Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SHOPPING
Secrets
From the
Pros
www.pcmag.com April 11, 2006
UTILITY SUPERGUIDE
87 Quick Ways to Make Your PC
Faster, Smarter,
& More Fun
Windows
Power Tools
RAZR
REMIX
SLVR Phone
Adds iTunes
EASY PROJECT
Convert that Spare PC into a Backup Serverfor Free!
U.S. $5.99 / CAN. $7.99 / U.K. 4.00
1
Gold Maintenance includes standard business hours technical support (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST), 1-year upgrade protection and 1-year of virus definitions; call your CDW account manager for details.
2
Licensing requires a minimum order of 10 licenses; call your CDW account manager for details.
3
Reflects Level B pricing; Maintenance includes upgrade protection and 1 year of 24 x 7 technical phone
support.
4
Additional savings available on purchase of Symantec LiveState Recovery 6.0 Advanced Server for current and new users of ANY VERSION of Symantec Backup Exec
TM
; call your CDW account
You work hard to gather your data.
You know security threats are growing. You know theyre becoming more sophisticated. What you dont know is when
one will strike, and which one it will be. The key is to solve your security issues before they become problems. CDW has
the top-name security hardware and software as well as the technology experts to help you proactively improve your
network security. So call today. Instead of hoping your network is ready, wouldnt you rather know?
(You shouldnt have to work hard to keep it.)
250499 user license with 1-year Gold Maintenance
1,2
$36.12 CDW 881148
Protects systems from viruses, spyware, hackers and data loss
Continuously protects your business and data with a reliable
and cost-effective solution
Starter pack includes: 1 license for Symantec Backup Exec 10d
for Windows Servers; 1 license for Backup Exec Continuous
Protection Server; and 3 Continuous Protection Agents
Price valid with purchase of 250 or more user licenses of
Symantec Client Security 3.0
Symantec
TM
Client Security 3.0 and FREE
Symantec Backup Exec
TM
10d Continuous
Protection Starter Pack
Jhe Righl Jechuology. Righl ^way.
JM
C0w.cou
800.399.4C0w
|u Cauada, call 888.898.C0wC
C0w.ca
The Security Solutions You Need When You Need Them.
manager for details; offer ends 3/31/06.
5
Call your CDW account manager for licensing details. Offer subject to CDWs standard
terms and conditions of sale, available at CDW.com. 2006 CDW Corporation
Intel
Pentium
4 Processor (3.40GHz)
Memory: 1GB
Protects key applications against new and emerging security threats
$2869.77 CDW 766896
Symantec
TM
Backup Exec
TM
10d for Windows
Servers
Bundle includes Symantec Gateway Security 320 Appliance, Symantec Client Security 3.0
and Symantec Mail Security
Offers a combination of trusted products that protect against viruses, hackers,
spyware and spamUtilize Symantec
TM
Client Security and Symantec
TM
Mail
Security software to protect your mail servers, file servers and desktops
Symantec Gateway Security 320 Series appliance protects the perimeter of your network
Symantec
TM
Security Essentials Bundle
HP ProLiant DL320 G3 Firewall/VPN/Cache Server
Combines the speed and reliability of disk-based, bare-metal Windows
X5000
Integrates powerful security capabilities of Intelligent Layered
Security with advanced networking features
Manages resources, optimizes traffic and increases network uptime
Identifies and blocks malicious network traffic and code such as
viruses and application exploits, including instant messaging and
P2P usage in real-time
Add WebBlocker and SpamBlocker services for complete UTM
$5990 CDW 781228
A Company Tracking 9 Million Container Moves a Year.
Running on Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
Jettainer manages shipping containers for Lufthansa and US Airways on 3,000
ights to 400 airports every day. To keep up with a database growing at 30% a
year, they upgraded to SQL Server
TM
2005. See how at microsoft.com/bigdata
2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Windows logo, Windows Server System, and Your potential. Our passion. are either trademarks or registered trademarks
of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
HP recommends Windows
XP Professional.
BUSINESS TOOLS
FOR EVERY DAY.
EVERYWHERE.
Lease for as low as $39 per
month for 51 months
1
HP COMPAQ BUSINESS
NOTEBOOK nc6140
$1,399
$249 Instant Savings
2
($1,648 - $249 Instant Savings = $1,399)
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
6
- Intel Pentium M Processor 750
4
(2MB L2 Cache, 1.86GHz, 533MHz FSB)
- Intel PRO Wireless 2915ABG
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
15" XGA Display
512MB DDR2 333MHz (1 DIMM)
Integrated HP Broadband Wireless
6,16
40GB S.M.A.R.T. Hard Drive
7
24X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
9
GET EVEN MORE:
Basic Docking Station, add $149
All offers available from HP Direct and participating resellers. Prices shown are HP Direct prices, are subject to change and do not include applicable state and local sales tax or shipping to recipients destination. Reseller prices may vary. Photography may not accurately
represent exact configurations priced. Associated values represent HP published list price. 1. Lease products are available through Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company (HPFSC) or one of its affiliates to qualified commercial customers in the U.S. and are subject to
credit approval and execution of standard HPFSC documentation. Offer valid on all transactions greater than $349 through 4/30/06. Other fees and restrictions may apply; please visit www.hp.com/go/HPfinancialservices. HPFSC reserves the right to change or cancel this
program at any time without notice. 2. Instant savings and mail-in-rebate offers are valid through 4/30/06 on qualifying HP Compaq nc6140 and nx6110 notebooks, HP Compaq dc7600 Desktops, HP ProLiant ml110 G3 Servers, HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PCs, HP Color
LaserJet 2600n Printers and HP xw4300 Workstations from HP Direct and participating HP resellers. 3. Timing based on Powersave start. 4. Intels numbering is not a measurement of higher performance. 6. Wireless access point is required and is not included. Wireless
Internet use requires separately purchased Internet service contract. Availability of public wireless access points limited. 7. For hard drives, GB=Billion bytes. Actual available capacity is less. 9. 24X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive data transfer rates may vary as follows: for recording
to CD-R media, for writing to CD-RW media, for reading CD media, max transfer rate may be up to 3600 Kbps; for reading DVD media, may be up to 10,800 Kbps. Actual transfer rates may vary depending on media quality. 10. 24X Max CD-ROM Drive data transfer rates up
to 3600 Kbps. 11. 48X, 32X CD-RW Drive data transfer rates may vary as follows: for recording to CD-R media, the max transfer rate may be up to 7200 Kbps (use 48X discs for best performance); for writing to CD-RW media, the max transfer rate may be up to 4800 Kbps
(use 32X high-speed media discs for best performance); for reading CD media, the max transfer rate may be up to 7200 Kbps. Actual transfer rates may vary depending on media quality. 12. One-year limited warranty for parts, labor and next-business-day support. 13. Three-
year limited warranty for parts, labor and next-business-day support. 14. Four-year limited warranty for parts, labor and next-business-day support. 15. Service levels and response times for HP Care Packs may vary depending on your geographic location. Restrictions and
limitations apply. For details, visit www.hp.com/go/carepack. 16. Wireless use requires separately purchased service contract. BroadbandAccess is available to more than 140 million people in 171 major metropolitan areas and 68 primary airports. Access limited to coverage
area of Verizon Wireless. Check with Verizon Wireless for availability and coverage in your area. Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess offers download speeds of 400 to 700 Kbps. National Access provides download speeds of 60 to 80 Kbps. BroadbandAccess speeds are based
on Verizon Wireless network tests with 5MB FTP data files without compression; National Access speeds are based on Verizon Wireless network tests with 101KB FTP data files. 17. The hyperthreading feature is a new technology designed to improve performance of multi-
threaded software products; please contact your software provider to determine software compatibility. Not all customers or software applications will benefit from the use of hyperthreading. Go to http://www.intel.com/info/hyperthreading for more information, including which
processors support HT Technology. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel SpeedStep, Intel Viiv, Intel Xeon, Itanium,
Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, the Centrino Logo, the Intel Logo and the Intel Inside Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Includes
3-Year On-site
Warranty
13
Includes
3-Year On-site
Warranty
13
Monitor
sold separately.
SMART ADVICE
>
SMART TECHNOLOGY
>
SMART SERVICES
$949
Lease for as low as
$26 per month for
51 months
1
HP COMPAQ BUSINESS
NOTEBOOK nx6110
$275 Instant Savings
2
($1,224 - $275 Instant Savings =$949)
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
6
- Intel Pentium M Processor 740
4
(2MB L2 Cache, 1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB)
- Intel PRO Wireless 2200BG
6
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
15" XGA Display
512MB DDR 333MHz (2 DIMM)
40GB S.M.A.R.T. Hard Drive
7
24X DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
9
GET EVEN MORE:
HP Common Travel Battery, add $129
Monitor
sold separately.
$949
Lease for as low as
$26 per month for
51 months
1
HP WORKSTATION xw4300
$345 Instant Savings
2
($1,219 - $270 Instant Savings = $949)
Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630
with HT Technology
4
(2MB L2 Cache,
3GHz, 800MHz)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
512MB 533MHz DDR2 ECC
80GB SATA S.M.A.R.T. III Hard Drive
7
48X/32X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
11
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 285 128MB
PCI-e graphics
Three-year on-site limited warranty
13
GET EVEN MORE:
HP CarePack: Three-year, four-hour
response, 24 x 7, add $269
13,15
Additional 512MB 533MHz DDR2 ECC
memory, add $129
$1,549
Lease for as low as
$43 per month for
51 months
1
HP COMPAQ
tc4200 TABLET PC
$184 Instant Savings
2
($1,733 - $184 Instant Savings = $1,549)
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
6
- Intel Pentium M Processor 740
4
(2MB L2 Cache, 1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB)
- Intel PRO Wireless 2200BG
6
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
12.1" XGA Display
512MB DDR2 533MHz (1 DIMM)
40GB S.M.A.R.T. Hard Drive
7
GET EVEN MORE:
Advanced Docking Station, add $249
Increase your productivity on the go. Introducing the HP Compaq nc6140 commercial notebook
powered by Intel
Centrino
www.pcmag.com
J I M LOUDE RBACK
THERE S NOTHI NG LI KE THE
satisfaction of building something your-
self. Thats why we include a DIY project
in every issue of PC Magazine.
So why does it seem like everyone from
Microsoft to Cable Labs wants to snuff out
the build-it revolution? A range of new ca-
pabilities are coming to PCs, but theres no
place at the table for you and me.
Lets start with Microsoft. Windows XP
Media Center Editions been out for years, but you still cant
(ofcially, at least) build it into your own PC. Ive tried and
tried to get a boxed copy, but Microsoft refuses to comply,
saying its only for OEMs, because of the variable quality of
experience. Thats a red herring. Any competent PC builder
will deliver a better experience than the econo-boxes from
Dell or HP will, especially using new HD tuners from ADS
and others. Neros upcoming Media Center competitor has
me salivating, but theres no reason for Microsofts reticence.
Next up: CableCard. The big buzz at this years Consumer
Electronics Show was how Windows Vista will support the
cable industrys standard DRM devicethe CableCard. This
PCMCIA-style smart card validates your cable TV subscrip-
tion and authorizes your hardware to decode and display
digital TV, both SD and HD. Its a leap forward, because the
PC can replace those brain-dead digital set-top boxes to pro-
vide DVR functionality (such as recording HBO and ESPN
HD)but itll work only on certied PCs, authorized by the
cable industrys tech cops at CableLabs. Youll be able to buy a
CableCard-equipped Dell, but not build your own. And what
happens if you decide to upgrade that Dell? Will that decerti-
fy your PC? I smell a big mess, and again the DIY guy loses.
Next problem: HDCP. Even if you could build your own
CableCard-enabled PC, youd still need a brand new monitor
and graphics card. Even if you only want to watch Blu-ray or
HD-DVD movies, your current hardware is inadequate. Al-
most every monitor and graphics card sold today doesnt fully
support the HDCP DRM used to protect those video streams.
I could go on, but you get the point. The industry (and I
must admit, PC Magazine) keeps hyping this wonderful
high-denition media world. But the draconian constraints
on actually recording and viewing all this contentlet alone
streaming it around your housespell doom. Forget mash-
ups, case mods, and custom systems. Go vanilla or go home.
New technology success starts with you, PC Magazines
readers. You adopt it early, work out the bugs, and lord it over
your friendswho end up buying it for themselves. But not
this timeand that spells failure for CableCard on PCs, high-
denition DVDs, and even the PC as a home media hub. Ca-
bleCard is a sham. HDCP will kill HD content. Instead, well
be forced to watch Gilligans Island reruns on our iPods.
MORE ON THE WEB: You can contact Jim Louderback at
Jim_Louderback@ziffdavis.com. For more of his columns, go to
go.pcmag.com/louderback.
The DIY Deathwatch:
Long Live DIY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jim Louderback
EDITOR, REVIEWS Lance Ulanoff
EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY Ben Z. Gottesman
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (ONLINE) Robyn Peterson
EXECUTIVE EDITORS Stephanie Chang, Carol L. Gonsher,
Vicki B. Jacobson (Online), Jeremy A. Kaplan
ART DIRECTOR Richard J. Demler
MANAGING EDITOR Paul B. Ross
REVIEWS
SENIOR EDITORS Dan Costa (Consumer Electronics), Jennifer DeFeo (Hardware),
Carol Mangis (Cars), Sebastian Rupley (West Coast, Pipeline), Sharon Terdeman
(Software/Web/Security)
LEAD ANALYSTS Cisco Cheng, Robert Heron, Davis D. Janowski, Oliver Kaven, Mike Kobrin,
Neil J. Rubenking, Joel Santo Domingo, Sascha Segan, M. David Stone, Terry Sullivan
REVIEWS EDITORS Kyle Monson (Software/Web/Security), Laarni Almendrala Ragaza
(Consumer Electronics), Eric Rhey (Hardware)
WEB PRODUCERS Rachel B. Florman, Molly K. McLaughlin, Jen Trolio
PRODUCT DATABASE MANAGER Gina Suk COMMERCE PRODUCER Arielle Rochette
PRODUCT REVIEW COORDINATOR Philip-James Jacobowitz
INVENTORY CONTROL COORDINATOR Nicole Graham
FEATURES
FEATURES EDITORS Sean Carroll, Dan Evans, Sarah Pike
SENIOR WRITER Cade Metz STAFF EDITOR Tony Hoffman
ART
SENIOR ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Michael St. George ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Liana Zamora
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Aaron Able GRAPHICS DIRECTOR David Foster
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Schedivy
PRODUCTION
ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR Michal Dluginski PRODUCTION MANAGER Jennifer Murray
COPY CHIEF Elizabeth A. Parry COPY EDITORS Gary Berline, Ann Ovodow, Steven Wishnia
ONLINE
SENIOR PRODUCER Yun-San Tsai PRODUCER Mark Lamorgese
ASSISTANT PRODUCER Whitney A. Reynolds PRODUCTION ARTIST Erin Simon
NEWS EDITOR Mark Hachman NEWS REPORTER Bary Alyssa Johnson
ASSISTANT EDITOR Jennifer L. DeLeo
UTILITY PROGRAM MANAGER Tim Smith COMMUNITY MANAGER Jim Lynch
EDITORIAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Anita Anthony
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Helen Bradley, John Clyman, Richard V. Dragan, Craig Ellison,
John R. Delaney, John C. Dvorak, Galen Fott, Bill Howard, Don Labriola, Bill Machrone,
Ed Mendelson, Jan Ozer, Larry Seltzer, Don Willmott
INTERNS Veronica DeLeon, Nathan Edwards
CORPORATE PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Ivis Fundichely
PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Chizmadia TRAFFIC MANAGER Amanda Allensworth
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Michael J. Miller
THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE
PC Magazine is the Independent Guide to Technology. Our mission is to test and review
computer- and Internet-related products and services and report fairly and objectively on
the results. Our editors do not invest in rms whose products or services we review, nor do
we accept travel tickets or other gifts of value from such rms. Except where noted,
PC Magazine reviews are of products and services that are currently available. Our reviews
are written without regard to advertising or business relationships with any vendor.
HOW TO CONTACT THE EDITORS
We welcome comments from readers. Send your comments to Internet address pcmag@
ziffdavis.com or to PC Magazine, 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7940. Please include a
daytime telephone number. PC Magazines general number is 212-503-3500. The West Coast
Operations number is 415-547-8000. We cannot look up stories from past issues, recom-
mend products, or diagnose problems with your PC by phone. An index of past issues is at
www.pcmag.com/previous_issues. For a list of upcoming stories, browse www.pcmag.com.
For a full description of who on staff covers what, go to www.pcmag.com/whocoverswhat.
If you are dissatised with a product advertised in PC Magazine and cannot resolve the problem with
the vendor, write (do not call) Anne King, Advertising Department, at the above address.
Please include copies of your correspondence with the vendor.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
For subscription service questions, for address changes, or to order, please contact us:
Internet, service.pcmag.com (for customer service) or subscribe.pcmag.com (to order);
telephone, 800-289-0429 or 850-682-7624 in the U.S. and Canada, 303-604-7445 else-
where; mail, PC Magazine, P.O. Box 54070, Boulder, CO 80322-4070 (please include your
mailing label with any correspondence, as it contains information that will expedite process-
ing); fax, 850-683-4094 in the U.S. and Canada, 303-604-0518 elsewhere; e-mail, subhelp@
pcmag.com (please type your full name and the address at which you subscribe). Subscrip-
tions: The one-year subscription rate is $44.97. PC Magazine is published semimonthly, with
occasional exceptions: A special issue may count as a subscription issue, a combined or
expanded issue may count as two subscription issues, and there may sometimes be an extra
issue. Outside the U.S., add $36 per year for surface mail; U.S. funds only. Please allow four to
six weeks for your rst issue to arrive or for any changes in your subscription to take place.
Back issues: Back issues are $8 each in the U.S., $10 each elsewhere. Prepayment is required.
Contact customer service (above) for availability. Mailing lists: We sometimes make lists of
our customers available to mailers of goods and services that may interest you. If you do not
wish to receive their mailings, please write to us at PC Magazine, P.O. Box 54070, Boulder,
CO 80322-4070.
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 13
14 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
NORTHWEST, OR, WA
Grant Palmer 415-547-8807
SILICON VALLEY, SAN FRANCISCO, BC
Mark Odell 415-547-8815
SOUTH BAY, SAN JOSE, CO, UT
Matt Bontaites 415-547-8240
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, AZ, NV
Rhonda Miller 949-360-4029
MARKETLINK DIRECTOR
Kathy Pavlak 212-503-4847
MARKETLINK SALES REPRESENTATIVES
Joe Altieri (Northeast),
Ginger Serifovic (Southeast)
NEW ENGLAND, CANADA
Andrew Guendjoian 212-503-5114
NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, CT
Mary Jo Boudinot 212-503-5110
NEW YORK, PA
Melissa Price 212-503-5422
SOUTHEAST
Amy Jarratt 404-249-6646
MIDWEST
Julie Lulu 773-739-9139
DETROIT
RPM Associates 248-557-7490
EAST COAST SALES ASSISTANTS
Kathleen Bauer, Casey Reisner
WEST COAST SALES ASSISTANTS
Erin Boyarsky, Teleza Newkirk
CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
Bobby Sutton
MARKETING MANAGER
Ashley Kinley Kamil
MARKETING COORDINATOR
Leah Moses
VICE PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Jim McCabe
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, EAST COAST Vickie Pinsky
VICE PRESIDENT, WEST COAST SALES Chris Maginn
VICE PRESIDENT, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Steve Sutton
DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS Neil Glass
MARKETING DIRECTOR Kelly Cannon
RESEARCH DIRECTOR Chris Stetson
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Monet Whitaker
BUSINESS ANALYST David Hooks
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Darrin Porter 415-547-8047
SALES ASSOCIATE Anne King 312-836-0771
ADVERTISING OFFICE
28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7940
Phone, 800-336-2423, 212-503-3500; fax, 212-503-5000
For advertising information go to www.pcmagmedia.com.
For information on advertisers appearing in this issue, go to www.pcmag.com/adindex.
ZIFF DAVIS MEDIA INC.
CHAIRMAN & CEO Robert F. Callahan
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Mark Moyer
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Michael J. Miller
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, LICENSING AND LEGAL AFFAIRS, GENERAL COUNSEL, & SECRETARY Gregory Barton
GROUP PRESIDENTS Scott McCarthy (Game Group), Sloan Seymour (Enterprise Group),
Jason Young (Consumer/Small-Business Group)
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS Kenneth Beach (Corporate Sales), Jim Louderback (Editorial Director, Consumer/Small-Business
Group), Angelo Mandarano (Internet), Martha Schwartz (Custom Solutions Group), Michael Vizard (Editorial Director,
Enterprise Group)
VICE PRESIDENTS Ira Becker (Internet), Aiden Colie (CTO, Ziff Davis Internet), John Davison (Editorial Director,
Game Group), Sara DeCarlo (Consumer Marketing & Database Management), Aaron Goldberg (Market Experts),
Barry Harrigan (Internet), Kristin Holmes (International Licensing), Michael Krieger (Market Experts),
Rick Lehrbaum (Internet), Carlos Lugo (Production), Eric Lundquist (Editor-in-Chief, eWEEK), Chris Maginn (Internet),
Jim McCabe (PC Magazine), Scott McDaniel (Game Group), Paul OReilly (Event Marketing Group),
Ellen Pearlman (Editor-in-Chief, CIO Insight), Beth Repeta (Human Resources), Stephen Sutton (Audience Develop-
ment, Consumer/Small-Business Group), Stephen Veith (Enterprise Group Publishing Director), Monica Vila (Event
Marketing Group), Randy Zane (Corporate Communications)
PERMISSIONS, REPRINTS
For permission to reuse material in this publication or to use our logo, contact Ziff Davis Medias director of
rights and permissions, Olga Gonopolsky, at permissions@ziffdavis.com, or by phone at 212-503-5438 or by
fax at 212-503-5420. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.
For reprints, please contact Stella Valdez at FosterReprints: telephone, 866-879-9144; fax, 916-983-6762;
e-mail, svaldez@fostereprints.com.
The following are registered trademarks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.: i-Bench, NetBench, PC DIRECT,
PC Labs, PC MAGAZINE, PC MAGAZINE AWARD FOR TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE, PC MAGAZINE EDITORS CHOICE,
PC MagNet, ServerBench, WinBench, Winstone, and Ziff Davis Medias corporate logo. The following are trade-
marks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.: After Hours, Backspace, CPUmark, EasyComputing, ExtremeTech,
First Looks, First Looks Plus, i-Bench, Lab Notes, Lab Tales, PC Bench, PC Labs Scorecard, PC Magazine At Home,
PC Magazine CD, PC Magazine Extra, PC Magazine Marketlink, PC Solutions, PC Tech, Pipeline, Power Program-
ming, Quick Clips, ScreenDemos, Tech Notes, and WinDrain. Other trademarks and trade names used throughout
the publication are the property of their respective owners. Copyright 2006 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
www.pcmagconnect.com
COMING TO YOU LIVE AND ON-
DEMAND ITS DIGITALLIFETV.COM!
Twice a week, host and tech journalist
Patrick Norton and co-host Robert
Heron dish up product reviews and
how-tos on the coolest digital tech-
nology, video games and equip-
ment and new Website launches for
tech fans. Go to DL.TV today!
Visit PC Magazine Connect for tips,
tools, and special offers from PC
Magazine and our select partners.
Its your resource for sweepstakes,
downloads, announcements and
updates to keep you connected!
For all this and more, visit
www.pcmagconnect.com
REDUCE YOUR PASSWORDS TO ONE
Download RoboForm for free.
Automated logins, one-click form
filling and more. It's Easy, Fast and
Secure. Software of the Year - Over
8 million downloads.
FOR TECH FANS BY TECH FANS
WANNA WATCH?
Check out www.clickflicks.net, the
premiere online destination for
independent film enthusiasts. View
some of the newest films and find
out how to submit your latest film
for review in the ClickFlicks contest!
* x=150 KB/sec. 4 GB = 45x. 2-GB card may require updated device drivers. Consult the device documentation for requirements.
Please note: Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. For more information, please consult Kingstons Digital Media Guide
at kingston.com/Digital_Media_Guide. 2006 Kingston Technology Company, Inc. 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 USA. All rights reserved. All trademarks and registered
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Life is an open road. Enjoy the drive.
Introducing the revolutionary U3 DataTraveler Smart Drive.
It might look like an ordinary USB Flash drive but its much more than
storage its freedom.
Kingstons U3 Smart drive takes mobile storage to new levels, letting
you launch and run U3 software programs while carrying your data
on one convenient device that ts on your keychain.
Make it your ownby selecting programs fromsuchcategories as communication,
productivity, games, photo, le synchronization and security. Download the
applications at U3.com, then run them from the drive itself. Now you have the freedom to
easily move between PCs.
For your safety today and down the road, U3 DataTraveler offers password protection, 24/7
tech support and a ve-year warranty. Visit kingston.com/U3 for details or purchase
from one of our partners.
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 17
K
We take for granted the concept of Internet neu-
trality, the idea that your broadband connection
will wing you to any Web site at a pace limited
only by the speed of the network. I can only imag-
ine the tangled mess the Web would be if every
site had to cut a deal with all the different broad-
band providers. Yet the current system in which
you get whatever information you
want as fast as your connection
can deliver it is under attack on
several fronts.
In our current system, end-us-
ers pay for Internet service, and
Web sites pay for Web hosting
and i ncomi ng connections
(but not for delivering data).
This system has worked so
far, but in recent months,
executives of several large
telco ISPs have suggested
t hat companies del iver-
i ng i nformation over the
telco i nfrastructuresay
Googleshould pay for that privilege. And if the
information being delivered is bandwidth-con-
suming video clips and phone calls, they should
pay even more.
Whats behind this strategy? The phone compa-
nies are worried that Voice over IP services such
as Skype and Vonage threaten their businesses.
And in the long run, video over IP could threaten
cable TV providers as well.
In most cases, I agree with the free-market
argument, which says companies should make
deals that are in their best interest and then let
consumers choose the services they want. In-
ternet access is different, though, because your
choice of broadband providers is often very lim-
ited. In most markets, broadband service is either
a monopoly or a duopoly. Your options are your
phone or cable company, which use lines and
rights-of-way granted to them as
monopolies. These companies
have argued strongly that they
shouldnt be required to make
their infrastructures available
to competing providers.
I argue just as strongly
that Internet lines should
remain open to all data, and
that data should be allowed
to travel as fast as the con-
nection speed permits. The
alternative that some of the
telcos are suggesting is unten-
able. In their scenario, I would
get to some Web sites quickly and
to others slowlydepending on which ones my ISP
has brokered a deal with.
The good news is that so far, the Net has for
the most part remained open and neutral. But
concerns about ISPs changing the playing field
prompted Congress to hold hearings on the topic
in February. It also spurred some senators to talk
about introducing legislation to preserve the Nets
neutrality. The big ISPs will ght any such legisla-
tion. If you care about an open Internet, let your
Congresspeople know.
One area where we agree that all content is not cre-
ated equal is e-mail. Nearly all ISPs use software
to stop spam or at least attempt to minimize it. But
this too is changing. The idea of companies paying
for the privilege of sending e-mail as a way to ex-
pedite bulk mail and distinguish it from spam has
gotten attention recently. AOL and Yahoo!, two of
the worlds biggest e-mail account providers, are
telling their biggest mailers that for 0.25 cents per
piece, theyll deliver the mail faster than usual.
Both are implementing a system from Goodmail
that enables fast delivery for a fee.
AOL and Yahoo! claim they are doing this for
mostly altruistic reasons, to separate legitimate
mail from junk and thus cut down on spam. We
already have solutions designed to identify legiti-
mate senders, such as Return Paths Bonded Sender
Program, but they havent been widely deployed.
The telcos
alternative is
untenable. I would
get to some Web
sites quickly and
to others slowly.
Why We Need a Neutral Net
Paying for Faster E-Mail Delivery
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
T
I
O
N
B
Y
R
O
B
E
R
T
N
E
U
B
E
C
K
E
R
Forward Thinking
MI CHAE L J . MI L L E R
18 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
MORE ON THE WEB: Join us online and make your
voice heard. Talk back to Michael J. Miller in our
opinions section, go.pcmag.com/miller.
Starting next issue, my column will be a single
page, and Ill be covering tech news and analysis
on my blog (blog.pcmag.com/miller). So while I
have the chance, I want to mention some under-
appreciated products.
Adobe Photoshop is a truly wonderful product,
but if youre an artist or just want to touch up your
digital pictures, you should also check out Corel
Painter Essentials 3. Its a lot of fun, and it lets you
do some amazing things with your digital photos.
Pair it with a Wacom Graphire Tablet for best re-
sults and to get a great deal on the software.
Im a fan of subscription music services, and use
Rhapsody and Yahoo! Music a lot. (I try out new
music every Tuesday.) And to get the most out of
an iPod or any music player, you need great ear-
phones. I like the in-ear models from Etymotic Re-
search and Shure best, since theyre easy to take
along when I travel.
Im not a huge user of photo-sharing services
(though Flickr and the upcoming version of Ya-
hoo! Photos look great), but photo mugs, books,
and bags make for unique and very popular pres-
ents. Each service has slightly different offerings,
so check around. Ive been happy with Smugmug,
Shuttery, and Snapsh.
If you make a lot of presentations, check out
Serious Magics Ovation, a tool that makes Power-
Point slides look much more professional. I use it
with Interlinks RemotePoint presenters.
X1 is still my favorite tool for searching through
all my e-mail messages and les. And ActiveWords
is a great way of using shortcuts, even on a tablet
computer. If you were a DOS power user, youll
probably love it.
If youre really interested in a behind-the-scenes
look at the making of computer chips, read Robert
Colwells The Pentium Chronicles (IEEE). And
Robert Scoble and Shel Israels Naked Conversa-
tions (Wiley) does a great job of explaining how
blogs can make a business more transparent and
improve relationships with customers. Its not as
revolutionary as the indispensable Cluetrain Man-
ifesto, but it offers some great tips. Im just a begin-
ner, but I enjoyed it a great deal.
See you online, and back here next issue.
Recommended Software and Other Odds and Ends
A paid e-mail system has many benets. It would
force companies to be more careful with their
bulk-mail lists, which might decrease the amount
of mail we get. And it very likely would reduce
phishingmail that claims to come from a legit
company but really comes from someone trying to
steal your account information or passwords.
The mail companies like the concept of paid
mail because they could earn lots of money from e-
mail senders if this practice were widely adopted.
E-mail marketing was an $885 million business in
2005, according to Jupiter Research.
On the other hand, a paid mail system would
also affect the regular mail. If paid mailings are re-
ally faster than unpaid mail, would these services
slow delivery of unpaid messages? That would
risk alienating people accustomed to mail arriving
nearly instantaneously. But will bulk-mail market-
ers pay to send mail if it isnt delivered any faster?
For now, all the mail companies say that regular
mail will go through at its usual speed and that all
mail is still subject to spam lters.
Ill accept some spam in order to keep a truly
open system. And I suspect that most Internet us-
ers feel the same way. We simply dont want to lose
the free e-mail system.
Forward Thinking
MI CHAE L J . MI LLE R
COREL PAINTER ESSENTIALS 3
X1
Intel
PRO / Wireless
2915 802.11 a/b/g
Weighs Less
Than 4 lbs.
Integrated
Optical Drive
$1606
ALL THESE FEATURES
AND MORE - STARTING AT
2006 MPC Computers, LLC (MPC or Seller). MPC is not responsible for omissions or errors in typography or photography. All offers are subject to availability. Prices and specifications may change without notice; prices do not include shipping,
handling or applicable taxes, unless specifically required under contract. Seller's return policy does not include return freight and original shipping/handling charges, and a restocking fee may be charged. All return and warranty periods begin from
date product is shipped. All sales are controlled by Seller's current terms and conditions of sale and limited warranty, copies of which are available on Seller's website or from its sales representatives. On-site service is provided at sole discretion of
MPC. A qualifying diagnostic determination must be made by MPC prior to on-site service (if any). On-site service is provided by a third-party service provider under a separate contract between you and the service provider. Advertised configura-
tions may differ from award-winning configurations. Intel, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Intel Centrino, Intel Centrino logo, Celeron, Intel Xeon, Intel Speedstep, Itanium, Pentium and Pentium III Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other product names herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their
respective companies. 1. All hard drive sizes calculated with 1GB equal to 1 billion bytes. 2. MPC 56K modems capable of receiving downloads at up to 56Kbps and sending at up to 31.2Kbps. Due to FCC regulations on power output, receiving
speeds are limited to 53Kbps. Actual speeds may vary. 3. 52X = 52X max./17X min. 48X=48X max./17X min. 24X = 24X max./10X min. 8X DVD = 8X max./1X min.
MPC recommends Microsoft
Windows
XP Professional.
When You
re On The Go
Size Matters.
With the ultra portable MPC TransPort U1000 you dont have to compromise power and performance.
This smart, two-spindle system weighs less than four pounds - making it the perfect solution for demanding
mobile users. The U1000 features Intel
Centrino
Pentium
M Processor,
802.11a/b/g Wireless connectivity, 333MHz DDR memory, multiple battery options and a 4-in-1 media reader
for effortless media transfer. Plus, the convenient integrated optical device eliminates the need for an external
optical device or port replicator. And its all backed by our outstanding 100% U.S.-based service and support.
CALL 1-877-364-2766 VISIT www.mpccorp.com/pcmag607
Includes the U1000
Carrying Case
12.1 XGA
Display
Up to 7 Hours
Battery Life
with optional 9 cell battery
O N L Y F R O M C I N G U L A R : T H E B L A C K B E R R Y 8 7 0 0 c
enabled
Call 1-866-4CWS-B2B Click www.cingular.com/blackberry8700c Visit your nearest Cingular store
Coverage not available in all areas. Limited-time offer. Other conditions and restrictions apply. See contract and rate plan brochure for details. Up to $36 activation fee applies. Equipment price and availability may vary by market.
Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in first 30 days; thereafter $175. Some agents impose additional fees. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment. Rebate: Price before $50 mail-in rebate is $349.99. Allow
1012 weeks for rebate card. Rebate card not available at all locations. Must be customer for 30 consecutive days. Must be postmarked by 4/27/06. Additional hardware or software may be required. The BlackBerry and RIM families
of related marks, images, and symbols are the exclusive properties of and trademarks or registered trademarks of Research In Motion Limitedused by permission. RIM and Research In Motion are registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. 2006 Cingular Wireless. All rights reserved.
The new 8700c modelis the best BlackBerry
yet. It is lighter and smaller than prior full-size
models and has a dazzling color screen.
Walt Mossberg,
The Wall Street Journal,
November 10, 2005
2005 Dow Jones and Company, Inc.
BlackBerry 8700c
$
299
99
after 2-year service agreement and
$50 mail-in rebate with BlackBerry
data
and voice rate plans $39.99 or higher.
THE WEB HAS ALREADY become a major
medium for delivering TV, video content, and
movies, but costs and long download times
have loomed as problems. Now start-up com-
pany Itiva (www.itiva.com) is out to change
that with its unique Quantum Streaming
technology. The system lets users execute
lickety-split downloads of high-definition
video content over standard broadband lines.
In a demonstration for PC Magazine, Itiva
president Michel Billard downloaded in mere
seconds a 2-minute high-def 720p movie trail-
er from a major movie studio, at a transfer rate
of 5.5 Mbps. The trailer even played while the
download was finishing. To put that in per-
spective, remember the
general rule about down-
loading HD video using
competing technologies:
Downloading content takes
longer than watching it.
Take a look at the peer-
to-peer model, popular-
ized by technologies such
as BitTorrent. Peer-to-peer
le sharing breaks a movie
up into various pieces to
transmit it, inherently in-
creasing wait times. By
contrast, Itiva breaks HD video up into http-
based Web pages (called quanta), which can
be cached at an ISP just like standard Web
pages. With the speeds Itiva is achieving, you
could download a 90-minute movie in less
than 15 minutes.
One major studio has already signed on to
have Itiva distribute its content, and Itiva is
seeking deals with more lm studios. But the
company has its eyes on independent film-
makers, too. Scaling small is as important as
scaling big, says Itiva director Tom Taylor.
Public applications for Itivas technology are
only weeks away. It may play a key role as the
Web goes Hollywood.Sebastian Rupley
Whats Your Love GPA?
IF YOU THINK you hold your
signicant other to high
standards, take a gander at
OKCupid.com. In the latest
spin on online dating, the site lets amorous-but-picky romantics
create and post tests that potential dates must pass before a match
is made. The Slut Test, The Politics Test, and the 50-question
Three-Variable Purity Test were among recent examples.
Many users take multiple posted tests, and you can review their
answers to all of them before making an electronic advance. Oh, and
in a break from the online dating trend, OKCupid.com is entirely free,
including messaging. Dont settle for an expensive dunce!SR
Giving human responses
and skills to new breeds of
robots is all the rage. The
Pleo, unveiled recently at
the DEMO conference in
Arizona, is a convincingly
humanlike Camarasaurus.
Pleo is the rst truly au-
tonomous life form capable
of emotions that allow per-
sonal engagement, says Ca-
leb Chung, who created the
Furby robotic characters and
developed the Pleo. Ugobe, a
robotics technology group,
will begin selling the Pleo for
$199 by the holiday season.
The tiny robot has an op-
erating system called LifeOS
and 40 onboard sensors. The
Pleos most interesting attri-
bute, though, is that its base
set of simulated emotions
is customizable through
Internet downloads. If only
humans could download bet-
ter moods, too. . . .SR
Dino Bot
Net Film Distribution Coup
Want to see a hi-def movie get downloaded? Want to see it again?
A 5urge
in 5earches
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings Megaview Search
Number of searches
conducted via
search engines in
the U.5.
5
,
0
S
9
,
3
7
7
,
0
0
0
3
,
2
7
9
,
7
7
0
,
0
0
0
0ec. 2004 0ec. 2005
A|though the number of |nternet
users rose by on|y 3 |n 2005, the
number of |nternet searches |ast
0ecember was 55 h|gher than the
number |n 0ecember 2004. 0oog|e
rema|ns the top search eng|ne,
account|ng for near|y 49 of
a|| searches.
PI PELI NE
T E C H N O L O G Y T R E N D S & N E WS A N A LY S I S
BEAM ME UP LiftPort Group has stood a space elevator cable one mile
into the air, held aloft by a weather balloon, and robots have success-
fully climbed up and down. Eventually, the company wants to extend
one 62,000 miles into space, for transporting people and cargo.
go.pcmag.com/pipeline
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 21
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 22
Making
Mini Movies
THE NEXT STEP FOR nanotech-
nology is in the can: movies shot
at nanoscale. Researchers at
Georgia Tech have created an
atomic force microscope ca-
pable of high-speed imaging 100
times faster than its competi-
tors. The colorful photos seen
here, stills from a nanolm, show
real-time molecular interactions.
Such movies can inform scien-
tists about the properties of the
material the molecules came
from, and they may aid in the
fabrication of tiny devices.
The breakthrough could
become the ubiquitous tool for
examining nanostructures, says
Dr. Calvin Quate, one of the inven-
tors. The microscope has already
lmed the rst-ever movies
showing the elastic and adhesive
properties of carbon nanotubes.
For scientists puttering with
Lilliputian technologies, leaping
from still images to movies is big
news.Sebastian Rupley
Portable video players are cool, but theyre hampered by their tiny little screens. What if
the size of the gadgets display were totally irrelevant? That futuristic scenario may be
upon us. British company Light Blue Optics has developed a projection system the size
of a matchbox, which can easily t into pocket-size devices. All you need is a nearby at
surface to view, say, a music video from your digital player.
The PVPros projection system uses computational algorithms that allow for tiny
lasers and a minuscule size. Light Blue Optics is working with several partners that will
integrate the technology into portable gadgets, according to company CEO Nic Law-
rence. And DigiSmart is working on similar mini-projector technology. Starting later this
year, you may not have to curse that stamp-size screen on your digital music player.SR
Big Things from a Tiny Projector
FUTURE WATCH
go.pcmag.com/futurewatch
1. Toshiba EasyGuard technology comprises a number of features some of which may or may not be available on a particular Toshiba notebook depending on the model selected. See www.easyguard.toshiba.com for
detailed information. 2. Toshibas shock absorption technology provides higher impact protection for your system as compared to Toshiba systems without similar shock protection features based on Toshibas drop tests.
Toshibas standard limited warranty terms and limitations apply. Visit www.warranty.toshiba.com for details. ConfigFree, libretto, Portg, Satellite and Tecra are registered trademarks and EasyGuard and Qosmio are
trademarks of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. and/or Toshiba Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Celeron, Intel Centrino, the Intel Centrino logo and Pentium are trademarks or
Toshiba recommends Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Tecra M4 Tablet PC
Combines high-performance notebook
technology with tablet functionality.
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
Toshiba EasyGuard enhancements
1
for increased
mobile security, system integrity, network
connectivity and overall ease of use.
Starting at $1,699
Satellite
Smart notebooks for every budget.
Starting at $949
libretto
Power of a desktop in the palm of your hand.
Starting at $1,799
Qosmio
2
0
0
5
V
i
e
w
S
o
n
i
c
C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
i
o
n
.
A
l
l
r
i
g
h
t
s
r
e
s
e
r
v
e
d
.
[
1
2
7
3
5
-
0
1
C
1
2
/
0
5
]
2006 XEROX CORPORATION. All rights reserved. XEROX,
WorkCentre,
FinePoint and Xerox Color. It makes business sense are trademarks of XEROX CORPORATION in the United States and/or other countries.
Lucky you. The Xerox WorkCentre C2424 Color Multifunction
is the most versatile color multifunction you can get for
under $2,000. Print, copy and scan in crisp black and white,
or brilliant color with Xerox Solid Ink Technology. Its
clean, versatile and incredibly fast at up to 24 pages per
minute, with an industry-leading first-page-out time of just
Call, click or contact: 888-247-5107xerox.com/office/1982Your local reseller
Its a win-win-win. Print, copy and scan in brilliant
Finally, a 24 ppm networked color multifunction
six seconds. Its speed and performance increase
productivity by saving end-user time and mainte-
nance. Easy to use, compact enough for any office,
completely integrated and with a superior image
quality of 2400 FinePoint,
XP Professional.
Acer
TravelMate
4200
Dual-Core Powerhouse
For the name of a reseller near you or further
information, please call Acer or visit our Web site:
800-571-2237
www.acer.com/us
P
r
i
c
e
s
s
h
o
w
n
a
r
e
e
s
t
i
m
a
t
e
d
s
t
r
e
e
t
p
r
i
c
e
s
a
n
d
d
o
n
o
t
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
t
a
x
o
r
s
h
i
p
p
i
n
g
.
R
e
t
a
i
l
e
r
o
r
r
e
s
e
l
l
e
r
p
r
i
c
e
s
m
a
y
v
a
r
y
.
Intel
Centrino
Core
Duo Processor
- Mobile Intel
PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
network connection
Genuine Windows
XP Professional
1GB DDR2 667 SDRAM
The Acer TravelMate 4200 allows you to experience all the benefits of dual-core performance
_
and more
_
at a price you can
live with. Intel
Centrino
Duo Mobile Technology includes a processor optimized for the multitasking you do every day
plus full 802.11a/b/g wireless capability. Images are stunning on the 15.4 wide-screen display that delivers razor-sharp
1280 x 800 resolution. Abundant memory boosts the performance of application programs, while ample storage space is
provided by the hard drive and integrated DVD-Dual drive (DVD+/-RW).
100GB
1
hard drive
Integrated DVD-Dual drive (DVD+/-RW)
15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
Intel
CORE
XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAV06.040)
MULTITASKING MADE EASY
Acer AL2416Wd
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
24" wide-screen
TFT LCD
1920 x 1200
native resolution
1000:1 contrast ratio
178 horizontal
viewing angle
178 vertical
viewing angle
VGA, DVI-D signal
connectors
500 cd/m
2
brightness
6ms gray-to-gray
response time
Internal power
adapter
Silver color
Acer AL2416Wd
$919
(ET.L6102.018)
24" WIDE-SCREEN
20" wide-screen TFT LCD,
Acer CrystalBrite
Technology
1680 x 1050
native resolution
800:1 contrast ratio
176 horizontal
viewing angle
176 vertical
viewing angle
F-20
Acer
TravelMate
2420
Priced Right for Work & Play
Whether you need a notebook for your small business or for everyday home computing, the
Acer TravelMate 2420 has you covered. Track budgets, plan a killer marketing campaign, work on school
assignments or surf the Web with this affordable system. Thanks to integrated wireless access, youre not
tied to home base. Feel free to take the TravelMate 2420 anywhere theres a hotspotmeetings, your
favorite coffee shop or class. You also get a built-in combo drive for your recording and viewing pleasure.
INTEL
CELERON
M PROCESSOR 370
(1MB L2 CACHE, 1.50GHZ, 400MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
512MB DDR2 400 SDRAM AND 80GB
1
HARD DRIVE
(LX.TB206.050)
$200 PRICE CUT!
$120 PRICE CUT!
Acer TravelMate 2423WXCi-XPH
$599
INTEL
CELERON
M PROCESSOR 370
(1MB L2 CACHE, 1.50GHZ, 400MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP HOME EDITION
256MB DDR2 400 SDRAM AND 40GB
1
HARD DRIVE
(LX.TB205.077)
Acer TravelMate 2423WXCi
$699
Intel
Celeron
MProcessor
Genuine Windows
XP Professional or
- Genuine Windows
XP Home Edition
Integrated CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
14.1" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
Mobile Intel
XP Professional.
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
F-20
$539
(ET.L380B.063)
Acer
TravelMate
4060
Enjoy the Freedom of Mobility
The Acer TravelMate 4060 strikes just the right balance between performance and
affordability. Along with Intel
Centrino
PENTIUM
M PROCESSOR 740
(2MB L2 CACHE, 1.73GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAK06.075)
15.4 WIDE-SCREEN
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
MProcessor
- Mobile Intel
XP Professional
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM
80GB
1
hard drive
Integrated CD-RW/DVD-ROM
combo drive
15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
Intel
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
19" TFT LCD with height
adjustment and rotation
1280 x 1024 native resolution
1000:1 contrast ratio
178 horizontal viewing angle
178 vertical viewing angle
Two 1.0W integrated speakers
Acer AL1717 Bbmd Acer AL1923 r
17" TFT LCD
1280 x 1024
native resolution
700:1 contrast ratio
150 horizontal
viewing angle
135 vertical viewing angle
Two 1.0W integrated speakers
VGA, DVI-D signal
connectors
300 cd/m
2
brightness
8ms response time
Internal power adapter
Black color
VGA, DVI-D signal
connectors
280 cd/m
2
brightness
8ms response time
Internal power adapter
Titanium color
Acer AL1923 r
$339
(ET.L660B.048)
ADJUST HEIGHT
& ROTATE
Acer
ezDock
The one-plug Acer ezDock manages and organizes peripheral
connections with ease, allowing you to add or remove devices
instantly, without turning off your notebook computer. This
compact docking solution features 21 interface ports and two card
slots for desktop-like expansion possibilities, as well as PCI Express
lock slot.
Acer TravelMate 4062WLMi
$999
Acer
TravelMate
4060
Your Essential Business Tool
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
MProcessor
- Mobile Intel
XP Professional
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM
100GB
1
hard drive
Integrated DVD-Dual drive (DVD+/-RW)
15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
Intel
PENTIUM
M PROCESSOR 740
(2MB L2 CACHE, 1.73GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAK06.079)
15.4" WIDE-SCREEN
Count on the Acer TravelMate 4060 for growing your business. Powered by Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology,
this stylish notebook boasts high-end features at a price that wont break your budget. The wide-screen 15.4
display is perfect for viewing documents side by side. The integrated optical drive offers flexibility and
convenience, and the wireless LAN will keep you connected and productive wherever your work takes you.
Acer ezDock Docking Station
$299
COMPATIBLE WITH THE TRAVELMATE 8200, 8100, 4650, 4400
3000, C310, C200; FERRARI 4000
(LC.D0103.004)
Acer recommends Windows
XP Professional.
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Acer
TravelMate
C310
Tablet & Full-Featured Notebook in One
The Acer TravelMate C310 is the convertible tablet that you'll want to use as
your primary computer. With a big 14.1" XGA display, full-size keyboard,
modular optical drive and optional ezDock Docking Station, it's similar to a
standard notebook but offers much more. The screen becomes a writing
surface when you rotate it and fold it back over the keyboard, perfect for
taking notes, annotating documents and completing online forms.
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
MProcessor
- Mobile Intel
XP Tablet PC Edition
4-in-1 card reader for optional
MultiMediaCard
Go 6200 graphics
802.11b/g WLAN, Bluetooth
,
gigabit LAN, V.92 modem
Full-size EMR pen with eraser
One-year limited warranty
2
Acer AL1717 Bbmd
$249
(ET.1717B.MD8)
700:1 CONTRAST RATIO
Acer AL1716 b
17" TFT LCD
1280 x 1024 native resolution
500:1 contrast ratio
150 horizontal viewing angle
135 vertical viewing angle
VGA signal connector
300 cd/m
2
brightness
12ms response time
Internal power adapter
Black color
Acer AL1716 b
$219
(ET.1716B.012)
GREAT VALUE
Acer TravelMate C312XCi
$1,699
INTEL
PENTIUM
M PROCESSOR 740
(2MB L2 CACHE, 1.73GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP TABLET PC EDITION
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM, 80GB
1
HARD DRIVE
AND MODULAR CD-RW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE
(LX.T270E.029)
Acer TravelMate C314XMi
$1,999
INTEL
PENTIUM
M PROCESSOR 760
(2MB L2 CACHE, 2GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP TABLET PC EDITION
1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM, 100GB
1
HARD DRIVE
AND MODULAR DVD-DUAL DRIVE (DVD+/-RW)
(LX.T870E.032)
CONVERTS HANDWRITING TO TEXT
The AcerPower S280 boasts an impressive feature set in a stylish chassis at an affordable price. Ample power means
you can efficiently perform everyday tasks. Multiple expansion slots make the system easy to upgrade, while the eight
USB 2.0 ports give you the ability to connect to the latest peripherals. All in all, an excellent choice for home, school
or office computing.
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
2000 ANSI lumens
XGA (1024 x 768) native resolution
2000:1 contrast ratio
16.7 million displayable colors
PC and Mac compatible
Acer PD120D
2000 ANSI lumens
SVGA (800 x 600) native resolution
2000:1 contrast ratio
16.7 million displayable colors
PC and Mac compatible
Acer PD100
Acer PD100
$669
(EY.J2101.006)
Acer PD120D
$999
(EY.J2201.012)
Intel
Celeron
D Processor
Genuine Windows
XP Professional
80GB
1
hard drive
Display sold separately.
Display sold separately.
Even if youre short on space, you dont need to sacrifice performance. The
compact Acer Veriton 2800 business desktop gives you an
Intel
Pentium
Veriton
2800
Powerful but Compact
10/100 LAN
Integrated SiS Mirage
graphics
One-year limited warranty
2
Acer Veriton 2800
$689
Acer
AcerPower
S280
Affordable Computing at its Best
INTEL
PENTIUM
XP PROFESSIONAL
(VT2800-U-P5210)
AcerPower S280
$369
INTEL
CELERON
D PROCESSOR 336
(256KB L2 CACHE, 2.80GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
256MB DDR SDRAM AND
CD-ROM DRIVE
(APS280-U-C3600)
AcerPower S280
$429
INTEL
CELERON
D PROCESSOR 346
(256KB L2 CACHE, 3.06GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
512MB DDR SDRAM AND
CD-RW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE
(APS280-U-C4600)
Digital Light Processing
from Texas Instruments is an all-digital display technology for projectors and other
products that delivers the best picture in terms of clarity, brilliance and color.
Acer
Technology
Intel
Pentium
4 Processor with
HT Technology
Genuine Windows
XP Professional
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM
80GB
1
SATA hard drive, 7200RPM
CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
Intel
XP Professional.
Stability, ease-of-deployment and comprehensive management tools are the
hallmarks of Veriton, Acer's premier business desktop series. Each of these
features has been enhanced in the Acer Veriton 6800, with an improved
tool-less chassis design, fortified security tools, more powerful Intel
Veriton
6800
Optimized for Business
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Replacement
Lamp for PD525,
PD116
$299
(EC.J1001.001)
Keep a Replacement Lamp on
hand for the Acer PD525,
PD120D, PD116P or PD100
projector. Expected life in
hours is 2,000 standard mode,
3,000 economy mode.
Intel
Pentium
Pentium
D Processor
Genuine Windows
XP Professional
Intel
PENTIUM
D PROCESSOR 830
(2X1MB L2 CACHE, 3GHZ, 800MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS
XP PROFESSIONAL
1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM; 160GB
1
SATA HARD DRIVE, 7200RPM;
AND DVD-DUAL DRIVE (DVD+/-RW)
(VT6800-U-S8301)
For permanent placement
of an Acer PD525, PD120D,
PD116P or PD100 projector in a
conference room or classroom,
youll want an easy-to-install
Ceiling Mount.
Ceiling Mount
$79
(EZ.PCM03.007)
Replacement Lamp
for PD120D, PD100
$199
(EC.J2101.001)
Acer Veriton 6800
$879
INTEL
PENTIUM
XP PROFESSIONAL
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM; 160GB
1
SATA HARD DRIVE, 7200RPM;
AND CD-RW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE
(VT6800-U-P6501)
Acer Veriton 6800
$699
INTEL
PENTIUM
XP PROFESSIONAL
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM; 80GB
1
SATA HARD DRIVE, 7200RPM;
AND CD-RW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE
(VT6800-U-P6301)
Acer Veriton 6800
$799
INTEL
PENTIUM
XP PROFESSIONAL
512MB DDR2 533 SDRAM; 80GB
1
SATA HARD DRIVE, 7200RPM;
AND CD-RW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE
(VT6800-U-P6400)
DUAL-CORE PROCESSOR
160GB HARD DRIVE
Acer Notebook/Tablet Service Upgrades Protect Your Valuable Investment
1
When referring to storage capacity, GB stands for one billion bytes and MB stands for one million bytes. Some utilities may indicate varying storage capacities. Total user-accessible capacity
may vary depending on operating environments.
2
For a free copy of the standard limited warranty end-users should see a reseller where Acer products are sold or write to Acer America Corporation, Warranty Department, P.O. Box 6137,
Temple, TX 76503.
2006 Acer America Corporation. Information and prices are subject to change without notice. Pricing is effective from March 7, 2006 through April 15, 2006.
Product images are representations of some of the models available and may vary from the model you
purchase. Acer, TravelMate and Veriton are registered trademarks and AcerPower a trademark of Acer Inc. Aspire is a trademark of Acer
America Corporation. Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel SpeedStep, Intel Viiv, Intel Xeon, Itanium, Itanium Insi-
de, Pentium, Pentium Inside, the Centrino logo, the Intel logo and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Microsoft and
Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Quality is built into every notebook and tablet PC Acer makes, and each comes with a
one-year standardlimited warranty.
2
It includes hardware technical support via toll-free phoneplus
a concurrent International Travelers Warranty for travel outside the U.S. and Canada. Extra
protection is available with one of these upgrades:
2-Year Extension of Limited Warranty (146.AB820.EX2)
$99
Prepays freight to and from Acer repair depot.
Excludes extension of International Traveler's Warranty.
Its a tough world out there, and accidents do happensticky spills, dangerous drops, nasty
knockswhich is why you should consider the Total Protection Upgrade. It runs concurrently with
the limited warranty
2
and limited warranty extension and covers the cost of a replacement unit
if your covered notebook cannot be repaired.
2-Year Extension of Limited Warranty + 3-Year Total Protection Upgrade (146.AD077.002)
$199
Prepays freight to and from Acer repair depot.
Excludes extension of International Traveler's Warranty.
For the name of a reseller near you or further
information, please call Acer or visit our Web site:
800-571-2237
www.acer.com/us
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi
$2,499
INTEL
CORE
XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAX06.034)
Intel
Centrino
Core
Duo Processor
- Mobile Intel
XP Professional
2GB DDR2 667 SDRAM
120GB
1
hard drive, 5400RPM
Modular Super-Multi drive
(DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM)
5-in-1 card reader for optional
MultiMediaCard
or
xD-Picture Card
Mobility
Radeon
X1600 graphics
Integrated, adjustable webcam
802.11a/b/g WLAN, Bluetooth
,
gigabit LAN, V.92 modem
One-year limited warranty
2
Have a video
conference
almost
anywhere Integrated
Webcam
DUAL-CORE PROCESSOR
Acer recommends Windows
XP Professional.
Acer
TravelMate
8200
The Visible Power of Mobile Leadership
The Acer TravelMate 8200 includes all the new and high-end features you could want in a
notebook and earned the prestigious PC Magazine Editors Choice Award in January 2006.
Intel
Centrino
Mobility
Radeon
R
e
a
d
y
to
g
e
t
m
o
v
in
g
I
T
A
L
E
R
T
:
YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN WITH INSIGHT
Certified Systems Engineers
M
Leading Technology
M
Leasing Programs
Source Code: AD029
Insight and the Insight logo are registered trademarks of Insight Direct USA, Inc. IT For The Way You Work is a trademark of Insight Direct USA, Inc. All other
trademarks, registered trademarks, photos, logos and illustrations are property of their respective owners. 2006 Insight Direct USA, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pentium
M 1.73GHz processor,
512MB DDR II SDRAM
Multi-Function Bay, enabling simple
swapping out of powerful peripherals
Integrated Bluetooth
technology
Integrated biometrics fingerprint sensor
KINGSTON Data Traveler Elite
High-Speed USB Flash Drive 512MB
KUSBDTE/512
Up to 24MBps (read) and 14MBps (write)
Ultra-secure with 128-bit AES data encryption
TravelerSafe+ software for password protection
5-year warranty, free tech support
SONY
) Routers make
hopping online with your Nintendo DS
XP Professional
It looks like a revolutionary. But
dont let the titanium cover fool you.
Underneath, its all ThinkPad. The
Lenovo ThinkPad Z60 titanium with
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology.
New Thinking. New Thinkpad.
Lenovo recommends Windows
XP Professional
Availability: All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specications at any time, without notice. Lenovo is not responsible for photographic or typographic errors. *Pricing: Prices
do not include tax or shipping and handling or recycling fees and are subject to change without notice. Reseller prices may vary. Warranty: For a copy of applicable product warranties, write to: Warranty Information, P.O. Box
12195, RTP, NC 27709, Attn: Dept ZPYA/B676. Lenovo makes no representation or warranty regarding third party products or services. Footnotes: (1) Mobile Processors: Power management reduces processor speed
when in battery mode. (2) Wireless: based on IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g respectively. An adapter with 11a/b, 11b/g or 11a/b/g can communicate on either/any of these listed formats respectively; the actual con-
nection will be based on the access point to which it connects. (3) Included software: may differ from its retail version (if available), and may not include user manuals or all program functionality. License agreements may
apply. (4) Memory: For PCs without a separate video card, memory supports both system and video. Accessible system memory is up to 64MB less than the amount stated, depending on video mode. (5) Hard drive:
GB = billion bytes. Accessible capacity is less; up to 4GB is service partition. (6) Battery: These model numbers achieved Battery Rundown Time of at least the time shown during testing. A description of the testing is available
at lenovo.com/pc/ww/thinkpad/batterylife. Battery life (and recharge times) will vary based on many factors including screen brightness, applications, features, power management, battery conditioning and other customer
preferences. (7) Activating Verizon Wireless Service: Lenovo customers will be contacted after purchase to activate service; requires separate agreement with Verizon Wireless and is subject to the Customer Agreement,
Calling Plan and credit approval. Service and airtime charges will apply; $175 early termination fee. Verizon Wireless, not Lenovo, is solely responsible for service. Service not available in all areas; purchaser is responsible for
verifying that service is available for the intended location before purchasing a computer equipped with WAN card. Network details, coverage limitations and maps at: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/mobileoptions/broadband/
serviceavailability.jsp?opener=b2b (8) Client Security Solution: preloaded on select models; requires software download. (9) Travel Weight: includes battery and optional travel bezel instead of standard optical drive in
Ultrabay bay, if applicable; weight may vary due to vendor components, manufacturing process and options. (10) Thinness: may vary at certain points on the system. Trademarks: The following are trademarks of Lenovo:
ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, UltraConnect, Access Connections, Rescue and Recovery, ThinkPad Part Replicator II, Active Protection System, ThinkPad dock, ThinkVantage and ThinkVision. IBM and the IBM logo are registered trademarks
of IBM and are used under license. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel SpeedStep, Intel Viiv, Intel Xeon, Itanium,
Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, the Centrino logo, the Intel logo and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other company,
product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of other companies. 2006 Lenovo. All rights reserved.
Visit www.lenovo.com/safecomputing periodically for the latest information on safe and effective computing.
To shop or locate
your local reseller
It takes all kinds to make up a family. Well, here are some members
of ours. Serious machines for serious business. Lenovo ThinkPad
Celeron
Windows
XP Home
256MB DDR memory at 400MHz
40 GB Hard Drive, CD-ROM
6 USB 2.0 ports (2 Frontside)
think express model
$
379PN 9214A1U
Option
17 ThinkVision
Centrino
Pro/Wireless 2915abg
Microsoft
Windows
XP Professional
14 XGA TFT (1280x768)
512MB DDR2 memory at 667MHz
60GB Serial ATA Hard Drive, CD-RW/
DVD Drive
think express model
$
1499PN 1953D6U
Option
512MB DDR2 memory at 667MHz
$
94PN 40Y7733
ThinkPad X60
distinctive innovations
ThinkVantage Client Security
8
Strong
security as a standard feature
system features
Intel
Centrino
Pro/Wireless 2915abg
Microsoft
Windows
XP Professional
12.1 XGA TFT
60GB Serial ATA Hard Drive
4.1lbs travel weight
9
and only 1.1 thin
10
think express model
$
1499PN 170947U
Option
ThinkPad X60 Series Extended Life Battery
$
179PN 40Y7005
ThinkCentre E50 Tower
distinctive innovations
Rescue and Recovery one-button
recovery and restore solution
system features
Intel
Pentium
Windows
XP Professional
512MB DDR memory at 400MHz
80GB Hard Drive, CD-RW
6 USB 2.0 Ports (2 Frontside)
think express model
$
699PN 921525U
Option
Lexmark X7170 All-In-One printer
with USB cable
$
149PN 40Y8260
ThinkPad Z60 notebook available with
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
ThinkPad Z60m
distinctive innovations
ThinkPad Productivity Center ThinkPad
help at your ngertips
system features
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
Intel
Pentium
Pro/Wireless 9215ABG
2
Microsoft
Windows
XP Home
3
15.4 SXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
512MB
4
DDR2 memory at 533MHz
40GB
5
Serial ATA Hard Drive,
CD-RW/DVD Drive
think express model
$
1149PN 2529-03U
Option
ThinkPad Z60m 9 Cell Li-Ion Battery
6
$
179PN 40Y6797
ThinkPad Z60t
distinctive innovations
Active Protection System Airbag-like
technology to help protect your hard drive
system features
Intel
Pentium
Windows
XP Professional
Integrated BT and Verizon WWAN
7
14.1 XGA Widescreen (1280x768)
512MB DDR2 memory at 533MHz
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive,
DVD Recordable Drive
think express model
$
1799PN 2511-FEU
Option
ThinkPad Essential Port Replicator
$
179PN 250510W
Call 1 866 426-7853
Go to lenovo.com/newthinkpad/m100
F I R S T L O O K S
Software: VoIP
Talk Gets Cheaper for Small Businesses
mail after a certain time.
Hunt groups let calls be dis-
tributed to a team simultane-
ously or according to criteria
such as whose line is free.
To prevent t he system
from choking, administra-
tors can limit mailbox stor-
age to anywhere between
1KB and 5MB. A good over-
view screen shows how much
space each user is occupying,
and Web access to messages
lets users easily manage their
voice mail accounts.
We were amazed at the
breadth of features packed
into the DVX-1000, like the
CDR capabi l ity that l ists
every call handled by the
system along with the calling
parties, date, time, and dura-
tion. We were also impressed
by the ease of system setup
and conguration.
The DPH- 1 40 phones
could use a more automated
conf iguration and tighter
integration into the overall
system, but the DVX-1000
lets you outt your company
with a feature-packed IP te-
lephony solution for under
$2,000 (plus $139 per seat).
If you run a small shop, that
should put this PBX at the top
of your shopping list.
IP Telephony DVX-1000
DVX-1000, $1,599 direct, plus $139 per
seat. D-Link Corp., www.dlink.com.
llllm
BY OLIVER KAVEN
R
ecently D-Link intro-
duced an IP PBX for
busi nesses with 25
or fewer employees: the IP
Telephony DVX-1000 ($1,599
direct). The product is part
of a complete line called the
xStack IP Telephony Solution,
which consists of the DVX-
1000, an analog trunk gate-
way (the DVG-3004S), and
DPH-140S VoIP telephones.
The DVX-1000 is a SIP
(Session Initiation Proto-
col) telephony switch that
includes an auto-attendant,
a call-forwarding and hold
capability, IVR (Interactive
Voice Response), voice mail
with Web-based user access,
and support for up to 25 ex-
tensions. The integrated con-
ferencing bridge has a Web
interface that lets you sched-
ule conference calls, issue
invitations to participants,
and restrict access via PIN
authentication.
EASY TO CONFIGURE
Setup is no harder than for
any other network-attached
device that uses a Web inter-
face. You can give the DVX-
1000 a static IP address or
have it obtain one from your
DHCP server. Once the unit
has an IP address, you can
use the Web interface for
all configuration, including
the setup of the gateway, DNS
parameters, and SMTP-deliv-
ered system alerts. To ensure
date and time accuracyes-
pecially important since time
stamps for voice mail and
Cal l Detai l Reporti ng
(CDR) rely on the PBX
clockyou can point the
DVX-1000 to two external
NTP (Network Time Proto-
col) sources.
Adding a new user or a new
extension merely requires a
few mouse clicks in the Call
Server section. Registration
involves nothing more than
assigning the new username
and extension to a valid SIP
ID on the network.
Once configured with an
ID and extension, a DPH-140
($134.99) phone is available
to the DVX-1000. This is
the only part of the solution
that requires advanced know-
ledge of SIP and the workings
of an IP telephony system.
The DVX-1000 can use
multiple gateways. This en-
ables administrators to send
certain trafc over the PSTN
(Public Switched Telephone
Network) and other traffic
over the Internet using SIP.
Connecting the DVX-1000 to
the PSTN requires a bridge
between the local PSTN and
your IP network. The $699
D-Link DVG-3004S can do
the job. It offers four RJ-11 an-
alog FXO (Foreign Exchange
Ofce) ports for connecting
to the local PSTN and one
10/100 Base-TX connector
for attaching to your local
Ethernet network.
ROUTING CALLS
Auto-attendant with f ul l
IVRa feature usually found
only in higher-end systems
lets administrators config-
ure the PBX to greet callers
and direct them to different
departments, specific user
extensions, or a prerecorded
message. You can also create
rules that route callers based
on your companys working
hours or observed holidays.
Upload any voice prompts
you want as WAV les.
The DVX-1000 supports
user groups and hunt groups.
Both allow a set of names or
extensions to be treated as a
whole for easier administra-
tion. A rule applied to the
sales group, for example,
could shunt calls to voice
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 65
D-LINKs solution has features that youd
expect only from higher-end systems.
MESSAGES TO BE PLAYED for callers can be set up in the Auto-attendant conguration menu.
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 66
More jaw-dropping technology resides in the Mercedes-Benz S550 than
in any other car today. The COMAND cockpit-control knob on the console
outdoes similar systems from Acura, Audi, BMW, and Inniti. Voice input
works well; we like the way possible phrases show up on the center-of-dash
COMAND display. Night View Assist sees 500 feet into the dark and dis-
plays a bright monochrome image on an LCD panel. Two front-ring radar
units assist your braking and bring all 4,270 pounds to a safe stop. The 600-
watt, 14-speaker Harman Kardon audio system has a PC Card for inserting
your own tunes. The 2007 S550 is technological perfection, 2006-style.
Pioneer AVIC-N2
In the space usually taken up by your radio/CD player,
the Pioneer AVIC-N2 ts a CD/DVD player, an XM radio,
a navigation system, XMs NavTrafc real-time trafc
updates, and a jack for a $100 iPod adapter. You can
load needed routes into memory and display them on
the motorized 6.5-inch screen, then play standard,
MP3, or WMA CDs or show a movie to backseat pas-
sengers. The AVIC-N2 ts in any car with a standard
removable radio.
$1,800 street. Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.,
www.pioneerelectronics.com. llllm
CARS
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 67
Bill Howard
If GM Goes Bankrupt,
Will Anyone Care?
MERCEDES-BENZ S550
$86,175 TO $110,000
The Mercedes-Benz S550 bypasses
the Audi A8L and BMW 750Li as the
worlds best ultrapremium sedan. It
features an active infrared Night View
Assist system, radar-assisted braking,
and the best cockpit controller. The
options are so enticing youll have a
hard time staying under $100K. An all-
wheel drive model is due this fall, and
a gas-saving diesel one in 2007.
Mercedes-Benz USA LLC, www.mbusa.com.
lllll
New OnStar Nav
Expected this spring, OnStar Turn-By-Turn
Navigation provides spoken directions
without requiring the driver to enter a
destination manuallythe system calls
a live operator who asks where youre
going, but you wont need continued op-
erator involvement (unlike current OnStar
directions). Also, theres no navigation
display. It will require a 2007 GM car and
cost about $10 a month more than current
basic OnStar service.
www.technoride.com
Former General Motors presi dent
Charles Wilson is famous for his (slightly
misquoted) 1953 statement: Whats
good for the country is good for General
Motors, and vice versa. But how good
would it be for America if the nations
biggest automaker turned out the lights?
There are two GMs: One is the your
fathers Oldsmobile GM that fought
emissions and safety standards, cel-
ebrated road-hugging weight as if
Madison Avenue had repealed the laws
of physics, and to this day turns out
too many cheap-looking dashboards.
The other is the GM that builds some
world-class cars and has U.S. produc-
tion facilities that match the Asians for
assembly-line quality.
Then theres GMs tech-
nology. The company and its
partners have OnStar, by far
the biggest wireless safety,
information, and routing sys-
tem for cars. GMs Magne-
Ride shock absorbers, which
adjust to road conditions by
applying magnetic force to
the iron particles inside, are a brilliant
invention. GM was the first to take the
plunge with its PhatNoise entertainment
system, with a 40GB hard drive you just
fill with digital media from your PC and
dock in your car so you can stream multi-
ple channels of audio and video. And GM
was also rst with head-up displays.
Furthermore, the Corvette is a world-
class sports car with sophisticated
engine and suspension technologies, for
half the price you'd pay for other similar
cars. (Funny how the Corvettes tangen-
tial failings, such as uncomfortable seats,
are called crude; on a Porsche or Fer-
rari, theyd be part of the cars inherent
charm.) GMs Saturn brand wasnt the
rst to use plastic body panels that dont
rust and can withstand parking-lot dings,
but it helped to popularize them. Finally,
GM established a dealer channel where
the sales reps treated customers decently
(not technology, but still important).
Other automakers also offer tech-
nologies such as automatic braking,
lane-departure warnings, and blind-spot
detection. But GMs problem is figuring
out which car to put all this good stuff in.
Because of costs$2,000 isnt uncom-
mon for any single leading-edge tech-
nologythese tech features need to be
incorporated into a vehicle that's priced
at $50,000 to $75,000 and already has a
leading-edge image.
GM has precious few of these: the Cadil-
lac STS, Cadillac Escalade, and Chevrolet
Corvette. The ideal car to serve as a tech
platform would be a big brother to the
STS, competing with the Audi A8L, BMW
7 Series, Lexus LS430, and Mercedes-
Benzs awesome new S-Class.
If I owned General Motors, Id tell all
hands to pay attention to the everyday
cars, too. First, make Blue-
tooth and line-in jacks stan-
dard; a year later, do the
same for PC Card slots and
USB jacks (which let you con-
trol any music player from
the radio). The rich arent the
only ones who drive with cell
phones and iPods. The next
step would be to make the
interiors more inviting and to add more
style to the exterior. Design statements
like that of the Cadillac CTS go a long way.
GMs biggest challenge lies outside
technology. The company has too many
indistinguishable brands selling undis-
tinguished vehicles by dealers that buy-
ers would rather not deal with (GM is
not unique in that). And like Ford and the
Chrysler part of DaimlerChrysler, GM
has a ton of retirees with medical ben-
ets, which adds something like $1,500
in costs per car. Something that might
save GMand would also benefit self-
employed entrepreneurs and people in
the high-tech sector whose jobs come
and gois national health insurance.
Whats good for General Motors. . . .
>
MORE ON THE WEB
To check out the full reviews for
these products, navigate over to
www.technoride.com,
the car site for tech fans.
How good
would it be for
America if its
biggest auto-
maker turned
out the lights?
HARD DRIVE
Maxtor OneTouch II
Small Business Edition
(SBE)
Maxtor Corp.; $599.95 direct
One-touch data back-up.
Works with Windows
2000/2003 Server and
Small Business Server.
Unattended backups. Can
be removed and locked
down easily.
go.pcmag.com/
MaxtorOneTouchIISBE
SOFTWARE
BACKUP SOFTWARE
NTI Shadow
NewTech Infosystems Inc.; $29.99
Fast, simple, continuous backup.
go.pcmag.com/NTIShadow
ANTISPYWARE
Spyware Doctor 3.5
PC Tools; $29.95
Best version yet. Removed more spyware
than other tested products.
go.pcmag.com/SpyDoc35
FINANCIAL SOFTWARE
TurboTax Premier 2005
Intuit Inc.; $14.95$69.95
Excellent coverage of personal tax top-
ics. Top-notch interface and help. Free
deduction-tracking application and a
rewards program can add value.
go.pcmag.com/TurboPremier05
HOME NETWORKING
Buffalo LinkTheater
Buffalo Technology (USA) Inc.; $300
Streams digitized content from PC to
entertainment center.
go.pcmag.com/LinkTheater
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
LOW-COST LCD HDTV
Proview RX-326
Proview; $949.99 list
Widescreen 32-inch display.
Pleasing picture quality.
Good image quality with
analog/digital inputs.
Inexpensive.
go.pcmag.com/RX326
SMART PHONES
(KEYBOARDLESS)
T-Mobile SDA
T-Mobile; $3,299.99 direct
Wi-Fi. Dedicated music buttons.
Excellent screen. Syncs with Outlook.
go.pcmag.com/SDA
ULTRACOMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA
Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital Elph
Canon U.S.A. Inc.; $449.95 list
Quick performer. Excellent image quality.
Unique My Color feature. Good ergo-
nomics. Sleek and attractive.
go.pcmag.com/SD550
TRAVEL SPEAKERS
Creative
TravelDock 900
Creative Labs Inc.;
$79.99 direct
Very compact. Good
sound quality and power.
Good battery life with
alkaline batteries.
go.pcmag.com/
traveldock900
HEADPHONES
Etymotic ER6i
Etymotic Research Inc.;
$130 street
Great sound quality and
sensitivity. Good bass
performance. Comfort-
able. Effectively blocks
outside noise.
go.pcmag.com/er6i
HARDWARE
DEDICATED PHOTO PRINTER
Canon Selphy CP510
Compact Photo Printer
Canon U.S.A. Inc.; $99.99 direct
Very affordable. Fast performance and low
running cost. Very good photo quality for
the price. Prints on a variety of paper sizes
up to 4 by 8 inches. Battery option.
go.pcmag.com/canoncp510
LAPTOP
Dell Inspiron 6000 (Media Center)
Dell Inc.; $968.80 direct (E-Value Code 1111-i6004pc)
Media Center OS. 15.4-inch widescreen
display. Very good performance.
go.pcmag.com/DellInspiron6000MCE
DESKTOPS
Apple iMac (Intel Core Duo)
Apple Computer Inc.; $1,699 direct, $1,799 as tested
Dual-core processor. Front row. Mini-DVI
port for true dual-monitor usage.
go.pcmag.com/appleimacintel
Dell Dimension E310
Dell Inc.: $746; with 17-inch LCD, $929
Windows Media Center Edition. DataSafe
option for added storage protection. Great
bang for the buck.
go.pcmag.com/dellE310
ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER
Canon Pixma MP500
Canon U.S.A. Inc.; $199 street
Prints, scans, and copies. Fast perfor-
mance. Excellent paper handling.
go.pcmag.com/
CanonPixmaMP500
LCD MONITOR (21-INCH)
Gateway FPD2185W
Gateway Inc.; $599.99 direct
Excellent image quality. Lots
of video connections. Highly
adjustable.
go.pcmag.com/GatewayFPD2185W
T-Mobile SDA
Canon
Selphy CP510
WHAT TO BUY
69
go.pcmag.com/whattobuy F I R S T L OOK S
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE
Proview RX-326
Find tools and guidance to defend your network at microsoft.com/security/IT
Antivirus for Exchange: Download a free trial of Antigen
for
Exchange and arm your e-mail server with powerful multi-engine
protection from viruses, worms, and inappropriate content.
Learning Paths for Security: Take advantage of in-depth
online training tools and security expert webcasts organized
around your specic needs. Then test your security solutions
in virtual labs, all available on TechNet.
Free Tools and Updates: Streamline patch management
with automated tools like Windows Server
TM
Update Services.
And verify that your systems are congured for maximized
security with Microsoft
FEEDBACK
go.pcmag.com/feedback go.pcmag.com/feedback
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 72
Neil and Loyd are a formidable duo that Ill enjoy
reading for as long as PC Magazine prints them.
soft has every intention of charging for it once the beta testers
are done being lab rats.
What a snotty reply to a reasonable complaint.
Mark Scardiglia
MOTOROLA S NAME COMPRESSI ON
The whole Moto phone nomenclature (phonenclature?)
cracks me up. The name SLVR makes me think of pain un-
der a ngernail. Does it have a companion phone called the
TWZR to remove a SLVR? One can surmise that they used
RAZR because KNFE was taken. Had they used KNFE in-
stead, imagine the product tie-in with the Victorinox folks: A
Swiss Army KNFE. I dont know about you, but I could use a
phone with a corkscrew for my next bottle of Kendall-Jackson
cabernet sauvignon.
As for the PEBL, you would think they have a tie-in with
Hanna-Barbera. Whats next, cell phones for couples? They
could make a FRD and WLMA or a BRNY and BTTY, or even
a ruggedized phone called the BMBM. And maybe a GPS-en-
abled phone for pets calledyou guessed itthe DNO. Now
that would add a new dimension to calling your dog.
Frank Goad
Somebody please buy this company a vowel. (But rst check out
our SLVR review on page 32 of this issue.)Jim Louderback
THE DYNAMI C DUO
I was totally geeked when I saw your new Solutions section.
It is one of my favorite sections of PC Magazine. First, I came
across Ask Loyd, accompanied by Loyd Cases photo. Ive
been a fan of his since his days at Computer Gaming World.
Ive wished many times I was in Loyds shoes testing some of
the hottest new tech on the market. Then I turned the page
and stared in awe at the photo of the tech guy I most aspire to
be like: Neil J. Rubenking. No set of initials in PC Magazine
carries as much credibility as NJR. To nally see the face be-
hind the writing is an absolute treat and provides some well-
deserved recognition to a true PC Magazine hero. Ill miss the
fact that Neil wont be initialing his responses now that he
has his own column, but Ill deal with itcongrats to Neil on
getting his own space at last.
Neil and Loyd are a formidable duo that Ill enjoy reading
for as long as PC Magazine prints them.
David Rosa
PCS FOR REAL POWER USERS
The Name Game (Feedback, February 7) resonated with me.
Gamers seem to be the only folks that the trade magazines ad-
dress for performance. Rick Altmans letter pointed out one set
of users who require serious speed: digital video creators.
I agree with him that the majority of magazines seem to ex-
pect that all business users just use e-mail and Word and are
happy with the mainline systems provided by the vendors.
I sure know Im not. I write software for a living and manage
other software engineers. The last thing I want is to be paying
a high-priced engineer to watch an hourglass spinning during a
compilation. It is getting worse, as modern systems not only re-
quire a compiler but also usually start up an application server,
a JSP container such as Tomcat or Resin, and talk to a back-end
database. In the words of ToolTime Tim, we need more power.
I would appreciate some reviews and discussion of how the
new systems compare. Does it make sense to buy the hottest
single CPU or a hot dual-core? Or do we still have to go to the
expense of getting dual Xeon systems (nominally for servers) to
deliver the desktop performance that professional developers
require?
Pat Farrell
These days, the reason for getting a workstation desktop over a
high-end multimedia PC or performance desktop PC mainly
boils down to support: driver support for specialized hardware,
technical support for specialized apps (CAD/CAM/CGI or
nancial/database/development, and such), and hand-holding
for your IT guys. This support can be life or death in the face of
a looming deadline. That said, dual-core and multiprocessor
PCs and workstations help only if your key program is written
to take advantage of multithreaded processing. This is true for
graphics programs as well as compilers. Unlike general-purpose
PCs, individual workstation congurations (memory, storage,
CPUs, graphics) are more closely tied to the task. Since worksta-
tion congurations are specialized for niche tasks, you rarely see
them in general media magazines. What might be a great work-
station for software development may be a poor choice for a dig-
ital photonishing rm, and vice versa.Joel Santo Domingo,
Lead Analyst, Desktops and Workstations
Corrections and Amplications
In our First Looks piece Dual-Core for Your Mobile Lifestyle (February 21, page 32), we
incorrectly reported the percentage of improvement of the two reviewed systems (the
Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi and the HP Pavilion dv1000t) over the comparison system
(the Gateway NX850XL). On SYSmark 2004 SE, the Acer system performed 45 percent
better than the Gateway system on Ofce Productivity (OP) and 58 percent better on
Internet Content Creation (ICC). On the same tests, the HP system performed 34 percent
better than the Gateway system on OP and 46 percent better on ICC. For the multimedia
tests, the Acer system performed 78 percent better on Windows Media Encode (WME)
and 111 percent better on the Photoshop CS2 Action set (PS2). The HP system was 72
percent better on WME and 35 percent better on PS2.
FEEDBACK
go.pcmag.com/feedback
J UMP TO NEXT PAGE >>
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 89
A
look at the white papers and articles ar-
chived on the Center for Digital Democ-
racys Web site reveals paper after paper
on how the telecom companies want to
make the Internet into a tiered service,
so that your 1.5-Mbps service is not the same as my
1.5-Mbps service.
These companies are preoccupied with deep-
packet analysis. Instead of just routing trafc, the
new routers will also determine the nature of the
packet. This isnt for security or spying, but to ag
Skype and other VoIP calls so you can be charged
extra for making them. You can assume that IPTV
trafc will be charged differently, too. One of the
more shameful aspects of this is that Cisco seems to
be promoting some of these ideas so that it can sell
more specialized (and expensive) gear.
If they were serving the public interest, the telcos
and cable companies would simply provide a very
fast connection, and services would ow over those
connections in ways determined by the user
everything IP-driven. But these companies would
like to use gangland tactics to get into every part of
your business. You buy the 1.5-Mbps link, it costs a
xed amount. You actually want to use it, it costs
more. How about putting a server on it? Nope, you
have to pay extra. Can you make a VoIP Skype call?
No way, costs more. So youre not getting a real 1.5-
Mbps line at allyoure getting scammed, in fact.
This reminds me of the early era of Internet
connectivity, where an ISP would buy a 1.5-Mbps
T-1 line from the phone company and resell it over
and over and over to hundreds of customers, with
the rationalization that the line was magically
multiplexed and was providing T-1 service to 500
people. When you read the ne print, you discov-
ered that you couldnt really use the whole capac-
ity of your T-1 at all. This sort of scam is still with
us, only now the big boys are doing it. The state
and local public utilities commissions say nothing.
The Federal Communications Commission says
nothing. Nobody says anything.
It seems to me that if you buy a 1.5-Mbps con-
nection, you should be able to redline the connec-
tion, to use the full capacity without being charged
more. And you should also be able to use it for
whatever you want to use it for. Otherwise, its like
selling public-utility water to people and making
them pay more to use it for washing dishes.
As this fiasco unfolds, I blame the Telecom-
munications Act of 1996. Its apologists still claim
that its working, when it has clearly resulted in the
consolidation of the phone companies and the lu-
dicrous fact that the original monopoly, AT&T, is
actually re-emerging as a big clunky ogre, despite
its 1984 court-ordered breakup. Where is Judge
Harold Green when you need him?
This was made clear when SBC grabbed a slew
of the one-time Regional Bell Operating Companies
created by the breakup, including Pacic Bell. Then
SBC merged with AT&T and is now called AT&T.
In just six years, the name of the fabulous baseball
stadium in San Francisco has gone from Pac Bell
Park to SBC Park to AT&T Park. Just the expense
of changing the signage and promotional collateral
tells you that someone is making plenty of money.
The entire nations telecom infrastructure will
consolidate, probably into three monopolies: land-
line, cellular, and cable. The Internet will change
drastically. Just look at a list of the documents
archived by the Center for Digital Democracy
(www.democraticmedia.org) to see where all this is
headed. The guys who run these telecom compa-
nies have no qualms about openly discussing their
plans to ream the public. With weak public utili-
ties commissions and an FCC that is not serving
the public, what is the point of being secretive?
Apparently nobody cares. The folks in Congress
are technophobic and clueless; they just listen to
the lobbyists who work for the big telecom compa-
nies. The FCC is out to ruin the country by giving
the big companies anything they want. The execu-
tive branch is all about corporatism at the expense
of the public. And the public itself seems not to
care, or these jokers would be voted out of ofce.
Meanwhile, Western Europe and Asia will glide
along the Net at 30 to 100 Mbps with IPTV, VoIP,
and slick services with a reasonable connection fee,
while we struggle to get a solid 1 Mbps while paying
all sorts of usage fees. Soon well be comparing our-
selves to Bolivia or Paraguay and patting ourselves
on the back saying, Were number one.
And sure, in the Western Hemisphere well be
number oneif you leave Canada out.
John C. Dvorak
Hijacking the Internet
The original telecom
monopoly, AT&T, is
now re-emerging
as the big clunky
ogre that was once
broken up.
MORE ON THE WEB: Read John C. Dvoraks column
every Monday at go.pcmag.com/dvorak. You can
reach him directly at pcmag@dvorak.org.
"My favourite password
manager... Easy to use, does
not pop up ads in my face or
grab information from me. Most
importantly, it simply works well."
Financial Times
"Easy to use and without any hidden
spyware... Innovative, lean,
useful product."
Wall Street Journal
Memorizes your passwords and Logs You In automatically.
Fills long registration and checkout forms with one click.
Encrypts your passwords to achieve complete security.
Stores your passwords on your computer, not on a server.
Backs up your passwords, Copies them between computers.
Syncs your passwords to Pocket PC, SmartPhone, and Palm.
PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award Logo is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. Used under license.
Xerox,
DocuMate and Theres a new way to look at it are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries and are used under license. 2005 Thomas L. Hartwell photography. All other trademarks are the property of their respec-
tive owners and are hereby acknowledged. *Competition is the Fujitsu 4120 C2. PC Magazine Editors Choice Award Logo is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. Used under license.
Learn more: www.xeroxscanners.com/pcm4
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 93
H
aving just returned from DEMO 2006,
held in Phoenix this year, Im stoked on
new technology. Some of the new prod-
ucts I saw there were entertaining, some
practical, a few were electrifying, and
one was delicious. The delicious one was MooBella,
a box the size of a soda machine that mixed up a fresh
cup of ice cream, with any of 11 different avors and
a handful of different toppings, in less than a minute.
Its in beta test now; the machines could be ubiqui-
tous in a year or two.
Too many of the products, however, left me with
a sense of dj vu. Even some of the more impres-
sive ones, like Riya, were as much clever mash-ups
of existing technologies as breakthroughs. Riya is
face- and word-recognition software that helps you
tag your photographs by whos in them and where
they were shot. It appears that its recognition code
is nely honed, so it reads billboards, placards, and
street signs to help you nd and categorize your
photos. Riya can go one step beyond your existing
photo organizer softwareand anything that can
make sense out of the digital shoebox that your
hard drive has become is welcome. But the good
guys were spotting the bad guys with face recogni-
tion software back at Super Bowl XXXV, so chalk
one up for progress, not revolution.
New search engines were everywhereno
surprise, considering Googles stock price and
Yahoo!s resurgence. As a group, I thought they
were rather overspecialized. And the big search
companies generally have the technology to do all
that any successful upstart might do (and more),
or they can just acquire the edgling. But maybe
thats the idea.
I always guess wrong about community applica-
tions, and Im always amazed when they take off.
I cant gure out why Id want a site that tells me
what my buddies are watching on TV, but thats
what eVoke TV does. Bet against me. History is
on your side.
When it comes to saving money, though, I get it
right. Eqo (pronounced echo) extends your Skype
phone to your cell phone, bringing big potential sav-
ings over roaming charges. Again, Eqo has a trendy
community angle, Take your buddies with you,
but the real message here is Save a bundle. You
may need a different calling plan that can handle
the background data trafc, though. Check it out.
Youve probably read about Pleo, the cuter-
than-cute robotic dinosaur from the inventor of
the Furby. Do I need one? No. Do I want one? Oh,
yeah. And I both need and want an iGuitar, a fully
analog and digital guitar with USB output. It plugs
right into music recording programs, and its a re-
ally nice electric guitar in its own right. I mean no
disservice to the 60 or so products that I havent
mentioned, but lets move on.
Sometimes the journey is the destination, and I
had some interesting traveling companions in ad-
dition to my wife. One was the iGo charging sys-
tem, the one you see in Radio Shack and in travel
and laptop catalogs. The single charging brick runs
on AC or DC and can simultaneously power your
notebook and your choice of personal electronics:
cell phone, MP3 player, Walkman, CD player, and
more. The TSA screeners gave the charging unit
the hairy eyeball at the airport, but they ultimately
decided it wasnt a threatunless I were to drop it
on someones toe.
The iGo will charge just about anything; it has a
wide selection of adapter tips, and more are becom-
ing available all the time. The tips play an active role
in setting the correct voltage and current settings
for each device. Unlike some adapters that simply
burn off voltage with a crude resistor or (better) a
voltage regulator, the iGo senses a tips unique iden-
tity and programs itself accordingly.
I also had a loaner Verizon phone, a Motorola
V325, which has GPS capabilities. It was loaded with
VZ Navigator, an excellent mapping and directions
system that uses the Navteq database. After the con-
ference, we took in the Heard Museum, Frank Lloyd
Wrights Taliesin West, and the Apache Trail. VZ
Navigator talked us through every twist and turn,
and displayed the route on a very readable screen.
Turn-by-turn instructions are a little hard on the
battery, however, so I ducked into a strip mall Ra-
dio Shack and picked up an iGo tip that worked with
my phone. With the 12-volt cord, the iGo kept the
phone charged, and we stayed on course. Back on
notebook duty, the iGo didnt even get warm when
it charged my depleted IBM T42p and N-Charge
auxiliary battery simultaneously. Good stuff.
Technology Travels
MORE ON THE WEB: You can contact Bill Machrone
at Bill_Machrone@ziffdavis.com. For more of his
columns, go to go.pcmag.com/machrone.
Eqo extends your
Skype phone to
your cell phone,
bringing big
potential savings
over roaming
charges.
Bill Machrone
Thin and light form factors
Long battery life
1
14" with modular bay
15.4" with modular bay
17" with modular bay
Biometric ngerprint sensor
Trusted Platform Module
Bluetooth
Technology
2
Optional integrated wireless WAN
3
Optional integrated camera
Give me mobility.
I want exibility.
I demand security.
I cant live without connectivity.
The Sony
VAIO
Professional BX Series
Notebook, featuring Intel
Centrino
XP Professional.
O
ddly enough, no one has come up with the perfect PC with
the perfect operating system and the perfect applications
that make everyone happy all the time. Crazy world.
Thats why we turn to utilities, from the little ones
that show you the weather forecast and keep you from making common
e-mail faux pas to the far bigger ones that search your system at the speed
of thought and back up your hard drive. And as the pace of major software
development slowsyes, it really has been five years since Windows XP
shipped, and three since Microsoft Ofce 2003 arrivedfamiliarity begins
to breed contempt. Imperfections are magnied, and we search out better
ways to get things done.
At PC Magazine, were lucky to have an expert group of editors, writers, ana-
lysts, and contributors who are constantly searching for a better way, both at
work and at home. For this years Utility Guide, we asked them to share their
discoveries, reviewing and presenting their favorite utilities. We also spoke
with three utility developers: Mark Thompson, founder of the free utility site
AnalogX; Steve Gibson of Gibson Research, which produces some of the best
SPEED!
POWER!
in this story
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 96
[ ]
14th Annual Utility Superguide
COVER STORY
98 Incredibly Useful Utilities
100 For Home Networkers
101 For Microsoft Ofce Workers
104 Make It Pretty
106 For Photo Enthusiasts
108 For Video Enthusiasts
112 For Audio Enthusiasts
114 For Web 2.0 Addicts
116 For Your Browser(s)
118 Top 10 PC Magazine Utilities
99 Q&A: Mark Thompson
100 Q&A: Steve Gibson
114 Q&A: Mark Russinovich
LOOKS!
FUN!
online network security test utilities; and Mark Russinovich,
cofounder of Sysinternals, which brought us Filemon and
Regmon. We also sneak a peek inside the system trays of
other utility creators and users. Whose is the biggest? Well,
correcting for screen resolution and blatant
tray-padding . . . its PC Magazine editor
Lance Ulanoff, who boldly predicted the out-
come from the get-go.Sarah Pike
Our Experts Pick the Best
Illustration by Daniel Pelavin
and send it along. SnagIt goes far beyond simple screen cap-
ture. It can capture the full content of a scrolling window or
Web page. You can grab all the images on a Web page, capture
menus using a time delay, snap full-screen graphics-intensive
games, and even make a video of on-screen actions. Save the
result in any of a zillion formats, including PDF, and directly
send it off via e-mail, IM, or FTP. This screen-capture program
does it all. (TechSmith Corp., www.techsmith.com. lllll)
DIRECTORY OPUS 8 ($64) makes Windows Explorer obso-
lete. DOpus fanatics typically let it replace Windows Explorer
completely; if you get past the initial learning curve, you
wont go back. Common tasks such as managing ZIP archives,
setting le attributes, and moving les from one folder to
another are all easier in DOpus. Among its many, many
Once X1 DESKTOP EDITION ($74.95 direct) indexes your sys-
tem, you can locate an elusive le, e-mail message, attachment,
or contact as quickly as you can type. The initial indexing takes
a while, but after that, X1 updates in the background on a user-
dened schedule. It has advanced search options, but we usu-
ally just start typingeach character narrows the results. On a
budget? Yahoo! Desktop Search (desktop.yahoo.com) uses X1s
engine and offers nearly all of the same features free.
(X1 Technologies Inc., www.x1.com. llllh)
ROBOFORM PRO 6.6 ($29.95) lls Web forms and manages
your innumerable passwords. It memorizes each username
and password the rst time you log into a site, then automati-
cally supplies them when you return. All you have to remem-
ber is one master password to decrypt your data; for other
passwords youll use strong (and hard-to-remember) pass-
words from the built-in Password Generator. RoboForm will
print out all your data for offsite storage, just in case, and its
also available in a portable version for USB keys.
(Siber Systems Inc., www.siber.com. llllm)
Windows XP includes basic ZIP file management, but a
proper ZIP utility does much more. We use WINZIP 10.0 ($29.95).
It integrates nicely with Windows Explorer and offers numer-
ous context-menu itemswe especially like Zip and E-mail.
WinZip can encrypt archives with 256-bit AES, save ZIP les
directly to CD/DVD, split large les for storage or sharing, and
store repeated tasks. Best of all, you can launch a le inside a
ZIP archive, edit it, and save the changed le back to the archive.
(WinZip International LLC, www.winzip.com. lllhm)
Next time you respond to Uncle Clems e-mailed plea for
help, snap a picture of the solution with SNAGIT 8.0 ($39.95)
GOOGLE EARTH
BY NEIL J. RUBENKING
DIRECTORY OPUS 8
X1 DESKTOP EDITION
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 98
ure, we test hundreds of new software programs each year to help you
choose the best ones. But when we see ones that will make our lives bet-
ter, they get permanent homes on our own PCs. Editors Ben Gottesman, Jim
Louderback, Michael Miller, and I compared our lists of these drop-dead
useful utilities. They overlapped a lot; some utilities showed up on three or even all four
of our lists. We boiled them down to this collection of gems youll denitely want to try.
INCREDIBLY USEFUL UTILITIES
S
S
high-end abilities are nding duplicate les, changing
date/time stamps, handling FTP transfers, preview-
ing almost any type of le, and splitting and rejoining
large lesthe list is almost endless!
(GPSoftware, www.gpsoft.com.au. llllm)
More and more people find instant messaging
handy at work as well as at home, but not everyone
uses the same IM system. You dont have to put up
with the ads and annoyances of multiple IM cli-
entsjust load up TRILLIAN BASIC 3.1 (free). It will
communicate with your buddies on AIM, ICQ, IRC,
MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger, keeping
them all in one handy list. You can audio-chat with
buddies whose service supports it, log conversa-
tions, and set your away/back status for all servic-
es at once. The $25 Pro version supports additional
IM services and adds a host of advanced features.
(Cerulean Studios, www.ceruleanstudios.com. llllh)
Microsofts TWEAKUI (free; not supported) pulls to-
gether an amazing number of Windows XP tweaks in
one small package. For example, you can bypass the
Welcome screens password prompt to log in automat-
ically, change the location of special folders such as My Pic-
tures, add user-dened locations to the Places Bar in standard
le dialogs, and set specic applications (say, Solitaire) so they
wont appear in the Start menus most-used programs list. The
one thing TweakUI wont do is help you nd a specic tweak,
so youll want to step through the entire list and get a feel for
whats available. (Microsoft Corp., www.microsoft.com. llllm)
Travelers who cant live without full access to their home-
base computers will pay for a high-end remote-access solution.
For the rest of us, the remote control provided by LOGMEIN
FREE (free) should be enough. Just set up an account and install
the software on your base computer. Now you can securely log
in from any other Internet-connected computer to run pro-
grams and access data. Youll have to upgrade to the Pro ver-
sion to get le transfer and synchronization, but LogMeIn Free
still lets you copy/paste between the local and remote systems
or remotely control your e-mail or IM client to send yourself a
le. (3AM Labs Inc., www.3amlabs.com. lllmm)
You dont often need PARTITIONMAGIC 8.0 ($69.95), but
when you do, its irreplaceable. For example, to install the still-
changing Windows Vista prerelease without losing your exist-
ing OS, youll have to create a new partition for it. PartitionMagic
can move, copy, resize, create, and delete drive partitions, and
even merge multiple partitions into one. Best of all, you can de-
ne a complex series of partitioning tasks, conrm the sequence
visually, and then let it execute all those lengthy actions while
you take a break. (Symantec Corp., www.symantec.com. llllm)
Sharing editable documents via e-mail makes sense when
youre collaborating on the result, but not when you aim to
broadcast a nished document such as a press release. With
an inexpensive tool such as PDF995 ($9.95) turning a document
into stable, noneditable PDF format is as easy as printing it.
Just send the document to the PDF995 printer instead of your
regular printer. If even $9.95 seems too steep, you can use the
product free and pay by viewing an advertisement each time
you use it. (Software995, www.pdf995.com. llllm)
Is GOOGLE EARTH (free) incredibly useful? Possibly, possi-
bly not, but it is drop-dead gorgeous. Who wouldve imagined
touring the world from your desk chair? It offers satellite- photo
views of the entire world, often at an amazing level of detail.
You can impress friends by dropping them into the Grand Can-
yon or zooming in on their roofs. (Google, www.google.com. llllh)
Neil J. Rubenking has been with PC Magazine since 1986, serv-
ing as technical editor, User-to-User answerer, and PC Maga-
zine Labs lead analyst. He continues to answer questions for
readers in the ongoing Ask Neil column and in PC Magazines
online discussion forums.
WINZIP PRO 10.0
After years as a contract programmer and a
stint at Motorola, Mark Thompson now runs
a small tech incubator known as The Avi-
ary Group. But hes better known as a utility
writer. Hes the brains behind more than a
few PC Magazine utilities, and since 1998,
his site, AnalogX, has served up free utilities
touching on everything from digital music
editing to DNS caching.
AnalogX has more than 30 million
registered users, and not a banner ad
in sight. Why?
The computer industry has given me a lot,
so its nice to give something back to the
general user for free. But its also fun. And
its a challenge. Its fun to write programs
and solve things without having to worry
about anything else. I can make a program
that only ten people want, and thats ne. Or
I can make a program that tens of thou-
sands of people want, and thats cool too.
How did the site begin?
It started out as a band site, a place where I could put my songs. But
then I started writing small utilities and putting them up there, and
more and more people started to use them.
Were these tools you wrote for yourself? Or were you look-
ing to reach an audience?
The very rst utility I put up was a delay calculator for digital mu-
sic. When you do echoes and things like that, if you want them syn-
chronized to the tempo, you need to know how many milliseconds to
set the delays to. So I wrote this command utility for myself. Then I
thought, Someone else might want this too, and I just put it up.
Ever tempted to sell ads?
I want to keep AnalogX completely free. Ive had offers to do more
with it. But thats not really why I started, and its not what I want it
to be.
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 99
How many utilities are running in
your system tray? 5.
Whats the rst one you reinstall
after a reformat? MultiEdit (a text
editor).
How many have you written?
120 plus.
What do you develop in? C.
Q&A with Mark Thompson
2006 UTI LI TY GUI DE
and WWW.SPEAKEASY.NET/SPEEDTEST (llllm).
ISPs generally use dynamic IP addresses, so chances are
yours will change. Typically, your router gets the public IP ad-
dress and assigns your computer a private one so command-
line utilities such as ipcong wont tell you your WAN address.
Should you need to nd your IP address, for example, to con-
nect to a webcam or nannycam from a remote location, go to
WWW.MYWANIP.COM (free), which will report the public IP
address for your network. If you prefer, you can download an
executable version that runs in your system tray. (lllmm)
Craig Ellison is a real networking kind of guy. Hes been design-
ing networks for years, and has had networks in his home for
over 20 years. He loves inexpensive (and free) utilities to help
him manage networks at home and at work.
If you have more than one computer on your
network and have tried to share files between
them, or share a printer, you know how frustrat-
ing the setup can be. NETWORK MAGIC from Pure
Networks ($29.95 for up to 5 computers) solves
those problems for you. Network Magic creates
a map of your entire network, shows the status
of each device on your network, and constantly
monitors your Internet connection. If you have a
supported router, the integrated Net2Go feature
allows you to share les or photos on the Internet.
(Pure Networks Inc., www.purenetworks.com. llllm)
Naturally, you have a router as well as a per-
sonal firewall, but is it really working? Gibson
Research (www.grc.com) has several free utili-
ties that can help you assess the security of your
network. Gibsons most popular utility by far is
SHIELDSUP!!, which can scan your public IP ad-
dress for either common ports or all ports. Excellent tutori-
als on the site help you understand the results. LEAKTEST is a
simple program that attempts to connect to GRCs Web server.
Its intended to test whether your rewall will block unknown
outbound connections that could leak data out of your net-
work. Its free to use and worth trying out. (Gibson Research Corp.,
www.grc.com. ShieldsUp!! llllm; LeakTest lllmm)
Though GFIs LANGUARD NETWORK SECURITY SCANNER 7.0
(free for ten days for up to 25 IP addresses) is primarily intended
for corporate networks, running it on your home network could
prove eye-opening. Languard N.S.S. 7.0 will scan your entire
local network for hundreds of known vulnerabilities and pro-
duce a comprehensive report for each computer or device it dis-
covers. It shows missing patches (with references to Bugtraq
reports), open ports, and any security vulnerabilities it nds.
After the ten-day trial the price is quite a bit steeper, starting at
$495 for up to 32 IPs. (GFI Software Ltd, www.g.com. llllm)
Ever wondered about what happens in the background
when you enter an address into your browser? TCPVIEW
(free), from Sysinternals, gives you a birds-eye view of all
of the network communications on your computer. The site
also has other free networking utilities worth checking out.
(Sysinternals, www.sysinternals.com. lllmm)
Who owns that domain? How is my trafc routed across the
Internet? How long does it take to do a DNS lookup? Answers to
these questions and many more are at DNSSTUFF.COM. DNSstuff
.com is a site full of free utilities that let you look up domains,
run traceroutes, and even check out your ISPs DNS. (llllm)
Youre paying for a fast broadband connection, but just how
fast is it? Are you getting the speed youre paying for? A num-
ber of sites will test the speed of your Internet connection for
free. These include: WWW.DSLREPORTS.COM/STEST (lllmm)
BY CRAIG ELLISON
FOR HOME NETWORKERS
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 100
To many, Steve Gibson is famous for publicly
questioning Microsofts approach to Windows
security. Just recently, he claimed that the
Seattle software giant had intentionally planted
Windowss infamous WMF vulnerability. But
Gibson also writes extremely popular PC utilities,
including SpinRite, a data-recovery tool that
debuted in 1989.
What was the inspiration for SpinRite?
I rst wrote it when a hard drive belonging to
my girlfriends business crashed. It had never
been backed up, and it had several years of the
companys accounting data on it, and she was
devastated. Well, I liked her, and she was desper-
ate. So I quickly wrote something that basically
recovered the data on her drive.
Once you write a tool like this, how do you sell it?
I wrote my rst program for Gibson Research, FlickerFree, in the
evening while I was working as a consultant; printed up the manu-
als; and sold it at software swap meets. Around the same time,
I made a deal with InfoWorld magazine to write a column called
TechTalkwhich ended up running for eight yearsand I did an ad
trade. I said, I dont need to be paid, but I do need to run an ad.
Today, SpinRite sells for $89, but the rest of your utilities
are free. How come?
Everything else drives trafc to our Web site. Then people en-
counter SpinRite and say Thats still around? Holy s***! Theyll
upgrade their old copy, or it will just plant the seed in their mind
that its there if they ever have a problem with their hard drive. The
other stuff is just marketing material for SpinRite. SpinRite has
paid all of our bills for 17 years.
early every PC Magazine reader has a broadband Internet connection, and most
have a local area network at home. But are you getting the most out of your home
network? Are you sharing resources between multiple computers? Is your network
safe from outside intruders? Is your connection as fast as its supposed to be? Here
are some of our favorite utilities that will let you proudly say, Im a network admin!
How many utilities are running in
your system tray? 5.
Whats the rst one you reinstall
after a reformat? Gravity news-
group reader.
How many have you written?
1,000 plus.
What do you develop in? Intel
Assembly Language.
Q&A with Steve Gibson
N
N
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
T
I
O
N
B
Y
M
Y
L
E
S
T
A
L
B
O
T
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 101
Picking up where ASAP leaves off
(but with some feature overlap), POWER
UTILITY PAK V6 ($39.95) offers 120 utili-
ties and functions from its drop-down
menu, including batch printing and
elaborate column- and row-combining
functions. Spreadsheet-polishing func-
tions include resizing all charts to the
same dimensions. (J-Walk & Associates Inc.,
www.j-walk.com/ss. lllll)
MICROSOFT OUTLOOK
Many add-ins display RSS feeds in
Micro soft Outlook, but ATTENSA FOR
OUTLOOK (beta; will be $20 per year)
stands out for its implementation and
feature set. Add-in toolbars for Firefox
and Internet Explorer make adding feeds easy, and the program
can insert tagged pages and feeds to your existing tags at del
.icio.us. (Attensa Inc., www.attensa.com. llllm)
The elegant YOUPERFORM 1.1.4 ($29.95) lets you create ap-
pointments by sending yourself an e-mail or insert boilerplate
text using hotkeys. It warns you before sending any Reply to All
message or if you forgot to add the les you said were attached,
and gives much more. (You Software Inc., www.yousoftware.com. llllh)
Low-priced, high-powered BELLS & WHISTLES FOR OUTLOOK
2.5 ($19.95) shares many features with YouPerform, including
warnings for missing attachments and Replies to All. The pro-
gram also includes some unique conveniences, such as message
templates and an exclusive e-mail tracking features. (DS Develop-
ment, www.emailaddressmanager.com. llllh)
Edward Mendelson stops using Ofce only long enough to teach
English classes at Columbia University. After more than 14 years
reviewing Ofce tools, he knows a keeper when he sees one.
MICROSOFT WORD
Dont let Microsoft Word give away
your secrets: Use Microsofts free RE-
MOVE HIDDEN DATA to save a copy of an
open le with all revisions, reviewers,
comments, and other hidden data re-
moved. (Microsoft Corp., www.microsoft.com;
search for rhdtool.exe to download. llllm)
Word users may hunt through a
dozen menus for settings that seem
to have taken over their documents.
CROSSEYES 3.0.45 ($49.99; less per copy
for multiple licenses) displays a reveal
codes pane in Words window that
shows exactly where format settings,
language markers, bookmark codes,
and every other Word feature begins
and ends. (Levit & James Inc., www.levitjames.com. llllm)
Instead of Microsofts clunky equation editor, try RAPID-PI
1.2 ($50; $20 for students). It lets you type equations by using
intuitive abbreviations or by selecting symbols from a toolbar.
Note that people who receive your les will need to install the
free Rapid-Pi fonts. (Trident Software Pty Ltd., www.rapid-pi.com. lllhm)
WORDPIPE 4.9 ($99 home edition; $499 unlimited) searches
and replaces text and metadata in multiple les automatically,
and can even replace graphics with an image that you place in
the Windows clipboard. Other functions abound; this is the ulti-
mate automator for Word. (DataMystic, www.datamystic.com. llllh)
MICROSOFT EXCEL
Freeware ASAP UTILITIES 3.11 provides two-click access to 300
convenient features. Most are simple time-savers, such as com-
bining pasting in values and formatting them, removing empty
sheets, inserting the lename in the page header, or putting the
lepath in the title bar. (ASAP Utilities, www.asap-utilities.com. lllll)
BY EDWARD MENDELSON
FOR MICROSOFT OFFICE
ost veteran Microsoft Ofce users will admit that the suite has far
more features than they know aboutbut theyll also complain that it
doesnt have the features they need. Enter the add-ins, small programs
that t into the Ofce interface and get jobs done that are otherwise dif-
cult or impossible. Here are some of my favorites.
YOUPERFORM 1.1.4
M
M
In 1993, while still a graduate student, Mike Kronenberg started Mijenix,
a utility company. By 1999, when he sold it to Ontrack Data Recovery, its
revenue topped $10 million. Today, he runs two new software firmsone
dedicated to desktop security, the other to online photo-sharing.
These are the connectors between my
PC and my BlackBerry, and synchro-
nization software for the BlackBerry.
Ive probably tried every password
reminder and online form-completion
software. RoboForm is my favorite.
This is Cyberhawk, our behavior-based
security software, currently in beta.
Mike Kronenberg: Whats in your tray?
2006 UTI LI TY GUI DE
2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Windows logo, Windows Server, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
CAN IT REDUCE COSTS
AND SHOW AN EARLY RETURN
IS IT LINUX
DECREASE TIME TO MARKET
OR WINDOWS SERVER
GET THE FACTS.
SWITCHING FROM RED HAT LINUX TO WINDOWS SERVER WILL SAVE
TOMMY HILFIGER AN ESTIMATED 2530% IN IT COSTS.
Our migration to Windows Server
TM
will reduce our IT costs by an estimated 2530
percent, but thats only the start. Our efforts are improving our competitive advantage.
We developed a full e-commerce site within six months, in time for the 2005 holidays,
and well continue to benet from compressed product design times and an
optimized supply chain. Eric Singleton, CIO
For these and other third-party ndings, go to microsoft.com/getthefacts
oes it really matter whether your Windows desktop is nice to look at?
Of course it does. Ignoring appearances is incredibly shallow. Thank-
fully, there are more than a few PC utilities designed to spruce up the
old desktop. You can change colors, fonts, and icons, add new screen-
savers and widgets, even replace your entire GUI. Yes, some of these tools are con-
cerned with more than just appearancesbut dont hold that against them.
Yahoo!s picture-frame widget (see next page) is nice. But its nothing
compared with FILMLOOP (free). FilmLoop acts as a kind of photo ticker,
scrolling picture after picture across your screen. Its a wonderful way to
liven up your desktop. But its also a way of sharing photos with others.
Each time you create a new album, the client automatically uploads it to
the companys servers, and you can instantly send it to friends, family,
and colleagues anytime (FilmLoop Inc., www.lmloop.com. llllm).
Want something more from a screensaver? Try the new MSN SCREEN-
SAVER (beta, free). It too displays your personal photos, but it also serves
up the date, time, and current
news and weather, or just
about anything else avail-
able through RSS. You can
also use it to track your MSN
Hotmail and MSN Messen-
ger conversations or even
search the Web from a built-
in dialog box (Microsoft Corp.,
screensaver.msn.com. llllm)
D
D
With CHANGERXP ($18.95), you
can apply any digital image to
your boot screen, Windows XP
log-on screen, desktop wallpaper,
Internet Explorer skin, or screen-
saverand, you can set these im-
ages to change as often as you like
automatically, perfect for those
with big photo collections. You
can download the full version
without paying the registration
fee, but our feeling is that if you
want to use it, you should open
up your wallet. (Nihuo Software, www
.nihuo.com. llllm)
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
T
I
O
N
B
Y
M
Y
L
E
S
T
A
L
B
O
T
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 104
BY CADE METZ
MAKE IT PRETTY
While still in college, Brad Wardell wrote ObjectDesktop for OS/2, a way
of revamping IBMs less than user-friendly interface, and it soon became
the platforms best-selling third-party app. Now a Stardock property,
ObjectDesktop is an even bigger seller as a Microsoft Windows utility.
Thank goodness youre
doing this story, because if
it were PC World, the
Startup Cop thing wouldnt
go over so well.
Stardocks WindowBlinds,
of course, to make my
system look whichever
way I want it to look.
KeepSafe is a new program
Stardock is going to release
in March. It does real-time
data backup/archiving at
the file-system level.
Google Desktop is a killer
application for me. It lets
me find stuff in my e-mail
much faster than anything
else I've foundthat I like.
Brad Wardell: Whats in your tray?
Tired of the same old Windows desktop?
Check out the SPHEREXP beta (free). It re-
places Windows two-dimensional desk-
top with a stunning three-dimensional
interface. The idea is that youre in the
middle of a sphere that carries your ap-
plication windows. To get from one app
to another, you spin aroundvirtually,
of course. You can also move objects for-
ward or push them back. It takes some get-
ting used to and its still a bit buggy, but it
sure is fun. Microsoft .NET 2.0 required.
(SphereSite, www.hamar.sk/sphere. lllmm).
The YAHOO WIDGETS ENGINE (free) lets you
run all sorts of handsome mini-apps from
anywhere on your desktop, at any time. You
can run an animated clock, a calendar, or a
day planner. Or a stock ticker. Or a notepad.
Or a virtual picture frame. And thats just
the beginning. Thousands of widgets are
already available from the Yahoo! Web site,
and if you dont see what you want, you can
build your own. These little oating tools
are wonderfully useful, but, more impor-
tant, theyre so much fun to look it (Yahoo! Inc.,
widgets.yahoo.com. lllll).
One of our perennial favorites is
WINDOWBLINDS ($19.95; free, limited
version available), a tool capable of
customizing almost every nook and
cranny of the Microsoft GUI. Natu-
rally, you can change the look and
feel of ordinary application windows,
but you can also make changes that
arent usually accessible: You can cus-
tomize log-on and log-off dialogues,
progress animations, and Control
Panel backgrounds. And you neednt
use the same skin across all win-
dows. You can mix and match, using
one visual theme here, another there.
(Stardock Corp., www.stardock.com. llllh).
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 105
Cade Metz joined PC Magazine in the fall of
1994, and his rst byline appeared in the 1995
Utility Guide. He reviewed a product from
Xerox called TabWorks, a $49 facelift for the
Windows GUI. His desktop looks fabulous.
2006 UTI LI TY GUI DE
RAWSHOOTER ESSENTIALS 2005 (free) offers strong tools for viewing
and processing RAW format images at an unbeatable price. The pro-
gram supports more than 50 RAW formats, including DNG. The un-
obtrusive gray interface lets you ag and prioritize images and view
them in a slide show. Image-correction tools include controls for
temperature and tint, shadows and highlights, and noise suppression.
The program also offers fast batch-converting of RAW les to TIFF
or JPEG formats. The $99 upgrade to RawShooter premium 2006
gives you image comparison modes, support for Curves and Levels,
and additional controls. (Pixmantec ApS, www.pixmantec.com. lllhm)
MACHINE WASH IMAGE FILTERS I, II, and III
($32 each) fly in the face of traditional im-
age-enhancement software. Machine Wash
is image-degradation software, dedicated to
distressing your photos and graphics in amaz-
ingly realistic ways. Give a photo that faded
T-shirt appliqu look, or blast your logo onto
a wooden surface or brick wall. Effect names
include Crackle, Scrape, Mangled, Old Bag,
Sandblast, Abusive, and Sweat60 per CD.
These lters are actually recorded Photo-
shop Actions that work only in that program.
(Mr. Retro, www.misterretro.com. llllm)
BY GALEN FOTT
s more camerasand camera usersbegin to take advantage of
RAW-formatted images, programs and utilities are appearing to help
in handling those high-quality les. Here are eight of our favorite
new imaging utilities for managing and editing your photos, and of
course, some specically designed for use with RAW photos.
FLUID MASK ($249) is the best solution weve seen
yet for one of the most difcult and time-consuming
tasks in image editing: isolating the subject of an im-
age from its background. This plug-in for Photoshop
and compatible programs works along the same lines
as Photoshop Elements 4s new magic selection
tools, in that you loosely define areas to keep and
areas to remove, and the plug-in sorts out the edges.
But Fluid Mask easily outstrips both Elements tools
and Photoshops Extract command. Its pricey, but
worth the money if you do a lot of masking. Version
2.0 should be out by the time you read this.
(Heligon, www.vertustech.com. llllh)
FOR PHOTO ENTHUSIASTS
A
A
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 106
PHOTOZOOM PROFESSIONAL ($129) is an excellent standalone program dedi-
cated to upsampling, the process of enlarging digital photos by increasing the
pixel count so that you can make large, attractive prints from low-resolution
les. Though almost any image editor can upsample, PhotoZoom Professional
gives you greater control than youd get from Photoshop CS2s bicubic inter-
polation choices. The program relies on patented S-Spline technology (though
other interpolation options are available), and also includes sharpening controls
for crisp, clear output. PhotoZoom Professional can help you get the most from
those tiny camera-phone photos. (BenVista, www.benvista.com. llllh)
SHARPENER PRO 2.0 ($170 Inkjet Edition; $330 Complete
Edition) is a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and compatible
programs. It provides a blissfully easy alternative to the
tricky Unsharp Mask command usually found in image
editors. You simply tell Sharpener Pro what size print you
want and specify a couple of specs about your printer and
paper, and the plug-in automatically analyzes your image
and sharpens it. The Inkjet Edition is quite sufcient for
most users; only professional printers should need the
Complete Edition. Version 2.0 features support for 16-
bit images and lets you selectively paint sharpening into
your image. (Nik Software Inc., www.nikmultimedia.com. llllh)
ADOBE DNG CONVERTER (free) brings
welcome consistency to the confusing
world of RAW-formatted images. DNG
Converter translates RAW les from 113
different cameras into Adobes open-
standard DNG (Digital Negative) RAW
format. RAW images contain exactly the
pixels captured by the sensors of higher-
end digital cameras, without the inter-
nal processing and compression found
in JPEGs. But almost every camera uses
its own proprietary RAW format. DNG
Converter lets you rename images and
even allows you to embed the original
RAW le inside the DNG.
(Adobe Systems Inc., www.adobe.com. llllm)
Just the thing for photographers whove
been dragged grudgingly into the digital
world, EXPOSURE ($199), a time-saving
plug-in for Photoshop and compatible
programs, specializes in mimicking the
classic looks of specic lm types. The
program includes more than 40 film-
stock presets, from the luscious color of
Fuji Velvia 100 to the distinctive grain of
the black-and-white Ilford Delta 3200.
From the presets, you can customize the
color, tone, and focus of your images, as
well as control the plug-ins realistically
rendered lm grain. (Alien Skin Software LLC,
www.alienskin.com. llllm)
Galen Fott (can you nd his picture here?) is a con-
tributing editor of PC Magazine and the coauthor
of eight books on computer graphics. Hes also
an animator whose rst lm, Roberto the Insect
Architect, was just released by Scholastic/Weston
Woods. His Web site is www.grundoon.com.
MICROSOFT RAW IMAGE THUMBNAILER AND VIEWER FOR WIN-
DOWS XP (free, unsupported) is a PowerToy that provides
thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display for RAW
images from supported Nikon and Canon cameras. You wont
nd any image-processing tools here, but this utility makes or-
ganizing and viewing supported RAW images in Windows Ex-
plorer just about as easy as working with JPEGs. Theres a slide
show feature to boot. (Microsoft Corp., www.microsoft.com. lllhm)
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 107
2006 UTI LI TY GUI DE
We know we should use a tripod
when shooting video, but its not
always practical. STEADYHAND
from Gooder Video ($66. 66)
removes the shakes from your
hand-held footage, so friends and
family can watch without getting
seasick. If you accept the default
parameters, which worked well
in our tests, operation is simple;
just load the video le and press
Start. The program automatically
detects minor shakes in the video, and minimizes horizontal, vertical, and ro-
tational motion. SteadyHand works well on videos from cell phones and digital
cameras, which are hard to hold steady and generally dont offer onboard stabi-
lization, but youll probably need a video-conversion utility to convert videos
from these devices into one of SteadyHands three input formats, AVI, MPEG,
and ASF. (Gooder Video, www.goodervideo.com. llllm)
Most video editors can import and output a limited number of le types, so
if your productions include video from digital cameras, cell phones, or the
Web, or you need to output video in iPod-compatible or DivX formats, you
may need a video-conversion utility. We like two programs here. Xilisofts
VIDEO CONVERTER ($35) successfully input seven of eight videos from still-
image cameras and DivX, AVI, WMV, MPEG, MOV, and MP4 test les, and
output les in iPod-compatible MP4, DivX, and MPEG formats. But the pro-
gram lacks a DV output preset. DV format is the Switzerland of video for-
mats, compatible with virtually all video editors and authoring programs.
For converting your videos to DV les for further production, we like River
Pasts VIDEO CLEANER ($29.95). It cant produce MPEG, MOV, or MPEG-4
les, but it input all test les and output usable DV les.
(Video Converter: Xilisoft Inc., www.xilisoft.com/video-converter.html, llllh. River Past Video
Cleaner: River Past Corp., www.riverpast.com/en/prod/videocleaner/index.php, llllm)
If you work with video long enough, sooner or later youll need to split
your les, whether to meet e-mail transfer limits or to store them on
CDs, DVDs, or other media. For fast, simple, and accurate operation,
its tough to beat ACCUSPLIT ($12). In Standard mode, AccuSplit creates
multiple les of the specied size, each with an .seg extension, which
the program uses to recreate the original le, bit for bit. If you send the
SEG les to third parties, however, theyll need AccuSplit to recreate
the original. With AVI or MPEG-1 les, however, you can use Video
File Smart Split mode, which splits the le into smaller, independently
playable video les, though you cant recombine those les back into
one. (Joseph Flynn, members.cox.net/accusplit_support/index.htm. llllm)
Usually you have to be online to play
the Internets vast store of audio/visual
content. Applian Technologies RM RE-
CORDER and WM RECORDER (for RealMe-
dia and Windows Media, respectively;
$29.95 each, $49.95 together) avoid this
limitation by capturing streaming audio
and video to disk. You navigate to the
streaming le in your browser, click Re-
cord in the respective Recorder program,
then play the streaming le via VCR-like
controls. You can even change the name
of the video le before recording to sim-
plify retrieval. Both Recorders store the
entire streaming le to disk, even if you
stop playback, so you can record multiple
streams simultaneously.
(Applian Technologies Inc., www.applian.com.
llllh)
BY JAN OZER
FOR VIDEO ENTHUSIASTS
ll home video producers have one or more pri-
mary programs for editing and/or producing
DVDs, but a range of inexpensive utilities pro-
vides features that extend these capabilities,
often dramatically. Here are our favorites, all of which you
can download as trial versions.
A
A
Jan Ozer has worked in digital video since 1990. When not chasing his daughter
with a camcorder, he makes videos and DVDs for local music groups.
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 108
2004 NVIDIA Corporation. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, and The way its meant to be played logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. * PC Mark 2004 System Benchmark
performance comparison between Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 and NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra. All prices are subject to change without notice or obligation. CyberPower is not responsible for any typographical and photographic errors. Copyright
2006 CyberPower. All rights reserved.
- LG 16X DVD-ROM
- NVIDIA
XP
Media Center Edition 2005 with SP 2
- Microsoft
Works 8.0
- Corsair 2048MB PC3200 DDR400 Memory
- 250GB 7200RPM SATA-II 3.0Gb/s
8MB Cache Hard Drive
- (2) NVIDIA
XP
Media Center Edition 2005 with SP 2
- Microsoft
Works 8.0
- Corsair 1024MB PC3200 DDR400 Memory
- 160GB 7200RPM SATA-II 3.0Gb/s
8MB Cache Hard Drive
- NVIDIA
XP
TOLL FREE 800. 707. 0393 or WWW.CYBERPOWERPC.COM TOLL FREE 800. 707. 0393 or WWW.CYBERPOWERPC.COM TOLL FREE 800. 707. 0393 or WWW.CYBERPOWERPC.COM
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 112
navigate to your music folders, where ID3-TagIT gives you
instant access to the tag information. You can edit individual
les, a group, or the entire folder. You can also edit lenames,
update them from FreeDB, and add sequence/track numbers
for players that require tagged songs to maintain album order.
The program even corrects capitalization and removes special
characters from lenames. (ID3-TagIT, www.id3-tagit.de. llllm)
The podcast receiver formerly known as iPodder has a new
name: JUICE 2.1. Its still free and still one of the best ways to
receive and manage your podcast subscriptions. Youll appre-
ciate new features such as auto cleanup, and the utility now
works with feed managers such as PodNova. The tabbed in-
terface moves you easily from downloads to subscriptions to
the podcast directory, and from the cleanup tab you can re-
move old podcasts from the downloads folder or your players
library. Juice doesnt get bogged down, even with gigabytes of
audio. Its available for Windows and Mac, with a Linux ver-
sion due soon. (The Juice team, juicereceiver.sourceforge.net. llllm)
What Juice is to podcasts, REPLAY RADIO is to Web radio.
You can use the built-in Replay Media
Guide to nd specic stations or shows.
Replay Radio will record by download-
ing or as you listen, and will schedule
downloads for shows when youre not
around. The search function lets you
find shows easily. Replay Radio will
also download podcasts (in fact, the
free demo version is just for podcasts)
and will automatically check for new
updates. It supports all the popular
streaming formats, interfaces with an
XM receiver, and can save shows to
a CD or your MP3 player. This ones
worth the $49. (Applian Technologies Inc., www.replay-radio.com. llllm)
Satisfy your inner geek with this function-limited version
of Yoshimasha Electronics highly regarded DSSF3 audio
analysis package ($83), which turns your PC into a precision
audio-measurement lab. The spectrum analyzer shows you
frequency response, harmonic distortion, even energy distri-
bution by frequency. Better, you can log the data for further
analysis in math/spreadsheet programs. The oscilloscope has
autotrigger and automatic ranging and oversampling, and the
signal generator can crank out just about any kind of waveform
imaginable. Cut through the confusing Web site: You want
DSSF3 Light. (Yoshimasha Electronic Inc., www.ymec.com. lllll)
Bill Machrone lives in a noisy place between analog and digital
audio, using his computer as a virtual recording studio and modi-
fying his beloved Fender Blues Junior ampliers to play louder.
How much would you pay for a 16-channel audio editor that
can record at up to 32 bits/96 kHz, re-
move hum and hiss, read and write
WAV, AIFF, and MP3 les, and has en-
velope editing, equalization, mixing,
resampling, and unlimited undo/redo?
You dont have to pay a thing: AUDACITY
is free, and its spectacular. It can also
alter playback speed without pitch shift,
shift pitch without changing the speed,
and includes a host of other effects. Au-
dacity cant edit WMA, AAC, or other
proprietary formats, but it accepts stan-
dard VST plug-ins in case its built-in ef-
fects arent enough. It runs on Windows,
OS X, and Linux. (Open source, audacity.sourceforge.net. lllll)
Your old vinyl records may not be picking up any new
scratches these days, but theyre not getting played, either.
MILLENNIUM ($59) is the entry-level product from Diamond
Cut, which also makes those forensic audio ltering programs
that you see on CSI. With hundreds of presets, Millennium can
remove ticks, pops, scratches, hiss, rumble, and more from
your records and tapes so you can transfer them to CD. You
can even do speed corrections and punch up the dynamics of
the nished track. Youll feel like a professional sound engi-
neer with this oneand youll get great results. For $59, its the
best investment you can make in your old records.
(Diamond Cut Productions Inc., www.diamondcut.com. llllh)
You can nd many freeware ID3 tag editors, but you wont
nd a better one than ID3-TAGIT (free; PayPal contributions ac-
cepted). Using a standard Windows Explorer hierarchy, you
BY BILL MACHRONE
FOR AUDIO ENTHUSIASTS
he brilliant, underlying truth of the PC is that its anything you want it to be, and
thats especially evident with audio. The audio utilities available are dramatically
different, but you can use them synergistically, too. And you can harness them at
any level, from just listening to sophisticated audio engineering. These utilities al-
low your PC to receive, store, organize, analyze, and improve audio. They will never demand
more from you than youre ready to give, but theyll also be ready to take it to the next level.
AUDACITY
MILLENNIUM
T
T
Prices shown are HP Direct prices; reseller and retail prices may vary. Prices shown are subject to change and do not include applicable state and local taxes or shipping to recipients address. Offers cannot be combined with any other offer
or discount, are good while supplies last and are available from HP Direct and participating HP resellers. All featured offers available in U.S. only. Savings based on HP published list price of congure-to-order equivalent ($1177 - $100 instant
rebate - $100 instant savings = SmartBuy price $977). Certain warranty restrictions and exclusions may apply. For complete warranty details, call 1-800-345-1518 (U.S.). 1. For hard drives, GB=Billion Bytes. Actual formatted capacity
is less. 2. Optional Remote Insight Lights-Out Edition II (RILOE II ) sold separately. 3. Service levels and response times for HP Care Packs may vary depending on your geographic location. Restrictions and limitations apply. For details, visit
www.hp.com/go/carepack. Intel, the Intel Logo, Xeon and Xeon Inside are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
HP ProLiant servers offer expandability to better adapt to your business needs.
Whether youre just starting out or already on the way, the HP ProLiant ML150
G2 Server, featuring the Intel
Xeon
800.399.4C0w
|u Cauada, call 888.898.C0wC
C0w.ca
When is the right time
to upgrade your technology?
(Youll know.)
2006 CDW Corporation
1
Eligible processors include Intel Pentium II, III or Intel Celeron Processor; AMD processors do not qualify; trade-in values are estimates only; actual trade-in values may vary from $100 to $500; all products must
be in good working condition and have a fair market value; call your CDW account manager for details; offer ends 3/31/06.
2
HP Smart Buy instant savings reflected in price shown; HP Smart Buy savings based on
a comparison of the HP Smart Buy price versus the standard list price of an identically configured product if purchased separately; savings may vary based on channel and/or direct standard pricing.
3
$300 trade-in
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
Z60m
ThinkVision
TM
L190
19" analog LCD
Contrast ratio: 500:1
Panel Brightness: 250 cd/m
2
(nits)
$409.95 CDW 753614
$
999
NOTEBOOK
CDW 844566
$
1199
-
200 TRADE-IN
1
Upgrading your systems means upgrading your productivity. At CDW, we have the top-name technology to
do just that. Our account managers provide fast answers to your questions, and can find systems that can
improve your productivity and performance. With access to the industrys largest in-stock inventories, youre
sure to get what you need, when you need it. So get new systems today, and start benefiting tomorrow.
With new systems you can work
better, faster and smarter.
(Finally.)
1,000 top technol
B
U
I
L
D
I
T
:
A
D
I
Y
B
A
C
K
U
P
S
E
R
V
E
R
The question is not whether youre
going to lose data, but when. And the
more machines you have on your net-
workhome or small businessthe
greater your exposure. But that same
network can also be the key to regu-
lar, reliable backups: With the current
low price and phenomenal capacity
of disk drives, you can put a chunk of
storage on the LAN, and that will be
the backup repository for all your ma-
chines. Its called network-attached
storage, or NAS, but it can be much
more than a disk drive with an IP ad-
dress or a shared drive letter visible
from all of your computers.
Backup servers and personal serv-
ers have become a hot item, offered
by Mirra, Netgear, and others. They
go beyond network-attached storage
by having enough onboard smarts to
run backup software and other func-
tions. These are solid, turnkey solu-
tions, but its both cheap and easy to
build your own server from an old
PC. There are many ways to do this,
and ours is only one of many valid
approaches. But you can duplicate it
easily and have a powerful, reliable
backup server of your own.
Tower systems have loads of room
and a power supply large enough for
big hard disks, and if the system can
run Windows XP, itll easily run the
backup software, too. You should
start with a clean i nstall of XP;
theres no sense in burdening your
backup server with the leftovers from
dozens or hundreds of applications, a
clogged Registry, and a dogs break-
fast of processes that start at boot-up,
whether you want them to or not.
We chose a Dell Dimension 4100 as the foundation for our
backup server. Its over ve years old, but its 1-GHz Pentium
III was actually more than we needed. The 384MB of installed
memory gives XP some elbow room, and for most tasks, well
take memory over clock speed. Remember, you cant buy a
machine this slow, even if you wanted to. Its obsolete, but
just right for our project. This one was kicking around in our
labs, but if you actually have to buy one, you shouldnt spend
more than $100 or so.
The 4100 had a fresh copy of XP SP2 on the 40GB hard disk,
but we wanted to have it back up four machines, with a total
of around 30GB of active storage. This problem was solved
with an 80GB Western Digital WD800. We popped it in,
formatted it, and gave it a drive letter. We wanted a dedicated
drive for backups, even though most of the C: drive would
be unused. We bought a second WD800 for more storage
or possible mirroring but decided to start with one drive
while we tested various software solutions. The Dell 4100s
motherboard doesnt support mirrored drives, but we gured
wed nd some too-clever way to do it. The Dell already had
a network card, so at least for our single-drive version, we
were all done, other than making some nice mounting rails
for the drive.
When you congure your own machine, make sure it has at
least 256MB of memory and several times more disk storage
than the total amount you want to back up. Remember that
you probably need to back up only data; in case of disaster,
applications generally need to be reinstalled from their CDs.
HARDWARE
1
Dont use a
magnetic
screwdriver. It
might just lead to
bigger problems.
logy brands. (In other
1
This old PC This project
is perfect for an old tower
PC you were going to get
rid of. Just keep in mind that
you may need to upgrade the
operating system if its really old.
2
Storage is cheap Large-
capacity hard drives are
coming down in price faster
than a skydiver in trouble. Such new
drives are great for a DIY project
like ours. But before you buy, check
to see whether your old PC has IDE
connectors or the newer SATA.
WHAT YOULL NEED
2
Disconnect
the power
cable and remove
the old hard drive.
3
Be very careful
when removing
the IDE cable. Hard
drive pins bend easily.
5
The IDE cable
is notched and
will t only one way.
Dont force it.
6
Hard drive screws
are different from
other screws used in
the case. Dont mix
them up.
words, everything you need
3
More RAM Your server will
work ne just the way it is,
but adding $40 worth of RAM
will improve performance notice-
ably. You can spare that, right?
Again, be sure to check whether
youre using SDRAM or DDR RAM
before you leave for CompUSA.
4
Software choices Another
great thing about this proj-
ect is how easily you can per-
sonalize the server for your needs.
Some NAS units are designed for
quick personal backup, while others
are made to integrate quickly with
a complex corporate network.
SOFTWARE
The array of software for network backup is mind-boggling, but we
settled on Cobian Backup 7 (www.educ.umu.se/~cobian /cobianbackup
.htm). The current version has some nice features. Its not your typical
backup-and-restore software; it makes security copies of the les
and folders you select, as often as you schedule them. It doesnt use
proprietary le formats and wont compress les unless you tell it to.
But it can compress them using standard ZIP algorithms and encrypt
backed-up les. You restore les or folders from Cobian Backup simply
by copying them back to the original drive. It will do full, incremental, or
differential backups. And the price is a DIYers dream: free.
One of the things you have to decide when designing a network
backup strategy is where you want the backup software to runon
BACKING UP THE BACKUP
Our venerable Dell Dimen-
sion doesnt support RAID,
but what if you want a second,
identical copy of each backup?
No problem: Just run Cobian
Backup against itself. Periodi-
cally copy the entire contents
of the backup drive to another
drivetheres your mirror.
If you are worried that theft
or re could wipe you out, never
fear. Since Cobian Backup also
supports FTP backup, you can
send your backups to a remote
FTP server or, as above, back up
your backups to an FTP server.
You can also get fancy, leaving
your local backup unencrypted
but your FTP backup encrypted.
8
Once youve formed the parti-
tion, you can format the drive.
The New Partition Wizard under the
Computer Management utility takes
care of business.
7
Before you throw
out that old
hard drive, make sure
its been completely
wiped clean.
4
Make sure that
the new drives
jumpers are set to
Master before you
install it.
d.)
Jhe Righl Jechuology. Righl ^way.
JM
C0w.cou
800.399.4C0w
|u Cauada, call 888.898.C0wC
C0w.ca
INCREMENTAL VS.
DIFFERENTIAL
Different kinds of backups
serve different purposes.
You need to decide whether
or not to overwrite exist-
ing backups, and how many
copies to keep. You can store
many backups that let you
recreate month-end, year-
end, or other snapshots.
Full backup All specied
les and folders are backed
up in their entirety.
Incremental backup Only
the les that have changed
since the last backup are
archived.
Differential backup Only
the les that have changed
since the last full backup are
archived.
the individual PCs or on the backup server. We wanted ours to
be a true backup server, with all of the centralized le manage-
ment options that entails, not just a repository drive for data
dumped on it by the client machines, so we opted to run Cobian
Backup on the server.
You then choose how you want Cobian to access the les
on the client machines. The rst step, of course, is to turn on
le- and print-sharing. From there, set the sharing permission
for each folder you want to back up or simply drag the folders
you want to back up into the Shared Documents folder. Cobian
can see that folder on every machine that has le- and print-
sharing turned on.
TIME TO SPLIT
Another way to archive
important les, such as
full monthly backups,
is to move them to opti-
cal discs that can be
stored off-site. Cobian
Backup will split back-
ups into CD-, DVD-, or
other-size chunks, with
or without compres-
sion or encryption.
MORE ON THE WEB
Make an external hard disk!
go.pcmag.com/diy
This works best in a friendly environment, where individual
users dont need to keep les secret from one another. If you
want to minimize exposure of client PCs to one another, run
Cobian on each machine and encrypt the backups to the central
drive. In any case, you probably dont want to turn on sharing
for the entire drive on the client PCs: Youd be opening the door
to inadvertent damage as well as malicious mischief.
Tasks in Cobian Backup are extraordinarily easy to set up.
A tabbed menu lets you choose the type of backup; select the
les and folders; schedule the backup; choose compression or
encryption; include and exclude specic les, le types, or fold-
ers; and perform scripted events before and after each backup.
NAS VS. SAN
Our backup server, built for network-attached storage
(NAS), is limited to le storage and management tasks.
A storage-area network (SAN), by comparison, ofoads
the main network, moving large amounts of data
among storage devices, usually with many-to-many
connections between servers and storage. A full copy
of Windows XP is overkill for NAS tasks, but the user
interface and familiar tools are convenient.
We see your brain working. Youre thinking, If I can
build my own NAS, can I build my own SAN? In a word,
no. While there are some open-source SAN projects
that are available, theres nothing easy and reliable out
there. Yet.
9
Cobian Backup makes it easy to
create and modify tasks. Our rst
task backs up three major folders on
a laptop computer. In this case, weve
selected a weekly full backup.
10
Backup scheduling is very exible.
You can set backups to occur on a
regular schedule, on any given date, or
even every couple of minutes.
Jhe Righl Jechuology. Righl ^way.
JM
C0w.cou 800.399.4C0w
|u Cauada, call 888.898.C0wC C0w.ca
The Technology You Need When You Need It.
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Pentium
VAIO
BX540
InFocus Work Big X3
1700 ANSI lumens XGA projector
Contrast ratio: 2000:1
1-year limited parts and labor, 90-day lamp warranty
Intel
Centrino
Mobile Technology
- Intel
Core
Web Bundle
Bundle includes Macromedia
Studio 8 and
Adobe
AX disk array.
Exchange Storage Management
Spend less time managing Exchange
with EMC Storage Administrator for
Exchange SMB Edition migrate, get
failover, and allocate storage.
Storage Management
Get a clear view into how storage is
being used and manage your storage for
greater efficiency with EMC VisualSRM
SMB Edition.
Backup & Recovery
Data recovery matters when bad
things happen. EMC Retrospect
:
self-adjusting backup operations,
AES encrypted backups.
Replication
Every minute counts. EMC RepliStor
SMB Edition ensures no data is lost
when a server goes down.
Collaboration
A winning team works together.
EMC eRoom SMB Edition creates
secure web-accessible workspaces.
EMC brings its leadership in storage and information management
to businesses with 20 to 200 employees. EMC Insignia software and
hardware products allow you to confidently store, manage, protect,
and share your vital business information.
EMC Insignia. The right products when your information matters.
New! Retrospect 7.5
Faster performance, less management. Users
can now recover their own files. Upgrade
today at www.emcinsignia.com/upgrade
Exchange
Storage
Software
Storage
Hardware
Backup &
Recovery
Software
Collaboration
Software
Storage
Management
Software
Replication
Software
To learn more about EMC Insignia products and solutions,
visit www.emcinsignia.com
EMC2, EMC, CLARiiON, Retrospect, RepliStor, and where information lives are registered trademarks and eRoom, Visual SRM,
and EMC Storage Administrator are trademarks of EMC Corporation. Copyright 2006 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.
Regaining Trust
Lets face it: Microsofts security record isnt impressive.
BY JOHN CLYMAN
There are a lot of other ways in which
Vistas improved security is readily ap-
parent: an expanded Security Center,
integrated Windows Defender anti-
spyware (which well cover in more de-
tail in a future issue), and simpler ways
to detect and correct security oversights,
to name a few. Parents get controls that
let them limit and track how their kids
use the PC, a feature well also expand
on in an upcoming issue. And of course,
Microsoft is enhancing the security
of Internet Explorer, a major target for
spyware, adware, and phishing scams
(see go.pcmag.com/IE7security).
Will Microsoft get it right this time?
Were still working with beta-quality
software that isnt functionally complete
or fully testednor widely available for
hackers to target. But the initial signs
are promising.
C
orporate IT departments know
it, individual users know it, and
Microsoft knows it too: Com-
pany representatives regularly assert
that Vista has to get security rightall
the interface and usability bells and
whistles that the new OS can offer are
irrelevant if it cant keep customers ma-
chines and data safe.
How does Microsoft plan to achieve
this goal? To start with, the company is
building Vista atop the same code base
used for Windows Server 2003 Service
Pack 1, a better-secured successor to
Windows XP. Core Windows services
have been hardenedtheir privilege
levels and points of access to sensitive
OS capabilities reduced so that even if
they are compromised, the damage that
an attacker can wreak is more strictly
limited. And Vista makes it much more
practical to perform day-to-day tasks us-
ing a reduced-privilege user account, as
has long been possible on Unix variants
and Mac OS, with a provision for admin-
istrator privileges only when necessary.
VISTA REVEALED
JVISTAS SECURITY
center, like its
counter part in Win-
dows XP, provides a
centralized spot for
monitoring the secu-
rity status of a sys-
tem. Vista integrates
Microsofts Windows
Defender antispy-
ware software and,
as with antivirus
software, lets third-
party antispyware
developers plug their
utilities into the
Security Center.
VISTA SIMPLIFIES K
and claries the UI
for tasks such as
sharing les and
printers, which can
have signicant
(and not readily
apparent) security
implications. File
and printer sharing
gets its own control
panel applet, which
includes links that
let you see all your
open shared items
at a glance.
LFOR SOME SECURITY changes, Vista
lets you apply reasonable settings with
a single clickfar better than walking
through a passive help le.
go.pcmag.com/vista S OL UT I ON S
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 141
Scanning Made Easy
Two hidden Microsoft Ofce tools could save you
hours of work. BY HELEN BRADLEY
S
canning and managing a multipage
paper document can be an exer-
cise in frustration. If scanning a
20-page document leaves you juggling
20 individual les, its time to get help.
Microsoft Office Document Scanning,
shipped with Ofce 2003, could be your
next best friend.
The Document Scanning tool joined a
document-imaging component that has
been around in Office for many years.
Youll nd both of the programs in the
Microsoft Ofce | Micro soft Ofce Tools
folder in your Start menu. The two pro-
grams are interlinked, and in combina-
tion they offer a one-stop shop for many
typical and otherwise complex scan-
ning tasks.
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
YOU CAN ANNOTATE your scans, which is
useful for completing forms and working
collaboratively. Tools for that, available
from the Annotations toolbar, let you
draw or write on the document. For larger
pieces of text, drag the cursor to add a
text box over the document and type text
into it. The text box can have a colored
background (with a variable transpar-
ency level). To add a picture over the
top of a page, click the Insert Picture
tool, or you can paste text or graphic
objects from the Windows Clipboard
by choosing Edit | Paste. Annotations
are saved on a separate layer over the
page and can be displayed or not by
choosing Tools | Annotations and then
Hide Annotations or Show Annotations.
2. Write On Your Scans
1. Document Scanning
MICROSOFT OFFICE Document Scanning
uses any installed scanner and includes
a range of scanning presets. If none
suit your needs, click the Preset button
and choose Create New Preset to select
scanner and le settings such as scan
resolution, type of scan (monochrome,
8-bit gray, 24-bit color), whether to save
the images as multipage TIF les or MDI
les, and the level of compression used.
You can also congure the scan page size,
the save directory, and which automatic
le-naming system to use.
Document Scanning
uses OCR to recognize
your scanned text, and it
can automatically rotate
and straighten a scan if
the preset is congured
to do so. If you want, you
can choose to view the
scanners own dialog
before scanningor by-
pass it and let Document
Scanning do the work.
WHEN YOURE DONE scanning, all the
pages in the le appear in the Microsoft
Ofce Document Imaging tool. Choosing
View | Thumbnails displays page thumb-
nails down the left side of the screen. To
reorder pages, drag and drop them in the
thumbnail area.
S OL UT I ON S go.pcmag.com/solutions
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 142
MarketLink
your technology connection!
Kathy Pavlak
212-503-4847
kathy_pavlak@ziffdavis.com
Aberdeen Inc. www.aberdeeninc.com 146
Advanced Search www.advancedsearchbar.com 155
Affordable Host www.affordablehost.com 150
Aleratec www.aleratec.com 143
Athena Institute www.athenainstitute.com 150
AuraOne Systems www.auraone.com 150
Automation PC America www.pcamerica.com 148
AVI www.projectorpeople.com 153
Berkeley Varitronics www.bvsystems.com 147
BesTrade www.BesTradeUSA.com 150
Blue Genesis www.bluegenesis.com 151
Bitdefender www.bitdefender.com 144
Cybernet Manufacturing www.cybernetman.com 149
Cybernet Manufacturing www.cybernetman.com 152
Disc Makers www.discmakers.com 151
DT Search www.dtsearch.com 154
ESS Data Recovery www.savemyfiles.com 153
Fat Cow www.fatcow.com/now 147
General CADD www.generalcadd.com 150
Hot Seat www.hotseatinc.com 151
IAV www.iav.com 154
Ink Farm www.inkfarm.com 153
Jotto Desk www.jottodesk.com 151
Logicube www.logicube.com 145
On The Go www.onthego.com 150
PC America www.pcamerica.com 148
Small PC www.smallpc.com 153
Systor Systems www.esystor.com 151
Talking Technologies www.tti.net 151
Transition Networks www.milan.com 147
Wiebetech www.wiebetech.com 147
MarketLink Sales 1-877-267-2315
Ginger Serifovic
212-503-5120
ginger_serifovic@ziffdavis.com
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 143
144 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
ML
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 145
19755 Nordhoff Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311 U.S.A.
Tel: 818.700.8488 Fax: 818.700.8466
One giant leap
closer to Amber
Quickly capture cell phone data and criminals
From child abduction to terrorism, Logicube
captures cell phone and PDA data at the scene, using the results
to vastly increase the speed of interdiction.
F EATURES
I
Automated cell phone and PDA identification and extraction
- Identify by make and model
- Identify by brand and photos
- Identify by dimensions and photos
I
The system lights up the required adapter cable
I
Complete data extraction in less than 5 minutes!
I
No specialist skills required
I
Captures more cell phones than any other solution
For a free catalog, call toll-free (888) 494-8832, or visit our
Website at www.logicubeforensics.com.
ML
146 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
ABERDEEN
The Straight Talk People
S I N C E 1 9 9 1
SM
Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Celeron, Intel Xeon, Itanium, Pentium and Pentium III
Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. pc041
NAS LINUX BASED
PERFORMANCE TUNED
888-453-0707
www.aberdeeninc.com/mag
All the features that made you choose Linux driving the high-
est performing, most competitively priced Network Attached
Storage (NAS) appliance in the marketplace today.
Best fit for Unix/Sun Micro/Linux environments or mix of
Windows and non-Windows environments
Browser based GUI management
Substantially faster NFS and CIFS perfomance compared to
Windows Storage Server
Extremely virus resistantDisc-On-Module (DOM) operat-
ing system provides integrity, avoids corruption and allows
for easy upgrade
Embedded iSCSI target with unlimited initiators
Schedulable volume snapshots
PCBackup Utility included allows multiple file versions
and instant backup of any modified file
NAS-2-NAS Replicator included
Available with 500GB 8.5ms 7200rpm hot-swap SATA II
3Gb/s hard drives with 16MB cache featuring Rotational
Vibration Safeguard and staggered (delayed) spin-up
SATAII 3Gb/s enables the highest level of performance at
low cost of ownership
300MBytes/sec per drive data transfer ratestwice as fast
as regular SATAand three times as fast as Ultra ATA/100
Single controller for up to 24 drivesup to single 16TB
partion
Intel RAID 6 Engine to support extreme performance
RAID 6can protect mission-critical data from two
concurrent disk drive failures
Status indication via HDD activity/fault LEDs and audible
alarm
Management port/firmware supports browser-based RAID
manager, SMTP email notification, SNMP agent
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) for extreme
performance
Smooth Stream technology for enhanced video streaming
Apple support including AFP 3.0
1TB AberNAS solutions starting at $2,345.
ABERDEEN ABERNAS 170 SERIES
1U NAS with Hardware RAID
Up to 2TB of Network Attached Storage in a 1U format
Intel
Pentium
Pentium
PocketPC
interface
3 Waveform traces
Peak hold/ search
Packet / interface triggers
Screen snapshots
NEW FEATURES:
Realtime Histogram,
Persistence and
Spectrogram screens
Interference ID assist
User and Band presets
Integrated data logger
IDENTIFY RFID, VolP, Wi-Fi,
ZigBee and Wi-MAX
INTERFERENCE.
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 147
MILAN MULTI-LAYER GIGABIT ETHERNET SWITCHES
SIMPLY CONNECT THE DEVICES YOU NEED.
The MIL-SM2401M
Series is MILANs
most powerful, flexible
line of Layer 2
management switches.
The ShAir AccessG
Pro AP/Bridge:
MILANs new cost-
effective, enterprise-
class wireless access
point.
MILANs MIL-SM801
series of layer 2
managed switches
provides high
performance non-
blocking switching.
MILAN makes switching and wireless
technology accessible to even more appli-
cations, more needs, and more importantly,
more people. Transition Networks, the
industry leader in product quality, availability
and support, now offers MILAN switching
and wireless products as a way for small
businesses to simply connect the devices
they need.
MILAN brings more within your reach, with
less of what you dont need.
www.milan.com
800 ~ 526 ~ 9267 www.wiebetech.com 866-744-8722 (toll free)
148 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
Cash Register Express software for Windows $495
Replace your Cash Register with Cash Register Express in any type of retail store. With over 1,000 of the most desired
point of sale features, Cash Register Express will help you compete in a difficult retail environment by controlling your
costs, reducing errors, increasing efficiency, increasing your profits and increasing your sales.
Specializing in Point of Sale since 1985
More Profit! More Sales! More Customers!
Save Time, Reduce Theft, Speed Checkout, Increase Accuracy,
Reduce Costs, Make Better Business Decisions by Computerizing your Retail Store
1-800-PC-AMERICA
WWW.PCAMERICA.COM
Bar Code Scanners $295
Metrologic, Symbol, HHP, PSC
Receipt Printers $299
Epson, Star, Ithaca, Citizen
Credit & Debit Card Processing $349
PC Charge
Credit Card Readers, Pin Pads, Signature Pads $179
Unitech, MagTek, Verifone, Topaz, HHP
Bar Code Printers $499
Cognitive Solutions, Fixed & Portable
Touch Screen Monitors $499
ELO Flat Panel, CRT
Pole Displays $289
Logic Controls
CALL TOLL FREE: 1-800-722-6374 PH: 845-920-0800 FX: 845-920-0880
PC AMERICA, 1 Blue Hill Plaza, Second Floor, Box 1546, Pearl River, NY 10965
Cash Drawers $189
MMF, Indiana, APG, Logic Controls
DEALERS WANTED!
Join our dealer program. Its FREE.
Its the fastest way to make
money...AND we make it EASY.
For More Info Call Toll Free!
1-800-722-6374
FREE DEMO!!
Portable Invoicing,
Inventory/Asset Tracking &
Data collecton - $499
Symbol, HP Palm
The Worlds Fastest Cash Register
RATED #1
Single or Multi-User
One Store or Multiple Store
Credit Card Authorization in 2-3 Seconds
Gift Cards & Loyalty Cards
Track Your Inventory and Customers
Detailed Sales Reports
FAST and EASY Checkout
Convenience Stores & Grocery Stores
Gift Shops
Apparel / Clothing
Liquor & Tobacco Stores
Cellular & Electonics
Restaurants, Delis
Any Store Requiring a
Cash Register
S
Y
S
T
E
M
S
S
T
A
R
T
A
T
$
4
9
5
ML
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 149
ML
ML
150 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
at henai nst i t ut e. com
unscented cologne/ aftershave additive
Dr. Winnifred Cutler
Creator of 10X
Dr. Winnifred Cutler
Creator of 10X
BIOLOGISTS PHEROMONE
BOOSTS SEX-APPEAL
FOR 74% IN 8-WEEK STUDY
10X
tm
GETS YOU MORE
AFFECTION FROM WOMEN
Athena 10X is designed to enhance your
sex-appeal. Vial of 1/6 oz. added to 2-3 oz.
of your cologne or aftershave lasts 4 to 6
months, or use straight. Contains synthe-
sized human pheromones.
Effective for 74% in 8 week published scientific
study. Not guaranteed to work for all, since body
chemistries differ, but will work for most.
Cosmetics not aphrodisiacs. NOT SOLD IN STORES
BIOLOGISTS PHEROMONE
BOOSTS SEX-APPEAL
FOR 74% IN 8-WEEK STUDY
10X
tm
GETS YOU MORE
AFFECTION FROM WOMEN
Please send me ___vials of 10X for men @$99.50
___ vials Athena 10:13 for Women@$98.50
and__ empty blue bottle (2oz screw cap) @$5.00
for a *total _____ by: money order, check
Visa, M/C, DS ______-_____-_______-_____
exp______ signature____________________
to: Name_______________________________
Address________________________________
City/State__________________zip___________
*PA add 6% tax, Canada add US$7.50 per vial Foreign call
Call 610-827-2200(fax) 610-827-2124Order online
1211 Braefield Rd. Chester Springs, PA 19425
Mike (FL) I am a boat captain. I need
another vial of the 10X overnight
please. I am 59 years old. We go to
this party and all these women
were like talking to me. And my
chauffeur asked me, Why? What
happened to you? So I told him
about the 10X and he told the men.
Next thing - all the crew was wear-
ing my Athena Pheromone 10X-
perfume. And it is all gone! Please
send it overnight. The 10X...it
works. It is crazy what happens.
All these women!
Created by Winnifred Cutler, Ph.D. in biology
from U. of Penn, post-doc at Stanford.
Co-discovered human pheromones in 1986
(Time 12/1/86; and Newsweek 1/12/87).
Actual Testimonial received 2/02/06
Tel:_______________email ___________ PCbp
Or mail to: Athena Institute, Dept PCbp,
Youll Never Lose a CD, DVD
or CDRW Disc again!
The self-stackable CD with Storage and
Retrieval Manager links up to 127 units
via USB, providing a capacity of 19,050
CD/DVD CDRW disks. Finding a CD
takes only a single search from your
PC/MAC or by clicking an icon from
your CD inventory screen (It rotates for a
visual search with one touch). Extract file
folder, title, names automatically, add notes in a
database and more.
The Ultimate CD/DVD Manager!
$
119
99*
DC300 CD Library $119.99* (built-in USB hub)
DC101 CD Library $99.99* (picture not shown)
CDC CD Cleaner/Repair $29.99* (picture not shown)
USB
*Note: Price shown after PC Magazine rebate. Both DC300 and DC101 have the same capacity (150).
Promotion code: PC Magazine
BesTrade 2005
Resellers Welcome
www.BesTradeUSA.com
1-800-608-2380, 1-630-364-4859
Free Website Builder Free Marketing Package
Free Merchant Account
888-255-1007
http://www.affordablehost.com/pcmag/
SIGN UP TODAY AND GET A FREE DOMAIN!
From $6.95/month
45-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE
Need less? We offer a free hosting package for small websites.
Need more? We offer dedicated servers from $99.00 / month.
ML
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 151
877-GAME-TRX Created with Pride in the USA
The HotSeat PC Gamer (shown with a NASCAR PC)
s the most durable, comfor-
able, 6-speaker dolby
surround sound gaming
hassis around! The HotSeat
C Gamer plays with all PCs
d game console systems.
Crank Your Hottest Lap Ever! Your Ho p Eve Ev Eve ver! r!
www.hotseatinc.com
152 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
ML
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 153
Call 877-845-0037
www.projectorpeople.com
* Prices at time of printing call for latest deals and discounts!
Because one brand
does not fit all.
PT-LB20U
Lights-On Perfect Color. XGA (1024 x 768), 2000 lumens,
DaylightView for beautiful images, 3 yr. warranty.
Everyday
Low Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$
1299
00
HERES
A TIP
A projector with keystone
correction can make a"square"
image from a projector placed
on an uneven surface.
Some projectors can correct
both horizontal and vertical
distortion.
*
CP-X440W
Bright Images for Bright Spaces.
XGA (1024 x 768), 2500 lumens, 4 built-in speakers,
many computer and video connections, 3 yr. warranty.
Call for Todays
Low Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$
1595
00
PB2140
Great Images On The Go.
SVGA (800 x 600), 1600 lumens,
2000:1 contrast, 3-year warranty.
Everyday
Low Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$
899
00
HD4000U
Affordable, Brilliant Color. In Hi-Def.
Native widescreen WXGA (1280 x 768),
2000 lumens, true-HD ready, digital keystone correction.
Everyday
Low Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$
2995
00
PowerLite Cinema 550
Top of the Line. 720p high-def, bright
1400 lumens, 3000:1 contrast, digital HDMI input.
Everyday
Low Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
$
2499
00
ML
154 PC MAGAZI NE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com
The Smart Choice for Text Retrieval
since 1991
Network with Spider
(from $800)
W
eb with Spider
(from $999)
Publish for CD/DVDs
(from $2,500)
Engine for W
in & .NET
Desktop with Spider
($199)
Network with Spider
(from $800)
W
eb with Spider
(from $999)
Publish for CD/DVDs
(from $2,500)
Engine for W
in & .NET
Engine for Linux
Engine for Linux
Desktop with Spider
($199)
1-800-IT-FINDS www.dtsearch.com 1-800-IT-FINDS www.dtsearch.com
For combing through large amounts of
data, dtSearch ... leads the market
Network Computing
Blindingly fast Computer Forensics:
Incident Response Essentials
Super fast, super-reliable
The Wall Street Journal
A powerful arsenal of search tools
The New York Times
Powerful Web-based engines eWeek
Blazing speeds
Computer Reseller News Test Center
The most powerful document search tool
on the market Wired Magazine
dtSearch vs. the competition:
dtSearch easily overpowered the
document indexing and searching
abilities of other solutions, especially
against large volumes of documents
Reliability: dtSearch got the highest
marks from our systems engineering
folks that I've ever heard of
Results: customer response has been
phenomenal
For hundreds more reviews and developer
case studies, see www.dtsearch.com
Contact dtSearch for fully-functional
evaluations
dtSearch
Terabyte Indexer
Developer Quotes and Reviews Developer Quotes and Reviews
Bottom line: dtSearch manages a terabyte of text in a single
index and returns results in less than a second InfoWorld
over two dozen indexed, unindexed, fielded data and full-text search options
highlights hits in HTML, XML and PDF, while displaying links, formatting and images
converts other file types (word processor, database, spreadsheet, email and
attachments, ZIP, Unicode, etc.) to HTML for display with highlighted hits
Spider supports static and dynamic Web content, with WYSWYG hit-highlighting
optional API for C++, .NET, Java, SQL, etc. Ask about new .NET Spider API
ML
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZI NE 155
ML
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 156
known. What was almost as important
was its distribution method. Players
could download Wolfenstein from a
number of FTP sites and BBS le areas
and play free. The game spread virally,
and id built a stake on gracious players
payments that would carry it through
the even more popular shareware title
Doom and on to big releases, beginning
with Quake.
The pitfalls of the shareware method
are obvious. Even then, col lecti ng
money was a dicey prospect. Some stu-
dios would release demos and require
payment to see the rest of the game.
When id released Return to Castle
Wolfenstein in 2001, a decade after the
T
he digital revolution, instead of
a violent and bloody overthrow,
has been a long, creeping pro-
cess. Take media on demand: In case you
havent noticed, its already happened.
iTunes and Napster have brought music
downloads into the mainstream, and
though Hollywood still bites its nails in
anxiety at the thought of video down-
loads, Google Video and iTunes are
bringing TV down a road that movies
will inevitably plod down themselves.
Games are part of this new para-
digmthe difference being that game
studios have little of the queasiness that
has marked the music and movie indus-
tries efforts to get with the 21st century.
Instead, having pioneered digital deliv-
ery, games have a tradition to look back
to and build from.
SHAREWARE
Before t he MP3 for mat
made it feasible to share entire
songs back and forth on the Inter-
net, small shareware programs were
the only thing it was possible to trade
across dial-up Internet connections.
The killer game app was Wolfenstein
3D, introduced by id Software in 1991.
The story of how Wolfenstein 3D rev-
olutionized rst-person shooters is well
original game, anyone suggesting that
it be distributed online, by the same
method as the series roots, would have
sounded crazy. Times have changed
again, however, and new services are
making downloadable games a real-
itybut for full price.
STEAM
The original Half-Life, which grafted
extensive use of scripted events onto
ids Quake engine, was a huge inuence
on just about every shooter game. But
its sequel set off an even bigger change
by being the agship release for devel-
oper Valves new digital delivery ser-
vice, Steam.
Steams birth came with some con-
troversy, though, because of Valves
style of digital distribution. The retail
version of Half-Life that Valve shipped
to stores was more like a formality to
appease Vivendi Universal Games, its
behemoth publisher: For their $50, gam-
ers got a box containing ve discs inside
a sleeve. If players wanted a manual,
they had to refer to the PDF version on
the disc, and the irritation at this was
nothing compared to what came next:
Half-Life 2 wasnt playable
until you had created a
Steam account and reg-
istered the game. Both the
retail and digital versions of it
had to check in with Steam to verify
the games legitimacy at each play ses-
sion, and the burden on the Steam serv-
ers led to long load times.
All this was very annoying at the
time. The key, though, is that Steam
got better quicklyand bigger. The
service now hosts several games, most
by independent third-party develop-
ers. When software publisher Strategy
First signed a deal with Steam, Tycho
of Penny Arcade noted the event, say-
ing, Watching Steam move from The
Thing You Get Half-Life 2 From to a
more complete content channel has
been a real relief.
Strategy First agreed, saying, We
believe Valves delivery system is one
of the best methods of connecti ng
gamers to top software titles. Other
studios have also joined in, with indie
A klEF Hl5T0kY 0F
0NLlNE 00WNL0A05
|d software re-
|eases wo|fenste|n 30
|nto the w||d. N||||ons of
d|g|ta| Nat|s are mown
down. 30 gam|ng |s born.
5hawn |ann|ng
re|eases Napster I.0.
N||||ons of song f||es are
(|||ega||y) down|oaded.
kecord|ng |ndustry w|nces.
ba|f-||fe 2 re|eases 5team
on an unsuspect|ng commun|ty.
N||||ons are more or |ess forced to
s|gn up.
N|crosoft re|eases
Xbox 360 ||ve Arcade.
N||||ons w||| be earned.
5ma|| pub||shers ga|n
access to |arge markets.
FORCED ENLISTMENT Half-Life 2 isnt
playable without an online account.
Digital Delivery
Downloading games isnt just for pirates anymore.
BY NICH MARAGOS, 1UP.COM
go.pcmag.com/gaming-culture
GAMING + CULTURE
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 157
games from Darwinia to Rag Doll Kung
Fu popping up on the service.
XBOX LIVE ARCADE
What about consoles, where its always
been a hard world for small game devel-
opers? Until recently, there werent
many options.
In 2005, though, the unlikeliest friend
of the small-time operator stepped
forward: Microsoft. When the com-
pany debuted its new Xbox 360, one
of its most intriguing aspects was an
expanded version of the existing Xbox
Live Arcade. Arcade became a much
bigger part of the next-gen system, inte-
grated directly into the new Xbox Live
Marketplace.
Although only hard-drive equipped
Xbox 360s have storage space for the
downloadable items and games in the
Marketplace, the experiment seems to
be taking off. The real star of Arcade
has been Geomet r y Wars: Ret ro
Evolved, which has seen 45,000 paid
downloads.
Digital downloads of cheap and legal
emulated games could ll a niche that
no retail channel has, and could ensure
that yesterdays seminal games sur-
vive. The most important aspect of
the digital-delivery revolution may be
not just a change in the way games are
consumed, but one in the way they are
made. After years of ballooning budgets
and massive development teams, we
might see a revival of the spirit of the
shareware days, when it was possible to
make a game by yourself, release it into
the world, and watch it y.
PAY TO PLAY Puzzle Pirates is free, but
extra features require a subscription.
1
GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY
New options, new vehicles for the famous game.
2
GRAND THEFT AUTO III
Guns, gear, and cars. Need we say more?
3
METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY
Highly cinematic sequel to the original action game.
4
RESIDENT EVIL 4
Get reacquainted with an idealistic cop in a ruined city.
5
GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS
Soon, therell surely be 31 avors of GTA.
6
GOD OF WAR
Deep combat with erce enemies. Scale mountain cliffs!
7
TONY HAWKS PRO SKATER 4
Possibly the best skateboarding game ever.
8
VIRTUA FIGHTER 4 EVOLUTION
Challenge a steady stream of opponents, easy and tough.
9
BURNOUT 3: TAKEDOWN
For racing gamers and adrenaline addicts.
10
NCAA FOOTBALL 2004
Captures the spirit and intensity of college football.
TOP 10 l Highest-Rated PS2 Games
ON THE
AUCTION
BLOCK
You never know what
kind of booty youll
nd on the block.
ITEM:
Yep, thats an
original Atari
Pong machine
from the 1970s.
EBAY PRICE:
$91
ITEM:
Wanna sport a
Legend of Zelda
gray T-shirt? Sure
you do.
EBAY PRICE:
$11.85
ITEM:
We found
ten Logitech
Wireless PS2
controllers.
EBAY PRICE:
$0.99
Source: Gametab.com. Ratings, out of a possible 10, are averaged from many reviews.
GOOD THINGS come
in small packages. So
reader Jeffrey Stephen-
son created the pico-
Cluster. Its a three-node
cluster with a 50-watt AT
power supply and a ve-
port switchlike three
computers all within a
6-inch cube. It has 21
LEDs that put on quite a
light show when its cal-
culating pi to eight billion
places, Jeffrey says. The
pico-Cluster also has a
fanless CPU and a Com-
pactFlash hard drive.
MOD WORLD
9.6
9.6
9.6
9.6
9.5
9.5
9.4
9.4
9.4
9.4
Heads up, Harley fans! Out of the Box Computers rst revved
its engines a couple of years ago with PC case mods inspired
by motorcycle tanks (www.thinktankpc.com). Now the com-
pany is branching out into customized, hand-painted cases
that house PCscourtesy of well-known artist Jason Prouty.
The system seen here contains an MSI MEGA 865 system
with a Pentium 4. You can provide your own wish list for what
you want on the outside of your simulated cycle tank. The
custom creations are part of the companys American Chopper
program. Prices start at $1,450, with a P4 system on board.
Fire up your own design!Sebastian Rupley
MORE ON THE WEB
For more cool products, like this dancing
and cartwheeling Robonova, head to
www.gearlog.com
A F T E R HOU R S go.pcmag.com/afterhours www.gearlog.com G E AR L OG
www.pcmag.com APRIL 11, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 159
GEARLOG
GET YOUR PC RUNNING . . .
HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY
PC MAGAZINE APRIL 11, 2006 www.pcmag.com 160
WHEN ITS TIME TO CHANGE, YOUVE GOT TO REARRANGE!
Edited by Don Willmott
PC Magazine, ISSN 0888-8507, is published semi-monthly except monthly in January and July at $44.97 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc, 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7940. Periodicals postage paid at New York,
NY 10016-7940 and at additional mailing ofces. POSTMASTER: Address changes to PC Magazine, P.O. Box 54070, Boulder, CO 80328-4070. The Canadian GST registration number is 865286033. Publications Mail Agree-
ment No. 40009221. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, R.P.O. West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6, Canada. Printed in the U.S.A.
If your entry is used, well send you a PC Magazine T-shirt. Submit your entries via e-mail to backspace@ziffdavis.com
(attachments are welcome) or to Backspace, PC Magazine, 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7940.
Ziff Davis Media Inc. shall own all property rights in the entries.
Winners this issue: Jon Austin, Paul Christensen, Norman Dotti, Mark Ericson, Eric Schnaufer, and Dick Sisson.
<<
Is there anything
you cant do with a
USB port?
<<
Another perfect combination!
<<
Computer equipment only . . .
plus one bright-orange vacuum
cleaner.
>>
You gotta wonder what this caption,
which describes a TV, said in the original
Japanese. (Google translation of Sony
Japan Web site)
>>
Among the many cool features at online magazine PingMag (www
.pingmag.jp) is a ten-step lesson on Web site development . . . demon-
strated by tiny toys.
>>
Yum! The Internet is smelling
good in Pushkar, India.
>>
The sushi was only
so-so. (Google News)
BACKSPACE