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from U.51 '001. VAT to £1521 'ool.
POWERFUL
ATTRACTION
Precision-built and housed in glistening, high-
gloss obsidian black with leather trim and
aluminium accents, it 's hard to resist the Studio
XPS'M. It's even harder when you experience its
sheer power and exhilarating performance.
Inkjet printers 90
If you want high-quality prints for docum ents or photos, an
What's New 1S inkjet printer is a grea t choice. This mon th we've reviewed six
The latest shiniest kit on test, induding pes, laptops and multifunction devices and three standalone printers. With print
practically anything you can plug into them costs from 1.6p, they're as cheap to n.m as they are to buy
Handhelds 2G Starage 40
Sony shrinks its excellent We review HP's new Windows Na hiding place lOB
Reader to pocket proportions Homt' S~er Modern tKhnology makes it possible
for your eXKt location to be tracked 24
Printers & Netwarks 42 hours a day. Is it an abuse of power or a
Scanners 2B Our favourite security camera way of introducing useful new services?
Another excellent office ,nkjet now has memOf}' card storage Stewart Mitchell investigates
from HP
Campanents 44 Stap spam farever TI2
Displays 30 All the la test SOOO-series Fed up 01your iobex being full of
Need a bigger monilor?We graphics cards from ATI messages trying to sell you products
test the latest models you don·t want? Simon Edwards is hert'
Saftware 48 to he lp, as he shows you how to clean
Photography 32 In-depth reviews of Adobe's your email program of unwanted junk
Fujifilm's latest EXR model latest photo- and video-
is our favouri te compact edi ting packages Rise af the GPU llG
,.
camera to date Supercomputers have always been
r~ -
Games 5G reserved for the rich, bu t that's all
Videa 3G Football, infantry warfare and about to change. Mike Bedford explains 1,)" " ~
Western Digital updates its celestial battles all feature in how the graphics card cOIJld make ,
excellent WOTV media player this month's round-up ultra-powerful pes affordablt' for all
Welcome! This month, I'd like to if you're looking for a new computer. With to us all, or a scary breach of privacy? Find out
start by congratulating prices starting at just £500, there's certainly on page 108.
Janet and Colin a bargain to ~ had. Finally, you may think graphics cards are
Westwater on their If you 'd rather cany something smaller only good for playing games, but the truth is
recent marriage. around, but still have ac-cess to the intemet they are revolutionising -computing. Their
Colin's been a and your email, why not buy a smartphone powerful processors are ~gi nning to be used
long-time reader and (see page 98). We've reviewed the iPhone, but for other computing tasks, where they're
subscrib.er to the yo u can get a much better deal by buying one much faster than CPUs. Find o ut how the days
magazine, so when of our 'iPhone killers '. If music and video on of the supercomputer could be numbered, as
Janet got in touch the go are more your th ing, we can help with we look at how standard graphics cards
before the big day to our MP3 player test (see page 78). We 've produce faster results for less cash
ask if we could create a special wedding cover reviewed 15 of the latest models, with prices on page 116.
of Shopper for them, we were only too happy starting at just £35!
to oblige. (olin, we hope it was a nice surprise There's loads more to read in thi s issue of
and we wish you both all the best.
Back to this month 's issue, and we've got
Shopper. Our feature on geolocation shows
how the increasing complexity of phones and
David LudlDw
tons of great products for you to buy. Our laptops alloW!> companies to offer you services Editor
Windows 7 laptop Labs (see page 68) is ideal based on your exact location. Is this a benefit
...
AUDIO F reetal~ Everyman S11 5 23
Brother OCP-7030 29 Altec Lansing Expressionist AMD Phenom II X2 550 QOOS leather and nylon case
Canon CanoScan li DE 700f 29 Ultra 39 Black Edition lor Sam sung VP-P3 20
Canon Pixma iP l 00 with battery Apple iPod Classic 160GB 86 Antec Solo 45 Tech Air 450 1 17in
44
Messenger Bag
Tenbu Nio Bluetooth
security dongle
TVdean Co mbo Pac k
Ultim ate Ears MetroFi 220vi
18
18
20
24
O
nline criminals are infecting PCs with fake explained Shopper's features editor, Simon
anti-viros software and conning their victims Edwards. "It will continually harass you until you do."
into h.mding over their credit card details. Symantec daims it has identified over 2S0 types
According to estimates from security firm of the rogue software. These are spread across the
Symantec, the criminals behind this scam are netting internet by a network of criminals who earn
O\fl!r £850,000 pt'r year. The company claims that commissions from the big players. Con Mallon,
the vast majority of victims (93 pt'r cent) actually product mari;eting director for Symantec, told
download the rogue security programs intentionally, Shopper: "We found a number of affiliate networks
believing they will help keep their computers safe that we were able to monitor to see how they were
from viroses and other internet threats. opt'rating. We know how much the affiliates are paid
PCs can also fall foul of the threat by visiting per installation. Some pt'ople earn $23,000 (around
malicious or hacked websites that install the £14,000) a week, which comes to O\fl!r $ 1 m pt'r year.~
software automatically. Computer Shopper's own In the UK, affiliates c.m e,nn ,nound 30 to 40
virus-testing lab has frequently encountered fake pence per installation. This may not sound much, but
anti-virus programs, which install themselves Mallon points out that PCs belonging to thousands of
automatically when you visit a hacked website. These people are being infected. This is a lucrative business
programs are 'embedded' into websites ranging from for the criminal con artists. · People go looking for
'honeypots' (such as pornographic sites designed to security software and end up on fake sites," he said.
ensnare victims) to legitimate but hacked sites "Pop-ups fool them into thinking there 's a problem
N
including those belonging to a bank, a Ch inese and they panic-buy the software.
tea-importing business and a well-known author. Fake anti-virus software can look incredibly
"What happt'ns with these infections is that a convincing. Computer Shopper has infected a system
fake anti-virus program pops up and tells you that in our dedicated virus-testing lab and created some
you've got a virus. The fake software tries to force video footage, which you can watch at http://tinyur/.
you to register in order to remove the inf«tions from comlfakeiIVSw. We've. also included some scr~nshots
your PC, which requires you to enter your credit card below so you'll know what to look out for.
._--
._ .... _-. -_..
--_---
..--..-
----
-
A If you ~ttempt to remove ~ ny of the viru ses from your A The fake ~nti-viru. software will claim that multiple
system using the fake software. It will ask yoo to register viruses are Installed 0<1 yoor machine to create an
and enter yoor credit card detail. element of fear, uncertainty and doobt
use in all-in-one pes withO\.lt overheating. in multi-core optimised applications but is less <;w ~,
Anot her newcomer is the triple -core Athlon II impressive in applications that don't use more
.l>IO ""'""' . Xl400t
<;w ,~ , '"
X3 435. AMD claims this is up to 7S per cent than two cores - we'll bring you reviews of the
.lHI) ""'""'.
.lHI) ""'""'.
Xl,..,.
Xl ll,. <;w l.1W, '"
~
faster than a Core 2 Duo E8500 in certain new chips as soon as we can, '''''..... 1,M"""
--.-
~ J1 j t
TOMTOM COMBINES
"
from our new ranges are now available.
To find your nearest NetPro stockist,
please visit our web sites.
. ........
PC Systems & laptops page 16 Pnnters &Scanners page 28 Photography page]2
~ _OC,.1IllO ,.,.,. Onon lOS lOOJO" IS-S5.nvn IS 100<. •••••
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pa!le48 chunkier than previous Eee 80~
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_ ,lor. DJCMooIo IMX .-.
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be mounted on the back of a
monitor using the il"lduded
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pt;ipo S I _ Ni>l9<X>
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••••• AMO",nIon lX< 6.'O
•••••
!.poodo l II~" 2G8 ••• AMO......."" i . ll5O k k Witioo as this is £59 more than the
EB1012 currently sells for - a
Stora!le page 40 ..... " K50~ ••• *
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considerable price hike for an
optical drive.
Barry de la RDSa
Laptops and
harldhelds expert
***
£40 inc VAT
From www.b lue ni o. Acer's newest Aspire One netbook is the first computer
, om we've seen that runs Android. Google's mobile
operating system. It also comes with Wi ndows. and
The Nio is a keyfob+ you can choose to boot into either OS.
sized Bluetooth device that can Apart from its dual operating systems. the
be attached to anything with a D250 is a pretty standard netbook. The Intel
lanyard hole. You pair it wit h Atom N270 processor, 160GB hard disk and
your mobile, and it sound s an 1GB of RAM performed just below what we'd
alarm jf moved too far away. expect for such a specification. This is attributable to it
There are three levels of running Windows 7 rather than Windows XP.lt·s the
risk. In our tests, even the Starter Edition that's installed. which lac~ Media supports a maximum resolution of 1.024x600. This
highest security setting let us Center and the 3D desktop. makes working in Windows feel cramped. but is huge
walk down two flights of stairs Android boots up much quicker than Windows 7. compared to an Android smartphone. The display is
be fore t he ala rm sounded.You butthe stripped-down version installed is barely useful. bright and has accurate colours.
can also t rigger t he Nio's alarm Any changes to yourGoogle account settings have to Acer hasn't used the full width of the case for the
viii Bluetooth to help you be dooe in Windows rather than Android. Google Mail keyboard. and even with small keys. the layout has
locate it, and set it to alert you synchronisation with your Google account isn't been compromised - the Enter key is half-height and
immediately if it's moved. included as standard. with only calendars and cootacts the Backslash key has moved. The raised shape of the
The Nio is easy to set up, synchronising automatically. You don't even have direct keys makes them ea"f to type on. though. and they
but t he secu rity settings aren't access to the Android Market, So provide crisp feedback. The small
sensitive enough; if a thief had you can't install any new touchpad has a single. see-saw
SUMMARY
our briefcase and got down applications. leaving you with just VERDICT ~ indu.ion of Android i,
button with little travel.
two flights of stairs, it would the basic set of apps (such as the ultimately disappointing. and othelWfse Many of the features that make
be too late. But if you travel browser. email and media player). the 0250 Isjust another netbook Android exciting - the Market.
regularly and are worried about furthermore, Android is NmOOlC 1.6GH! Int. IAtorn N270. 1GB hassle-free Google synchronisation
casual theft, it may provide designed to be controlled by a RAM. l6OGBdi'k.1I1I. IGM .... 950 graphic.. and touchscreen control - are
some peace of mind. touchscreen. and using the tiny 10.lin wideS<1ff<1 LCO. Windows 7 Starter. missing from the 0250. Windows
"".-year RTB warranty. 2S9>2()4"3-4mm.
Barry de la Rosa touchpad is laborious. Having a lull
1.4kg
7 is a far more useful operating
OETAILS www.bllm....com QWERTY keyboard is certainly a big POWER CONSUMPTION OW ,t .... db)'. 13W system. However. with a small
plus. though. especially when using l (le.16W""t ~ keyboard and touch pad. we
the quick-boot ing Android to check PAltT COOl LU.S6800.0S9 wouldn't rush out to buy the D250
TECH AIR your email and fire off quick replies. yet. Plenty of other Windows 7
450117in A battery IiiI.' of just under
PERfORMIINCE (_ _ ...
netboo~ are becoming ava ilable.
seven hours in our light-usage test and we think Samsung's N140 (full
Messeng is respectable. though the best review next month) will give the
Bag
****
netboo~ manage over nine. As
with most netboo~. its screen .~ -I 11& D250 some stiff competition .
Barry de la Rosa
£34 inc VAT
From www.laptops
dlrect.co. uk
J
laptop. The in ternal padded
laptop compartment measures
420x300x4Smm.
*****
£280 inc VAT
It has an easy·to-access
MP3 player holder inside a zip
Fro m ~~."" "."o."k
1•10e.
holder, a front zip pocket, a peripherals and stora~ devices. and it includes Ofl.... a.:s www.a.us.eom
Velcro pocket for documents 802.11n lor fast wireless networking. As well as a RJLlREVlEW Dec 2009
and a padded organiser.lt·s VGA ou tput. there's an HDMI port for connecting
great value if you can live with t he fB1012 to an HDTV. •• z
the colour. but it's a shame The dual-core Atom 330 and 2GB of RAM
there's not much room in the really make a difference in everyday use. with
bag for additional bulky items. much snappier Windows performance; it scored 50 per
such as a change of clothes. cent higher in our benchmarks than most nettops. the back of a mon itor, creating a compact all-in-one
Jim Martin Windows Xi' still ships on many nettops. bu t the Pc. Small. quiet and ye t powerful enough for HO
EB10l2 uses the far more sophist icated Windows 7. movies and Windows 7. it's the combination of
About the size of a hardback nove l. the EB1012 smart hardware design and a dual-core processor
comes with a VESA moont and so can be mounted on that edges it ahead of the competition.
SAM SUNG
N510
***
£38D inc VAT
From www.laptopsdirect.co.uk
Samsung's N510 looks like a slightly larger seen, The finish is a strange mixture of glossy and
version of the company's N120 (see tabs, matt, It makes colours appear a little more
Shopper 260), which is our pick of the current s.aturated, but doesn't entirely diffuse
crop of netbooks.lt has the s.ame basic design, reflections on the screen. We found vertical
With a glossy lid and a sturdy casing with viewing angles a bit limited as well.
chrome detailing. The screen is larger, though This is Samsung's first use of Nvidia's Ion
- 11.6in to the N120's 1O.1in - with an increase chipset, which means the NS10 can smoothly
in resolution from 1,024x600 to 1,366x768. This play back lOBOp HD video, something most The NS10's battery life is disappointing.
is a 70 per cent increase netbooks can't marlilge. being almost halilhat of the N120, but we
in deSKtop space, which However, it will have to can't be sure whether Ihe blame lies With Ihe
SUMMARY
removes Ihe cramped VERDICT It, 72Op·upabl~ .,:r~ and downscale such content to larger screen or the Ion chipset. For a full-sized
feeling common when Ion chi p",t ar ~ _lcome,but it. baUff)' show it on its 72Op-capable laptop it would be considered more than
working on many netbooks. life Is poorwmpared to tho N120 screen. Alternatively, you can respectable, but Samsung has set the bar for
It's a high resolution NETBOOK 1.&6GHI Int~1 Atom NlBO, connect a Full-HD display via netbooks very high.
considering the physical lG8 RAM, l6OG8 disk, Nvidi~G.f ...ce the HDMI port to get the best We generally like Samsung's keyboards. Here,
dimensions of the screen, so 9400M &r~pI>ks, 11.6in w;O''' .... n lCO. possible picture. the keys are large enough, bUI the key action is
Wlndow, XP H"",," Edit""', ..... _ye ... RTB
while you'll see much finer Yoo'll need to use light, and we felt there wasn't as much feedback
w;"'~ nty , 3O>c289x200mm, 1.4I;g
detail in photos and movies, 1'OWlRCONSUMPTION lW suJ>dlry", headphones or external as there is on Samsung's other netbooks.
in Windows you may need 14W idl. , nw act~ spea kers, as the internal With a dis.appointing battery life and a
to increase the size of text PAll COO[ Np·N510· KA02UK spea kers on the NS10 are slightly mushy keyboard, the NS10 doesn't stand
DETAILS www.somsung.com/uk
to make it comfortable to pathetically underpowered. up well to the competition from its own
read.The LED-backlit display PERFORMANCE (00< _ ' " Despite its video-playback stablemates, especially for those who want to
is bright and colours are prowess, Ion isn't powerful work on the go. The larger display and HD video
accurate, although not quite enough to play 3D games, playback will appeal to some, but most will be
as vivid as some other scoring a paltry S.l fps in our happier wi th the cheaper N120,
LED-backlit screens we've Call of Duty 4 benchmark. Barry de la Rosa
Freedom to create.
Freedom to share.
----
• Rip and edit your mus c tracks: create MP3s
www.nero.com
C2009. Luar Media. All rights reserved. Info.m~t i oo is ,ubject to change w ithout notice. Crucia l. the (",da ll ogo. ~od Th e Memory experts ~r e
trademark< and , ervice mark< of Micron Technology. Inc . All other trademark< and ",rvice mark< are property 01 their re' pective owners. Lexar Med ia
is a division 01 Micron [u'ope Limited. Phone .44 (0)1355 586100. fax .44 (0)1 355 586101. E-ma il crtxia leusupportOmkroo.(om. luar Med ia is not
responsible fo' om issions or e((OfS in typography or photography. Ad expires 30 days aft er pub lication.
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Exspect"s Drop'N'Charge
EDITOR'S CHOICE wireless charging kit comes
wi th a charging mat (powered
by USB Irom your console or
via the supplied power
adapto() and a replacement
*****
£680 inc VAT
LAPTOP Int. 1
battery fO( your Xbox 360
controller. Wii and Wii Fit
From Dell 0 844 444 5818
versions are also available.
like most 01 Dell's recent laptops. the vou simply place your
Studio I S is available in a range of colours charger on one of the mat's
at no extra cost, The laptop is attractive "'~ two charge areas. It works well,
and feels well built and sturdy. It has taKing four hoors to charge and
a large Keyboard with plenty of DETALS www.d<llco.uk giving eight hours of gameplay.
feedback fO( quick and FUU REVIEW Doc ZOO9 However, Microsoft's Quick
accurate typing. A backlight Charge Kit costs the same but
makes the keys easy to see in charges in two hours and gives
all lighting conditions. 2S hours of gameplay, The
Thanks to its 4GB of RAM and 2.4GHz Core 2 DfOp'N'Charge draws 2.3W
Duo P8600 processor, the Studio 15 was extremely charging and 1.lW idle.
quick in our applications benchmarks, scoring 70 At 2.7kg, the Studio 15 is light enough to carry Drop'N'Charge is good
overall. It's also one of the few laptops here powerful around with you on the occasional joumey, and value and convenient, but the
enough to play modern 3D games. However, to get the battery lile 01 almost four hou rs is fa irly Quick Charge Kit gives you
smooth frame rates you'll need to lower detaTl imp ressive. With dece nt ba ttery life, good more hours of gameplay.
settings. Playing games or watching films is a pleasure performance in applications and games and a David Ludlow
on the 1,366x768 display. It's very bright, with an even reasonable price, Dell's Studio I S is a great
backlight. good contrast and fantastic colours. aU-round laptop.
I "1/1'
BYTE SIZE ~~~ ~ ~~~ a ~ ~ UI' U " i\~' around £1,000 will ~t you an ultra-portable laptop
that weighs less than 2kg, but is still as powerful as
ULTIMATE EARS CHOOSING A.. . its larger counterparts. Some ultra-portables use
MetroFi 220
t,~:!-: ~~i·a
Laptop slower ultra-low voltage (ULV) processors to
increase battery life further.
_ for 3 months·
.co.uk, .me.uk, .org.uk domains now only £2.49 first year '
· '.,m•• nd {onditoon. apply. please set wt b" te fo ' fwhe, det. i ~ . Got ] month. h•• 00 sele<t.d w.b h<>.to~9 p.{~.g •• whe n you ilgn ~p for . 1 yu, piC~i9 .1
Spf'{i. 1off." aViI,lable •• of 0111112009 ilnd fOl' iI hm it.d tom. on ly. Pric. ... <100. VAT.
...J
From www.waterstones.com
CHOOSING A ...
MIONAVMAN
Moov Spirit 500 Traffic Satnav
***
£200 inc VAT
From www.play.com
FoJJowthe steps to find yourideaJ specs
~COV~ UK~~~
SCIlfEN SlU: 3' ,jro
POSTCOO£ SiJPIIORT; rive charKtBs
The Mio brand has ~en absent from the UK for a TftAffICDATA, ,., .....
couple of years, but the company has bought R«omm.lIdtd minimum In ,roy
Navman and combined both brands. The Moov valid, and suggested nearby street5 that
Spirit SOO Trallic represents the top of the SOO included those numbers, rather than offering to
range, with full maps of 23 European COUntries,
Bluetooth (for weather, Google local search and
hands-free calling via a Bluetooth phone) and
navigate to 'anywhere' in our chosen road,
One of Mio's goals was to tidy up the driving
view, but while the white background looks dea n,
D A satnavwith the minimum
specifications listed above
will I:ost you around fSO.lt's a
Traffic MeS5age Channel (TMC) trallic informat ion. the default zoom level (which can't be changed) is standalone device, so you
It's just 14mm thick, with a larger than average surprisingly low, and shows too much of the get everything you need in one
4.7io widescreen display. The TMC receiver is built surrounding area lor our liking, It zooms in compact handheld unit. Its screen
in, so there's no external electronics, and there's a automatically at junctions and shows lane isn't particularly big or dear to
microSD slot for adding to its 2GB of storage. guidance for motorway exits, Many will appreciate see, and it will be quite slow at
The Spirit part of t he name refers to the new the fact that it announces road names aloud, <:aleul.ting routes. It h.s UK and
interface,l'Ihich can be controlled wit h finger although audio was distorted even at low volumes. Ireland maps only, so you can't use it
swipes. This was rather hit and miss in our tests, Tapping the screen while driving allows you to in other parts of the world.
and frustrating compared with an iPhone's flawless add an intermediate destination (useful lor a brief If you've got an e.isting POA or
touchscreen interface, We prefefTed to use the detour to refuel) or avoid a roadblock ,You can also smartphone, you can buy the
afTOW controls to navigate menus. mute the sound, but you can only adjust the software, maps and, if needed, GPS
The main menu has all the buttons you're volume in the main menu - a disappointing receiver in a kit. This will convert your
likely to need, including Find, My Places, Explore oversight. The 500Traffic is packed with features, handheld into a satnav with similar
(which shows local points of interest), Traffic, Map, though. Route options includes an economy specifications to those listed above.
Capture (which records your CUfTent position) and setting that minimises the number of junctions. The cost will be similar, too,
Travel Book {a list of rather terse city guides}. NavPix lets you navigate to destinations simply by
Scroll down and you'll find the option to navigate tapping on images (some of which are preinstalled, EI To travel further afield than the
home, find a petrolstatioo, 5uc.h as Big Ben), am! the ~ UK or Ireland, you'll need new
plan a multi-destination trip MioMore desktop softwa re let5 m.ps. These are usually available from
SUMMARY
and find nearby emergency you add extra content, such as the manufacturer at an extra cost.
VERDICT A feature-packed satnav, but
services, restaural"llS and car the touchscr~n can be un ...",onsive. extra POls and NavPix locations. When you buy the maps, make sure
parks, cash point5 and other It', .lso quite expensive.nd the ... . ... However, the unresponsive you have a memory card big enough
places of interest. bf:tter-value alternatives interface and other niggles to store them, or ellOugh memory on
The Spirit 500 offers more mean we stiR preferTomTom's your PDA or smartphone.
STANDALONE SATNAV Uin, 480. 272
ways of finding a destination di,play, iot.g<at..J S<Rhtar III with
Go 530T.lt may have a slightly Alternatively, you can save a
than any satnav we've seen, Instantfixll re<:~iv . r, MioMore softw...., smaller 4.3in screen, but it has bit of money by buying a satnav
including a useful keyword Europo! mop:! (n coontries),85. 132.1 4mm, even more features and costs with a wider choice of maps in the
search. However, it occasionally two-yea, RTB warranty just t 184 including VAT from first place.
PART COO£ 5SOS
refused to let us enter house www.handtec,co.uk.
numbers that we knew were Jim Martin I:'J Want quicker route cakulation
1::1 and a beller display? Buy a
more e~pensive standalone satnav
with a quicker processor; a 4in screen
f."Il . -
or higher with a resolution of 480x272
VIEWSONIC will give you plenty of space for
VTV35 I detailed maps-If you're using a PDA
r ' ~1l 0 or smartphone and it seems slow,
****
£66 inc VAT
From www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop
I , ~lId consider upgrading to a newer model
with a quicker processor and a screen
with a higher resolution .
Viewsonic's VTV35 is the most basic portable TV an EPG providing only now-and-next information, . . . If you travel a lot, real-time
player we've seen, It has no SO ca rd slot or USB The screen flickered a bit in menus, but TV was IiJI traffic information is essentiaL
port, so you can't play MP3s or view video or fine , Our main disappointment was that the TV The most common way to obtain
image files on its 3'hin screen, This goes a long picture didn't take up the entire screen, with updates is by connecting to your
way towards explaining l'Ihy it cost5 so little, narrow black bars above and below. This is because mobile phone and downloading
The VTV35 loo~s remarkably similar to the Icy the screen is a 4:3 ratio, while the Freeview signal the latest information. This d.ta
Box IB-MP 10 l (see \.W)at's New, Shopper 256). is 16:9.You can force it to display at 4:3. but you'll is charged atllOrmal network
However, the extendable antenna is much longer either squeeze the image or lose the edges. rates, though.
than the flimsy one on the If you want to listen to Some high-end standalone
IB-MP10l, and reception was SUMMARY music, view photos or watch satnavs have a TMC chip, whic h
much better. However, it's let VERDICT A simplt portabl~ TV pla~ videos as wen as TV, receives tr.ffic inform.tion over the
down by the lack of an external the lack of mtdia tilt playback is ofhtt Hauppauge's myTV Player is FM radio network for free.
antenna port, Build quatity is by Its low price better, but it CO'>lS f40 more. Several high-end standalone units
basic, with plain black plastic PORT"WTV P1.AYER. 3Y.tin 3ZOXZ40 The VTV35 is an adequate TV have integrated microphones and can
all round, although it feels solid. ... soIu~"" LCD. 12b75.14mm. 149g. and radio, but as with all be used as a hands-free phone over
The program guide and one ·~ar RTB W¥Tant)' portable TVs,you'li often need a Bluetooth connection. To take
PARTCOOE V512801
menu system are easy to to search for good re ception. advantage, you'll need a compatible
DETAILS W'WW.vI.w'onlc.co,uk
follow and clearly laid out, with Barry de la Rosa mobile phone with Bluetooth.
--=
PARTCQD( 3Z97BOlOAA
pages, but total DtTAIlS wwwbrolilf'.co.uk took two minutes turns your printer into a multifunction
DETAilS www.unon,co,ulc
ownership costs are FULL REVIEW Jun 2009 ,,--_~ and 12 seconds. FULL REVIEW 0<:1 2009 peripheral. large groups should get
tow, with toner
costing just l.Sp
per page.
-............ --".-,""',-
" ~-
Image quality is
fantastic with
precise detail.
-~- --
multiple paper trays to deal with
headed paper and other stationery.
~
...J
***
£215 inc VAT
From www.ebuyer.com
c
or deactivate it entirely if you want. use. Contrast is also impressive, and there's no lag or
We found it effective at its default setting, quickly juddering when playing videos or games, Viewing
dimming the display, even if we 5ilt back at our des~ to angles aren't wonderful. but you need to move a long
take a phone calL This reduces power consumption way off centre before the colours begin to change.
from 25W to 15W - a saving of around 40 per cent, The menus are easier to use than those on many
Stay away lor a few minutes longer and the screen displays we've seen recently. It helps that Philips has
dims even further, reduc ing power consumption to mounted the buttons on the front 01 the bezel rather
just lOW for a 60 per cent saving_ Even the standard than under it,The menus are slick and are sensibly
2SW is respectable for a 22in monitor, especially given arranged, with enough adjustment options to kee p
the very usable brightness at this setting. tweakers happy, including colour temperature and
For years we've pined for a compact camera technology).AS if that wasn't enough,
that has a big wom and takes great pictures the F70EXR has yet another trick up
in low light. We'd just about given up waiting. its sleeve for low-light photography. A
concluding that both a big zoom and a large scene mode called Pro Low-Light ta~es
sensor (required for low-light sensitivity) four photos in qUick succession, aligns
simply won't fit in a pocket-sized body. them as necessary and superimposes
However, Fujifilm has proved us wrong. them to reduce noise further. As long as there
The F70EXR is Fujifilm's first compact wasn't much motion in the scene, low-light shots Program mode and switching to EXR for
big-zoom camera, following in the footsteps of had a clarity and smoothness that wasn't far times when it's clearly needed.
Panasonic's TZ range. This is a crowded market behind that of SLR cameras. For a £200 compact Otherwise, this is a capable, dependable
(see Labs, Shopper 258), but the F70EXR starts camera. that's nothing short of extraordinary, camera. Automatic e~posures were generally
well by being the smaaest and lightest yet. At The innovations don't stop there_ Another excellent, althoogh unnecessarily high ISO
£200, it's also one of Ihe cheapest. new scene mode, Pro Foc us, simulates an 5LR speeds led to some loss of clarity in flash-lit
The compact design is particularly camera's shallow depth of field, blurring Ihe shots. Again, manual tweaking easily overcomes
remarkable, as the F70EXR has a larger sensor background to draw attention to the main this. The menu system could be tidier but it's
than any of its competitors. The 'hin diagonal subject. In practice, the border between great to see manual exposure. Performance was
isn't much bigger than the 'luin and '1",in foreground and background was often a little above average, with particularly fast autofocus,
sensors used elsewhere. but it's an important imprecise, but it's a fun tool to play with. and few people will lament the thr~ -shot limit
factor for low-light performance. Sure enough, The F70EXR also includes the dynamic in continuous mode.At the long end of the zoom
photos ta~en with the F70EXR at ISO 1600 - range extension introduced on the F200EXR, ra nge, details weren't quill' as sharp as those
the sensitivity required under typical household Overexposed highlights such as washed-out skies from the F200EXR or Panasonic's TZ7, but they
artificial light - looked significantly sharper are a common problem, but the F70EXR recovers were more than adequate for A4 prints. OI.Ir only
and deaner than the best them, capturing colour and serious grumble is the lack of an HD video mode.
from its competitors. detai15 that would otherwise With its sleek, compact body and lOx zoom,
SUMMARY
low-light image quality be 1051. This featu re uses the F70-EXR is perfect for holidays and days out,
VERDICT It's rar! t .... t a camera
gets a further boost from ~~. t .... rut~ I>00I;, and ..... n variable sensitivity in coping equally well with wide-angle vistas and
Fujililm's ingenious EXR ,arerwherllt's SO well rounded different parts of the sensor, telephoto portraits. Unlike other big-zoom
sensor design, Switching and Jlfordable which is much more effective compacts, it also takes attractive photos indoors
from 10 to 5 mega pixels not COMPACT DIGITAL CAMlRA 9.8 mogapixels than rival systems that without the flash. The fact that it costs under
only reduces the amount of [3.616. 2,712).10>< opllcal ",om simply process the image £200 is the icing on the cake. The F200EXR
noise in photos but actually (27·27Omm), SDHC .Iot (~ 7MB ime"",'), after <:apture. The downside is remains an excellent a\temative; its 5x zoom is
U-ion battery. S9x99J<27mm. 180g.one·yo.r
increases the definition of RTBw",ran!'f that it only works at its best hardly lacking and its larger sensor produces
details, It's a feature we first PART CODE Pl0NC01700A in the 5-megapixe[ EXR marginally better photos. However, the F70EXR's
saw in Fujifilm's F200EXR D£TALS www,!ujililm.<o.ukw mode, and introduces noise l Ox zoom is much more versatile. With the
{below, but see VAlat's New, PERFORMANCE (_ _ '"I when shooting at 10 added benefit of Pro Low-light Mode. it's our
Shopper 257 for a full ......, ......", I mega pixels. We recommend favourite compact camera at any price.
explanation of t his deactivating t his feature in Ben Pitt
--
FUUIlEV1EW ~ 2009
-,,*-,.,..
frivolous e~tras.
bu t delivers on
ergonomics,
performance and
image quality.
_.
PART CODE DMClS8SE8S
DETAILS www..,..,.~ic_«>,uk
FUll. REVIEW ~ 2009
--
-,,* ...... , ...... -
'"
NIKON CHOOSING A...
Coolpix P90
Digital SLR
***
£260 inc VAT
From www.simplyelect ronics.net Camera
Nikon has pulled out all the stops with the P90, It FoJJowthe steps to fin d your ideaJ specs
has a 12-megapixel sensor and a 3in screen, but RESOlUTION: 10 meg;opixoh
top billing goes to the 24x zoom lens. Being able to The hinged screen can point 300 down or 90 0 SUHuEO I.£NS: 18-55nvn, f/3.5.f/5.6
take a 26mm wide-angle shot and then magnify a up. We appreciate being able to shoot at elbow MONITOftNG: 2Y,in, 215,000.",,0/ LCD WHto
distant speck so it fills the frame is quite a height. as iI's much more comfortable than with COHTlNuous SHoo"nNG: 25/p.
breathtaking experience. Lenses this powerful often outstretched arms. There's also an electronic 5Ul>1'IJ[[) MEMORY: N"""
come with compromises, though. viewfinder, but its colours afe much less accurate Re<~ minlroom in fI~
Our test shots revealed beaut iful colour than the screen's.The photographic options are
reproduction, expertly chosen automatic settings comprehensive and there's a dial for adjusting
and reasonably low noise up to ISO 800. However,
artificial light sometimes produced heavy colour
casts. The far reaches of the zoom range led to
settings. 001 it's a pity that white balance, ISO
speed and drive mode ilfJ! buried in the menus.
A high-speed shooting mode is well suited to
D A digital SLR camera with
the specifications shown
above will cost around 000 and
heavy lens distortions. There's an option to correct nature and sports photography. It captures 4S suit photography enthusiasts on a
these digitally, but it crippled performance. 3-megapixel shots in thll'e seconds (15fps) and budget. Despite being an entry-level
Pictures weren't as sharp as can even buffer and save 10 digital SLR, image quality will be in a
those from Panasonic's fI2S SUMMARY shots from before the shutter different league to that of all but the
(see Editor's Choice, page 32), VEROICT The mMsive zoom rangt and botton was pressed. When best fixed-lens cameras, particularly
particularly in low light. articulot..! ><Jl'tn a", highlight., but shooting at 12 megapixels, the when it comes to smooth, sharp detail
However, the higher resolution Image quality Is bettere<l elsewhere P90 takes 2.3 seconds between with minimal image noise.
and extra telephoto extension ULTltA·ZOOM DlGITALCAMEItA 12 shots and runs at l.3fps in burst
meant that it remained m~gopi ..1s (4,OOO'-},000), 2·hoptical room mode - reasonable, but not as Et Spend more and you11 get a
competitive when shooting (26·624mm), SOHC slot (47MB internal),
U·1on ba1t~ ry, 83.114>$9rnm, 46Og.
fast as Panasonic's fZ28. IIt:I camera with a higher resolution:
distant subjects in bright 1W<>-y.... RTB warranty With a huge zoom and 10 megapixels is common for
conditions. It also resulted PART COOl' VMAnOB1 high-speed mode, the P90 entry-level models. This gives finer
_ .-
in chromatic aberrations O£TAIlS _ . nikon.co.Uk has plenty going for it, but detail, although the improvement
-
and purple fringing, though, PERFQRMA/IICE( _ _ IOI Panasonic's fI28 is just £10 more over eight megapixels isn't as great as
giving halos of discolouration
around high-contrast lines.
.... and is a better aU-round camera.
Ben Pitt
the figures might suggest.
****
£254 inc VAT
From www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop
70-200mm focal length. Alternatively,
buy a body-only camera and an
18-2oomm or similar lens. Aperture
values tell you how much light the
The Ixus 200 IS is Canon's first touchscreen lens can capture at either end of its
camera, and it's a joy to behold. The metal lozenge In 51i1l-image tests, the autofocus and auto zoom range; the lower the f-number,
shell - available in purple, bronze, blue or silver - exposure proved outstandingly re!iable, capturing the brighter the lens.
and contoured buttons bring to mind a luxury car. attractive shots time after time. However, the
It's just as slick to use as it is to look at. Some 12-megapixel sensor captured no more detail than II!I A 2'hin, 21S,OOO-pixel screen is
touchscrE1!n interfaces are unresponsive, but this the two l O-megapi~el cameras we reviewed this Ii.I standard among digital SLRs, but
3in widescreen posed no such problems. It also month, In fact. details were often a little softer, you'll be using the optical viewfinder
facilitates a one-touch spot focus mode, which particularly in low light where noise reduction to compose shots. Its through-the-
automat ically tracks moving subjects. Buttons wilt disguised noise but also discarded lots of detail. It's lens (TIL) view shows exactly what
always be better for some tasks, though, so we're a more aggressive approach than that of previous the camera's sensor will capture and
delighted that there's a dutch of them to the right Canon compact cameras, but the results are makes manual focusing easy. A
of the screen. They're quite small and fiddly but arguably more appealing if you're printing smaU second, passive LCD screen is useful
the wheel that encirdes the pictures or scaling shots down fo r displaying camera settings.
five-way pad is particularly SUMMARY to post on the web.
useful for dialling in settings. VERDICT Ima~ quality isn't t ~ !>est,
Fujifilm's F200EXR (see 1':1 Most entry-level SLRs
The touchscreen isn't the but t~ touch.cr~n, wid e-angle Itn., Editor's Choice, page 33) has I:l outperform even the fastest
only notable feature .The Sx HO vide<. mode and HOMI output the same resolution and zoom compact cameras. However,look out
zoom starts at an unusually ju.tify the high pric. range but takes significantly for a fast continuous mode, autofocus
wide-angle 24mm, a real boon COMPACTDlGfTALCAMERA 12 better pictures in cha!\enging and shutter lag if quick-fire
for vistas and group photos. m~g.pi •• 1s (4,OOOd,000), Syoptic.1 conditions. However, the Ixus photogrilphy is a priority.
So too is the 720p HD video zoom (2~- lZOm"'1 SOHC slot (n""" 200 IS's images are far from
,uppli~), Li· ion battery, S3x1C1O:<23mm,
mode, which gave fantastic 13(lg. one·ye ... RTB w.""nty
disappointing, and its HD video P.!I Digital SLRs don't usually come
results in bright light and PART COOl' 3986BOO6AA and HDMI socket are distinct 1.:1 with any storage, so budget
reasonable quality in gloomier OfTAaS _ .canon.o::o.uk advantages. If you don't mind ilround £10 for iI fast (at least 6Ox)
conditions. Videos and photos paying a premium for these 2GB CompactFlash or SD card to
--
PERFQRMA/IICE(_ .......
looked superb on an HDTV
via the HDMI socket.
- "'Fa I
.... . - features, it's an excellent choice.
Ben Pitt
ensure that it doesn't create a
performance bottleneck .
No: 38258
£327.75 """ VAT)
• ***, £114.94 ',"0'
No: 37241 VAT) No: 37094 VAT)
ana ner
INTEL BASE UNITS 11B SAMSUNG F3 32" HANNSPREE HDTV
No: 37578 £132.19 ' "0' VAn No: 37726 No: 38133 £264.44 ,,"01 VAT)
*****
RE " VAT)
E T ER (( EH WI I ERE (E I H WI
@ ana ner
INTEL E8400, 3GHZ 11B LACIE DESKTOP HDD MY FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA
•••••
C, Sl. 333Mc zeSR. 6MBc, c! c.. 'pc<Jplif s f, \06rdc'! n c\U c i k '" rca b d.g IV
..***£103.44
No: 30243
I! 06s, nds of l 06r duc6a enls, p! olos or a 6>d: l-fis.
w Life S47000
***
c
£100 inc VAT
From www.medionshop.co.uk
WESTERN DIGITAL
W DTV Live
*****
£92 inc VAT
From www.micomonline.co.uk
SONY XTREAMER
HDR-CXll E Xtreamer
*****
£599 inc VAT
" .~ 1! . *****
£148 inc VAT
*****
£99 inc VAT
From www.dabs.com F~m
This HO camcorder produces sha rp details, The UltraHO is the lirst Flip The Xtreamer is amazing
natural skin tones and impressive low-ligh t an HOM I ou tput, so you can value. You get a media streaming device with
footage. Its opt ical image stabilisati on watch yoor HO movies back on your HO TV. It 802.11n wireless networking and space for a
minimises camera shakes, even at high zoom comes with a rechargeable battery pack that 2V.in hard d is~.lt has two USB POfts for
factors. Soond quality is the bt-st we've he ard. charges via the flip-oot USB connect Of. You can external storage, an d all t he vid eo and audio
The touchscreen t CO provides spot-focus also fit two standard AA batteries if you prefer. outfllJts you'll need. It played Blu-ray quali ty
and spot-metering The 8GB of flash memory will store around video perfectly and supports all common video
HD CAMCORDER Memory
controls, while a two hours 01 video. and audio codec.lts interface isn't the slidest
Slick Pm Duo storage, 12x
small dia l next to the ""tico! zoom, S,660,OOO-pix~1 This has a resol ution HD CAMCORDER 8GB lIosh we've seen, but it works well and reacts quickly.
lens makes manua l 'I'-'in CMOS, max "!S<>Iut>on of l,28Ox720 pixels. memory """'g'.
focusing simple. 1080i,2.7in LCD "~n,USB It looks de tailed, and 2.2...... gap~1 '1.~ncMOS MULTIMEDIA STREAMING DEVICE HOMI, composite,
It's no t the interface, AV. compollOnt and exposures were well .en<or. 2in LCD ""'''' . usa, st~o phono and optical S/POIF outputs. 2x USB.
mini HDMI (lUI. on e ·~ . ar RTB HOMI, l06xS2x23mm, 170g, 802.11n .nd 10/100 EII, . ..... I. 2V.1n SATA drl\le bay.
most compact HO balanced. It has
camcorder, but it's
w.""nl)'
PARTcOOE HORCX11£.cEH idiot-prool controls
o~·~ .... , RTB w...... n!y
PARTCoo( U21ZOBU K
162x27xlI0mm, """-I"'''
RTl! w.".<H1I)', support,
WMA , AAC. Ou. W~ .nd M P3 .... dio. WMV, MPl'G 1.
--
reasonably priced DETAILS www.wny.co.uk and comes with DETAILS www.thellip.com M PEG2 (VOB). MPEG4, Ol\txtx"m <H1d H.264 video. BMI'.
and has consistently FUll. REVIEW Jul 2009 simp le software for FULL REVIEW O<:t 2009 nr ~ nd JPl:G mage liles
commendable video upload ing your dips ......, ... ' POWER CONSUMPTION 11.$W on , OW st<H1dby
DETAIlS www.tr..xtre.m....com FUll. REVIlW o.c 2009
performance. to YouTube.
ALTEC LANSING addition to the one on the back of the subwoofer, lor
Express ionist Ult ra connecting another audio source.
Although the audio quality of the Expressionist Ultra
**
£1 80 inc VAT
From w ww.play.co m
isn't bad, we expected fa r better from a 2.1 set at this
price. The mid-range sounds Rat and compressed, so
vocals and instrume nts in many songs sound mufRed.
High-frequency notes sounds harsh, too. Adjusting the
Allee lansing's Expressionist Ultra 2.1 speakers have a treble can compensate for this, but it makes music even
distinctive look, tha l"lks to their transparent trapezoid more muffled. The bass sounds deep and full, but if you
VERDICT Alte<: Lansing"s
fronts. The subwooler looks even more striking. being boost it further th e treble sounds eve n harsher.
Exp~uionist Ultra s~a k~ ha""
almost as large as a mini lower Pc. Altec Lansing's Expressionist Ultra speakers have too many quality iUUM for. ~t
The wired remote uses a jog dial to control the numerous issues. Considering the price, this is simply at thiS price
volume, so it requires only a slight twist to make unacceptable - we'd expect a neany flawless level of
STll!.EO SPEAKERS 2.1 configura!"",.
adjustm ents. Pressing one button lets the dial control audio quality and these speakers just don't have it. We 200W ~r RMS,l.Smm stereo
the 1;.155, while another switches t o adjusting the recommend Creative's similarly priced Gigaworks T3 2. 1 Input POWERCONSUMPTK>N 3W
treble. A small series of lights visually indicate the speakers (see lMlat's New, Shopper 25 1), which sound .tao1dby. 16W
PART COOl BSll
ott"'"
volume, bass and treble levels. The remote includes a clear, rich and detailed.
handy headphone socket and a 3.Smm input, in Alan Lu
**
£40 jnc VAT
From www.johnlewis.com
are exposed and could easily be damaged, especiaHy in a
household with curious children.
The sound quality 01 the El 100Plus is mediocre at
best. The midrange sounds muddy and flat, so vocals
The subwoofer from Edifier's El 110Plus 2.1 speaker set and instruments in pop songs lack detail. The high end
in unlike any we've seen before. Its glossy black curved ca n sound harsh, especially in electronic music, and this SUMMARY
top is reminiscent 01 the vicious extraterrestrialslrom is increasingly noticeable the more you ra ise the volume. VERDICT Edifi«'s Ell00P\us
th e Alien movies, which is no bad thing. There's Increasing the bass makes music boom when it should speak...-s look g~. t .but t heir
only one 3.5mm input,located on the back of the be more focused. Sound quality suffers even more unless sound q~ lity is poor
subwoofer. but this is sufficient for a set of PC speakers. you·re sitting in the sweet spot, which is narrow. STEREO SPEAKERS 2.1 configuration.
We were less impressed with the location of the We like the unusual look of Edifier's El l00l'lus, 21W power RMS. l .5mm storeo
controls. The volume control. which also doubles as a but the sound quality leaves much to be desired. We'd InputS. one·l"'o, RTB _mint>,>
POWER CONSUMPTION
power switch, is located on the top of the subwoofer, rather have Logitech's X-230 2. 1 speakers (see below). 2W ,tondby. 8W octlve
while the bass dial is located on the back. These They don't look nearly as distinctive, but their sound PART CODE 8934Cl4OZ
are inconvenient to reach if you want to tuck the quality is far superior in every respect. O£TAI.S WIW/.~ i fi or· intomat""'aI.
,~
subwoofer away somewhere unobtl1Jsive. We'd have Alan Lu
great, with an emphasis on the formats, and the included pop and dance music. The sliders and dials can be controlled
upper mid-range TwonkyMedia Manager software ea rphones produce with the bundled AtomixVirtua lOJ
and treble. This is easy to use.A range of intemet solid bass tones, 5 for Windows and Mac as x.
set is radio stations are available, and but not at the This and a laptop
great you can add more. It's a little expense of clarity full of MP3s are
val ue. expensive, but it's excellent. and precision. all you need to
mix a full set.
SURROUND·SOUND SPEAKEltS 50SW STlIEAMtNGAUDIO ItECEIVER Ix
~'. 3> 3.S <t..-M (S.I. 3> <lereo). mlnl.Jock r-.odpllone output . Ix c,,">laI
co", ,,1 SlPDIF. optical SJ'PDIF input< ,/PDIF output, one-ye .... RTB warrant>,>, 1f~ .... "C)' ~spon~ 12-22.000HI,
POWER CONSUMPTION 9W <londby. ",ppon,WMA,AAC, Ogg, W~ and MP3 impodanco 16 ohm<
llWon ""die PAltT COOl NP2900105 PART CODE SHE2S50100
PARTCOOE 97011·0120 POWER CONSUMPTION 4W .tondby.
FUll. REVIEW Jut 09 6W 011 FUU REVIEW jun 09
C!I EX490
f iles stored on the EX490 can
be acce ssed from .my internet-
connected computer, as well as
****
<:C £462 inc VAT
From www.cclonline.com
the computers on your local
networi:.. For this to work, Windows
c:::
Home Server will attempt to
configure your router automatically
AWindows Home Server (WHS) is if it supports UPnP port forwarding;
an altemative to a network-attached otherwise, you'll have to do this
storage (NAS) device for sharing files yourself. Photos stored on the EX490 can
en Home Servers.
The EX490 can automatically copy music, vi deo
and photos from all 'lour networked computers so
they're accessible from any connected PC via
Windows Explorer or through a web interface. In our
tests, it also worked Rawlessly as an iTunes music
accessible, for adding extra disks. It was fast at copying
both large and smaU files over our Gigabit Ethernet
network. Indeed, it was faster than many NAS devices
we've seen. The WHS operating system doesn't support
traditional RAID arrays, but 'Iou can enable folder
replication. This is similar to RAID1, and automatically
server and as a UPn P media server. duplicates 'lour chosen folders to another disk .
It's possible to view videos stored on the Configuring the EX490 is straightforward thanks
EX490 from a remote intemet-connected PC via to it5logicaHy organised configuration utility.
remote access serve r PARTCOOE WDH1N(11)()()O files, and EMC's useful PART CODE 34619
DEfAIU WNW.wuwndigOt.!. DflAIlS www . iom.g.~u..",..
isn't very we ll designed Retrospect Express HD
Alan Lu - but its performance
<~
backup softwa re is
FULL REVIEW J.... 2009 ~ REVIEW o.c 2009
. . .. ........N_
PC systems and
storag e e~pert and low cost per
gigabyte make it
great value.
--....
- ~.-..
-
included. Best of all,
the eGo costs just 1Sp
per gigabyte.
.... ,••d
,. "
b
~
USB ponthat lets you use the router as a makes litde difference in our
network storage device and a wireless guest real-world tests. Channel-bonding can
network, so visitors can access the internet improve performance if you experience
but not the rest of your network. poor signal quality, but it tends to reduce
II's easy to configure using the setup the maximum range of your signal. This router
A WMM is a Quality of
Servitl! (QoS) system
that prioritises certain types
or FTP. The HTIP web page is a
simple file list and doesn't let you
upload content, but you can upload
(300Mbitls).4~ 10/10011.000Mb~/. lAN
p-orts. b W... N port. UPnP. QoS,
Z23xl S3x31mm, oo ~ -y ~ ... RTB warranty
The WNDR3700 has some
bril!iant features but its high price
and inconsistent transfer speeds
POWER CONSUMPTION 6W 00
of data over a loul wireless files via FTP. The catch is that the PART COOE WNDR3700_100UKS ma~e it hard to recommend. If yoo
~twork. WMM divides rooter supports only two accounts: DET..... LS WWWn<1l1"ar.<:o.tlk need a simultaneous dual -band
network traffic into four admin and guest. router with USB NAS capabilities,
categories - video, voicE', best Like a1l802. 11 n routers, the we recommend Linksys's similarly
effort and background - based WNDR3700 ships with channel- priced WRT610N (see What's New,
on labels in the individual bonding disabled in 2.4GHz mode, Shopper 2S2).
packets. It then handles each although iI's enabled in SGHz Kat Orphanides
category differently.
Voice and video packets have
the highest priority, so when
you're streilming a movie from
your PC to a receiver attached
EDITOR'S CHOICE
to your TV, the video is gi~n
priority over other network
02 L1NKSYS
traffic. This means it should play Premium WVC54GCA
without network lag or data
loss, which would resu lt in a
***** ***** ~,.,.."~
[g]
£15 per month (£10 for 0 , mobile customers) £93 inc VAT ' iAn ,
stuttering picture. Less From www.broadband.o2.t:o.uk From www.purel ygadgets.co.uk
bandwidth-critical traffic, such
as web-browsing or file
transfers, have a lower priority
while a video is playing.
This technology only
O,'s broadband services aren't
available everywhere, but if you're
lucky you'll be able to receive its
20Mbit/s-rated connection for £15 per
0 2
This is one of the cheapest wire less
IP cameras we'V{! reviewed. It's a
shame it only comes in black, but
it's easy to install and configure and
prioritises traffit: - it doesn't month. Our survey showed average the qua lity is above aV{!rage. There's
boost bandwidth or guarantee a download speeds of 11.1 Mbitls and high also a built·in microphone, 50 you can
strong enough wireless signal satisfaction sco res. You don't get a static IP address, hear what's happen ing.
for video streaming. Almost all but extras indude 200 free SMS messages that you Motion detection allows yoo
modem routers support WM M can send from O;s website. Packages are subject to to have video clips or still images
and have it enabled by default, a fair use policy emailI'd to you, and this
so you may be berrefiting from rather than a stated HOME BROADBAND SERVICE
can be set on a schedule. WIRHBS tp CAMERA 64{h480
the tet:hnology already. download limit. 20Mbit/ •. wi ... less routo•. "",ail, Yoo can also enable "'sol"tloo. 3Ofp<. 101100Mb~/,
If it's available where IIff instaUotion. 1Z·month streaming to a mobile [mom' I, 8Oz.11b/g wn\ess,
~ootra.ct D£TAlLS www. motion ""toctioo. MP€G4,
you live, it's well phone, which limits the
Kat Drphanides worth subscribing.
b<oadba<1d.oZ.~",uk
resolution to 160x120 at
MjPEG.90x120x37mm
_-
fUll REVIEW Sep ZOO9 POWER, CONSUMPTION 3W 00
Pri nters am! You even get a £5 1Sips. The WVC54GCA is P... RT COOl WVCS4GC ...·UK
DETAILS wwwllnks>,os.c"",
discoun t if you're an
0, mobile customer. . ... ..... a great IP ca mera at a
great price.
fUll REVIEW Sep 2008
CHOOSING A...
Wireless
£170 inc VAT
From www.scan.co.uk Router
Y-Cam's original Black IP camera won our Best Buy sturdy stand can be Follow the steps to find your idea' specs
award in Labs, Shopper 249, thanks to its ea~ wall-mounted or STANOAAD; 802 lIn /300Mbi!/.j
configuration, outstanding image quality and placed on a convenient ETHERN£t PORTS: " 101100 Mbit/.
excellent infrared night vision. One of the few surface. It's not UoA08ANDCONN£CTION.: [~WAN poort
limitations was that, with no onboard storage, it immediately Stlitable for Recommmded minimum In groy
relied entirely on a network connection to save the outdoor use, but a weatherproof
data it recorded. This has been addre5')ed in the shell (the V-cam Shell) is available for around ESO.
Y-Cam Black SD, which has a MicroSDHC slot.
It's incredibly easy to set up. Just plug it into
your router and install the Y-Cam setup utility.
The camera can record video (as MPEG4 or
MJPEG-formatted MOV files) or ]pEG snapshots to
a memory card. networked PC or FTPserver. It can
D A basic wireless router with the
specifications above will cost
around BO. Even budget routers offer
Once the camera is connected to your network, also email snapshots or stream content over the 8OZ.11n technology now, although
you can use the setup utility to tell it to use a web, and has Real-time Transport Protocol {RTP} they don't have as many featun:os as
specific IP address, which is vital if you wish to support - the most common videoconferend ng their more expensive counterparts. It
connect to it remotely over the internet. A button standard. Support for popular free Dynamic DNS doesn't have a built-in modem, so
in the utility opens the web interface in Internet services means you'll always be able to access the you'll have to use it with a broadband
hplorer. A control panel lets you zoom in digitally, camera remotely, even if you have a dynamic IP modem that has an Etherll<!t port.
adjust the microphone level, record the feed to address. Recording can be continuous, triggered by Also available at this price are
your PC and save snapshots. You can use other a motion sensor or according to a schedule. 1SOMbit/s 'N-technology' routers.
browsers to view the video feed, but these controls Video quality was impreS5ive, with some of the These have fewer antennas, but are
aren't available. Web-based viewing is limited to a least grainy footage we've seen from a reasonably often as fast as 802.11n devices. You
small window, but over your local network you priced IP camera, although video takes on a can expect a transfer speed of around
can use the Multi-Live utility to see full-screen slightly yellow cast under energy-saving bulbs. 30Mbit/s at 10m from any modern
video. As its name implies, you can view feeds Black and white infrared footage is sharp and full 8OZ.11n or N-technology router.
from up to 16 cameras simultaneously. of detail. A gently glowing red ring of 30 LEOs
Configuring t he camera is makes the camera starld out at Et If you have ADSL, you should get
easy whatever your browser. SUMMARY night. It's not subtle, but it might E:;;:I a wireless router with a built-in
A web-based wizard helps V£ROICT " simple inlmaocl' aod IQts deter would-be intruders. ADSL modem. It will cost more than a
you configure it for an of recording features mal<e this camera With a built-in microphone, standard cable router, but it lets you
802.11b/g wirele5') network, a great buy, whethN you're kl'<'j>ing an infrared, great video quality and connect your router directly to your
~ Q(llhe cats Of securing your home
which gives you a lot more a wide range of alarm, scheduling broadband connection without a
choice about where to WIlWSS .. CAMEItA IOlnCOMS ""'SOl', ar.d recording features, the Black separate modem. ADSLZ+ modems
position the camera. The 64())(48() ",soIution, lOip<, 10/100 SO camera is great value. It costs support broadband conll<!ctions up to
Ethe rnet. 802.llb/g wirelu~ . night vision.
MicroSDHC slot is a great motion detection. 8S. SS.3Cknm. """.~ ..
around £20 more than its Z4Mbit/s with an appropriate 15P.
touch, as your camera can RTa WilfT;>nty predecessor, but the memory
continue to record security POWER CONSUMPTION 4W on card backup makes it we!! worth n Most 80Z.11 n win:oless routers
data even if your network PART cOO( YCB003
DET.... LS www.~ - cam.com
the extra. It's a Best Buy. 1::1 use the Z.4GHz frequency. This
connection goes down. Its Kat Orphanides has good range but can be prone to
interference if it's near a lot of other
Z.4GHz devices, such as other routers
and baby monitors. If you have trouble
getting a consistent wireless signal or
you want faster transfer speeds for
win:oless video streaming, it's worth
LlNKSYS LlNKSYS buying a dual-band router, which can
WRT320N WAG160N-UK use both the Z.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
Alternatively, a hi-gain antenna can
::.::: I;E:tii1il *****
£57 inc VAT ~;a~i'i boost signals and improve ranges and
throughputs to the whole house.You
From www.kikatek.com From www.kikatek.com
can also add a hi-gain antenna to a
At £58, this is the Linksys's WAG 160N-UK PC's networlt adaptor. If wired
cheapest dual-band ADSL router is easy to networlt speeds are a priority, look for
Draft-N router configure, with a standar<l set of a router with Gigabit Ethernet.
we've ever seen. Even features including QoS and local wireless traffic
though it can transmit on shaping - both of which help to prioritise . . . Many routers have built-in USB
only one band at a time, it's still high-bandwidth services stich as video Ii.I ports that allow you to connect
incredibly fast in streaming. More importantly, it produced some a USB drive and use the router as a
both Z.4GHz and DUAL-8f<NDWlkELESS ROUTER of the fastest 2.4GHz transfer speeds we've ever basic network storage device. If you
5GHz mode, both D<aft 802. lib/gIn duol ·bond seen, both with our want to share a USB printer on your
with a Centrino (lOOMbit/,), ,,.lO/IOOI Centrino Z laptop networlt, look for a wirelen router
ADSL WIRELISS ROUTER
1.()()Oto1b~/. LAN pons. bWAN
laptop and using and Linksys's S02.llb/g/n (3OOMbltls). 4. with a built-in USB print server.
P<>"t. UI'nP. QoS
its own adaptor. WUSB600N USB 10/100 LAN port" lxWAN port Alternatively, you can add a dedicated
PART COO( WRH20N
TheWRT320N ("'DSL2+ ~) . UPnP.QoS.
PQWEIiCONSUMPTION SW on wireless adaptor. The wireless print server later. Finally, if
J.4>102xI6Omm, one·)'"" ItTB
is also easy to use, DETAILS wwwJink$y$b),<is<o. WAGl60N-UK isn't you're interested in making voice calls
warqnty
,~
making it the ideal overburdened with PART Coo( WAGI6ON-UKs over the interll<!t, look for a router
FUll REVIEW 0<12009 _
choice if you don't features, but it's easy POWER CONSUMPTION 7W on with built-in VolP support (and pholl<!
need an ADSL
modem.
~~= ± ,-
-.-. -- to use, inexpensive
and very fast.
O£TAl.S wwwJinks~.b~ds<o.,om
FUll REVIEW Oct 2009
sockets) as this can save you money.
Z
From www.overclockers.co.uk
w
Following hot on the heels of the excellent HD
5850 (see opposite) comes ATl's 5700-series of
graphics cards, which comprises the HO 5770 and
HD 5750 (see below). Both cards have the same
impressive feature list as the 5800-serie5, so you get
D.. The clock and memory speeds are actually higher than
those of the HO 5850, but there are other issues. Like
many previous mid-range cards, the HO 5770 has a
and it's less power-hungry, requiring only a single 6-pin
power connector rather than the HD 4890'5 two. It's
also capable of outputting digital HD audio (see FAQ
~
128-bit memory interface, rather left for more details).
than the 256-bit interface used in SUMMARY If any of these tertiary benefits
more expensive models, l"kIich can VERDICT A future · pack...:! graphics appeal to you, the HD 5770 is a
card, but it isn't.s fast as the older HD
o
be a performance bottleneck. better buy than the HD 4890.
Its performance in our 4890, w\11d1 costs on ly a little more However, if you just want
benchmar~s was capable but not PC! EXf'ItESS GAAPt·nes CJ.ItO An Rode,," straightforward graphical muscle
outstanding. A score of 33.6fps in HD S770chipUt.8SOM'h con: ,~d. 1GB for running todays' games, the
our demanding Crysis test proves GOOR5 memory n.mnlng 3t 1.2GHI. PCI older card is a better option, at
SAPPHIRE
A HD audio fannats, such
as DolbyTrueHD and
DTS-HD Master Audio, an:'
Radeon HD 5750
copy protected by Protected
Audio Path (PAP). This means
you can't output them
****
£111 inc VAT
From www.overclockers.co.uk
digitally in all their glory
without hardware that The HO 5750 is the least expensive of the three new
supports PAP. In the past, this ATI cards we review this month, and currently the
meant buying Oil sound card. A cheapest DirectX ll -compatible card on the market.
cheaper, if messier, option was It also includes all the fancy features of t he more
to COJM'!rt the digital signal to powerful models, such as HD audio over HOMI and
analogue on your PC and use Oil triple-monitor support for games.
multi-channel output to Not surprisingly, there's little archi tectural cards provide two OVI ports plus DisplayPort and
connect your AV amplifier. difference between the HO 5750 and th e HO 5770 HOMI outputs. We've reviewed the Sapphire version
Thankfully. ATI's SOOO-series (above). The HO 5750 card has 720 stream processors here, which has a custom cooler on it, but it's not
cards support PAP over their - just 80 fewer than the HO 5770 - and slightly slower significantly different to the reference card we received
HOM I outputs. They're the first memory - 1. 15GHz rather than from ATl.All the HD 5750$ we've
cards to output the full audio l .2GHz. The key difference is the SUMMARY seen have fans that blow warm air
bitstream of HD <Iudio formats slower core cloc~ speed of 700MHz VERDICT There's little to choose into your case rather than through
(previous c.ards downsampled rather than 850MHz. be~e n the HD 5750and HD 5770 the exhaust port on the rear, which
the audio). Connect the card to Despite these differences, the at CUrTl'nt prices, but _ morg; nally isn't ideal for keeping the rest of
compatible surround-sound
Oil HD 5750'5 benchmark scores were prefer the faster card your components cool.
amplifier. such as the Onkyo remarkably similar to those of its PC! EXPRESS GRAPHICS CJ.RD An Rode,," If you're after a specific
TX-SR577 (see Labs, Shopper more expensive sibling.A Crysis HD S7SOchlpset. 700MHI con: '~d, 1GB 5000-series feature, such as HD
259), and you can get HD audio score of 29.2fps means you may GDORS memory n.mning 31 1.1SGHI, PCI audio over HOMI, the HO 5750 is a
Expr<" ,16 2.1 " lmac.
and video through a single have to siKrifice some detail to get PART COO£ ll1&o1-OO-2OR
good buy, although you might want
convenient cable. demanding games running at higher to hold off for the almost inevitable
resolutions, but it's only 4fps slower PERFORMANCE(_ _ ><I 5500- and 5300-series cards.
than the HO 5770. However, gamers might as well
Seth Bartan This isn't surprising. as the spend the extra f 15 and buy the
Reviews Edito r
two cards are close in price, with slight ly more powerful HD 5770.
only £ 15 between them. Both Seth Barton
SAPPHIRE
Rad eon HD 5850 1GB
*****
£200 inc VAT
From www.cclon line.com
...
PERFORM"NCE 1_ _ '"I
than the HD 5870 has. and a
- ..... for DirectX 11, which adds gamer, we can't recommend it highly enough,
massive step up from the
800 units found on most of
the 4800-series cards.
---- _ .
- .._.....- tessellation, a\(owing lor
more complex models in
games, along with a ra nge of
but everyone else should consider the more
affordable HD 5770 and 5750 ca rds (opposite),
Seth Barton
fl' 1._
From www.morecomputers.c:om
.
~~~~!~~&~j
From www.tekheads.co.uk
@ £45 inc
From ';";'.;Ig,.~;;;k-
This AM2+ motherboard is compatible with all
current AMD processors. It's th e perfect choice for
to use. The latest AMD socket is
AM1+, which fully supports the new
power-saving features of Phenom
processors. These processors will
still work in older Socket AMl
motherboards, but may not perform
This is th e first Phenom-branded processor with anyone who wants to build a capable PC on a as well because they don't have
only two processing cores. The X2 550 is an AM3 budget. There's a PO-E )(16 slot fO( a graphics HyperTransport 3.
chip, but it wilt work in many AM2+ boards too. It's card and plenty of room for other expansion
very fast , with a 3.1GHz d ock speed, and sped cards. The four memory slots support up t o 16GB 1':1 If you're installing lots of
throu gh our benchmarts with ease. of DDR2. The back
.>.MD MOTHERBOARD AM1 • •
1:1 expansion cards, look for a
Its scO(e of 91 overall makes it quicker than panel provides Nvkll. NFon:r nOO/NWlia motherboard with plenty of PO
Intel's more eight U5B ports, Nf<>«:. nOD chipset, 4. DDRl and PCI-E xl slots. If you're going to
expe nsive Core 2 AMD P1IOCESSOR Two corM and there are six 66718(0/11)6611200 .tots, b PCI install a lot of storage in your PC, a
ruoologat 3.1GHI,A M3, E'P"ss x16 <lQI<. 2" PCI Express
Duo E7400.TheX2 lOOMH. F5B IlGHI
analogue outputs motherboard with plenty of SAT A
xl .tOI<,4, PCI , 101<, h IDE ports,
550 Black Edition is a HW'rT"'ns~). 2< SI2 K8 Ll and optical and 6. SATA/300 port!. I...... "")'.'"
ports is essential. Ideally, it should
bargain at this price, coche ar>d 6MB l3 cache, &JW coaxial5/ PDIF RTB _rr.",y be one that supports RAID, as this
and is our TOP, t .... . ·y• • r RTa w.IT;ooty digital audi o PART COO( GA·Mno·uSl gives you a simple way of improving
PART CODE HOZSSOWGIBQX DETAIlS http://uk.gig' ·byk.<om
recomme nded chip outputs. performance or protecting your data.
-- -- -
DETAILS www-"rnd.com FUU REVIEW NOlI 2009
for anyone who This is easily Finally, ensure that any extras you
doesn't do a lot of
fUU REVIlW Nov 2009
the best value - - E -- want are included, such as FireWire,
processor-intensive
video encoding.
= ::J ... . -
j
----
..-.
AM2+ board
we've seen .
COI " _' ~"
..,. "
eSA TA and 5/PDIF outputs.
" ' I_ _
..........
www .mio.com
---.._._"'-------
~,,",,*,,""_""" __"'" T ,
~iO"
explore more
~
From www. amazon.co.uk
c
distorting pre-defined key areas. Instead, it
squeezes or stretches background areas of the
photo. It's extremely useful for fitting images to
en
websites, photo frames or Windows desktops.
However. it's disappointing that the borders of
the image file aren't adjusted automatically - ... P hot oM~ge Exp osure combines photos taken at different
this must ~ done manuaUy to fit the new exposures, but some efforts are more successful than others
picture shape. This feature is executed better in
Xara Xtreme 5 (see What's New, Shopper 260).
FREE PhotoMerge is a group of functions that
SOFTWARE combine multiple photos. These include
panorama stitching and a tool that combines
the best smiles from a series of group portraits.
XTRANORMAL The late5t addition is PhotoMerge Exposure,
which combines photos taken at different
STATE exposures to produce a single photo in which
everything is well exposed. This high dynamic
****
From www. xt ra normal.co m range (HOR) photography is ideal in situations
where a scene contains a range of bright and
This innovative free so ftwa re lets dark areas that are impossible to resolve in a
you (reate animated 3D movies single exposure. It's nothing new, though, as
without need ing any knowledge HDR has been part of Corel's Paint Shop Pro for
of 3D graphics. It uses a script nearly two years (see What's New, Shopper
system similar to that used in 242). Alternatively, you could buy a dedicated
real movie productions. You program such as HDRsoft Photomatix Pro 3.1 ... The automati c People Recog nition function pick s out two faces
build you r movie by add ing (see What's New, Shopper 252). ar.d a shrubbery for us t o name
boxes to a list. Boxes can contain PhotoMerge Exposure worked best when the
dialogue you type in, animations, subject was static, the camera was tripod-mounted now recognises faces to simplily the task of adding
movements and changes in and the range of exposures wasn't too wide. Moving name tags to photos. It offers a few faces lor naming
camera posit ion. subjects or handheld camerawork proved too much for and, after a while, makes educated guesses about faces
Making a basic movie is easy. the automatic mode. In the manual mode, we had to it has already seen. Rather than asking 'Who is this?',
First, pick a location and actors align the photos ourselves and select which parts of questions such as 'Is this Ben?' begin to appear. More
from the small number provided. which photos to stitch together. Manual alignment often than not, it was correct, but it also mistook a lot
Place your actors in their starting was simple but area selection proved clumsy, and 01 armpits. earlobes and inanimate objects for faces,
posit ions, and t hen create a there were often vis ible seams in the combined photos. and rejecting these ~came quite tedious. Meam'lhile,
script using a series of icon5. Our favourite new feature is also one of the it missed many faces, and the system for adding them
A comput er-generat ed voice simplest. An Arrange button next to the Help menu manually was hopelessly cumbersome. Coogle's free
speaks your actors' lines, so makes it easy to tile multiple images and set the same Picasa software has recently added automatic face
don't expect Gielgud-level viewpoint and zoom level on them all instantly - very tagging, and does a far ~tter job of it.
performances. The ran~ of useful for finding the best shot in a series 01 exposures. Photoshop Elements S's new features are far from
actions is wide enough for most You can also switch instantly between fitting them essential. and many are poorly executed. Nothing here
need s, a lthough you won't be all onscreen and showing them at 100 per cent would convince us to pay £52 to upgrade. On the
making any action flicks. Your magnification. Frustratingly, clicking an image's title other hand, Photoshop Elements 5 was a great image
actors can make gestures and bar no longer provides a short cut to the Resize and editor, and subsequent versions are no worse for
facial expressions, and look at Duplicate functions. ha'ling various ancillary, if mostly mediocre. extras.
other actors or the camera. Organizer is Elements' oondled If Ado~ decided to include layer
SUMMARY
It's easy to get the hang of media manager, and it has just as masks for advanced non-destructive
VERDICT A. with previous upda te.,
and fun. You can export your many new features as the main the neW features are patchy, but
editing - a feature included in Corel
finished movies as MPEG4 application. A new lull-screen mode this lakes nothing otWay from the Paint Shop Pro - advanced users
files to show to others. includes one-click colour fixes lor superb exi.ting tools would have an incentive to upgrade.
photos. plus animated slideshows. As it is, Photoshop Elements is still
PHOTO·EWING SOFTWARE Roqui'",
There's also streamlined keyword WiI'\dQws XPNl,ral7, 2GHI pro<."o<. a great product. and Adobe has at
Seth Bartan tagging for photos, so you can add 1GB RAM. 2GB disk <paC. least saved existing users from the
Reviews Editor Pl!OOUCT CODE 65045041
tags simply by clicking on a list of need to splash out on an upgrade.
OETAlLS www.a-dobo.<omluk
recently entered options. Organizer Ben Pitt
ACRONIS
True Image Home 20 10
*****
£40 inc VAT
_-
,
"
~~
--
~".
-_
, "
~. ~
"
~
-.---
......... ......"... ........ .. .--
.
... . ..~~u~.
"
.
__. _-
We've always held Acronis's TnJe Image Home shutting it down, Backup
suite in high regard. The previous incarnation
received five stars (see What's New. Shopper
2S3) thanks in large part to its excellent
interface. Unfortunately. True Image Home
files can be saved to optical
media. sent to an ftpsite.
uploaded to Acronis's online
backup storage (prices below)
_
--......_-----....__ .---
& All the tools a re easily accessed from the main Inlerface window
2010 seems to be a small step backwards in or saved locally on a hard
this respect. The general layout is the same. drive. True Image Home 2010 can also create a protection. It essentially performs an incremental
with themed tabs for Backup. Recover. Tasks secure hard disk partition for your backup files. backup every five minutes and allows yoo to roll
and Log. Acronis's Try & ~cide feature and This means they're always to hand. but you risk back your computer to an earlier state. These
Tools and Utilities. However. the home tab, the possibility of losing them to disk failure . five-minute backups are kept for 24 hours before
which used to provide a handy status overview Backup images created by True Image Home they're consolidated into individual day backups,
of your hard disks. now simply provides access 2010 can be converted to Windows Backup files which in tum are kept for a month before they're
to common tasks and a list of running rout ines. and vice versa, allowing yoo to use the image as consolidated further into weekly backups. These
Once the software has made an initial a bootable drive in the Windows 7 boot menu or can't use the Acronis Secure Zone partition like
image of your hard disk. subsequent backups mount the image natively in Windows without standard backups; you need to use an NTFS
can either be full. incremental or differential. running TnJe Image Home. This provides greater partition. Unfoltunately. True Image Home lacks
Incremental backups save only flexibility from your backup any tools to create such a partition. Once it's up
changes made since the last SUMMARY images. You can even mount and funning. however, it works without any
backup. while differential VERDICT A great bacl<1J9 and disk the backup images as drives further user input, ar.d the availability 01 a
backups save the changes imaging a,>ptk.tion with .y.t~m in a Virtual Machine. restorable historical record is useful not only in
since the last full backup. The rol(bac ~ capabKllles With Try & ~cide the event of system failure or data loss. but also
fonner allows for smaller files OISK IMAGING AND a.o.CkUP activated, any changes you for keeping track of the gradual changes you
and shoner backup times. but SOFTWARE Requi ... Window. XP/ make to your PC can be make to files throughout your working week.
the latter means you can bin Viml7(ll · and &I-bit), lGHI reversed, This allows you Acronis True Image 2010 provides a wealth
all the intermediate steps, proc.ssor, S 12MB RAM (1GB forVj<l~ or
to try out software or open of too\5 that both novice and expert computer
W" dows 1).WpporU rAT 16, FAT 32.
Backup routines can be NTFS l ilo formal .. onIi .... backup 2GB suspicious files or websi tes users will find useful. If yoo don't current ly have
scheduled daily. weekly or Ire<! lor 90 day. aJ>d thor•• ft.r tho li"l without fear of damaging your a backup application. it's a flexible and powerful
monthly. or triggered by 25GS cost €~ .95 ""rmonth. with every system or data pennanently. option. but you'll need separate hard disk
systems events such as om. SGB costing (O.79p'" mMth The Non-Stop Backup partitioning software to get the most from it.
DETAilS www.a<:ronis.com
logging on to the PC or function provides continuous David McKinnon
EDITOR'S CHOICE
MICROSOFT MAPYX
Wi ndows 7 Home Prem ium Quov2
***** t 't'iilli
£65 inc VAT - -.--
*****
99 p per 1.60 0 km' map ti le
£130 inc VAT (full ve rsio n) (minimum orsix)
From www.amazon.co.uk From www.mapyx.com
Windows 7 is the operating system that Printed Ordnance Survey maps can get wet or
Vista should have b~n, and undoubtedly lost. A better idea is to buy digital as mapping
Microsoft's best effort to date. The sHe!: new data through Mapyx Quo's softwa re and then
desktop not only looks great, but increases print your own personalised maps.
your productivity, and there's now great You can plan your excursion in detail by
support for touchscreen disp lays. The quick setting way points 0( drawing a track freehand.
launch bar has b1!en replaced by the much A 3D map option makes contours easier to see
simpler task bar, which enables you to 'pin' and you can chec~ your route using satellite
yoor most-used applications to it for easy photos in Google Maps. Mapyx is the best way
access. It runs just as fast as Vist a, so to plan a weekend excursion in the UK.
upgrading shouldn't be a problem fOf
MAPPING SOFTWAIlE R.quir« Window. XPNi<t • • 512MB
most people. MM. 300/'018 disk '!IK" OUAa.s www.mapY"'<om
If you've been persevering with FUll REVIEW Aug lOO9
Windows XP, now's the time to upgrade.
The Windows Desktop Search is a massive
improvem ent over what XP offers, enab ling on office documents. you probably won't get
you to find files and document'; quickly by much out of Windows 7. However. if you're a
typing in to the Start menu. What's more. serious PC user. this is an essent ial upgrade.
Media Center now comes as standard. so
you can browse your media files and use its Of'I'RATING SYSTEM Re<j"~OS 1GH, ~sor. lG8 RAM
excellentlV guide. Home networking has (32·bit). 2GB RAM (64.bil). Di~X 9 graphk$ card with
!laMB ""'mary (lor M rod .....I<>p). 16GB disk 'f'"'C0
been simplified. too. (32 ·bit). roes di5l< ~ (64-bil) , DVDdr~
If you've recen tly bought a Windows Vista PARTCOOE 4fC..oooo1 DETAILS www.mkro.ofl.~om
PC and just use it to browse the web and woli:. FUll R£VlEW No. 2009
STEINBERG
Cubase Essential 5
*****
£110 inc VAT
From www.dv247.com
There's no shortage of music-production configure the software to your sound card for
software that speciali5es in electronic musical the best results. There's also music-production
genres. but few put the emphasis on recording jargon to contend with. and advanced
live instruments. Steinberg's Cubas~ is our techniques such as mix automation won't come
favounte of the latter type. but at £440, it's easily to casual users. The PDF manual is well
too expensive for most amateurs, This is where written. though. and after a few initial hurdles. '" Cubase Essential S ir>elude5 the core tools
Cubase Essential steps in. It includes the core the software is fairly easy to get up and running. of Stelnberg's professional music production
features of Cubase. jettisons various advanced Many people considering Cubase Essential S software at a fraction of the price
tools and costs a quarter the price. will bt- more interested in what it lacks compared
This is excellent news for anyone who with Cuba5e S. limitations of 64 audio tracks, 16 The most significant differences lie in the
wants a mature. dependable recording instrument plug-ins and eight global effects will bundled plug-ins. Cubase's highest-quality
environment rather than lots of sonic gadgets, affect only the most ambitious producers, reverb, compressor and EQ effects are missing. as
Features such as flexible snap-to-grid options. Meanwhile. support for up to eight insert effects are other more specialised effects, oot those that
crossfading between audio objects and support (such as bass boost) per trad is just as generous are included cover all the bases and their quality
for tempo are among the highlights. Mix as in the flagship version, and a far cry from the is far from disappointing. The instrument
automation is also included and works like two per track of previous cut-down versions. plug-ins follow a similar vein: there are only two
keyframe editing for video. allowing you to Other omissions. such as integration with compared with Cubase S's eight. but together
vary mixer settings gradually over time, external hardware. multiple mixer views and these virtual-analogue and general-purpose
Meanwhile, a 32-bit audio signal path. the surround sound support will make little synthesizers provide a broad palette of sounds.
ability to record from difference to non-professional Cubase is worth the high price for those who
multiple simultaneous users, However, it's a shame can afford it. but Cubase Essential isn't lacking in
SUMMARY
sources and sophisticated that stacked recording is also the areas that really matter. Yet another version.
VERDICTM.tu .... oI~g.nt rKoo:Iing
signal routing (where you can softwar~ for producing music with
absent. This mode records Cubase Studio. sits in the middle at £270. but its
pre-mix subgroups of audio liv~ in't rum~nts. and gr~at valu~ multiple takes to a single track, feature list is much closer to Cubase Essential's
streams) distinguish it from MUSIC-PROOUCTlON SOFTWARe making it easier to combine than Cubase's, Compared with rival cut-price
most home-oriented Requi,..s WiJ>dow, XPNista or M", OS X them into a single best take applications such as Cakewalk Sonar Home
recording software, 10.$,S. 2GH, prOC""'" (dual-c"", later. We're also disappointed Studio. Cubase Essential S is easily the most
The downside is that a ,""ommended). 1GB RAM. 4GBd"k - but not really surpri5ed - that polished and capable music-production software
'P"'e, "'SIO wund cord r«ammeoded
program of this depth isn't DETAJLS www... !~ int..<g.ne t the powerful VariAudio vocal currently available for hard-up musicians.
quick to master, You have to editor is ab5ent. Ben Pitt
EDITOR'S CHOICE
McAFEE SERIF ACCOUNTZ
VirusScan Plus 2009 PagePlus X4 Personal
*****
£35 inc VAT per year for three pes
From www.play.com
~~
" *****
£80 inc VAT
From www.serif.com
·1~·.! *****
£39 inc VAT
Fro m www.accountz.com
The outnght winner of our last anti·virus Labs. Desktop publishing is a complex task. but Accoun tz Personal is straightforward and easy
VirusScan Plus missed just one 01 our malware Page Plus X4 makes it remarkably accessible. and to use. Entering transactions is simple - type in
samples. Its grey interface isn't particularly at a fraction of the cost 01 market leaders such the date and the amount. tell the program
user-friendly, but the text descriptions of as Adobt- InDesign. You can layout almost any which nominal iKcounts should be debited and
options are easy to grasp. It has a flexib le type of drn;ument and out put your work to PDF. credited. and it does the rest. updating you r
built-in firewali and a range of additional a pnnte r or a file ready for a commercial press. Chart of Accounts as it goes.
tools. including a defragmenter and Themed sets provide matching brrn;hure. The program doesn't do online banking. but
SiteAdvisor. which uses MCAfee's collection business card. flyer. newsletter and poster it can import common bank statement file
of web data to warn you about potentially designs. and the software includes photo editing formats to check against yo ur accounts with
harmful sites. Virus$can Plus is competitively tools for tidying up yoor own images. making great accuracy,There's only a basic set of tools.
priced and its performance has improved Page Plus X4 is one of t he most feature-piKked but its t his simplicity that maKes Accountz
greatly since our last anti-virus test. creative packages you can buy. Personal such a great choice for most users.
S(CURITY sum: Requires WIndows 2Q()()fXPNi51.1 D,", SOFTWARE REQUIRES Windows XP/VistaI7, 512MB ",CCOUNTS SOfTWARE Requl~$ WIndow< XP/ViSlafl,
Vosla-04. 256MB RAM, 75MB di'" 'P"'" RAM, 440MB If.. hard disk 'pac~ PROOUCTCODt: 4FC-OOOO 1 512MB RilM. 1GH, proce,sor DET",l.S www, ,,,cou~ll: , com
DET.u.s hllp~I ... _"""f.,.,.com FUll REVIEW Feb 2009 Dt:TAJLS www....,rif.<om FUll REVIEW De<: 2009 FUll REVIEW Oct 2009
"
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COMPUTER SHOPPeR • JANUARY 2010
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ADOBE
Premiere Elements 8
***
£57 inc VAT
From www.amazon.co.uk
It's five years since Adobe launched Premiere lurch awkwardly in the gaps between
Elements, We took an instant liking to its speech, Setting the volume manually to
powerful features, which were taken straight a consistent level is far more effective.
from Premiere Pro and wrapped in a simplified Perhaps the most significant time
interface for home users. Subsequent versions saver is Smart Trim, which automatically
have geared it increasingly towards casual discards the weaker sections of a dip.
rather than ambitious users. We suspect that You can adjust how aggressive it is with • AVCHD preview errors are a surprisingly serious problem
Adobe is determined to win over people who a pair sliders for Quality level and for such well-e.tablished software
see video editing as complex and laborious. As Interest Level. It handily rejected short
With previous versions, version B's new features sections of wobbly camerawork, bot other edits copies, speeding up preview performance.
focus on tempting these wary video camera were less e~plicable . You can review and adjust However, they took a long time to generate, and
owners to take their first steps with editing_ what is kept and discarded, but you can't tweak had to be rebUilt from scratch when adding or
The Organizer application included with the edits manually later as you can with Smart Fix adjusting effects. Better systems, such as the one
new Photoshop Elements (see page 48) also and SmartMix. in Corel VideoStudio, offer customisable
appears here, and helps users manage their The most ambitious new feature is motion resolutions and apply effects in realtime.
video and photo libraries. It's a sensible tracking. Here you lay dip art over video clips. Despite this limitation, background rendering
indusion. bot Organizer's video handling is and it follows people as they move about the is useful when editing demanding fonnats such
patchy, AVC HD clips lack thumbnails, and frame_ You can also use it to apply effects to as AVCHD, However, AVCHD previews were
full-screen video playbiKk is accompanied by a moving area of the frame, although the severely compromised by decoding errors that
music, as if it were a slideshow. sharp-edged rectangular border means the led to blocky distortions. Exports were fine, as
Organizer has its uses, though. It analyses results are far from subtle. The tracking accuracy were previews once ba6ground rendering had
videos, splitting them into individual scenes. is loose at best. Still, it's entertaining - we processed the dip, but this was far too slow.
sorts them into high, medium and low quality easily added a lightning effect to the head Adobe confirmed that this was a known issue,
and identifies problems such as shaky of our animated killer robot, but we're stunned that it would release the
camerawork.. In this latest version, a Smart Fix Bac~ground rendering is the most important software in such an unworkable state, especially
feature resolves shakes and new feature. Video editing is when version 7 had no such problems.
exposure problems SUMMARY seriously demanding for a PC, Premiere Elements offers a lot for just £57,
VERDICT T~r~ ' $lots 10 like M~,
automatically when analysed especially when editing HD but it's becoming increasingly hard to distinguish
but many oft .... new future •• ",
dips are imported into designed to appnl to people who
footage with effects, That's from its competitors_Adobe's efforts to convert
Premiere Elements. .r~·t jnlBtst...:! in vid.., editing why many packages generate ambivalent potential users with instant
Smart Mix is another new lower-resolution copies of gratification are half-baked and dutter the
feature that automates an VIDEO· EDITING SOfTWARE R"""i,., footage for editing. and revert interface for experienced users. The AVCHD
Windows 7MmIXP, ZGHI process<><,
existing OfIe. It's designed to 512MB RAM (2GB RAM 10/ HO, to the origirlals when exporting preview problem means it's no longer the best
stop musical soundtracks d... l-co:n pro<t <SOl" lor ~VCHO). the finished movie. After we option for ambitious users, who will be better
drowning out the dialogue in 4,5GB di'" spKt imported AVCHD footage to served by Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum
footage. Sadly, it tries too PRODUCT CODE 650458M Premiere Elements' timeline, it (see What's New, Shopper 2S3)_
DET"'ILS WHW.~.<om/uk
hard and makes the music generated l,44Ox1,080 MPEG2 Ben Pitt
****
£170 inc VAT
From www.mindgenius.com
e~ample . 'Iou can then search and filter your
map by category and use the results as the basis
for new maps - so you could instant ly create a , y -- ~ •
map featuring all the tasks for a specific loca tion. ,,"TTT =
MindGenius 3 lets you create mind maps to This makes it easy to Keep track of a project, TTTT
.~
~
help you organise your thoughts. Ideas are held while the Microsoft E~cel e~port function lets T T T"!\'
in Nodes, which are connected using Branches. you create progress reports. Individual tasks can ... ......... ~
Creating a map for any project is quick and be exported to Outlook, and tasks that have
easy. You can choose from a set of pre-defined personnel allocated to them are added to that ... Create maps to organise everything. from
templates or create your own look by applying person's task lis\. Entire projects can be exported shopping li.ts to plans for" major project
different styles and adding images. to Microsoft Project, but unlike MindManager B,
Navigating around large it's not possible to show live sharing options in MindManager B, which include
maps is a bit dumsy, but the SUMMARY hcel data, drawn automatically an excellent online collaboration workspace and
map explorer helps and can VERDICT II. powerlu l mind mapping from spreadsheets, in Nodes. interactive PDF output.
quickly isolate a section of application that offers a good trade - The office export functions Although it's not as polished as MindManager
your map. Nodes can contain off Mtw<"M price and fUlUr~ make it easy to share 8 and lacks its advanced sharing options,
extensive hidden notes, 50 information from your maps MindGenius 3 is a useful business and personal
MINOMAPffiG SOnwARE R. qu;r..
you needn't have large Window. XPNi,I./7 (32- ond 64-bit) , with colleagues. YOl! can also organisation tool. It's also about half the price of
chunks of text visible. 4OOMH, proce",.., 256MB R.IoM (lG8 e~port maps as images, PDF MindManager B, and if you work or study at a
Annoyingly, there was a w~hVj,t.o ",W., 7). 100/'018 hard text documents or basic HTMl school, college or university, the identical £65
diskSpKe
lag when typing text directly web pages. This is sufficient, education edition is a bargain.
DETAILS W'WW.rnlnd ~ nl lJ$.com
into the notes editor. but falls short 01 the map David McKinnon
pctt\:Jls'
~
. ~_pom.,,,m.1SOct'''''2009
15 October 2009
1'<' , Spyware Doctor with
Ant iVi f u~2010 Sharp tools for sharp people.
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Add maps and Search Engine Upload your own
directions Optimisation images
w FIFA 10
*****
£25 inc VAT
~
From www.play.com
features some key improvements. Tighter defences, for keepers to charge out during one-on-ones makes
more intelligent goalkeeping and the dosing up of easy the lob shot ea~ to abuse. Practice it, and those hat
goal scoring loopholes are the most welcome, and tricks will quickly come your way. There's atso a strong
make for some fiercely competitive matches. feeling tha t EA has opted not to rock the bO<lt with
Standing tackles have been neatly tuned (and their FIFA 10 after making substantial improvements to the
effectiveness means that attackers must employ more franchise in recent years. While there have been
guile to earn their chances on goal), and EA has tweaks, there's nothing to really shake up your
Seth Bartan
Reviews Edito r
5. Plants VS. Zombies E7 inc VAT
Defend your home from a comedic horde of shambling undead using 49
*****
super-powered plants. This gore-free puzzle game provides hours of frantic fun.
SUPPLIER http://storo.st ..mpow<t,,,d.com OET.... ILS www.pop<~.com FUll REVIEW Aug 2009
NCSOFT
A ion: The Tower of Eternit y
****
£25 inc VAT plus £9 per month
Fro m www.play.co m
Aion is an online role -playing game that's set points, At higher levels, such grinding
in a fantasy world split in two - literally - by is more than most casual players will
conflict. The two playable 1,"lionsliv!' on the endure - but the rewards are wo rt h it
inner surface of this shattered globe, (ooking for those who put the elllxt in.
up at the floating islands of rock - the Abyss - Once you reach level 25, you can
in the centre, A third race, the Balaur, also ascend to the Abyss, a player versus ... Alon's combat Is complex, and you'll need friends to take on
want5 control of the Abys~ Aion uses the s.ame player (PVP) area, to fight the opposing the most reward ing Quests
graphics engine first-person shooter Crysis.lt faction. There are three levels in the
looks stunning and it's to the developers' credit Abyss, and multiple objectives to capture and year, so there's been plenty of lood for thought.
that everything runs so smoothly, given the hold. However, if one side wins too many, the The fact that it's not a new game is a bonus, as
unpredictable nature of online gaming. Balaur - the computer-controlled third race - many early bugs have been ironed out. and
As usual, yoo must first create a character will send in their forces to retake them, there's already plenty of content However, the
and pick a side. Aion's key draw is the ability t o Aion focuses heavily on PVP play. While there grinding nature 01 advancement is also a key
fly in certain areas, and the two races, Elyos are protected areas for players up to level 10, in facet 01 KO(ean games.
and Asmodian, are distinguished by having all other areas, enemy players can travel through The game's combat mechanics are more
white or black wings respectively. The portals to the opposing faction's lands. If being advanced than those of many similar games.
character creation process is amazingly randomly killed by enemies while adventuring There are movement modifiers in combat - for
versatile, with endless combinatio!15 of hair, isn't your cup of tea, Aion won't appeal. example, if you are strafing from side to side,
skin and body type. There are four major As in other popular MMO's, such as Warcraft, your Evasion increases and your Attack falls
classes, which fit the classic lanta.sy archetypes players can from small groups and enter special slightly. Flying is also a huge factor. some classes
01 wizards, warriors, rogues and healers. No areas to fight AI enemies unhindered - often have limited skills in the air, while others excel at
class is better than all the rest, and teamwO(\( referred to as player versus environment (PvE) aerial combat. The character classes and skills are
is essential for success. play. An idea unique to Aion is superbly balanced to encourage teamwO(\(.
SUMMARY
To enhance your PvPvE, where two teams from Aion's landscapes are stunning. and the
VERDICT B~.uliful g... phia; and
character'S abilities, you first opposing sides are pitted against combat animations and eflects are spectacular,
Eastern mythology makt for a
perform quests given by AI un>que world, but the grinding
computer-controlled loes: they comic-book style explosions of colour. The
characters. Although these play wi ll pul off casual play .... can either cooperate, or try to influence 01 Korean mythology in the design
give some nice rewards and sabotage each other's efforts. of the world and its monster inhabitants is
experience points, the game ONLINE RPG R~ ~. ,Wif\dows Having long-since tired of refreshingly new to Western eyes. However,
XP!ViSI./7, 2GHz 00.1-<;0<' pro<~ $$Or.
demands that at some stage WO(ld of Warcra/t, many casual players looking for an hour 0( two's
2GB RAM, c"Fo,n 6800/RodeO<l X800
you'll have to 'grind' to reach <>rb<11Orw;th 256MB 01 RAM , 15GB veteran MMO players have had entertainment now and then may find it too
the next level - slang fO( the diSk spoee an eye on Aion as their next punishing: this is a game for those with plenty of
repetitive killing of monsters PRODUCT CODE BOOOWGU9M6 fantasy home. The game has spare time and the need lor a challenge.
DETAILS hnp:l/uk , .OOonlin~ . c"",
simply to gain experience been going in Korea for over a Barry de la Rosa
CODEMASTERS
Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising
***
£18 inc VAT
From www.amazo n.co.uk
Computerised war tends not to be particularly Most of the 11 missions follow a simple
realistic. Real soldiers don't miraculously pattern: reach an enemy emplacement without
recover from near-Iatal wounds by lurking getting killed, destroy it and evacuate. A couple
behind the nearest wall, as in Call 01 Duty. The of rescue missions break up the formula, along
O(iginal Operation Flashpoint (OFP) was with secondary objectives, most of which also ... Dragon Rising prides itsell on real ism, so its
renowned for its realism, tactics and AI. Dragon involve large explosions. Gameplay and scenery landscape Is brown, green and gun-coloured
Rising has been developed by a different team can be repetitive, limited respawn checkpoints
but retains the original's tactical emphasiS. mean that you'll cover the same ground a lot, Your 5quad isn't too bright, but they're good
The island of Sbra is a although changing enemy at spotting enemies. You can issue orders, which
huge, drably realistic world SUMMARY tactics add variety. is essential il you want to keep them alive. Sadly,
of forests and grasslands VERDICT Dragon Rising' tactical At times the game is both the controls take after the console version of the
punctuated by the odd ~lemen t s make fo< lense realistic and fun . There's game. so tactical options are built around a
bUilding. You'u often have to gamtj)lay. bu t missions and something hugely thrilling about sequence of four-way radial menus. This can rob
,unery are r~titive
trek across miles of hostile sneaking past enemy soldiers so you of precious seconds as you navigate mult iple
territory on foot. For faster TACTICA.I. FIRST·PEIlSON SHOOTER close that you can hear them menus to order an artillery strike or retreat.
travel, you can commandeer Requires 3z.t><1 WIndows XPNil1ai7. moving in the undergrowth. If For fans of the tactical FPS genre, Dragon
2.4GH'du.l.c~ p<<><es.o<, Nvidla
vehicles including jeeps, tanks 76OO(;T 256MBo< An Xl800Xl
you're a traditional FP5 fan. it Rising has aU the right ingredients, even if they
and even helicopters. All 256MB Of b<tt~r, 1GB RAM. 8GB takes a lot of restraint not to run could have been better implemented. However,
these are hard to control but disk spoee at them, all guns blazing. but it's not as good as Arma II {What's New, Shopper
pelting along dirt mads at PRODUCT CODE 8OONMAU20 survival here requires patienc:e 260} Irom the team behind the O(iginal OFP.
DrTAILS www.codet....~rs.com
break-neck speed is stiUfun. and careful movement. Kat Orphanides
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each test are shown
inside each bar
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some 01 the most exhaustive testing computers across both, and even compare Mi>oo<I<oIout'f'H'l T,,",_for~ _ ..-.I"""'b
procedures you'll lind in any PC magazine. desktops,laptops and netbooks directly. Phoro!fl<'Od 6.<.w,pMto<por.....,.. .. top<JUOl.it:t ....."
Every product is subjected to qualitative and If you're keen to see how your computer PHOTO PRINTERS
_!j?t!d 6<..,&! .. P ! _ .. t'f'~..u ..
quantitative tests that show how it performs compa res with those that we've tested, you can
MONO LASER MFP$
in practical use. download the benchm ark suite from www.
Mono «><Ii 1I<n1"'11 """ t>fJ!!"Od .. P""'* P! P9'
PerformarlCe and battery life scores are wstompc.w.uklbenchmarhlhow-to -entef.html. _!jl!!<I f'y<por_forc~.@.,. _
* Avoid ** Below average *** Good **** Very good ***** Excellent
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• NEW XGS Xtreme Gaming Chassis
• Hercules XPS 2.1 Spea~ers and Sub'llooler
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INTRODUCTION
A available for around £500, the budget nature of
these computers means that you can't have
everything. 3S manufacturers inevitably have to make
Windows 7 has over Vista is Ihal higher editions retain
the fealures of lower editions wh ile adding new oplions.
So, every version of Windows 7 has Media Center
compromises to keep prices down. It's vital. then, to installed. With Windows Vista, Home Premium came
It used to be that buying iI work out which features afe most important to you and with Media Center but the pricier Business didn'\.
budget laptop meant that you locus on getting these aspects right. We'll ta lk you
were studt with a bulky and Ihrough Ihe choices you'll need 10 make. SIZE MATTERS
slow computer with poor One of the most important decisions you need 10
battery life. Fortunately, times OPEN WINDOWS make concerns the size and weight of your laptop.
have changed, and you can now With Windows 7 now available, it makes sense to Most budget laptops have 1504 or 15.6in screens and
spend around £500 and have a ensure that your new computer has it installed. How weigh around 2.4I::g. This makes them suitable for
massive choice in te rms of size, you do this depends on the mod el you choose. The occasional trips and great fO( use around the home.
battery life and performance. big-brand laptops here aU come with Windows Vista If you want to travel wilh your laptop regularly, it
With the nine models instaUed. but you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 7. makes sense to look for a smaller model, such as one
reviewed here, we'll hetp you All you have to do is follow the instf1.lctions on the with a 13.3in screen. This should help red uce the
find your perfect Windows 7 manufacturer's website to register your upgrade and weight to around 2kg or less, making these laptops
computer without having to you'll be sent a Windows 7 upgrade disc. There's usually suitable for mO(e regular travel.
break the bank. a smaU charge for this, but it should cost less than £20 If travelling simply isn't an issue and you just want a
10 make the upgrade. II is well worth doing as this new laptop Ihat you pad away neatly instead of having a
operating system is far better than Windows Visla. desklop PC taking up a 101of room, look for a model
Will Stapley The disc you get will upgrade your copy of Vista to with a 17in screen. These will be easier on the eye than
IT co rrespondent
an equivalent edition of Windows 7. So, Vista Home smaller o;c;reens and you can find rnodeb that have a
Premium becomes Windows 7 Home Premium, Vista higher resolution so you can fit more onscreen. Models
Business becomes Windows 7 Professional and Vista such as this will typicaUy weigh around 3kg. Our table
This month
ASUS
K5D1J
Pa ge 70
MEDION
Akoya E32ll
Page 70
LENOVO
G55D
Page 70
MSI
CX7DO
MESH
Edgel7 HO CS
Pa ge 71
HP
Pro Book 4510s
Page 71
SAM SUNG
032D-JSD3UK
Pa geTt!
TOSHIBA
Satellite U5DD-1BS
Pa geTt!
on pages 76-77 lists the screen size, resolution into smaller, lighter cases. The downside is that decent-sized keys and provide plenty of feedwck
and weight of every laptop we've tested, performance is not so good, so that you can type quickly and accurately, A
In some cases, manufacturers have used a touchpad should offer similar features, and give
BATTERY LIFE single-core CUlV processor, These are very slow you precise control over the onscreen cursor.
The general rule with laptops is that the larger in comparison to .standard dual-core laptops, as likewise, the screen should be high quality,
they are, the worse the battery life, so if you you can see in our graphs on page 75. These producing a bright, vibrant image. Our individual
intend to do a lot of travelling. make sure you single-core processors are good enough for reviews will give you all the information you'll
get a model with a decent battery life. For 17in standard desktop tasks, but editing video or large need to know,
desktop-replacement laptops we'd e~pect photos will be a bit of a struggle, They're also
battery life of around two hours, which is enough very bad at multitasking. as you can see from our EXTRAS
for occasional use around the home. performance graphs. If performaflce is what Just as you would with a Pc. you need to make
For 13.3in or 15.6in laptops we'd e~pect at you're after, look for a standard Pentium Dual sure your laptop has all the other features you'd
least four hours of battery life, which gives you Core or Core 2 Duo processor. expect to find, We'd expect at least a 320GB
the fle~ibility to use your laptop comfortably hard disk on a fSOO laptop, This will give you
around your home - if you're browsing the GAMEON plenty of room for aU your documents and
internet on the sofa or out in the garden, for The ability to play games is something that most media files, Our table lists the size of each hard
e~ample - and for a decent amount of time budget laptops lack. It's the one area where disk and how much disk space is available.
when you're out and about, look for even longer manufacturers typically decide to save money, The amount of memory that you have
battery life if you intend to spend very little time That's not always the case, though, and our affects how many applications you can have
at home or near a power socket. graphs show you how each laptop performs open at once, We'd e~pect to see at least 3GB of
when playing Call of Duty 4, Our reviews e~plain RAM, although 4GB is better, Again, our table
YOU GOT THE POWER if turning down detail settings or lowering the lists how much memory each laptop has_
The power of your computer directly affects resolution of the game win improve performance look through the table to make sure your
every aspect of your laptop, from what you can and let you play games. chosen laptop has all the other features you
do with it to its weight and battery life, Intel's need, We'U teU you how many USB ports each
new range of processors, the Consumer Ultra TYPE CASTING has, and the type of video outputs available, so
Low Voltage (CULV), are marl:ed by an 5U in the With a laptop you're locked in to the keyboard that you can use any e~isting peripherals you
processor name (see our table), They use a lot and display that come with it, and you can't may have, Look out for the networking entry: if
less power than standard mobile processors, upgrade e~cept with external peripherals. It's you have a modem 802.11n wireless router, look
helping to e~tend battery life, The lower power therefore important to make sure you get quality for a laptop with an 802.11n adaptor as this will
requirement in turn means that they can be put peripherals built in, A keyboard should have give you the best performance, 13
AsuS'S KSOIJ is a chunky laptop, but its bulk If you're on a tight budget and want an We reviewed a version of Lenovo's G550 last
gives it a feeling of sturdiness that makes us ultra-portable you can carry everywhere with month (Labs, Shopper 262), but that was the
confident t hat it will handle standard daily use you, Median's A~oya E32 11 loo~s an attractive entry-level model and was quite slow. This
and being carried around occasionally. It looks proposit ion. For just £500, you get a 13.3in month, we've got a higher-end model. The
attractive, tha nks to the glossy coating on the widescreen laptop that weighs just 1.8kg. main difference, aside from the price increase,
chassis. Thankfully. the coating hasn't been Unfoltunately, the budget nature of this is that the base specification is a lot higher,
applied to the keyboard and the standard mati laptop shines through. For stalters, opening the making this a more powerful computer.
finish makes the keys easier to see and type on, lid reveals an uninspiring si\ver-and-black The 2, 1GHz Core 2 Duo T6500 and 4GB of
The keys (Ire a little spongy, but once you design that ma~es the A~oya look cheap. RAM are a powerful combination, and the GSSO
get used to them, touch-typing at speed Inside, things aren't that much better. The did extremely well in all our benchmarb,
becomes easy. Thanks to the width provided by 1.3GHzlntel Pentium SU2 700 processor is one achieving an overall score of 62. Rather than
the 1S.6in widescreen display, there's room of the slowest models you can buy, and meant Intel dedicated graphics, there's an Nvidia
inside for a numerical keypad, which could that this laptop was very slow in our GeForce G 105Mgraphics chip. This managed
come in handy if you do a lot of number work. benchmarks. scO(ing 21 overall, despite its 4GB only 9.4fps in our Call of Duty 4 test, which
The touch pad has the same glossy coating of RAM. At this speed, the A~oya's fine lor isn't much of an improvement over integrated
as the rest of t he chaS5is. Thankfully, small basic ollice tash, but edi ting large image files graphics. However, it should provide enough
divots in the pad's surface improve friction and or videos will be mO(e 01 a struggle. power for older strategy games.
make fine control of the cursor easy. Games are also out of the question. The The 320GB hard disk provides plenty of
We were impressed by the bright screen, onboard Intel GMA4500M graphics chip storage space, and is a welcome improvement
which has excellent viewing angles, Movies managed only 4.4lps in our Call of Duty 4 test. from the previous model's 250GB disk.
loo~ed great, with vibrant colours jumping out. The keyboard's not very good, either. The All this power comes at a price, thoogh.
With a resolution of 1,366x768 there's plenty keys are a decent size, but they're very spongy While the previous G550 managed just over
of space fO( when you need to do some work. and make typing at speed inaccurate. We four hours in our battery test, this model lasted
One slight disappointment is that there's found the tiny cursor keys hard to use, while just three hours and 20 minutes. This is fine for
no HDMI output. although the VGA output the touchpad's sunken buttons are difficult to use around the home. but a bit short for travel
means that you can still connect this computer hit accurately. and poor compared to other budget laptops.
to an external display il yoo need to. Viewing angles aren't brilliant on the 13.3in While the improvements are welcome,
Performance is one area you won't have to 1,366x768 screen, but it's fine fO( one person. there are still some problems. For starters, the
worry about, thanks to the 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo The screen is bright and colours look fine. keyboard isn't the same quality as those found
T6500 processor and 4GB 01 RAM. With an Thankfully, there's a DVD drive built in - which on more expensive Lenovo laptops, and we
overall score 0163 in our 2D tests, this laptop is many budget ultra -portables don't have - so found the keys a little spongy. There's a thin
quic~. Things weren't so good in our CaU 01 you can watch movies on the go. numerical keypad squeezed in, but it's so
Duty 4 test, and the integrated Intel GMA One thing we expect from an ultra-poltable small that it's difficult to use comfortably.
X4500HD graphics managed only 4.5Ips. is fantastic battery life. At nearty four-and-a- We'd have preferred the space to be used for
Other than this, there's little to complain half hours, the Akoya can be used for a fair a better keyboard. The touchpad could do
aboot with the K501j. The 320GB hard disk time away Irom a power socket, but we've with a textured surface to make using it
means there's plenty 01 space lor aU your files. seen budget ultra-portables, such as Acer's more comlortable arld accurate.
At three hoors and 42 minutes, battery lile is Aspire Timeline 581OGT, last longer. As with the previous model we reviewed,
also pretty good lor a budget laptop, and It's not all bad news, though. The 320GB the built-in webcam can be used with the
means you can take this computer on short hard disk is generous for the price, and gives VeriFace biometric software. This is supposed
trips or use it comfortably around your house. you plenty of space for all of your documents. to unlock your computer when your face is
With its relatively high-specification The Akoya 321 1 is a compact laptop with recognised, but can be fooled by a photograph.
processor, good overall benchmark scores good hiltlery lile, but the single-core processor The GSSO is a decent laptop with a high
and reasonable hilttery lile, the K50lj is a holds back performance and the keyboard is specification for the price, but the screen's
great all-round laptop. It's excellent value uncomloltable. Sam sung's Q320 costs a little poor viewing angles detract from it and
and comes with a two-year warranty, so more, but has far better performance and mean that this model misses out on an award.
fully deselVes our Best Buy award. similar battery life. It's a much better choice. Asus's K50lj is a better choice.
,
"'
...........
<~I
·
COMPUT~
SHOPPERER
-
MSI MESH HP
CX700 Edge17 HD CS ProBook 45105
*****
£533 inc VAT
***
£S49 inc VAT
***
£570 inc VAT
From www.lambda-tek.comj From Mesh 0844 736 044 0 From HP 0844 875 0975
compone ntshop
Mesh's Edge17 HD CS is a large desktop- Than ks to its glossy, piano-black lid and square
If you' re looking for a laptop to replace your replacement laptop, Its 17in display is a chunk edges, the ProSook 45 10s looks both smart and
exist ing desktop computer, MS l's eX700 is a larger than the lSAin screens that come with businesslike. HP has also opted to prei nstall
good bel. Its 17.3in screen is significantly larger most laptops. Sadly, it has a resolution of Vista Business, which means you can upgrade
tha n the 1SAin displays on most budget l,440x900, whereas similarly priced 17in to Windows 7 Professional, the middle version
laptops. It also has a higher resolutioo, with laptops from other manufacturers manage a of Microsoft's new OS.
l,6OOx900 pixels. This gives a lair bit more much higher resolution of 1,600K900. The 15.6in display has a native resolution of
room on the desktop. which makes working on This could be forgiven somewhat if the 1,366~768 and is one of only two screens on
documents considerably easier. quality of the screen was incredible, but that test without a glossy coating. This mea ns it
The screen is very bright. but its viewing isn't the case. We found that it was dark and doesn't look as vivid as the other displays, bu t
angles aren't perfect and the display had a suffered from poor viewing angles. it also doesn't suffer as much from reflections.
speckled effect when looked at from an angle. The size of the screen means there's plenty With the keyboard stretching right to the
Foc single-person use, though, it's fine . of room for a decent keyboard. The large keys edges of the chassis, HP has made best use 01
The size of the screen means there's room have plenty of feedback, and we found typing the space available and, despite the indusion of
for a decent keyboard. The keys are aU large at speed was both easy arld comfortable. a numerical keypad, all the keys are of a decent
and comfortable to type on. They're a little There's room for a num eric keypad, too, but its size. Much like on Apple laptops, each key
soft, but you'll soon get used to them. There's layout is a littie odd, with the + and Enter keys pokes out of an individual hole in the chassis.
even space lor a lull-size number pad. not in their usual positions on the side. The only dOV!lOside is that there's noticeable
This laptop has a lot of power. The 2GHz Inside the case there's a 2. lG Hz Core 2 Duo fle~ing to the keyboard. The touchpad is
Pentium Dual Core T4200 processor and 4GB T6500 processor and 4GB of RAM. These responsive and sits just to the left of centre,
of RAM are a decent combination, powering helped the Edge17 to decent scores in our 20 placing it directly under the space bar.
the CX700 to a reasonable score of 49 in our benchmarks, but it lagged behind similar1y HP has fitted the ProBook 45105 with a
20 benchmarks. The multitasking test was a specified models. We think the culprit is likely 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5870 processor. It's slightly
little disappointing. due, we believe, to the SiS to be the SiS chipset, which suppons only disappointing that there's only 2GB of RAM,
chipset not supporting dual-channel memory. single- rather than dual-channel memory. especially when other laptops at this price have
While most budget laptops are poor for The Nvidia Ge FOfCe G 105M graphics chip at least 3GB, if not 4GB, of memory. Despite
gaming. th e CX700 is actually pretty good is a step up from integrated Intel graphics, this drawback, however, th e ProBod 45105
thanks to the ATI Mobility Radeon 4330. This although its score of 8.4fps in our Call of Duty still managed to return a solid set of scores
managed l4.4lps in our Call 01 Duty 4 test. 4 test shows that high-end gaming is beyond in our 20 benchmarks, with an overall score
Tum down the detail settings and resolution a it Older and less-demanding titles, such as of 56. The use of Intel's GMAX4500HD
little and playable frame rates are possible. strategy games, should run well. integrated graphics means the Pro Book 4S105
Situated at the rear of the laptop are both The 2SOGB ha rd disk seems a little stingy at isn't one for games, though, managing just
VGA and HDMI outputs. The underside is home this price, although Mesh has fitted a faster 5.1 1ps in our Call of Duty 4 benchmark
to a subwooler, which adds e~tra bass to the 7,200rpm drive rather than a 5.400rpm drive. The ProSoak 45 10 is one 01 just two
audio, but not as much as we were hoping lor. Wh ile this may slightly improve performance, laptops here to lad 802.11n wireless support.
M51 includes a massive 500GBhard disk, we'd favour storage space over disk speed. HP has also been stingy with the storage,
which is more than plenty for even the largest It didn't take much for the laptop'slans to supplying just a 250GB hard disk.
media collections. whirr up to an aud ible level, indicating that it's Considering the reasonably powerful
As you'd e~pect for such a large laptop, it's generating a fair amount of heat. The fact that processor and large display, the ProBook's
quite heavy at 2.ng. Combined with a battery it doesn't run panicularly cool could also be ballery lile is very impressive. At just under
lile 01 just over two hours, you won't want to pan of the reason behind the poor banery lour-and -a-hall-hours, it's a good choice for
carry this laptop around very often, although sco re; the Edge 17 lasted just one hour and 41 anyone looking to use it on long journeys.
it's fin e for occasional use around your home. minutes. However, weighing 3kg. it's unlikely There's nothing panicularly wrong with
The CX700 has a lot going lor it. particularly you'll be taking it on too many journeys. HP's Pro Book 4S 105, aside from its price. For
if you'd like some gaming capability on your The Edge17 HD CS is far from poor, but this much money we'd expect more memory
laptop. With a decent range of components MSI's CX700 has a larger hard disk, faster and a larger ha rd disk Asus's cheaper K50lJ has
and a large hard disk, it's our Budget Buy. graphics and a higher-resolution screen. better specifications and is a better choice.
At 2.2kg. Sam sung's attractive Q320 is 200g Fro m www.cclo nline.com At 2.1kg. Toshiba's Satellite USQO- 186 is just
heavier than our limit for ultra -portable over the 2kg weight limit for what we consider
laptops, but it's stiUtight enough to carry Acer's Aspire Timeline S8 10TG is a strange mix. arl ultra-portable laptop. That said, its 13.3irl
regularly. With a battery life of four hours and It uses low-voltage components. which are screen keeps the size of the laptop down, 50
21 minutes, it can survive for long enough typically used in lightweight ultra -portables. you could still happily carry it around. It's a
away from a power sodet to be useful but its lS,6in screen and 2.4kg weight put it shame, then, that its battery life is so poor. Less
While it may be heavier than a standard more in line with standard budget laptops. than two·and-a-half hours is far short of what
uhra-portable, the weight has been put to The single-core 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo we'd expect for a laptop of this size and weight.
good use, with 5amsung fitting high-quality SU3S00 processor doesn't make much sense in The 13.3in screen is extremely bright and
component5. The 2GHz Pentium Dual (ore a laptop of this size. Although there's 4GB of has decent viewing angles. It's a 16:10 screen
T4200 processor and 4GB 01 RAM are a potent RAM. performance was poor. with the 58 10TG with a re5OIution of 1.280x800, rather than the
combination, helping the Q320 to an overall scoring just 24 overall in our 2D benchmarks, 16:9 screen with a resolution of 1.366x768
score of 51 in our 20 benchmarks. The Nvidia This means it's fine for general computing. but found on most modern laptops. This doesn't
GeForce 105M graphiC5 are a step up from editing video will be a struggle. make much difference, though: you get slightly
integrated Intel graphics, although the score of Both Intel integrated graphics arld ATI fewer pixels horizontally, but more vertically.
9.2fps in our CaU of Duly 4 benchmarh shows Mobility RadeOrl 4330 graphics chips are Two speakers just below the display manage to
that it still can't cope with the latest games. installed, and the 5810TG can switch between output loud, if not particularly bass-rich. audio.
Less demanding strategy games and older titles the two depending on the task at hand, With With shiny and somewhat slippery keys
at low re5Olutions should be fine. though. the All graphics, it managed 8.3fps in Call of packed dose together, the keyboa rd isn't the
The bright 13.4in display has a resolution of Duty 4, which is around 6fps slower than we'd most comfortable to type on. The keys also
1,366x768. Viewing angles aren't very good. expect from this chipset. The slow. single-core have very little travel to them. However, it's
though, and moving off-centre makes the processor is almost certainly the culprit. the touchpad that really lets the USOO- l86
screen look washed out. We also found that The benefit of having Intel integrated down. Not only is it too small. but it's al50
text wasn't quite as sharp as on other laptops. graphics and a low-power processor is that the oversensitive. With the cursor occasionally
Despite the small size of the case, Sam sung battery lasts for an impressive six hours and 31 leaping from one end of the screen to the
has managed to squeeze in a slot-load ing DVD minutes_With the ATI graphics enabled, this other with just the fairlte5t of touches_
drive for watching movies. A minor annoyance falls by about arl hour. However, since it's quite A series of brightly lit touch -sensitive
is that there's no eject button and you have to large and heavy. it's not something you'd want buttons are located just above the keyboard
press Fn-Insert to remove a disc. The speakers to cany around alt day. arld provide quick access to media -related
are useful for watching a film on the move. The 15,6in widescreen display is bright and functions, Toshiba has al50 lit up the Satellite
although they distort at full volume, produced rich. vibrant colours. With decent logo arld placed a light strip across the top of
They keyboard's great. Samsung has used viewing arlgles. you can use it comfortably in the touchpild. If these illuminations annoy you,
all the available space, and all the keys are a any position. As with most current laptops it they can be switched off.
good size. They're responsive and comfortable has a re5Olution of 1 ,366~768, which gives Toshiba has installed an Intel Core 2 Duo
to type on. too, making the Q320 a decent plenty of desktop space. If you want to watch T6600 processor, It managed to perform
computer for work as well as pleasure_ movies. there's a built-in OVD drive, rea50nably well in our 2D benchmarks, with
There's a lot else to like. too. The generous The keyboard is responsive arld comfortable arl overall score of 62. The USQO-186's 3D
SOOGB hard disk provides plenty of storage to type Orl. The 320GB hard disk is about what performance was very poor. with Intel's GMA
space. VGA and HOMI outputs mean that this we'd expect at this price and gives plenty of 4500M HO integrated graphics able to muster
laptop is easy to connect to almost any space for alt your documents. only 4.4fps in Call of Duty 4. The 250GB hard
external display. from a projector to an HO TV, Long battery life is the Timeline S8 10TG's disk is a little disappointing at this price; we'd
Samsung's Q320, by virtue of its weight. biggest selling point. but we'd prefer faster expect at least a 320GB model.
isn't quite an ultra -portable, but it!; small size component!; irl a laptop of thiS size. Asus's We like the solidly built chassis, but the
means that it's still a decent travelling KSOIJ is a better choice if you warlt a powerful USOO-186's touchpad let!; it down, and for
companion. Its screen isn't quite as good as laptop. while Samsung's Q320 is lighter to such a small laptop we'd expect better battery
we'd hoped. however. so this laptop just carry around, If you want something really life. Sam sung's Q320 is a better choice if you
misses out on an award. light, Medion'sAkoya E321 1 is a good choice. want a small and portable budget laptop,
.~
J);I
••••••• O......... i
·. ·!on>
: ",
;,.. .
•
bitdefender
M8Xlmum Secunty· MaXimum Speed
BENCHMARKS
• 20 Performance 3D Perfonnance
3B HP .:!I
MSI MSI .hUS ~
Acer ~ Acer 4 Medion
Medion E ) Medinn 2 Toshiba
~ m ~ ~ ~ ~ m • 11 I' •
HP 4h20m
• MediDn 4h20m
This is our main be nchm arl<; suite for PCS an d As we use the same te sts in our standalone Asus
laptops, which we share with our sister and Labs reviews, you can compare th e bROVO
publication Custom PC It's designed to test performance of computers across both.
Windows pes to their very limit. The suite If you're keen to see how your PC compares TDShiba _ 2h 28m
consist5 of t hre e separate te st5: im age-editing. with th ose we've te sted, you c<ln download the
video-encoding and multitasking. be nchm ark suite from l'MIW.custompc.co.uk/ MSI _ 2h09m
Our reference PC is fitted with an AMD
Phenom II X4 920 processOf and 4GB of DOR2
benchmarUlhow-to -enter.html.
Mesh IiIIii lh 41m
memory. We normalised all its results to 100, 10 Ii 110 :.. ... 111 III III
SETTINGSWe run our application tests at
which makes it easy to draw comparisons l ,024x768 resolution and in 3Z-bit colour Our banery test involves light browser use with
between lest systems ,m d our reference Pc. WEB www.expertreviews.co.uk the screen at its medium brightness setting.
p=~
Rating
*****
Intel Core 2 Duo T6500
***
Int el Pentium SU2700
****
Intel CO«' 2 Duo T6500
*****
Intel Pentium Dual Core T4200
Sp"" 2.1GHz 1.3GHz 2.1GHz 2CHz
Memory installed 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB
Memory slots (free) 2(0) 2 (0) 2 (0) 2 (0)
Max memo<)' 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB
Dimensions (HxWKO) 4 1x379x256 33x332x222 41x38Ox244 4Ox414x264
Weight 2.6IIg l.8kg 2.6kg 2.7kg
Sound VIA HDAu dio Realtek HOAudio Conexant HD SmartAudkl 221 Realtek HDAudio
Pointing device Touchpad Touchp<ld Tou chp<ld Touchpild
Power consumption standby 1W 2W 1W 1W
Power consumption idle 21W 14W 19W 33W
PQwer consumption active 30W 22W 3SW 4TW
DISPLAY
Screen size 1S.6in widescreen LCD 13.3in widescreen LCD 1S.6in widescreen LCD 17.3in widesc~n LCD
Graphics ildilptOf Intel GMA X4500HD Intel GMA 4500M NvidiilGeForceG 105M ATI Mobility Rildeon HD 4330
Graphics outputs VGA VGA VGA,HDMI VGA,HDM I
Graphics memory 128MB shared 128MB shared 512MBdedkated 51 2M B dedic~ted
Operating system restore Restore disc Restore partit;on, restore disc Restore partition Restore partition
option
Software ioduded Cyberlink Power1Go 6
Microsoft Works 9, Nero Lenovo ReadyComm 4 Microsoft Works 85, Ulead
Buming Rom 8 Essentials, Bum Now 45 SE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nero Recode 3 Sf
Other standard accessories Integrated l.3- megapixel Integrated 1.3-megapixel Integrated 1.3-megapixel Integrated l.3-megapixel
webcam ~""m webcam ~""m
Optional extras (incVAT) None N~ No~ Nooe
BUYING INFORMATION
Parts and labour warranty Two years collect and return One year collect and return One year collect and return Two years collect and return
Price indudingVAT .500 £SOO fS19 f SH
Price exdudingVAT £435 £435 £451 £463
Details www.asus.com www.medion.co.u k www.lenovo.co.uk www.msi.com
Supplier www.laptopsdire<::t.co.uk Medion 08713761020 Lenovo 0844 800 05SO www.lambda-tek.com/
compooentshop
Part number KSO!j-SX043C 30009830 29S8K3G CX 700"()21U I(
17in wides~n LCD 15.6in widescreen LCD 13.4in widescreen LCD 15.6in widescreen LCD 133in LCD
Nvidia GeForre G 105M InteIGMAX4500HD Nvidia Geforce G 105M AT I Mobility RaOeOrl HD 4330 Intel GMA 4500M HD
VG' VGA,HDMI VGA,HOMI VGA,HOMI VGA
512MB dedicated 128M B Ylared 256MB dedicated 512MBd~icat~ 128MB o;har~
250GB (223GB) 25OG8 (232GB) 500GB (465GB) 320GB (288GB) 250GB (231GB)
lGGTlON lG GTrol TSSTTS-T633A Matshita UJ862AS lGGU10N
OVOt/-RW t/-D LDVD-RAM OVD+I-RW t/-Ol DVD-RAM DVD+I-RW +I-OL DVDt/-RW +I-D LOVD-RAM DVDt/-RW +I-OLOVO-RAM
3 4 3 , 3
0 0 0 0 0
No No No No No
y" y" y" No No
1x 10/100,802.11a/b/g 1x 10/100/1,IXXl,802.11b/g h 10/100/1,000, 1x 10/100/1,000, 1~ 10/100,802.11b/g/n
802.11a/b/g/n 802.11a/b/g/n
lx ExpresSCard/S4 1x ExpresSCard/34 1x ExpressCard/34 Noo. 1x ExpressCard/54
y" No No No No
No~ Noo. Noo. Noo. No~
SOHC,MMC SOHC, MMC, Memory Stick SDHC, MMC SDHC, MMC, Memory Stid SDHC, MMC, Memory Stick
Pro/Duo, xO Pro/Duo, xO ProlOuo. xD
No No No No No
Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Home Premium Windows VISta Home Premium Windows 7 Home Premium
64-bit
Restore partition Restore partition Restore partitioo Restore partitioo Restore partitioo
Microsoft Works 8.5, CyberLink Intervideo WinDVO 8, Roxio Cybert.ink OVO Suite Cyberlink PowerOvo, Microsoft MicrosoftWorks 9,Toshiba OVD
Po....erDVO 5 Creator Business 10 WO<1o' player
Integrated 2-megapixel Integrat~ 2-megapixel Integrat~ 1.3-megapiXt'1 Integrated 1.3-megapiXt'1 Integrat~ 1-megapixel
webcam webcam ~"'m ~"'m ~"'m
No~ Noo. No~ Noo. No~
One yearRTB One Yeilr collect and retum Of1e year collect and retum One year collect and retum Of1e year coHect and retum
£549 £570 £S70 £580 £S99
£477 £496 £495 £504 £S21
WHW.meshcomputers.com WW'IN,hp.co.uk WHW.samsung.co,u~ WHW.acer.co.uk WHW.toshiba.co.uk
Mesh 0844 736 0440 HP 0844 875 0975 WHW.laptopsdirect,co.uk WHW.cdooline.com WW'IN.johnlewis.com
INTRODUCTION
Many mobile phones can now
play MP3s and video, but there
are still plenty of reasons to
choose iii dedicated portable
Choosing an
video or music pliilyer. There's
nothing worse thim needing to
make an urgent phone call
only to discover that your
phone's battery hOJs been
drained by power-hungry
music and video playback.
Controls that are designed for
MP3 Player
P3 players come in a seemingly endless variety THERE'S A PLACE
M
dialling phone numbers are
often ill-suited to browsing of shapes and sizes, with an equally bewildering At full CO quality, music takes up around 10MB of
albums and playlists, and array of features. No matter how large or small storage space per minute, which is impractical when
some phones have proprietary your budget, there are some fundamental factors to you're trying to store a large collection on a portable
earphone jacks 50 you can't consider before you part with your hard-earned cash. player. Compressing tracks into a format su(h as MP3
replace the earphones that is the refore essential. Each of the players here (an play
came with it. CARRY THAT WEIGHT MP3 files. Other popular compressed file formats
You could be forgiven for If you have a large music collection and want to carry it include AAC, WMA and OGG, but not all players
thinking that the only MP3 around With you, you'll ne1'!d a player with lots of storage. support them. Our table on page 88 lists the file
phlyers ilvailable are Apple's If you're happy to carry a smaller selection of tracks. formats supported by each player.
iPods, but there are it wide you can save money by buying a smaller-capacity Music downloaded from online stores comes either
variety of players on sale from player. A 2GB player can store around 500 songs, but as copy-prote(ted WMA files that can't be converted to
a range of manufacturers. This most of the players here have at least 8GB of storage. other formats, or as MP3 or AAC files sold without copy
month we've tested 1S of the There are two types of portable music player on the protection. We recommend buying unprotected MP3
latest models. No matter how marl<et: those that contain a hard disk and those that files, so that you can transfer your music to any device.
large or small your budget, our use flash memory for storage. Hard-disk-based players Few stores stilt seU ORM-protected music due to a
comprehensive Labs will help provide far more storage space and cost less per lliId.lash from disgruntled customers. Some 510res allow
you find the perfect portable megabyte than flash-based players, but their moving you to download an unlimited amount of music for a
entertainment companion. parts are more susceptible to damage and there are monthly fee, but these songs become unplayable if your
fewer hard-disk-based models to choose from. Players subscription lapses.
that use flash memory have less storage space and cost Apple's iTunes Store used to sell protected AAC
Alan Lu more per megabyte of storage, but the lack of any music that would play only on iPods, but has since
PC systems and
aud io expert moving parts makes them more rugged. Some players abarnloned (opy protect ion. Music now bought from
have SO or microSO slots so they can accommodate iTunes will play on any device that supports AAC.
memory cards for even more storage. Some online stores, such as HMV.com, Play.com and
This month
ARCH OS
28GB
Page 80
APPLE
.. 1/
iPod Shuffle 2GB
Page 80
SONY
Walkman NWZ-E443
80
ARCHOS
3 Vision 8GB
81
IRIVER
E2008GB
Page 81
VIEWSONIC
VPDSOO
Page 81
SAMSUNG
-
YP-P38GB
82
SONY
Walkman NWZ-SS44
Page 82
COWON
02+ DAB •
eMusic, sell their music as non-copy-protected benefit from a player with a large screen,
MP3 files, which you can play on any player. although these tend to be more e~pensive.
Page 82
Audible sells copy-protected audio books in
its own proprietary fOffi1at. Our table on page 88 A DAY IN THE LIFE CREATIVE
lists those players that are Audible-compatible. Hilving several days' worth of entertainment Zen X-Fi 216GB
in your pocket is of little use if the battery runs 85
GETTING BETTER out after only a few hours. EV1!n if you use your
Most of the pla~rs here sounded good at player only for short periods of time,long
comfortable volume levels and default equaliser battery life is essential. There's nothing more APPLE
settings, but some 'Mre better than others. A annoying than settling down to watch a video iPod Nano 16GB
few suffered from audio problems such as only to find that your player is out of power. Page 85
distortion when we boosted the bass. We AU the playt'rs hefl' have integrated, non-
mention this in the individual reviews.
For the best audio quality, you may have to
replaceable batteries that can be recharged
using a mini USB cable. Some, such as Apple's
IRIVER
replace the headphones that come with the iPods. Samsung's YP-P3 and Sony's WaUunan B308GB
plilyer, as the bundl~ sets tend to lack clarity plilyers. use USB cables with non-standard Page 85
ilnd bass. Each player's headphones have a connectors, so you'\\ have to remember to bring
separate rating in the table on page 88. them on long trips. PHILIPS
Battery life varied dramatically in our tests.
I'M LOOKING THROUGH YOU We e>:pect a player to last at teast 15 hours
GoGearMuse
Most portable music players can also play videos. when playing music. Four of the players here fell Page 86
Apart from ViewSonic's VPDSOO, which can play short of this, wh ile one exceeded a sta&&ering 40
a variety 01 video fOffi1ats, all the video-capable hours. We also e~pect at least four hours when APPLE
players here can only play videos of a certain file playing video; a\\ but two of the players here
fOffi1at and resolution, the full details of which managed to beat this target.
iPod Classic 160GB
are listed on the manufacturers' websites. Page 86
If your existing videos don't match these LET ITBE
requirements, you'll have to re-encode them Many portable players have extra features, such APPLE
using the software included with each device. If as FM rad ios, integrated microphones, calendars iPod Touch 64GB
you frequently watch video on the go, e5pf'ciaUy and stopwatches. Although they're of secondary
long TV programmes or movies. then you'll importance, they can be useful
~
ARCH OS APPLE
28GB iPod Shuffle 2GB
**
£36 inc VAT
**
£45 inc VAT
From www.pixmania.co.uk From http://store.apple.com/uk *****
£60 inc VAT
The Archos 2 is the cheapest 8GB portable Apple's latest iPod Shuffle is impreSSively From www.play.com
audio and video player that we've seen. Its comp<lct; it's comparable in size and weight to
looks don't betray its price, as it's slender, has an AAA battery. but you're unlikely to lose it Sony's Walkman 4GB NWZ-E443 portable
a 1.8in (olour screen and weighs just 54g. It since the sturdy. integrated metal clip keeps it musi c player looks striking thanks to its slender.
looh similar to an iPod thanks to its glo$sy firmly lastened to yoor clothing. shiny red metal and black plastic design.
white fascia and reflective metal back. This miniaturisation has been achieved by Using the included earphones. music
There's even a MicroSDHC slot for expanding the lack of a screen and by moving an the soonded bright and harsh. although the bass
its capacity. controls - ap<lrt from the switch for choosing wasn't as loud as we'd like. Vocals were clear
Unfortunately, the fiddly controls take between shuffle and random modes - to an and there was no distortion when we boosted
some getting used to. The rewind and fast inline remote integrated into the cord 01 the the bass using the equaliser. Music 50unded lar
forw<lrd buttons a re used to navig,,!e through included earphones. clea rer and more detailed using a better set 01
the menus, which feels odd at first . Scrolling Aside from the volume control. there's just earphones. Audio playback lasted for more
through long lists is difficult as the scre{!(l takes a single button for controlling playback and than 26-and-a-half hours. more than even the
a second or two to update. Even more navigating music. Pressing it once pauses a longest Right.
annoying. the combined power/lock switch is track. pressing it twice skips to the next song. Browsing through long lists of music is
poorly designed, ma~ing it far too easy to turn while preSSing it three times returns to the simple since the left and right buttons can be
the Archos l 011 accidentally instead olloding previous track. II you press and hold the button. used to skip quickly and easily through the list
the controts. a voice tells you the track and artist names. alphabetically. When playing music. pressing
Music soonded muddy and harsh. with little Unlike previous Shuffles. this one supports the Option button gives quick access to
bass from the included earphones. Audio playlists. To change playlists. press and hold the playback settings such as the equaliser. Oddly.
quality improved greatly using a high-quality button until you hear a tone. then let go. A long track. artist Of album names are cut off
third-p<lrty set, but the bass was still too voice will say the name 01 each playlist; press instead of scrolling to show the lull title. II you
subdued lor our tastes. Unlortunately. boosting the button again when it says the name 01 tire 01 your own music. you can use the buih-in
the bass using the equaliser atso made music your desired playlist and it will start playing. FM radio. which sounded clear and static-free
soond even more muffled. We managed to get used to these controts when used in oof central london offices.
We were atso annoyed to lind that the quickly. but they're still more cumbersome We were less impressed with the E443's
screen displays an animated soundwave while than the simple buttons on other players. We'd video playback. We could only get it to play
playing music. which can't be turned 011. preler it il they were an addition to. rather than videos encoded using a very specific H.264
leaving no room lor the name 01 the artist and a replacement lor. a standard set of buttons. profile with a re50lution of 320~240 pixels and
album of the current track. The 2 lasted just Since the controts are integrated into the a jerky frame rate of 1Sfps. Annoyingly. Sony's
nine hours and 35 minutes while playing music. earphones. you won't be able to use a different included video-conversion software sometimes
which is the shortest time 01 any MP3 player set. or even connect a pair 01 speakers without failed to work lor no apparent reason.
we've seen recently. losing the ability to control music playback. Although the screen is very bright. its small
The 2 can play DivX video files. but only il Replacement headphones are essential if you 2in size and graininess means it's not ideal for
they've been re-encoded to fit the low want the best audio quality as the included watching long videos anyway. If you do want
128~160-pi~el resolution of the 1.8in screen earphones sound muddy and lack bass. to watch video. yoo can e~pect its battery to
with a low. jerky Irame rate of 151ps. This Third-p<lrty headphone adaptors should be last four hours and 39 minutes. which isn't too
makes watching TV or films on it practicaUy available soon. but this is just an extra cost. bad. but other players here can last more than
pointless.lt·s a shame video quality isn't better. For such a small plaYl'r. battery lile was twice as long. There'S no orientation sensor.
as the lour hours and seven minutes 01 battery good at 13 hours. Although slightly larger so il you want to watch video with the screen
life we got while playing video is enough for players with bigger batteries can last even horizontal rather than vertical yoo'U have to
even the longest Hollywood epic. longer. the most serious Raw isn't battery life set this preference manually.
The Archos 2 is very cheap. but it's stilt not but the fiddly control system. which isn't worth Sony's Walkman NWZ-E443 is a
worth the money. The flawed controts. poor the comparatively small reduction in size and good-value MP3 player tha nks to its decent
screen and disappointing sound mean that weight compared with the previous Shuffle. audio quality. respectably long battery life
Sony's more expensive Walkman NWZ-E443 Sony's Walkman NWZ-E443 is a better choice and low price. Its video support is poor. but
is a much better choice. for most and has twice the storage capacity. it's a great choice for audio.
.J~
.; i
.: ,. '
i~-::- I
i
i
ARCHOS IRIVER •• I VIEWSONIC
3 Vision 8GB E2008GB VPD500
**
fag inc VAT
*****
£89 inc VAT '~~ ***
£l D3 inc VAT
From www.advancedmp3players.co.uk From www.advancedmp3players.co.uk From www.morecomputers.com
Arches's 3 Vision is one of an increasing number Almost all modem MP3 players feel sturdy, but ViewSonic's VPOSOO has a huge Sin screen
of portable audio and video players to have a we were particularly impressed by how robust with a high resolution of BOOx4BO pixels. This
touchscreen. Playback controls and menu iRiver's E200 felt. The hefty, rigid metal case also means it's fairly large and heavy at just
commands are activated by simply tapping the looks classy and feels well engineered. This under 2ClOg. so it's meant to be carried in your
screen, but a very precise aim is requ ired, means it's a little heavier than the compet ition bag rather than your pocket.
especially when adjusting the volume slider. at 92g. but it's still comp.1ct and light enough It's ideal for watching video and supports a
Avirtual scroll wheel in the bottom comer to carry around all day. wide variety of formats, playing all our MPEG2,
of the screen is used for navigating menus and We weren't disappointed by the E2oo's OivX and H.264 test videos without problems.
track list5. Although it's reasonably responsive, audio quality when paired with a good It can resume playback from where you left off
d~sn'l feel as accurate 35 a physical wheel
it aftermarket pair of earphones. Music sounded and you can adjust the screen brightness and
when .sc::rolling through a long list to find a clear, rich and detailed. Bass wasn' t quite as aspect ratio wi thout having to stop the video.
particular item. thumping as we'd like, especially compared Unfortunately, we were disappointed with
Music sounded muddy and flat, with very with other iRiver players, but it still sounded the screen's quality. It's not very bright and
little bass using the included earphones. Audio pleaSing. The included earphones aren't worth contrast is poor, so distinguishing details in
quality improved greatly using a replacement bothering with, as they make music sound flat dimly lit films and programmes can be difficult.
set of earphones, but music still wasn't as rich and muffled with very weak bass, Viewing angles are tight , which isn't ideal if
and warm as we'd like. Backing voca15 in pop Battery life was disappoint ing. The player you want to wat(h a video with a friend. The
tracks sounded a little mumI'd, too. The 3 lasted just over 17 hours for audio, which is a battery lasted just over six hours when playing
Vision lasted just under 11 hours when playing little short comp.1red with similarly priced video, which is a very respectable time.
music, which is disappointing. especially for a players. There's an FM radio built in, but we Although the VPDSOO is designed mainly
player at this price. had difficulty getting static-free reception in for watching video, it can play music too, You'll
The lack of physical volume contro15 means our central london offices. need a better-quality pair of headphones to
that you'll have to fish the Vision out of your The E200's touch-sensitive buttons feel make the most of your tunes, as the included
pocket and unlock the cootrols to use the odd, especially if they're set to vibrate when earphones sound muddy and harsh. The
onscreen volume slider when out and about, pressed. Although these controls feel fiddly and VPOSOO can also receive FM radio broadcasts,
which is a little inconvenient. There's an less precise than a physical set of buttons, the although we had trouble getting a clear signal
integrated FM radio, but we had some trouble haptic feedback is genuinely useful rather than in our centralloodon offices, Unlike any other
getting static-free re ception in our central just a gimmick - with vibration turned off we player we've seen, it can also transmit an FM
London offices, were more prone to chOOSing the wrong songs radio signal without the need for an external
The 3in display has a relatively high or overshooting our intended target in a long transmitter, so you can listen to your music on
resolution of 400x240 pixels. The Vision can list. The interface's white text on da rk your car speakers even if your car radio dOl!so't
play OivX files, while the included conversioo backgrounds looks clear and sharp, even in have any audio inputs.
software can batch-coovert multiple vi deo files overly bright or dim lighting conditions. The VPD500's interface bears an uncanny
to the right format. However, despite the Videos looked great on the bright 2.8in resemblarxe to the XMB interface of Sony's
screen's relatively large size, watching video is display. The screen has plenty of cootrast and Play5tatioo. Its menus are logically organised
difficult due to the dark and grainy image videos were always displayed in the correct and easy to navigate, despite the rather fiddly
quality. The battery lasted for just three hours aspect ratio. H.264 video files aren't supported, top-mounted buttoos, which are awkward and
and 38 minutes when playing video, which is but WMV and DivX videos played Without any uncomfortable to press, especially when
the shortest time we've seen. problems. The battery lasted five hours and lO scrolling through long lists. Annoyingly it
The Archos 3 Vision is flawed in numerous minutes when playing video, which should see doesn't support music play!ists, although
ways, from its slightly cumbersome interface you through a couple of films. these can be approximated using folders in
to its less-than-perfect audio quality and We were impressed with iRiver's E200 8GB, Windows hplorer.
battery life, These flaws would be easier to It feels well made and sounds great, while At just over £100, View Sonic's VPDSOO is
accept at a lower price, but at £89 the Vision videos looked stunning on its l.Bin screen. cheap for a 16GB portable video player with
is just too expensive to recommend. Sony's &attery life is a little shorter than 00 other su(h a large screen and broad video support.
Walkman NWZ-E443 and iRiver's E200 8GB players, but you"!1 still get a decent amount of However, screen quality is poor, so iRiver's
are both beller choices. playback time between charges. It's a Best Buy. E200 8GB is a better choice for most people.
fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 8GB capacity, 3;" 4()())(24O fLASH MEMOItY PlAYER 8GB capacity, 2.8in 240020 fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 16GB capacity, S;" 8()())(480
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Creative's Zen X-Fi 2 bears mOl"e than a passing Apple's latest iPod Nano weighs just 34g and is iRiver's plain black 8GB B30 looks unassuming.
resemblance to the iPod Tooch with its metal no thicker than a pair of f 1 coins, but Apple but it's packed full of features. The most
back and large touchscreen, but is designed to has squeezed in an fM radio and a video noticeable is the built-in OAB and FM radio,
be held hori zont (lUy instead of vertically. camera alongside its media playback fe atures. du e to the player's telescopic antenna. In spite
Unfortun ately, the touchscreen is extreme ly The video camera records in H.264 format of this, reception was prone to interference,
aggravating to use. It's quill' sensitive but also at a resolution of 64Ox480 pixels. Video especially when held horizontally, which is
very inaccurate, making it far too easy 10 recorded in bright daylight looked reasonably necessary since the otherwise logical interface
choose the wrong song or menu option. The detailed, but it tumed grainy in low light. In our is oriented horizontally. When reception was
only way to compensate for this is to apply tests, the Nano's b.lttery lasted one-and-a-hatf interference-free though, audio sounded crystal
very firm, constant pressure instead of" light hours recording video. The only way to hold it dear whether on DAB or FM.
lauch, which makes it" pilin to use. without obscuring either the lens or the screen Music sounded rather flat both wi th the
The included noise-isolation earphones are is by its sharp edges, which is uncomfortable. included earphones and a better-quality set.
surprisingly good. The noise isolatioo isn't as Surprisingly, the camera can't take still photos. It's worth investing in third-pany earphones,
effective as from some third-party sets, but it The integrated fM radio is a first for any though. as the included set don't do bass-
worb well in most noisy environments. Vocals iPod. Finding and bookmarking stations is heavy tracks justice. The battery lasted over 30
soun d d ear and there's a fair amount of bass, si mple. A 1S-minute buffer let5 you pa use and hours when play ing aud io, which is im pressive.
but the high end can be harsh and jazz and rewind broadcasts, which is useful when The tooch-sensitive buttons can take some
blues tracks are muffled. These faults mostly listening to live sports, for example. It can't ge tting used to, but they work well especially
disappeared when we used a high-quality set record entire broadcasts, though. On stations when to set to vibrate when touched. This
of earphones, but bass stilt wasn't as deep as that support ROS metadata it can even identify haptic feedback helps by making it more
we would ha ve liked. An onscreen button gives songs being played and save these details so obvious when you've pressed a button.
quick access to options such as the equaliser. yoo can buy the m la ter from the iTunes Store. The up and down buttons are used to s~ip
Surprisingly, this model lacks built-in Beyond these new features, the Nano looks to the previoos and nexttracl<.s, instead of the
wireless networking. so it can't be used to and feels almost identical to the previous left and right buttons as we'd expect. lt"s a
listen to music stored on a UPnP media server model. The interface is as slick and easy to change that feels odd if you've ever used any
like its predecessor. The first model had an SO navigate as ever, although there's still no way other MP3 player.
card slot for storing more music and copying to adjust the equaliser quic kly. We wish there were a physical set of
photos off the card, but this model accepts Its battery lasted just over 32 hQurs playing volume buttons, <IS it can be inconvenient to
only the smaller and less commonly used music, which is a couple of hours less than the fish the B30 out of a pocket and unlock the
MicroSD cards. We had trouble getting previous model. The included earphones are controls to adjust the volume. The hold switch
static-free reception on the built-in fM radio, too quiet, lack bass and sound muddy. Even and power button are also located awkwardly
but when we did, the audio quality was clear. with quality headphones, music didn't soond as on the 830's lower left-ha nd edge.
One area in which the Zen X-fi has rich and warm as we'd expect and th e bass Video looked bright and sharp with good
improved over its predecessor is battery life. It wasn't quite as thumping as we·d like. contrast on the 2.8in display, althoogh it's also
lasted nearly 28-and-a-half hours when playing The 2.2in screen is too small for watching very reflective. Unli ke iRiver's cheaper E200,
music - which is more than twice that of the films regularly. It's very bright, though, with the B30 can play H.264 files as well as DivX
previous model - and nearly six hours when good contrast. Oi~ppointingly, its battery and XviO videos. It can't resume paused videos
playing videos, which is also a slight lasted just over four hours when playing video, from wh ere you left off, but it displayed all our
improveme nt over the first model. Video is an hour-and-a-half less than the previous Nano. test vi deos in their correct aspect ratios and
very bright with plenty of contrast on the 3in Oespite all its extra features, the 16GB has an orientation sensor so videos are
screen. The Zen can't play H.264 files, but it Nano costs no more than most other 16GB automatically displayed hori zontally. The
had no problem playing OivX and XviO videos. MP3 players. The FM radio is a welcome battery lasted six hours and 42 minutes while
The re's a lot to like about the Zen X-Fi 2, addition. but the video camera feels gimmicky. playing video, which is almost long enough for
from its good audio quality to its long b.lttery We were also di~ppoin ted tha t the battery life a tra nsatla nt ic flight.
life, but its infuriating touchscreen heavily and audio quality don't match the standard set There's a lot to like about iRiver's 8GB 830,
counts aga inst it. Philips· GoGear Muse 16GB by the previous-generation Nano. It"s a good but it's expensive. At this price Philips' excellent
is a better choice. MP3 player, but Philips' Muse is even better. GoGear Muse 16GB is a much better choice.
fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 16GB C"f"'City, J<n 3201<240 fLASH MEMOItY PlAYER 16GB c"f"'City, 2.2in l40x.l76 fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 8GB C"f"'City, 2.Sin 1l0><l40
r..<>Iution lCD. MkroSD slot. supports WMA. WMA - D~M . .. solution lCD, support. !<AC. Protected AAC . WAY. ..solution lCD. MkroSD slot. supports WMA. WMA-D!tM.
!<AC. WAV. Audible. M?3 .OOio meso WMV. MPEG4 AVI. Avdible. MP3 <>udio lites, MPEG4 MN .ideo liles. BM P. MP3 .OOio m.,. WMV. MPEG4 AVI. MPEC4 MN video
MPEG4 MP ~ vOdo-o iii.., aMP, TIff, JPEG ima&" file,. USB Tiff. ]pEG Knag< files. USB int",foce, 38xSJ<9Omm. 34g file" BMP, JPEG im"", mes, USB interfoc.,
interf;oce, 13xl()<S&nm. 7Sg PAATCOD£ Z[N X-FI2 16GB PlItT (OOE MC(l66QB/A S7xl1xl100r<n . 98g PIIRTCOOE B3oaGB
DETAILS http1/uk.europ<.creatlw:.com DETAJLS www.appl~ .com/ok DETAJLS www.Imo ••.com
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PHILIPS APPLE APPLE
GoGear Muse 16GB iPod Classic 160GB iPod Touch 64GB
*****
£150 jnc VAT ~ ~'" ~
.
From http://shop.p hilips.co.uk
':-: *****
£189 inc VAT
From http:(/store.apple.com/uk
*****
£297 inc VAT l'!
From www.amazon.co.uk
\I!·· ~
PhilipS' GoGear Muse looks and feels classier Other manufacturers appear to have given up Apple's iPod Touch was one of the first
than older models thanks to its brushed metal on hard disk-based MP3 players, but not Apple. portable audio and video players to have a
back. The right -handed design is unchanged, The latest iPod Classic has a huge 160GB touchscreen, and it remains one of the best,
which will put off left-handed users. capacity, yet it's no thicker than three £ 1 coins None of th e other touchscreen players we've
It's one of the lew players we've seen with tha nks to il5 single-platter l.8in hard disk. seen comes dose to the accuracy, sensitivity
built -in noise cancellation. This blocks out You might think the iPod Classic woold or responsiveness of its slick yet simple
background noise in places soch as a train have a shorter battery life than flash·based multitouch interface,
carnage or aeroplane so you can listen to music players, but it has one of the best battery lives Another pan of its appeal is its built-in
without raising the volume to dangerous levels, aroond we've seen. It lasted an astonishing 43 wireless networking paired with an excellent
II works surprisingly welt and is almost as hour5 and 14 minutes playing music and nearly web browser and email program, as well as the
effective as third-pilrty noise-cancellation and nine hoors when playing video. ability to run a huge library of third-party
isolation earphones we've tried, bUllhe Like other iPods, the Classic can play only applications. Even if you're not interested in
circuitry works only with the included MPEG4 and H.264 video files. Both looked web brOWSing on your MP3 player, the
earphones. Thankfully. these sound detailed bright and sharp on the 2'hin screen. There are third-party apps give the Tooch appealing
and dear with enough bass, although some plenty of free and low-cost video-encoding features such as streaming music services from
instruments, particularly brass and strings, applicat ions with pre-programmed Settings Last.fm and Spotify, plus games.
don't sound as rich as we'd like, so you may tai lored fO( the Classic You' ll want to use This Tooch has a faster processO( tha n the
still want a third-party set. them, too, as iTunes can be laboriously slow previous modeL If you just listen to music and
If you tire of yoor own music, you can use at re-encoding incompatible videos. watch videos you're unlikely to notice it, but it
the built-in FM radio. Reception in our central This model is almost identical to the speeds up tasks such as launching applications
london offices was free from static and previous 120GB Classic, Disappointingly, it and rendering web pages,
soonded clear and crisp. Saving a station as a doesn't have an FM radio like the latest Na no. Battery life when playing music is an
preset 0( recO(ding a broadcast is quick and Previous hard disk-based iPods have impressive 33 hoors and 27 minutes, althoogh
easy thanks to the options button and the suffered from distortion, especially at the high the previous model lasted over 40 hours. We
logically organised menus, end when boosting bass using the equaliser. were greatly impressed with the dear. rich and
We were also impressed with the quality of Sadly, this Classic suffers from the same deta iled sound quality, but you'll need to buy a
the 3in screen, Videos looked bright and sharp, problem, albeit to a lesser extent than previous quality pair of headphones to hea r it, The
with plenty of detail and contrast. The Muse models. The problem is most dearly apparent induded earphones are too quiet, mud dy and
can play H.264 as well as DivX and XviD files, on heavily compressed MC files. weak to be worth bothering with.
but it insists on stretching videos with a 4:3 FO( the best possible audio quality you'll Videos looked bright and sharp with good
aspect ratio to fill the screen. Sadly there's no need to invest in a quality set of earphOl1es. contrast on the 3'hin screen, You're limited to
option to override this, but videos with a 16:9 The included set soond muddy and weak and MPEG4 and H.264 videos, but if your videos
or an anamorphic aspect ratio look fine. will need to be replaced with a better-sounding have them you can navigate by DVD-style
Battery life is impressive. The Muse lasted set as soon as possible. Like all other current chapters, view subtitles and choose between
just under 3S-and-a-half hours when playing iPods, with the e~ception of the screen-less different audio tracks, Oddly, video playlists are
music with noise cancellation deactivated. Shuffle, the Classic can recommend tracks in listed in the music playback program.
When playing videos, it lasted just over foor your music library that would go well with the The battery lasted nearly eight hours when
hour5. These are good times com pared wrth track you're listening to. This feature, called playing video, which is impressive and nearly
portable player5 from other manufacturers, but Genius, depends on iTunes on your computer two hours longer than the previous Touch.
previous GoGear players have lasted over 48 analysing your music library first, but is useful We continue to be impressed with the iPod
hours when playing music and over six hours The 160GB iPod Classic has excellent Touch, and it's certainly more versatile than
when playing video, so owners of existing battery life and is the only choice if yoo want the iPod Classic. However, the Classic has over
models may be reluctant to upgrade, to carry a huge music library around with you. twice the storage of this 64GBmodel for £ 100
Nevertheless, Philips' 16GB GoGear Muse is It's disappointing that Apple hasn't completely less (a 32GB version of the iPod Touch is also
an excellent portable audio player in almost fi~ed the audio distortion issues, but if you can available for £224). Nevertheless, if you can
every respect. It's a little expensive, but it's live with less than perfect audio quality then afford the high price, the iPod Tooch is the
worth every penny. the iPod Classic is a good player, easiest·to-use and best MP3 player to buy.
fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 16GB cap..,il'f, lin 4OO.l40 l.8i" HARD [)lSI( PlAYER 160GB capadl'f,l'hin 3l1))cl40 fLASH MEMORY PlAYER 64GB capacity, lY>in 480.JlO
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SONY APPLE
Walkman iPodTouch
NWZ-E443 64GB
***** *****
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INTRODUCTION
Today's Inkjet printers and
multifunction peripherals
Inkjet Printer
ven though laser printers are now cheap enough indicator of good print quality, but they don't guarantee
E
(MFPs) are more versatile
than ever before, ranging to buy for home use, Inkjet printers and it. We've described each model's print quality in deta il
from business-oriented laser multifunction printers {MFPs} still dominate in each review.
printer reptiilcements to home printing and are starting to make serious inroads Most consumer inkjelS use dye -based inks.
home photo-printing studios. into the office. The reasons are obvious: they're smaller, These semi-translucent water-soluble colours were
With low prices and running quieter, generally cheaper to buy and are less traditionally cheaper and more vivid than pigmented
costs, inkjeu are the perfect intimidating when it comes to replacing empty ink inks, but also more prone to fading. Some printers
type of printer for home and cartridges. An increasing number of modern inkjelS use pigmented inks, which contain particles of solid
small-office printing if you have print speeds that rival their laser counterparts, colour suspended in a liquid. These prints dry faster,
don't want to go to particularly when it comes to mono text, cmd few lasers particularly on plain paper, and are more resistant to
unnecessary expense. can match the subtle shading and vibrant colours that fading. but tend to be poor at producing the vivid
We've reviewed three even a cheap inkjet can produce. colours required for photo printing.
single-function inkjds and six As always, the key factors in buying any printer or Many inkjets have both pigmented and dye-based
MFPs, induding the latest MFP are print speed, print quality, cost pe r page and inks. Most commonly, a printer will use pigment-based
models from the big names. how well the printer handles the documents 'Iou want black ink for sharp text printing on plain paper and
Whether you want to print the to print. To check the capabilities of each printer on between three and six dye -based inks for colour and
odd photo or start your own test, tum to the reviews, plus the table on pages 96-97. photo printing. Note that a higher number of inks
publishing empire, we'll help doesn't necessarily mean belter photo quality.
you find the perfect partner. DOT TO DOT
Inkjets create prints by placing thousands of tiny USE YOUR HEAD
dots on every inch of the page. Printers with higher Until recently, most printers used either a built-in print
Kat Drphanides resolutions, measured in daIS per inch {dpi}, can head or disposable cartridges with an integrated print
Pri mers and
networks expert place more daIS on the page. This generally leads to head. In most models, you'll find separate ink tanks
higher-quality images, although other fact ors such as and a replaceable print head (whiCh is really designed
droplet size also playa part. High resolutions are an to last the lifetime of the printer), which you have to
This month
Inkjet MFPs
EPSON
Stylus SX215
Page 92
HP Photosmart
Plus 8209
Page 92
KOOAK
ESP 5250
Page 92
CANON
Pi xma MP640
Page 93
LEXMARK
Interact S605
Page 93
LEXMARK
Pl atinum ProS05
Page 93
Inkjet printers
HP
Olfieejet 6000
Page 94
CANON
Pi xma iP4700
Page 94
EPSON
"j'"I,s Office 840W
attach when you first unpack the printer from its IPM v PPM likely to need in your home office, from a
box. This means that you pily lower prices for In our table, you'll notice that some fax machine to an automatic duplexer for
ink-only cartridges, but can still replace the print manufacturers' quoted print speeds are listed in double-sided printing.
head rather than throwing away the printer if ppm (pages per minute), while others are slower Most of the MFPs we've looked at this month
lots of nozzles get blocked. and listed in ipm (images per minute). The old are best suited to the home or home office. If
This is our preferred apprO<lch to inkjet standard for quoting print speeds is ppm. you plan on doing a lot of printing. you should
printing arid we're pleased to see that it's been Designed to mah products look as fast as opt for a device with a high duty cycle. The
so widely adopted. If you buy a printer with a possible. it uses low-quality draft settings and quoted figure represents <lone-time maximum
non-replaceable print head, the best way to ignores the time taken to print the first few that <l device is c<lp<oble 01 if you really push it,
make sure that it doesn't become blocked is to pages. The documents used to produce these rather than the number it p<lges it can print
use it regularly rather than leaving it to sit idle speeds are not standardised, and the figures regularly, so always pick a printer wrth a duty
for weeh on end. Otherwise, you may end up aren't representative of a printer's true speed, cycle that exceeds your requirements.
wasting a large amount of ink when the printer 50 they're best ignored. If you wish to print from multiple PCS, it's
Rushes its bloded nozzles, or you may even The new ipm standard also measures how worth getting a printer With either wired or
have to buy a new printer if the nozzles are many pages are printed every minute, but uses a wireless networking c<lpabilities. Then all you
permanently blocked. specific set of documents, which includes pilges have to do is install the drivers on every P( you
of graphics, tables and formal letters. These are W<lnt to use with it. All the network MFPs here
COUNTING THE COST printed at normal quality, in accordance with the can scan as well as print over <l network
It isn't just the purchase price of a printer that criteria of the ISO/IE( 24734 standard, which connection. A(most all MFPs now have memory
you should consider, but the running costs as guarantE{!S that every printer that quotes an card slots and screens that al(ow you to print
well. A pilge with colour and black ink shouldn't ipm figure will have been tested in the same photos directly from your digital camer<l'S
cost more than 7.5p (you can see our mixed- way. Essentially, ipm figures are fa r more storage media. This is useful. but you'll usually
colour cost graph on page 95). A page of black representative of a printer's real speed than ppm. get better results and be able to use higher
text should cost no more than 2.5p. resolutions by printing from your Pc.
When it comes to 6x4in photographs, no JACK OF All TRADES Many 01 the latest MFPs have large
inkjet printer can rival online selVices such as MfPs have come to dominate the inkjet market. touchscreens and some even allow you to install
Photobox or Snapfish for cost. Printing photos on They have several advant<lges over the more free <lppS downloaded from iPhone-style app
an inkjet is more about convenience and quality !r<lditional combination of a separate printer and 5tores. This is a new trend, and we're not sure it
rather than saving money - you'll typically pay scanner. They're brilliant if you're short of space, will catch on. We've yet to see an indispensable
between 30p and 40p (including paper) for a they make it easy to produce photocopies at app, and it's not worth buying an MFP purely on
high-quality inkjet photo print. home, and many include everything you're ever the strength 01 downloadable content. 13
EPSON HP KODAK
Stylus SX215 Photosmart Plus ESP 5250
***
£53 inc VAT
8209 ***
£125 inc VAT
From www.micomonline.co.uk ****
£99 inc VAT
From www.play.com
Epson's Stylus SX215 is one of the cheapest From www,hp,co,uk Unlike most wireless MFPs, Kodak's ESP 52S0
MfPs around, but it has a lY,;n colour LCD doesn't have to be connected to a PC to be
screen along with a scanner, copier and the HP's Photosmart Plus has a 2Ain touchscreen, configured. Instead, you can use the menus on
ability 10 print from memory cards. Photo PictBridge and a selection of memory card its 2in screen. Once connected to the network,
quality is good lor a printer at this price, slots for direct printing. The screen means it's it's easy to add it to new or existing Koda~
although dark areas were a little washed out. easy to print photos from a memory card, driver installations on your PCs,
Skin tones and landscapes looked natural and Content from HP's new online App Studio can The front of the ESP 52S0 folds out into a
smooth. l'rint5 emerged very slowly, though; it be downloaded, ranging from Disney-themed l 00-sheet paper input tray, which doubles as
t<>Of; almost an hour 10 print six 6x4in photos children's activity sheets to apps for printing an output tray. Printed pages emerge from just
and half an hour for two 1Ox8;n prints. photos from your Snapfish photo gallery. above the input feed. This isn't very practical
Mono documents printed lasler. Oraft- There are both USB and WiFi interfaces, oot for large print runs, but is no problem if you
quality prints emerged at 13.4ppm but were you'll need a USB connection to transfer your print only a few pages at a time.
so pale as to be useless for most purposes. wireless settings, We'd have preferred to enter The scanner interface is basic oot
Standard-quality text came out at a sluggish network settings using the touchscreen, The functional, with picture and document modes_
45ppm. Characters were dark and legible but Photosmart Plus has a replaceable print head In picture mode, the scanne r c<ln recognise
slightly fuzzy around the edges. Colour prints that should last the liletime of the printer. This multiple items on the platen and scan them as
looked professional. with solid tones and fine holds three dye-based colour cartridges and a separate images thanks to accurate auto-
detail, althwgh small font sizes were a tooch large pigmented black ink tank for text printing, cropping, Alter scanning. your preview isn't
jagged, Coloor printing is agonisingly slow, at Photo quality was acceptable, with bright retained, but the interface remains open, Scans
less than one page per minute, even using TeKt colours. However, composite black tones had accurate colours and subtle shading. but
quality rather than TeKt and Graphics mode. looked greyish, while harsh dithering made some sharp edges appeared uneven, and faint
The excellent scanner driver has accurate subtle shading lool<; jagged . Our 6x4in photos vertical bands were visible, particularly on dark
auto-cropping. software dust removal and a were quick to print at just over a minute each areas. This isn't enough to detract from images
wide range of colour and image enhancement and cost around 31p, Draft tel« is good enoogh for the web, but coold be a problem if yoo
options, There's also a Full Auto mode, which for everyday use, and prints at a stunning want to archive photos or make enlargements,
dispenses with all of that in favour of one-dick l 7ppm. At 8.6ppm, standard-quality teKt is Copy quality was fair, if a little fullY.
scanning. $can quality is abo outstanding. with beautifully solid arld colour prints are clear, Standard-quality prints emerged at a slow
accurate coloors, even shading and pin-sharp sharp and accurately coloured, Annoyingly, the 5ppm and were also fuzzy . Colour prints
detail. Mooo copy quality was also good, but default paper size is Letter rather than A4 and suffered from slight banding. Draft mode saw
colour copies looked a little murky. it can't be changed permanently, but you can the rate double to 10.3ppm and produced dark,
This is an inexpensive MFP with a wide create your own profiles. legible teKt, oot some lines were slanted or
range of features, but its print speeds and The TWAIN scanner in terface looks more broken, 6x4in photos cost around 29p including
quality aren't good enoogh to justify the saving polished than previous versions, but still has paper and are among the quickest we've seen
for most people. The final straw is that it's problems. It carries out a 21-second 200dpi at just over half a minute per print, Unusually,
expensive to run, With a mixed-colour cost of scan whenever it's opened, doses after each the ESP 5250 uses pigment-based inks for
10.lp per page, Unlike many current inkjets, it scan and the resolution settings are hard to photo printing. A five-chambered colour
has a fixed print head, which could require find. If your scanning requirements are simple, cartridge comprises black, cyan, magenta and
extensive cleaning if it becomes clogged. you're better 011 using the basic WIA driver, yellow inks, along with a dear overcoat. Photos
This makes the SX2 1S a dubious prospect Scanned documents and photos looked great, had strong dark and light tones, but the overall
for infrequent users, as regular printing is with sharp teKt and bright, vivid coloors. effect was somewhat Rat and grainy,
the best way to prevent blockages, Despite a few irritating failings in both its Although it doesn't have individual ink
It may have a useful screen and stand- printer and scanner drivers, the Photosmart tanks, the ESP S250 has very reasonable print
alone printing capabilities but they don't Plus is great value with 10<l ds of features, good costs, particularly if you use coloured inks at an
outweigh the SX2 1S's shortcomings. Although print quality and a reasonable mixed-colour even rate. However, Rat-looking photos and
almost twice the price, HP's Photosmart Plus print cost of 7,l ppm, Canon's Pixma MP640 imperfect text make Canon's MP640 a better
is a better ooy, as it has more features, faster has better print quality, though, choice if you value print quality.
print speeds and lower print costs,
SUMMARY SUMMARY
SUMMARY VERDICT " hlgII·quality MFP thaI can print usable VERDICT Despite eKCeUent Mtwolting feat ....... s
VERDlCT Thls budget MfP lias pl .... ty of features documents at 17ppm.lt's marred only by ~d and reasonable print costs, mediocre prinl quality
for f low price, butthe~ are offset by flllstratingly drivers and imperfect pholo prints make s this an .""rage MFP
slow pmts and high costs
FOUR-COLOUR INKJET MFP 4,800.1 ,2O()dpI prlnl FOUR-COLOUR INKJET MFP 9,600. Z,4OOdpl prlnl
FOUR·COlOUR INKJET MFP 5,760.1 ,44()dpi prinl , . solUlion, 15ipm "'''''''/llil"'' colou, "",.I"'lIIn <p<.d, ,esolUlion, 30ppm ",ono/29ppon col(>IX ",axitnlJ'"
""oIullon, 3Zpp'" tnonQ/15pp'" col(>IX ",.. I",,,,,, <p<.d, 1,200xZ,400dp< scan ... soIution, USB, PictBr>dge USB, sp«d, l ,2OOdpi SU<1 ... solution, USB, 802,11(>/&
1.l00xl,~ "an ""oIulion, USB inl. rf",. 802.11 bIg .... '.Ius Inl~tf"'e < wl ... le« intM",. ,
POWER CONSUMPTION 2W sto»<l>y, lW "fe, llW oct ..... POWER CONSUMPTION 3W "andby, SW id~, l8W POWER CONSUMPTION 6W standby, 7W idl. ,nw
PART Coo( Cl1CA47311 activ.: PARTCOOE CDOl5B <>ct"'" 'ART CODE 3950565
DtTALS www.• p"",.co.uk DtTALS www.hp.CO."k D£T.oJtS www.kodak.co_....
,
CANON LEXMARK LEXMARK
Pi xma MP640 Interact S605 Plat inum Pro905
*****
£129 inc VAT
***
£184 inc VAT
***
£368 inc VAT
From w ww.oyyy.co.uk From www.oyyy.co.uk From w w w.oyyy.co.uk
Canon's feature-packed Pixma MP640 has both The Interact S605 is a great e~ample of the Le~mark's Platinum Pro90S is wince-inducingly
wired and wireless networking. memory card improvements Lexmark has made to its MFPs. expensive, but has lots of features including a
slols, a CD-printing tray. two 150-sheet paper Ink cartridges with integrated print heads have 4.3in touchscreen, a fax and a memory card
trays and an automatic duplexer. The 3in been replaced by separate print heads and ink reader. Two paper triilYs at the bottom of the
colour screen ma~es it easy to use features tanks. More visibly, it's bursting with features, printer can handle up to 300 sheets 01 A4
such as copying. direct printing and disc label including an automatic duple~er, wireless between them. The top tray can also handle
copying. It has a pigment-based black ink lor networking and a huge 4.3in touchscreen. This 6~4in photo paper and envelopes.
text print5. along with a set of four dye -based guides you through the setup process, although It also has USB, 10/100 Ethernet and
jn~s for colour documents and photo printing. you'll still need a PC to set up your wireless B02.11b/gln WiFi. If you wa nt to connect to a
Standa rd-quality text prints loo~ed great connectiOfi unless your router supports wireless network, you'll need either a router
and print speeds of 7ppm are reasonable. Draft push-button WiFi Protected Setup {WPS}. that supports push-button WiFi Protected
text appeared at almost lOppm and was dark, The Interact includes web functionality and Setup (WPS) or a temporary USB connection
sharp arid easy to read. Colour prints on plain support for downloadable apps from Lexmark's to your PC. We'd have preferred to configure
paper looked good, despite slightly pale tones, SmartSoIutions Center website. This also these using the touchscreen, which can instead
Prine; on photo paper had no such problems, means it req uires a bi t more main tena nce. be used to download free apps. Most merely
though, with rich colours and smooth Once we'd finished installing the drivers, we add settings that we'd expect the Pro90S to
mid-tOfies. The MP640 takes 50 seconds for a were directed to the website and prompted to have already, such as scanning to a file and
6~4in print. Photos cost around 39p if you use download and install a firmware update. two-sided eco-copy modes.
Canon's most expensive paper, though. The S605 has better print quality than The scanner interface is basic, but it's easy
Scan and photocopy quality was equally previous Lexmari<: printers, with sharp, black to use iilnd rema ins open between scans. Scan
impressive, with accurate colour reproductiOfi text and vivid colour prints, although colour quality is good, although scans 01 photos
and plenty of detail Canon's superb ScanGear and mono copies were rather slow at over 30 loo~ed a little cold. Copy quality is excellent
software has a Thu mbnails View mode that seconds per page. Scans looked a little cold and and we were impressed that a mono copy too~
recognises multiple documents. rotates them some pale shades were hard to distinguish, but just 22 seconds.
to remove wonk)' edges and presents each one fine detail was precisely reproduced. Our 6x4in photos printed in well under a
as a separate object for scanning. Advanced Colour print speeds were also sluggish at minute iilnd looked greiilt, with rich. vivid
settings let you tweak colour and sharpneS5 2.9ppm, but we have no complaints about a colours. However, Lexmark's expensive new
before the image is captured. normal-quality text speed 019.1ppm. Photo photo paper means they cost up to 47p each.
Occasionally, the MP640 took a hall- quality is also vastly improved, with good- Both colour and mono documents looked greiilt
minute pause for maintenance. Otherwise, it looking prints and ink that doesn't come off on at standard quality and even driillt text was
performed respectably in our tests, even though your fingers. Photos printed quickly, too, at just sharp. Standard-quality text printed at a qui ck
it's not the fastest around. Print costs are lower over half a minute per 6x4in snap. Lexmark's 7.3ppm. Unfortunately, colour documents
than average for an inkjet at 6.8p per colour PerfectFinish photo paper pushes the price of a printed at just 1.Sppm, which is one of the
page and 2.3p for a page of mono text. 6~4in print up to 47p, which is expensive. slowest speeds we've seen.
With reasonable print costs and Print costs in general are the Interact This is a deal-breiilker in an e~pensive MFP
outstanding quality on everything from photos S605's biggest problem. A page of mixed black that would otherwise be ideal for a small or
to business documents, this reliable all-rounder and colour costs 9.Bp. This is unacceptably high home office. Canon's Pixma MP640 lacks a fax
is up to almost any task. It's neither the fastest and unless the cost 01 Lexmark's new ink but can hold plenty 01 paper and is a far better
nor the cheapest MFP, but it provides a great decreases signifICantly, we can't recommend choice for serious printing. not least because it
balance between quality, speed and price. this otherwise well-rounded MFP. costs well over £200 less than the Pro90S.
HP CANON EPSON
Officejet 6000 Pixma iP4700 Stylus Office B40W
*****
£62 inc VAT ~!
-j!
From www.oyyy.co.uk
"~ . *****
£79 inc VAT W .;!,~
2 ~iIi
From www.oyyy.co.uk
****
£93 inc VAT
From www.oyyy.co.uk
The Officejet 6000 won a Business Buy award Canon's Pi~ma iP4700 is the latest addition to Epson's no-fri\!s Stylus Office B40W is a sleek,
two months ago (What's New, Shopper 261) a range that has won many Shopper awards in simple and compact business inkjet. You can
tha nks to it5low price and Qutst,mding print the past. This single-function printer uses four install high-yield ink cartridges that will print
quality. It's a basic single-function printer with dye -based inks for photo ,md colour printing 99S black and 81S colour pages. The blac~
a 10/100 Ethernet port. Its 250-sheet paper and pigmented black ink for sharp text printing T1OO 1 cartridge costs around £17, meaning a
tray and SO-sheet output tray rival the on plain paper. A separate print head should mono print costs just 1.7p. That's cheaper than
capacities of many compact laser printers. and last the lifetime of the printer, but can be many mono laser printers that cost under
HP claims it can print 7,000 pages per month. replaced if necessary. £ 100. The B40W has great networking
It can chum out mono documents at The installer lets you choose any additional capa bilities, too, with WiFi and Ethernet in
82ppm, with laser-sharp text . Draft-quality software yoo want along with the driver, which addition to the usual USB port.
prints lo~ed almost as good arid appeared at is easy to use. A Quick Setup tab puts the most The printer has only a few buttons: one to
10.7ppm. As always, image-rich colour important options in one place and you can load paper. another to cancel print jobs, a third
documents were much slower, although a raIl' choose from presets including Standard {plain to change the ink and another to enable or
of 3.3ppm isn't bad. Colour document quality A4 paper}, photo {borderless glossy 6~4in} and disable the wireless radio. Unlike many recent
was out5tarldi ng. with no hint 01 graininess or paper saving {duplex). You can customise and single-function inkjets, the Stylus Office B40W
marks from the print head . Even on thin 80g.sm save your own profiles, too. has a fi)(ed print head built into the printer. This
photocopier paper, there was no smudging or Print quality is exceUe nt, with solid, sharp is inconvenient il nozzles get clogged, as it wi\!
blurred edges. Tiny 8pt text was pin-sharp and black te)([ at standard quality. Our mono te)([ require time and ink to clean. However, this is
block5 of colour and shading were flawless. document printed at 7.8ppm. Draft te )([ prints unlikely if yoo use your printer regularly.
The Officejet 6000 isn't really intended to emerged at a reasonably fast 9.8ppm and were This is a business printer, so Epson doesn't
be used for printing photos. It only uses its dea r and sharp enoogh for day-to-day use, e)(pect it to be used much for printing 6x4in
three dye-based colour cartridges when although lettering was a li ttle thin. Our holiday snaps. This doesn't e)(cuse the B40W's
printing photos, combining all three for blacks. mi )(ed-colour business documents looked poor loading of6)(4in paper, as it claims to be
This is noticeable, as dan:. areas in our test great, with solid blocks of colour, sharp detail able to print borderless images up to A4. It
pictures had a faded, blueish tint. However, and smooth shading. took quite a bit of trial and error to position
photos were detailed, with vivid colours and The iP4700 makes no compromises when it our 6x4in sheets so they coold be loaded
realistic flesh tones, making the 6000 good comes to photo quality, either. Although it has without either slipping oot of position or being
er"lough for prir"ltir"lg the odd snap. The cost of a only four colours, prints lad stunning. The trapped by the adjustable paper support. Once
6x4in print on Hp·s Premium Plus paper is 2ap. dye-based black ink produces rich, intense dark we'd resolved this, photo quality was good.
For text prir"lts, the 6000 has a la rge black tones, while skin coloors and natural shades are Even drab brown and grey shades were richly
ink tank. It comes with low-cap<lcity reproduced with great accuracy. There's even a reproduced, but solid areas of dark coloor had a
'ir"ltroductory' cartridges, which will print 420 CD printing tray and a util ity that ma kes it easy slight re ddish tint and some lOx8in prints were
mor"lO ar"ld 250 colour pages. When these rur"l to print your own artwork on CDs and DVDs. funy around the edges. Photos printed slowly,
out, we recommend replacing them with HP's With print costs of 2.3p per mono page at around three minutes per 6~4in print. but a
920XL high -yield cartridges; yoo'll get 1,200 and 6Bp per page of mixed colour and black typical photo costs just 20p including paper.
black p<lges from a £ 16 cartridge and 700 printing. the iP4700 doesn't cost too much A4 plain paper prints were blisteringly fast.
pages from each of the £7 colour cartridges. to run. If yoo use Canon's Photo Paper Pro II, At 13.6ppm for standa rd-quality mono te)([,
This produces a low mixed-colour print cost of a 6)(4in photo is a little e)(pensive 39p, but the B40W rivals some personal laser printers.
4.5p per page, with a mono page at just 1.4p. we saw e)(ce!lent results on (anon·s cheaper The sharp lettering is similarly impressive. Draft
These are some of the lowest inkjet runnir"lg photo papers, too. prints are even faster at 16. 1ppm, but suffer
costs we've seen. They're even more The iP4700 doesn't add much to a winning from jagged, pixelated text. Smooth, solid
remarkable from a printer costing just £62. formula. It doesn't cost too much to buy or colour documents printed at standard quality
Unless you want to print lots of photos, run and it put in a respectable showing in our emerged at a respectable 4ppm.
the Officejet 6000 outdaS5es other single- speed tests. If you don't need a multifunction The B40W is capable and inexpe nsive to
function inkjet s. Epson's B40W is a great inkjet but you do want something that can run, but it ca r"l·t quite rival HP's Oflicejet 6000,
alternative, but at this low price, the HP print outstanding photos as well as sharp which cost even less to buy and run.
retains its BusineS5 Buy award. documents, it's an ideal choice.
SUMMARY
SUMMARY SUMMARY VERDICT ,. simple, _ll· built .... two,;: Inkjel that
VERDICT ,. budget prl""low running com and VERDICT An ucellenl photo p<fnlef Ihal gelS perlorms well and is int~ptnsM 10 run. It loses
outstanding dowment quaUty ma ke this an evef)'lhing right. from quality and ptrlonnanct 10 out only to tM be ner·v.l ~ HP OHicejel 6000
e ~ceptional printer for a home offict ",nning costs and convenitnce
FOUR..(QI.OUR BUSINESS INKJET 5.760xl.4.4Odpl
FOUR·COlOUR BUSINESS INKJET . ,S00>c1.200dpi FOUR·COLOUR INKJET 9,6OO>c2.4OOdpi m.~imum ma)(jmum (. ,oIUli"", J8ppm mono/38ppm coloo(
"'.,Irn....,
""xlmu", ",SQlull"". 711"" ",,,,,,,/7ip'" colo..., (.<OI"lion. 9lprn mono/SIp'" colo..- ",.,Imu", .peed. maximum 'p«<j. use . 10/100 Elhem.I.802.11b/g
spud, USB, 10/100 Em~""'1 in l~rl",,~ USB, Pk Bridg< USB int.rf""., wl~I.$$ ",IM""~ '
POWER CONSUMPTION 3W modb)'. 3W ><J. •• POW~RCONSUMPT1ON OW sundt..,.. 1W "H•• POWER CONSUMPnoN 3W <landb)-, 4W "n~ .
3(NI",,11\0. PAAT cOO( C8051 ,. lSW""II\o. PAATCOO( 3742BOO8AA law KIN. PAATCOOI' (11("27301
DtTAI.S WWHhp.co.uk D£T"lS WWH"anon.co.uk D£T.oJlS WWH.epso<1.co.uk
• " " • • • • • • • • •
2S-page mixed colour ( ppm) Photo cost
Epson Stylus Offier I140W
lumil rt "",",,"'.9("
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MFPINKJETS INKJETS
CANON HP CANON
PixmaMP640 Officejet 6000 Pixma iP4700
**** ***** *****
JANUA RY 2010 . COMPUTER SHOPPER
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaza.net
INKJET PRINTERS
Model Stylus SX215 Photosmart Plus B209 ESP 5250 Pixma MP640
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This month
T-MOBILE Pulse
Page100
NOKIA E55
Page 1011
PALM Pre
Page1114
NOKIA N97
Page 104
LG GT505
Page10S
would say, and Android has also caught up MAP MARKERS processors and better technology, virtual
thanks to its own army of developers. Palm, All the phones this month, bar the BlackBerry, keyboards are becoming more and more usable.
Symbian and BlackBerry users will find that their include a GPS receiver, which can pinpoint your The HTC Touch 2 supports touch control but
handsets already include software for viewing position aCClJrately if you have a clear view of still needs the bundled stylus for easier option
Office documents, and you can upgrade if you the sky. Nokia phones come with the company's selection in Windows Mobile.
need the ability to edit them as welL Windows own maps application, which can handle bdsic Android phones also benefit from finer
Mobile comes with Pocket Office software. navigation functions. Android phones and control than can be achieved by touch alone,
Only Samsung's Galary requires you to iPhones come with Google maps, but this can and aU the Android phones here include some
download your own software. also be downloaded for Windows Mobile, sort of cursor control. The Hero and Pulse both
Now that cheap netbooks are available to Symbian and Java phones, for proper tum-by- have trackballs, while the Galaxy has a four-way
handle proper office work, however, smartphone tum navigation, you'll want to download a directional controL
office compatibility has shifted towards dedicated satnav application from a comp.my
synchronising calendars, contacts and email such as TomTom, Route66 or CoPilot. THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
rather than documents. Most mobile operating With the combination of GPS and your La rge screens are better for watching movies, so
systems now support Microsoft's ActiveSync, so phone's camera, you can geo-tagyour photos to if this is a priority, buy one with a resolution of
it's easy to synchronise your work email with pinpoint exactly where they were taken (see our 32Ox480 or more, This is the iPhone's resolution
your smartphone from an Exchange server. You feature on page 108 for more on geo-tagging). and the highest resolution that Android version
can even use Act weSync to synchronise your GPS is also useful for many new location-awa re 15 supports. It's also worth looking for a model
Google email, contacts and calendars. web services, such as Google's Latitude, Yahoo!'s with an OLEO display as they're incredibly bright
The really smart handsets now have software Fire Eagle and Brightkite. These let you sign in at and colourful and have excellent viewing angles.
that pulls data from multiple sources, such as different locations so your friends can see where Most phones have gigabytes of storage space
Exchange, Googie. Facebook and other online you are, You can even download apps that wi\! available through their microSDHC memory card
services, and merges it so that you don't have locate your phone if it's stolen and send you a slots, so they're also ideal for storing music and
to update multiple sources. Palm's webOS is text message containing its coordinates. video files. Most also use a standard 3.Smm
built around this concept, and HTC's Sense headphone jack, but watch out for those that
add-on for Android is heading that way too. STAY IN TOUCH buck the trend. such as T-Mobile's Pulse. Its
Sense also creates a single screen for each of Despite the iPhone's fantastic touchscreen, 25mm jack means you'll have to use the
your contacts, and merges any calls, texts, chats, many people still prefer real buttons. The Palm, adaptor cable included in the box if you want to
email and calendar information for that person BlackBerry and Nokia phones reviewed here all use your own headphones. Some phones come
so you can track all your communications have a keyboard in one form or other. They're with adaptor cables that include microphones
with them from one place. in the minority, however, and with faster and remote controls, which can be handy. 13
From www.t-mobile.co.uk contract Nokia's E55 is the thinnest and lightest phooe
Fro m www,orange,co,uk here, but its large screen and semi-QWERTY
T-Mobile's Android-based Pulse is one of only £1871nc VAT keyboard also make it one of the tallest. It still
two phones here that you can buy 011 a pay-as- From www.handtec.co.uk manages to house two cameras, including a
you-go tariff. It costs £176, and you can pay 3.2-megapixel main camera with an LED flash,
£ 1 per day or £5 per mont h lor unlimited The BlackBerry Curve 8520 has a wide scree n and has a 15mm headphone jack. The case
internet access (which is subject to a fair-use with a full QWERTYkeybo.lrd beneath and a feels tough, with a brushed-metal button bar
policy). If you top up by f 10 each month, clever trackpad button that senses your below the screen and a metallic backplate with
you'll also gel free text messages. thumb's movement. The keypad has the usual a funky machined pattern that improves grip.
The phone it5elf is fairly bulky and, BlackBerry layout, with oottons that have Many win be wary of the odd keypad,
considering the size of the screen, the enough travel and make a dear dick when which features a QWERTY layout but has two
resolution is quite low. The Palm Pre's .sc;reen pressed. They're a bit small for some thumbs, characters per key. In practice, it's easy to use:
has the same 32Ox480 resolution but is only but thumbnails work just as well. you either press once for the first character
3.1in compared with the Pulse's 3Ylin display. Like 5ymbian, the BlackBerry OS is staning and twice for the second, which will suit those
It's bright and dear, however, and line for to look dated. The optioos menu is a huge list who are used to numeric keypads, or you can
browsing the web or watching movies. Image of text, and the main menu icons are rather tum on word prediction, which guesses the
quality from the camera is average. There's obscure, While this is fine for long-term users, word depending on which keys you press, We
no flash, but it's acceptable for taking quick new users might be confused. Unlike Symbian, found this accura te and easy to use, as the
snaps to share on the web. RIM's BlackBerry App World is lull of useful, keys feel more naturally placed for those who
The rounded case has a glossy carbon up-to-date apps although, annoyingly, not all are used to a keyboard.
fibre-effe<:t finish that picks up greasy of them are available on all BlackBerry models. If you've used a Nokia Symbian phone
fingerprints. The ports and buttons around the With 001'1 a 2-megapiKel camera and no before and are familia r with its labyrinthine
edge are unobtruswe aM include a memory flash, we weren't surprised to see t he 8520 fare menu system, you'Ufeel at home. However, if
card slot, dedicated power aM camera buttons badly in our image-quality test. However, it did you've had a taste of the iPhone or Android
and USB and headphone ports. The latter is a better than phones with more megapixels, and interfaces, with their customisable home
2.5mm jack, but T-Mobile includes a shon its colours and cootrast were good. It suffered screens, intuitive menu systems and wide
adaptor cable, Battery life isn't great, but it's badly from noise and compression artefacts. selections of apps, we don't see why you'd
better than that of other Android phones, The 2'hin screen is bright, colourful and fine subject yourself to Symbian.
T-Mobile's installation of Android is for watching short video dips. The 8520 only Nokia's attempt at an application
fairly simple, with nooe of the sophisticated supports EDGE, so you won't get the extra repository is based 00 its own Ovi portal, which
merging and imponing functions of HTC's speed of H5DPA, although web browsing and is full of ringtones and wallpapers. This is no
Hero. However, it's not a standard setup either; downloading apps was fast enough, There's match for Apple's App Store or the Android
T-Mobile has extended the home screen to also no GPS receiver, so you can't use the 8520 Markel. Its social networking offerings and
allow more customisable areas, with widgets with Google Maps to navigate. Music Store pale against Facebook and iTunes
and larger 'widcards', which can show dynamiC The rubberised finish round the edge of the too. We can't see anyooe opting for the ES5 on
content. A customisable favourite contacts case helps with grip, and we were pleasantly the basis of Nokia's patchWork portal.
screen is also available from an icon bar on surprised to find music playback controls above The camera showed great colour accuracy
the home screen, Office viewing and the screen, so you can control your music with and contrast in our low-light tests, with detail
syrn;hronisat ion apps from Datavil are the phone in your pocket. It also has a lSmm in dark areas. However, there was also noise in
installed, and these can be upgraded to allow headphooe jack, but you'U need a memory dark areas, and JPEG compression artefacts
document editing too. card if you want to store a lot of music. were obvious. The battery life of 13 hours 21
The Pulse is a bit of a hodge-podge of BlackBerrys are renowned for their minutes was disappointing.
free and trial software, but at least T-Mobile messaging and office work capabilities, and Nokia's generally great hardware is let
has gone to some effort to make it more the 8520 is no exceptioo. The operating system down by the software here, II you're used to
interesting than the standard Android OS. may be clunky, but orn;e it's coofigured, the Symbian, you'Ufind the E55 a great phone for
It may not have the polish of more expenswe 8S20 works efficiently. It's also ooe of the messaging and office work, but it's too
models, but for the price - and on a pay-as- least expensive phones here, but the lack of complicated for consumers who want a
you-go tariff - it's a bargain, and wins our GP5 and limited EDGE speeds mean it misses no-hassle device for organising their social life.
Budget Buy award. out on an award. RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8520 is beller value.
..
D£TAa.S www.l·mobile.co." OETAILS http://uk.bladberry.com DETAa.S www.nol:i •. c...uk
Britannica Online
The online encyclopedia you
know you can trust
Britannica
with every order 2010
... ...
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SAMSUNG HTC LG
S8000 Jet Touch 2 GC900
*****
Free on E25-per-month,
***
Free on f30-per-month ,
Viewty Smart
la-month contract
From www.vodafone.co.uk
la -month contract
From www.carphonewarehouse.com
***
Free on f24-per-month, la-month
£293 inc VAT f270 inc VAT contract
From www.handtec.co.uk From www.play.com From www.orange.co.uk
E300 inc VAT SIM-free
Samsung's Jet has a lovely OLEO screen with The Touch 2 n.ms Windows Mobile 6.5 with From www.play.com
amazingly bright colours and a high, SOOx480 HTC's own TouchFlo interlace over the top.
resolution. Only LC's Viewty matches it for Running a finger along the icons at the bottom LG's Viewty Smart follows on from the
size, but the Jet's screen blows the Viewty's 01 the display scrolls through various screens. popular Viewty. with an 8-megapixel camera
away for quality. The 800MHz Qualcomm Useful infO(mation. such as a dock. the current and a high-resolution 800x480 touchscreen.
processor makes the Jet feel zippy, and the weather and your next appointment. are It uses the same underlying interface as LG's
touchscreen benefits from the extra power, displayed on the Home screen. The Contacts GT505. but with four main screens that you
although it's not always completely responsive. screen lets you add favourit e contacts from can personalise with apps. widgets. contacts
S<lmsung's mobile browser is based on the your address book. although you'lI have to add and photos. A button on the left side shrinks
same Webkit engine as Android's and Apple's. a photo 10( each manually. Screens for ted these screens to a cube for faster switching.
and is fast and easy to use. The Jet supports messages. email. photos and music can be as scrolling through them by swiping your
ActiveSync, so you can synchronise contacts, browsed with a Rick of your finger. and you can finger across the screen is hit and miss.
tasks and calendar over Microsoft Exchange. It fill the last screen with favourite apps. There aren't many installed apps. so you'll
doesn't work wi th Coogle accoun1:5, though. Integration with desktop Office app lications probably want to find some more. There are
It comes with useful social n etwor~ing ilppS. is Windows Mobile 6.5's forte. and the new websites that specialise in Java apps. and most
including one 10( sharing photos on Facebook. Windows Phone service is clever. Your phone social networking sites have their own mobile
Widgets can be dragged to the home data is backed up to your Windows Live! version. We successfully downloaded and
screen. but while they made it look messy. Account. and can be browsed online. The only installed a Facebook app from IIMIW.gerjar.
there are three screens to spread them across. problem is that synchronising with OutlOO(( 0( com. and the process was relatively painless.
A shortcut menu along the bottom gives an Exchange server is a separate process. and We loved the Viewty Smart's high-
access to common apps and the menu. which all that data transfer will eat into your monthly resolution screen. which was bright and vibrant.
has three screens full 01 settings and apps. allowance unless you do it manually over WiFi. Its touch sensitivity wasn't perfect. but was
The large button below the screen switches The phone itself is one of the smallest here. better than that of other phones we've tested.
between the widget screens and the menu. although it's not the lightest. It feels well Scrolling through Goog\e Maps was quick and
Text entry is via an onscreen numeric built and is easy to grip. The screen has a low smooth. for example. Support for OivX movies
keypild 0( a surprisingly responsive QWERTY resolution of 24Ox320 and pixellation is and the inclusion of Dolby Mobile make it ideal
keyboard that you access by tuming the phone noticeable. Colours aren't wonderful. either. for watching movies. The only downside is the
to landscape mode. Annoyingly. the phone The touchscreen is hit and miss. It's smooth proprietary headphone/charging socket. but LG
only supports landscape mode lor text entry on the home screens. but with applications provides a 3.5mm adaptor with remote control.
and viewing multimedia - the web browser running it tends to judder. ilnd trying to hit Oespite its 8-megapixel sensor. the camera
wor~s in portrait mode. so il you're filling in a checkboxes is frustrating. eve n if you use the is a disappointment. Colours were unnatural.
web lorm and you want to use the QWERTY stylus. The display's orientation doesn't change and there was more noise in our low-light test
keyboard. you have to switch the phone back when you tilt it. although pictures and movies than on cameras with 2-megapixel sensors.
and forth between portrait and landscape are automatically displayed in landscape mode. Fine detail was lost in dark areas. and jPEG
mode. The camera is average. with poor colour Battery life is reasonably good. but with GPS. compression artefacts were evident. On the
accuracy in low light. but has great detail in synchronisat ion and WiFi usage. you'll be lucky plus side. its battery life in our light-use tests
dar~ areas and very li ttle noise. if it lasts more tha n a day on a single charge. was the best in the group at well over 40 hours.
The jet isn't quite as smart as an Android. Unfortuna tely. we were unable to test the You can add email accounts from webmail
Windows Mobile 0( Apple phone. but with new Marl:etplace. but we're sure Microsoft services 0( Exchange. but you can't synchronise
ActiveSync and a widget catalogue. it"s the will have a wealth of th ird-party apps available. your contacts and calendar automatically
smartest Java phone we've seen so far. If you Windows Mobile 6.5. although superficially with online services. which makes the Viewty
don't need sophisticated applications lor more finger-friendly than previous versions. Smart seem less smart than the com petition.
viewing or editing office documents. but you still relies on a stylus for fiddly menus and It's still a good-looking phone with great
want to O(ganise your social lile and entertain checkboxes. The Touch 2 is a decent enough multimedia capabilities. and a much better-
yourself on the move. the jet is an excellent device. but HTC also makes more user-friendly value java phone than the GTSOS. but
choice and wins our Best Buy award. Android phones. which we prefer. Samsung's jet is a better buy.
HTC PALM
Hero Pre
*****
£49 on E29-per-month,
***
£97 on a £29-per-month, l8-month
***
£416 inc VAT
la-month contract contract From www.handtec.co.uk
From www.orange.co.uk From www.o2.co.uk
£353 inc VAT Nokia's N97 is a beast of a phone, with every
From www.lambdatek.co.uk/ Palm's Pre is a stylish lozenge of a phone with feature imaginable in its 1SOg. 18mm-thick
componentshop/ a minimalist look. It has a single button under case. As well as the usual WiFi, Bluetooth and
the screen, but there's little else to interrupt its GPS, it has a backlit QWERTY keyboa rd that
HTC's Hero is a la rge touchscreen phone that smooth, rounded edges. Open it up, though, slides out from under the screen, a S-megapixel
runs Coogle's Android operating system. HTC and there's a full QWERTY keypad with raised camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and twin-LED
has added its own interlace, which it caUs keys that make typing easy. There's 8GB of flash, and 32GB of internal memory.
Sense. T-Mobile also sells the Hero as the intemal memory, but no memory card slot. Touchscreens are becoming ubiquitous, but
TOLlch GZ. Here we review an updated version Palm's webOS supports multi-tasking. some people prefer a real keyboard. Sadly, the
from the Hero fea\I.Jred in Shopper 26 1. so after opening an application, you can press N97's is disappointing. Its keys are flat and
The S-megapixel camera shoots video and the home button to shrink it to a 'card'. You have very little travel, so feedback is limited to
stills. Low-light shots are poor comp<lred with can flick through open applications thiS way, a beep as you press each key. The layout isn't
those from even a budget digital camera, and or simply flick one upwards and off the screen ideal, either - the Space bar is on the right and
there's no flash . However, photos had less to dose it. To go back, you swipe right -to-left is only 50 per cent wider than the other keys,
noise, more contrast and more natural colours under the screen. The system is incredibly while the sole Shift key is 011 the left. The
than from other phones. We liked the easy to learn and makes keeping track of number keys along the top row are accessible
capacitive screen, which has an oleophobic multiple apps a breeze, only via a key com bination, so making calls is
cOiIting that's smooth and doesn't pick up WebOS imports your contacts from easier with the OI1screen number pad.
fingerprints easily, plus the standard 3.5mm Facebook, Exchange, Google and Linkedln and The camera produces better results than
headphOl1e socket and mini-USB port. lets you seem them all in one interface. The most phone cameras, and the twin-LED flash
Sense provides seven screens for widgets, same system applies to email, messaging and helps in low light. However, the results aren't
web pages, apps and background images, You calendars. You can search the entire contents as good as those from even a budget digital
can save mult iple screens as 'scenes', and have of the phone simply by typing. and if no results camera. The battery lasted for over 35 hours in
different scenes for weekends, work or travel. are found, it suggests sites to search. our light-use tests, but bear in mind that WiFi,
HTCs widgets made a good impression: the The 3.2-megapixel camera takes acceptable GPS and 3G are all switched off for this. Using
email widget, for example, shows you a stack photos, and the flash helps in low light. Sadly them will reduce this time significantly.
of emails. and you can flick through the pile by there's no video mode. Colours were great, Nokia's Symbian operating system looks
flicking your finger upwards on the screen. but noise was visible in dark areas and the dated and has a complex menu system, We get
Sense includes an app that integrates resolutiOl1 isn't high enough to reduce the the impression that developers are keener to
contacts from Facebook, Gmail and your SIM effects of JPEG compression. Palm's App write apps for the iPhone and Android phones,
- an incredibly useful feature that we've OI1ly Catalog isn't as comprehensive as Apple's App as Nokia's Ovi Store is full of ringtones, videos
previously seen 0I13's INQ1. Each contact has Store or the Android Market, but there seems and games, Office and Exchange support is
one screen that shows all informat ion rela ting to be enough interest in the new phone to good, though, and apps for facebook, YouTube
to that person, including calls, messages, email. encourage developers to create more content. and other popular web services are bundled.
photos (from Flickr) and Facebook updates. The menu for each app is located in the You can customise the home screen with
Battery life is poor, and if you use GPS, WiFi top-left comer of the screen, and is incredibly widgets for Facebook, email and contacts,
and 3G, you'll need to recharge every night. easy to miss. While the main screen and menu although this felt cramped and messy. The
The new Hero is much faster than before. and feel smooth. the device can be slow to react screen changes to landscape mode when the
even with a few apps open, the interface was once a few apps are open, and its battery keyboard is opene d, or when you're watching a
slick and responsive. HTC bundles a PDF viewer lile is poor. The slide mechanism feels clunky video. Touchscreen control is accurate, and felt
and Quickoffice for viewing Office documents, and fragile and, when extended, the edges of reasonably quick most of the time. A single
but it doesn't support Office 2007 formats. the keypad are quite sharp. Finally. the USB button under the screen switches between the
Sense is a pleasure to use, and the Hero's port cover is hard to remove. home screen and the menu, and a slider on the
new firmware makes it faster and puts it on a The Pre and webOS are a great effort at side of the phone locks and unlocks the screen.
par with the iPhone. The Android Market offers creating a more intuitive smartphone, but as The N97 may be powerful and packed with
a wealth of apps, and you're not tied to using with many first -generation products, there's fea tures, but it's dated and clunky compared
one company's approved software. It's much still a way to go. We hope to see more Palm with the iPhone and Android phones. Although
cheaper than the iPhone and represents much models in the future that improve on the Pre, some will be tempted by the keyboard, the
better value. It wins our Best Buy award. but there are better phones at this price. N97 is expensive and we can't recommend it.
SMAltTl'HONE 3.21n 320x480 .-.s<>lot"" LCD. SMARTPHONE 3.11n 320, 400 ruoi"'iQn LCD. SMAltTl'HONE 31n 360><640 ... wI"'l"" LCD. S."",gapi..1
S-~gapi .. l ca~r•. 21111MB "or'!l", 8tu.toom , 32 · ~g.pi~1 c.m .... , 8GB 'tor.~, Illu .t oo t~ . Wifi, ca~,., 3GB stor"&,,, B/.,.tooth, Wifi. use c"" ... ctivity.
use, WiFi CMnKtrvity, 7.8 hours' talkt"". 31.3 day<' use c"" ... ctivity, 5 hours ' talkt""', 12'" day" standby, 6 "o."' · t.Ucti ~, 16.7 day" standby, 117,55,18mm,
standby. 112xstixl4mm. 13Sg 101><60, 17"''''. 13Sg
PART CODE 99HHMOOS·OO PAltTCOOE lP~PREXN '''''
PAltTCOOE RM-SOS
.
DETAll5 www.htc.c<KTl DETAILS www.palm.c<KTl DETAJl5 www.nol:i •. co.uk
SAMSUNG LG APPLE
GT-17500 Ga laxy GT505 iPhone 3G S
**
£147 on £29-per-month, l8-month
**
Free on f20-per-month ,
32GB Black
contract
From www.o2.co.uk
l8 -mont h contract
From www.orange.co.uk
*****
10274 on f29-per-month,
£431 inc VAT £460 inc VAT 5lM-free l8-month co ntract
From www.handtec.co.uk From www.handtec.co.uk £538 inc VAT SIM-free
From www.02.co.uk
Samsung's Ga!axy is a smart-looking Android LG's GTSOS is exclusive to Orange on a
phone wit h a vivid OLED screen that makes contract. It isn't technically a smartphone, but Apple's new iPhone has a laster processor and
viewing photos and vi deos a pleasure. Its you can download Java apps in the form of graphics chip, and more RAM than previous
S-megapixe\ camera has a flash, and there's a widgets. These reside in a ba r at the bottom of models. Storage capacity has risen to 32GB
3.5mrn headphone jack. It has 8GB 01 internal the screen and can be dropped on to the home from the iPhone 3G's maximum of 16GB.
memory and memOlY card slot, so there's screen. You can auto·arrange the widgets by These changes have reduced app and data
plenty of storage for music, videos and photos. shaking the phone, and swiping a finger along (oading times dramatically without reducing
Samsung has if15la\!ed only the IxIsic the top of the screen takes you to your battery life. Wi th the latest firmware, it lasted
Android oper,l\ing system, but you have access favourite contacts. There are icons at the over 40 hours in our battery test, but it's worth
to a wealth 01 apps in the Android Mar\(et. If bottom of the screen for the dialler, contacts. noting that this was without power-hungry
you only use Goog!!' services, such as Gmail messaging and the main menu. components such as WiFi or GPS enabled.
and Goeg\e Calendar, this will sullieI', but The interface isn't intuitive, but it gives you As well as a higher megapixel count, the
there's no attempt to merge data between fast acce55 to common tasks once you're used camera now has autofocus, and you can tap on
services, as with HTCs Sense or Palm's webOS. to it. We're not fans of widgets, as they don't the scree n to choose where to focus. Exposure
S"msung h(lsn'\ insta lled any apps for give you as much control as a full app. They was good but photos suffered from noise in
viewing or editing Office documents, and while don't synchronise with services such as low light due to the lack of a flash. After you
you get some free apps lor viewing liles, you'll Exchange or Google either. so you'll have to record video, a timeline appears above it,
have to pay extra for an app that can edit enter your address book and calendar by hand. allowing you to trim the start and end,
them. We feel that Samsung has mi55ed a trick You can retrieve email from webmail (POP and Another new capability is voice control.
here comp:ared with the interface and apps IMAP services) but not Microsoft Exchange. which you activate by holding down the Home
that HTC provides with the Hero, for example. As wel( as Call and End call buttons, there's button. It only supports playing albums and
Dt-spite having a marginally larger screen a button under the screen that works as a quick calling contacts, but it worked reasonably well
than the company's Jet, the Galaxy's has a lower launcher and task manager. Along the side are in our tests. Our favourite feature is the new
resolution. so images aren't as sharp, It's better volume controls, a camera button and a lock oleophobic (oi( resistant) screen treatment,
than most other smart phone screens, though, button, The screen is bright and dear but soon which is also found on HTe's Hero, It won't
The camera appears to be the Silme as the Jet's gets greasy, and its touch sensitivity is dunl:'(. stop greasy fingerprints appearing on the
and photos suffered from the same washed- The camera is the GTSOS's best feature, as it screen. but it makes them easier to wipe off,
out colours and poor contrast in low light. takes vibrant images with not too much noise. and the screen is practically frictionless.
The phone feels well built, and the buttons There's a micro-US B port for data tra nsfer. There are drawbacks, though, The most
are large, except for the odd Home button. This which doubles as a headphone socket - a obvious is the price: the iPhone 3G S 32GB
has no icon, so its function isn't obvious at first 3.Smm adaptor with in-line remote is include d. costs £274 with an 18-month contract or £S38
glance. The central navigation rocker is a nice The phone has just 60MB of internal memory. on O;s Pay & Go. The 16GB model is slightly
touch, as Android benefits from having finer and Orange doesn't bundle a memory card. (ess e~pensive, at £ 185 and £440 respectively.
control of the cursor than a touchscreen alone Although you can download more apps for the We also dislike the way Apple ties you to its
offers. The screen feels smooth. but while the phone, they're limited to trial offers, slimming iTunes service, and insists on rubber-stamping
Galaxy has the Silme processor as the HTC apps and trashy 'mobile boch'. There's no applications - a major contrast with Android's
Hero, Android doesn't feel as well optimised. Facebook, MySpace or Twitter except through open source philosophy.
You have to hold a button on the side of the the browser, and no way to load more apps The 3G S is certainly the best iPhone yet.
phone to unlock the screen, which is annoying. from the internet. There's little reason for iPhone 3G owners to
While Sam sung's OLEO screen is better The GTSOS is well built with a good camera upgrade, but anyone else is likely to be sorely
than those on other phones. it's not as good as and screen, but is (et down by awful application tempted, It's a superb piece of engineering.
the Jet's, and its basic version of Android is support. The lack of memory is unforgivable at with grea t apps and a wonderful design, but it's
disappointing for the price. It t icks all the right this price, too. It has potential, but the GTSOS very expensive and ties you into Apple's highly
boxes lor hardware and features, but the is hardly a smartphone as Orange ships it, and regulated software. If money is no object,
Galaxy doesn't feel as if much effort has been it's inconceivable that it should cost more than though, it's still the most desirable phone on
put into it. HTe's Hero is much better value. the better-equipped Viewty Smart. the market. It wins our Ultimate award.
...
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NO HIDING PLACE
Yliur mollllS plffine and BE tim revSaI your Sxatl lol:litllin to all manner oRltlms and
6rganl5atHtinsvStewart MlltfiSlllllliks at tfi8 !:t 6RI!s and tllS tlTr6ats liRg66lct:l1tmn
hey know where you are. Not a trailer security cards - are used to pinpoint us to Within Skyhook are able to convert this IP address into a
0-_-'-
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information," says Philippe Golle, a security and
_._.
privacy expert at the Palo Alto Research Center.
-- ~!!!!!!!!I
QUOVA'
__.-••••• "But more and more people are signing up to
location-based services, often with smaller
comp.lnies. That means more people have acce55
"'-----_. 82 M.5S 105 to the traces, and the more people that have
access, the more chance there is of somebody
4
_..-
-_.; leaking. losing or stealing that information:
One suggestion for reducing the impact is to
scale back the accuracy so only the town or
---
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neighbourhood rather than the exact address is
available, but even introducing this fuzzy layer
of geo noise won't mean that people aren't able
to identify you and your addre55 from the data,
... VI!>!t www.quova.comto
even if you conceal your name.
find out how much your IP
address can reveal about "Anonymised geolocation da ta can easily be
YOIJr location and type of traced back to the person if anyone got hold of
Internet connection the records." says Golle. "It's easy to identify the
place they spend the most time, which is uStlally
users' permission before passing on their user-generated data, which does identify the home, and then the second most time. which is
locations to third parties, and send them people, but they will normally be people who the office. Even if that data is anonymised, there
remin ders that they are ~ing tracked. have agreed to be located as a condition of are many people who are unique in where they
·Privacy is a big deal because we have to using that service." spend their time, so it's very easy for anyone to
convince the public that their location won't be Google has a strict policy, too, but stresses wort oot who yoo are."
used against them: says Skyhook's Ted Morgan. that once users have given the company But is there really any reason to be
' Otherwi5e they will simply stop using it. We are permi55ion to share their data with another concerned? Can the world's corporations, the
involved in the W3C st,mdards that will govern website, it is out of Google's hands. authorit ies or even gangs of cybercriminai5
the way people can use the information. Our "To protect user privacy, the Gears really do anything harmful by knowing your
privacy policy states that the users have control Geolocation API server does not record user movements throughout the day?
and we don't know who they are. location. However, third-party sites may do "There are lots of people who'd like to see
"If they are using the standards, then so. and we recommend that users only allow what yoo are up to and where you go,' says
whenever a website asks for your location it has websites they trust to access their location: Golle. "Imagine if your health insu rance could
to prompt you for permission so you know they the company says. see how often you went to a fast- food
are doing that - it's a big p<lrt of the standard." The problem is that, for most users, it will be restaurant - they might up your premium based
Quova Similarly points out that it doesn't very difficult to keep track of which sites they on your diet. Or a ca r insurance company coold
hold any information that can identify who the have given permission to trace their location. see how fast you drive on the motorway and up
targets of it5IP-based location are, but this With an ever-widening pool of sites with access the price. That's to say nothing of how many
doesn't guarantee anonymity, to that information, the potential for data divorces there might be."
"We don't have any identifying data, we leakage grows exponentially. Although internet tracking is the biggest
just have a database that gives the location "Most of these people are reliable arK! growth area in geo-placement, mobile phone
of an IP address," says Langstaff. "Some of the responsible, and so are the phone companies tracking is the oldest of the common geolocation
third-party sites, our customers, might have who already have access to location trace standards, and still remains fairly accurate. The
eolocation te<hnology is I1Qthing new; computer's IP address," the company says. The hardware is expensive, so it wasn't too
G it has been under development since
1999, and the first patents were granted in
"Then Firefox sends this information to the
default geolocation service provider, Google
good for consumer applications.
'We use WiFi network identification,
2004. But the methods used, acc:uracy and Location Services, to get an estimate of your mapping the signals of 110 million access
the ability to patch the raw data into usable location. That location estimate is then shared points, and when your smartphone or laptop
software have come a long way. with the requesting we bsite.» picks up the signals we triangulate them. The
Mobile phone trKking and the GPS More accurate systems are being developed. network is built around private and business
services in mobile phones were the first ways IP address location was fine for identifying networks and also combines with GP5 and
of pinpointing a user's location, but web which country a computer use. is based in- cell strength information to draw a picture
browsers are making increased use of this for investigating potential credit card fraud, using the best data available.~
information as it grows more accu rate. for example - but useless for finding the Even the services that rely on IP addresses
Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome have nearest pizza restaurant. That is all changing. are getting more accurate. "Generally we can
both recently introduced location-aware "Over the last 10 to 15 years, people have get it to within 25-50 mile radius," says
browsing thilt lets websites ask the browser been working on locatio n-based services, but it Langstaff. "We use lists from ISPs, but we
where yo u are, provided you give permission. didn't always work as well as people hoped,~ also have a team of researchers that study
"If you consent, Firefox gathers information says Skyhook's Ted Morgan. "With GPS it's not network geography, the type of connection,
about nearby wireless access points and your too accurate in buildings and downtown areas. its speed and other factors.~
advocates have criticised just how easy it is for is under way at the University of Washington's
an employer or parent to give a snooping phone computer science depdrtment, where students concerned they'd be about the government, that
to workers or children without informing them. have signed up to a project that tracks both shot up to five out of five ,"
Traceamobile says it sends out occasional people and objects throughout a huge campus The concept of being monitored around the
text messages to the phone to remind or alert building. mapping them 011 a web browser that workplace or wider environments using RflO tags
them that they are being tracked, but privacy everyOfle can see. might seem far-fetched, but there are already 17
camp<ligners have in the p<lst complained that it The project's organisers issued RFIO tags million people in Britain carrying just such a
is far too easy to "borrow· someone's phone, set to volunteer students and lecturers, and also device. Londoners use Oyster cards to access
up the service, then hand bad the phOfle - all attached them to items such as keys and buses, trains and tubes in the capitaL The
primed for its role as a mobile snooper. laptops. These people and objects were then information of their movement is logged to
tracked though a network of 200 RFIO readers enable the transport authorities to apply the
spread throughout the building. right charges to the cards. Transport for London
"We have been looking at simple apps to find says this information is confidential. but the
friends or lost objects and that went fairly well, details are stored on the company's database
although usage dropped off when people got each time a passenger passes through a turnstile,
more familiar with the software and it was no and are available for the police to access,
longer a novelty: says Even Wellbourne, a The natural extension of this is the inclusiOfl
lecturer involved with the project. "But now we of similar technology in the government's
have improved the software so people can look proposed ID cards, and strategically placed
at where they've been - and ask "How olten readers to capture the location and date-stamp
have I used the stairs instead of the lilt?" - and data 01 anyone carrying a card.
compare their activities to their friends. "It has always been part of the card's design
"The key to getting people to use the to facilitate 'conlactless' operation using EPC!
technology is setting rules aboutl'lho can see RFIO chips," said a spokespersOfl for privacy
you and when. It might be that my boss can campaign group N021D, "The cards will not
only see me when I'm in my office, or it might be contain the audit trail that will be on the register,
that only people working on the same project so the cards could not (eak information about
can see me during lunchtime, but people need where citilens had been, but the various RFIO
cOfltro! to feet comfortable with the system." card encryptions currently available have been
According to the researchers, the amount hacked. Any new system could, given t ime,
of concem over privacy depended very much money and skills, also be cracked."
upon who was able to access the data, "On a Essentially. that is the danger with all
scale of one to five, when it was friends they the geolocation services. In their own right,
were not concerned about privacy: says they are innovative and often useful, but there
Wellbourne. "When asked about how concerned will be serious concerns about how the
... A student walks beneath lin RFID t&g reader lit they'd be about an employer seeing that data, information is used and secured as it becomes
the Unive rsity 01 Washing ton the rating shot up to 3.7. When asked how more widespread. GJ
SAY NO TO SPAM
Spam has become the bane of many a PC user's life. Luckily, there are ways to block
these unsolicited emails, as Simon Edwards explains
n'jone who uses email knows that powerful Outlool< email. contacts manager and popular email programs, though, and is a good
ANTI-SPAM SOFTWARE
Generally speaking. dedica ted anti-spam
programs are more accurate than the filters
choice if you doo't want to spend any money.
Cloudmark Oesktop. which is available for
Outlook Express, Outlook and Thunderbird,
costs $40 (around £26) per year. It appears
as a toolbar in your email program arK! displays
show you how to avoid exposing your email built into email programs. Some have a vast a series of options. You can choose to mark
account to spammers, but you're probably number of options that let 'Iou tune them and messages as spam or phishing attacks {where
al ready receiving some spam. improve how well they work, while others spammers send emails purporting to be from
There are three main ways to handle these become more accurate as you tell them your ba nk in an attempt to make you reveal your
unwanted messages: you ciln use your email
program's built-in anti-spilm filter, install
anti-spam software Of use an anti-spam service.
which emails are acceptable and which are
not. Many security suites include anti-spam
protection, but standalone programs are also
available. The optioru; include Cloudmark
.-_1_-
... -----
......... _...... _--
ill :::"::.."'::.::----........ - - .-
.-----_... _....-
BUILT-IN SPAM FILTERS
._-
Oesktop (l'VWW.cloudmarlccom) and SpamPal
II your email program contains an anti -Spilm (WNW.spampal.org).
filter, you can use this to move any spam you
download 10 a special email folder. If it worts
as it should, all your legitimate messages will
remain in the inbox, while the adverts, viruses
SpamPal is a free utility t hat scans email
as you download it. When it sees something
suspicious, it changes the potential spam
message's subject. For example, a spam
--
... --_
...... _
.... _--
_--
...................
...--_
...
-__-_
....
..
_... _
_...
....
..
~
and other rubbish will be stored in a folder
called spam, junk or similar.
Windows Mail. the free email program
1li that comes with Vista, has built-in junk email
message with the subject line "Enlarge
pills 4 u" would appear in your inbox as
"***$PAM' " Enla rge pills 4 u",
The program has a lot of optioos and, with
---.........
-- __........
..
i protection. XP comes with a free email program some tweaking. can do a good job of identifying
E called Outlool< hpress, but it lacks an anti-spam spam messages. However, it's not as easy to set
~ filter. You could insta\! Thunderbird. a free email up as many other programs, You'll also have to
§ program from l'VWW.mozilla,com that works with set up so-called rules in you r email program to
~ both XP and Vista, as it has its own junk filter. In move tagged spam messages automatically from ... Use yoo. emaIl program.sbu. lt- .n ant'-spam
:I contrast to Outlook hpress, Microsoft's more your inbox to a spam folder. It works with all prote<:tlon to help reduce unwanted mall
~Ic:
_.-
_ . _ _. -_
. _---
:::..-=.~..-;;:--~----'-
messages into your inbox. A spam email bin and your spam ends up in your inbox.
--
that passes through your defences is When you first start using an anti-spam
described as a false negative. When your application, you should keep an eye on your
inbox is stuffed with spam, even thou gh spam folder. It's quite likely that some
you have anti-spam protection, you're genuirn! email will end up being marked as a
suffering from false negatives. The worst false positive. Similarly, don't trust every
... Set up a tree Google Mall account for activities kind of protection suffers from both false message in your inbox, as some spam is
that may expose you to spam positives and negatives. In other words, likely to get through.
,.- .. ,.
account details} and unblock useful email that
has been classified as spam by mistake,
The beauty of this program is its simplicity.
database, you're confirming that your email
address is valid and that a human is reading
~ .
There are virtually no settings for you to play email sent to it. We don't mean to offend but. by
_---
with, and installing and setting it up is very easy. trying to unsubscribe, you're also showing that
.-__.",._-
you are a bit nai've, which makes you particularly
, - -
Every time you flag an email asspam.this
......_""
, - .---
..
.... __ .......,_-_-_.................
information is fed bad to the service, which attractive to an internet fraudster.
...... ... _
.- ,-_
helps to protect other people, Finally, spammers ra rely use their own _ _ _ 10 _
ANTI-SPAM SERVICE
computers. Online crimina15 often use hijac~ed
computers to send spam, which means that
_. _" ... __ ...... .--
- -
All anti-spam utilities and email program filters replying to spam will often just send a message
check downloaded messages to see whether or
not they're spam. Anti-spam services block the
spam before you download it, so you're less
likely to end up with viruses on your PC and,
to an innocent victim of a computer virus. This
won't do you any harm, but il won't help either,
You might be wondering how a spammer got
your address in the first place. Email addresses
.....
....
..... _ . _
.- _
... -.-.........
.... _
....
,,-, ~ .....
_ ... _ _ 100. 1
if you work on the move, you'll spend less time appear all over the intemet on websites and
and money downloading unwanted email. chat forums, in databases maintained by online
Normally, only businesses can sign up for these stores and services, and in friends' address books, ... SpamPal is tree but a little complicated to set up
serviceS; however, you can get an effective Spammers can scan websites and forums for
anti-spam service for free by filtering your mail email addresses, hack databases and use viruses from ww.v,mozilla,com, Whichever program you
through GoogleMail (see page 115). to read private ad dress books. use, you'n need to set it up to download your
There's not much you can do to prevent email before the following steps will work. We
AVOIDING SPAM your details being stolen from commercial or explain how to set up Thunderbird's spam
If there's a golden rule when dealing with government databases or from a friend's PC, filtering in the bo~ on the ne~t page.
unwanted email. it's that you must never reply but you can control how your email address
to a spam email. There are a number of reasons appears on websites and forums. Consider using USING WINDOWS MAil
why you might be tempted to reply, but no good disposable email addresses for certain activities. Even though we recommend Thunderbird, you
will ever come of it. Here's why. For example, if you sign up to use a chat forum, may prefer to use Windows Mail. This email
Spam adverts may not be all they seem. create a new GoogleMail email address for free program comes with built-in spam handling and
Sometimes a genuine business will send adverts at hltp:/imaii.googie.com and use that to create in some respects is easier to use than many of
out by email. but if you didn't ask for them, the your forum account. If tOHents of spam start to the alternatives. It has the advantage of simple
business is behaving unethically and perhaps appear in this account, simply change your email Safe Senders and Blocked Senders lists to ensure
even illegally. Would you trust such a company address to something e15e - or choose a site that that you always get email from people you
to handle your credit card? Do you believe that protects its users more effectively. ~now and never receive messages from people
the software, pharmaceuticals or designer When you sign up with some websites to you don't want to hear from.
watches on offer are genuine and not fakes? If use their services. you'll probably be asked if The anti-spam engine can be tuned to be
your only contact with a company is through the company can send you special offers. Look more or less aggressive, which means you can
spam, there are plenty of reasons to distrust ft. closely and you may also see a request to tinker with the settings until you're happy with
Another reason not to reply is that spammers provide your details to other companies, If its accuracy. You can even block email from
collect email addresses. They do this so that you want to cut spam, you should untick any specific countries, which is handy if you get
subsequent campaigns reach even more people. boxes that give this permission. Use a unique, lots of spam from China but never expect to
When you reply to an email whether to order disposable email address as well, and you can see get any legitimate messages from there.
something or to unsubscribe from the spammer's if the company has betrayed you - if spam pours
Clic~ the Tools menu option and choose
in, you'll ~now that your email
address has been sold or stolen. D Junk E-mail Options from the list. It's set
to No Automatic Filtering by default. Start by
EMAil PROGRAM choosing the Low option, which offers to move
If you use Windows Mail the most obvious spam to the Junk E-mail folder,
(Windows Live Mail in Windows
7), Thunderbird or Outlook, you
already have some anti-spam
-- . -
protection to hand. Even if
you already use an anti-spam
.-.._--_
. - ..... ..-
:::::.-:::-~-~ -- -- . -
...
--- .- 1-,--
~ =~::==.:..-
service, you should still allow
your email program to help out. _-------,--
,-
.....
----.-~-
There's also an optioo beneath this that will This means email from friends and family won't Junk. The message will be returned to your inbox.
delete the suspect email. This isn't a good idea, be classified as spam. 11 you receive email from Consider adding the sender's email address to
unless yo u're sure yoo only ever want to receive people who aren't in yoor contacts list, you can your Safe Senders list.
email from Pl!ople you list in the next step. add their addresses by clicking the Add button_
CHOOSE AN ANTI-SPAM SERVICE
n Click the Safe Senders tab and make sure
U the option <lIthe bottom, called A~ trust
e-mail from my Windows Contacts, is tided.
IJ Open your email inbox and select all the
spam messages you can find. Drag them
to the Junk E-mail folder on the left. From now
One of the easiest ways to rid yourself of spam
is to let your ISP do the anti-spam scanning for
you. On the plus side, the people at your ISP are
on, the system will check any new email you likely to know what they're doing and will be
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as sp<lm to this folder automatically.
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The downside is that you might lose a real
email message and never know about it .
-
lt isn't wise to trust the anti-spam filter's ISPs often use a filtering system such as
::I":' , - - accuracy entirely, look at the messages in SpamAssassin or Brightmail to determine
your Junk E-mail folder from time to time and, if whether or not a message is spam, but you
you find any useful mail that has been moved won't see this happening in the background.
there, right -click the message, choose the Junk This is because the comp<lnies filter your
--..--
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likely to see of the system is a web
~- ..... page with some basic controls for
changing the aggression level of the
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... free or very low-cost
anti-spam scanning simply
tag your incoming ma il with
a label to help you filter it in
HDWlD ...
Use Thunderbird
D Fi rst, ensure that your address book
contains the email addresses of people
from whom you always want to receive email.
junk icon, which looks like flames. It will probably
be located just to the right of the Sender
heading. Each message has a dot next to it that's
Click it again to turn it off, Make sure all
spam messages are labelled with the jun~ icon,
then clic~ on the Tools menu and choose Run
Clid on the Tools menu and choose Address aligned with this junk icon. look through your Junk Mail Controls on Folder. The spam should
Sook. Select Personal Add ress Book from the emailsand.whenyoufindaspammessage.click be sent to the Junk folder, Check this folder every
short list in the left-hand bar and check the once on its junk dot. This will change 10 look like now and then, and rescue any rea! email that has
names and addresses that appear. Click the New the flaming icon. bee n moved there by unticking ils Jun~ icon.
Card button to add more addresses, and dele te
any that you don't care about by highlighting
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them with the mouse and pressing the Delete
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key, Close the window when you've finished ,
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U the left-hand bar and choose Properties.
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Click on the Junk Settings option and ensure
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... Spam Arrest's approach to spam is to have
every sender verify that they're a real person and ... When you use an ISP to filter spam, you may be ... CleanMyMalibox lets yOlJ SpeCIfy who yOlJ want
not a spam'sending robot able to change the filter's settings to receive email from. and deletes everything else
'lour email application. While this means you'll and some use a spam fol de r but de lete its USE YOUR OWN DOMAIN
always receive real messages, it also mea ns you contents after a set period. If you have your own doma in name, such as
have to download the spam, which isn't ideal. example.co.uk, you can usually download your
Another option is to use a service such as DO IT ON THE WEB email from a service provided by your domain
CleanMyMailbox (INWW.cleanmymailbo..-.com), Regular travellers should consider using a name registration company.
which receives email only from addresses that web-based anti-spam service, The email provider Getting your own domain is a lot less hassle
'Iou specify. For example, you can list the moves suspected spam to a folder and you than you might think. Visit a si te such as
addresses of 'lour friends and family, and the download only the messilges you want. The INWW. landl.co.uk or http://easily. co.uk,pay
service wiH automatically delete mail from downside is that you have to work online, but around fS per year and you could have a unique
anyone else (although you can log in and there are ways to get round this problem. email address that will never change. Inexpensive
recover deleted messages). CleanMyMailbox is One way to benefit from a web-based domain services usually provide free email
free for the first week, after which it costs $ 10 service's anti-spam filter while still being able forwarding. and some will apply basic anti-spam
(around £6) per month. to work without an internet connection is to filtering to tag suspected spam messages.
Alterna tively, the Spam Arrest service (INWW. download 'lour email using an email program. You can even use 'lour own domain with a
spamarrt.'st.com) intercepts incoming email and Not aU web-based services allow this, but many fuUy featured free service such as Google MaiL
replies to it automatically. If it"s the first time a good ones do, The Google Apps service comes in two editions,
sender has sent 'Iou an email they'll receive a For example, Yahoo! Mail includes an the Standard option being free. The Premium
message informing them that they need to log in anti-spam filtering system called SpamGuard, service costs £2S per year for each email
to a website and enter an attached code number. which moves potential spam into a bul~ mail account and comes with 2SGB of storage plus a
When they do, their email is sent to you. Any folder and deletes it. It's possible to set up lot of extra options.
future emails they send will go through without Yahoo!'s POP3 system so 'Iou can download If, however, you need only a few gigabytes
a problem. This will certainly help to prevent your mail using a regular l!mail client and read it to store your emails (and that's more than
spam, but it's rather inconvenient for the sender, offline. The spam stays in its spam folder, and enough for most people), the free service is
You can add your contacts to a list of acceptable you can check through it for wrongly classified sufficient and offers fantastic value, You'U
senders to reduce this problem. Spam Arrest is email when you next connect to the internet. get Google's effective anti-spam protection,
free for the first month and costs $S.9S (around GoogleMail also works this way. If you as well as web-based and offline email, and
f3.90) a month or $SO (around f32) per year, use a web-based email service and want to it will aU wort with a neat domain name,
download messages to an email program on aUowing you to have email addresses such
WHICH FREE EMAil SERVICE? your PC, check to see if it supports either POP3 as simon@example,com, vic@example.com
Webmail services such as Hotmail and Google or IMAP. These two services support popular and sarah@example,com. GJ
Mail provide free anti-spam protect ion. If you've email programs such as Windows Mail, Outlook
signed up to one of these services, 'Iou may be Express and Thunderbird,
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able to use their anti-spam tools to cut the GoogleMail deserves a special mention,
amount of spam in 'lour inbox, because not only is it free but its anti-spam
--..--.. ..
The services provide different levels of filter is also particularly effective. The service is
control Basic controls include the ability to essentially a web-based one where 'Iou log in
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ANTI-SPAM SERVICES
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repon spam and mark messages as genuine
Technology in some of the Pentium 45, and has photographs, acquired over a range of angles, to These desktop beasts employ GPUs working in
reintroduced in the recent Core i7 processors. A create three-dimensional images of a patient's tandem with CPUs. The multicore CPU performs
thread is an independent stream of instructions, internal organs. Advanced processing methods those tasks that are inherently sequential in
and multithreading permits more than one can require several weeks of dedicated nature. It also distributes work to one or more
thread to be run on a single core. processing time on an ordinary Pc. many-cored GPUs. Today, research and
Generally. a COfe can't process more than PreviOUsly at the university, processing was development departments are major users of
OfIe thread at the same time because it has only carried out using a cluster of sometimes this technology with imaging and simulation
a single set of e~ewtion units. However, a core hundreds of PCs, but this approach is e~pensive, applications in areas as diverse as astrophysics,
that's equipped for multithreading duplicates the takes a lot of space. consumes a lot of power and medical imaging. molecular dynamics and
circuitry that stores the current state of the core, requires considerable maintenance. The financial risk analysis. Much of the software is
so it can be switched between threads. The inherently parallel nature of these computat ions custom written, although, as we'll see later, this
benefit comes mostly when the core is stalled, lends itself to using PC clusters, and for the is already starting to change with the prospect of
perhaps because it has incorrectly predicted a same reason, it's an ideal task for GPUs, as the GPU acceleration for the masses.
branch or because it needs data that iso't in its scientists at Antwerp proved. UK-based PC system builder Workstation
cache, and has to wait for data or code to be Specialists (www.WOtkstationspecialist.com)
retrieved from the memory. Under these claims its WSX2 18 Tesla is the UK's only system
circumstances, a switch to another thread could THE FASTRA PLATFORM to have lour Nvidia C1060 cards. In addition to
permit processor clock cycles to be used that Referred to as a desktop superPC, the fASTRA these GPU-based computing cards, it has two
would otherwise be wasted. platform contains four GeForce 9800 GX2 quad-core Core i7 processors clocked at up to
Intel processors have supported a ma)(imum graphics cards, each housing a pair of Nvidia G92 3.2GHz, a system memory capacity of 64GB
of two threads per core and, despite requiring GPUs. Each GPU has 128 cores, so that's a total OOR) and up to 2TB of primary disk storage. In
many clock cycles to switch between threads, of 1,024 cores being brought to bear on the task. this top-of-the-line configuration, the system
have boasted a 15-30 per cent performance Reconstructing a lull 3D volume consisting of a shows the massive potential of GPU accelerated
boost. Nvidia GPUs, on the other hand, support billion elements, a job that took several days on computing by docking up 3.73 teraflops from
vastly more threads than that. Between its 240 a cluster of four quad-core PCS can now be its 960 GPU cores. Perhaps the price might be
cores. for example, the Tes/a no GPU can polished off within an hour using FASTRA. something of an eye-opener at just over f 12,000
support 32,720 threads and can typically switch Costing just 4,000 euros (around 0,6(0) to for a fully configured system, but in terms of the
between them on every clod cycle. build, this is truly a lot of processing bang for cost per flop this is very cheap.
your buck. Nvidia estimates that to get the same level
It's common for technologies developed in of performance using ordinary processors would
THE PERSONAL SUPERCOMPUTER academia to enter the mainstream. This is require no fewer than 48 quad-core chips. Since
In the realm of CPUs, the move to multiple cores certainly true of personal supercomputing. In a the cheapest quad-core CPUs cost about £220.
has progressed only to a moderate extent departure from its roots in high-performance to match the performance of a system with four
because there's a limit to how many cores can graphics, Nvidia is fuelling this revolution with its Tesla C1060s GPU cards using conventional
be used effectively in general-purpose Tesla GPU computing cards. CPUs would cost in the region of f 100,000 for
applications. The GPU has moved much further In a move away from traditional thinking. the processors alone. That doesn't include the
down that path because graphics processing is a the Tesla C1060 GPU Computing Processor is cost of building 24 dual -processor high-
lot easier to split into many parallel threads. Each essentially a graphics card without any performance workstations to house them.
thread can work on a different part of the screen video-output circuitry. Instead, it has been
and is largely independent of the others. optimised for high-performaoce computing.
Graphics processing isn't unique in the Based on the same n o Series GPU that powers POWER TO THE PEOPLE
degree to which a task can be split into many many graphics cards, it has a 240-core processor With prices in the region of £ 10,000, GPU-
threads that are worked on in parallel. Many of with a 1.3GHl clock speed, 4GB of memory and accelerated computing may sound like it's the
the power-hungry applications that require the achieves a speed of 933 gigaflops (that's billions sole domain of those with deep pockets and
vast computing resources of a supercomputer of floating point operations per second). To put seriously power-hungry applicat ions who can
also fall into this category. Consequently, GPUs this into conted, Intel's fastest processor, the justily the e)(pense. In reality, you might be able
are now starting to enter the upper echelons of 3.2GHz Core i7, has four cores and manages 51.2 to join the GPU computing revolution now for
superpowered computing. gigaflops. AMD has followe d a similar strategy no expenditure on hardware at all. Rather than
An exciting development that was with its GPU -b<lsed range of FireStream relying on dedicated GPU computing cards such
announced by the University of Antwerp in products, which are described as stream as the Tesla C1060, some software publishers
Belgium in May 2008 shows how this approach processors. Top 01 the range is the FireStream have included support for the GPU already
can provide a vast amount of computing muscle 9270, which perfoons 1.2 teraflops (1,200 present on the graphics card inside your computer.
for a very modest outlay. The university's Vision gigaflops) from its BOO-core GPU. One of the first companies to take advantage
lab research group is involved in the Neither Nvidia nor AMD build ready -to-go of the GPU in this way is Ekomsoft, which offers
development of new computing methods for systems based on their GPU -based computing a range of password-recovery solutions that
tomography. Tomography is a medical technique cards. However, third parties have been quick to allow you to open encrypted files even if you've
that combines a large number 01 X-ray use these products in personal supercomputers. lost the password. As a processor-intensive task,
GOING MAINSTREAM
Impressive as this speed-up may sound,
password recovery isn't exactly an everyday
requirement. But CPU acceleration is .starting to
become mainstream as yet more software
publishers recognise the benefits on offer. Adobe,
for e~ample, has provided CPU acceleration for ... The WSX218 Testa
uses foor 240'core GPUs
both ATI and Nvidia graphics cards in Photoshop to bring supercomput er
C54, the latest version of this popular image- performance levels
editing software. The CPU creates a user to the desktop
interface that can be manipulated much more
responsively than would be the case if the CPU Advanced support for the CPU has even provide performance gains in 20 graphics,
had to do all the work. made an appearance in Windows 7. Of course, gaming and multimedia, irrespective of whether
Induded on the list of benefits are real-time CPU support in the operating system isn't a or not the application supports CPU acceleration.
image rotation, zooming and panning. plus the prerequisite for application support - both Meanwhile, the fact that so much CPU
instantaneous and smooth viewing of changes. E!comsoft's password-recovery solutions am! acceleration is built into Windom means that
Adobe Photoshop C54 also taps the CPU for 20 Adobe Photoshop CS4 will work with Windows the technology is becoming standard. As
and 3D compositing and high-quality anti- XP or Vista - but it does mean that some tasks software developers start to assume that a
aliasing. which makes jagged edges of text and wiU automaticaUy benefit. For example, system will have a powerful CPU inside it, we
objects a thing of the past. Windows 7 has built in transcoding so you can can expect CPU support to snowbaU. Mac
CPU computing is also enabling 'processor- drag and drop a video file from 'lour desktop to users can also now enjoy the same advantages
heavy' video-editing and transeoding applications your portable player and it will immediately since Apple added CPU ac;celerat ion to Snow
from the likes of CyberLink, Nero, ArcSoft, begin converting that file using the CPU. leopard, the latest version of Mac OS X.
Elemental and MotionDSP, as well as more Microsoft has also greatly expanded the role Thought the supercomputer was only for the
common distributed processing applications such of DirectX in Windows 7 with four new APls, aU big boys? The days of supercomputing for all
as Folding@Homeand SETI@Home. of which can take advantsge of a CPU. This wiU might come around sooner than you think. EI
II
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I,;" .
COMPUTER SHOPPeR • JANUARY 2010
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaza.net
WINDOWS CALENDAR
HDWlD ...
Arrange meetings in
WindDws Calendar
Arranging a meeting is easier if you can send someone an invite that's added to
their calendar automatically. Adam Banks shows you how with Windows Calendar
indows Calendar comes with Vista ilnd web address for the venue 0( for a map of its ~ To add the selected contact to the
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1':1 Picasa will then try to match other faces to a better one, click on the person in question add further pictures to this album using the
a with the ones you've already tagged. If it's to browse all the photos of him or her. same right-click option, but once an album is
confident - essentially, if a photo comes from Right-click the photo you like and select Set as created, it's easier to drag them to the album,
the same set - it will tag them automatically. Album Thumbnail. Another useful trick is to sort which appears at the top of the list on the left,
For other pictures, you'll need to confirm People by date so that you can see them getting Click the album name to view its contents.
whether Picasa has correctly identified them. As steadily older and wiser as you browse through Photos will appear in the order that you added
your list of tagged laces appears under the the photos! It's really simple to set up. Simply them, but you can reorder them by dragging the
People tab, those with potential extra matches right-click their name under the People heading thumbnails around the screen. Alternatively, it's
will show an orange question mark next to their on the left and select Sort Album By, Date. just as easy to right-click the album name and
names, Click on one of these and scroll down if select Sort Album By, Date.
necessary to find t he potential matches. which r:I PicaS<! 35 has improved facilities for
will have a tick and cross underneath them. 1:11 placing photos on a map, known as ~ With your photos now firmly under
Use these buttons to confirm 0( refute that geo-tagging. Click the Places tab at the W control, it's time to share the best ones
they've been correctly identified, or click the bottom-right to reveal a map of the world. with friends and family. Picasa syncs effortlessly
Confirm All button if they're all (crrect.1I Select a folder of photos t aken ilt a particular with Picasa Web Albums, which provides 1GB of
someooe h(ls been incorrectly recognised, but location, such as on holidilY. Navigate the map online storage space to host your photos.
you know who it is, simply right-dick the by dragging with the mouse and double-clding In Picasa, click the Tools menu, Options, Web
thumbnail select 'Add to People Allxim' al'l d pick to zoom in, or type in an address at the bottom. Albums. Make sure the Name Tags tickbox is
the correct l'Iame from the list. Altematively, When you've found the location where these checked and click OK. In the top-right corner of
drag the thumbnail on to the correct person photos were taken, click the green marker at the the screen, click 'Sign In to Web Albums'. Sign
under the People tab on the left. top of the map and click the point at which you in using your Gmail username and password, or
want to place these photos. Click OK, then Yes if you don't have one, click 'Sign up for Web
n PicaS<! is pretty good at correctly to confirm. If the location only relates to some Albums' and follow the instructions .
.:I identifying faces, but sometimes it misses photos in a folder, select the shots in question Once you're logged into the site via your web
a face altogether, Click the People tab at the and then tag them onto the map. To select a browser, click the Settings link at the top-right
bottom right. As you browse your library, if you series of photos, click the first one, hold down followed by the Privacy and Permissions tab. Tick
see a photo where a face hasn't bee n ident ified the Shift key and finally, click the last one. the box marked Use name tags to name people
at an, click 'Add a Person' manually at the bottom in my photos. This feature is off by default to
right, Draw a box around the face, click on 'Add a ~ When you wa l'ltto tag photos with words protect the privacy of friends and family
Name', type in their name and hit Return, ~ that aren't people's names or geographic members, so consider hiding name tags in public
locations, click the Tags button. These tags might allxims using the tick bo~ provided.
1:2 Once you've tagged quite a few photos, include a hobby or ilctivity, groups of people or You'll need to restart the Picasa software
U you'll be able to cld on people's names the time of yea r. Select a folder of images or iI before photos upload with name tag; correctly
in the left column to see all th e photos they selection of individual photos, type in a tag at embedded. Once you've done so, select some
appear in, Use the buttons towa rds the top-right the top of the Tag panel and hit OK. At the individual photos, a folder or an album and click
of the central panel to toggle between seeing bottom, you'll see recently used words appear in the Upload button at the bottom-centre of the
close-ups of faces and the full photo that they the Quick Tilgs buttons. You can easily refine screen. A new Wl!b album will ~ created
appear in. Meanwhile, in the People panel on the these by clicking on one of the free quick tilgs. automatically, or you can choose to add photos
right, you'll see a list of other people who also To search by tag. type into the box ilt th e to an existing album using the drop-down list.
appear in the selected collection of photos. To top-right of the screen. Searches wit! also include Choose from Public, Unlisted or Sign-in to decide
see all the photos with two or more particular People, folders and file names, while multiple how private your photos wiH be. Unlisted means
people, select one from the left and one or more words will find photos that match all the words. people will need to know the link to see the
from the right. To clear these filters, click the photos, while Sign-in means they'll need to have
Back to View All button in the green strip
towards the top of the screen. m Sometimes you'll want to group photos
together that come from different folders;
this is what Albums are for. Select one or more
a Picasa account and be specifically invited.
Now visitors will be able to view your web
albums, jump to photos showing specific people,
r.I Each of the People on the left is photos, right click and select Add to Album, see where they were taken and add comments,
1:1 represented by a thumbnail, lxit it's not New Album. Type in a name and any other lavishing you with praise for your fine
always the most flattering picture. To change it information you see fit and click OK. You can photography skills. Ii]
- ..
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JANUARY 2010 . COMPUTERSHOPPER
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaza.net
PRINTING PICTURES
HDWlD ...
Print multiple pictures
on one sheet of paper
You don't need complex photo-editing software to print more than one image on a
single sheet of paper, Elaine Edwards explains how easy it is to get great results
uppermost corner and initially each will be n Once yoo've chosen the layoot option
P
rinting your own digital photos is a simple
and convenient alternative to getting ticked. These indicate which photos will be K:I you wa nt, click on it. The Wizard will
them processed professionally. However, printed. If there are some pictures you don't automatically create a preview 01 the printed
it's also possible to spend hours lining up small, want to print. click in the box to deselect them. page in the right-hand box.
individual AS sheets when printing individual If the folder contains many more pictures There is also an option within this window
photos_If you only have A4 sheets, you could than you want to print, it may be quicker to click to print your images more than once, so each
a!50 waste a lot of paper if you want smaller on the Clear AU button near the bottom right, picture coold appea r up to 1S times. This is
prints. Printing mort' t han one image on to an and go throogh the pictures one-by-one, dicking useful il you want to send the same selection 01
A4 sheet could save you lime and money. the boxes 01 those you want to print. pictures to a number 01 people.
We've e~plained how to use Windows XP To print the images more than once, either
here, but Windows Vista has a similar feature n Once yoo're happy with yoor selection, type in the number of duplicates of each image
- and it's even easier to use. Select all the files 1:.1 dick on the Next button at the bottom of you want within the Dialog Box next to 'Number
you want, right -dic~ one of them and choose the window and you'll be as~ed to specify a of times to use each picture' or choose the
Print. You can set up layout5 and duplicates printer. Select the appropriate one from the number by clicking the up and down arrow
using the same techniques as listed below. drop -down menu. Click the Next button again. buttons to the right 01 it (see below).
This is a very useful function, but remember
~ You now have the opportunity to select
D Ensure aU the pictures you want to print
are in one folder, It doesn't matter if there
are other pictures in there that '100 don't want
IiJ the appropriate layout for your pictures. In
the left-hand portion of the window there are
that you will have to wt the images into
individual photos if you choose to print 10
copies of each one. This is because the Wizard
to print, because you don't have to print representations of pages, each showing different will print 10 copies of the first picture followed
everything in the folder. However, it's important layouts. Use the scroll bar to scroll through the by 10 copies 01 the second image and so on.
that the pictures you want are a\( together. options available to you. We want to have four You'll see this in the Print Preview window.
Once all the pictures are together in one pictures on one page. but there are varioos
folder, highlight the folder by left-clicking it once options to allow '100 to place two, nine or even n At this stage, you may find that you want
and the n Click on 'Print pictures', which appears 3S pictures on a single page. 1:1 to remove a picture from your selection or
in the Picture Tasks list on the left of the screen. II you're planning to display the pictures after add a new one. Click on the Sack button twice to
printing without wtting them out, it's worth open the Picture Selection window. Select or
EI The Photo Printing Wizard window wi\( grouping them according to their orientations deselect the images as before, Then click the
U now appear. Click the Next Button to before you start printing - otherwise some might Next button until '100 reach the last stage. When
continue. Large thumbnailS of all the pictures in be upside down. Yoo could put all the portrait you're completely happy with your selection arld
the highlighted folder will appear. Each individual images together in a separate lolder or select layout, dick on the Next button lor a final time
picture has a selection tickbox at its right only portrait or landscape images together. and the images will be sent to your printer. GJ
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=
4
, .. G:JL-' C -.:::c::;;,::) -
HOW TO •••
Share music with Spotify
If you want the ultimate music collection , Spotify is the perfect tool. Ben Pitt
explains how to stream tracks over the internet and create your own playlists
~ If you end up with a collection of tracks
S
potity is a revolutionary service that has
made a huge impact on the way people
listen to music. Rather than buying songs
D Spotily's homepage makes various
recommendations, but the first thing
you'!! probably want to do is to search for your
Ii.I you want to revisit, click on the words
'New playlist' on the left, type in a name for the
up front, users subscribe for a flO monthly fee, favoorite music. Type the name of an artist, playlist <lnd drag tracks or albums to it You can
which gives them unlimited acct'S5 to millions of album or track into the Search ba r at the top and also drag tracks from your recent search results,
trilch with exceUent sound quality. It's not the hit Return. To playa track, double-click its name. the play queue or any ot her location. It's e<lsy to
only subscriptioo-based music service, but it's Alternatively, click on an album title to view the find a track yoo've recen!!y listened to, simply
easily the best, and it makes it simple to discover tradlisting and listen to in its entirety, or did dick Play queue then the Histoty tab.
new music and recommend it to friends. on an artist name to see all their available music.
Spotify also has a free service that's funded To revisit your search results, use the Back n It's easy to share music recommendations
by banner and audio advert5. However, its buttoo at the top-left of the screen. You'll <lLso 1:1 with other $potily users. Right -click any
phenomenal success has meant that Spotily is find links to the l<lst five se<lrches just below. track, album, artist or playlist and select Copy
currently not accepting any more new Spotily URL, and paste this link into an email or
subscribers to its free service except by invitation E'I Most artist listings include a biography, blog. Alternatively, drag a track, album, artist or
- Premium subscribers can invite two friends to U a Top hits sectioo with the five most play list name directly into your email software.
the join the free 5ervice each month, popular tracks plus a list of similar artists, These Yet <lnother w<ly to sh<lre recommendations is
Doing away with adverts isn't the only are great for finding new music that you might to right-c~d; any item and select Share to,
incentive to pay £ 10 a month for $potily like, <lnd the Top hits serve <IS a useful F<lcebook. This creates a link on your F<lcebook
Premium, This service also runs on the iPhone, introduction to an artist's work. At the top of profile with minimal effort.
iPod Touch and phooes running Google Android, some pages is an Artist radio tab, which It's also possible to let other people edit your
streaming music over WiFi and 3G connections. recommends music by other similar musicians, play lists to encourage some dialogue. You might
It also allows U5ers to cache up to 3,333 tracks These are listed with deta ils of the genres and start a play!ist called 'Ultimate Rock Anthems',
for playb.ack where there's no network coverage. decades their work appears in. Everything in and see what your friends decide to add to it To
Visit www.sporify.com.dick Get Started, Buy Spotily works as a link, so click a decade or genre do so, right-dick the play!ist's name and select
Premium and enter your details. Choose a to see more music that fits th05e pa ram eters, 'Collaborative Playlist'. Anyone can edit or delete
U5emame carefully as this will appear when these. so be careful where you post it.
sharing music with others. Download and run ~ Rather than just listening to the first few
the installer,launch the application, enter your 1::,1 seconds of each track, drag tracks to the r.!I Se<lrch Google for 'Spotily pl<lylists' and
usemame and password and, finally, tick Play queue on the left of the screen. Tracks will 1:1 you'll find numerous websites that let
'Remember me' You might also have to unblock now play in the order in which you add them to people publish their playlists, Use these sites to
the application in yoor firewall - if a request this list. Click on the Play queue to view the list spread the joy With your own favoorite music, or
appears, click Unblock, Yoo'll then be greeted and to change its order, Entire albums can be to discover wh<lt other people <Ire listening to,
with a Welcome screen, but ignore that and added to the Play queue too - simply drag the Clicking a link on a website is all it takes to
click Close to get straight down to business. album title acroS5 and its tracklist will pop up. import a playlist to yoor own Spotily account. Ii]
------_.. _...-
-----
_. .
..; ~..
HDWlD ...
Sync files with SyncTDY
Synchronising the contents of two folders is a clever way to make easy backups,
particularly if their contents don't change very often. Ben Pitt explains how
veryone knows how important it is \0 back either an entire disk or a specific folder. For the player or satnav. Alternatively, you might choose
- .... - .....
.. -_... _...... _•-.- -- --
--
-' •-- - __ H,,_
----~-~
,- - --
-
...-
...!..-
,,-
..
--
.-
HOW TO •••
Test your hard disk
A fault with your hard disk can see all your data wiped out. David Ludlow
shows you how to check your drive with the free GST Drive Fitness Test
W
e've all become used to having masses
of storage space, which most of us
SlUff full of gigabytes of photos.
._-•
videos, music aod important documents without
- ---
.. - -- ---
a second thought. As wonderful as this all is, hard
disks are mecharlical and therefore quite
sensitive. They can deteriorate rapidly and, even
- I
--1-
. _--
Bits and pieces How HTTP and P2P f ile sharing works file that they are increasingly being used by
commercial content providers as a way to
HTTP _____-'.2.
-- reduce their own bandwidth requirements. One
such example is the peer-assisted content
delivery network Kont iki, which is used by
video-on-demand services including 40D and Sky
Anytime. The Kontiki client combines pieces of a
file downloaded from a central server With other
pieces exchanged over a P2P relationship with
other end-users, speeding up each individual's
download and reducing the server bandwidth.
Kontiki claims to provide a 'netwocK topology
aware' system, where centralised servers gather
infocmation on connected clients and use it as
the basis for intelligent connections between
peers. These are optimised by proximity on the
network, so priocity is given to peers within the
same local network or on the s.ame ISP, with the
aim of maximising the bandwidth between peers
and minimising slow and unreliable net traffic.
EXPRESS DELIVERY
While both conventional downloads and P2P
transfers send data through the internet, another
distribution mode! reduces reliance on the net to
a minimum. So-called Content Delivery
Netwocks {CDNS}, such as that run by the US
firm Akilmai, use a privately owned network of
Three PCs (leechers) want to download a file (divided into three pieces: A, B and C) from a servers and links to distribute content in parallel
fourth PC (seed). With a one-to-one protocol such as HTIP (top left), a distinct copy of the file with internet traffic, reducing the reliance on
is sent to each PC at a high bandwidth cost to the seed. With P2P, (ll t he seed PC sends piece A congested and unpredictable public links.
to leecher I, (2) which forwards it to leecher 2 while the seed sends piece R to leecher 3. Next, In the most typical implementation, Akamai's
(3) the seed sends piece C to leecher 2 and is no longer involved, while leecher 1 downloads network acts as a transparent mirror site for its
piece R from leecher 3. (4) Leecher 3 now sends piece R to leecher 2, which sends piece C to customers' content. Visitocs to a client's website
leecher 1. (5) In t he final step, PC 1 sends piece C to leecher 3. All three leechers can become receive some data from the client's servers, but
new seeds for the fi le, but the init ial seed has only sent one copy, using a third of t he bandwidth requests for certain content - typjcaUy larger
HTIP requ ired, The initial seed's bandwidth savings are far greater in real, far larger, peer groups. files or file types requiring optimum QoS - are
redirected to Akamai's network, which .stores
duplicates 01 that content on various servers
As with the original Napster, this can be as network, removing the need for a central server. hosted around the world. The network uses
simple as contacting a centralised server that By using a technique known as Distributed Hash infocmation such as the visitor's location to
maintains a list of participating clients and the Tables {DHTs}, the responsibility for maintaining determine the most suitable server from which it
files hosted by each, but although this approach the tracker data is spread among the nodes on should provide the requested data, which ideally
is efficient, it also means that a server problem the system in such a way that it is resilient to traverses a minimal amount of the internet
can halt the whole network. Another approach is any of the nodes dis.appearing - as frequently before reaching the visitor. While a (DN's
to decentralise the netwock, so that each peer happens when a user loses their internet customers must pay for using it to distribute
must find others by searching through a connection or simply tums their PC off. their content, they make s.avings by reducing
pre-supplied list of those that are likely to be their bandWidth, and have greater control over
working. along with its own locally held lisL REDUCING NETWORK TRAFFIC its quality and availability to the end user.
Even when operating as a decentralised netwock, Although caching. P2P and CDNs are all
FLOODING THE GROUP BitTorrent's use of DHTs provides a structured effective ways to streamline the delivery of
On a decentralised, unstructured network, a way for a peer to find others who have the content across the internet, various groups are
cOll1pt1ter that has established a suitable peer content it needs. This removes the need for working to improve current implementations,
groop looks for content by 'flooding' the group flooded queries, reducing network traffic, but often combining existing ideas in new ways,
with a request that goes to each member. This crucially, it also means that a file can be found One example is Proactive Network-Provider
will discover peers with widely di.stributed and downloaded even if it 's hosted on only a Particip.ation for P2P, oc 'P4P', which provides a
content such as a recent TV programme, for single active machine in the entire user base. way for ISPs to publish details of their network
e~ample. It's less likely to find rarer content Ri!Torrent transfers data along the s.ame lines structure to P2P software. Armed with such
thoogh, such as an obscure MP3 file, which may as other P2P protocols. A peer - known as a seed infocmation, P2P clients can prioritise peers that
exist in the wider network of P2P users, but not - that hosts a file makes it available as a number are within the same ISP network - tests show
within a given group of peers. Another downsi de of identically sized pieces, typically around that this improves download speeds and reduces
of flooding is the large amount of signalling 2S6KB. Another peer - known as a leecher - the data flowing between an I$P and the net.
traffic it creates between P2P netwock nodes. requests these pieces and, as they begin to arrive, Work is also under way to improve P2P's
Ri!Torrent, the most widely used P2P itself makes them available to ability to stream content in real time.
protocol at present, can operate as either a other peers who wish to Ne~tShare, described as an
centralised or decentralised netwock, The download the file. A key tactic FURTHER READING open-source P2P video-
protocol ociginally relied on central servers is foc leechers to target the BitTorrl!flt delivery platform, expands on
maintaining indexes of available content and rarest pieces of a file first. to ~bi(torrem:.org the BitTorrent protocol While
'trackers', which co-ocdinate communications balance the ava ilability of all The P4P workJ Ilg group it's not yet in widespread
between peers who are sharing a specific file. of its content, and by doing so, www,OfJenp4p.II<'( public use, its developers, the
While the introduction of multi-tracker maximise the speed at which P2p-Next P2P-Next Project, claim that it
torrents helped to improve resilience in this it can be downloaded. WWw·plp-lI<'xtorg will allow everyone "to
model. a later innovation was to introduce Peer-to-peer protocols are broadcast a live stream, such
Ahmai HOVIdeo NetWOrk
distributed trackers, where the information is so effective at reducing the ~akamili.«>m as a live webcam or TV channel,
spread throughout nodes on a SitTocrent load on the initial seed of a to millions of users". EJ
><
W I
f 'IOU aren't designing ')lOur website for mobile
browsers, you're weI! behind th e times. Thanks to a
new generation of smartphones, iPhones and iPod
Touches, a growing proportion of 'lour visitors are likely
to be bored commuters, kids on the school bus, or
The secret is to use one page, two style sheets and a
few lines of PHP to detect which browser th e viewer is
using. and then pick the most appropriate style sheet
for the device through which the visitor is browsing.
disappointed dates who are passing the time before IDENTITY PARADE
making their excuses. Do 'IOu wa nt 10 turn th em away? Every browser - mobile or des~top - identifies ilself to
$tat(ounler's stat s have the iPhone and iPod Touch th e .server from which it loads pages. Its name is part of
topping the mobile browser polls. Aggregating their the User Agent, which is a string of data containing its
ma<1<et share for May 2009 shows them responsible for name, version and rendering engine. You can test this
more than one third of all handheld browsing. Opera's by creating a new page containing the following code:
mobile edition accounted for a quarter, and Nokia
trailed in third place with 17 per cenL None of these <?php
browsers win trip up on a regula r page, bu l if 'Iou want tbrowser - t _SERVER [ ' HTTP_USER-AGENT ' ) ;
your site to fea ture in 'lour visitors' bookmarks 'Iou echo t browser;
should follow the lead of the Guardian and the SSC.
They both offer mobile versions of their sites that strip
down the pages to their fundamentals. We don't mea n Save it with a .php extension. upload it to your server
plain text or anything as primitive as WAP - just easy- arld browse to it twi ce: once in 'lour regular browser,
lo-read, easily scanned pages Iha t help 'Iou navigate and once in a rival browser instaUed on your machirle.
with the touch of a finger and present as much detail Each will display a different line of da ta identifying
as possible at each screen's default zoom level the specific brow.ser build. In Internet Explorer, it will
Here we'll explain how to make your website wo<1< include the term 'MS IE'. In Safari, you should.see the
on a mobile device - without doubling up content on word 'WebKi\', and if you view it on an iPhone or iPod
each page. Google hates duplicate content, and if you Touch, it wiU irlclude the words 'i Phone' or 'iPod'.
INTRODUCTION want to maintain the good search ranking for which We can interrogate this information using PHP and
you've worked so hard, 'Iou should do all 'Iou can to a search command that hunts out a specific portion of
Remember when browsing the ensu re that the page content features in Google's text. That command is strpos, which looks for a string
internet on your phone was OiIn database just once. furthermore, if 'Iou were to create of teKt (hence the 'str' part of the command) and
expensive curiosity? Mobile two versions of every page it would be more work and returns the position at which it appears (the 'pos' pa rt
browsers w ere instruments of take up twi ce the space on th e server. of th e command). The result is a number pirlpointing
visual torture that mangled how ma ny characters into the data the
pages and kept you wlliting string starts or, if it doesn't appear, returns
for seconds at iii time as they a fail. This failure is key to the job in hand.
downloaded primitive card
stacks. These days, however, . .,,, :;3-"" CODE BREAKERS
it's become a matter of
--,- - .. As we want to create a page that
.-- , .._,,-_....,
routine to check the latest --1,.- '''''- --" automatically picks a regular style sheet
cricket scores from II cllfe, " ...... for full-size browsers and a mob ile one for
emilil from the train and iPhones and iPod Touches, we can use
watc.h YouTube as you stand the command to search through th e User
in line at the bank.
The easy availability of - ,,_.--- . --.
•
• ---.
Agerlt lor the terms 'iPhOrle' arld 'iPod'
and, if eithe r appears, show just the mobile
always-connected mobile
devices with all-you-can-eat
..-
.......... _...... --.'-'- stylesheet. Create a new file (we've called
ours news.php) and enter the code in the
browsing tariffs hilS changed
the way we use the net
forever. Catering for mobile
- screenshot on the left (or download it
from lWMI.shopperexpert.(Q.uk) . Pass
this file to 'lour server and load it in your
viewers is no longer an _._._M_",
_ _ ,_w, ___
.."'...... _____ ..,_ N"__ .......
_._._ ._~
browser. The results aren't very inspiring,
optional extra for the jobbing _ _ . - . ·.. _ _ ... . . - . . _ .... u ........ _ _ _ .... _
but they're really just the building blods:
__.__.
_ _ . . . ._ . . . . ._ . . . .M
web designer - it's a must. all the information is there on the page,
Fortuniiltety, it's eelsy to uter and it just needs styling.
._...... - .......
to their needs with it little bit
of CSS and some snippets of
PHP, as we'll show you here.
' -----..-.....
...............
~..-..
.. -...... _.-
The most important part is th e PHP
code that appears betwee n the opening
c:?php and the ?> that precedes the
.- '.
'.N'''-'--_
.::title> tag. This .section interrogates the
User Agent and selVes up the appropriate
Nik Rawlinson style sheet. In this ca.se, we have created
Web deV!!loper Orle style sheet lor iPhOrle and iPod Touch
... The PHP code needed to determine which browse r is being used is use rs, and another for visitors using a
actually quite simple regular browser on a desktop or laptop
... --
computer. Section-by-section, it worts like this.
-_._-----
..----~
...
---,
The <?php is the standard opening for a section ~
-----_ -
CO
of PHP code. It tells the browser not to render guardian
the code as part of the page, but to act on any
commands it includes. It is balanced by the
..... "... . ...
= .. _-----------
-~
This is in effect the same code as above, but this TAKING THINGS FURTHER
time it checks for the word 'iPod', which you'll You can create an unlimited number of style
remember is stored in the Sipod variable. This section of code tells the browser which style sheets for yoor websJte arld layer as many
If it doesn't find it (the result is 'false'), it will sheet to use if the result of either 'strpos' test conditional strpos tests as necessary within the
execute the line that follows. If not, it will do the returned anything other than 'false' to indicate PHP segment to pick the right one. This gives
same as it did with the iPhone search line and that we were using an iPhone or an iPod Touch. you a great level of control over how your page
jump forward to the line mariced 'else'. It calls in a different style sheet called 'iphone.css·, renders in each particular browser. but it needn't
be confIned to detecting mobile browsers.
COMMAND PERFORMANCE With just a few tweaks, it's an effective means
07:25
Tl>e H __
At this point, we've done all our checking and we of remaining backwards-compatible with older
know that we're not using an iPhone or an iPod browsers while also catering for your most
Touch. We could add further commands to check oHIIoe.co.uklnews php CI up-to-date audience.
for Android, Symbian and mobile versions of Furthermore, by using a refresh command
Opera, but for the sake of brevity we'll assume Hr.' ah.'n~ .. I.. ri.· .. within the text you 'print' on to the page, yoo
we're happy with the results and act on them. cat gets stuck up tree can open different pages to users of older
browsers. Online banks routinely use this tactic
--
Breaking stories
~:--.:::-----
-=- lews
Neather
port
rossword
"'~ I
Next month
DEOICATED WEB HOSTIN Ci
,"-' ... The page on lin IPhone with style sheets switched Discover how a dedicated server could
... Our news.php page as It appears In a reg ular to the mobile edition, wtl ich left-a ligns the heade r, benefit yo ur website
browser. with a Sidebar. a headline and a teaser reVI!fSeS Its colou r and puts the lI nl<.s below the text
B since version 1, inherited from the full version Sometimes it's enough just to browse through the
r-: W
L..- 01 Photoshop. They're probably the most blend modes and pick one that (ooks good, but knowing
::::J LAYERING UP
Before we begin dissecting the ins and outs of blend
brOild categories. After Normal and Dissolve, the next
group produces images that are darker than the original
~
modes, let's get up and running so you have something images. Darker Color is perhaps the simplest. It
to experiment with. We'll be using Photoshop Elements, compares each pixel from the top layer with the
but you can follow this tutorial using any image editor corresponding one underneath, and shows whichever
that supports blend modes, such as Paint Shop Pro or pixel is darker. Darken is very similar, but rather than
Serif PhotoPlus. First open a pa ir of photos; pick those compare the brightness of each pixel, it breaks them
that aren't excessively busy, bright or da rk. Type Ctrl-A down into red, green and blue channels and applies the
to select one of the images and Ctrl-C to copy it, then effect separately for each channeL As such, it can
jump to the other image and type Ctrl-V to paste the produce subtler results with less of a visible seam
first one over the second. If the Layers palette iso't between the two layers,
visible on the right, open it from the Window menu. Multiply is the equivalent to having a slide projector
Next, select the upper layer and adjust the Opacity with two slides jammed into the holder. If one 01 the
slider. This is like a volume control for the layer: 100 per layers is solid white, the other layer will be unchanged.
cent makes the top layer completely cover the lower If one is black, the resulting image will be black, Other
layer, Similarly. 0 per cent makes the upper layer colours will produce a mix of the two layers. with the
disappear. Intermediate values blend the two layers. brightness of each mult iplied together. For example,
Now restore the Opacity to 100 per cent, dick on two pixels of mid -grey (SO per cent brightness) will
the word Normal just to the left and select Dissolve. At produce a dark grey (25 per cent brightness, as 0.5
first, no change is visible, but if you adjust the Opacity, multiplied by 0.5 equals 0.25).
you'll notice that, rather than blending the colours of
both images, each pixel shows either the upper or lower BURN, DODGE AND OVERLAY
layer. The proportion of the two layers is defined by the Linear Burn works in a similar way to Multiply, but
Opacity value. Dissolve is the least interesting 01 the because colour values are subtracted rather than
blend modes, as the results tend to look harsh and multiplied, the effect is generally stronger, producing a
digital. Other blend modes combine layers in much darker resulting image, Color Bum is similar to linear
more interesting ways, so work your way through the Burn, but it preserves intense colours in the lower layer.
list to get an idea of what's possible. These five blend modes that darken images have
INTRODUCTION Once you've changed the blend mode with the equivalents in the next group, all of which lighten
mouse, you can jump to the next mode with the up and images. lighten and lighten Color are the opposites of
From party invitations to down arrow keys on the keyboard. Unlike Normal and Darken and Darken Color. They show whichever pixel is
corporate logos, ma ny graphic Dissolve, all the other blend modes have the biggest the brighter of the two layers, while lighten processes
des ign tas ks invo lve st acking effect when the Opacity is set to 100 per cent. If the the red, green and blue channels separately.
im ages o n to p of each othe r. If effect is too garish, reduce the Opacity to tone it down. Screen is the inverse of Multiply. It's akin to having
th e results seem a little fillt , two projectors, each with its own
blend modes offer a dramat ic slide, projected on to the same screen.
way to add some dynamism, The results tend to look pasty and
maki ng t he laye rs in teract in overexposed, but for wispy, ethereal
a ll sorts o f exciting ways. effects and to give a bright
Blend modes a lso have their background for dark text, it's
uses in phot o -e diting t asks, extremely useful. linear Dodge and
from adjust ing t he lighting to Color Dodge are the opposites of
radica lly a ltering colours. In linear Burn and Color Burn, and give
t his works hop we'll explain brighter, punchier results than Screen.
how t o use blend modes, and Th e next group of blend modes
reveal som e t echniques for boost the contrast of images: bright
getti ng th e most o ut o f th em. areas get brighter and dark areas get
darker. In Overlay mode, whenever a
pi~el in the lower layer is darker than
Ben Pitt mid -grey, the upper pixel is combined
Mus icand
photography expert in Multiply mode. If it's lighter than
.to. The Colo. Dodge blend mode gi ves the impression that this text is sprayed mid -grey, it's combined in Screen
onto the wall. while Linea. Light was used to superimpose the face mode. Th e result ing image tends to
Next month
IM PROVE HOME MOVIE AUDIO
... We've used a blue adjustment layer set to ... The Hue blend mode allows us to paint new Make sure your video sounds professional
Multiply blend mode on the left-hand side of the colours on the car panel. while retaining the with the help of our tips and tricks
picture to deepen the colour of the sky brightness and saturation of the original Image
><
W
H
ackers are entirely motivated by money, and
they'll use any trick they can to get information
that they can either sell or use to make cash.
While linux has been relatively immune to altack5, as
its instal! base was too small, its increasing popularity
means that hackers now have the OS in their Sights.
this is set to 'All opt'n source application' before
entering the word 'firestarter' in the box to its right
and pressing Return.
The firestarter application should appear in the
pane below the search box. Click the square tick box
next to it to select it for installation and finally click
As such, you need to boost the security of your the Apply Changes button at the bottom left of the
><
::::J
computer. For 5tarters, every computer on the internet
needs a firewall to protect it from unwanted intrusions
by hackers, for example. Increasingly, Linux also needs
anti-virus protection. Security companies are now
waking up to the threat to linux operating systems
posed by malware, and have begun supplying basic
window. Click the Apply button in the next pop-up to
confimn that you want to in5taU Firestarter. You may be
asked for your password in a subsequent pop-up. If this
happens, enter it, click OK and Ubuntu wiU download
and instaU the latest version of Firestarter. Ooce
complete, click Close. Firestarter should now be
linux versions of most of their products. installed and ready to protect your computer,
Z THE FIREWALL
The purpose of a firewal! is to inspect every data packet
attempting to enter or leave the computer, and decide
To open Firestarter's user interface, click on the
Administration option on the System menu. The first
time you run it, after entering your password to confirm
you want to make changes to the system, you'll see a
whether or not to aUow it on its way or to block it. configuration wizard. Click forward to continue.
...J f irewal(s are very closely connected to the operating
system itself and have to be capable of running at top
spt'ed without introducing any significant drain on
The next screen on the wizard allows you to assign
the firewa Uto a specific network connection. This
should defa ult to EthO if you have a single wired
resources or network pt'rfomnance. connection, which is correct, so leave it as it is. If you're
Some commercial firewaUs have a vast range of using a wireless network card, ifU either be set as the
features, However, at their most basic, firewal(s simply default option or will be available on the IXlIl-down list.
need to decide whether to allow or 'drop' packets based Your internet gateway usually assigns alll'Cs on
on a set of rules. Configuring a firewall is therefore a your network an II' address when they boot up. Unless
matter of writing these rules to tell it which types of you've chosen to disable this and assign II' addresses
networt traffic to let through, and which t o block. manually. tick the box marked 'II' address is assigned via
Linux traditionaUy comes with a firewall caUed DHCP' before clicking the Forward button again.
iptables that requires system administrators to set it up There's no need to enable connection sharing on
using extensive configuration files, For the rest of us, your Ubuntu machine, so you can safely press forward
however, there's a far friendlier firewall called aga in and finally click Save. The ma in Firestarter control
Firestarter. like most firewalls commonly used on panel now pops up. The firewall status pane should
Microsoft Windows, this is an entirely graphical show it as being active.
application that makes configuration very simple,
ACTIVE CONNECTIONS
INSTALLING FIRESTARTER There are two important buttons on the Firestarter
Firestarter is an open-source application. To install it, control panel. The first is Lock Firewall. When you hit
first click on the System menu, then Administration, this, Ubuntu's firewall immediately blocks all incoming
INTRODUCTION and select Add/Remove from the menu. In the and outgoing traffic and the status icon changes to a
left-hand pane of the subsequent window, click on padlock. It's the button you should click if you think
Linux is wide ly conside red t o the Internet category. There's a pull-down menu at something suspicious is happening. Clicking this bulton
be mo re secure than Microsoft the top of the window marked Show. Ensure that for a second time unlocks the firewall and it continues
Windows. This is partly du e t o
it s open-source nature, which
allows anyone t o instant ly
spot and report progriilmming
errors and vulnera bilities in
_LoKt. _ _ _
.. . _ .. _--
-----.
+
th e ope rating syst e m and
its applicat ions.
It's not immune from
attack, t hough. This month
-
-- ,-
• •
--- _.--_..._-...--.
- .. ---
_. - - _
...
-
__ ~ 0
we'll show you how to boost
security by configuring Linu x's
built-in firewa ll a nd installing
a
- - .... . , .. 00-
Jan ThompsDn
IT COlTespondent ~_
--
--...- - --
' .--
~
--
I\;t.
" sudo sh BI t
.._... ,,-
drag and drop a file or directory on to the Drop
Zone icon, it'll instantly be scanned. Otherwise,
the Drop Zone accepts files for 5Car"lning and
-
firewall so that web browsing will worl:. displays a numeric tally as you add more. If you
In the lower pane of the Policies tab, and - -"-'-'''' want to. you can right-click on its icon and select
with Outbound trallic policy selected, right-dick
- -- ......
-- --_ .. _- 'Start scanning', to scan the lot in one go. t!]
on the window's bottom pane and select Add
..
Rule. This produces a small pop-up window.
Select HTTP from its pull-down menu. Under the - .
-_
option entitled 'When the source is', choose
Anyone. Click the Add button to add your new
rule to the list and it will automat ically activate.
-_. Next month
STORE FILES SAFELY
We show you how to back up everything
Do the same for HTTPS (the secure version of ... To scan a file or folder for viruses and malware, from single files to entire disks
the HTTPprotocolusedwhenbuyingthings simply open It lind let BltDefender do its stuff
::::J ><
W
David Ludlow explains how to back up your personal files
tJ
W
on your computer to an external storage area,
It doesn't matter If your PC IS stolen Of breaks down
NETWORK
Using your optical drive to STORAGE
make bac~ups may seem a If you have more than one
good idea. After all, the computer, consider using
media is cheap (CDs cost a network-attached storage
less than 15p each and (NAS) device to store
8.5GB dual-layer DVDs cost your backups. A
around GOp) and capacities PRO Che~p ~ nd MSY combination of an external
are relatively high. However, CON Hard t o update hard disk and a network PRO lots of people
backups can bac k up at once
you can only write to a CD BEST FOR Ardllvlng files port, a NAS device can be
CON Clln be hard to
or DVD once, unless you that woo't need chllnglng accessed from any config ure; relatively slow
buy pricier rewritable discs. such liS digital photos network-connected BEST FOR Homes with
This means that making a computer in your home. multiple computers
copy of your documents folder will require a new disc The whole family can use
every time you do SO. This soon becomes impractical. one to share files and store backups centrally. You can
These discs can still be useful. though. Onceyou've even access some NAS devices over the internet.
processed your photos and edited them, it's unlikely Prices are reasonable, With 500GB devices currently
you'll ever go back an d change them again. These files available for around £80. Aside from being able to share
can be copied to disc and stored. This is ca\led archiving. storage around your home, NAS devices can be placed
and it's different to bac~ing up. If you're serious abou t out of the way, such as in the loft.
digital photography, take two copies of each set and Look for a device that contains multiple hard
keep OfIe at home and store one with a friend or family disks and supports RAID 1 (mirroring) or 5 (parity).
member who lives at a different address. This way, if These mean that your data is protected against a single
the worst happens and your PC is stolen or destroyed disk failing in the NAS, so you always have
by fire, you still have a copy of your pictures. some protection against mechanical faults .
--
. --_.
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.--
.--
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-
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.-
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_. _. . ... ..
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MAKING AN ONUNE BACKUP CHOOSE WHAT TO BACK UP back up files, which is advisable if you've just
On ce you've chosen your backup media you can We'd recommend that you choose which files and created or edited an important document.
use your favouri te backup 1001, or the built-in folders you wan t to back up manually, making
Windows application. to save copies 01 your files. sure that you only select the most important RESTORE FILES
However. for really important files it's wOI'th and valuable files to store online. Other files can Clicking the Restore Now button under Backup
backing up online. Here we're using Webroot be backed up using alternative methods to one lets get your files back. If you click Next on the
Backup, which is included as part of Webroot of the other storage methods we've outlined. first screen you can view aU your backed· up files,
Internet Security Essent ials. The steps here are Put t icks in the boxes of the folders and files but you can also select a date if you know when
similar for oth er online backup services. that you wan t to back up. The meter at the your file was backed up or if you want to restore
bottom of the screen shows you how much disk to a specific version. You can also filter backed-
ACCESS BACKUP SETTING space you choices will ta~e up. You'll also get a up files by type, making it easier to find one.
To access your backup settings. dooble-click the warning if you exceed your online storage limit. On the next screen, put a tick next to the
Webroot icon in Windows' Notification Area. If Click Next when you're done and you'll be folders and files you want to restore and dick
you haven't yet created your free <lecount, you'll prompted to set your backup schedule. You can Next. You then get the option to restore files to
need to dick the link to create an account and select how often the backup fI.lns in terms of the ir original location or to a new one. Restoring
then type a username and password into the weeks, although the default of once a week is to a new location makes sense if you want to
web page, Once you've done this it will take up sufficient. Then select which days you want the compare muhiple versions of files. Click Next
to an hour for your account to be created. backup to run. For important files, selecting thell Finish to restore your files.
Restart your computer and you'll be every day is a good option.
prompted to type in your online backup Click Next and then Next agai n. On the EASY ONLINE ACCESS
usemame and password. You can t ick the box to following screen you'll see a summary of your One of the advantages of online backups is
remember your password. backup settings. Click Finish to apply them. You that you can access your files from anywhere.
Go bad to the Webroot Internet Security should run a backup manually now, so that your for Web root just visit http://myaccounr.
Essentials main window and you can click on the files will be safe in the event of a problem. Click webroorbackup.com and log on to the web page
Backup button to configure your backup settings. the Backup Now button. You'll get a pop·up using your username and account. Click Manage
By defa ult the software will be set to b.1ck up all message from the Notificat ion Area telling you Shares and you can browse through any files
the user accounts on your computer, which is that your files are being backed up. You can use that you have backed up. Click on the Share\
bound to exceed your 2GB limit. You can click the Backup Now button every time you want to Recover link next to any file 0( folder for more
the Increase Online Storage Button link and options. On the next page cliding the file or
upgrade your space to between 5GB and 50GB folder will download it to your Pc. Click the
for between £20 and £50 per year. Share button and you can send a friend a link to
the file for them to down!OiId.lt's a handy way
~ -- .. -rr::::::-
0fIIne e.cllwp Prog....
Order online at
www.webroot.co.uk/wise
Owebroot"
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaza.net
ffi ~ Adv~nced ~outer
tJtJ configuration
zw Last month we showed you how to deal with your router's IP
~i3
address settings, this month David Ludlow explains some of
its more advanced settings and shows you how to use them
nee you've got your router working the way you works you know Ihal your router is connected to the
D want it to, there's nothing more frustrating that intemet properly and can locate websites.
cO:::
having a serious problem that requires you to Next is the Ping test. This lets you see if a computer
reset the whole thing and start all over again. on the internet or your local network is alive and
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way: it's easy responding. For exam ple, if we were to use our rou ter to
to bdc~ up and restore your rou ter's configuration. ping 209.85.227.99 we'd be t esting that our internet
_...__-...
-
you give up, check your
router's manual - router
manufacturers ilil put
options in different plac!!s,
so it may just be that you 're
.-- ....
- --........
..... "'~
David LudlDw
Edito r
'" 11'. ~Iw~y. wi.e 10 b;oock up ~n d re.lore your rouler'. '" You, ,oule,'s diagnoslics p3ge leis you 110.1 you,
conliguratiOll. SO that yoo can restore settings quickly internet connection and reboot the device
--
F ____
----
-", . ..
---
-- --.
'-- - _..--
----
"
--..._----
_--
'_00 _ _ - ." - - -
-~-
'-----
--
-- ---
------
'-"'--'---
& II'S possible 10 set up remot e access to your compute r through your ro uter ... You can often configure the advanced setti ngs on your router SO that
settings, but only allo w thi s high leve l of access to you r PC 11 11'S vital tt>e Wireless network is avai lable only duting cenaln ti mes of the day
Selecting a different port number other than firmware or increase reliability. It's likely that Find the Upgrade option in your rooter's
the usual port 80 for web traffic is good for two yoor router will have an update available for it, settings and click the button to choose the file
reasons: fir5t, a hacker won't stumble across it by particularly as the S02.111'1 sta ndard has now to upgra de. Navigate to the file that you've
simply point ing a web browser at 'lour home been ratified, meaning thilt Draft-N products downloaded, then select it. Click the button to
network and try to hack in; second, it leaves port need to be upgraded to meet the new standard. upgrade and let the process begin. Your rooter
80 free to be used for port forwarding if you You should only ever upgrade your router will reboot when the upgrade has completed.
want to set up your own web server. from a PC that's attached via a cable; doing an Check that all your settings are correct, and
We recommend using remote management upgrade from a wireless PC could break yoor upload your saved configuration file if necessary.
sparingly for those times when you have to get router if the network connection is lost part-way Tweaking your settings doesn't end t here,
access to your router. Make sure that you set a through the upgrade procedure. and many modem mode15 have a selection of
long and difficult-to-guess password to prevent advanced too15, such as the ability to block
hackers from gaining entry to your rooter and UPGRADE YOUR FIRMWARE specific websites. These filtering tools tend to be
causing damage by altering settings_ To find out if yoo need to upgrade the firmware, very simplistic, so avoid using them if yoo can,
first go to your rooter's management pages and Our feature next month wiH show you how to
NETWORK HOPPING look for the Status or Informat ion option. This add web filtering to your network lor free.
If you're worried that your network may have should tell you which version of firmware your
been compromised, your router gives you a router is currentiy running. Next, find out the QUALITY OF SERVICE
handy way to tell who's currently connected. model of yoor router. This should be printed on Other routers also have quality of service (QoS)
Look for the Attached Devices or similar setting the router itself. Make a note of the exact model settings, which let you prioritise traffic, such as
in your router's menu. Select this and yoo'li be number, including the revision, as upgrading to voice caUs, These can be easy to set up, but
presented wit h a list of all the devices that are the wrong firmware coold cause a range of some routers require yoo to configure services
connected to your router. moderately serious problems. manuaUy. This is very similar to the way that yoo
This will include the connected device's When you've noted down yoor router's configure services for port forwarding (see last
current IP address, its MAC (hardware) address model and firmware version, visit the month's Advanced Projects for more detai15).
and, if available, its device name (for a PC thiS ma nufacturer's website and look for the support However, befo re you dwe into this configuration,
will be the computer's na me as set in Windows). section. Find the support p.lges for your specific ask yourself: do I need QoS? If you make a lot of
If you spot any computers in there that aren't model and download the latest firmware, making voice calls and stream a lot of video and don't
your own, someone has managed to get on your sure that this is a higher number than the one notice any problems, there's no need to tinker
network. Change your wireless encryption that's currently installed. with any of the settings; if yoo do get regular
password immediately to block their access, With the file downloaded, switch lxick to problems, QoS could well help.
From time to time router manufacturers, just yoor router's management pages. Make sure One other sett ing to look out for, which is
like all other hardware ma nufacturers, will yoo've backed up your router's configuration, becoming a lot more popular on modem routers,
release updates 10( their products. These will as sometimes firmware updates will reset the is an option to schedule the times when the
either add new features, fix problems in the older router back to the faClDIY default settings. wireless netwO(k is turned on. This doesn't save
much power, but it means that it's harder for
hackers to get on yoor home network, as yoo
NUGIAI!
can tum it off when you know you're not using
it. This setting can be useful if yoo're concerned
aboot the security of your network, but we're
not overly convinced that the extra protection it
offers is worth the hassle of not always having
your wireless network available, 1!J
Next month
MEDIA CENTER:THE ULTI MATEGUI DE
Find out how to tum Media Center into the
ultimate entertainment centre, with free
... Upgradi ng you r router's firmware can improve ... With this view (under Maintenance), you can online streaming TV stations and more
reli abi lity as well as add more features or f l~ bugs easily see which pes are attached to your router
--
protected, but when I tried other which you'll find lurking at the
-'--"_..-0-
documents on my hard disk, I bottom of Word's Start menu.
found the same problem.
I looked in the Options
section, but I can't select
anything there, apart from the
top-most Popular category. -------
':""'.-:
.·;';:-.-
••-i iii"·l =
Navigate to Add-Ins. select
Word Add-Ins from the Manage
drop-down box and a new window
will open. Here, you can uncheck
all your Add-Ins, and then go
Apart from this, everything
else on my PC, which is ronning
'_ 1 through the process of re-enabling
them one by one until the
Vista, seems to be working fine. problem appears again.
How can I fix this? Obviously, if you can live
Tony Smart ... _ 0\... _ _ _ _ without the offending Add-In,
the problem is solved. Otherwise,
It's likely that the (_ ] CD "" -1 you may have to look fora
A problem lies with a
plug-in - or an Add-In,
as they're known in Word 2007.
1;;;"_0:..___';;;__;"__:1 specific solution on forums or
• Word Add·lns can sometimes cause
havoc, such as preventing you selecting
contact the Add-In provider's
support to try to find a way to
You can easily check this by te.t and changing options fix the incompatibility.
Your experts
Can I remove copy protection? HELPFILE 14D
David LudlDw
Q I recently bought some musk tracks from
the Nokia store and would like to put
them on my ,Pod. Unfortunately, all the
David has been writing about
technology for 11 years and
tracks are in WMA format and DRM protected. Is specialises in solvil"lg
there any way to n!move the protection so that L networking and PC
can uS!! these files anywhere? hardware problems,
Daniel Burling having previously
worked in IT support.
The technical answer is that Ihere are
--..- -- ----
still can't make all Windows appear If your applications WOl"I't start
maximised. Can you help? IJ - - ma ximised, there's a trick you can try
Peter Johnson ...--- that achieves a similar effect manually.
-. -
Simply start an application and then
A
The solution to your problem resize its window until it fills the entire
has two parts, one for
applications and one for
folders. First, each application has to be
manually told to open maximised. You
•
- -..--..-
~--
--~.
screen (place the cursor on any side of
the wil"ldow ul"ltil it becomes a
double-headed arrow icol"I. then click
and drag to make the window bigger).
can do this by right -clicking a program's When you're happy with the size and
icon and selecting Properties. Click On
the Shortcut tab and change the Run
drop -down menu to Maximised, then
- position, close the application. Next
time you start the application, it will be
.. You need to tell applications the same size and in the same posi tion .
CONTACTS
click OK. The next time you run the to start maxlmlsed This worb with all applications.
Please contact t he relevant
department at the email
address listed above. You
Reader's tip uSB keybmrd SL..ppuct 1'1 BIOS can also write to us at:
Help
I was interested to read about Bill Selecting the Integrated Peripherals menu and
--
in the PC and have already transferred my path, as the AppData folder is hidden in
the Users folder in both Vista and - --- --
.-
,-
.- ---_.
documents to the new disk. Howeve r, I want
to move my Google Chrome bookmilrks
across, but I can't find where they're stored.
Windows 7. The path to the folder,
assuming E is the drive le tter of your old .- ---- -_. .;;
--_._.
I've also taken the opportunity to upgrade
from Office 2003 to 2007, and while
hard disk, is: E:\Users\<yourusemame:>\
AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User
-- --
'-
---
--
-_.
---
-
...... ---
--
--
everything works fine, I'm wondering jf Data\Deiault. In this folde r you should
there's a way to get Outlook 2007 to see two fi les: Bookmarks and Bookmarks.
complete recently used email addresses bak. Copy these to the same lolder on
---
--_. •
--
-0-.
automatically, rather than me having to your new hard disk, load Chrome and
type them in. Does Outlook store this your bookmarks should be there. If the
information in a file somewhere? Bookmarks bar isn't visible. hit Ctri-B.
Chris Martin You're also in luck regarding
Outlook's autocomplete feature. The file ... Chrome stores its bookmar1<s in a folder that you 're
will have a .nk2 extension (it may be
A
The official way to transfer your unlikely to find Just by hunting arouJld
Chrome bookmarks is to use the called Oudook.nk2 or youraccountname.
Bookmark Manager to e ~port them. nk2) and can be found in E:\Users\ menu in a Windows hplorer window. then clid
In Chrome, press Ctd-Shift-Band choose <yourusemame:> \AppData\ Roaming\Microsoft\ folder and search options. Click the View tab and
Export bookmarks .. . from the Tools menu. This Outlook. Anyone running Windows XP can fin d untick the 'Hide extensions for known file types'
will save the bookmarks as an HTMl document the fi le in <driveletter:>:\Documents and box. Simply copy the file into the corresponding
(in a similar lashiooto Internet Explorer 8, Settings\<yourusername:> \Applicatioo Data\ folder on your new hard disk. II you're using
below), which you can then import using the Microsoft\Outlook different account names for Outlool<; and your
Import bookmarks .. . command on your new To make it easier to find the file, you might Vista installatioo, you may need to rename the
installation. If you haven't deleted the want to turn on filename extensions, as they're file to match the existing .nk2 file you'll find in
Windows folder on your old hard disk, you hidde n by default in Windows 7, just as they you r Outlook 2007 folder. You'll need to dose
could boot your PC from it and do this. were in Vista. To do this, click the Organize Outlook to overwrite the file.
question
Q version of Windows 7 won't
include Intemet Explorer. I have
it from the default setting. Once you've done
this, click Export and then finish. You'll need to
backed up IEB and, independently, my copy the file you've just saved to a portable
Favorites. Could you please tell me how, device if you intend to move ft to another
In your article on installing when the time comes, I can install a browser, computer, or share the folder it's stored in if you
Q Windows 7 (Shopper 261) I
noticed that in one step there was
as presumably I can't access the internet
until I have one. I may not choose IE8, of
want to transfer it over your network
To import your Favourites to Internet
a 100MB System Reserved p<lrtition. What wurse. Also, how do I im port Favorites into Explorer 8, click Favori tes, click the down -arrow
does this do and do I need it? IE8 as I can't find an import facility. next to Add to favorites and then click Import
Brian Gravestcx:k nessuno@blueyoncier.co.uk and Export Gust as you did to export in the first
place). Click Import from a file, then click Ne~t.
The System Reserved partition is There's been a lot of confusioo Tick the Favorites tidbox and click Next.
... --
...-- ..... --_. _. ._- save your Favourites. We'll explain both the
export and import process here, just in case
you've used a different method .
_N_"J'CI"_.~)'OIO
_.
---
__ _
. -'-' -- _.-
••.. -
To e~port your Favorites folder from
Internet Explorer, click favorites, click the
down-arrow next to Add to favorites and then
click Import and Export. Click Export to a file,
--
-~
-_.._-
---- --
review earlier th is year, and it's DynDNS. You'll find the DDNS settings in the
been great. However, I want to be able to Dis\(Station's management interlace under ~ ~
-
_ _ .... _ ......-.t
access its manage ment interface n! motely so
that I can control file downloads from work
and use its other features, such as the IP
camera surveillance. I've heard that it's
Network SelVices. Simply enter your DynDNS
a((ount name and password.
To route SSH traffic to your DiskStation,
set up a port forwa rding rule in your router's
-
--- ---...-_----_.-...
--
~
possible to do this securely using SSH, but interface to send incoming traffic on port 22 to
I've no idea how to se t th is up. Can you help ? your DiskStation's IP address (you'll need to give '-
~ ~....
JDSmith your DiskS tation a stat ic IP address or make sure
your router always assigns it the same address). ~
We certainly can. First, (og into Forward port 5000 to your DiskStation too, as ,-
"'
A your D5209+ and enable SSH,
which you'l! find in the Terminal
options under the Network Services heading.
this is the port its interface uses. For more help
on port forwarding. see W'NW.ponforward.com.
The next task is to download Putty, a free
--~.
~
-"--...._--
.... ..---
"-.--'---~---'--'"
:.;:.-~
Dynamic radio button. Type a port number into
the Source port box (it doesn't matter what you
choose - you could opt lor 3000) and th en click
password you use to log on to your DiskStation's
interface <IS the Syo;tem administr<ltor. Finally, in
Internet Explorer, type your DiskStat ion's 10c<lIIP
_ .---
_ ... I
--,. • <OJ
~
Add. Click back on Session at the top 01 the left
pane, type in a name for the connection under
address, followed by :5000 (for example,
http://192.168.1 .3:5000). YOLl should see your
• •_.-- -
-- - - -_. -,-_.- . • •
Saved Sessions and click Save.
Now fire up Internet Explorer and choose
D5209+'s interlace and be able to log in as if you
were on your home network.
-- • '~". '" Internet Options from the Tools menu, Click You're now browsing the inte rnet using you r
-- - -.--.. - -
the Connections ta b and then LAN settings. home broadba nd connection, so you ca n visit
,~-. -
Place a tick in the 'Use a proxy selVer' tickbox other sites as usual or use 1M clients. However,
,~- and click Advanced. Type local host in the remember to untick the 'Use a proxy selVer'
Socks box and enter 3000 (or whichever tickbox in Internet Explorer's options when
.. FOI'Ward POrt 22 lor SS H and port 5000 for port number you chose) into the Port box, you've finished using your DiskSt<ltion, En<lble it
your NAS drive's management Interlace Click OKto dismiss all three windows. ag<lin when you next want to use it .
-
..1_ 1_ _
-- -
.. ....
I _ _ ~_ . . _ - . - - " "
-
run on Windows 95 or 98. 1also have a having no luck, try selecting the option to Run ~.
Windows 9S CD that I bought on eSay. this program as an administrator. Once you've
Is there a way of running both operating installed your game, YOLl may find that it won't
---
~ .. 5 _
systems on my laptop so that I can play run. Don't panic: jLlst follow the instructions
---
1lon_'<O.... _ _
these old titles? If not, can I do anything to <lbove for the game's execut<lble file,
Vista to make it run games designed for Unlortun<ltely, you may lind that non e of
Windows 95 or 98?
A
Paul Nolan
Compatibility settings in Windows Vista. When we did this for Crim r<lnd<lngo,
These let you tell Vista to act like an older we found The Department 01 Death (www.
operating system for certain applications. grim -!andango.com) website. This provides • Try changing your game's compatibility mode
You may need to set Compatibility for your instrLlctions on getting the game to run under to get it running under Windows Vista
games' installation files, too, Vista, includi ng downloads to two new files: a
To do th is, right-click th e program you Vista insta ller <lnd game launcher. These should ca n use virtu<ll machin e software to run
want to run and select Properties. Click on the fix your pro blems. You '<In find similar help for Windows 95 under Wind oW5 Vist<l.
Compatibility Tab and select 'Run this program the other games you mentioned. Microsoft's free Virtual PC 2007 (www.
in compatibility mode for:' . You can then It's possible to install both Windows 95 and microsoft.comldownioadsldelails.aspx?Familyld
choose which version of Windows you'd li ke to Windows Vista on your laptop, but the ",04D26402- 3199- 48A3 -AFA2-DCOB4OA 7386
emulate, including Windows 95 and 98, Try procedu re is complic<lted <lnd YOLl may run into &displaylang"en) lets you create a virtLl<l1
both settings to get your game working. If you problems, as you're unlikely to be able to find computer on whi ch you c<ln inst<lU Windows 95.
have no luck, you may need to change the Windows 9S drivers for all your laptop's You should then be able to install your games on
Compatibility Settings. These include forcing hardware. Don't give up yet, though, as you the virtual machine and run them from that. t::I
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01 the file so long as YOOJ 've 5<1ved the
workbook at least once. II you use:
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Select query instead of a Totals query, using SQL
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INTRODUCTION
. .
.
atong the lines of:
report to be written ? Don't • Dismiss reminders In Outlook to avoid belng This assumes your table is calledYOOJrTable and you
fret: we're he re to he lp. Just repeatedly nagged over events from the past have a Supplier field t ha t you're finding the unit price
send your query t o t he ema il for. On a design note, it prob.llbly makes mO(e sense
address below and our to store the Unit Price and the Quantity fO( items
resident office applications you buy or sell, and calculate the amount per sale
expert will find your solution.
Please provide as much Word rather than having to wor'.; backwards at the end.
... ..: -
information as you ca n,
formatting lost "-:==
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C I ii!I ' l *I 1 0.1 . =_
including the version of t he -:,; =----:--~-;; -~
app li cation you're using. OJ
When I save my Word documents as .doc ,-
sample of any datil and dellliis
of any steps you've alreildy
take n to so lve th e issue.
Q files in Office 2000 I lind that the original
formatting is lost when I reopen the files.
There's also a lot of gobbledygook, with information
about root entries, object pools and default
Kay Ewbank
paragraph lonts. How can I stop this happening?
Database developer and
productivity expert
Ewbank offers help
Andy McKibbin
.-
Ii:-
A
For some reason your File Open type has
office applications.
been set to be 'RecoverText from any File' • Use a Select query not a Totals one to avoid
Simply change it to 'All Word Documents'. aggregating an aggregate when calculating totals
A
You can set Oudoc!< to open any
of its folders first, including Inbox,
Calendar, Contact. Notes or Tasks.
From t he Tools menu, choose Opt ions, Othe r.
You won't see the quote,just the value 12-6,
However, as you are entering product codes,
you're probably putt ing them all in th e same
A document in the printer dialog. If
you're using Word 1007, choose Print
from the Office button, th en choose Prinl
Next. dick on Adva nced O pt ions, and at the column, so before you s1art data entry, tell Preview, On the Previ ew di splay, choose the
top of the dialogyou'U see a setting for Startup Excel that the entire column should be treated option 'Shrink one page'. II you're using a
in this folder. Click Browse, navigate to the as te ~t , Select the range that should be left as previous version olWord, you need to choose
folder where you want Outlook to open when teKt, then right-click, choose format Cells, and File, Print Preview. II you hover your mouse
,--.... .--
you start it, then click OK. select Text. Excel should now behave itself. over the icons, you'll find 'Shrink to Fit'.
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what you s ee first wken Outlook starts automatically converting text to dates Preview to lit it all on to a single page
itle
'1 ~ _'
resize the embedded slide so it's the right size. effect to Appear. Click on the Add Effect
You'll need to repeat this for each of the slides button aga in and change the Object ( Idto.,d lub(lt
you want to get from your sou rce presentation, actions to Show, so that Power Point
The second option is to link the will show the presentation.
presentations by having a third one. First, you You should now have three Custom
need to create a start and end slide that use Animation entries, Select the second • You can use cu.tom animation. to link presentations iI
the Blank layout, so it doesn 't get reforma tted entry, click the Start drop-down and you're using PowerPolnt 2000
_ _-_._
• Features, front pocket for OVO's
fill' YlSI I'Io6e st.t ffPJ subscription to <:.orrpJter Shopper with 3 ~.fUE trW a-
n ~lMmy FItEE,t/IIurN Uptop .... 1~tNt if rmnul ~wtioIied,
I ... write to anceI. durirc my trill pMod ...-d cWn a f\JU ItEfUND.
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Freeport RLZS-ETGT-BCZR, Computer Shopper Subsoiption~
• O ~ a..ge my: []VISA D MIISI~ O AMEX 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Pa~ Sittingbourne ME9 SGU
OSwitdv'Maestro (Issue No.c=J) _ - . . . ( U l Q Ud ....
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plenty of desktop space and is perfect for movies.
The dispLay has an LED ba<:klight, which saves
battery power, while the Consumer Ultra LowVoltage
COMPETITION QUESTION
How big is the MSI X400's screen?
a) 14in b) lSin c} 20in
COMPETITION RULES
00 ,,,.,.,.,.,... itId -..ottioS "'" ,,,,,,,,,,,I,,,, 'I"" \\Oil bo.....,.,...,UI)o oI ......... \\Oilootbo~ .. prooIoI_ryar>d""~ . '""""t-. . ~,..._m;o\op<t<>~ it i0n5
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121
I'm not a regular reader of Shopper but I specific,l currently use Windows XP Home Edition
bought the November issue because of and Office 2000 Professional (in partkular Access).
SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES
(omputershopper@cisubs.co_uk your guide to Windows 7, whkh I needed I think I'm right in saying that if I had upgraded to
or caU 0844 844 0031 to get up to speed on. I thought the magazine was a Vista I would also have had to spend a small fortune
or visit www..lubsinfo.co.uk very good read indeed. (for very little gain) on the more current version of
However, what I found disappo inting was that Office Professional.
WRITE TO US AT within the Top 10 reasons for considering upgrading My point is this; even if there are 10 good reasons
Computer Shopper, to Windows 7, there was no discussion at all on the for upgrading an ope rating system, if that upgrade
30 Cleveland Str~t, impact such an upgrade might have on the ability to also means shelling out several hundred pounds on
London wn 4JD continue using any existing applications. To be more new applications packages, then there is at least one
very good reason for NOT upgrading. Some was no indication as to w hen they would be.
discussion of this, in the int~est of balallCe, I just had to be patient but it was unlikely that
would have been useful. it would be for another two months. However,
Specifically, by upgrading to Windows 7 this time before ringing off, I asked il they
Professional- with its XP Mode - would I be could send me a copy of the terms and
able to continue using Office 2000? Some conditions. No problem, they said, we'll see
retailers tell me ~s, while others say no. what we can do.
D~s the XP Mode Ojrerate like Windows XP, Shortly after, I received a strange email
or d~s it just look like XP? from Acer:
Christopher Wright "Hi. We have nothing in writing
that stipulates that it is something
We didn't include much info rmation on that we offer. If we go by Trading
Windows 7's XP Mode, as it will affect only a Standards they deem three months as a
minority of users. Almost all applications that reasonable timeframe for a repair. But we say
.... Getting your laptop repaired out of warranty is
run under XP will work fine in Windows 7, 10 working days dependent on the availability not only cosily, but can 1I1~ lellve you wltoout a
Office 2000 included. This means you won't of spare parts." computer for months on end
need to buy a version of Windows 7 that While wondering what "it" referred tO,1
comes with XP Mode. received another email stating that my laptop
XP Mode isn't just for looks: it's a real had been fixed .md was on its way back to me. BUILDING A GOOD REPUTATION
121
virtualised operating system that is designed I dm now waiting patiently for it to drrive. 1 bought d PC from Gingert; for my
to allow businesses to upgra de to Windows 7 The mardi of the story is: if you get a bill son last November as a Christmas
even ilthey need to run programs that won't that quotes terms and conditions which aren't present. It duly arrived in time for
work properly with Vista or Windows 7. there to read, ask for them as it can make me to install Windows and set it up for him.
However, because it's a virtual operating previously unobtdinable spare parts magically He was chuffed at Christmas and all was
system, you'll need a computer with a processOf appear out of thin air. well. However, the PC refused to boot dt the
that supports virtualisation. As long as you have Gavin Sinnott first attempt in January, dnd slowly got more
an AMD Athlon processOf that uses the AM2 reluctant over the weeks. I tried to contact
sodet or later, you'll have the necessary support. It's uncommon for a repair to take as long as Ginger6 by several means, but had no reply.
With Intel processors, it's a little trickier. It's best yours did, but you're right that it's always worth Eventually the PC wouldn't boot at all, and
to check your particular model on Intel's website reading the terms and conditions. Of course, this the BIOS couldn't find the hard disk , I knew if I
to see il it supports virtualisation, will only enlighten you as to the facts, and opened the CdSI' the warranty would be void,
doesn't help much il you don't like what they but I put in a sp.are disk and set it bdCk up.
TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT say. An alternative is to take your out-ol- I carried on trying to contact Ginger6, but
121
1bought an Acer laptop two years warranty computer to a third·party company, there was still no response.
ago with one ~ar's warranty, but as we saw when we did an undercover Eventually I logged on to Seagate's >vebsite
Unfortunately, after the warranty investigation of such firms (see Shopper 247), and within five minutes I had an order for a
had expired, the laptop started to develop none was particularly impressive. warranty return. I posted the drive to the US
stress fractures on the top 01 the case next to When buying a laptop or a desktop but only had to pay to send it via Royal Mail to
the hinges. I rangAcer and agreed to pay an computer, it's crucial that you also take its UPS in Derby. Three days later I had a brand-
'assessment fee' 01 £S2 so that the engineers warranty into account. It's one of the important new SooGB disk.
could take a look at it. They received the factors in our overall star ratings in our reviews, I have now gone back to building my own
laptop on 7th August. and we reward companies that provide two or PCs and spent £SOO sourcing the components
Five days later I received an email asking more years' worth of cover. It's a shame that separdtely online, all of which were delivered
for a further £67 to cover the repairs, payable more laptops don't come with longer warranties, on time. I will never buy a pre-built PC again;
within seven days or the laptop would be and it doesn't even matter how much you spend, the standard of customer service Irom
returned without repair, Anxious to get the as certain companies have a standard one-year component manufacturers is on a different
laptop back so my wife could get her Facebook warranty across the bo<lrd, even if you're paying planet to the box-shifters.
fix, I paid over the phone the same day. upw<lrds of £ 1,000. Mark Sud/ow E>
At the bottom 01 the bill, it said that I
should allow 10 working days for the repair
subject to terms and conditions. Paying it no
heed, I just sat back and waited for the laptop
to return, but to no avaiL
By 7th September, with my wife's queries
WRITE IN AND WIN!
ringing in my ear, I decided to ring to lind out If you want to make the most out of your home movies and photographs,
where the laptop was.Acer customer service then Adobe's Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements B are the best
politely pointed out that they didn't have the and easiest way to do so. If you fancy getting your hands on thoese
parts in stock yet and didn't know when they products, there's no need to put yoor hand in yoor pocket; all yoo have to
would amve. When I referred to the statement do is write a great letter. Get it printed as our Star Letter, and a copy of
about 10 worldng days, customer service were both applications will be winging its way to you in the post.
kind enough to point out that it was subject to Photos hop Elements 8 is the best home photo-editing application. Its
terms and conditions. Indeed they were kind powerful featu res are taken from the full Photoshop application, so you
enough to S<ly it several times during the can get thoe sam e resu lts, but Elements is a lot eas ier to use. Prem iere
conversation whenever timescale was Elements B d~s a similar job for movie making, pulUng its features from
mentioned. We agreed that I would just have the high-end Premiere software, but making it easier to use so you'll be
to wait for an email saying it was ready. able to produce Hollywood- style movies from the comfort of your home.
I went iJWay scratching my head as there
>verI' no terms and conditions attached to the
bill, but hOjred lor my wife's sanity that it
would be returned soon. PLUS!
On 1st October (at 9am as I thought I'd Every published letter-writer w ho provides their
beat the queue) I rang again and was again
told that the parts weren't in stock, and there address also recei ves a Computer Shopper mug
This is the first time we've heard of a problem You might not benefit fro m the convenience
with Ginger6's communication, but you're of a pre-configu red operating system or a single
certainly not the only person to decide t hat it's point of contact for warranty repa irs, and you
belter to build your own PC instead of buying a might even end up spendi ng a little more, but as
pre-built system. Naturatly, there are p!"os and long as you 're happy to deal wit h any defe ctive
cons to each approach, but having built pes hardware yourself, it's often an excellent way to
oorselves, we know how 5<ltisfying it is to fire up get a new Pc.
a computer that yoo've j)\JI together yourself.
You atso gel the benefit of choosing exactly DESTROYING DISCS (PART III)
121
which components you want, and gellhe best Following the discussion in the
prices for each one. As long as you can wield a previous couple of issues about
screwdriver, it's incredi bly easy to build a PC, how best to destroy your ... A surefire way to destroy data on a hard disk Is
and all t hese reasons are why our book, Build a unwanted CDs and DVDs, I use a simple to put it through a shredder
Better PC (see www.magbooks. c;om).hasbeen hammer blow to smash discs very easily.
selling so well over the past couple of years. Of course, you must first cover them with a DVD. We're sure there are plenty of other faster
cloth to prevent flying shards and splinters. ways to destroy DVDs and we're keen to hear
It's also a foolproof method of disposing of about other inventive ways of doing it.
unwanted hard disks. Talk ing of dest roying hard di sks, we're not
Syd Mercer convinced that a ham mer blow will obliterate
hard disk platters, unless you first remove the
I'm sure you're right to say that cover. Wh ile you can't exactly buy one for home
using a shredder with an optical use, industrial hard disk shredders are rathe r
disc slot is the best way to destroy amusing to watch in action. You can see our
optical discs. Unfortunately, I don't havt' one, favourite clip at hUp://tinyurl.com/disk5hredder.
but I do have a blowlamp. t stand it on my hob
with the extractor fan going, and waft each CANT BUY AWARD-WINNER
For months now you've been
121
disc through a gentle flame until it warps and
the write layer bubbles. I'm confident that recommending the MSI Digivox
this is an effective, if smelly, way of making Duo TV tuner (Editor's Choice,
them unreadable. Shopper 261, page 38), but I've never yet found
Ciary Seymour any online retailer who has any in sto(k, even
the ones you quote in the magazine. For
For anyone wonde ring how this topic started, it instance, www.<:ustomptwarehouse.w.uk
was our review of liteOn's iHAS 324 DVD writer in issue 261 doesn't even list it. If you do a
... Alloough most people prefer to btJy a complete (see What's New, Shopper 260). As well as Google search for it, you get some reviews, so I
pre-built pc, building one yourself isn't difficult burning data, it can also erase discs, but takes guess it does actually exist somewhere, but it
and there are lou of advantages ages - around ha lf an hour for a single-layer doesn't seem to be available to buy.
COMPUTER
SHOPPER
SHOPPER OFFICE
Editor David ludlow
ADVERTISING
Fax 020 7907 6600
CO NTRIBUTO RS
contlibutO(s@>compu!ers/Joppe,.co,uk
Adam Banks, Gareth 8.earn, Mike
PIIODUCTS &. £DITOItIAl SlIIHI_
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david@computershoppe',co.uk
~puty Editor Jim Martin
Email iJdl.5hopper@dennis.co.uk
Group Advertising Director
Richard Bennett 020 7907 6640
Bedford, Simon Br~, Mel Croocher,
Elaine Edwards. Kay Ewbank, Steve
H a i ~s, Simon Handby, Da~ id Md in oon,
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Nik Rilwiin>an, Da~ id Robin>an,
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ArnJrea Mason 020 7907 6662 Will Stapley, Jon Thompson, lain White
~eth@Computershoppff. CO. uk
Senior Sales hecutive .... """_
Features Editor Simon Edwards Adam WiUboum 020 7907 6621 PHOTOGRAPHY
M" ....
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Andrew Ridge , Hugh ThrelfaU
Gary Rayneau 020 79lJ 7 6812 ~~
OnUne Editor Tim Sm~lley
tim@Compu termoppff.co.uk Ust Rental
Anthony White 020 7907 6471
MARKETING
Marketing Manager ( Iaire Serase
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Emily Hodges _ "",,,,w_,,,,,,-
PRODUCTION ADVERTISING PRO DUCTION Com~titions Manager Emma Winfield ""'l-..
Production Editor Janey Go-ulding Fax 020 7907 6066 02079076260 ~
Marketing Production Manager """' ..... <00">,.., '_ .."'........ ......,.... ...
Art Editor ( olin Mackl~wOfth Production Director Robin Ryan
Gemma Hills ..'""""~bo ..... ~"" .........oq ..
.
~putyArt Editor Anand P~rmar
GroupArt Editor Bill Bagnall
02079076052
Production Controller
Natasha Ross 020 7907 6OS5
MANAGEMENT
Tel 020 79076000
Publishing Director John Garewal
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Ii> We try hard 10 ensure l!\a! the price, but instead we have a rigorous checking of components in the specifications when they
products We rec:ommerKI ate system where prices and suppliers are supply their hardware?
available to buy. but slock does triple-checked just before we go to press. Th e Graham Lloyd-jones
occasionally run out
reasOfi we do this is because it makes little
sense to compare products based Memory can be a confusing component to
Perhaps you should on artificial prices. identify. as the various types do indeed look very
check whether the However, we obviously similar, Most PCs today have 00R2 RAM, but
items you recommend have no control over what this in itself isn't enough information to match
can actually be found happens over the four weeks the memory currently installed.
in the real world.IUke after the magazine goes on sale, There are various easy ways to determine the
you r magazine, and and it's not uncommon 101" the supplier we type of memory you need. The easiest is to
have bought several things based list to run out of stock, even though we try to download CPu-z from www.cpuid.com.This will
on your reviews, but I've come up against a ensure that we pd a suppli er with plenty of tell you a wealth of information about what's
brick wall on this one. products ready to ship. inside your pc, including the part number of 'lour
Peter How motherboard and processor. It goes into great
I CAN'T FIND MY MEMORY detail with memory, especially if you click on the
We're sorry to hear that you've had trouble SPO tab. Here, you'll find the speed of each
121
You would think that replacing a
buying a Oigivox Ouo, but we're assured by MSI RAM module wou ld be easy. I've installed module {under Max Bandwidth) along
that it's still a current product. Currently we done it before with no difficulty, with the manufact urer, part number, serial
can't find it in stock, either, and have removed it but that was when I knew what type I needed. numb er and even the week it was manufactured.
from the Editor's Choice section. The reason we With my current PC, I'm unsure of the type of The drop-down menu lets you select each RAM
haven't replaced it with another tuner is that module I need because it slot so you can see which are
we liked MSl's software more than other
companies', although Terratec's recording
application is also good.
isn't specified on the
eKiSling module itself.
When I looked for a ---
--
~-
-- --
empty and ready to accept
more memory_
Using this information,
If 'Iou have a version of Windows that comes replacement module online,
---
-- --- - _... you should be able to buy
with Media Center, however, you should simply
buy whichever dual-tuner USB dongle is the
cheapest, as they all work with Microsoft's
I found a vast array from
whi ch to choose. Many of
them looked the same, but --_.-
-- '- -- --
. --
additional modules from a
supplier such as Crucial
(www.Cfuciai.comluk).This
excellent interface. We didn't want to assume
that all readers have access to Media Center,
hence our choice of the DigivoK Duo.
had different na mes such as
DDR, DDR;! and SDRAM,
I've not had much help
---- ..... ..... . ."•
• ••
"•
•
site includes a System
Scanner tool, which you can
use to check that you're
We pride ourselves at Computer Shopper on
providing an extra service Ihal many magazines
and websites don't checking for the lowest
prices from reputable online retailers. We could
from Mesh's technical
support, either. Do you
think it would be a good -=
... CPU-Z is .. free utility tkat will tell you
idea to force manufacturers more about your memOfY modules than
buying the correct RAM .
It also shows a diagram
of your memory slots,
showing what size module
simply print the manufacturer's recommend ed to supply a plain English li~ you'll ever need to know is installed in each. til
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UNDER DEVELDPMENT
BIDDd, sweat and custard
Modern work methods have improved David Robinson's life no end, but he longs for
the days when he met his custards in person and helped them air their dirty laundry
nee upon a lime, writing would respcod with the boat's
•
~
time I went to the south coast to
do some system updates for a
company that was developing a
internet services, almost all
technical support is now done by
remote access. We simply set up a
was text only, its respcose speed
was really fast, even if you had a
lowly 2,400-baud modem.
that we never got as far as issuing
a ma intenance and support
contract for the system. Shame
i£
,
system for tracking and identifying
stolen boats. Our contribution was
a database system that recorded
who owned which boat and
VPN connection to the client server
and a Remote Desktop Protocol
{RDP} session to sort out the
software or operating system.
The detection part of the
system, as it was de5(:ribed to us by
the managing director (atso called
Richard). involved a chip embedded
really, because our bit worked
exactly as designed. GJ
~ provided a remote querying facility, That's enough, unless the problem in the boat's hull. A port supervisor David Robinson
Software and
~ The server was a Unix box capable requires a screwdriver with engineer or official would have a gun-like systems de~eloper
~
_
-'
of handling 32 simultaneous users
- all trom a single 486 processor.
attached, which is rare these days
as hardware is generally so reliable.
detector that would send a signal
to the chip in the boat, and this
-----
MEL CROUCHER becoming expensive, First of alii had pay for the searching on 'spendlessonline freebies', and
RAVES p<lper ar.d ink., then I had to part with even more
c<lsh before I could tr<lde in my money-off
vouchers and claim the discount. But not any
wonder why anyone bothers to pay for anything
any more when there's so much free stuff on
offer, Its variety is mind-boggling.
more! I've waved goodbye to voucher misery Last week I signed up to MoneySavinglxpert's
and embraced the freebie philosophy. free mail service, which delivers all the latest
MONEY FOR NOTHING A genuine freebie involves no money-off money-for-nothing opportunities direct to my
What value do you put on your personal dignity? vouchers, no sneaky contracts, no added post mobile phone, This week it blaggI'd me a lOild of
00 you ignore" coin in the street because it's and piKkaging costs, and no hidden subscription Pedigree Dog Treats, a SIM card with £5 credit
not worth picking up? I'm happy to admit that I charges. Most genuine freebies involve new on iI, a copy of Dancing Times magazine, a
rol\ in the gutler and get dog waste under my product launches and short-lived opportunities, magnetic car tax disc holder, a bar of Dove soap,
fingernails to grab a penny or a pound. No coin is so I know that to take full advantage I've got to a meal at Strada, two movie tickets, and three
too small for me to trouser. [like free money, be quick off the mark. The good news is th<lt months' membership of the National Trust. I also
and I'm going to let yoo into a secret. I can pick there are legions of people who have done all the got three condoms, some Vagisil wipes and a
up money for nothing ilny time I like, ilnd I don't hard work for me. They spend hours digging out pregnancy testing kit, as well as a free cup of
even have to bend over. That's because I've got a genuine IreI' offers and posting the best deals on McDonalds coffee, for which I demand a refund.
free cash machine O!"I my desk. You've got one the web. My standard formula for getting free So the 1'11')('1 time you see a lost coin, bend
100. It is called a computer. Interested? Of goods and services is very simple, I connect to down and pick it up. This will not only stop it
cour5e you are, let me explain how you too can the internet, kick-start my favourite search fa lling into the hands of terrorists, iUegal aliens or
tum your PC into a freebie machine. engine and type in the magic words the unemployed, it will also be good exercise.
I used to go online and print off discount 'moneysavingexpert freebies'. Try it yourself and After all you don't want to go soft because of all
vouchers for anything and everything. but it was see what happens. You'U be amazed. Now try your new-found tree living. do you?
The reason for this is that most of the people Screenwipe in both tone and content. so those
shopping in the store seem to be total idiots who who don't like his rather angry and unflinching
need to talk to an Apple person for a couple of commentary won't be won over, This I felt was a
hours before they feel comfortable enough to missed opportunity, as Brooker's bare-faced
buy one of the aforementioned three products. honestly about the violent nature of many
This leaves nobody free to tell you that if you games will simply suppor1 the blinkered opinions
know what you want. you have to queue up of many as to the gaming sector as a whole.
at the front desk where all the stock is kept - The show did have its high points. It was
although you don't know if what you want is in great to see Brooker lamenting and celebrating
stock until you reach the till. our own gaming past, with 1980s classics such
In essence. Thinking Different has made the as Manic Miner discussed as well as global
Apple Store terms a bit like a crap Argos without superstars such as Mario and Sonic. It would also
the stock-checking computers. It's not helped by have been positive to note the ongoing strength
the fact that the queue is populated by the same of the UK's thriving games industry,
idiots who have just had a very long chat. and Sadly. there simply wasn't enough time to
are now slowing you down. cover that, and many other impor1ant issues
Take. for e)(ample. the man I stood behind. surrounding games. the media and the UK.
whose baffling. but amusing conversation at the Gameswipe's broad sweep did prove one thing.
till went something like this. though - that a regular series of in-depth
"I'd like to buy an iMac,' says the man. discussions into gaming is needed, There have
"Which would you like?" replies the Apple been plenty of good programmes on film.
man (no doubt. invisibly rubbing his hands). architecture. ar1 and literature on BBC four.
"The metal one,' pipes the man. which is the best use of the extra broadcasting
'like these ones?' says the Apple man space allowed by digital TV. Now I'd like to see a
pointing at the iMacs they use for tills. season of programmes. some by Brooker and
"No," says the man, neurones warming up a some not. to cover this ever-burgeoning and
little. ' I'd like t he metal fold-up one. please: impor1ant area - as a leisure "ctivity. industry
The Apple man looks a bit confused, and then and. dare I say it. "r1 form.
the key to his customer's fractured logic slowly
----
dawns on him: "Do you mean the Mac Book?'
Life imitating art? It looks as though Apple's DAVID LUDLOW
customers really do 'Think Different',
RAVES
, 1/I /~O~(I~ SETH BARTON
~ RANTS TURN ON, DON'T TUNE OUT
~. I recently stumbled on a very good reason why
you should protect your wireless network and
change your router's default administration
CHECKPOINT CHARLIE password. This isn't about your network being
There's a wide range of political opinion misused or YOllr computers being haded from
DAVID LUDLOW represented here at Shopper - we don't share it within, although both are very important,
ZYGOTE
Around half of men surveyed in
Britain declare that they change
their underpants every day,
compared with only a quarter of
women. Imagine that. Better not.
Zygote was shocked by this
revelation, until remembering
Even with armed robots going AWOL and net TV reducing the Benjamin Oisraeli's observation
that there are lies, damn lies and
licence fee to an irrelevance, ZygDte is cheered by the fact that statistics. On further investigation,
not only are women twice as
45 per cent of WDmen change their underwear twice a day security conscious as men about
net passwords, they are also twice
HELL'S TEETH detector vans can pinpoint far less than 4S days, along the as clean in the panties department.
The Rise Of The Robots has begun unlicerl5ed PCs receiving live li nes of, "then get up off your fat It's true that only 26 per cent of
at last. Five tons 01 Predator-S broadcasts, but this is rubbish as ,irSI' and go sit on your computer". women change their knickers daily,
unmanned aircraft recently took broadcasts over the internet but that's made up by the fact that
off from an American airbase in don't generate any TV signals. TOXIC TEXT TAX 4S per cent change them at least
northern Afghanistan, armed with According to the BBC Trust, 40 Like most other governments, the twice a day.
14 Hellfire miS5i1es under strict per cent of students use laptops as Filipino regime has sunk deep into This column has no more room
instrudion t o hunt and kill their ma in way of watching TV, debt. But unlike most other to debate the number of women
"emerging targets·, A few minutes and the older members of society governments, the Filipinos have who update their underwear more
after take-off, the robot chose \0 aren't very far behind. tried to plug their deficit by often than this, or less often than
disobey its orders and made a dash Dedicated handheld machines slapping a ta~ on every text this. or simply wear no knickers at
for freedom over the border. are available that include Freeview, message and email sent from a all. Meanwhile, speaking of pants..
Worried that the Predator iPlayer and a digital recorder, and mobile phone, This proved a tax
might turn on its masters, US Air watching clips on mobile phones is too far for the public, who reacted CARDSHARP
force pilots engaged the aircrilft in already widespread. by using their texts and emails to The Home Office has appointed
aerial combat and shot it down. Zygote believes that as PCs organise mass protests. Sir Joseph Pilling as the National
According to the US military, and TVs merge into a single screen, The Filipino government has Identity Commissioner to oversee
the Predator-B is controlled by the the TV licence will become an backed down fast, bi.it in a devious the roll-out of our biometric 10
most advanced logistics system of irrelevance and the state-funded move they have now saddled the cards, Zygote notes that he has the
any drone hunter-killer/50 Zygote system will collapse, Tick, t icl; ... self-same tax on mobile service power to act on wha t he finds. In
(,m only deduce that the machine providers instead. Mobile operators fact. Sections 2l and 23 of the
worked cullne futility of the CASH FOR QUESTIONS have been warned that if they Identity Cards Act would seem to
Afghan war for itself and mutinied. America's first detox clinic for attempt to pass on the levy to their contradict this bold claim.
internet addicts has opened for customers then the government Sir Joseph will only report to
ALIVE A LlVE-O business near Seattle, It's run by will suspend their franchises, the Home Secretary once a year,
UK law states that if you watch lwe the appropriately named Hilarie Let's hope our own dear and his report can be censored.
TV or record live broadcasts then Cash, who charges well over eight Chancellor isn't reading this, either Even Richard Thomas, the new
you must pay f 142.50 for a colour thousand quid for a 4S-day course by text or, indeed, email. Information Commissioner, has
television licence. The law also of aversion therapy. more power than this. At least he
says: ' you do not need a TV Before her clients are allowed All CHANGE gets to report to Parliament.
licence to view TV programmes on to start treatment in her five-acre A survey conducted by PC Tools Poor Sir Joe has no budget
the internet, as long as what you centre, Miss Cash asks them to fill has found that 47 per cent of men for investigating complaints, no
are viewing is not being shown on in a comprehensive survey. And use the same password for every sanctions to wield against 10
the TV at the same time.' In other yes, they have to complete the website login they deal With. abusers afld flO power to halt the
words, you can view everything on survey using the internet. compared with 26 per cent of flow oflO card-related cock-ups.
the wonderful BBC iPlayer or A typical question reads as women. Spookily, the rate at which Zygote also notes that Sir
commercial catch-up services, and follows: "Are you experiencing the sexes refuse to change their Joseph has served time reviewiflg
not pay a penny. weight gain from lack of exercise passwords is the same as the rate senior appointments at the Church
The licensing authorities are and poor health from poor at which they refuse to change of England and the Civil Aviation
more than happy for scare stories nutrition?" For which Zygote can their underwear. What are the Authority, so he'll be able to spot a
to be spread around that TV supply a much cheaper remedy in chances of that happening? flying pig whefl he sees ofle. GJ
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