computing, but the same thing exists in everyday life. There are countless tales of events that supposedly happened to a friend of...

headline.(Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars)(Product/service evaluation)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Henderson Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars A thinly-veiled environmental warning is the basis of this long- awaited second C&C sequel. In the time between the first Command & Conquer, which defined...

The Sims 2: Seasons.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Henderson The Sims 2: Seasons Another month, another update, but fortunately this excellent add-on might be enough to shirk those lazy summer evenings in the park, for it offers quirky gameplay additions that refresh...

headline.(laptop computers)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Slow USB on notebook QI assumed that all of the USB sockets on my Rock notebook PC were the fast USB 2 type. Recently when I plug a digital camera into the notebook, a message appears warning...

headline.(using Microsoft Word)(installing Microsoft Windows Vista)(using Microsoft Outlook Express for email)(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith the problem When I open my Header and Footer in Word the relevant toolbar does not open. How can I get it to open? I have looked everywhere for it but I cannot find it. Nethimself, Computeractive 238 your...

May magic.(giving computer games to children )(Brief article)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith May magic Give the children something to think about, from animals to mah-jongg via the world of publishing With the May bank holiday looming, the kids could be looking for fun ways to pass the time. Of course,...

Marine Park Empire.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Marine Park Empire If your kids enjoyed the Free Willy movie series then they'll doubtless be confused by a game like Marine Park Empire. The aim here is to build a giant marine-life centre, housing every...

Open Season Activity Centre.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Open Season Activity Centre It's a rare CD-Rom title that requires absolutely no installation and will instead run happily straight from the disc. It's an even rarer program that manages to achieve this feat...

Mah-Jongg.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Mah-Jongg It's that Crazy Chicken again, and this time he's got a sword. We don't really know why, because here he's playing host to sedate tile game Mah-Jongg. We say sedate but the ordinary calm of Mah-Jongg is...

Bratz Rock Angelz.(computer game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Bratz Rock Angelz Right, to recap, 'love' is spelled 'love', not 'luv' (see the Puppy Luv review to the left), and 'angels' is 'angels', not 'angelz'. We can't quibble with Bratz though, because that's the chosen...

Puppy Luv.(computer games)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Puppy Luv We are definitely getting old, objecting as we do to the misspelling of 'love' in this title aimed at youngsters. Still, there's no doubting that almost everyone adores puppies, and Puppy Luv is...

Which Vista?
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Which Vista? Windows comes in a confusing number of versions with an array of price tags. We're going to help you find the right version at a decent price. The latest version of Microsoft's Windows has...

Your mileage may vary.(consumer behavior anlyasis)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Guy Clapperton Your mileage may vary Not everybody who has signed up to a combined package of services has been delighted. There are a number of reasons for this; many of the complaints relating to Virgin's television service...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Win Panda products worth [pounds sterling]2,400! Seventy-two internet security suites to be won Keeping safe online has never been so important. So with this in mind, Computeractive has teamed up with Panda to...

The easy life online.(web site design)(Column)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Ben Tudor The easy life online If you've always hankered after your own website but been put off by the cost of hosting, then we show you how to cut out the middle man We are going to walk through the remarkably...

A blog on your domain.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Ben Tudor A blog on your domain As you get more proficient, it's possible to move the blog to your own website and domain, by publishing it to a hosted server instead of Blogger. In Settings, click on Publishing and then on the...

Put your blog on a website.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Ben Tudor Put your blog on a website If the thought of a long and complicated address for your site doesn't appeal, then hosting your blog on a domain -- or pointing the domain at your blog, might appeal to you. The...

Online software.
May 3, 2007... Online software It is one thing to quickly skim through the licence agreement from a big and well-respected company, but it's quite another to do so with software downloaded from the internet. Many smaller software companies make...

Get the hump and barter.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran and Dinah Greek Get the hump and barter Speedy Camel is a website where consumers can haggle with online retailers, based on an initial guide price for a product. An animated character called Ali Barter...

Image-perfect networking.(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Andrea Vassou Image-perfect networking A new social networking site uses images to decipher a person's character and create a profile for them. Imagini has been developed with the assistance of physiologists. It determines...

headline.(Robobraille launched free service for visually impaired)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: Andrea Vassou Not lost in translation A free service designed for the visually impaired that automatically translates documents into Braille or audio files is being tested. Robobraille allows people to send plain...

UK broadband risks decline An industry report has warned that British internet connections are at risk of falling behind the rest of the world unless the infrastructure to deliver faster broadband is put in place. The next two years will be crucial for s.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran UK broadband risks decline An industry report has warned that British internet connections are at risk of falling behind the rest of the world unless the infrastructure to deliver faster broadband is put in...

Pre-paid credit cards lack banking code protection.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Andrea Vassou Pre-paid credit cards lack banking code protection Members of the public using a prepaid Mastercard are not covered by the standard credit card protection laws. The warning, made by UK payments association...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Ben Tudor In the next issue... Friends United Harness the power of social networking to keep in touch with old friends, gain a few new ones and organise your social life. Manage your email Swamped in spam? Don't...

headline.(Association for Payment Clearing Services launched an online guide to combat credit card fraud)(Brief article)
May 3, 2007... Byline: staff Give yourself some credit UK payments association Apacs wants the public to keep a closer eye on their credit card statements to help combat card fraud. It has launched an online guide, after research it carried out found...

headline.
May 3, 2007... Byline: staff Fraud experts launch petition Online credit card fraud specialist Early Warning has launched a petition on the Prime Minister's website. It calls on the Government to reverse the decision taken by the Home Office to...

Chain sale.(UK Her Majesty's Land Registry launched real estate services)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Chain sale The Land Registry's Chain Matrix software has been made available in three UK locations. The program shows potential house and flat buyers the property chains in which they may be involved. ...

Nibs.(Lingvosoft offers free language translation services)(UK National Archives plans next census to go online)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: staff Learn the lingo The relaunched Lingvosoft website claims to offer free language translation into more than 40 languages. The site translates single words to and from English, plays back the word and offers direct...

Cinema Empire.(computer simulation game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Cinema Empire Save perhaps for Richard Branson, there can't be many people who've ever dreamed of running a chain of cinemas. But then, the bearded one has dreamed of running just about everything at some point in...

Law & Order: Justice Is Served.(computer adventure game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Law & Order: Justice Is Served If the words 'police-procedural legal drama' make your eyes glaze over, then look away now, because that's a term regularly used to describe hit TV show Law & Order. And Law & Order:...

The Emperor's Mahjong.(computer puzzle game)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey The Emperor's Mahjong Another magazine, another mah-jongg title. Or mahjong. Or howsoever you prefer to spell the name of this ancient tile-matching game. So, what to say about this version that we haven't...

Say goodbye to junk mail with.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Wardley Say goodbye to junk mail with Spamaware Spamaware is a free program that helps clear email inboxes of annoying and dangerous junk messages Unwanted junk mail, better known as spam, is a pain in the inbox....

Workshop hints.(to hide content in Microsoft Excel)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey All white now In Microsoft Excel, a simple way to hide content in a cell that is often overlooked is to change the font colour to white. Using this method avoids messing with the overall spreadsheet...

Workshop hints.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey microsoft OUTLOOK A prefix fix To easily remove the '>' or '>>' prefix symbols that appear in forwarded emails, copy and paste the offending passages into a Microsoft Word document, open the Edit menu...

Workshop hints.(formulas cheaking in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Formulaic advice Working with Excel spreadsheets sometimes requires all formulas to be revealed for checking. To do this, hold down the Ctrl key and press the ` accent key (above Tab key, to the left of the '1'...

Workshop hints.(system performance analysis)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey WINDOWS XP Stop starting It can be quite frustrating waiting for 'start-up' programs to load when you have just logged in, especially if using a slower PC. However, there is a way to selectively disable such...

Workshop intro.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Scott Colvey Save Youtube videos to your hard disk Find out how clips from video-sharing site Youtube can be downloaded and saved to your PC p36A Chat to any instant messenger with Meebo A free web-based instant...

Chat to any instant messenger.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Rob Beattie Chat to any instant messenger with Meebo Meebo is a free web-based instant messenger program that talks to Google Talk, AOL, MSN and Yahoo If you do a lot of online text chatting, or instant messaging,...

Organise photos by editing image.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Mark Wilson Organise photos by editing image information The Microsoft Photo Info tool makes it easy to view and edit information attached to digital photographs Modern computer users are likely to have a big...

Save Youtube videos to your.(Youtube's video can be downloaded and saved on hard disk drive)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Cliff Joseph Save Youtube videos to your hard disk Find out how clips from video-sharing site Youtube can be downloaded and saved to your PC The video-sharing site Youtube is a web phenomenon. It's at the forefront of...

Magix Music Studio 12 Deluxe.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Tim Smith Magix Music Studio 12 Deluxe Record and arrange audio and MIDI music When we reviewed Magix Music Maker 12 in issue 239 of Computeractive we concluded that it was good for arranging samples but was a little...

D-Link DIR-655 Easy-to-use router.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Leo Waldock D-Link DIR-655 Easy-to-use router D-Link's latest wireless router, the DIR-655 Xtreme N (to give it its full name), improves on its predecessor by adding four fast network ports. These operate at 'gigabit'...

Logmein.(remote access software)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Paul Monckton Logmein Logmein offers various levels of control over a remote computer. The amount of control depends on which price plan the user signs up to. The basic version, available for free from the website, ...

GotomyPC 6.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Will Stapley GotomyPC 6 GotomyPC allows users to remotely access and control their PCs over the internet. The new release adds useful features to what's already a very useful service. Quality will depend on the speed of your...

Net chart.(website evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Site seeing... Improve your mental agility with our selection of fun learning games for adults as well as kids http://isc.ro/ This is the home of the Internet Scrabble Club, which provides members...

Downloads.(Winamp, audio software)(Filezilla, file transfer software)(Goodsync, file synchronization software)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Winamp www.computeractive.co.uk/2128794 Extensive audio player The new edition of one of the world's most popular media players keeps all the useful features and adds a new dashboard. Type:...

Save your mail.(email filtering software used for control junk mails)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Save your mail The flood of unwanted email advertising has reached epidemic proportions. If you're drowning in junk mail, we can help Once it used to be a minor annoyance, but now there's more of it than...

Stopped in its tracks.(spam filtering services)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Nigel Whitfield Stopped in its tracks Unwanted email advertising -- spam -- can be filtered even before it reaches your computer. Many ISPs offer the service, and you may even be able to create white and black lists ...

Archos 704 Wifi.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Emil Larsen Archos 704 Wifi A heavyweight portable player The Archos 704 Wifi houses one of the biggest screens we've ever seen in a portable media player. At seven inches, it's starting to look more like a small notebook...

Ricoh Caplio R6.(digital camera)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Karl Foster Ricoh Caplio R6 Face recognition comes to Ricoh's flagship Last September, Ricoh launched the Caplio R5, its compact camera with vibration correction and a 7.1x zoom lens. It's already being usurped by an...

Stuffit tutorial.(effective methods of enhancing your photo archives)(Brief article)
May 17, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles find the most effective method of enhancing your photos 1 When Stuffit is first installed, you won't see anything, but it's there whenever you need to manage archives. To open an existing archive, double-click on...

Stuffit download.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Chris Wiles Upgrade offer: Upgrade to Stuffit Deluxe 11 and save 50 per cent The new Deluxe edition of Stuffit 11 comes with a range of additional features. For instance, it includes support for Office 2007, the ability to...