Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Unauthorized
Windows
Vista
19 Secrets from
Our Microsoft Mole
PLUS
The Truth
Behind the Delay
ALSO INSIDE
MAY 9, 2006
www.pcmag.com
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2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows logo, and Windows Server 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.
HP COMPAQ BUSINESS
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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 5/31/06. 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 saving and mail-in-rebate offers are valid through 5/31/06
on qualifying HP Compaq nc6320 and nx6310 notebooks, HP Compaq dc7600 desktops, HP ProLiant ml110 G3 servers, HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PCs, HP OfficeJet 5610 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. 5.Requires Caller ID, purchased separately 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=1 billion bytes. Actual available capacity is less. 10. 24X Max CD-ROM Drive
data transfer rates up to 3600 kpbs. 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
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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 nextbusiness-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. 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
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2006 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox, Phaser, and WorkCentre are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
PCONTENTS
MAY 9, 2006 VOL. 25 NO. 8
C OV E R S T O R Y
58
TM
23 FIRST LOOKS
24 Hardware
HP Pavilion Media Center
TV m7360n PC
32 Consumer
Electronics
Olympus Evolt E-330
LG CU320
42 Software
ClipMarks
Buying Guide: Parental
Controls
Safe Eyes
46 Small Business
Lexmark E120n
Sennheiser CX-300
ReadyNAS NV
Iomega ScreenPlay
NEC 42XR4
T-Mobile SDA
ClearOne Chat 50
50 What to Buy
PCONTENTS
FUTURE GADGETS
80
OPINIONS
11 First Word
Jim Louderback
53 Inside Track
John C. Dvorak
55 Michael J. Miller
56 Bill Machrone
144 John C. Dvorak
PIPELINE
18 Control your PC
through your phone
Visit the pocket doctor;
Running Windows
on a Mac?
19 Future Watch
The brain-to-computer
interface
SOLUTIONS
113 The Connected
Traveler in
San Francisco
San Francisco has the
Exploratorium, Sonys
Metreon, and a wirelessenabled ballpark. Coming
soon: free citywide Wi-Fi.
GAMING &
CULTURE
REAL-WORLD TESTING
86
Keyboards that are great for typing may not work as well for gaming, and vice versa. Is there a keyboard thats good for bothand
that you can have for less than $20? We rounded up six low-priced boards and
put them to the test. Here we reveal our favorites.
BUILD IT
A SILENT PC
91
More processing and graphics power means more heat, thus more
whirring fans. You want your high-performance computer to run like
a race carnot to sound like one! Our hints and mods hit noise at its sources;
we show you how to make a screamer thats as quiet as a library.
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 100167940 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 Agreement 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.
TECHNORIDE
20 Mercedes ML 250
Geneva Auto Show
tech highlights; Hymotion:
more hybrid efciency;
diesel cars are back.
140 PlayStation 3:
What we know
GEARLOG
143 Toshibas jazzy
MP3 players
21 Bill Howard
ALSO INSIDE
16 Feedback
16 Abort, Retry, Fail
PCMAG ONLINE
Want to learn more
about Microsofts
impending operating
system? Go to
PCMag.com for all
the Windows Vista
info you need, including news articles,
expert opinions, and
screenshots of the
test builds. See
go.pcmag.com/vista.
F I R ST WO R D
BY JIM LOUDERBACK, EDITOR
www.pcmag.com
Jim Louderback
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Lance Ulanoff
EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY Ben Z. Gottesman
EXECUTIVE EDITORS Stephanie Chang, Carol L. Gonsher, Vicki B. Jacobson (online),
Jeremy A. Kaplan
ART DIRECTOR Richard J. Demler
MANAGING EDITOR Paul B. Ross
EDITOR, REVIEWS
REVIEWS
FEATURES
FEATURES EDITORS
ART
PRODUCTION
ONLINE
ASSISTANT PRODUCER
Anita Anthony
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
INTERNS
CORPORATE PRODUCTION
Ivis Fundichely
Michelle Chizmadia TRAFFIC MANAGER Amanda Allensworth
Michael J. Miller
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Game On!
Wireless Gaming Made Easy.
"Buffalo AOSS (AirStation One-Touch Secure System) Routers make
hopping online with your Nintendo DS a painless procedure. The press
of a single button will have you online in seconds, a task even the
youngest gamer can accomplish with ease."
Kevin Cassidy, GoNintendo.com
Works Seamlessly with Nintendo DS
One-Touch Secure Wireless Setup with AOSS
AOSS
One Touch.
One Click. Done!
WHR-G54S
WHR-HP-G54
YEAR
Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. Buffalo Technology, Buffalo Technology logo and AOSS are registered trademarks of Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc.
The names and logos of other companies mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
WARRANTY
TECH
SUPPORT
W W W. P C M A G C O N N E C T. C O M
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For reprints, please contact Stella Valdez at FosterReprints: telephone, 866-879-9144; fax, 916-983-6762;
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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
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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.
FEEDBACK
Thanks to Lance Ulanoff for an excellent article (Are Your Photos Safe?, go.pcmag.com/lu
photossafe). I nd that people are very gullible.
Many of them dont understand the capitalistic
system we live under. Some folks really think that
a Web site is their personal storage! Many dont
know that photos posted online can be pilfered
and used elsewhere if good enough. I dont
post my images anywhere, even though I get
dozens of offers from dotPhoto and others.
I keep my images in my iPhotoall
15,000 of them, across three libraries. Each
one is backed up weekly to three separate
external FireWire drives, of which at least
one is kept off-site at all times on a rotating
basis.Jorge Moro
CMON, MICROSOFT
I read Jim Louderbacks column in the April
11 issue, then searched the Internet for the
elusive retail copy of Windows XP Media
Center Edition, but I had the same results.
It seems that all you can purchase is
an OEM copy. I found several Web sites
(Newegg.com, Royal Discount, PCDirect
.com, TigerDirect.com) that sell the OEM
version at a price ranging from $114.95 to
$139.99 (with remote).Russ
Thats weird. We
thought Kelly was
a hard worker.
CONNECTING IN TRANSIT
The Well-Connected Traveler (March 21,
page 68) showed up at the perfect time for
me. Im planning a summer trip to Europe; it
will be my rst time going overseas. Im hopelessly addicted to my gadgets and to the Internet, and after reading this piece, I feel condent Ill be able to manage technologically
during my vacation. Thanks for all the great
ideas about what to bring; I never manage
to pack light, but this should help me select
16 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006
Lookin good,
Simon!
He lives right
down the street
from the Giffs.
ARF NEEDS YOU! If your entry is used, well send you a PC Magazine T-shirt. Submit your photos or
screen captures via e-mail to arf@ziffdavis.com. Ziff Davis Media Inc. shall own all property rights in the
entries. Winners this issue: Andrew Kopanski, Tom Pentland, and Michael Ufkes.
Free
software
training.
Free
business skills
training.
Free
technical
support.
On your
own time.
In your
own way.
Now theres a free online business resource
from Microsoft that helps small businesses
get more value from their Microsoft
software investment. Discover how you
can get more value today:
www.microsoft.com/sbplusG
PIPELINE
WHATS NEW FROM THE WORLD OF TECH
WINMAC
When Apple conrmed last year that
it would begin building computers with
Intel chips, predictions of dual-boot
systems running both
Windows and the
Mac OS abounded.
Now, with ofcial
approval from neither
Microsoft nor Apple,
several code warriors
are pulling that off.
AirmanPika, a
member of the OSx86Project (forum
.osx86project.org), has
posted photos of his
iMac running Windows
Media Center Edition
2005, as shown above.
Our own experts have
loaded Windows XP
on Mac systems and
found it to run faster
on Apple computers
than it does on many
PCs. Find the details at
go.pcmag.com
/windowsonamac.
In PC Magazines
cover story on Apples
move to Intel last
year, Apple spokesperson Natalie Kerris
said, Were not shipping and supporting
Windows, but were
doing nothing in our
hardware designs to
preclude running it.
And where theres a
will, theres a way.SR
Phone Home
Free services are giving almost anyone with a cell phone remote access to PCs.
POCKET DOCTOR
40
35
30
25
20
Watch video
on phones
Watch TV
on phones
Projected
U.S.
viewers
(in
millions)
15
10
5
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
Source: eMarketer, March 2006
QUICK ON THE DRAW How fast does your brain process information? At www.positscience
.com you can take an online test and determine the precise answer. The process takes 10
minutes, and results are compared to averages for your age range, using charts.
18 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006
FUTURE WATCH
SMART
GLASS
Thinking It Through
TECHNORIDE
MERCEDES
ML 350
$40,525 to $69,250
lllhm
models. Reasonably
priced nav system
available.
NEARLY IRRESISTIBLE
of technology and entertainment features into its secondgeneration midsize M-Class SUV.
Every M-Class includes a 7-inch
in-dash LCD panel. On the dash
is a fussy Comand control dial that has lots of buttons,
but this device doesnt compare well with the Audi
MMI controller or with the console-mount Comand
knob in the new Mercedes S-Class. An audio line-in
jack and three power sockets come standard; an iPod
jack, backseat DVD, Sirius satellite radio, and a Logic
7 sound system are available as options. A hands-free
phone adapter runs about $1,000; dealer-installed
Bluetooth will cost about $500 when its available this
summer in the 2007 model. Because the LCD is standard, the passable DVD nav system can be added by
the dealer for about $1,300very reasonable by Mercedes or BMW standards.
The ML 350 comes with all-wheel drive, sevenspeed automatic transmission, and roomy comfort for
four passengers and baggage. Unlike the rst generation (1998 to 2005), the new M-Class no longer rides
like a truck. Most buyers should be satised with the
V6 ML 350 at about $50,000, passably equipped; add
$10,000 for the V8 ML 500.BH
20 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006
LCD panel
comes standard
B I L L H O WA R D
Steerable headlig s
track you through ht
corners
Introducing the DataFRAME 440, the scalable, affordable storage solution with easy-to-use management software.
When it comes to your mounting storage needs, MPCs DataFRAME 440 provides an unbeatable combination of scalable, highperformance hardware with easy-to-use, capable management software. The system features dual Intel Xeon Processors, 8TB of
storage for each 3U enclosure, and 16 hot-swap drives. Plus, it incorporates MPCs DataFRAME software which makes storage
provisioning and utilization a snap. You can also add software modules that allow clustering and virtualization between multiple
DataFRAME units, automated snapshots and data protection. The DataFRAME 440 delivers a sophisticated SAN with the affordability
and ease-of-use of IP. . . instantly. To learn more - call or visit us on the Web.
CALL:
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VISIT:
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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 configurations 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.
.................................
.....................
.................................
.....................
FIRST LOOKS
WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN:
lllll
EXCELLENT |
llllm
VERY GOOD |
lllmm
GOOD |
llmmm
FAIR |
lmmmm
POOR
INSIDE...
F I R ST LO O KS
HARD WA RE
oor hidsess
Sliding d
-acce
the easy
ports
Analog input
for VCR
Easy-access
FireWire port for
DV camcorder
HP Personal Meditia
Drive for unlim ed
storage
Dual 160GeBs
hard driv
HP Pavilion
Media Center
TV m7360n PC
As a Media
Center PC,
the m7360n
has some outstanding
features, such as the
Personal Media Drive,
wireless networking, and
good dual-core performance.
$1,200 direct, without
monitor
go.pcmag.com/
hpM7360n
llllm
MEDIA MAVEN
Pentium D
975X
975X
Processor
Chipset
Network card
Media Center
F I R ST LO O KS
HARD WA RE
hours
An amazing li7fe!
ry
e
of batt
Lenovo
ThinkPad
X60s
The 3.5pound
ThinkPad
X60s is ideal for
anyone who spends
more time on the
road than in the
ofce. For many,
its pretty much the
perfect ultraportable.
$2,299 direct
go.pcmag.com/
thinkpadx60s
competition are two musts for any business traveler, and the Lenovo ThinkPad X60s helps you do
both. This 3.5-pound laptop has great connectivity by way of Verizons EV-DO. And, as we found
in testing, it can work off battery power for more
than 7 hours.
Some of my favorite things about this system, as with any
ThinkPad I can get my hands on, are the unmatched keyboard
and TrackPoint. Although the X60ss 12.1-inch screen is good
enough for most travelers, as a writer I prefer a slightly larger
screen. However, I certainly cant complain about the inclusion
of EV-DO: While roaming Manhattan, I was able to access my
e-mail, surf the Web, and download video clips at broadbandlike speeds. Talk about staying productive!
The X60s uses a low-voltage Intel Core Duo processor, the
1.66-GHz L2400, which helps it achieve a pleasing balance
of power and battery life. If your primary tasks on the road
are presenting slide shows, managing e-mails, Web surfing, and working in Excel or Word les, the X60s is
the ultraportable for you.Cisco Cheng
llllh
Razor-thin
13.3 inch LCD
Sony VAIO
VGN-SZ170P
For a 3.8-pound system,
the Sony VAIO VGNSZ170P offers an
irresistible combination of sleekness, cool
features, superb performance, and top-ofthe-line components.
$2,799 direct
go.pcmag.com/
sonysz170p
llllm
Antenna for
Cingulars
Edge network
TAKES
SIMPLICITY
BUSINESS
Visa Business tracks your expenses on one simple statement, helping you run your business more
efciently. Saving you time and money. Not to mention sticky notes. For more information, visit us
at visa.com/smallbusiness. Your business is your life. Life takes Visa.
F I R ST LO O KS
HARD WA RE
Lexmark E120n
With its small footprint,
fast performance, and
network connectivity,
the Lexmark E120n is a
good choice for sharing
on a home or smallofce network.
$149 direct
go.pcmag.com/
lexmarke120n
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NETWORK POWER ON
A PERSONAL PRINTER
size, and paper capacity suitable only for light-duty printing, the Lexmark E120n is
decidedly a personal laser printer. This one, however, has networking capabilities, which makes it a good choice for a
home ofce or very small ofce. Its still a monochrome
printer, though, so if you plan on printing a lot of color
graphics or photos, an ink jet is a better solution.
Setup is as simple as it gets. The E120ns speed and
text quality is, according to our tests, more than good
enough for any text youre likely to print. Graphics qual-
hes
5.2 inc
Iomega ScreenPlay
Great in concept but a
failure in execution, the
Iomega ScreenPlay has
more things wrong than
right. Dont buy this
product.
$220 direct
go.pcmag.com/
iomegascreenplay
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H E I O M E G A S C R E E N P L AY S E E M S
The best
keyboard op!
in any lapt
guish its new 3000 series from the successful high-end ThinkPad series, and,
if judged on looks alone, it succeeds.
Still, even though the Lenovo
3000 C100 is a capable value
notebook, it doesnt distinguish itself from
popular value offerings from Acer, Dell, and
HP. If anything, its less attractive than any of
those three.
The C100 is thick, weighs 6.3 pounds, and has a
15-inch display. Lenovo endows this beast with some
good features, such as four USB ports and an S-Video
port. In addition, the 80GB hard drive is fairly roomy,
and the DVD+R dual-layer drive is better than the
combo drives found on most budget laptops.
Though not the fastest laptop on the market, the
C100, as our testing shows, is capable of handling
everyday Ofce applications. As dual-core optimized
apps come down the line, however, this single-core
F I R ST LO O KS
HARD WA RE
Dedicated
Photo Printers
ch LCD
Large, 2.4-inot
o editing
ph
for easy
EPSON PICTUREMATE
DELUXE VIEWER EDITION
The Epson PictureMate has been our highend Editors Choice for so long that we
keep thinking the next printer we test will
surely replace it. But its stayed on top,
thanks to its true photo-quality output,
memory slots, 2.4-inch color LCD, kioskstyle print menus, battery option, and reasonable
29-cent cost per photo.
Its six-color ink system helps produce highquality, waterproof, smear-proof images. You can
print easily from your camera, an external CD or
ZIP drive, a USB memory key, memory card, or your
computer. A color LCD screen lets you easily preview your prints, and an intuitive menu offers options such as cropping and resizing of images. And
if you love your PictureMate so much that you want
to take it with you everywhere, fear not: With a carrying handle and optional battery, the PictureMate
is designed for maximum portability.
$199.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/epsondeluxe.
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STAY AWAY!
Lexmark P315
The lack of resistance
to water makes photos
printed on the P315 easy
to ruin just by handling.
$99.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/
lexmarkp315
llhmm
Samsung SPP-2020
Digital Photo Printer
At 42 cents per photo,
the SPP-2020 is far less
of a bargain than its
price suggests.
$80 street
go.pcmag.com/
samsungspp2020
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y photos
Lab-qualit
A N A LY S T S V I E W
BY M. DAVI D S TONE
OTHER
OPTIONS
PRINT BIG
HP Photosmart 475
GoGo Photo Printer
The HP Photosmart 475
is portable, easy to use,
and one of the few that
print 5-by-7 photos.
$250 street
go.pcmag.com/
hp425gogo
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PRINTING CHOICES
Canon Selphy DS810
This printer lets you print
on its less expensive
paper, but you can also
step up to quality suitable for framing.
$149.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/
canonDS810
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AFFORDABLE
ALTERNATIVE
Canon Selphy CP510
Compact Photo Printer
Small, lightweight, and
offers the best combination of running cost (at
29 cents per photo) and
output quality for the
price.
$99.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/
canonCP510
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RECENT REVIEWS
Canon Pixma
iP5200R
$230
street
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Olympus P-11
$150
street
l l l h m
$199.00
direct
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$199.95
direct
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Canon Pixma
MP950
$399.99
direct
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Canon Pixma
iP6600D
$199.99
direct
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F I R ST LO O KS
CO NS U M E R E L E C T R O N I CS
Pop-up ash
CF and xD
card slot
3.1 x optical
zoom
UNLIMITED
BroadbandAccess
for Internet browsing, email and intranet access
now at a great price of
$5999
monthly access
the first time ever, access to Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess service is built in to the most
For
innovative notebooks from Lenovo ThinkPad and HP. So you can work wirelessly without a PC card
verizonwireless.com/notebooks
Our surcharges (incl. 2.41% Federal Universal Service [varies quarterly], 5 Regulatory & 40 Administrative charge/line/mo., & others by area) are not taxes (details:
1-888-684-1888); govt taxes and our surcharges could add 6%35% to your bill. Activation fee: $35/line. IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Subject to Customer
Agreement, Calling Plan & credit approval. $175 termination fee, other charges & restrictions. Offers, coverage & service not available everywhere. BroadbandAccess is
available in 181 major metro areas covering over 148 million people. Wireless service not included with notebook. Access limited to coverage area of Verizon Wireless.
Check with Verizon Wireless for availability and coverage in your area. Coverage limitations & maps at www.verizonwireless.com. Limited time offer.
F I R ST LO O KS
CO NS U M E R E L E C T R O N I CS
Articulatingreen
live view sc
to LCD
MOS
to LCD
MOS
4
1
CCD
In B mode, the
digital image is sent
directly to the LCD for a
live preview. Because
the autofocus is
disengaged you have to
focus manually. To help
with that, you can view
the image magnified
10X on the LCD.
1.3-megapixel
camera
LG CU320
Although it doesnt take
full advantage of Cingulars new 3G data network,
this is a solid midrange
phone with some nice
entertainment features.
$299.99; from $149.99
with contract
go.pcmag.com/cu320
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Keypad ut
slides sh
F I R ST LO O KS
CO NS U M E R E L E C T R O N I CS
Samsung Yepp
YP-Z5
Its the rst 4GB
ash player to be
compatible with
PlaysForSure, but
its still no iPod
nanokiller.
4GB: $249.99 list;
2GB: $199.99
go.pcmag.com/
ypz5
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Sennheiser CX-300
If you want thumping bass
with minimal mud, youll
love these compact in-ear
headphones.
$69.99 list
go.pcmag.com/cx300
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Drivers are
covered with
a screen
Channel button
are
Controlsed into
s
s
e
rec ame
the fr
NEC 42XR4
The 42XR4 is a
superb plasma
display. It needs
professional
installation to
set the advanced picture
controls, however.
$3,995 list
go.pcmag.com/nec42xr4
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Free.
Introducing Microsoft Small Business +. This free online business resource is designed to help you get the most
out of your Microsoft software investment. Small Business + provides you and your employees with free training,
technical support, and practical tips and how-tos to help you improve overall business practices. Best of all, the
program is based on your business needs, and is customized around what you tell us is important to you.
Just go to: www.microsoft.com/sbplusG
2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and Excel are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Satellite
Smart notebooks for every budget.
Starting at $699
Tecra
The reliability business demands.
Starting at $1,199
Portg
Thin, light and powerful.
Starting at $1,599
Qosmio
4-in-1 personal entertainment center.
Starting at $1,699
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 enhancements1 for increased
mobile security, system integrity, network
connectivity and overall ease of use
Starting at $1,699
ToshibaByDesign.com/M4
1.800.TOSHIBA
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, 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 registered
High-Resolution
Video Display
14" diagonal SXGA+ display offers an
extended viewable range and more
vivid visuals plus, the polycarbonate
protective surface offers an authentic
pen and paper experience.
ConfigFree Software
Simplifies finding and connecting to networks
and allows collaboration between connected
users and workgroups.
Innovation by design.
trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Wi-Fi is
a registered certification mark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. While Toshiba has made every effort at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information
provided herein, product specifications, configurations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. Toshiba is not liable for pricing, typographical or photography errors.
Prices listed are based on products listed at ToshibaDirect.com at time of publication printing. Reseller/Retailer pricing/products may vary. 2006 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
F I R ST LO O KS
CO NS U M E R E L E C T R O N I CS
40
320-by-r2een
VGA sc
Windows
Mobile
Devices
T-MOBILE SDA
A total reball of a smartphone, the T-Mobile
SDA syncs with Outlook, plays music, and
surfs the Web over Wi-Fi. The chubby candy-bar phone has plenty of buttons, giving
you great power once you get the hang of it.
Though the phone isnt very loud, it gets
excellent reception, and the talk time is outstanding.
Microsofts Windows Mobile 5.0 plus T-Mobiles allyou-can-eat Wi-Fi/EDGE data plan make the SDA a
great way to carry around your calendar, play music
synced from Windows Media Player, and nd that
Mexican restaurant using the built-in Web browser. I
wish it had more memory for add-in programs, but
no phone is perfect.
$299.99 list
go.pcmag.com/sda
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W
MORE ON THE WEB
Check out all our Windows
Mobile Device reviews at
go.pcmag.com/wmd
Dedicated
music buttons
Windows Mobile comes in three avorsand two versions. Traditional PDAs like the Dell Axim X51v are
the most powerful of the bunch, but obviously, they
dont make phone calls. Right now, only traditional
PDAs offer features like 640-by-480 VGA screens,
graphics acceleration, 624-MHz processors, and ngerprint scanners. That makes them ideal for gaming,
multimedia, remote-desktop access, or other demanding business applications.
Smartphones such as the T-Mobile SDA look like
regular phones, and they dont have touch screens.
Theyre best for people who will be receiving information on the go. You can surf the Web, read e-mail, or
A N A LY S T S V I E W
BY S AS C HA S E G AN
listen to MP3s on your smartphone, but editing documents or writing e-mail is only for the very patient.
Pocket PC phones such as the Sprint PPC-6700
balance power and phone capabilities. All have touch
screens, and many have full keyboards. But theyre a
bit clunkier than smartphones.
Youll also have to choose between the newer Windows Mobile 5.0 and the older 2003 OS. Windows
Mobile 5.0 devices use persistent memory, so your data
doesnt disappear if the battery dies, and theyre better
at reading Microsoft Ofce documents and Web browsing. Also, they hold out the promise of true push e-mail
from corporate Outlook 2003 SP2 servers with a future
upgrade. But Mobile 5.0 devices feel a little slower than
devices running the older OS. Still, we think you should
buy Mobile 5.0 devices whenever possible.
Once youve picked your avor and version, scope
out the features you need. If you plan to talk a lot on a
Pocket PC phone, youll probably want Bluetooth. If
youre into e-mail, try out your devices keyboard rst. A
few Pocket PCs, such as the HP iPAQ hw6515, even
come with built-in GPS, useful for road warriors.
High-speed cellular networking, such as EV-DO,
will cost a lot monthly but will give you the best browsing experience. To save on monthly fees, you can nd a
Wi-Fi device and restrict yourself to hot spots.
Processor speed matters only if youre going to try
to watch full-screen video or run voice-over-Internet
applications like Skype. In such cases, look for a device
with a 416-MHz or faster processor.
Once youve settled on a Windows Mobile device,
stop by an online store such as Handango or PocketGear to see the wide range of software available.
Whether youre an ofce drone, a gamer, or a multimedia maven, youll be amazed at what you can hold
in your hand.SS
OTHER
OPTIONS
HP iPAQ
rx1950
$299.00
list
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Samsung i730
$599.99
list
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i-mate JAM
$639.00
direct
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Sprint
PPC-6600
$629.99
list
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Siemens SX66
$549.99
list
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Audiovox
XV-6600
$549.99
list
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Sprint PCS
PPC-6601
$629.99
list
l l l l m
HP iPAQ
hx2750
$549.00
list
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RECENTLY REVIEWED
F I R ST LO O KS
S OF T WA RE
Typical lip
,
political csa
tir
Current
hippest
clips
Search by tag
Clipmarks
This addictive app/Website combo is an effective
way to store pieces of
Web pages for future reference, sharing, and gathering commentary.
Free
go.pcmag.com/clipmarks
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Public
comments
area
Trademark of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. or an affiliate. 2006 U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co.
Always moist.
Always premium.
Always fresh.
F I R ST LO O KS
S OF T WA RE
Parental Controls
Control settings, alerts, and
logs with the menu bar
gs
Vary settin
ount
c
c
a
r
by use
Site blocking
Image
blocking
Time control
Alerts &
remote access
Robustness
Overall
ContentProtect
l l l l m
N/A
llllm
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iShield
N/A
l l l h m
N/A
N/A
lllmm
lllhm
PC Moderator
N/A
N/A
llllm
N/A
lllll
llllh
l l l l m
N/A
llllm
llllh
llllm
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A N A LY S T S V I E W
BY N E I L J. RU BE N KI NG
OTHER
OPTIONS
CONTENT FILTERING
ContentProtect
This full-featured parental-control app analyzes
Web-page text in real
time and applies categories on a per-page basis.
$39.99 per year
go.pcmag.com/
contentprotect
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GRAPHICS BLOCKER
iShield
Blocks pornographic
images rather than
pornographic text. Use
it with a text-based or
URL-based Web lter.
$24.95
go.pcmag.com/ishield
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ACCESS CONTROL
PC Moderator
This gadget is the best
way weve found to control time spent on the
PC, but thats all it does.
Still, it accomplishes
its mission well, and
that earns it an Editors
Choice.
$79.95 analog, $89.95
digital
go.pcmag.com/
pcmoderator
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STAY AWAY!
CyberSitter 9.0
Unchanged for years, this former Editors Choice no longer measures up.
$39.95 direct. go.pcmag.com/cybersitter90 l l l m m
NetNanny 5
No Web ltering by category, no improvements in yearsno thanks.
$39.95 direct. go.pcmag.com/netnanny5 l l h m m
Chaperone Pro 5
Whats worsethat it lacks many common features, or that its easy to hack?
$59.95 direct. go.pcmag.com/chaperonepro5 l h m m m
F I R ST LO O KS
S MA L L B U SI N E SS
KICKIN NAS
One-touch
backup button
Infrant
Technologies
ReadyNAS
NV
You can
replace a
bad drive in this RAID
appliance without
turning off the power.
1TB conguration,
$1,300 street
go.pcmag.com/
readynasnv
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ed
Eight switcpohrts
t
e
Ethern ck
on the ba
Anthology Solutions
Yellow Machine P400T
This RAID system packs
capabilities far beyond
storage.
1TB conguration, $999
direct
go.pcmag.com/
yellowmachinep400t
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d e v i c e , r o u t e r, f i r e w a l l ,
switch, and Web server when
your small business can get
the same features in one
toaster-size package? Not only
does the Yellow Machine P400T combine all that,
but it also supports RAID 0, 0+1, and 5 (the default);
contains eight built-in Ethernet ports; and comes
preloaded with excellent backup softwareRetrospect Professionallicensed for ve clients. I tested
a P400T that had four 250MB drives.
To congure the applicance, you simply plug a PC
into one of the eight Ethernet switch ports, point to
the IP address of the administration interface, and
follow a wizard. Setup is relatively easy if you have a
marginal understanding of networking. The management interface is very rough, thoughone reason the
P400T loses the Editors Choice to the ReadyNAS NV.
Still, this appliance gives serious bang for the buck to
those needing more than a NAS device. If youre one of
them, put it high on your list.OK
It takes all kinds to make up a family. Well, here are some members
of ours. Serious machines for serious business. Lenovo ThinkPad
notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops for the creative, practical,
ambitious, nomadic, thrifty and even clumsy members of your
family. Each featuring the kind of world-class technology that
continues to make ThinkPad and ThinkCentre the envy of the
industry. Just part of a whole line of Lenovo PCs.
ThinkPad R51e
ThinkPad T60
distinctive innovations
distinctive innovations
system features
system features
879
PN 1844DJU
Option
ThinkPad Leather Carrying Case5
1499
PN 1953D6U
Option
ThinkPad T60/Z60m 9 Cell Li-Ion Battery
99 PN 10K0209
179 PN 40Y6797
ThinkPad Z60m
ThinkPad Z60t
distinctive innovations
distinctive innovations
distinctive innovations
distinctive innovations
system features
system features
system features
system features
256MB memory
512MB memory
1149
PN 2529-03U
Option
1799
PN 2511-FEU
Option
119 PN 40Y7630
To shop or locate
your local reseller
219 PN 250410U
479
Option
17" ThinkVision L171 Flat Panel Monitor
649
PN 8288A2U
299 PN 9417AB1
PN 828841U
Option
Lexmark X7170 All-In-One Printer
with USB cable
149 PN 40Y8260
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) Included software: may differ from its retail version (if available), and may not include user manuals or all program functionality. License agreements may apply. (3) 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. (4) Hard drive: GB = billion bytes. Accessible capacity is
less; up to 4GB is service partition. (5) Certain IBM and ThinkPad logo products: are not manufactured, warranted or supported by IBM or Lenovo. IBM and Lenovo logos and trademarks used under license. Contact
Lenovo for details. (6) Client Security Solution: preloaded on select models; requires software download. (7) 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 connection will be based on the access point to which it connects. (8) 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. 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.
F I R ST LO O KS
S MALL BU S I N E SS
mplify
Wizards sisk
s
admin ta
SYMANTEC ENTERS
THE BACKUP GAME
ClearOne Chat 50
This USB speakerphone provides
business-quality
full-duplex sound
for PCs using
Skype or similar software or
cell phones.
$149 direct
go.pcmag.com/chat50
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W H AT T O B U Y
DEDICATED PHOTO
PRINTER
Canon Selphy CP510
Compact Photo Printer
Canon U.S.A. Inc.; $99.99
direct
ALL-PURPOSE PRINTER
HP OfceJet Pro K550
Color Printer
Hewlett-Packard Development Co.; $200 street
Super-fast performance.
Suited to a small ofce
or home ofce.
go.pcmag.com/hpM7360n
go.pcmag.com/altirissvs
ANTISPYWARE
Spyware Doctor 3.5
PC Tools; $29.95 direct
BUDGET PDA
Palm Z22
go.pcmag.com/spydoc35
SMALL-BUSINESS
BACKUP
NTI Shadow
Dual-core processor.
TV tuner. Media Center.
Massive amounts of
storage.
UTILITY
Altiris Software Virtualization Solution 2.0
Gorgeous. Excellent
voice quality. Good
reception. Supports
EV-DO.
go.pcmag.com/palmz22
IPOD SPEAKERS/DOCK
Apple iPod Hi-Fi
go.pcmag.com/rangemax240
MOBILE PHONE
Motorola RAZR V3c
go.pcmag.com/razrv3c
Installs, uninstalls, or
resets software; prevents
conicts between apps;
leaves Windows base
unaltered.
go.pcmag.com/hpK550
MEDIA CENTER
DESKTOP
HP Pavilion Media
Center TV m7360n PC
HOME NETWORKING
Netgear RangeMax
240 WPNT834 wireless
router and WPNT511
CardBus adapter
FLASH DRIVE
Memorex U3 smart Mini
TravelDrive
Memorex Products Inc.;
$35 list
go.pcmag.com/ipodhi
42-INCH HDTV
(PLASMA)
NEC 42XR4
NEC Display Solutions of
America; $3,995.99 list
Exceptional picture
quality. Comprehensive
display options. Good
video processor.
go.pcmag.com/nec42xr4
Dual-core processor.
Front Row. Mini-DVI port
for true dual-monitor
use. Excellent all-in-one
design.
go.pcmag.com/
appleimacintel
OPTICAL DEVICE
Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1
Sony Corp.; $299.99 direct
DIGITAL CAMERA
(COMPACT)
Canon PowerShot S80
Canon U.S.A. Inc.;
$549.95 list
Outstanding picture
quality. Good performance. Wide-angle lens.
go.pcmag.com/S80
*For a limited time. Some restrictions apply. See www.localPCbuilder.com for offer details and conditions. Prices are in U.S. dollars. Offer available for computers purchased in the United States March 1, 2006, through June 30,
2006, from approved system builder channels with a genuine United States Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system preinstalled and validated by the Windows
Genuine Advantage program. Offer excludes systems purchased from retailers, major computer manufacturers (OEMs), those purchased as part of a volume license agreement, and those purchasers redeeming outside of the
United States. Limit one BONUS PACK per system purchased. Redeem the Buy Local BONUS PACK by August 15, 2006, in the United States.
**Value of BONUS PACK varies depending upon version of Windows XP operating system acquired.
While supplies last.
2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of the actual companies
and products mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.
COMMITTED TO
M E M O RY
*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.
I N S I D E T R AC K
BY JOHN C . DVORAK
No contract. No overages.
No monthly bills.
USR9601
USR9610
Free
Internet
calling that
just works
USR9620
fees are required for making Skype to Skype phone calls. Phone/adapter must be purchased.
Free Skype to Skype phone calling requires a PC with high-speed Internet access.
Skype is a registered trademark of Skype.
MICHAEL J. MILLER
An Open Letter
to Security Vendors
To: John Thompson, CEO, Symantec
George Samenuk, CEO, McAfee
Eva Chen, CEO, Trend Micro
Laura Yecies, General Manager, Zone Labs
B I L L M AC H R O N E
Steal-Me White
Real Hassles
58 PC MAGAZINE
MAY 9, 2006
VISTA
PREVIEW
M
BY JOHN CLYMAN
ICROSOFT WINDOWS
duce Vista into your organization and manage migration and training. At PC Magazine, weve been diving
deeper into Vista with each new CTP (Community
Technology Preview), uncovering useful little secrets
and powerful new capabilities, excitedly sharing our
discoveries with each otherand now with you.
In February, Microsoft released a version of Vista
that it calls feature completethat is, including all
the basic functions that will be in the nal product.
That CTP was available only to select beta testers and
members of MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network)
and Microsoft TechNet. Soon after you read this,
we expect Microsoft to release a consumer-oriented
CTP that anyone should be able to get their hands
on. As we go to press, Microsoft hasnt said how that
public CTP will be distributed, but as soon as that
information is released, well have it at go.pcmag
.com/vista with the rest of our ongoing coverage.
Make no mistake: Were not advocating that
you urge Uncle Jimor whoever calls you for help
after his system has ground to a halt because hes
installed too many adware-laden screensaversto
start working with Vista today. Nor would we recommend installing Vista on a production system where
incompatibilities, crashes, or data loss would prove
catastrophic. Betas are by denition unnished
products, and our experience with Vista has been far
from seamlessit can be slow, crash unpredictably,
refuse to work with various hardware, cause glitches
in a variety of software, and generally be a hassle.
(And yes, we can hear the more cynical among you
grumbling about how that doesnt sound any different from any other Microsoft OS, but we disagree;
if youve kept Windows XP patched and up to date,
your computing should be pretty predictable.) But if
youve got a spare machine around and are comfortable living on the edge in exchange for a little excitement, then get your hands on Vista now.
VISTA
PREVIEW
NSTALL IT AND YOUR JAW WILL DROP. THE VISTA GUI IS SO SLICK,
so cleverly put together, that it may even impress a few Mac users. Unlike Windows XP, which had a new look and feel that seemed like
the same ol same ol, Vista takes you to a different world. Tiny widgets
hover in the corner. Translucent windows it to and fro like Disney
characters. The Start Menu is actually easy to use. Not since the
summer of 95 has the Windows interface taken such a giant leap forward.
Cade Metz
Vista Secrets
Vista includes speech
recognition for both
entering text and
executing Windows
commands. Get
started in the Control
Panels Speech Recognition applet.
There are six Vista
variants: For the
home, Home Basic,
Home Premium, and
Ultimate; for businesses, Business and
Enterprise; and for
emerging markets,
Starter.
SEE-THROUGH
WINDOWS
Partially translucent
windows cast thin
shadows on items
below, giving a 3D
look and feel.
TASK
SWITCHING
The old Alt-Tab key
combination provides thumbnails
and descriptions
as well.
MINIAPPLICATIONS
Running along
the edge of your
desktop, Sidebar
gives quick access to all sorts of
mini-applications.
You can even
drag the miniapps onto the
desktop.
THUMBNAIL
Mousing over a
minimized window
gives not only a description of the app, but also
a live thumbnail.
MAY 9, 2006
:
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R
E
L
IT A
e
r
o
m
y
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VISTA
PREVIEW
NOTHER
REASON
YOULL
WANT
RSS FEEDS Right on the cutting edge of a few years ago, Microsoft has built an
RSS reader into IE7. As shown here, your feeds can appear in the IE7 Explorer bar.
MAIL CONTACTS You can now nd your contacts right in Windows Explorer and
even use the context menu to send a message.
MAY 9, 2006
word-wheel search) within a Web page, an unfortunate shortcoming considering how extensively Vista
emphasizes this capability elsewhereand that
other browsers have been doing it for some time.
IE7 also offers simplied menus and adds welcome conveniences such as shrink-to-t printing,
which helps ensure that you dont cut off the righthand side of wide pages. For Web developers, IE7
includes improved support for CSS (Cascading
Style Sheets) xed positioning and for alpha-channel
transparency in PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
images, which lets images on Web pages be partially
transparent.
Then theres RSSReally Simple Syndication,
a technology that serious Web surfers have come
to rely on for delivering regular streams of updated
information, the Internet equivalent of newspaper
headlines or TV-news crawls. IE7 automatically
discovers RSS feeds on pages you visit and lets you
view and subscribe to those feeds. But RSS support isnt limited to IE; Vista itself provides unied
RSS storage, so all applications (with suitable work
on the part of developers) can share a single set
of RSS content. You can see this in action in the
simple RSS headline component for Vistas Sidebar,
which automatically picks up feeds you add in the
browser.
IE7 takes steps forward in security as well, which
we enumerate in the section Because You Need
Better Security, on page 74.
If you use Outlook Express for your e-mail, youll
nd Vistas Windows Mail clienta tweaked version
of Outlook Expressoffers some advantages as well.
For starters, youve got to try the incremental search:
Start typing in the search box and watch as your email morass gets rapidly whittled down. (Too bad
Outlook itself cant do this yet.) Windows Mail also
includes spam and phishing lters like those in Outlook. And despite its name, Windows Mail still serves
as a newsgroup reader as well; in fact, it includes a
link to Microsoft Help newsgroups by default.
Windows Mail stores its data differently from
Outlook Express, using a combination of Vistas
le system and built-in Jet database engine, which
Microsoft claims will make for more bulletproof
storage. And heres something really cool we found:
Windows Mail stores contacts right in the le system, so you can view and sort your contacts, or send
them e-mail, from directly within the shell.
I might not consider any one of Vistas Internetrelated features compelling by itself, especially given
how many of them are just a download away if youre
using Windows XP. But put them together and Vista
makes using the Internet a bit safer, more productive, and more enjoyable.John Clyman
ARE YOU READY? Jon Peddie Research (JPR) estimates there are around 1.2 billion computers in use todaynot sitting on shelves in the garage, but actually in
use. A good percentage of these are running pre-XP Windows OSs.
Based on two decades of data collection on shipments of both add-in graphics processors and integrated graphics cards, JPR determined that approximately 51 percent of the PCs in use as of the end of 2005 werent ready to run
Vista (see chart). But Vista interacts with PC hardware differently from previous
versions of Windows, as it taps the power of the graphics processor. The resulting interface improvements, collectively known as Aero Glass, go far beyond eye
candy like transparent window edges and truly change the computing experience. According to JPR, only about one in ten PCs is ready to mine Aero Glasss
richness.
You dont have to be left out in the cold, thoughand you dont necessarily
need to buy a new computer. To enjoy the nice Aero Glass interface in Vista, youll
need a reasonably modern DirectX 9capable graphics cardintegrated graphics
just wont do. This doesnt mean you need to spend a lot of money on something
high-end. The nVidia GeForce 7600 GT and Radeon X1600 Pro cards run Vista
great, are available in both AGP and PCI Express, and cost under $200.
PCMag.com sister site ExtremeTech recently put a new crop of graphics cards
through the wringer. Youll nd the results online at go.extremetech.com
/graphicscards.Jon Peddie & Jason Cross
Vista Aerocapable
90%
80%
Vista-capable
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
Not Vista-capable
20%
10%
0%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006*
2007*
*Projected.
Vista Secret
ing editor of PC Magazine and president of the technology consulting rm Narrative Logic. Cade Metz is senior
writer at PC Magazine, and Oliver Kaven and Neil J.
Rubenking are PC Magazine Labs lead analysts. Garnett
Lee is the managing editor of 1up.com, Ziff Daviss site
for gamers, Jason Cross is a lead analyst for ExtremeTech.com, Mary Jo Foley is the editor of Microsoft
Watch (www.microsoft-watch.com), and Jon Peddie is
the founder of Jon Peddie Research, a consulting rm
specializing in graphics and digital media technology.
Features editor Sarah Pike was in charge of this story.
VISTA
PREVIEW
64 PC MAGAZINE
MAY 9, 2006
www.pleasing.it - ADV
May/June 2006
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Dual-Core Powerhouse
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).
Intel Centrino Duo Mobile Technology
- Intel Core Duo Processor
- Mobile Intel 945GM Express chipset
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
network connection
Genuine Windows XP Professional
1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM
$ 1,099
INTEL CORE DUO PROCESSOR T2300
(2MB L2 CACHE, 1.66GHZ, 667MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAV06.040)
800-571-2237 www.acer.com/us
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.
14.1" WIDE-SCREEN
14.1" WIDE-SCREEN
$ 699
$ 599
Acer AL2416Wd
VGA, DVI-D signal
24" wide-screen
connectors
TFT LCD
500 cd/m2 brightness
1920 x 1200
native resolution
6ms gray-to-gray
1000:1 contrast ratio response time
Internal power
178 horizontal
adapter
viewing angle
Silver color
178 vertical
viewing angle
Acer AL2416Wd
$ 919
(ET.L6102.018)
24" WIDE-SCREEN
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Two 1.5W
integrated speakers
VGA, DVI-D
signal connectors
300 cd/m2 brightness
8ms gray-to-gray
response time
External power
adapter
Silver/black color
The Acer TravelMate 4070 strikes just the right balance between performance and
affordability. Along with Intel Centrino Mobile Technology, you get a panoramic
15.4 wide-screen display for side-by-side document viewing plus integrated
wireless with Acers exclusive SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna
efficiency. An excellent choice for office or home computing, this notebook lets you
enjoy the freedom of mobility to work smarter without sacrificing features.
Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
- Intel Pentium M Processor
- Mobile Intel 915GM Express chipset
- Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG network connection
Genuine Windows XP Professional
512MB DDR2 400 SDRAM
80GB1 hard drive
Integrated CD-RW/DVD-ROM
combo drive
15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
802.11b/g WLAN, 10/100 LAN, V.92 modem
One-year limited warranty2
15.4 WIDE-SCREEN
Acer TravelMate 4072WLCi
$ 849
INTEL PENTIUM M PROCESSOR 735
(2MB L2 CACHE, 1.70GHZ, 400MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TBC06.121)
Acer AL1951C
AL2051 W
$ 409
(ET.L7008.006)
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
4ms gray-to-gray
response time
Acer AL1951C
$ 359
Silver/black color
(ET.L4108.068)
Count on the Acer TravelMate 4070 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
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
technology and a Kensington lock slot.
15.4" WIDE-SCREEN
Acer TravelMate 4072WLMi
$ 999
$ 299
(LX.TBC06.126)
(LC.D0103.004)
ADJUST HEIGHT
& ROTATE
Acer AL1923 r
$ 339
(ET.L660B.048)
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
XT
CONVERTS HANDWRITING TO TE
$ 1,699
$ 1,999
INTEL PENTIUM M PROCESSOR 760 (2MB L2 CACHE, 2GHZ, 533MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP TABLET PC EDITION
1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM, 100GB1 HARD DRIVE
AND MODULAR DVD-DUAL DRIVE (DVD+/-RW)
(LX.T870E.032)
(LX.T270E.029)
Acer AL1716 b
17" TFT LCD
$ 239
(ET.1717B.MD8)
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Acer AL1716 b
$ 205
(ET.1716B.012)
Even if youre short on space, you dont need to sacrifice performance. The compact
Acer Veriton 2800 business desktop gives you an Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology,
dual-channel memory and eight USB ports for connecting to a printer and other office peripherals.
Intel Pentium 4 Processor with
HT Technology
Gigabit LAN
$ 689
INTEL PENTIUM 4 PROCESSOR 521 WITH HT TECHNOLOGY
(1MB L2 CACHE, 2.80GHZ, 800MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
(VT2800-U-P5210)
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.
10/100 LAN
Integrated SiS Mirage graphics
One-year limited warranty2
AcerPower S280
AcerPower S280
$ 429
$ 369
Acer PD120D
2000 ANSI lumens
XGA (1024 x 768) native resolution
2000:1 contrast ratio
16.7 million displayable colors
PC and Mac compatible
Acer PD100
2000 ANSI lumens
SVGA (800 x 600) native resolution
2000:1 contrast ratio
16.7 million displayable colors
PC and Mac compatible
Acer PD100
$ 899
$ 669
(EY.J2201.012)
(EY.J2101.006)
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
$ 879
$ 899
INTEL PENTIUM D PROCESSOR 830
(2X1MB L2 CACHE, 3GHZ, 800MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
1GB DDR2 533 SDRAM; 160GB1 SATA HARD DRIVE, 7200RPM;
AND DVD-DUAL DRIVE (DVD+/-RW)
(VT6800-U-S8301)
$ 799
$ 699
Ceiling Mount
$ 79
(EZ.PCM03.007)
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
Replacement Lamp
$ 199
(EC.J2101.001)
Have a video
conference
almost
anywhere
$ 2,499
INTEL CORE DUO PROCESSOR T2500
(2MB L2 CACHE, 2GHZ, 667MHZ FSB)
GENUINE WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL
(LX.TAX06.034)
g
Intel dual-core Processin
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 warranty2 and limited warranty extension and covers the cost of a replacement unit
if your covered notebook cannot be repaired.
$99
$199
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.
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.
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
2006 Acer America Corporation. Information and prices are subject to change without notice. Pricing is effective from April 15, 2006 through
June 1, 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 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 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.
Prices shown are estimated street prices and do not include tax or shipping. Retailer or reseller prices may vary.
VISTA
PREVIEW
LL
IN
THOSE
MULTIMEDIA
TOOLS
Vista Secrets
Want to see what Vista
looks like with Aero Glass
disabled? Press Ctrl-ShiftF9. (This will work in beta
releases only, not production versions.)
You can control volume
levels on an applicationby-application basis
using Vistas new audio
control panel.
Having trouble installing a
hardware device in Vista?
Try using the Windows
XP version of the driver.
Press Windows-Tab to get
the cool Flip 3D view of
all your open applications.
VISTA
PREVIEW
Vista Secret
In any folder containing
image les, click Slide
Show in Windows Explorer to create a greatlooking impromptu slide
show, albeit one that
takes a decent amount
of graphics horsepower.
Windows XPs included
slide show is rudimentary
by comparison.
XP in administrator mode.
Theres no cause and effect
here. Its just that, while Win
XP allows and recommends
creation of Limited user accounts that
make many exploits impossible, a vast
number of programs and common
activities dont work under a Limited
account, so typically, everybodys an
Administrator. This is one of Win XPs
biggest security problems.
Vistas User Account Control (formerly User Account Protection)
should go a long way toward xing
this. Microsoft aims to allow the widest possible range of activity in a Standard (dont call it Limited!) account
and handles legacy programs that assume greater privilege. Any Administrator can grant one-time permission
when necessary. And now, even Administrators run
at Standard level, with a warning from Vista when
elevated privilege is required. Unfortunately the frequent Windows needs your permission . . . warnings can get pretty annoying.
The implementation of Windows Service Hardening, a related feature, has been completed since
Vista Beta 1. It minimizes the impact of malware
that exploits Windows services by allowing each service access only to the resources it actually needs.
These protections may make it harder for hackers to take advantage of the OS, but today the bad
guys are just as likely to try to take advantage of
you instead. Thats why IE7 in Vista now implements Microsofts antiphishing scheme. I tried it on
known phishing sites and one with an invalid security certicateit red-agged them and blocked access. Sites with veried security are green-agged;
Red=Danger!
Yellow=Suspicious
Green=Certied
74 PC MAGAZINE
MAY 9, 2006
(formerly Secure Startup Volume Encryption) will help, making the drive unreadable to all but me. In the earlier beta this
would work only on a system containing
a Trusted Platform Module chip. Mercifully, BitLocker now works on any system,
encrypting all but a sliver of the boot disk.
Systems can be decrypted at start-up after
you supply the password or insert a coded
USB drive. A laptop thus protected may
still be lost or stolen, but the data on it
wont be revealed.
Digging into the Group Policy settings,
I discovered two useful security secrets.
The new Removable Storage Access policy can deny
read, write, or execute status to removable devices
from CD drives to personal audio playersto
prohibit slurping les into an iPod or thumb
drive. And the Device Installation Restrictions
policy limits the types of devices that can be installed, though you need to know the Device ID
or Device Class.
Will hackers nd weak spots in Vista? Most denitelybut from what I can see, theyre going to
have to work a lot harder at it.Neil J. Rubenking
WHAT ABOUT LONGHORN SERVER? Though most of the excitement in the OS world is focusing on Windows Vista, some
people may be even more anxious to see Longhorn Server,
scheduled to be released next year. I spoke with Microsoft about
its plans for the next Windows Server.
As with the client OS, the development team cites security,
management, system health, and reliability as chief concerns.
This new server release will have major improvements, starting
with the installation process, which includes a signicant procedural change: The system remains in a shields-up mode until
it is sufciently secured. The Administrator can specify roles
with a system denition model, such as Web server or terminal
server, at install time, and the system will automatically search
for and apply the appropriate patches. It will also limit the attack surface by disabling services and features not necessary for
the servers dened role.
To ensure good system and network health, Longhorn
Server adds NAP, or Network Address Protection. NAP can be
congured to require that computers attempting to connect to
your network comply with predened requirements. Administrators can create policies to validate each new computers system health before any general communication on the network
takes place. Noncompliant computers can be automatically
updated or restricted until they become compliant.
Longhorns new error-reporting system is tied closely into
other administrative elements. It will allow for far greater log
data storage and help with analytical troubleshooting. Rather
than browsing miles of log entries in the log viewer, administrators will have access to the data where they actually congure
specic system components.
Longhorn Server will also include a host of other improvements and new features, including improved management
capabilities, a new version of Internet Information Services, and
a distributed cached-storage technology. In addition, Longhorn
will include Windows Communications Foundation, which will
Illustration by Alex Eban Meyer
Vista Secret
If you accidentally overwrite a document, you
can use Vistas implementation of Volume
Shadow Copy to roll back
changesjust click on the
le and select Previous
Versions on the Windows Explorer toolbar.
aid in distributing applications over the network, and a selfhealing ling system.
Alongside the long-awaited Longhorn Beta 2 release, Microsoft will also release management improvements like Monad,
a new scripting shell that provides Unix/Linuxstyle commandline administration.
Since the initial Beta 1 release last July, Microsoft has released some builds of the next Windows Server, but none were
classied as CTPs or betas. Before the actual release, we expect
to see another major beta, and I for one cant wait to get my
hands on it.Oliver Kaven
MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 75
VISTA
PREVIEW
ail)
indow (det
w
w
o
h
S
e
Sid
SIDESHOW Splice
some ip-phone genes
onto your laptop and
you have SideShow.
PortalPlayer is working
with notebook vendors
on prototypes that support this very cool, integrated display, which
works even when the
laptop is off.
Vista Secrets
In IE7, hold Control and
spin the mouse wheel to
zoom in or out on an entire Web page, including
graphics.
To show all the shared
les and folders on your
computer, open File and
Printer Sharing from the
Control Panel and follow
the links.
You can detach gadgets
from the Sidebar so they
oat on your desktop.
76 PC MAGAZINE
MAY 9, 2006
;WQ`]a]TbaOgaDWabOeWZZRSPcb
/<<=C<132
"
#!
&"
!!$
! $
n?
ambling ma
Are you a g
>@=831B32
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"
"
#
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%
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MOBILITY CENTER
Vistas Mobility Center
gathers settings particularly useful for notebook
users, including brightness, which affects battery life, presentation
mode controls, and wireless connectivity.
VISTA
PREVIEW
Vista Secret
When multiple instances
of an application are
grouped into a single
taskbar button, clicking the button and then
mousing over individual
instances of the application previews each app
window independently.
operating systems and applications, Microsoft hasnt always been rst to recognize
the importance of networking and collaboration. Vista,
though, makes some signicant strides in this area,
with several new features built in. The changes extend all the way from the low-level TCP/IP stack to
the application level. Vista even includesat last!
a simple calendar application that lets you schedule
meetings with others.
The feature Im most excited about here is Windows Collaboration. Now, when you walk into
a meeting room (or caf) full of other notebooktoting users, Windows gives you an easy way to
work collaboratively. Windows Collaboration provides an impressively seamless way to share applications and supporting les ad hoc among a small
group of other Vista users. Vista is supposed to let
Wi-Fienabled notebooks establish a peer-to-peer
network in spots that lack Wi-Fi infrastructure or
even an Internet connection.
When you launch it,
Windows Collaboration
asks if youd like it to enable le synchronization
automatically and set up
the required Windows
Firewall exceptions. You
then have an opportunity
to start a new collaboration session or join an existing one. Choose people to invitevia e-mail
or a le shareand set
a password. Invitees just
WINDOWS
COLLABORATION Walk
into a meeting and Windows will help you work
with other participants,
sharing applications and
information.
WINDOWS CALENDAR
Finally, a simple calendar app right in the OS.
Its not terribly sophisticated, but its a very
welcome addition.
78 PC MAGAZINE
MAY 9, 2006
NEW!
INTRODUCING
oteables
TM
BY TRIPP LITE.
Keeping Up
with the
E ASKED THE INDUSTRYS TOP DESIGN EXPERTS TO
TORTUGO
SANDRINE LEBAS
Senior Industrial
Designer,Lunar Design
We observed children
throughout their day
the way they use
technology and
what activities they
do. We came up with
the idea that a lot of
products are still to be
designed with existing
technology. Sometimes
you dont have to go
to advanced technologies for newness. My
daughter is 2 1/2, and
I can totally see her
using this product.
Photograph/Illustration by Tk
Jetsons
DIGITAL
BRACELET
The Concept: The
high-tech hub of Nokias
always-connected Star
Trek lifestyle, this bracelet
contains a cell phone
and a remote to control
your personal content
and entertainment gear.
Through an indoor
positioning system it
will automatically sync
with whatever ecosystem you step into
(home, work, or the
mall). It also recognizes
voices and gestures and
has built-in RFID and
broadband. A great
idea for an all-in-one
convergence device
as long as you dont
misplace it.
Designer: Nokia
MAX YOSHIMOTO
VP, Design,
Lunar Design
Our goal is to get
people to think
differently about
how to trade media
back and forth. Its
an idea based around
exible electronics
techniquesexible
printed circuit boards,
displays, and power.
Its almost like a
postcard of the future.
MICROMEDIA PAPER
The Concept: Bringing
the concept of moving,
talking photos from
Harry Potter to real life,
this paper-thin media
playercomplete with
display, battery, and
memorylets you
record video. Send it
as a greeting card to
Grandma and she
can watch it without
ddling with a PC or
DVD player. A tenpack will sell for around
$35. All the enabling
technologies are now
in development.
Designer: Lunar Design
GELFROG
The Concept: For kids
only: This super-pliable
rubberized notebook
is not only rugged
and lightweight but
light-years ahead in
software design. The
gelfrogs smart skin acts
as a mobile mirror, a
photo slide show, or a
video projector. Using its
microcamera, it can run
a cloning algorithm that
scans the owners outt
and projects a matching pattern on its own
surface. Students can
scan images from their
surroundings and can
study several topics
via a single interface.
Designer: frog design
SMART PILL
BOTTLE
The Concept: Electronic
ink is just the prescription for this smart
pill bottle that does
everything but take
your pills for you.
Twisting the cap onto
the base activates the
label, which displays
information such as
when the last dose
was taken, when a
rell will be needed,
and warning messages.
The brains are built
into the cap, which
communicates wirelessly
with your pharmacist.
Designer: Design
Continuum
MICHEL ALVAREZ
Industrial designer,
Design Continuum
In redesigning one of
the most misused and
prevalent products in
our society, I wanted
to improve the communication between
consumers and their
prescriptions. Flexible
display technology
from E Ink lets this
product speak more
to the users necessities.
EXO OVERMOLDING
SYSTEM
The Concept: Prefer
your notebook in suede
or denim? Inclosia
Solutions, a spin-off
from Dow Chemical,
has developed an
injection molding
process that bakes
fabric, leather, wood,
or metal onto the
plastic housing of
notebooks. But luxury
trim wont come cheap.
In a consumer study
the company ran, people
said theyd pay an extra
$62 for a cell phone and
$143 for a notebook
with the new treatment.
Look for it initially in
Europe this year.
Designer: Inclosia
Solutions
SPARK
PAUL BRADLEY
Project Lead, IDEO
It really needed to be
compelling to kids so
that they could play and
learn. Spark doesnt say
education like a laptop.
We were going for a
much more personal
feel, for the way kids
relate to gaming devices
that become precious
to them.
TRIBONS
The Concept: Guaranteed
to garner odd looks, the
Tribons is a wearable
laser projection system
that exists mostly in
the imagination of
frog design CEO Hartmut Esslinger, the legendary visionary behind
early Apple computers.
Controlled by an
intuitive 3D interface,
the Tribons projects
educational material
and gives kids access
to environments they
would otherwise not
be able to experience.
An extra medical
module can monitor
the wearers health.
Designer: frog design
84 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006
E- SNOWBOARD
The Concept: The next
phase of multitasking
for teens is checking
your stats while nailing
a frontside ollie or an
Andrecht. Your kids will
impress their friends
with this totally sick
snowboard that displays
reminders, real-time
directions, time, and
compass and altimeter
readings via an electronic
ink display that covers
almost its entire surface.
Power is created by
tapping, stomping,
bending, or riding
the board.
Designer: Design
Continuum
MIKE TRACZ
Industrial Designer,
Design Continuum
The risks associated
with snowboarding, like
getting lost, equipment
theft, being separated
from ones group, or
losing track of time,
presented an interesting
chance to incorporate
design to improve the
experience or prevent
these potential pitfalls.
Piezoelectric
power source
TAG
The Concept: For
cell-phone klutzes or
techno-fashionistas, this
NEC soft-shell mobile
phone is de rigueur for
your wardrobe. The
phone is so exible it
can wrap around your
arm. Shape-memorizing
material and multiple
pressure sensors allow
it to change shape from
its phone mode to its
video mode.
Designer: NEC
P-ISM
The Concept: If you
think the fanciest
pen you can buy is a
Mont Blanc, NEC has
one-upped it with the
minimalist personal
networking pen. Its a
cell phone with handwriting recognition, a
virtual keyboard, a tiny
projector, a camera
scanner, and a personal
ID key with cashless pass
function. P-ISMs can
connect to each other
wirelessly, and the whole
set is connected to the
Internet through the
cell phone.
Designer: NEC
R E A L- WO R L D T E S T I N G
Keyboards
For Less
Talk is cheapand so is Loyd Case. Our
man hits the stores for $20 keyboards.
86 PC
PC MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE MAY
MAY 9,
9, 2006
2006
86
BY LOYD CASE
T S T RUE . WERE FINICKY ABOUT KEY-
Jim Louderbacks
Keyboard Tips
Im a bit of a keyboard
nut. Ive got a basement
full of old IBM PS/2
keyboards, because the
buckling spring action
delivers the best tactile
feedback of any Ive
foundway better than
those rubber domes inside cheaper models. If
you can afford a few more
bucks, check out my
favorite, from Unicomp
(www.pckeyboard
.com). Unicomp purchased IBMs keyboard
technology and continues to make what I consider the best keyboards
on earth. If you touchtype and value
mechanical tactile feedback, these are the ones
for you. Even better,
theyre not too expensivethey start at $50.
For a few more bucks
you can get an integrated
pointing stick, and the
space-saver model emulates the best of IBMs
notebook keyboards.
REAL-WORLD TESTING
KEY TRONIC KT800PS2
Nicely sculpted keys and rugged design. Built like a tank, this keyboard is
so solid youll never wear it out.
Is There a Winner?
A DV E R T I S E M E N T
83
Set It and Forget It operation
83%
Much superior to built-in defragmenter
44%
Longer systems life with less maintenance
44%
Fast back-ups and antivirus and/or spyware scans
35%
From Diskeeper Customer Survey Read the full
survey at: www.diskeeper.com/survey
Is Daily Defragmentation
Needed in todays environment?
Errors in programs
RAM use and cache issues
Hard drive failures
Having files stored contiguously on the hard drive is a key
factor in keeping a system stable
and performing at peak efficiency. The moment a file is broken
into pieces and scattered across a
drive, it opens the door to a host
of reliability issues. Even a small
amount of fragmentation in your
most used files can lead to
crashes, conflicts and errors.
(GET THE PROOF HERE:
www.diskeeper.com/paper)
Advanced, automated
defragmentation
Manually defragmenting every
system every day is simply not
possible in even
small networks let
alone
enterprise
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use Diskeepers Set
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Customers
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Diskeeper maintains
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even reducing maintenance and increasing hardware life.
Special Offer
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the Diskeeper Corporation logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Diskeeper Corporation in the United States and/or other
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BUILD IT
A Silent PC
BY LOYD CASE
nightmares. As GPUs and CPUs have become more powerful, their heat
output has skyrocketed. AMDs top-of-the-line Athlon 64 X2 4800+
is rated at 105W, while Intels Pentium D 840 runs even higher, at
130Was Paris Hilton would say, thats hot. The typical way to dissipate
all that heat? Throw extra cooling at the systemin other words, add
more fans. Pretty soon, youve got more fans in your system than a B-36 bomber had propellersand your system is as loud, too. You cant control the heat output (without moving to
lower-performing components), but you can control the noise. Read on to nd out how.
MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 91
BUILD IT
ing duct that vents air from the CPU cooler out of
the case gets in the way, but that part is easy to
remove.) Those are not the only reasons for choosing the Sonata II, however: the AcoustiPack precut
noise reduction kit really won us over. You can buy
noise reduction plastic or foam materials, of course,
and you can cut them yourself for any PC case. But
anyone whos tried to cut a straight line through a
piece of foam with a craft knife or Dremel will understand the appeal of a precut kit. You can nd it
at www.acoustiproducts.com.
The AcoustiPack foam is a semi-open-cell material that can absorb sound. Its backed by a highdensity layer of plastic that attenuates whatever
audio energy makes it past the foam. This plastic
is also the backing material for the adhesive layer,
which attaches the foam to the case. The kit comes
with 18 precut pieces.
Get eWEEK
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the S12 is one of the quieter high-performance power supplies available. It even has two PCIe six-pin
graphics card power connectors, and it passed our
CrossFire and SLI tests with aplomb.
We wanted a leading-edge motherboard, and the
spanking-new ABIT AN8 32X motherboard seemed
just the ticket. The key is the passively cooled chipset, called Silent OTES (short for outside thermal
exhaust system, of course). ABIT uses a combination of passive heat sinks and a heat pipe to direct
the chipsets heat to the rear of the chassis, where
its exhausted out of the case. That removes a substantial source of annoying noise: the northbridge
fan. Two gigabytes of Corsairs Twinx2048-4000PT
memory and an AMD Athlon 64 FX-57 processor
rounded out the system.
t the
Dont forgera
CPU s sepa cate
ble!
12V power
Look! N
northbroid
ge fan!
Add a Drive Theres
a second solution for
loud hard disks: Buy a
new one. We bet you
can nd a faster, larger,
quieter drive for under
a hundred dollars. Use
Norton Ghost or a similar
tool to replicate the old
drives partition onto
the new drive, set aside
the old one, and its
business as usual. Youve
got a backup as well!
Samsungs SpinPoint
line is popular for its
quiet operation.
Foam goes
inside the
duct
BUILD IT
Volume Control
How loud is our
super-quiet gaming rig?
To find out, we picked
up a sound meter and
compared our new
computer with a few
others in the office. We
include a few reference
points to set your
bearings.
Normal
conversation
60 dBA
Quiet office air
conditioner
50 dBA
3.46-GHz P4EEbased PC
42 dBA
mnpc Modded
Tsunami PC
35 dBA
Super-quiet
gaming rig
29 dBA
Ambient room
26 dBA
Go Totally Passive
For the ultimate in
silence, look to Zalman,
which builds a line of
fanless cases that have
heat pipes distributed
throughout. Theyre
a bit limiting: Building
an overclocked,
7800GTX SLI system
is impractical, for
example. Still, you can
build a pretty decent
system using one
of these cases. The
downside is that theyre
enormously heavy and
extremely expensive.
ilwaukee
We use areMwdriver
power sc ime
all the t
GAP
INTERNATIONAL
BUILD IT
Parts List
Case
Antec Sonata II $100
Power supply
Seasonic S12-600W .$155
CPU
Athlon 64 FX-57.$811
Memory
Corsair Twinx20484000PT .$217
Motherboard
ABIT AN8 32X $185
CPU cooler
Zalman CNPS
7700-AlCu ....$35
Hard drive
Western Digital
WD4000YR .$185
DVD drive
Pioneer DVR-108B...$69
Graphics card
EVGA e-GeForce 7900
GTX 512MB$520
Sound card
Creative Sound
Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
..$72
Sound insulator
AcoustiPack Pre-Cut
Sonata Kit .$69
Total......$2,418
Air ow
Sucks m
heat fro
your CPU
J U M P T O N E X T PA G E >>
CONNECTEDTRAVELER
SA N F R A N C I S CO
BEST WIRED
HOTELS
Hotel Nikko San
Francisco
222 Mason St.
www.hotelnikkosf.com
All 510 rooms and 22
suites include high-speed
Internet, two-line speakerphones, bathroom phone,
fax machine, and CD
player. Theres even an
e-fridge that noties the
front desk the moment
you grab a beer, so theres
always another waiting
for you the next morning.
Hotel Triton
WORLDS BIGGEST HOT SPOT In 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced plans to blanket the entire city with free Wi-Fi Internet access. Thats right:
Three hundred kilobits per second, from one end of San Francisco to the other. And
you wont have to pay a penny to log on. Last October, Google made headlines
when it took up the mayors challenge, and the companys joint bid with EarthLink
is one of six under consideration. IBM and Cisco are also in the mix, but our moneys
on Larry, Sergey, and the rest of the crew from Mountain View. Expect work to start
sometime this year.
TOP TECH
ATTRACTIONS
Central Computers
The Metreon
101 4th St.
A new high-tech playpen
with an Imax theater,
a Sony Style Store, a
high-tech arcade, great
restaurants, and a Jillians
pool hall.
Hotel Diva
440 Geary St.
www.hoteldiva.com
This ultramodern boutique hotel has a sleek
stainless steel decor and
free wireless throughout
the entire hotel. Its adjacent to a Starbucks and
right across the street
from two movie theaters.
They even rent iPods to
hotel guests.
The Exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
Offers high-tech exhibits.
FAST FACTS Google and local start-up Feeva already offer free Wi-Fi access
in Union Square, San Franciscos Tourist Central. After a trip to Saks and a
theater matinee, you can sit down at the Dewey Monument and log on to
PCMag.com Sure, the Giants are at AT&T Park in San Francisco (which also
doubles as an enormous hot spot). But if you wanna watch major league
baseball at a park named for an antivirus company, take the short BART ride
to McAfee Coliseum, home of the Oakland As and Moneyball.
WHILE YOURE IN TOWN Forget the tourist traps. Coit Tower, Chinatown, and the Wharf are all well and good, but if you want
something out of the ordinary, weve got two recommendations. First, head over to the Mission and grab lunch at La Taqueria (2889 Mission
St.)the best tacos, burritos, and quesadillas north of the border. And that might be an understatement. We recommend the carnitas burrito
with guacamole. Then head across town to the Castro Theatre (www.castrotheatre.com), one of the countrys great old-time movie houses.
Get there well before the show: They still play the organ before the curtain goes up . . .
Photographs: (Top) Taxi/Getty; (Bottom) Metreon
SECURITY WATCH
Password Policies
A simple password could be the weak link that leaves
your data open to attack.
SMART
GUIDELINES
Use a different
password for each
system. If a mailing list
gets hacked, you dont
want your bank account
put in jeopardy. Use different passwords to protect all critical accounts,
such as company e-mail
and online banking.
If a service offers a
second form of authentication, use it. Some
banks offer several forms
of authentication, such as
number generators and
smart cards. If your bank
doesnt offer them, consider switching.
BY ROBERT LEMOS
A S S W O R D S A R E Q U I C K LY B E C O M I N G
Dicewaregenerated
60
50
40
30
Random
lowercase
letters
Alphanumerics
Mixed-case
alphanumerics
20
10
Dictionary
word
Time to break
1
2
1
second days month
2
years
Half million
years
Source: John the Ripper and Diceware, 2006.
A S K LOY D
A
NEED ANSWERS?
ExtremeTech.coms
editor, Loyd Case, tackles
your toughest hardware
problems each issue.
Send him yours at
askloyd@ziffdavis.com.
Disables DHCP
I have a combination
wireless/wired network
Specify your PCs
at home. One PC is
IP address
connected to a Linksys Wireless 802.11b routers built-in
Ethernet switch. The other PC
is connected wirelessly via a
Linksys WMP11 card. When the
Typically the same
wireless PC goes to sleep, or
even just goes to the screen
saver, the wireless network disconnects. I lose e-mail and Web
connectivity, though when I
wake up the PC, the tray icon
tells me I have an excellent connection. Ive tried updating the
router rmware, and Ive disabled the hardwired
Ethernet port on the Asus P4P800 motherboard,
but that doesnt help. I always have to perform a
repair on the wireless card.Andy Craig
Despite all the work on ACPI and other powermanagement technologies, power management for desktop systems still tends to trail the
abilities of laptop computers in this area.
In standard home router setups, the PC automatically picks up an IP address from the router through a
mechanism called DHCP (dynamic host conguration
protocol). The router maintains a pool of IP addresses.
When a system disconnects, it needs to issue a DHCP
request to obtain a new IP address. When you use the
repair function, the system re-establishes a connection to the router and requests a new IP address.
What you might try to do is to allocate the IP address permanently from the PC. You need to do this in
the Internet Protocol control panel, which is reachable
from the Network control panel.
INTEL VS. AMD
ASK NEIL
A
NEED ANSWERS?
Each issue, PC Magazines
software expert
Neil J. Rubenking
answers your toughest
software and Internet
problems. Send yours
to askneil@ziffdavis.com.
To create a blinking
label in modern versions of Access, you
need to write a snippet
of Visual Basic code.
ASK NEIL
96 pixels wide
For those who just have to get their hands dirty (you
know who you are!), the size and quality settings are stored
in the Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer, in
DWORD values named ThumbnailSize and Thumb
nailQuality. As always, if these values are absent,
youll create them. You can set ThumbnailSize from
32 to 256 (decimal) and ThumbnailQuality from 32
to 100. Changes wont take effect until you restart Windows, so its really much easier to use TweakUI.
OPERA BROWSER IN DRAG
A
Thumbnails in
Windows Explorer
default to 96 pixels in
their longest dimension, but you can set
them as large as 256.
The easiest way to do this is with Microsofts free (and support-free) TweakUI utility. You can download it from www.microsoft
.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys
.mspx. Launch TweakUI, open the Explorer item in
the tree at right, and click Thumbnails. Here you
can adjust the thumbnail size from 32 to 256 pixels
square (the default is 96). Do note that a 256 by
256 image has over seven times as many pixels as
a 96 by 96 image. You may want to also slide the
Image Quality slider to a lower setting, so you dont
expend too much disk space caching those extralarge thumbnails. After youve made the change,
youll see larger thumbnails in both thumbnail
view and lmstrip view.
120 PC MAGAZINE MAY 9, 2006
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Want to learn more about PC Magazines Advertising Partners? This listing provides our readers with information
about select companies advertising in PC Magazine. To nd out more on these companies and the products they
offer, to contact the company directly, or even to make a purchase, please visit the following websites:
1 & 1 Internet
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Honda Civic Tour
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Tablet PCs
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USB Flash Drives
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Accessories
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Lenovo Group
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US Robotics
www.lenovo.com/newthinkpad/m511 Internet Phones
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Microsoft
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BY MATTHEW D. SARREL
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
d
sound car
Test your
3. CHOOSE A STREAM
Next, click on the Media
Guide icon. To record a TV
station stream, click the TV
icon. Find stations fast by
clicking Languages, then
English. Find the show you
want and click Add. Click
Record Now, then OK.
record
Click and
4. RECORD
Replay A/V will record an unprotected
stream as a 320-by-240 Windows Video le
at about 177 Kbps. If theres a higher-quality
download available, it will save that le instead. Then you can play it on an iPod or
other media player or burn it to a disc.
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Kathy Pavlak
212-503-4847
kathy_pavlak@ziffdavis.com
G A M I N G + C U LT U R E
PS3:
What
We
Know
Details about Sonys PlayStation 3
console are nally arriving.
B Y J A K E M c N E I L L A N D S A M K E N N E D Y, 1U P. C O M
140 PC MAGAZINE
dont know what to make of the Sony PlayStation 3. Sony planned to release the nextgeneration console this spring but recently
slipped its shipping date back to November.
Meanwhile, many aspects of the PS3 remain
a mystery. What will the system cost? How powerful
will it be? Some of the answers still elude us, but little
by little the picture is becoming clearer.
Sony seems to be promising the world with the
PS3, and while not everything about the console has
been finalized yet, many facts have been released.
We know what hardware powers the system, which
developers are making games for it, what types of disc
formats it will read, and even what the controller is
MAY 9, 2006
TOP10
MOST POPULAR
XBOX 360 GAMES
Sony is using the PS3 to push the new Blu-ray disc format; it believes the unit will entice consumers to adopt
in the same way that the PS2 encouraged adoption of
DVDs. Ironically, copy-protection issues related to Blu-ray are also why Sony has moved the PS3s shipping date
to November. The company believes
Blu-ray will replace DVDs, which were
also dogged by content-protection
problems.
Though the Blu-ray drive is believed to contribute signicantly to the
PS3s cost, Sony sees the fast transfer
rate and larger capacity (initially 50GB
on dual-layer discs) as essential to the
upcoming generation of games. The
drive will also cater to older formats,
playing PlayStation and PS2 games,
DVD movies, and audio CDs.
Raider:
1Tomb
Legend
Due April
28, its far beyond buzz
among gamers.
2 Viva Piata
What
happens when you
mix Pokmon with The
Sims? Weirdness.
Treasures
3 FFXI:
of Aht Urhgan
5 Rumble Roses XX
Elder Scrolls
6 The
IV
The vixens of wrestling are back.
7 Dead Rising
Cry Instincts
8 Far
Predator
Third-person
zombie-killing fest.
9 Superman Returns
Electronic Arts
revives the Superman
franchise.
10 Burnout
Revenge
The
next generation of driving and racing games.
GEARLOG
Full-color reens
OLED sc
TECHNICOLOR TUNES
Voice-record
button
Top view
(actual size)
J O H N C. D V O R A K
T
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