Look Inside: Now Brighter & Bolder!
THE CAR OF THE FUTURE
19 Amazing New Options Just Around the Bend
NOKIA’S LATEST
It’s a phone (but you knew that already, right?)
PHOTO BLOWOUT
Great Cameras, Awesome Tools
The Best High Tech Cars
First Annual Digital Drive Awards
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APRIL 25, 2006
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The Technology You Need When You Need It.
A Global Hotel Company Analyzing 1.4 Million Records a Day. Running On Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
How does Hilton forecast demand for its 370,000 rooms and its catering services? They import data from six systems into one data warehouse requiring 7 million rows, and running on SQL Server™ 2005 with 99.98% uptime.* See how at microsoft.com/bigdata
*Results not typical, and are based on use with Windows Server TM 2003 Enterprise Edition. Availability is dependent on many factors, including hardware and software technologies, missioncritical operational processes, and professional services. © 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Windows logo, Windows Server, Windows Server System, and “Your potential. Our passion.” are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
F I R ST WO R D
BY JIM LOUDERBACK, EDITOR
Our elegant new look and feel brilliantly captures the thrill
W
of technology in the 21st century.
ELCOME TO THE RE-
freshed PC Magazine! You’ll notice an updated look and feel to this almost 25-yearold publication. Colors, hairstyles, and the Internet have changed dramatically in the last five years (remember “hunter green”? The goatee? Pets.com?), and we were due for an upgrade, too. Our new look’s main theme is “Out of the Box.” Ever since we first celebrated IBM’s beige box in 1982, we’ve focused on squeezing the most performance and productivity out of what’s inside. The innards are still key—and our industry-leading PC Magazine Labs excels at testing and explaining PCs, processors, and graphics cards—but what’s outside is now as important as what’s inside. Start with the case. Sleek, customized enclosures, with themes from NASCAR to Mickey Mouse, have replaced beige, so we highlight new case mods in the back of each issue. But it’s more than the box. Hook an iPod to your PC and get a music store in your pocket. Chronicle your life with digital still and video cameras. Cable modems and wireless networks bring the world to your home. And the PDA is now a communicator far beyond Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek fantasies. Just as technology has expanded beyond the PC, we have spread our wings, too. Our elegant new look and feel, courtesy of DJ Stout and his wonderful team at Pentagram, brilliantly capture the thrill of technology in the 21st century. Our talented in-house art team, led by Richard Demler, has executed this vision to perfection. Much of what’s inside should be familiar—we’ve been beta-testing it for months. Along with Labsbased testing, we’ve added a real-world angle, where our analysts shop for tech gear just like you. And our Connected Traveler section uncovers the best hot spots, high-tech hotels, and geek-friendly attractions from a featured city. We’re still the best place for hands-on exploration of computers and digital technology. We’ve expanded First Looks, and we’ve added Buying Guides. We’re also expanding our coverage of small-business tech too, with SMB Bootcamp and new product reviews in the First Looks section. Our PCMag.com Web site is now even more integrated with our print efforts. (You
All portraits by Eugene Smith; illustration by Brian Stauffer
can respond to this column in our Forum at go.pcmag .com/discuss). We’ve put faces to the tech experts you trust—Neil Rubenking and Loyd Case. And in each issue we will present a cool project—in this one, a hightech office for your car. In this issue, we debut our annual Digital Drive awards, highlighting the best high-tech cars. Why cars in PC Magazine? Because cars are where homes were 15 years ago. Covering home technology seemed pointless then, but it proved prescient. Today’s cars are packed with digital technology, and the best deliver a transcendent driving experience. You have my promise: We won’t focus on overhead cams or taillight design. But we will help you make the best tech choices for cars, as we’ve done for your homes, offices, and pockets. Computers and digital technology have moved outside the box—and PC Magazine readers are at the forefront of tying it all together and leading better lives because of it. So enjoy each issue as we continue to chronicle, evaluate, and celebrate the wild world of high tech.
MORE ON THE WEB You can contact Jim Louderback at Jim_Louderback @ziffdavis.com. For more of his columns, go to go.pcmag.com/ louderback.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 5
PCONTENTS
APRIL 25, 2006 VOL 25 NO. 7
C OV E R S T O R Y
56
PC MAGAZINE’S DIGITAL DRIVE AWARDS
Car technology isn’t just about power windows and steering today. Cars are platforms for some very cool technology for entertainment, navigation, safety, and even the preservation of the environment. For PC Magazine’s first annual Digital Drive awards, we rate the most technically advanced cars available.
FIRST LOOKS
23 Hardware
Apple MacBook Pro Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1 Apple Mac mini Epson Perfection V700 Photo Buying Guide: Desktop LCDs Gateway FPD2185
32 Consumer Electronics
Vizio P50 HDM Dell W5001C Logitech Harmony 520 Sirius S50 Nokia 7380 Apple iPod Hi-Fi JVC RX-D702B Buying Guide: Digital SLRs Nikon D200
40 Networking
Netgear RangeMax 240 Linksys SRX 400
45 Small Business
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Dell Latitude D820 HP Compaq nc6320 Toshiba Tecra A6-S513 ZyXEL ZyWALL 35 UTM Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
42 Software
Buying Guide: Photo Management Software Picasa 2.0
49 What to Buy
The best products in one place
Illustration by Joe Zeff
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 7
PCONTENTS
C OV E R S T O R Y
71
DOWN THE ROAD
OPINIONS
5 First Word Jim Louderback 51 Inside Track John C. Dvorak 53 Michael J. Miller 54 Bill Machrone 112 John C. Dvorak
SOLUTIONS
89 The Connected Traveler in Detroit
The Motor City features the Henry Ford Museum, free Wi-Fi for downtown, 3G cellular networks, and—of course— geeked rides.
How will the car of five to ten years from now look—and what will it be able to do? You may be surprised by some of the features we should see within a decade on every family sedan and soccer mom van. Airless tires, drowsiness sensors, night vision, automatic braking, cool entertainment, intuitive navigation systems, high-speed Internet, LED headlights, and much more are just around the corner.
90 SMB Boot Camp
Here’s how to get started building your beachhead on the Web.
91 Vista Revealed
Alt-Tab is soooo 5 minutes ago. With Win-Tab, you get live application previews.
92 Ask Loyd
Use up to four monitors; enable the highest CRT resolutions; upgrade a Dell.
94 Ask Neil
Identify changes in contracts; print from PRN files; and more.
96 Security Watch
Anti-malware software can’t protect you if you fall victim to social engineering.
97 Software Solutions
Make your screenshots work better for you with SnagIt.
C OV E R S T O R Y
76
BUILD IT
GEEK YOUR RIDE
Not everyone can shell out $100,000 for a tricked-out Mercedes. How can you bring your old beater up to speed? We’ve rounded up some of the best add-on gadgets for those who want to keep up with the times without breaking the bank. We include an automotive troubleshooter, hands-free Bluetooth phone, and music and navigation aids galore.
PIPELINE
16 NEC’s Cool Designs
3D ads hanging in the sky; nanotube-based flexible displays
GAMING & CULTURE
108 Is World of Warcraft the new golf?
17 Space Elevator
A telematics revolution
GEARLOG
111 Flash wristbands: 256 wearable megs
TECHNORIDE
20 Chevrolet Tahoe
Best auto Web site Sky driving
80
OFFICE ON WHEELS
PC ONLINE
21 Bill Howard
If you do your wheeling and dealing on wheels, you need a high-tech office in your car. We help you set it all up: from an LCD touch screen and EV-DO card for your laptop to a printer, a scanner, a heads-up display, GPS, stereo, and a TV tuner (for coffee breaks). We even put a shredder in the glove compartment. . Magazine, ISSN 0888-8507, is published semi-monthly except monthly in January and July at $44.97 for one PC
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ALSO INSIDE
14 Feedback 14 Abort, Retry, Fail
Can’t get enough of the gorgeous cars in our cover story? Go to PCMag.com to see more of the audio systems, entertainment features, and navigation systems that turn a car into a geek’s paradise. See go.pcmag.com /digitaldrive.
Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
8 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Jim Louderback
Lance Ulanoff EDITOR, TECHNOLOGY Ben Z. Gottesman EXECUTIVE EDITORS Stephanie Chang, Carol L. Gonsher, Vicki B. Jacobson (online), Jeremy A. Kaplan ART DIRECTOR Richard J. Demler MANAGING EDITOR Paul B. Ross
REVIEWS
Sean Carroll (software, Internet, networking), Dan Costa (consumer electronics), Jennifer DeFeo (hardware), Carol Mangis (TechnoRide), Sebastian Rupley (West Coast, Pipeline) LEAD ANALYSTS Cisco Cheng, Robert Heron, Davis D. Janowski, Oliver Kaven, Mike Kobrin, Neil J. Rubenking, Joel Santo Domingo, Sascha Segan, M. David Stone, Terry Sullivan REVIEWS EDITORS Gary Berline (software, Internet, networking), Laarni Almendrala Ragaza (consumer electronics) WEB PRODUCERS Rachel B. Florman, Molly K. McLaughlin, Jenn Trolio PRODUCT DATABASE MANAGER Gina Suk COMMERCE PRODUCER Arielle Rochette PRODUCT REVIEW COORDINATOR PJ Jacobowitz INVENTORY CONTROL COORDINATOR Nicole Graham
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FEATURES
FEATURES EDITORS SENIOR WRITER Cade
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April 11, 2006
SMARTER HDTV SHOPPING Secrets From the Pros
87 Quick Ways to Make Your PC Faster, Smarter, & More Fun
Windows Power Tools
Robert F. Callahan Mark Moyer Michael J. Miller
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March 7, 2006
Build Your Perfect PC
Faster than Dell, Cooler than Apple, Cheaper than Sony
WIN OUR CUSTOM! LEGO PC
ls, For More Detai 99 See Page
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71 HOT PHONES, PDAs, MP3 PLAYERS, CAMERAS, & MORE
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March 21, 2006
The Ultimate Guide to
59 Ways to Keep in Touch with Your Office, Family, and Friends
For permission to reuse material in this publication or to use our logo, contact Ziff Davis Media’s director of rights and permissions, Olga Gonopolsky, at permissions@ziffdavis.com, or by phone at 212-503-5438 or by fax at 212-503-5420. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission. For reprints, please contact Stella Valdez at FosterReprints: telephone, 866-879-9144; fax, 916-983-6762; e-mail, svaldez@fostereprints.com. The following are registered trademarks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.: i-Bench, NetBench, PC DIRECT, PC Labs, PC MAGAZINE, PC MAGAZINE AWARD FOR TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE, PC MAGAZINE EDITORS’ CHOICE,PC MagNet, ServerBench, WinBench, Winstone, and Ziff Davis Media’s corporate logo. The following are trademarks of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc.: After Hours, Backspace, CPUmark, EasyComputing, ExtremeTech, First Looks, First Looks Plus, i-Bench, Lab Notes, Lab Tales, PC Bench, PC Labs Scorecard, PC Magazine At Home, PC Magazine CD, PC Magazine Extra, PC Magazine Marketlink, PC Solutions, PC Tech, Pipeline, Power Programming, Quick Clips, ScreenDemos, Tech Notes, and WinDrain. Other trademarks and trade names used throughout the publication are the property of their respective owners. Copyright © 2006 Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
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FEEDBACK
TRIBBLES? NO TROUBLE
Regarding your comments about ravenous Tribbles (Feedback, March 7, page 87), I can wholeheartedly assure you that Tribbles do not eat computer magazines. If that were true, I’d be up to my ass in furballs and still struggling to figure out CP/M, dBase II, WordStar, and Colossal Cave Adventure.
—David Gerrold (author, The Trouble with Tribbles)
Thanks for the reassuring note. I’ve been a huge fan of Tribbles since grade school. I remember painstakingly stitching my own Tribbles together—using a mix of fake and recycled real fur— based on plans from your history book. Had they developed a taste for silicon, I’d probably still be washing dishes at the Straight Wharf Restaurant. Don’t know what a Tribble is? For shame! Google it and find out.—Jim Louderback
bling to figure out how to protect ourselves. For the good of the country, and for the safety of our children, I’d be willing to share my shopping list; I’d certainly be willing to give up my right to learn how to build a homemade bomb.
—Eric Schneider
BIG BUG-SMASHERS
In the Future Watch item that shows the cockpit of an Airbus A380 (March 7, page 26), Sebastian Rupley asked how pilots will be able to concentrate on where they’re going, with all the dials, lights, and gizmos. The answer to this very good question is: “They’d damn well better be able to, or a lot of folks in back are in for a bad day.” As a driver of one of those glasscockpit bug-smashers since 1982, now retired from American Airlines, I can tell you that modern airliners’ cockpits are designed to make the job easy, to minimize distractions, and to present all the information needed to handle most situations. The last thing a pilot needs is the distraction of some blinking light, so only a few are installed, and those are seldom activated. Almost everything on the left instrument panel is duplicated on the right (so that a first officer
FOR OUR OWN PROTECTION
I was a little disturbed by Michael J. Miller’s “When the Government Knows Where You Search” (March 21, page 15), which suggests that advancement in content filtering is a sufficient substitute for actively monitoring wouldbe online threats. Collecting search engine data to profile potential terrorists, criminals, and online predators is not only necessary but long overdue. The early, no-holds-barred version of the Internet became a breeding ground for the worst scum of the earth, and now we’re scram-
FULFILLING THE DREAM OF PERSONAL TECH
A reader (Feedback, March 7) asks why you are covering TVs. I’ve been around PCs since cassette tapes were sexy as storage, and your evolution into the coverage of cars, TVs, and anything else with electronic intelligence makes complete and utter sense. These emergent products embody the dream we all had when the first IC appeared. Each issue of PC Magazine needs to track the rapid evolution of personal technology, or you will suffer the fate of any entity that stands still (think buggy whips). I’ve read PC Magazine for decades and expect nothing less.
—Ara Kazanjian
ABORT, RETRY, FAIL
EDITED BY DON WILLMOTT
A tasty treat!
CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATIONS The table that accompanies the guide to building your own PC (March 7, page 106) quotes wrong prices for three Microsoft Windows versions. The correct price for XP Home is $199 direct; for XP Pro, $299 direct. You can’t buy XP Media Center Edition directly, but online retailers sell OEM copies for as little as $130. We neglected to identify the laptop bag in our March 21 cover photo. It is the Mobile Edge Men’s Premium Briefcase, and it sells for $89.99 at www.mobileedge.com. A crucial piece of context was deleted in the editing of Loyd Case’s story, “Your Next PC Will Cost $159” (March 21, page 98). The promotion Loyd stumbled upon was for a limited time only. Though similar deals occasionally crop up, it will likely take a bit of hunting (and time) for readers to find one this ultra-cheap for themselves. 14 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
What a relief!
Such a deal!
ARF NEEDS YOU! If your entry is used, we’ll send you a PC Magazine T-shirt. Submit your photos or screen captures via e-mail to arf@ziffdavis.com. Ziff Davis Media Inc. shall own all property rights in the entries. Winners this issue: Paul Flack, Blaine Trimmell, and Stephen Walker.
can take over from the pilot if need be), so there are only half as many cosmic toys as you see. The neatest gadgetry is the lower part of the large screen on the centerline, known as EICAS (Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System). All the gizmos in the machine report to it. Any system discrepancies are reported, in English, right on that screen. An unobtrusive beep alerts the crew to any new EICAS messages. No spinning dials. No blinking lights. At worst, “bitching Betty,” a synthesized human voice, throws a tantrum if someone misses a biggie.
—Gail G. Pence
damage by mixing up connectors. I only wish that PC diagnostics had evolved as quickly. I have one piece of advice, as an old-timer in the business: Invest in a static strap ($3) and use it. A static mat is even better. If nothing else, make a dummy cable that has only a ground wire and keep the chassis grounded.
—Russ Hodes
THE FIRST HYBRID
Bill Howard, like every media writer to discuss hybrids (February 21, page 25), starts with comments about the holy Toyota Prius. Next, he mentions the Honda Civic. As impressive as these cars are, with gas mileage better than 40 miles per gallon, he never mentions the first hybrid available in the U.S.: the Honda Insight. It’s still available, although it’s one of Honda’s best-kept secrets. It’s derided as a two-seater. If it had 200 hp and only two seats, the press would think it was sexy and would be all over it. Meanwhile, I get 50-plus mpg driving around town and upwards of 60 mpg on the highway, and I’m not even a particularly conservative driver. All the stuff you like about the Prius and the Civic is even truer about the forgotten Insight. Way back in 2000, Honda pioneered a lot of technology to make the Insight what it is today. The hybrid engine is only part of it. It’s the light-
YES WE CAN
I have always learned something new reading PC Magazine! There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of building your own computer. Joel Durham Jr.’s article was a delight —simple, easy, and very informative. Many have written about how to build or upgrade a PC before, but with all the new hardware, it’s a story that needs to be repeated at least once a year! Having built several PCs in the past year, I’m really impressed with how much easier it’s become. No more need to learn about IRQ and DMA settings. The BIOS is much easier to customize, and connectors are finally getting color coded. It’s not only hard to make a costly mistake, but it’s also harder to cause any serious
est and has the lowest drag coefficient of any car sold in the U.S. The spark plugs are indexed (custom-fitted to determine in which of the four directions the electrodes should point relative to the threads, in order to maximize air flow through the combustion chamber); the index number is stamped into the cylinder head next to each spark plug. Electric power steering is lighter than hydraulic steering and gives full assistance when you are parking (hydraulic loses power when the engine isn’t revved up). Geeks who want to know more should check out www .insightcentral.net. Those who have them love them. It’s like with Harleys: If I have to explain it, you wouldn’t understand.—Will Martin The Insight deserves credit for being hybrid before hybrid was cool. But with its weird shape, two seats, and a bunch of batteries in the back, it was an acquired taste. The Civic, in comparison, is a normal car that, by the way, has a hybrid engine.—Bill Howard
HOW TO CONTACT US We welcome your comments and suggestions. When sending e-mail to Feedback, please state in the subject line of your message which article or column prompted your response. E-mail pcmag@ziffdavis.com. All letters become the property of PC Magazine and are subject to editing. We regret that we cannot answer letters individually.
Stan, I wish everything was as dependable as a Ricoh color printer. That's why they call it wishful thinking, Jerry.
Ricoh dependability moves your ideas forward. ricoh-usa.com/itchannel 1.800.RICOH.43
©2006 Ricoh Corporation
PIPELINE
WHAT’S NEW FROM THE WORLD OF TECH
FLEXED
Bendable displays have been shown as prototypes for years, but they’ve never become mainstream. Now, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have come up with a new polymer material—essentially a “skin” based on carbon nanotubes—that could usher them into widespread use. Here, a nano-skin is flexible enough to wrap around the end of a plastic rod. Commercial displays will follow.—SR
Designs to Go
H
NEC designers envision the ubiquitous devices of the future.
AVE ALL THE GOOD HARDWARE IDEAS
already been thought of? Not according to NEC. The company’s Resonantware line of ubiquitous networking devices consists of imaginative concepts conceived by top designers. From intelligent pens to a cell phone you could wrap around your wrist while playing tennis, the prototypes focus on go-anywhere technology. Resonantware emphasizes “design possibilities with near-future paradigms in mind: the world where humans and machines resonate with one another,” according to NEC. If that sounds a little fanciful, consider some of the gizmos already cooked up. For starters, Tag is a malleable mobile-phone concept. Formed
from a shape-memorizing rubbery material, it might hang from your belt or be wrapped around your arm. You could jog with Tag affixed to your body. Wacca (shown above) stores “visual memory in a bracelet.” The bracelet captures surrounding visual images, adapting to the distance from the viewers’ faces through distance sensors. You can browse through captured images using a viewer on the bracelet or park it in a picture frame to view large versions of the photos. There are several other far-out ideas in the Resonantware line, including a pen-shaped cellular phone, a virtual keyboard, and a personal ID key with cashless pass functions. The next issue of PC Magazine will focus on new designs and feature more Resonantware concepts. Stay tuned.—Sebastian Rupley
HANGING IN MIDAIR
If you’re a fan of the film Blade Runner, you probably remember the giant, eerie 3D advertisements suspended in the night sky above Los Angeles. At the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tokyo (AIST for short), researchers have developed a way to project such 3D images. The images are created when the intensity of a laser pulse becomes high enough to cause plasma emissions in the air. Burton Inc. is working with AIST on commercial applications.—SR
BUZZWORDS DEMYSTIFIED
Captive Portal A default Web page that is downloaded to everyone who logs onto the Internet. Typically used for Wi-Fi hot spots. Web 2.0 Umbrella term for the second wave of the Web’s development. It implies an information and computing platform, not a content storehouse. Spintronics Using the spin of an electron to represent binary data (0 or 1). Adaptive Site A Web site that learns the habits of visitors and presents them with personalized pages.
GUT FEELING Never underestimate the power of a hunch. Icosystem’s new hunch engine software enhances human intuition by putting a seed idea through a series of mutations. You select examples that look promising. Find out more at www.icosystem.com.
16 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
A SOLDIER’S FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND
What would a robotic mule be good for? Plenty, in the eyes of developers at Boston Dynamics. Researchers there, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), created BigDog: a prototype, loadcarrying mule dubbed “the most advanced quadruped robot” by its makers. Powered by an onboard computer loaded with actuators and sensors and running on gasoline, BigDog can climb steep slopes and recover its balance after a hard kick. A laser gyroscope and a stereo vision system help it navigate. The robot can trot at 3.3 mph and carry a 120-pound load for a soldier. A next-generation version capable of carrying heavier loads is in the works.—SR
D
G O I N G U P?
OES TECHNOLOGY INSPIRE SCIENCE FICTION AUTHORS, OR VICE
versa? Arthur C. Clarke’s 1978 novel Fountains of Paradise proposed that an elevator to space would be feasible. Now, LiftPort Group is aiming to make the dream a reality. The company has tethered a cable, held aloft by balloons, one mile into the air. Computer-driven robots climbed most of the way up and down the cable—though there were a few glitches. LiftPort’s goal is to extend an ultrastrong carbon-nanotube cable 62,000 miles into space by the year 2018. The space elevator, which will be anchored in the Pacific Ocean, is intended for human transport as well as cargo.—Sebastian Rupley
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 17
TECHNORIDE
T
TAHOE GOES TECH
H E 2 0 0 7 C H E V R O L E T TA H O E I S
longer (202 inches) and larger (5,500plus pounds) than previous versions, and it has a vastly more comfortable ride and better handling. Most important to us, it integrates more technology. Half the V8’s cylinders shut down when they’re not accelerating; stability control comes standard; the $2,145 navigation system is decent; the $1,295 rear-seat DVD system is a decent option for families; the engine happily drinks E85 fuel (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gas); and a hybrid version is due by the end of the year. For safety, a backup camera and sonar are available options. Unfortunately, Bluetooth isn’t offered, and fuel economy could be better. But cockpit fit and finish are vastly improved for all of GM’s 2007 full-size SUVs, including the Cadillac Escalade, the GMC Yukon, and the stretched-out Chevy Suburban and Yukon XL.—BH
MORE ON THE WEB Want the full story on these reviews, plus news and opinions? Go to www.technoride.com, the car site for tech fans.
CHEVROLET TAHOE
$34,000 to $50,000 PROS Stability control and OnStar are standard. Decent nav system. Cylinder-deactivation feature, runs on ethanol/ gas mix. Backup camera and sonar available. CONS No Bluetooth.
Unsophisticated transmission. 15/21 mpg EPA rating (city/highway).
Backup cam
era
BEST AUTO WEB SITE According to researcher J.D. Power & Associates’ semiannual Manufacturers Web Site Evaluation Survey, Lexus moved from sixth place to first. The site got kudos for simple navigation and for being easy to load using broadband or dial-up. At TechnoRide, we’ve found that most buyer sites are more than adequate; unfortunately, the owner sections are nearly all weak in useful content.—BH
BOTTOM LINE Everything’s better about GM’s full-size 2007 SUVs, including standard stability control and a flex-fuels, flex-cylinders engine. But there’s so little cargo room you may need an extended-cabin GM SUV; then you can say goodbye to 21 mpg on the highway.
20 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
B I L L H O WA R D
Runs on ethanol/gas mix
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A TELEMATICS REVOLUTION
MICROSOFT WINDOWS LOGO
THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A PLANE, but it’s actually a Transition Personal Air Vehicle (PAV)—a concept from the minds of talented grad students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Terrafugia, an aviation manufacturing company working with the students, says the Transition will be able to drive at normal highway speeds, fly at speeds approaching the light-sport-aircraft limit, and fit in a standard garage. It will weigh 1,320 pounds and have a 100-hp engine. Gas mileage in the air is around 30 mpg. The first delivery of the Transition PAV is scheduled for 2009, but a fully operational prototype is expected in 2008. Start saving now; the estimated price is $148,000. —Jennifer L. DeLeo
etched onto a button sits proudly on the steering wheel of the new Fiat Grande Punto. Press it for affordable access to Bluetooth, MP3 music, and navigation. Put it on more car models, sell it outside Europe, and you’ve got a revolution. This joint Microsoft-Fiat venture, called Blue&Me, brings a telematics box to Fiat’s best-selling small sedan for the equivalent of $275, or about what you’d pay for an integrated Bluetooth hands-free phone module alone. Blue&Me uses Microsoft Windows Mobile for Automotive (WM4A, to Microsoft), an offshoot of the Windows Automotive software currently used in more than 60 car models. It offers these functions: • Bluetooth hands-free phone connections. • Voice recognition. • Playback of MP3 and WMA files from virtually any music player or USB flash key. • Remote diagnostics, via uploads of car-fault codes to your dealer. • Turn-by-turn navigation using voice prompts and, depending on the sophistication of the car, text prompts, iconic arrows, or full maps. Since Apple closely guards its ironically named FairPlay copy protection scheme, you can’t play protected iTunes files, but Apple may relent in the future. The navigation component of Blue&Me won’t be implemented until later this year. Routes will be downloaded from a server to your cell phone to the telematics box, rather than from an onboard DVD or CD or a hard drive. The T-Box system is easily upgraded, and it can be implemented in cars with just a two-year lead time—miraculously short for the auto industry. Before you make the obvious jokes about this partnership, note that Fiat is much healthier financially than it has been recently, and the Windows Automotive software is competitive with offerings from Wind River Systems and QNX. Fiat has an exclusive until March 2007, and Microsoft says it has at least one more automaker lined up. I think Ford is the likeliest U.S. candidate, because its in-car telematics and navigation offerings are in shambles: a paltry 4-inch display for its nav system? I believe Blue&Me will be truly disruptive. It makes even $1,000 portable nav systems look expensive, and with it, every music player—not just the iPod—can be controlled from the car. Twenty years ago, the Supreme Court allowed automakers to lock out third-party entertainment systems. With Blue&Me, the built-in hardware is still theirs, but the entertainment is all yours.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 21
MONITOR COLOR CORRECTION
Introducing huey. The first step to great prints. It automatically corrects monitor color so each hue is more vibrant, photographs are more accurate and movies and games are more life-like. A unique ambient light feature even adjusts for room lighting. You might not know your monitor is off, but you’ll notice the difference once it’s fixed.
PANTONE®, huey™ and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. GretagMacbeth is a registered trademark of Amazys Holding AG. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © Pantone, Inc., 2006. All rights reserved.
It’s not your eyes. It’s your monitor.
/
For more information, visit pantone.com
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FIRST LOOKS
WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN:
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INSIDE...
H, THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’. WE’VE
got a new look, a fresh approach and—what’s this?—an Apple laptop on our First Looks cover. Of course, it’s not just any Macintosh system. It’s Apple’s first Intel Core Duo–based portable, and it really screams. The Cupertino company has been stirring the pot lately, and in this edition we also decant the iPod Hi-Fi and Core Duo Mac mini. There’s also a healthy helping of Windows laptops (including the best ThinkPad ever), 50-inch plasmas, phones, and reviews of products geared to small businesses. Also, don’t miss our new Buying Guides on Digital SLRs, Desktop Displays, and Photo Management Tools. It’s a whole new First Looks.
Apple MacBook Pro This Intel-based system is one sweet upgrade from the beloved PowerBook G4. Turn the page for the full review.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 23
F I R ST LO O KS
H A R D WA R E
iSight
Apple MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro comes with a 100GB hard drive, a superfast 256MB ATI graphics card, Intel’s 802.11a/g wireless, and a DVD±RW drive. With its bigger, brighter display and an excellent software bundle (including iLife ’06 and Front Row), there’s little more to wish for. $3,099 direct as tested go.pcmag.com/ intelmacbook
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Just one inch thin
Remote control IR sensor
r slimmerive d DVD
BATTERY LIFE
Bigger bars are better. In hours:minutes. Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Apple PowerBook G4 15-inch*
SPEED TESTS
Smaller bars are better. In minutes:seconds. 0:29 Start-up 1:18 0:50 iPhoto Import QuickTime Pro Conversion 2:13 3:36 2:35
DVD Battery Rundown Test
2:05 2:12
* Apple PowerBook (PowerPC G4, 1.67 GHz) reported for comparison.
24 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
OTHER INTEL CORE DUO OPTIONS
RAW POWER Acer TravelMate 8204WLMi Thanks to its dual-core processor and impressive components, this beauty is a top performer. The durable carbon-fiber chassis and manageable weight make this a solid system. $2,499 list go.pcmag.com/acer8204
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MagSafe adapter
Ex
ard/ press C
34 slot
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INTEL’S INSIDE THE NEW MACBOOK PRO
HIS TIME, THE LATEST “MUST-HAVE”
from Apple is not another pocket-size music player. It’s the 5.5-pound successor to the PowerBook G4. And though just as sexy as an iPod, the new Apple MacBook Pro has some serious Intel firepower. For most consumers, the Intel Core Duo processor raises the bar for performance, letting them immerse themselves in a digital lifestyle. But graphics and media professionals who make a living using Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut Pro may want to hold off for just a bit. Many features are very cool, like Apple’s integrated iSight camera. With the growing popularity of video chats, the iSight camera, with its excellent resolution, is a smart addition. But I was very disappointed to see that the MacBook has only two USB ports; other 15.4inch notebooks have four, which is more appropriate, considering the plethora of USB-connected devices available. Apple has abandoned the FireWire 800 port, leaving only the FireWire 400 port, and made the move from a PC Card slot to an Express Card slot. Many manufacturers are moving to Express Card, although right now not a lot of products support it. And if you want to connect your MacBook Pro to a TV, and really put Front Row on display, you’ll have to do it via the
DVI-D port. The S-Video port is gone, though you can get a DVI-D to S-Video converter for $19. The MacBook Pro still doesn’t include a TV tuner for watching and recording live TV. But for all your other media needs, you’re set. The Front Row multimedia interface is very well designed, and you can access it from across the room via a shuffle-like remote. You can scroll through different menus accessing photos, music, and other content. Also included is the stellar iLife ’06 software suite. The MacBook Pro demonstrated impressive speed on my tests. For example, it showed a performance gain of more than 200 percent over the PowerBook G4 when importing and exporting pictures in iPhoto. And it took only 29 seconds to start up, which is blazingly fast compared with the PowerBook G4’s 1:18. The dual-core processor does cause the aluminum chassis to heat up a bit, but this is neither problematic nor uncomfortable. It’s not as if graphics and media professionals will never benefit from the cool new MacBook Pro. They will, as soon as certain software—such as Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, and Aperture—is optimized for the Intel platform (called universal binary). But for all other Mac-heads and Windows converts, this system is an awesome upgrade right now.—Cisco Cheng
AFFORDABLE HP Pavilion dv1000t One of the first notebooks to go dual-core, the dv1000t is an affordable multimedia notebook that is 5.5 pounds. You get lots of storage space (100GB), a BrightView screen, the QuickPlay instant-on interface, and a duallayer DVD±RW drive. $1,922.99 direct go.pcmag.com/ hpdv1000t
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MULTIMEDIA Dell Inspiron E1705 The E1705 is a multimedia laptop with a bright 17-inch widescreen and plenty of multimedia buttons, instant-on software, and good performance. You can even do some gaming. $2,307 direct go.pcmag.com/delle1705
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 25
F I R ST LO O KS
H A R D WA R E
Intel inside
4 USB
ports!
Apple Mac mini The Mac mini is a media hub masquerading as a budget PC. Though it can do everything an entrylevel system can, this mini comes with a remote. Nary a keyboard, mouse, or monitor is in sight. $799 direct go.pcmag.com/ intelmacmini
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APPLE’S MINI APPEAL
HE ORIGINAL G4 MINI WAS A TRI-
u m p h of compact design. Now, the newest Apple Mac mini shares the same form factor and, thankfully, the same value-minded media hub/ PC mentality—even with the Intel Core Duo processor inside. In addition, the mini comes with the Front Row media interface. The included iPod shuffle–lookalike IR Apple Remote makes it easy to scroll through photos, slide shows, music, and downloaded videos
on your PC. And with its built-in wireless and Bonjour networking, it’s easier than ever to network all your home’s PCs so that you can access media files from anywhere in the house. The only downside for such a media-centric system is its current lack of a TV tuner. For more traditional PC tasks like e-mail, Web searching, and word processing, the Mac mini has more than enough power to keep you happy. Even without a TV tuner, the Mac mini excels at what it’s meant to do: act as your home’s central media hub or a basic, entry-level PC.—Joel Santo Domingo
2’’ LCD
Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1 With its host of ports and memory card slots, you can capture video from almost any device—camera, camcorder, VCR—and burn it to DVD. $299 direct go.pcmag.com/ sonydvdirect
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THE VIDEO-TO-DVD CHAMP
RE YOU LOOKING FOR AN EASY
way to save precious video memories (even the ones stored on that grainy VHS tape) to DVD? If so, consider the Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1. It lets you transfer video quickly and easily from a camcorder, camera, memory card, or a VCR. The 2-inch LCD screen—one of the DVDirect’s most important features—lets you see exactly what is being recorded. Choose from five quality modes to record in, from HQ, or High Quality, which produces the best recording, to SLP (Super Long Play), the poorest. This selection lets you designate how much DVD space a
video will need. The drive supports 16X DVD-R and DVD+R write speeds (the fastest available). There are plenty of ports, including DV, S-Video-in, A/V-in, and a printer USB port—not a video-out port, though, which means the DVDirect can’t play DVDs. For saving your video memories to DVD, the Sony VRD-MC1 is fast, easy, and affordable—and our favorite solution, to boot.—Cisco Cheng
26 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
Tray holds up to 12 es 35mm slid
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QUALITY FILM AND PHOTO SCANNER
HE EPSON PERFECTION V700 PHOTO
is not for everyone. But if you take your photography seriously, are demanding about scan quality—and particularly if you have a large print and film collection waiting to enter the digital age—this scanner should be on your short list. The V700 is an okay all-purpose scanner, but it excels as a film scanner (which is what you’ll be using it for anyway), producing some of the best scan quality I’ve seen. It can scan eight different film formats, in three different modes. The modes range from Auto-
Epson Perfection V700 Aiming to attract serious amateur photographers, the Epson Perfection V700 has comprehensive options for handling film and produces topquality scans. $549 list go.pcmag.com/ epsonv700
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matic, which, like a point-and-shoot camera, handles all the settings for you, to Professional, which gives you much more control over the scan. Regardless of what mode you choose, the V700 is easy to use: You can either launch the scan from within a program or simply press the single button on the front of the console.
—M. David Stone
Stan, how do you keep those Ricoh printers so dependable?
You add paper, Jerry.
Ricoh dependability moves your ideas forward. ricoh-usa.com/itchannel 1.800.RICOH.43
©2006 Ricoh Corporation
F I R ST LO O KS
H A R D WA R E
BUYING GUIDE
Desktop Displays
GATEWAY FPD2185W
The Gateway FPD2185W is an affordable 21-inch widescreen LCD monitor that boasts a 1,680- by 1,050pixel resolution, multiple inputs, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and enough features to satisfy the most demanding home or office user. It’s one of the best values on the market. The FPD2185W does a fine job of displaying fast-action games and DVD video. Doom 3 looks terrific on its wide screen, and The Matrix ran on it with no flutter, minimal artifacts, and no noticeable ghosting. If you’re looking for an affordable 21-inch LCD monitor that can handle all your multimedia needs and look good while doing it, look no further than the Gateway FPD2185W. $599.99 direct go.pcmag.com/gatewayfpd
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STAY AWAY!
28 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
k le nec stabait mode Adju ortr for p
F YOU HAVEN’ T ALREADY MADE THE LEAP
to an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, now is the time to do so. While it’s true that CRTs have a slight edge when it comes to displaying moving images, LCDs are flickerfree (no more late-day headaches) and take up much less room. Why suffer another day with that dinosaur of a CRT on your desk? Reclaim your desktop space and read on.
Sizing It All Up
Before you start shopping, there are a few things you need to decide—most important, how much you want to spend and what size monitor suits your needs. Typically, the bigger the display, the more you can expect to
NEC MultiSync 90GX2 Though the glossy screen is great for movies and games, workaholics will quickly tire of the glare. $480 street. go.pcmag.com/ nec90gx2 l l l h m Envision EN7600 In a market where three-year warranties are the norm, the one-year warranty and subpar deadpixel policy don’t cut it. $279.99 direct. go.pcmag.com/en7600 l l l m m
spend, but there are other factors that also affect price. At the low end of the price spectrum are the 15-inch models, which are slowly disappearing from the market in favor of the 17-inch displays. While 15-inch monitors are adequate for Web surfing, e-mail, and general office tasks, you’re better off spending a few extra bucks and upgrading to a 17- or 19-inch panel. Currently, a moderately priced 19-inch monitor delivers the best bang for your buck in terms of total viewing area. Aside from the size, comfort with the screen’s native resolution is another key consideration. If, for example, you view a document on a monitor running at 1,600-by-1,200 and the text appears too small, you’ll want to consider a lower-resolution display that runs at 1,280-by-1,024 instead. As a general rule: the higher the native resolution, the smaller the font will be. You can always run the monitor at lower than native resolution, but image quality will suffer. Big widescreen displays, say 24- or even 30-inch ones, offer very high resolutions, ranging from 1,600by-1,200 to 2,560-by-1,600. These monitors are better
A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
suited for graphics professionals and people who work in imaging and video. (They’re also superb for watching movies.) If you’re a desk jockey who works with words and numbers, these beauties are overkill. Pixel response rate (expressed in ms) measures how quickly the display’s pixels go from black to white or gray to gray and is a good indication of how well an LCD handles moving images. For example, a 12-ms display is “adequate” for gaming, but you’ll experience some jitter and ghosting. The action will be much smoother on a 3-ms monitor.
Entertainment Value
OTHER OPTIONS
Additional features, such as dual inputs, integrated speakers, built-in USB ports, and other external connectivity ports, also affect the utility and price of the display. Choose a model that offers digital (DVI) and analog (VGA) inputs, even if your current PC supports only VGA graphics. (You’ll thank me when you eventually upgrade your PC.) If you plan to use the display as part of an entertainment hub, look for a model with S-Video-in and component-video-in ports. And though integrated speakers save space, they are usually underpowered and distort at high volumes. A cheap set of desktop speakers will usually do a better job.
Stands and Warranties
HIGH-END MARVEL Dell UltraSharp Widescreen 3007WFP This 30-inch display has better image quality and a faster pixel response rate than its rival, Apple’s Cinema HD. $2,199 direct go.pcmag.com/dell30
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BY JOHN R. DELANEY
F YO U H AV E K I D S , R O OM M AT E S ,
GAMER’S DELIGHT ViewSonic VX924 With extremely fast pixel response rates, this is an excellent 19-inch monitor for gaming and video. $469 direct go.pcmag.com/vx924
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Another seemingly small thing to investigate is the stand. Nearly all LCD monitors have stands that can be adjusted for comfortable viewing. The most common adjustment is tilt. Look for those that add height adjustments as well (no more hunching over your desk!). And finally, check out the manufacturer’s warranty before you buy. Most vendors offer a standard threeyear warranty that covers parts, labor, and most important, backlighting.—JD
BUDGET BEAUTY ViewSonic VA912b Dual inputs, a wide viewing angle, and good image quality make this 19-inch display a terrific value. $320 street go.pcmag.com/va912b
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RECENT REVIEWS
Philips 190P6 Samsung SyncMaster 193p Plus Sony SDM-S95D Samsung SyncMaster 204T Lenovo ThinkVision L201p Planar PX1920M $579.99 list $600 street $335 street $550 street $617 list $469 list
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A versatile 19-inch LCD monitor loaded with features. A 19-inch LCD that brings style and quality to the desktop. Well-designed and sleek, this 19-inch LCD has good image quality. A brilliant 20-inch LCD panel. A strong performer, this business 20-inch LCD is a bit pricey. Ergonomic and well-designed, this 19-inch LCD is better than average.
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siblings, or a spouse with different TV viewing habits from yours, you’ve probably thought about buying a second, third, or fourth TV set to keep the peace during prime time. Or maybe you just want to kick back and watch a Yankees game without flipping a coin for viewing rights. Here’s an idea: Turn your LCD monitor into a TV set. Watching TV using your PC is nothing new, but most people don’t realize just how easy it is. For starters, your monitor needs to have a built-in TV tuner or video card. If it doesn’t, you’ll need a TV tuner for your PC. (HD TV tuners are inexpensive and deliver better image quality, even on SD, than most non-HD TV tuner cards.) Also, get a good set of speakers. Not long ago, you’d have had to be moderately tech-savvy to install a tuner card in your PC, but now you can simply buy a USB tuner for around $150, plug it in, load some software, and you’re ready to go. Of course, you’ll need an antenna, cable, or satellite feed nearby. Using your LCD monitor as a TV has certain advantages. For starters, LCDs are aesthetically pleasing. Even the plainest is better-looking than most TV sets, and they don’t take up a lot of room. They weigh less than TVs and can be easily moved. Also, LCDs consume less power than TV sets (approximately 30 percent less) and, because they’re flicker-free, are easier on your eyes. Last but certainly not least, most LCDs provide a bright, vivid TV picture. There are a few things you should know before you trash your old TV set. If you do a side-by-side comparison of an LCD monitor and an old CRT TV, you’ll notice that the LCD loses some luster when viewed from the side, whereas the TV looks good regardless of the viewing angle. LCD technology has come a long way in terms of viewing-angle performance, but CRTs still rule when it comes to crowding around the set. Also, LCDs are known for displaying motion artifacts (background noise). Again, LCD technology has minimized the artifacts, but they’re there; not so with TVs. Finally, PC-based TV tuner cards can’t compete with the real TV tuner cards in TVs, because USB and PCI tuners tend to degrade the signal. Images may appear a little soft around the edges on some channels. Despite a few drawbacks, watching TV on your LCD monitor is a practical way to maximize the return on your PC investment. And what are a few artifacts when you can catch the game (Go Yankees!) while the rest of the clan is fighting over the remote— in the other room?
John R. Delaney is a regular contributor to PC Magazine and our resident monitor expert.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 29
MORE LCD REVIEWS ONLINE Check out all our LCD monitor reviews at go.pcmag.com/lcds
Toshiba recommends Windows XP Professional.
Satellite
Smart notebooks for every budget. Starting at $699
Tecra
The reliability business demands. Starting at $1,199
Portégé
Thin, light and powerful. Starting at $1,599
Qosmio™
4-in-1 personal entertainment center. Starting at $1,699
Portégé R200 Notebook PC
Style and performance come together in an elegant ultraportable.
Intel Pentium M Processor Ultra Low Voltage 753 for faster execution of instructions at lower power Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Professional Toshiba EasyGuard™ enhancements1 for increased mobile security, system integrity, network connectivity and overall ease of use Starting at $1,899
ToshibaByDesign.com/R200 1.800.TOSHIBA
1. Toshiba EasyGuard technology comprises a number of features some of which may or may not be available on a particular Toshiba notebook depending on the model selected. See www.easyguard.toshiba.com for detailed information. 2. Weight may vary. See Weight Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 3. Battery life may vary. See Battery Life Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 4. Hard drive capacity may vary. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 109 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. See Hard Disk Drive Capacity Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 5. Toshiba’s shock absorption technology provides higher impact protection for your system as compared to Toshiba systems without similar shock protection features based on Toshiba’s drop tests. Toshiba’s standard limited warranty terms and limitations apply. Visit www.warranty.toshiba.com for details. Portégé, Satellite and Tecra are registered trademarks and EasyGuard and Qosmio are trademarks of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.
Magnesium Alloy Chassis
Exterior casework material used in aerospace manufacturing maximizes durability without adding unnecessary weight.
60GB Hard Drive4
Toshiba micro-engineering fits 60GB of data in a tiny 1.8-inch drive.
Thin. Light. Goes for hours.
Toshiba is always striving to make notebooks smaller, thinner, lighter — without compromising functionality. The Portégé R200 is the latest result of that philosophy. Its sleek chassis is built from materials similar to those used in fighter jets. And starting at 2.68 lbs.2 and just over half an inch thin, it still has enough battery life to last up to five hours.3 Portability plus performance. Size plus stamina. That’s 360˚ innovation. That’s Toshiba.
Hard Drive Hard Drive Protection54 Protection44
3D accelerometer detects free falls and quickly prepares the hard drive for impact to help protect your data.
Where can innovation take you? ToshibaByDesign.com/R200
Fingerprint Reader
Embedded biometric sensor helps prevent unauthorized access for better security.
Up to Five Hours of Battery Life3
Proprietary battery design and low-voltage processor optimize battery efficiency.
Innovation by design.
and/or Toshiba Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Celeron, Intel Centrino, the Intel Centrino logo and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. While Toshiba has made every effort at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifications, configurations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. Toshiba is not liable for pricing, typographical or photography errors. Prices listed are based on products listed at ToshibaDirect.com at time of publication printing. Reseller/Retailer pricing/products may vary. © 2006 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Two 10-watt speakers
Vizio P50 HDM This 50-inch wonder looks good, delivers a great 720p HD picture, and is one of the most affordable 50-inch TVs we’ve tested. $2,499.99 direct go.pcmag.com/p50hdm
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2 digital video ports
VGA port
2 component video inputs
2 composit video portse
32 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
tt 20-wa ers k spea
H
BIG PLASMA, LOW PRICE
IGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION DOESN’T
always have to come at a high cost. Witness the Vizio P50 HDM. Granted, its price tag isn’t exactly chump change, but this is the least-expensive 50-inch plasma display we’ve tested to date, and we came away very impressed with its good overall picture quality and great selection of A/V inputs. The P50, which has a native resolution of 1,366by-768, is technically an HD monitor: It lacks an integrated digital television tuner and has no CableCard slot. For those with cable or satellite set-top boxes, this won’t be much of an issue. This display is bordered by a glossy black bezel complete with a factory-attached, oval-shaped table stand. On-display control buttons on the monitor’s lower right side are easy to access. Volume is ample—for TV speakers—from the permanently attached units below the screen, but the sound can be a bit tinny and harsh at maximum levels. In use with a PC, the VGA input allows full access to the display’s native resolution, providing crisp, attractive imagery with no sign of overscan. Connecting a PC to the monitor using a DVI-to-HDMI cable limited us to a lower progressive resolution of 1,280by-720 (720p) and introduced just a hint of overscan. The P50’s Faroudja DCDi video processor helped it post the second-best HQV test results of all displays we’ve tested to date. The results benefited from menu settings that let you adjust digital and motion-based noise reduction. The Vizio P50 HDM impressed us with its attractive design and good image quality when using 720p and PC video sources. The lack of a digital tuner and its scaling issues with 1080i content make it best suited for use with a set-top box that provides content scaled to the display’s preferred 720p resolution. Perhaps most important, Vizio has delivered a 50-inch plasma monitor that sets a high bar for performance at a low price.—Robert Heron
Dell W5001C The W5001C’s decent TV tuners and audio performance are completely overshadowed by its inability to scale HD imagery properly when using HDMI or component video inputs. $3,799 list go.pcmag.com/dell5001c
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AVOID THIS DELL
HE DELL W5001C 50-INCH HIGH
Definition Plasma TV is the company’s first foray into 50-inch territory, and the results are definitely secondrate. Image quality with most analog sources is noisy, and all inputs introduce color errors and other artifacts into video containing dark scenes. The W5001C’s main A/V input block is centered on the rear of the display along the lower edge. Its integrated digital and analog TV tuners effectively handle local broadcast stations, and a pair of 20-watt speakers produces a pleasingly warm sound with good bass response for TV speakers. For PC use, the W5001C’s VGA input offers the best viewing experience, with detailed imagery and no sign of overscan. Digital PC input is possible using a DVI-to-HDMI cable, but full-screen, progressive resolution support is reduced to 1,280 by 720 pixels (720p). This makes for an overscanned picture that lacks the clarity of TV’s VGA input. HD input via HDMI or component video resulted in a very flattened picture. The W5001C’s lack of image size controls left us no way to compensate for this. The color shifts we noted in shadows or other dark detail were an additional distraction that sealed the W5001C’s fate as a second-rate HDTV.—RH
2 S-Vide ports
o
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 33
F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Hot keys
Logitech Harmony 520 Anyone who thinks a universal remote costs too much—or loses an old one under the couch— will be happy to have this one in hand. $99 list go.pcmag.com/ logitechharmony520
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H
THE ULTIMATE REMOTE CONTROL
AVE CONTROL ISSUES? THE LOGI-
Glow But
ton
tech Harmony 520 Advanced Universal Remote can fix them—for less money than an hour at the therapist’s. This is the first sub-$100 remote the company has launched since acquiring the successful Harmony brand. The 520 sports a sleek silver design, responsive buttons, and an interactive monochrome screen that adjusts to the functions of the device you’re controlling at the time. The remote automatically selects the appropriate inputs and volume controls and will even change the aspect ratio of your TV if necessary. The 520’s biggest advantage over less-refined universal remotes is device, or state, awareness. This means that if, for example, your TV scrolls through the available inputs using one button rather than dedicated buttons for Input 1, Input 2, Video, and so on, the 520 will automatically switch inputs based on the task. Overall, the 520 did an excellent job of controlling our entertainment center, and we were impressed with its quality.—Oliver Kaven
Sirius S50 The player’s interface needs work, and the meager 7 hours of battery life is disappointing. But if you’re a Sirius subscriber, the S50 is the best way to take your tunes with you. $329.95 (with new subscription) go.pcmag.com/s50
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A SIRIUS DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER
ANT TO TAKE YOUR HOWARD
Stern to go? The Sirius S50 is the first and, for now, the only portable player that lets you play Sirius satellite radio programming. At 3.9 by 1.9 by 0.7 inches, the S50 slips easily into a jeans pocket. The device’s black, glossy face is button-free and has a bright, 176- by 220-pixel, color display that shows channel and track info. The S50 plays live channels only when connected to the car kit or home dock; on the go, it plays previously recorded material from its 1GB of internal flash memory. You can record blocks of programming or set the player to record future programming. Hear a song you love? Just click the Love button using the dial and the song will be recorded to the S50. The S50 caches the first minute or two of every song, so you don’t have to catch the song at the very beginning. The S50 also lets you move your own WMA and MP3 files onto the player from your PC, but unfortunately you can’t move Sirius content to your PC.—Dan Costa
Click the Love buttonsong to store a
34 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
note the leather trim
T
NOKIA’S NEW ‘IT’ PHONE
HE FASHION-CONSCIOUS SAY NEUTRAL
colors are in. The tech-savvy say 2-megapixel camera phones with Bluetooth are all the rage. Put the two together and you get the Nokia 7380. At first glance, there’s no way to tell that this keypadless and apparently screenless rectangle is a phone. The front is mostly a mirror, with a single glowing jeweled button surrounded by a rubberized scroll wheel. So how do you dial something without a keypad? You can download your contacts from your PC via Blue-
Nokia 7380 It’s definitely a phone to see and be seen with, but those used to letting their fingers do the talking may find this a tough sell. $699.99 direct go.pcmag.com/ nokia7380
tooth, then spin through your contacts using the scroll wheel. Or you can use the built-in dialing feature. It’s safe to say that few if any other people at your cocktail party will be toting anything like this piece of tech art.—Sascha Segan
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IPOD HI-FI BRINGS DA NOISE
JVC RX-D702B This receiver will take up half the space yet sound twice as nice as your old power-hungry analog receiver. $879.95 list go.pcmag.com/ jvcrxd702b
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DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT MADE SIMPLE
be complicated to be good. The 150-watt JVC RX-D702B unit takes up half of the space of your old power-hungry analog receiver and sounds twice as nice. The sound is loud and crisp, thanks to a digital amplifier and digital signal processing. You can even connect it to your PC via USB or wirelessly, to stream music from your MP3 collection. The internal Faroudja DCDi video processor will take analog composite, S-Video, and component video inputs and upconvert them to HD-like quality. The receiver gives you three high-definition sources that can be routed to a single HDMI TV connection and three low-definition sources that can be upconverted to HDMI at 480p. The device itself runs a little hot and the wireless range is a little weak, but otherwise this makes a good all-purpose receiver.—Dave Mathews
A
N A / V R E C E I V E R D O E S N ’ T H AV E T O
your home stereo and use its new iPod Hi-Fi instead. Based on our lab testing, that just might be worth it. The iPod Hi-Fi is a one-piece, threeway combination speaker and iPod dock that looks a lot like a center-channel speaker from a home theater system, with horizontally set drivers. It can thump, sing, and squeal with a lot more power than any other dock on the market, and at 14.5 pounds, it’s relatively portable. Apple had the presence of mind to shield the dock well, so there is no audible digital noise during playback. On all tracks, the bass was tight and punchy. The Hi-Fi had no problem filling up our 20-by-20-foot audio lab with clear, crisp sound, so we took it into one of our carpeted meeting rooms, which can seat a couple hundred people, and turned up the volume all the way up. This thing is capable of powering a serious party.—Mike Kobrin
A
PPLE WANTS YOU TO THROW OUT
Apple iPod Hi-Fi It’s no surprise that the new champ among iPod speakers/docks comes from Apple. The iPod Hi-Fi is versatile and loud enough for almost any listening needs, though it lacks video output. $349 direct go.pcmag.com/ipodhifi
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 35
F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
BUYING GUIDE
Digital SLRs
5 frames per second
il flash versatg e ystem lightin s
NIKON D200
Like most digital SLRs, the Nikon D200 comes loaded with controls, both automatic and manual, and in the hands of a skilled photographer will perform beautifully. But it’s the camera’s innovative ability to control lighting that makes it our new Editors’ Choice. The D200’s CCD 10.2MP sensor creates large files and allows extensive cropping in your image-editing program. The impressive 11-area autofocus (AF) system does a fine job of keeping your subjects in focus, and the camera uses the same 3D colormetering system found in the exceptional Nikon D2X. $1,699.95 list (without lens) go.pcmag.com/d200
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sturdy ium alloy magnes body
10.2 MP CCD sensor
le flexib ocus of aut
U
NLESS YOU’VE BEEN NAPPING FOR
STAY AWAY!
Pentax *ist DS2 With just passable image quality and performance, the Pentax *ist DS2 is outclassed by the competition. $750 street go.pcmag.com/istdS2
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the past year or so, you’ve noticed that Digital Single-Lens Reflex (D-SLR) cameras have come way down in price and are now within reach of nearly all consumers. You can spend as little as $600 for an entry-level D-SLR with a kit lens or ten times that for a professional one, which doesn’t come with a lens. But do you need one? That depends on what kind of photographer you are.
Megapixels and More
Most entry-level D-SLRs are either 6 or 8 megapixels, but there has been a steady increase in megapixels, with midrange D-SLRs now delivering 10- to 12MP images. This means you’ll get images with more data for larger prints, or maybe for more radical cropping in your image-editing program. Keep in mind that a 6MP D-SLR will give you more than enough data for a great 8-by-10 print. If you’re interested in fine-art, large-size prints, you might want a 10-, 12- or 16MP D-SLR.
Here are some other things to think about when getting a D-SLR: Do you want a pop-up flash on your camera? Professional D-SLRs don’t have them, but entry-level models generally do. What type of memory card does your camera take? Some entry-level models use SD or xD cards, but most still take CompactFlash cards or microdrives. Right now, xD cards are limited to a 2GB capacity, making CompactFlash better for avid photographers. Look to see what file formats are available on your camera: Most shoot RAW and JPEG, and not as many support TIFF anymore. Like RAW, TIFF is a lossless format, but it lets the camera handle some image settings, like white balance and sharpness. Also, some higher-end D-SLRs enable you to shoot in varying combinations of RAW and JPEG files so that you get two files with each picture you take. How big does your LCD need to be? Many D-SLRs now have 2.5-inch screens. Do you care if your D-SLR is powered by a rechargeable proprietary lithium ion battery, or do you want to use double-A batteries? How fast a shutter speed do you need? Are there any special
36 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
features you’re looking for? Konica Minolta puts its vibration reduction technology into its camera bodies instead of its lenses (which is what most others do). Olympus has a special feature that knocks dust off the image sensor when the camera is turned on. We also suggest trying out the camera in a store to get a hands-on feel for it. Try the burst modes on the model you’re interested in to see whether it’s quick enough and steady enough. How many frames per second (fps) do you want to shoot? Is the camera too heavy? Too bulky? Maybe you have large hands and don’t like the feel of some of the more entry-level, compact D-SLRs. Check out the camera’s menus, dials, buttons, multi-controllers, and so on. Is there anything you find awkward or annoying? Does the camera offer any help features? Ask to see the manual. Is it helpful, or just a jumble of jargon, acronyms, and meaningless charts? We cover most of these factors in our reviews, but there is no substitute for hands-on testing.
Extras That Count
OTHER OPTIONS
SMALL AND LIGHT Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT Don’t want a bulky camera, but still looking for a D-SLR? It’s not svelte, but the Digital Rebel XT is the smallest of the bunch and offers great daylight picture quality, to boot. $799.99 list go.pcmag.com/ digitalrebelxt
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B Y T E R RY S U L L I VA N
HE NEW YORK TIMES RAN AN
While we have made much of the D-SLR camera body, a very powerful part of the D-SLR experience is the fact that it’s part of a system that includes a variety of accessories. Aside from lenses, there are external flashes, wireless adapters, focusing screens, power packs, teleconverters (for extended telephoto ranges), and much more. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of being able to choose from a variety of accessories, which really enables you to personalize your system. Last, when you actually want to purchase a digital camera, make sure you purchase from a trustworthy vendor. Watch out for products sold via gray markets or unauthorized channels. Often a product that was purchased overseas is resold here below list price. That may sound appealing, but gray market cameras will not be covered by any warranties.—TS
EASY TO USE Nikon D50 Long the benchmark for D-SLRs, the D50 features an excellent menu system with clear, understandable options. $699.99 list go.pcmag.com/nikond50
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RECENT REVIEWS
Olympus Evolt E-500 Pentax *ist DL Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro Nikon D2X Nikon D70s Pentax *ist DS $799.99 list $799.99 list $2,400 street $4,999.95 list $1,199.95 list $899.95 direct
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A very good entry-level D-SLR that falls just shy of greatness. A worthy follow-up to the *ist DS, but it can’t quite match other D-SLRs. Portrait photographers will enjoy the quality, but the burst rate is slow. This is the perfect camera for the enthusiast with professional aspirations. The 6.1-MP D70s is basically the popular D70 with a larger LCD. One of the smallest, lightest, and easiest-to-operate D-SLRs out there.
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interesting photo on its cover when Pope John Paul II passed away last year. The pontiff was being carried through a massive crowd gathered in Vatican City. I was struck by the number of people who were snapping photos, arms raised above their heads, with digital cameras. I imagined how I might have taken a shot in that situation. If, like them, I’d had a digital camera with an articulating LCD panel, I also would have been able to hold the camera above my head and still see my subject on the screen. But more likely, I’d have been carrying a digital SLR, forcing me to rely on a throwback to the days of 35mm film SLRs—the “Hail Mary” shot. I would’ve set my camera to burst mode, held it aloft, pressed the shutter, fired as many shots as possible, and prayed that out of the lot I’d get one decent picture. This iffy method is necessary because D-SLR screens don’t give you a view, in real time, of what you’re about to shoot: You can review shots only after the fact. In addition, nearly all D-SLRs have nonarticulating displays, so you can’t move the LCD. The only way to see what you’re shooting is to look through the optical viewfinder. The lack of an articulating LCD preview screen is one of the traits that distinguishes D-SLRs from pointand-shoot cameras—or used to. The latest Olympus D-SLR, the Evolt E-330, has blown away that sacrosanct division. An additional CCD sensor along the image path transmits the live scene to the LCD. The Evolt E-330 has another unusual attribute for a D-SLR: The screen articulates. Although most D-SLRs, as noted, have fixed LCDs, the decision to integrate a live-preview function made a strong case for a movable screen. From eBay sellers to photographers, anyone who takes shots at odd angles will really appreciate the Evolt E-330. And if, like me, you spend lots of time craning to look through the viewfinder of a D-SLR mounted on a light stand, you can almost feel your neck relaxing just by thinking about an articulating, live-view screen on a D-SLR. We expect to have an Olympus Evolt E-330 in the lab for testing soon, so we’ll find out how it really performs. Whatever the result, though, I’m convinced that this radical vision—or at least perceptiveness— on the part of Olympus injects a much-needed feature into the D-SLR category that will pay off for the company and for users.
Terry Sullivan is PC Magazine’s Lead Analyst for Photography.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 37
MORE CAMERA REVIEWS ONLINE Check out all our digital SLR camera reviews at go.pcmag.com/dslr
F I R ST LO O KS
NETWORKING
Multipleas boost antenn ates data r
Netgear RangeMax 240 wireless router and WPNT511 CardBus PC Card This wireless router/PC Card duo blasts data faster than wired Fast Ethernet! $135 street; PC Card, $100 street go.pcmag.com/ rm240router
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Snap-on fee
t
MORE ON THE WEB
For in-depth looks at both routers built on the Airgo Gen3 chipset, visit go.pcmag.com/ airgo3routers.
P
WIRELESS TO THE MAX
AIR A NETGEAR RANGEMAX 240 WIRE-
less router with its WPNT511 CardBus PC Card client and you’re in for quite a shock. The pair breaks wired networking’s lock on 100-Mbps transfers. On my tests, at distances up to 120 feet the two even beat the stunningly fast Linksys SRX 400 and its laptop adapter. The router/PC Card combination hits more than 103 Mbps at10 feet, exceeding the throughput of wired Fast Ethernet. In fact, data transfer is a remarkable 95.3 Mbps at 60 feet—still on a par with Fast Ethernet. Even at 160 feet, throughput is 22.4 Mbps— significantly faster than with any wireless technology I’ve tested before.
Netgear didn’t sacrifice ease of use or features for speed, though. The bundled software and the router’s Web-based configuration interface are both intuitive. And the hardware packs in all the features I’d expect: port forwarding and triggering, VPN pass-through, dynamic DNS, service blocking, UPnP, and plenty more. Your wireless security choices are the standard WEP, WPA, or WPA2 with preshared key. All that’s lacking—as with the Linksys SRX 400—is effective parental controls. For anyone streaming multimedia simultaneously to several wireless clients (or engaging in other bandwidth-hogging pursuits), this is the fastest and easiestto-use wireless hardware currently available. It well deserves its Editors’ Choice.—Oliver Kaven
40 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
Wraparound status LEDs
T
GOING THE DISTANCE
HE LINKSYS WIRELESS-G BROADLinksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX 400 and Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SRX Even at 160 feet, throughput with the Linksys SRX 400 is an astonishing 28.2 Mbps—nearly twice what the fastest previous technology managed. $130 street; PC Card, $85 go.pcmag.com/ srx400router
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band Router with SRX 400 isn’t quite as fast at most distances as the Netgear RangeMax 240, but it’s darn close. And at the extreme end of the test range (160 feet), it’s significantly faster (28.2 Mbps versus 22.4). In a clever design touch, status LEDs on the front edge of the case wrap around the corner so they’re readable whether the box is vertical or horizontal. And the router interface is one of the best I’ve seen. As with the Netgear RangeMax 240, you’ll find all the right features—except for real parental controls— including port triggering, port range forwarding, and QoS capability. There’s no VPN, but there is PPTP, IPsec, and L2TP pass-through. The box supports WPA preshared key with TKIP and AES encryption, RADIUS, WEP security, and more. Although the Netgear RangeMax 240 just barely edges it out on performance, the Linksys SRX 400 is a superb product. You won’t go wrong with the router/ client card combination from either vendor.—OK
Color-coded ports
WIRED, YOU’RE FIRED! I n tech products across the board, wires are being cut loose faster than The Donald can bark, “You’re fired!” Now beleaguered cables have gotten another pink slip: the Airgo Networks True MIMO Gen3 chipset. When I tested the first two router/client card combinations (one from Linksys and one from Netgear) based on Airgo’s new hardware, I came away seriously impressed. At short distances, both fling data through the air faster than the 100 Mbps of wired Fast Ethernet! In fact, wireless throughput remains comparable at up to 60 feet. Even at 160 feet—the extreme of my testing range—these new products are signficantly faster than any I’ve evaluated that use previous wireless technologies. Airgo works its mojo primarily by turning a broadcast nemesis—multipath reflection—into an ally. Signals that travel different routes interfere with each other if they arrive at one antenna that feeds into one radio—and that’s the way current wireless products are set up. MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology, used by Airgo (and others, soon), collects the echoes via multiple antenna/radio combinations and uses sophisticated processing to build a stronger, faster signal. Speed can be dangerous, though. The next wireless standard, 802.11n, hasn’t been ratified. Some of the technology in this pre-n hardware is sure to be in the products that come out after 802.11n approval, but the implemention will probably differ. The chances of pre-n products being upgradable are slim. Still, ratification may be as distant as sometime in 2007. Do you really want to crawl there?—OK
Higher scores are better. Data measured in Mbps.
120
Beats wired Ethernet!
100 80
Netgear RangeMax 240
60
Netgear Pre-N Wireless WGM124*
40
Near y doublle previ s best ous speedwireless s
Linksys SRX400
20
* Previous best-performing wireless router, reported for comparison.
0
10
60
120
160
Distance to router (feet)
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 41
F I R ST LO O KS
S O F T WA R E
BUYING GUIDE
Folder view sorts pictures by year
Photo Management Software
Use Timeline button to scroll through photos
P
HOTO APPLICATIONS FALL INTO TWO
slider button for resizing photos
PICASA 2.0
Organize, edit, share, and back up photos with an app that takes minutes to learn. Browse the library—automatically created from your content—directly in Windows, or create labels (virtual albums) that let one image appear in multiple collections. The editing utilities are amazingly sophisticated, and the Timeline quickly scrolls through your library. Tools let you e-mail content, upload to sharing sites, or just burn CDs and DVDs. Free go.pcmag.com/picasa20
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camps: sharers and managers. In our April 11 issue, I looked at sharing apps and services. This time I’ll concentrate on managers, which often have some sharing capabilities but primarily let you organize (and often edit) your photos. At installation, a photo manager scans your hard drive for pictures and pulls them into a single digital library. From there you can easily browse, search, edit, and yes, share them. You can quickly pull new shots into the library as well—straight from your camera, scanner, or memory card. Library arrangements differ. The Preclick Gold Photo Organizer strings your images across what is best described as a virtual film roll. You can spin through this long strip at lightning speed or leap forward and back with a mouse click. You can also search by keyword, date, and rating. This sort of search is far more effective when your photos are heavily tagged, so the app makes changing titles and dates, adding captions, and tacking on all sorts of other info easy. You can also sort photos into virtual albums for convenient browsing. Organizing approaches differ among products, but the basic idea is the same. In most cases, you can easily build virtual albums, add tags, and search according to specific criteria. The best photo managers, including Preclick Gold, Google’s Picasa 2.0, and Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, also offer tools for dynamically browsing your entire collection. Preclick Gold has its
MORE ON THE WEB For in-depth reviews of photo-management tools, visit us online at go.pcmag.com/ photomanagement
HOW THEY RATE
Product name ACDSee 8 Photo Manager Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 Corel Photo Album 6 Picasa 2.0 Preclick Gold Photo Organizer
RED denotes Editors’ Choice.
Price $50 $100 $49 Free Free
42 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
virtual film roll; Picasa has Timeline, a way of spinning through a chronological catalog of photos. Most photo managers include editing tools. Some don’t go much beyond cropping, rotating, removing red-eye, and a few other basic effects. Others, most notably Photoshop Elements and ACDSee 8 Photo Manager, go further. Photo Manager, for instance, includes histogram tools and color-cast controls. Elements offers a “Healing Brush” for removing blemishes—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sharing tools, if included, vary from simple methods based on e-mail to tight integration with Web services. SimpleStar’s PhotoShow lets you upload pics to the PhotoShow Circle sharing service on the Web. Kodak EasyShare dovetails with the company’s Web service, EasyShare Gallery. Other managers integrate with popular third-party services such as SnapFish and Shutterfly. Many photo managers have tools for building entertaining slide shows and burning pictures to CD and DVD. Some handle digital video. The number of tools shoehorned into these products can be daunting, but each tool is fairly simple. Generally, photo managers are easy to learn. Which manager is right for you? Our Editors’ Choice for general use is Picasa, but Preclick is a close second. Both are free and offer most everything the average consumer could want. But there’s no shortage of other free tools, including several from major camera and printer manufacturers. Those interested in the higher end might prefer to spend a little for more advanced software such as ACDSee 8 Photo Manager ($50), Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 ($100), Corel Photo Album 6 ($49), FotoTime FotoAlbum ($29.95), or SimpleStar PhotoShow Deluxe 4 ($39.99). If editing is your main concern, go with Photoshop Elements 4. If you’re just as interested in organization, go with Photo Manager. The others are impressive but may not justify their prices. Unless you particularly love the interface that another app offers, you’re better off with Picasa.—CM
OTHER OPTIONS
FREE AND EASY Preclick Gold Photo Organizer A good app just a step behind Picasa. Novices can edit and e-mail photos, burn them to CD, and more. Free go.pcmag.com/pgoldorg
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I
BY CADE METZ
F SOMEONE OFFERED YOU A MICROSOFT
ALL-PURPOSE PRO ACDSee 8 Photo Manager An astounding tool set gives serious photogs amazing import, search, edit, and organizing power. $50 street go.pcmag.com/acdsee8
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EDITING ACE Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 Pros and near-pros get sophisticated, easy-touse tools—more than with ACDSee 8—but at twice the $$$. $100 street go.pcmag.com/pselem4
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CALENDAR CREATOR Corel Photo Album 6 Deluxe Edition The crop tool is clever, the editor intuitive (but thin). Create calendars, cards, and more. $49 direct go.pcmag.com/corela6d
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Editing
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Word document manager, would you take it? Even for free? Probably not. Even if you’ve accumulated a fair number of personal documents over the years, you can probably organize them just fine with good old Microsoft Windows—you’re used to the tried-and-true folder metaphor, and the operating system’s new search tools track down documents quicker than ever. So why would you want a photo manager? After all, Windows Explorer includes tools designed specifically for helping you manage your images. When you browse folders filled with pictures, you can see thumbnails. Windows Picture and Fax Viewer lets you rotate images, adjust their sizes, zoom in and out, and even view slide shows. If that’s not enough, Web services such as SmugMug and Flickr—which many of us already use to share pictures with friends and family—also organize photos. The truth is, many people can get by with nothing but the photo tools woven into Windows—for a while. And yes, if you use a photo-sharing site, your pics are neatly laid out on the Web. But once your collection expands to more than about 200 images, these methods begin to break down. Because photos are harder to search than text files, managing large numbers with Windows alone is difficult. And what if your photosharing site goes out of business or loses your data? Or if you decide to switch sites? If you’re dealing with a large collection, tools such as Picasa 2.0 and Preclick Gold Photo Organizer make finding the shot you want much easier. Spend a few seconds browsing pictures with Picasa’s photo Timeline or Preclick’s virtual film roll and you’ll never go back to organizing with Windows again. Beyond that, these applications provide ways to back up pictures so that you don’t lose them all if your hard drive crashes or something goes wrong with your photosharing site. You should also realize that the term photo manager is somewhat misleading: Many could just as easily be called photo editors. A number of the products let you do everything from removing red-eye and cropping to adding special effects. And though these tools can’t replace full-fledged photo-sharing services, they do facilitate sharing. Some dovetail nicely with popular Web-based services. Others send images via e-mail. Some do both. A Word Document Manager? Pretty useless. But by the time you’ve taken a few hundred photos with that new digital camera, you’ll definitely need a photo manager.
Cade Metz is Senior Writer at PC Magazine.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 43
F I R ST LO O KS
SMALL BUSINESS
New antage ThinkV n butto
EV-DOnna ante
Magnesium alloy base
Fingerprint reader
F
BOARDROOM BEAUTY
OR YEARS, THE LENOVO THINKPAD
T Series (formerly the IBM ThinkPad T series) has been racking up our Editors’ Choice awards for business notebooks—and it still continues to impress us. Not only does the ThinkPad T60 come with the Intel Core Duo processor, but it also integrates Verizon’s 3G EV-DO wireless, so that now you can get broadband access almost anywhere at any time you want. The T60 comes in the traditional black, and overall, the design doesn’t deviate from that of its predecessor, the ThinkPad T43. The only differences are subtle: the EV-DO antenna protruding from the right side of the screen; and the base, which is now covered with mag-
nesium alloy, making the T60 a very durable notebook. Although the T60 tips the scales at 6.2 pounds, the extra weight is due mostly to the15-inch screen and the nine-cell battery, which sticks out about an inch from the back. That extra inch, though, gives you an impressive 5 hours 16 minutes of battery life. With the Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz) processor and 1GB of RAM, the T60 shows dramatic improvement in performance over the popular T43—by a hefty 55 percent on our performance tests. This particular configuration is rather expensive, at $2,599, but simpler versions start at $1,299. Buying at the high end, however, will alleviate your need for a desktop. The ThinkPad T60 is, hands down, the ultimate boardroom companion.—Cisco Cheng
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 Nothing says business like a ThinkPad. The T60 packs power, with its dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 100GB hard drive, and an ATI Radeon X1400. So much so that it can suitably double as your main desktop, not just one for the road. $2,599 direct go.pcmag.com/ thinkpadt60
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 45
F I R ST LO O KS
SMALL BUSINESS
-inch Bright 15 screen
T
HEAVY DUTY
HE DELL LATITUDE D820 IS A HEFTY,
6.5-pound portable computer that offers great performance and a crisp 15.4-inch display. Like its peers, Dell is now integrating 3G wireless into its notebooks. But unlike the others, Dell offers an option of either Verizon EV-DO ($179) or Cingular HSDPA ($225). (Lenovo and HP offer only EV-DO, and Sony offers only Cingular EDGE.) Frequent travelers will appreciate the Wi-Fi catcher switch, which searches for open signals— even when your system is shut down. They will also like the fingerprint reader for added security.—CC
mory 6-in-1 me der card rea
HP Compaq nc6320 The HP Compaq nc6320 has incredible connectivity options and just about everything a mobile professional could want. $1,799 direct go.pcmag.com/hpnc6320
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COPIOUSLY CONNECTED
toe with Lenovo in the business laptop market, positioning the HP Compaq nc6320 as a competitor to the Lenovo ThinkPad T60. The T60 is still superior, but the nc6320 is a very enticing lower-cost alternative. It has integrated EV-DO, the Intel Core Duo processor, and a fingerprint reader. The 6.1-pound nc6320 has a very corporate-looking graphite-gray magnesium alloy exterior, with a bright 15-inch screen and a quiet keyboard. Though its performance is a bit slower than the T60’s, the nc6320 handles everyday tasks without hesitation.—Cisco Cheng
H
EWLETT-PACKARD IS GOING TOE-TO-
Dell Latitude D820 The very capable D820 has more options for wireless, plus a strong dual-core processor and an impressive battery life (more than 5 hours). $2,224 direct go.pcmag.com/delld820
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f Spill-proo er nd tray u rd keyboa
Toshiba Tecra A6-S513 This single-core system is budgetfriendly but serious: It has a fingerprint reader, four USB ports, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader. $1,149 direct go.pcmag.com/ toshibatecraa6
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SERIOUS, AFFORDABLE
tent laptop that’s light enough for travel but is still budget-friendly. The A6-S513 weighs 5.3 pounds, has a bright 14.1-inch widescreen, and includes the Intel Core Solo T1300, a 60GB hard drive, and 512MB of RAM. Though not the top of the line, all of these components are fine for running Microsoft Office, surfing the Web, and playing music. If you demand higher performance, however— say you work with graphics-intensive programs or crunch lots of numbers—look to a system with the Intel Core Duo inside. The A6-S513 is built for those on a budget who take their work seriously and frequently bring it on the road.—CC
T
HE TOSHIBA TECRA A6-S513 IS A COMPE-
46 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
ation Accelerl-time a for re nning AV sca
card
T
FIREWALL AT A NICE PRICE
HE ZYXEL ZYWALL 35 UTM (UNIFIED
Threat Management) appliance is a relatively compact rack-mountable firewall designed to serve 10 to 50 users in a small business. It undercuts most competing products on price yet offers a good array of capabilities, easy setup, and a Web GUI for admin tasks. I certainly found all the features I’d expect in a UTM appliance, including an SPI firewall with VPN capability, antivirus software, antispam tools, content filtering, and an intrusion detection system. In
addition, the unit provides modem-based backup dialing, integrated RADIUS, and more. For most small businesses, this should be sufficient. If you need more features—and don’t mind extra complexity—look at the Astaro Security Gateway 120. It offers tremendous NAT, security, and reporting features at a comparable price. After a trial period, yearly subscriptions for content filtering, Kaspersky AV service, and IDS start at $362. Updating of IDS signatures isn’t always reliable, and I’d prefer spam and content filtering from top-tier providers. Even with the protection of an appliance like this, though, attached systems need security utilities for threats that slip past the firewall. Overall, this is an impressive device. If you want an SMB gateway security device and don’t need the complexity of the Astaro 120, put the ZyWALL 35 UTM near the top of your list.—Oliver Kaven
ZyXEL ZyWALL 35 UTM This all-in-one security box is also a DHCP server and does load balancing between its two frontaccessible WAN ports. $1,118 direct; protectionservice subscriptions, $362 and up go.pcmag.com/zy35utm
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Creating mob apps is a snap ile
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition The new Visual Studio has emulation of PocketPC and Smartphone devices, and lets you build mobile applications using the same development environment as for standalone applications. $799 direct; upgrade, $549 go.pcmag.com/vs05pro
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PROGRAMMING POWERHOUSE
ICROSOFT VISUAL STUDIO 2005
lets developers at all levels get the most from .NET. The ability to create standalone Microsoft Windows projects using Windows Forms is a major focus of the new release. The visual designer for Windows Forms is particularly strong. With its powerful .NET Framework 2.0 components I could speedily design an order-tracking database front end, in both Visual Basic and C#. I also built a simple mobile app. Easy-to-use components make connecting to data sources simple, and new controls allow anyone to tap advanced OS features. New wizards let you quickly create forms with slick navigation controls; others automatically add a Windows menu and standard toolbars. Enhanced support for writing code beyond components is a big advance. There’s an extensive library of reusable code snippets for all languages. And because distributing standalone Visual Basic programs has
been a major problem, Visual Studio adds OneClick deployment, which automates publishing of apps. Visual Studio’s Visual Web Designer isn’t nearly as visual a tool as its Windows Forms counterpart. You can import and use existing cascading style sheets, but creating new ones is difficult. That said, the new Web tools let you define and reuse master pages, and those can contain other content. Visual Studio continues to impress. Productivity enhancements along with the many choices of programming languages make this release an excellent allpurpose .NET toolset for both expert and nonexpert Windows developers.—Richard V. Dragan
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 47
Seamless Sharing.
New! LinkStation Multimedia Home Server and TeraStation Home Server series offer affordable network attached storage (NAS) solutions for storing and sharing digital media over your network. With built-in media server software, DLNA CERTIFIED™ Buffalo Home Servers automatically find and access any DLNA CERTIFIED devices on your network for instant streaming of stored videos, images or music.* Enjoy the freedom of seamless multimedia sharing with Buffalo Home Server Solutions!
Store Photos, Music and Videos Access Files from Multiple Computers Share Digital Files Easily Over your Network Stream Media to Any DLNA CERTIFIED Player
Store. Access. Share. Stream.
Audio / Video / Image Server
272,000 Photos**
75,000 Songs**
333 Hours of Video**
Thousands of Files
HS-D300GL/HS-D400GL
HS-D1.0TGL/R5
Learn more at www.buffalotech.com/pcmag-seamless
*Some contents may not be compatible with other DLNA CERTIFIED™ products. **Based on LinkStation Multimedia Home Server 300 GB, model HS-D300GL. Values used for videos, photos, files and mp3s are approximates based on typical length, compression and resolutions. © Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. Buffalo Technology and Buffalo Technology logo are registered trademarks of Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. DLNA and DLNA CERTIFIED logos are trademarks and/or service marks of Digital Living Network Alliance. The names and logos of other companies mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.
W H AT T O B U Y
IPOD SPEAKERS/DOCK (LCD) Apple iPod Hi-Fi
Apple; $349.99 list
Excellent sound quality. Can run on alkaline batteries or AC power. Optical and analog audio inputs.
go.pcmag.com/ipodhifi
LOW-COST HDTV (LCD) Proview RX-326
Proview; $949.99 list
DESKTOP Dell Dimension E310 (Windows OS)
Dell; $746 direct, $929 with 17-inch LCD
SMARTPHONES (KEYBOARDLESS) T-Mobile SDA
T-Mobile; $299.99 direct
Pleasing picture quality. Consistent image quality with analog and digital video inputs.
go.pcmag.com/proviewrx326
DIGITAL CAMERA (COMPACT) Canon PowerShot S80
Canon USA; $549.95 list
Windows Media Center Edition. DataSafe option for added storage protection. Great bang for the buck.
go.pcmag.com/delle310
Wi-Fi. Dedicated music buttons. Excellent screen. Syncs with Outlook.
go.pcmag.com/sda
Great picture quality, good performance. Wide-angle lens.
go.pcmag.com/s80
MOBILE PHONE (SPRINT) Sprint’s Power Vision MM-A940
Samsung Electronics; $399.99 direct
HARD DRIVE Maxtor OneTouch III Turbo Edition (1TB)
Maxtor; $900 direct
Fast. 1TB storage. Relatively quiet. RAID 1 and RAID 0 configurations.
go.pcmag.com/maxtor1tb
HOME NETWORKING Netgear RangeMax 240 WPNT834 wireless router and WPNT511 CardBus adapter
Netgear; router, $135 street; CardBus adapter, $100 street
OPTICAL DEVICE Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1
Sony; $299.99 direct
LAPTOP Dell Inspiron 6000 (Media Center)
Dell; $968.80 direct (E-Value Code 1111-i6004pc)
Vast feature set. Optical zoom lens. Bluetooth. Good game performance.
go.pcmag.com/mma940
TAX SOFTWARE TurboTax Premier 2005
Intuit; $14.95–$69.95 direct
The highest throughput we’ve ever seen (more than 100 Mbps) at short distances makes this our wireless router of choice.
go.pcmag.com/rangemax240
Easily transfers video directly to DVD from camcorder or VCR. Easy to use. Two-inch preview LCD.
go.pcmag.com/sonydvdirect
Media Center OS. 15.4inch widescreen display. Very good performance.
go.pcmag.com/ inspiron6000mce
Excellent coverage of personal tax topics. Topnotch interface and help.
go.pcmag.com/ turbopremier05
SOFTWARE, INTERNET, & NETWORKING NTI Shadow
NewTech Infosystems; $29.99 direct
DEDICATED PHOTO PRINTER Canon Selphy CP510
Canon USA; $99.99 direct
Fast, simple, continuous backup.
go.pcmag.com/ntishadow
MORE ON THE WEB
We’ve got 87 Product Guides and thousands of up-to-date reviews on the Web. See them all at: go.pcmag.com/guides
Fast performance and low running cost. Very good photo quality for the price. Battery option.
go.pcmag.com/canoncp510
ANTISPYWARE Spyware Doctor 3.5
PC Tools; $29.95 direct
Best version yet. Removed more spyware than other tested products.
go.pcmag.com/spydoc35
ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER Canon Pixma MP500
Canon USA; $199 street
Prints, scans, and copies. Fast performance. Excellent paper handling.
go.pcmag.com/ canonpixmamp500
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 49
I N S I D E T R AC K
BY JOHN C. DVORAK
T
Hatfield feud.
HE AMD-INTEL ANTITRUST CASE IS
clone that went nowhere. And before that, there was
getting nastier, as AMD jumped all over the recent Intel-Skype deal. The way the deal is structured, the more advanced features of the new Skype would work only on an Intel chip, for no other reason than that Intel and Skype did a deal. AMD is going after Skype’s records via the judicial system. This has to be a huge inconvenience for Skype. Someone asked me if I thought that AMD is going too far with this case. I had to mention that way back during the 286 era, Intel was the one that began the process of using the courts to harass and intimidate the competition. I sense payback for the thousands of hours of depositions and millions of dollars in court costs and legal fees heaped upon AMD for more than a decade. This has turned into a genuine McCoy-
a mobile-phone coding scheme that flopped, and the EVD optical disk that also was a bust. It is not easy to develop a cool localized standard that will take hold in a global market. But it seems that the Chinese want this one very badly. The Chinese are good at many things, but some technologies are not in their strike zone. There has been a lot of talk lately about China’s developing its own microprocessors. Maybe in 20 years—if ever. China also has been accused of intellectual property theft. The Chinese can lift a design and make the product, people claim. This might be doable for furniture or fashion, but technologies are moving targets. If you don’t develop the design yourself, you can’t fully understand and develop it further. So you get killed as the market moves forward. Buh-bye!
I sense payback for the thousands of hours of depositions and millions of dollars in court costs and legal fees heaped upon AMD for more than a decade.
PMA Photo Marketing Show Dept.: I actually enjoyed the PMA show this year. Each year some standard style of popular camera emerges, and this year it was the 7- to 8-megapixel superzoom with a 10X or 12X optical zoom, selling for $399 to $499. The models are so similar it’s incredible. All have image stabilization and nice optics. The price point for the quality is outstanding. Probably the biggest news out of PMA, though, was the rollout of a joint venture between Panasonic, Leica, and Olympus to produce some advanced Four Thirds gear, including the L1 Lumix/Leica D-SLR. People who are familiar with the digital SLR market realize that this group could be a threat to the clear leader in the arena, Canon. (Nikon is also competitive.) One or two more companies really need to jump on the Four Thirds bandwagon in order for it to roll. I am betting that Kodak will come through, although Fuji might also be an interesting bedfellow, what with its unique sensor technology. (Both are listed as participants in the Four Thirds initiative, which permits compatibility between D-SLR lenses and bodies from different manufacturers and provides for other performance enhancements, but neither so far has done much to develop gear for it.) What fun. One of the common beliefs, by the way, is that the pixel wars are over! If that is indeed true, it’s good news for consumers.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 51
Curiously, none of the original players from Intel or AMD—David House, Andy Grove, or Jerry Sanders—are part of this case. In fact, both of these companies are breeding a whole new generation of guys who will not like each other. One of the daughters of one clan had better marry one of the sons o’ the other. Yep. And soon! Here Come the Chinese Dept.: When you ask someone in China or Taiwan, “What’s your marketing strategy?” the answer is always “Best price!” That’s the strategy then, now, and forever. Hence, we see a lot of cheap junk from China flooding the market. So it particularly galls the People’s Republic of China that it has to spend money to license inventions, and what galls it the most are the myriad fees related to DVD and HD-DVD technology. The country has made up its collective mind that 12 cents per player is the limit. This is not possible with today’s licensing structures, and thus, the AVS initiative. AVS (Audio Video Coding Standard) is a standalone
MPEG-4-like codec.
China is said to be graduating four to five times as many engineers as the U.S., a figure disputed by some researchers. But even if it were graduating the same number as we are, China certainly has enough engineers to develop a decent MPEG-4 codec. It didn’t take a country the size of China to develop MPEG-4 codecs such as DivX or XviD, both of which were created by small teams. Most companies pay royalties because they cannot afford the “make” in a “make-buy” decision, but Chinese companies can afford the “make.” China has attempted this international bypass a few times in the past, without much success. There was the Wi-Fi
IT’S A NOTEBOOK. IT’S A TABLET. IT’S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.
LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC • Configurable to only 4.3 lbs. • A versatile, built-in modular bay • Up to 8.5 hours maximum battery life • XGA wide-view display with optional indoor/outdoor XGA wide-view and standard SXGA+ high-resolution displays
®
Fujitsu recommends Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
® ®
It’s a notebook
that converts
into a tablet.
Why limit yourself to an ordinary tablet or notebook? The Fujitsu LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC with Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology instantly changes from one to the other with just a twist and flip of its brilliant, 12.1" screen. From the field to the back office, this no-compromise solution is the only mobile computing platform you need. With its built-in modular bay, you have the flexibility to burn CDs and DVDs, work up to 8.5 hours between charges, or trim down to a nimble 4.3 lbs. It also features the exclusive Fujitsu BayLock™ utility, which keeps the media drive and its contents safe should you accidentally hit the release button while in Tablet PC mode.To find out why the LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC gives mobile professionals the best of both worlds, visit www.shopfujitsu.com/LifeBookT4000 or call 1.800.FUJITSU.
©2006 Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation. All rights reserved. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo and LifeBook are registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited. BayLock is a trademark of Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation. Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Intel Centrino, and Intel Centrino logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
MICHAEL J. MILLER
The Truth About Vista
W
E’VE PUBLISHED A NUM-
ber of stories and blog posts on Microsoft Vista lately, and the questions and comments from readers have been pouring in. Here are some common ideas and misconceptions about the operating system, and my take on what we can really expect when the software finally releases in the second half of this year.
Vista is just a pretty new face on an old operating system. Vista is based on Windows 2003 Ser-
vice Pack 1 and incorporates a lot of improvements at the very heart of the operating system. Microsoft has rewritten the kernel to make it more secure and stable, and it has fixed problems such as heap fragmentation. New features include 64-bit support, a better sleep mode, and a SuperFetch system that should load applications faster and take advantage of USB-based flash memory. Vista is a Mac clone. Not really. Vista’s interface looks a bit like Apple’s OS X and some Linux desktops, but the basic concepts for a graphical user interface go back 30 years. Today’s interfaces are variations on those original concepts, but they take advantage of state-ofthe-art hardware. For example, integrated graphics are now more powerful than any of the graphics cards that were available when Windows XP shipped six years ago. So, naturally, Vista is going to harness the latest graphics hardware. But I do give Apple and some of the Linux desktop makers credit for moving faster than Microsoft to update their interfaces. Six years is really too long to wait between releases.
Microsoft is just copying features from other operating systems. Many of Vista’s features aren’t
up to be secure. For instance, users won’t be able to change critical system functions or install applications without first entering a password. That alone is a big step in the right direction, but Windows will remain the prime target for malware because it’s the most widely used operating system. Vista requires new hardware. Vista should run on most current systems, but to get the best graphics—known as Aero—you’ll want to get a graphics card with 256MB of graphics memory. This will give you a 3D view of all your windows and a transparency effect when dragging and dropping them. Vista packaging is very confusing. Absolutely. You’ll have a choice of Home Basic, with the basic user interface but not the advanced Aero graphics; Home Premium, which includes Aero as well as Media Center Edition and Tablet PC functions; Vista Business, which includes Aero and Tablet PC functions but not
I expect every major hardware vendor (except Apple) to support Vista on all new devices starting this fall.
Media Center; Vista Enterprise, designed for big companies with service plans and worldwide deployment; and Vista Ultimate, combining the Vista Business and Home Premium versions. Confused? If you buy the wrong version, rumor has it that Microsoft will offer upgrades that won’t require you to reinstall the operating system. All of these things matter. None of Vista’s features in and of themselves will determine the OS’s ultimate success. What has made Windows successful in the past is the huge number of applications and devices that work with it. Microsoft will certainly get the hardware support: I expect every major hardware vendor (except Apple) to support Vista on all new devices starting this fall. But how quickly we will see support for older devices and how well Vista will support older applications is still a big question mark. I would like to travel with my Vista laptop, but I can’t because it doesn’t support my VPN or wireless WAN card. It’s a safe bet that the makers of these products will ensure that they work on Vista shortly after it begins shipping. And, in the end, an operating system’s success or failure depends on how well it supports what users want to do with their machines.
MORE ON THE WEB Read Michael Miller’s insights daily on his blog, at blog.pcmag.com/miller.
brand-new. Integrated search debuted on the Mac a couple of years ago; the new Sidebar that displays little applications on the side of the screen resembles Borland’s Sidekick, HP’s Dashboard, and Microsoft’s own Active Desktop; and tabbed browsing goes back to Opera. What’s new is how these features are integrated into Windows and how they work with new tools aimed at developers, particularly those working on games and Internet applications. Vista won’t be very secure. We don’t know yet whether this is true, but Microsoft says it has spent a good deal of time reworking the code from the ground
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 53
B I L L M AC H R O N E
M
UPS, eBay, and the Law
Y COLUMN “WHAT BROWN
Did for Me” (March 21, page 65) described a learning experience: what happens when an eBay purchase is damaged and a claim is filed. In the process, I discovered that neither the seller nor the buyer (me) was UPS’s official customer: The company actually considers itself to be doing business with the third-party shipper, in my case a store that did UPS shipments. In case you missed that column, UPS picked up the damaged item—a guitar amplifier—from me, inspected it, denied the claim, and sent it back to the shipper. The company did not inform me or the seller what it had done, nor would the customer service rep explain the situation or UPS’s actions to me. The shipper went out of business in the middle of all this, which just added to the confusion. I discovered that I wasn’t alone. PC Magazine readers have deluged me with e-mails citing similar cases, and they weren’t just limited to UPS. Every carrier has the same policy: Its allegiance is to the shipper of record. This policy worked well in the traditional mail-order business, when you ordered a product from a manufacturer or a retailer who simply shipped you the goods. The shipper retained control if a package was damaged or lost. This arrangement is covered by 100 or more years of precedent in transportation law: If the consignee refuses a shipment, possession is retained by the shipper. If the consignee accepts the shipment, ownership transfers to him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make sense when the shipper is a third party, as is the case with many online auctions, where the seller ships the product from a UPS Store or a similar shipper’s agent. A UPS employee interested in my case, who speaks officially neither for his company nor for the industry, asked me why I thought that the damaged amplifier was mine, or why I thought that I had paid for the shipping or the insurance. He said that common-carrier regulations and transfer of ownership were covered in basic accounting classes. I pointed out that those of us on technical or liberal arts tracks never had that accounting course. Despite the “buyer pays shipping” language common to most online auctions and classifieds, the shipper of record—in this case, the third-party representative—paid UPS
54 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
for both shipping and insurance; the seller and I were out of the picture. My contact admits that the industry has not adapted well to the third-party model, although UPS’s acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc. to bolster the UPS Store chain is an attempt to do so, as is FedEx’s teaming up with many Staples, OfficeMax, and Kinko’s stores. But legal precedents and customer-centric procedures doubtless lag well behind the way we use the delivery services today. Some readers have taken matters into their own hands by creating accounts with shipping companies, so that they become the carriers’ customers. Larger sellers dislike this “pull” shipping because it erodes their volume. Some smaller sellers reserve their right to set the terms of the sale, including shipping, but agents such as the UPS Store allow this only with overnight and second-day shipments, which are more expensive. My UPS contact has admitted to me that it is virtually impossible for customers to learn about the
In my case, UPS did what it was supposed to do, despite the seeming illogic of sending my amp back to the shipper. This merely points out the need for a fresh approach.
carriers’ ownership-transfer policies or applicable transportation law by perusing their sites, or even by conducting online searches. What is common knowledge to the carriers and their employees is opaque and widely misunderstood by the rest of us, even if we use their services daily. He says that UPS is working on these issues and is seeking ways to improve its services for the burgeoning numbers of online buyers and to inform the public better about existing services and practices. I, for one, would like to see the seller listed as the shipper and the shipping store as merely the agent. In my case, UPS did what it was supposed to do, despite the seeming illogic of sending my amp back to the shipper. This merely points out the need for a fresh approach. By the way, my amp finally made its way back to me, three months later, although slightly worse for the additional wear. Now I can begin restoring it to its former glory.
MORE ON THE WEB You can contact Bill Machrone at Bill_Machrone@ziffdavis .com. For more of his columns, go to go.pcmag .com/machrone.
Our First Digital
We picked ten of the most technologically advanced cars on the market and rated them on their digital smarts.
B Y B I L L H O WA R D
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS
MORE ON THE WEB
For extensive slide shows of all the Digital Drive finalists, go to go.pcmag.com /digitaldrive.
weeks each year in a car. It’s no wonder we’re demanding smarter, safer, and more entertaining automobiles. Yet for all the billions spent on development, the fusion-powered flying cars of science-fiction movies have stubbornly failed to appear. Cars still run on rubber tires powered by the same gas-powered, environment-unfriendly engines. But are cars really as primitive as all that? A look at the higher-end machines now reaching the street shows that, in fact, Detroit, Munich, and Tokyo are embracing technology to improve the driving experience and the car’s underlying mechanical functions. We’ve picked the ten most technologically compelling cars from this year’s models as finalists for our Digital Drive awards. They range from the fantastically expensive Mercedes S550, which costs more than $100,000 in our recommended configuration and includes just about every gadget on the market, to the more modest but still technically impressive hybrid Honda Civic, attractively priced for soccer moms everywhere. We rated each of the cars based on a mixture of the built-in technology, the relative merits of the entertainment system and GPS, and how much fun the overall experience was. We also gave a special nod to the best uses of environmentally friendly tech. Not ready to buy a new vehicle? Give your car’s tech level a boost with our favorite accessories. We also look down the road, to show you what a high-tech car (and dashboard) of the future might look like. Want even more? Keep up with the latest in car tech every day at our Web site www.technoride.com.
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Drive Awards
Photograph by Vic Huber
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 57
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COCKPIT CONTROLLER
The cockpit control wheel and nearby buttons handle navigation, entertainment, climate, and trip-computer functions. Adjacent buttons make the controller easier to use than BMW’s iDrive, but there’s still a learning curve.
CAMERA IN WINDSHIELD
The lane-departure warning camera in the windshield watches pavement markings. If you drift out of lane without the blinker on, the M45 gently beeps. The M45 and its FX35 sibling are the first cars in the U.S. with this feature.
LUXURY WINNER
INFINITI M45
CHECK OFF JUST TWO OPTIONS ON THE ORDER FORM FOR THE
STEERABLE HEADLIGHTS
Xenon headlights turn as you turn the steering wheel, helping you see around sweeping curves.
Infiniti M45—the Technology and Journey packages—and you’ll be driving the most technologically advanced car you can get for under $100,000, our Digital Drive winner for luxury automobiles. This big sport sedan (roomier than even the BMW 5 Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class) is the first car to offer lane-departure warning; it has a camera at the top of the windshield that watches pavement markings and beeps if you veer out of lane without your blinker on. Another camera next to the rear license plate monitors backing up, and the 8-inch in-dash display overlays positioning lines to show your path when the wheels aren’t pointed straight ahead. A cockpit controller—the automotive version of your PC’s mouse—sits on a ledge on the dash. Once you learn how to use it, or if you use voice recognition, you get access to a first-rate Xanavi navigation system. One mode of the LCD displays just the right amount of information on your trip, climate control, the audio system, and your Bluetooth phone. No other car maker does that integration better. Infiniti has included a line-in jack, a 14-speaker Bose audio system that plays MP3s and WMAs, Sirius or XM Satellite radio, climate-controlled front seats for convenience and comfort, and laser-based active cruise control. In addition, the car automatically tightens seat belts if it senses a crash is imminent. The 335-hp V8 engine is so powerful that you may want to step back to the six-cylinder M35, saving $6,310 and a couple of mpg; with the M35, you also have access to the V6-only all-wheel drive option. Our only complaint: We wish the gas mileage were better.
REAR-VIEW CAMERA
The backup camera sees what’s behind you. Green-yellow-red dashed lines projected on your dash LCD screen show what’s directly behind and far away; curved orange lines show your reversing path given the current steering-wheel position.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $47,800–$59,300 MILEAGE: 17 city, 23 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.infiniti.com 4.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 3.0 Recommended options: Technology package ($4,200): navigation system, premium audio with six-disc changer and MP3-WMA playback, 14 speakers, intelligent cruise control, lane-departure warning, and XM Satellite or Sirius radio. Journey package ($2,750): climate-controlled front seats, steerable xenon headlights, upgraded stereo with six-disc changer and MP3 playback, rear camera, and precrash seat-belt tightener. All-wheel drive, $2,500 (six-cylinder M35 only).
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ENGINE
The engine compartment is home to a 110-hp gasoline engine, a 20-hp electric booster motor driven by a NiMH battery pack (recharged by the engine and by braking), and a continuously variable transmission.
NAV SYSTEM
Despite minor setup hassles, the Alpine navigation system works well. Flip up the display and you have access to a PC Card socket. The dash also has a line-in jack.
ENVIRO AWARD AFFORDABLE WINNER
SPEEDOMETER
The speedometer at the top of the dash shows the speed, the fueleconomy status, and the fuel-tank status.
HONDA CIVIC HYBRID
THE BEST AFFORDABLE CAR YOU CAN BUY TODAY IS THE HONDA
Civic Hybrid. It’s well made and reliable, and its noteworthy technologies make it exceptionally eco-friendly. A modest but effective assortment of tech options (navigation and sound, mainly) make it our Digital Drive winner for best affordable car. Unlike the gas engine in the Toyota Prius, the Civic’s electric motor runs only in conjunction with the gasoline engine. This means that the 20hp electric booster motor is more of a power booster than a power source. Even so, the car’s gas mileage is competitive. The Civic qualifies as a ULEV, or ultra–lowemissions vehicle, in the eyes of the Environmental Protection Agency. There’s no need to agonize over the options list: Get the excellent Alpine navigation system for $1,500—it beats the Prius’s Denso option. The audio system plays MP3s and WMAs, and has a line-in jack and a PC Card socket for your music, and you can add a dealer-installed iPod adapter for $214 or a built-in XM-capable radio for $444. Except for its somewhat cramped rear seat, this is a near-perfect sub$25,000 car.
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
The main instrument cluster has a tachometer. Ribbon gauges indicate the health of the battery and whether the hybrid system is assisting or being charged by the engine.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $22,400–$23,900 MILEAGE: 50 city, 50 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.automobiles.honda.com 5.0 4.5 3.5 4.5 4.0 5.0 Recommended options Alpine navigation system, $1,500. Accessories: iPod adapter, $214. XM Satellite Radio, $444.
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ENVIRO AWARD FINALIST
TOYOTA PRIUS
THE TOYOTA PRIUS DESERVES CREDIT FOR THE ADVANCED
ENGINE
The hybrid synergy-drive engine propels the Prius forward on electric-only, gasoline-only, or a combination. Energy regenerated during braking is stored in an NiMH battery array.
technology that gives it double the gas mileage of most other entries on our list. But its mediocre nav system drags the car’s overall score down below that of its most prominent competitor, the Honda Civic Hybrid. Options are sold in packages. Set aside at least $3,000 to jump from two to six airbags and get Bluetooth; a killer stereo with a line-in jack that also plays WMAs and MP3s; a backup camera; and keyless entry. The Denso navigation system is underwhelming, largely because of its clunky interface. Still, there is cool tech here—under the hood. The Prius’s combination of a gasoline engine and electric motor typically returns fuel mileage of over 50 mpg in urban driving, and, no matter how you push a Prius, you’d be hard-pressed to dip below 40 mpg. The Prius can run off its electric motor (at low speeds), the gasoline motor alone (when not accelerating or charging the battery), or both, when full power is called for. The 210-volt NiMH battery recharges both from the gasoline engine and from regenerative braking, which uses generators to slow the car and convert power into energy. (The car still has regular disc and drum brakes.) Every Prius comes with a useful but hard-to-reach center-console LCD dash screen that lets you track the interplay among the gas engine, electric motor, regenerative brakes, and battery.
COCKPIT
The clean layout and swept-back dashboard make the interior look especially spacious. The LCD panel comes standard on all Prius models, not just the ones with the optional navigation system.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $22,305–$29,381 MILEAGE: 60 city, 51 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.toyota.com/prius 4.0 4.5 2.5 3.5 4.0 5.0 Recommended options: Package C ($3,205): side airbags, side curtain airbags, stability control, backup camera, Bluetooth, premium audio with WMA, MP3 playback. Package D ($5,730): xenon headlights, navigation. Package E ($6,890): adds leather trim.
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FINALIST
MERCEDES-BENZ S550
THE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ S550 TOWERS ABOVE EVERY OTHER
CONTROL WHEEL
The Comand control wheel puts most commands at the driver’s or passenger’s fingertips. Select functions with a button—entertainment, phone, seat controls, and heating.
car when it comes to technologically advanced features. And when it comes to price, too. Most nondriving functions are handled by the Comand cockpit controller and monitored on a deeply recessed center-console LCD. The Comand controller is superior to BMW’s iDrive and nearly as good as the Audi A6’s MMI. Buttons surrounding the controller let you preselect navigation, phone, and entertainment. A list of further choices pops up on the LCD as you scroll through the menus or when you enter a voice command. The standard navigation system runs off a 20GB hard drive. An in-dash PC Card slot lets you play MP3 or WMA music through the 14-speaker, 600-watt stereo system. There’s a line-in jack in the console. Bluetooth? Of course. The Night Vision Assist option bathes the road 500 feet ahead with infrared light, which is scanned by a windshield IR camera; a clear-as-day black-and-white picture shows up in an 8-inch LCD panel in the driver instrument cluster. Distronic Plus (what Mercedes calls intelligent cruise control) uses short- and long-range radar for active cruise control and automatic braking: If you’re not braking hard enough to avoid a crash, the car takes over and brakes you to a complete stop. Distronic Plus also reaccelerates for you in stop-and-go driving. Sporty drivers will appreciate seat bolsters that inflate and deflate as you go around corners, holding you in place. Active body control holds the whole car level through turns. If you’ve got the money, Mercedes provides the pinnacle of price-isno-object automotive technology.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $87,175–$111,000 MILEAGE: 16 city, 24 highway Recommended options: Distronic Plus (active cruise control, braking), $2,850. Night vision, $1,775. Dynamic, massaging front seats, $1,800. Window shades, $700. Dual sunroofs, $1,000. Sirius satellite radio, $500. Keyless go, $1,000. Rear camera, $700. Active body control, $7,777. Power rear seats, $1,120.
REAR-VIEW CAMERA
This camera shows you obstacles behind the car, your path as the wheels are currently turned, and the best path for parallel parking.
OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.mbusa.com
4.5 5.0 4.0 4.5 4.0 2.5
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FINALIST
BMW 3 SERIES
FOR THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGY IN BMW’S DAZZLING 3 SERIES,
NAV SYSTEM
BMW’s navigation system, supplied by Siemens VDO, uses both voice input and the iDrive controller and has a split-screen mode, typically showing a map plus iconic turn arrows.
IDRIVE
The force-feedback iDrive knob, included only with the nav system, handles navigation, entertainment, climate control, and audio functions. We found it awkward to use.
look under the hood, not at the dash. Variable valve timing and variable-length intake manifolds help the smallest of BMW’s sedan lines burn fuel economically, handily meet emissions standards, and blast past 60 mph in a hurry. Choose your options carefully, however, because BMW’s tech-heavy checklist can blast the $32,000 base price past $50,000—pricey for a compact, rear-drive sedan that seats four or five people snugly. Highway cruisers will love the radar-assisted active cruise control, which keeps pace with the car ahead of you, and the steerable xenon headlights that guide the car around curves. The Steptronic automatic transmission can be shifted manually; if you don’t do stop-and-go driving, the six-speed manual shift is a gem. We like the premium package’s leather seats, Bluetooth connectivity, and Mayday calling, but most of the technology is standard: stability control, six airbags, run-flat tires, and a line-in jack for MP3 players. We’d pass on the navigation system, because it requires BMW’s mediocre iDrive control knob, which we found awkward to use. We also didn’t think active steering, which turns the car more sharply (for the same steering-wheel effort) at lower speeds, was worth the price. A nicely but not excessively equipped BMW 3 will cost about $40,000. If you really must have every option, step up to the roomier 5 Series and check out the infrared night vision and head-up display. Of our ten favorite tech cars, the 3 Series is best at remembering that the driver, not microprocessors, should be in charge.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $31,595–$51,715 MILEAGE: 20 city, 30 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/3/ 4.0 4.5 2.5 3.0 5.0 4.0 Recommended options: Premium package (Bluetooth, Mayday calling, leather seats), $2,900. Steerable xenon headlights, $800. BMW Assist (Bluetooth, Mayday service), $750. Parking sonar, $350. Active cruise control, $2,200. Consider: Steptronic manual/automatic transmission, $1,275. Premium sound, $1,200. Sirius satellite radio, $595 (yes, $595). Cold-weather package, $1,000.
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FINALIST
ACURA RL
IN THE RAREFIED WORLD OF $50,000 SPORT SEDANS WITH
NAV SYSTEM
The NavTraffic option overlays traffic information on the nav screen—green for smooth flow, yellow for slow, and red for stop-and-go.
superior tech features, only the Infiniti M provides more technology for about the same price as the RL. Just about everything is included on the RL, too. The lone options choice—the $3,800 Technology package—gives you run-flat tires, NavTraffic, and Acura’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS). The first-rate NavTraffic system, made by Alpine, uses real-time traffic data to pinpoint accidents and color your route green, yellow, or red, based on traffic flow. CMBS is a smarter active cruise control that adds moderate to heavy braking to avoid or mitigate accidents. It even tightens seat belts before a crash. You’ll also want a few of the dealer-installed options: a backup camera (it integrates with the nav display), backup sonar, or both, and an iPod adapter. Everything else comes standard in the tech-heavy RL—much of it activated by a big control knob in the center console—including steerable xenon headlights, six airbags, tire-pressure monitoring, keyless entry, a ten-speaker Bose stereo system with a DVD drive that plays MP3 and WMA audio, and Bluetooth. Though the 4,012pound, 194-inch-long RL isn’t particularly fuel-efficient, the 290-hp V6 engine is ultra–low-emissions certified.
TECH SPECS
ONSTAR DISPLAY
Acura includes OnStar safety and information service for now, but OnStar is going to be a GM-only product in the future.
PRICE: $49,915–$53,715 MILEAGE: 18 city, 26 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.acura.com 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.0 4.5 3.5 Recommended options: Technology package, $3,800. Backup camera, $495. iPod adapter, $214.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 65
FINALIST
AUDI A6 4.2
SOME DAY EVERY CAR WILL HAVE A COCKPIT CONTROLLER .
Today, Audi’s A6 luxury sports sedan leads the way with its integrated MultiMedia Interface (MMI). How does it work? You select a function such as Nav, CD, or AM/FM via one of eight buttons, then you navigate screens via the knob. In addition to the 7-inch screen in the console, a smaller LCD in the gauge cluster provides key navigation, phone, and entertainment information. Bluetooth is standard, and the Bose audio system plays MP3s and WMAs. The six-cylinder A6 3.2 might be an even better choice if price is an issue, because it costs $10,000 less. You don’t get a V8 engine, but you can have Audi’s continuously variable transmission (CVT) if you opt for front-wheel drive only. Because it has no gears, the CVT drives more smoothly and gets better gas mileage. The all-wheeldrive Quattro drive train requires an automatic transmission.
TECH SPECS
COCKPIT CONTROLLER
The MMI, or MultiMedia Interface, lets the driver or passenger use the surrounding buttons to choose functions without first using the controller.
PRICE: $54,485–$66,510 MILEAGE: 17 city, 23 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.audiusa.com 4.0 4.5 4.0 4.5 4.5 3.0 Recommended options: Technology package (navigation, xenon headlights, parking sonar, Sirius or XM Satellite Radio). Adaptive cruise control, $2,100.
FINALIST
CADILLAC STS
AMERICA’S PREMIER LUXURY SPORTS SEDAN OFFERS VIRTUALLY
every technology feature you might want: radar-based active cruise control, magnetic ride control, a Denso navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity, an awesome Bose audio system with 15 speakers, XM Satellite Radio, xenon headlights, stability control, six airbags, performance brakes, and tire-pressure monitors. Go with the V8 Luxury Performance version with the 320-hp Northstar engine ($58,980). The five-passenger, rear-drive STS (all-wheel drive is optional) is one of the first GM cars to offer OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation: Press the OnStar button and tell the operator where you want to go, and spoken directions are downloaded to the car. They’re linked to the STS’s integrated GPS sensors and played back as you approach turns and off-ramps. Bristling with all this digital gear, the STS is equipped to do battle with the BMW 5 Series, Lexus LS 430, Infiniti M45, and Mercedes E-Class.
TECH SPECS
PRICE:$41,740–$61,130 MILEAGE: 17 city, 26 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.cadillac.com 3.5 4.0 3.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 Recommended options: OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation, estimated $10 per month subscription. Active cruise control, Bose premium audio (in packages). All-wheel drive, $1,900.
NAV SYSTEM
NavTraffic service on the Denso-based navigation system overlays current traffic conditions on your route in red, yellow, or green. NavTraffic covers the two dozen biggest U.S. cities.
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FINALIST
BUICK TERRAZA
ALL THE PASSENGER-SEAT TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD WON’T
keep your kids from fighting in the back seat. For kids, automotive technology begins and ends with back-seat entertainment. And the most versatile entertainment system lives in GM’s crossover sport vans (read: minivans): the Buick Terraza, along with the Chevrolet Uplander and the Saturn Relay. All come standard with a rear-seat DVD player, and they’re the only vehicles that offer a factory-installed PhatNoise Mobile Digital Media Player, a must-have $695 option. Fill its removable hard drive with music, movies, and photos from your PC, and the PhatNoise delivers three separate streams: SpongeBob cartoons for Junior, Backstreet Boys for the tweener, and classic rock for Mom and Dad in the front. This capability, combined with XM Satellite Radio ($325) and OnStar’s remote diagnostics, makes this otherwise average minivan stand out. The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are better minivans but don’t offer PhatNoise.
TECH SPECS
PHAT NOISE CARTRIDGE
Remove the 40GB cartridge, connect it to your PC via USB, and update it with new music, videos, and photos.
PRICE: $27,900–$35,980 MILEAGE: 18 city, 25 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.buick.com/terraza 3.0 2.0 2.5 5.0 2.5 3.5 Recommended options: PhatNoise Mobile Digital Media Player, $695. Driver confidence package (backup sonar, sliding driver-side rear door, antitheft), $605. XM Satellite Radio, $325. Six-disc in-dash CD changer, $295. Dual-stage front airbags, frontside, first/second row air curtains, $700. Upgraded V6 engine, $500.
FINALIST
ACURA TL
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS DON’T COME ANY FINER THAN THE ONE
in the Acura TL, an affordable compact midsize sports sedan with a 258-hp V6 front-wheel-drive engine. The TL’s Alpine-built nav system is displayed on an 8-inch screen in the center console and operated by a small joystick or voice input. The car uses its GPS sensor to determine the relative position of the sun and provides more air conditioning to the sunny side. The TL is chock-full of standard equipment; the only options are a five-speed automatic transmission (no cost), nav system ($2,000), performance tires ($200) and a few useful dealer accessories, including an iPod adapter and a backup sensor. The Elliot Scheiner/Panasonic audio system sounds great and plays a host of formats, including DVD-Audio. Bluetooth comes standard, as does leather upholstery.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $33,940–$36,140 MILEAGE: 20 city, 29 highway OVERALL TECHNOLOGY NAVIGATION ENTERTAINMENT FUN FACTOR ECO-FRIENDLINESS www.acura.com 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.0 5.0 4.0 Recommended options: Navigation system, $2,000. Backup sensor, $631; iPod adapter, $214 (both dealer installed).
NAV SYSTEM
The excellent Alpine navigation system (a $2,000 option), has an 8-inch screen, takes voice input, and has a small joystick. It’s toprated in the most recent J.D. Power survey.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 69
Down the Road
BY BILL HOWARD
The car of the near future has no jet engine, isn’t submersible, and won’t drive itself, but just about anything else is within reach. Some seemingly futuristic technologies are appearing now, but since they each add $500 to $3,000 to the bottom line, it’s going to take a while for them to reach the family car. Still, all the technologies we look at here are likely to reach the mainstream within five to ten years.
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Photograph by Getty Images
Car of the Future
LOOK-AHEAD RADAR/LIDAR, AU T O M AT I C B R A K I N G
Radar or lidar (think of radar, but using lasers) scans the road ahead, maintains a safe following distance through active cruise control (ACC). Assisted braking stops the car if you aren’t braking hard enough to avoid accidents. (The Acura RL, Mercedes S-Class already have this.)
STEER BY WIRE BLIND-SPOT DETECTION
Infrared or other sensors will compare heat signatures behind and beside you to see if it’s just the road (cooler) or another car (warmer) in the blind spot your mirrors can’t see. Warnings alert you via a red light in the side mirror, beeps, or a vibrating steering wheel. Coming soon. The steering wheel will no longer directly turn the front wheels. Instead, it will control a black box that turns motors that turn the wheels. Steer by wire takes up less space, offers infinitely variable power steering effort, and enables speed-sensitive variable turning ratios. Yes, the steering wheel could be a joystick.
AIRLESS TIRES
Tires will be like thick rubber bands with treads applied around a wheel with highly flexible spokes that compress the way sidewalls do now. They can’t go flat, but prototypes from Michelin ride hard. First use likely will be in military vehicles and construction equipment. Nearer term, run-flat tires eliminate spare tires, saving 60 pounds.
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A D VA N C E D TRANSMISSIONS
Automatic transmissions will get six, seven, possibly eight gears. Even better is the continuously variable transmission with an ultra-strong belt between two variable-size drive pulleys. Automatic shifting manual transmissions with two clutches for smoother shifts, or direct shift gearbox (DSG), will expand beyond Audi.
C A PA C I T O R D R I V E FOR HYBRIDS
Capacitors—two big plates separated by an insulator—can store a heck of a lot of energy. Put dozens of high-voltage capacitors into your car and you don’t need a big NiMH battery pack to boost acceleration. Batteries might last ten years.
Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
HYDROGEN ENGINES
German engineers are working on engines that mix and burn two parts hydrogen (from an ultra-high-pressure tank) and one part oxygen (from the air), emitting only H20. We’ll never run out of hydrogen, but refining and pressurizing it uses energy. Prototypes that also burn gasoline exist now and could be marketed in five to ten years.
A D VA N C E D E N G I N E TECHNOLOGY
Variable displacement shuts down half the cylinders when not needed. Hybrids use gas engines and electric motors powered by batteries or capacitors. Diesel engines idle efficiently, get great highway mileage, and emit little pollution. Turbocharging uses exhaust gas pressure to spin turbines that blow fresh air (and fuel) into a small engine during acceleration. Regenerative braking converts car’s motion into stored electricity.
PRE-CRASH P R E PA R E D N E S S
Heavy braking or violent fishtailing will snug seat belts, raise reclined seats, close sunroof. Mercedes has it; others will get it soon. (Automakers often share initially exclusive lifesaving technology for modest royalties). Car with radar sensors can tighten seat belts even more just milliseconds before a crash, then small explosives (some cars have them now) tighten belts a third time just milliseconds after the crash.
L A N E - D E PA RT U R E WA R N I N G ( L D W ) SEE THROUGH THE DARK
An infrared camera looks for heated objects ahead (passive IR) or uses IR lighting on the car (active IR). Passive works to 1,000 feet; active gives a more detailed image to about 500 feet. The Lexus RX, the Acura RL, and the Mercedes S550 have it already. A video camera watches pavement markings, beeping or shaking the wheel if you veer across unless your blinker is on. (It won’t save Grandpa if he leaves the blinker on.) LDW is available on long-haul trucks and on the new Infiniti. Future LDW may nudge the car back into position, but you can easily override it.
LEDS
LEDs last forever, use less energy, and soon will be bright enough to use as headlights (steerable as the car turns) in addition to taillights. Inside the car, LED instruments mean no more $75 shop charge to replace a burned out $1 bulb behind the clock.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 73
Dashboard of the Future
C O N V E R S AT I O N A L VOICE RECOGNITION
Today’s sophisticated voice recognition can understand word lists (volume down, reduce volume, reduce sound). Future systems will understand the context of recent conversations (subway as a passenger drop-off point versus fast food dining) and let you ask the car about anything.
DROWSINESS SENSORS
Cars will measure drivers’ eye blinks or steering corrections to gauge fatigue. The car will sound alarms, tug seat belts, or engage the driver by playing trivia games via voice synthesis and recognition.
COCKPIT CONTROLLER
A turnable knob and selector buttons on the console let driver and passenger fine-tune entertainment, navigation, climate control. But most important functions are duplicated on the dash. Advantage: less complexity, fewer switches to install and wire.
O N E D I S P L AY, TWO VIEWS
Center-of-the-dash LCD screen provides different views from left and right, providing entertainment for the passenger and driving info for the driver. Sharp’s DualView technology is 24 months away.
CUSTOM E N T E RTA I N M E N T
A big hard disk will store your favorite music and videos plus navigation information. Dashboard and back seat will have USB jacks that let all music players (not just iPods) be controlled from the dashboard. In nearer future, more cars get flash card slots (PC Card or SD card) or line-in jacks.
GLASS COCKPIT
Discrete gauges and switches give way to a color flat-panel display in front of the driver that can be anything you want: speedometer (ribbon or round, big or small, metric or imperial), tachometer, navigation instructions, audio info.
S M A RT N AV I G AT I O N
Navigation systems will get information on traffic jams, route you around them or tell you how long you’ll be stuck, predict traffic conditions based on past history (end of major sporting events, Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend). Road maps will be constantly updated wirelessly and stored in onboard hard disks. Systems will learn your shortcut preferences.
NETWORKING
WiMAX or cellular data will provide always-on Internet access. Mesh networked cars anonymously broadcast position, speed, and road conditions for accurate traffic information. Cars will upload diagnostic information, and download updates and directions to the nearest dealer for emergency repairs.
Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
74 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
MPC recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional.
(Ordinary Strawberry)
(The Profumata di Tortona)
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Computer companies are like strawberries. They’re all delicious dipped in caster sugar and plunged in thick double cream. But upon closer examination, you discover the finer attributes of the Profumata di Tortona. Two-thirds the size of a normal strawberry, they’re treasured by gourmets for their sweetness and flavor. Look closer, and you’ll discover that MPC is the Profumata di Tortona of computer companies, with a sweet spot known as personal service. MPC has award-winning products like the ClientPro® 414 All-in-One, which features an Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology, and dedicated 100% U.S. based customer service with a response time that’s the envy of every other strawberry…er, uh, computer company.
ClientPro® 414 All-in-One
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Starting at $1849
PHONE
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WEB
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©2005 MPC Computers, LLC (“MPC” or “Seller”). MPC is not responsible for omissions or errors in typography or photography. All offers are subject to availability. Prices and specifications may change without notice; prices do not include shipping, handling or applicable taxes, unless specifically required under contract. Seller's return policy does not include return freight and original shipping/handling charges, and a restocking fee may be charged. All return and warranty periods begin from date product is shipped. All sales are controlled by Seller's current terms and conditions of sale and limited warranty, copies of which are available on Seller's website or from its sales representatives. On-site service is provided at sole discretion of MPC. A qualifying diagnostic determination must be made by MPC prior to on-site service (if any). On-site service is provided by a third-party service provider under a separate contract between you and the service provider. Advertised configurations may differ from award-winning configurations. Intel, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Intel Centrino, Intel Centrino logo, Celeron, Intel Xeon, Intel Speedstep, Itanium, Pentium and Pentium III Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other product names herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. 1. All hard drive sizes calculated with 1GB equal to 1 billion bytes. 2. MPC 56K modems capable of receiving downloads at up to 56Kbps and sending at up to 31.2Kbps. Due to FCC regulations on power output, receiving speeds are limited to 53Kbps. Actual speeds may vary. 3. 52X = 52X max./17X min. 48X=48X max./17X min. 24X = 24X max./10X min. 8X DVD = 8X max./1X min.
Geek Your Ride
Here are some of our favorite accessories to keep your car on the leading edge of technology.
B Y B I L L H O WA R D
Buying Tip There’s little advantage to factory-ordering a rear-seat entertainment setup, since there’s seldom a connection to the car audio system. The installer makes an electrical connection and that’s it—audio goes to the headphones, not the car’s speakers. Also, most car LCD displays are a wimpy 7 inches diagonally.
APC PNOTEAC350 DC TO AC INVERTER
Keep a 350-watt DC-to-AC power inverter handy for providing 120 volts to recharge or power whatever you’re carrying in your car: laptop, cell phone, music player. The APC PNOTEAC350 Mobile Power DC-to-AC inverter works with any device you can plug into a wall socket. $50 street. American Power Conversion Corp., www.apcc.com.
LOWRANCE IWAY 350
With portable navigation devices, you can have good or you can have low-cost. Lowrance does both with the iWay 350C. Maps reside on a 4GB hard drive, while an SD socket lets you play MP3s or view JPEG photos. A lithium ion battery keeps it going for hours if you don’t plug it into the accessory socket. We’ve seen prices as low as $425. $500 list. Lowrance Electronics Inc., www.lowrance.com.
AUTOXRAY CODESCOUT
When the Check Engine light pops up on your dashboard, it’s going to cost you money, as much as $50, for the dealer just to read out the fault code. The AutoXray CodeScout plugs into an OBD II connector and tells you what’s wrong, including simple things anyone can fix, such as a loose gas cap. $130 street. AutoXray Inc., www.autoxray.com.
76 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
VISTEON DOCKABLE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
Among the dozens of DVD players that mount in the back of your car, the Visteon Dockable Entertainment Center stands out because you can pull it out for use as a portable player on airplanes or shuttle it between cars. The most recent edition integrates the Nintendo GameBoy. $1,500 street, installed. Visteon Corp., www.visteon.com.
SOUNDGATE LINE-IN AUDIO ADAPTER
A direct connection to your car radio/CD player provides far better sound than an FM modulator or cassette adapter. SoundGate line-in adapters usually connect through the radio’s proprietary CD changer jack and fit most popular cars. Some have two inputs so that you can attach both an MP3 player and satellite radio. If you have an iPod, check first to see whether your car or radio has an iPod-specific connector. $80 street. SoundGate, www.soundgate.com.
DELPHI XM ROADY XT
Sirius and XM Satellite Radio play similar music (talk shows and sports differ). But if you want the smallest dashmount satellite radio, the hands-down winner is XM with Delphi’s Roady XT. About the size of a deck of playing cards, the Roady XT fits into even the most cramped cockpit. A line-out jack and a fair FM modulator connect to your existing radio. $80 street, $12.95 per month. Delphi Corp., www.xmradio.com, www.shopdelphi.com.
Buying Tip If you’re worried that a ceiling-mount DVD player may obscure the view, install two smaller LCD panels in the backs of the front-seat headrests. This isn’t a viable option for three-row vans because of the cost (four panels needed) and hassles of removing the middle seats for cargo hauling.
VALENTINE ONE RADAR DETECTOR
The Valentine One radar detector provides the best, most comprehensive, most useful, and least annoying alerts. It tracks multiple signals and notes whether the latest signal is in front, beside, or behind you. $399 direct. Valentine Research Inc., www.valentine1.com.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 77
MICROSOFT STREETS & TRIPS 2006
Online maps are getting better, but they’re not yet a match for a PC using Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 mapping and route-planning software. At 15 bucks a year, it’s the way to go. An enhanced version includes a GPS module so that you—or better, the passenger—can follow the route in real time. $40 street; with GPS module, $125. Microsoft Corp., www.microsoft.com
GARMIN NÜVI 350
The Garmin nüvi represents the best of a new breed: downsized portable navigation devices that also play music, show JPEG images, and function as a world-traveler alarm clock. Quick enough to lock in GPS signals and powerful enough to get a fix inside a building, it’s handy to have if you want to map out your route at the breakfast table. $900 street. Garmin International Inc., www.garmin.com.
Buying Tip With most accessories you install in the car, the value they add at resale time will be about . . . zero. Best bets are accessories that make sense: backup sonar or camera on a big SUV, rear-seat video in a van.
HARMAN KARDON DRIVE+PLAY
Integrate your iPod with virtually any car audio system using Harman Kardon’s two-piece unit: a control knob that works like Apple’s circular scroll pad and a multiline display. There’s a second input for portable satellite radio or other music players. For the best sound quality, you may need carspecific adapters ($15 to $125). $200 street. Harman International Industries Inc., www.harmankardon.com.
PIONEER AVIC-N2
Replace your car radio with a touch-screen DVD-based nav system with voice recognition that overlays real-time traffic reports on a 6.5-inch color display. The AVIC-N2 also plays AM/FM, MP3, regular CDs, and DVD videos; gets XM satellite radio; has jacks for an iPod connector and a backup camera. $1,900 street. Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., www.pioneerelectronics.com.
78 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
ALPINE BLACKBIRD
The Blackbird PMD-B100, with a 3.5-inch touch screen, isn’t just another portable navigation device. It plays MP3s and WMAs via an SD card slot and tunes FM radio. A car-docking module lets you view and control the Blackbird from the LCD touch-screen panel of any recent Alpine in-car radio/DVD player. $750 street. Alpine Electronics of America Inc., www.alpine-usa.com.
PHATNOISE PHATBOX
Want to play all your music in the car, not just some of it? PhatNoise PhatBox mounts in the trunk and stores thousands of MP3 or WMA files on its 40GB hard drive cartridge. Pop it out, take it inside, and sync some or all of your music collection via a USB cradle. Upgrades to 80GB or 120GB cartridges are available. $700 direct. PhatNoise, www.phatnoise.com.
PORON MICRO 3
The first time you avoid backing into a fire hydrant, you’ve recouped your investment in backup sonar. To set it up, you mount transceivers on the trunk or liftgate and run a wire to the dash and the backup lights. When you’re within 8 feet of an object, the unit beeps and a voice announces the distance. $300 street. Poron USA Inc., www.poronusa.com.
Buying Tip If you’re considering multiple accessories such as a backup camera, a back-seat DVD player, and a front radio, install them all at once. Every time the installer removes and replaces panels, they’ll squeak more than they did before.
MOTOROLA IHF1000 BLUETOOTH CAR KIT
If you use your phone a lot in the car, want to obey hands-free laws, and don’t like earpieces, Motorola’s IHF1000 is a permanently mounted solution. It has a Bluetooth connection, a microphone, voice recognition, and favorite-number storage, and it plays through your car stereo or its own speaker. $200 street. Motorola Inc., www.motorola.com.
Our Contributers Bill Howard is the editor of TechnoRide.com, the car site for tech fans, and writes a column on car technology for PC Magazine. He is a contributing editor of PC Magazine. Features editor Sean Carroll and executive editor Carol L. Gonsher were in charge of this story.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 79
BUILD IT
n idde ner h visor Scan r sun unde
Paper shr in glove b edder ox
Picks up T V too!
n scree uch ed To nt mou ash on d
Printer mou n on arm consoted le
Add a GPS
Engine ics diagnost
Laptop under seat
Office on Wheels
The best finishing touches aren’t necessarily made of chrome or full of spokes. They’re things like a working PC, with high-speed Internet access and a do-it-yourself TV setup. Here’s how to turn your everyday ride into a luxury limousine.
T
BY RYAN O’HORO
RICKING OUT A CHRYSLER 300
is easy. Adding flair to a Toyota Corolla or Camry takes more work. And for the true Road Warrior—the business professional who can’t leave his car long enough to boot a desktop—the finishing touches aren’t just the chrome trim and new hubcaps: They’re things like a working PC and Internet access. So in honor of everyone who’s spilled coffee on their lap while typing on a laptop, we’ve constructed the ultimate mobile office. We consolidated office data, optimized paper flow, and assessed various corporate
80 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
dynamics while maintaining a comfortable and relaxing home away from home—all inside a 1998 Corolla. Nearly all of the computer components that make up our office on wheels connect with and are powered by USB. Since such cables can be quite long, you’ll have no problem routing them behind your car’s door panels and trim. But see our Web site for more detailed information about the complex issue of sending enough power to everything. While we don’t foresee Toyota coming out with an Office Suite anytime soon—or Ferrari putting a photo printer into the armrest of the next Fiorano—we think a few companies might benefit from some of our suggestions. Check them out.
TURN THE PAGE ....and open the gatefold for detailed parts and plans
They’re your servers. And your network.
(It’s time you took back control of them.)
©2006 CDW Corporation
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1 HP Smart Buy instant savings reflected in price shown; HP Smart Buy savings based on a comparison of the HP Smart Buy price versus the standard list price of an identically configured product if purchased separately; savings may vary based on channel and/or direct standard pricing. Offer subject to CDW’s standard terms and conditions of sale, available at CDW.com. © 2006 CDW Corporation
BUILD IT
THINKPAD UNDERSEAT INSTALLATION
We began with the assumption that a businessman on the road already has a laptop with all his contracts, invoices, and literature ready at hand. With this in mind, we stowed a Lenovo ThinkPad T43 port replicator under the driver’s seat and custom-fabricated a pull-out tray for it. This affords easy access to the laptop for removal or insertion while allowing several external components to remain connected. The alternative: stowing your critical hardware in the back seat among the empty fast-food containers. The T43 is ideal for our project, but almost any business notebook with a port replicator can be similarly configured.
1
First things first We pieced to-
gether a tray from pieces of steel and aluminum and used two ball-bearing drawer slides to stow it. Laying the slides about 4 inches apart, we riveted the steel on top to give us a mount for the laptop. A length of aluminum connects either side to stabilize the structure. The port replicator is Velcroed far enough back so the laptop rests at the lip when loaded.
Install the mount Anchor the back of the tray to the floor of the car. Be careful to avoid hitting the brake lines when you drill: Measure from the side of the car before you start. We made slight adjustments to the height, using plastic parts from the seat itself and double-sided tape to let the laptop and EV-DO card clear the carpet and seat-adjustment lever.
2
3 4
Thinkpad slides in an
A MOBILE SCANNER
Adjust the height Depending
on the make of your car, you may have to raise the seat slightly to accommodate the apparatus.
Dock and go Plug your system
into the port replicator. Here, we’ve attached the scanner, printer, and audio system to our laptop, but it can still be removed easily.
d out
ving Caution: this while dri Don’t attempt
We didn’t want documents we receive from our business contacts floating around the car. The Pentax DSMobile USB scanner seemed like a good, safe way to digitize (in color, no less!) our flying friends. It allows for quick scanning and conversion of paper into PDFs for faxing or e-mailing, using the included Presto! PageManager software.
Use Velcro The scanner mounts nicely on the passenger visor, and you can secure it with traditional Velcro. The attached USB cable makes its way back to the dashboard, hidden behind various pieces of trim. Just don’t lower the visor!
cleanly through the scanner and comes out toward the windshield. This location also makes for easy disposal once you’ve completed a scan . . . just throw that useless paper into your glove box shredder! Don’t forget to empty the waste pail every so often.
1
2
Feed me! Paper passes
It’s all about having the
DATA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS WITH A TOUCH SCREEN
While you’re on the road, interacting with the PC needs to be simple and fast, so you won’t get distracted. We added a touch-screen monitor from EarthLCD for quick reference and to control audio from your notebook and GPS-based navigation. It’s large and easy to read—great for authoring documents or watching a DVD.
1
Create a “blank”
Replace the stock radio using slotted rightangle steel, guided by a cardboard template of the radio’s opening and mounting points. This serves as a base to affix the LCD’s bracket, which is included in the package from EarthLCD. The assembled blank and bracket protrude from the dash and anchor the screen with articulation capability.
2
Route the wires
The cables associated with the LCD run back through the radio opening in the dash, under the floor mats, and back to the ThinkPad.
3
Lock it down Bolt the LCD onto the bracket and adjust it so it clears the ignition switch and wiper control. You’ll still need to turn those on and off, right?
A DIY HEADS-UP DISPLAY
Airplanes convey crucial information to pilots by projecting it directly on the windscreen. Clearly, we need the same system. So along with our 10-inch LCD is a 2- by 20-character vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) by Matrix Orbital. This handy tool shows information on demand: Winamp track information with a spectrum analyzer, new e-mail notification, and almost anything you can think of that can be associated with an event and displayed. Definitely choose a VFD over a traditional LCD, as these displays have a much higher contrast ratio.
We couldn’t covering the resist in the dash hole with our logo
ic s, a graph Song title even new e-mail r, equalizeright here p show u
Hang the display
H
reen ere’s our sc
1
Wrap it up Make a
crude enclosure for the VFD, which includes a mirror and a Fresnel lens. Simply hot-glue the mirror, lens, and display together to form a triangle. Test it out, and make sure that the display projects light at the correct size, orientation, and apparent distance.
2
The new assembly mounts above the driver, facing the windshield, mirror (which came from a cheap pocket brush) angled at the dash. Run the USB cable up the molding at the side of the windshield and tuck it away with a small plastic putty knife. Clever, eh?
3
Build a screen A
piece of clear plastic rests on the dashboard. The VFD projects onto it to show the final image. Now install the LCD Smartie software that operates the VFD (free online, lcdsmartie .sourceforge.net), feeding it information about Winamp and your e-mail.
e right technology products.
AN HP ARMREST PRINTER
Making hard copies to sign and share is just as important as having an e-mail address to give to a new client. So we decked out our car with an HP Deskjet 460 printer, which is a photo-quality ink jet with all the trimmings: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, a lithium ion battery, and a memory card reader. Mounting the printer between the front seats also provides a stylish and comfortable armrest.
1
Four-point plan
We fabricated a fourpost support from aluminum and steel stock, riveting the pieces together. The metal stand sits over the center console and allows access to the emergency brake. Secure it with rivets at the base as well.
2
Measure once, print often Take a test run before permanently mounting your gear. In this case, measure the printer to ensure that it makes a comfortable armrest for the driver.
3
Lock it in place
Finally, we attached the printer to the stand using SuperLock fasteners, a plastic, Velcro-like material. The printer’s lid simply folds open, and the documents come out beside the driver for easy stop-light reading.
Measure
carefully
A SHREDDER IN THE GLOVE BOX
Opportunistic thieves can readily swipe passwords, account numbers, and other confidential data by grabbing your trash. There’s a tried and true way of discouraging theft of important in-formation, however: A shredder! That’s right, a portable shredder, just waiting to be fed, can lie in wait in your glove compartment. Open the latch to the box and the battery-powered shredder revs up, triggered by a switch installed in the back.
1
Disassembly first Remove
the glove compartment from the car and measure the interior space. Afterwards, disassemble the shredder and cut it to fit with a rotary tool, such as a Dremel.
Trim to fit
2
Next stop, wiring Wire a
roller switch into the circuit. You can mount it in the rear of the glove box door, such that when the door is closed, the switch is depressed. When the door opens, the switch activates the circuit and powers on the shredder.
Insertion To wrap it up, add plastic supports to suspend the shredder inside the compartment (for strength) and permanently install the entire assembly. Now test it out: Grab the shredder’s instruction manual and permanently destroy it.
3
(So we carry just about all of the
AFTER HOURS: REALLY LOUD MUSIC & LIVE TV
After a hard day’s work, a relaxing drive home requires some serious entertainment hardware. Lurking beneath the front passenger seat is a monster Infinity Reference amplifier, which powers four Infinity Kappa component speakers. The audio signal comes directly from the laptop via the port replicator’s line out. But music delights only half the senses; we needed TV, too. So we added a USB TV tuner that receives signal through the car’s antenna. It’s live TV for your car!
the stock front speakers in your car. This requires removing the door panels and running speaker wire. The rear speakers are next and harder to replace; remove the luggage shelf to gain access to the mounting holes. We hid the amplifier below the front seat, next to the laptop, to reduce the length of the audio cables—and the complexity of routing them.
BELLS & WHISTLES
While you’re busy spending money (and time) in the garage, go for the gold medal with the following collection of extra gear and gadgets.
Add a GPS There’s no time to get lost on the road, so we attached a DeLorme Earthmate USB GPS. Its Street Atlas navigation software has a chatty and touch-friendly interface and offers turn-by-turn navigation—with voice commands. The GPS sits on the dash and is secured by its cable, which we routed snugly down into the interior of the dash and back to the PC via a USB hub. We really liked the text-to-speech function that announced the streets. Go wireless Round out the office on wheels’ utility: A Gyration wireless keyboard allows for text input on a larger scale, when an onscreen keyboard just won’t do the trick. The keyboard doesn’t need much space, so store it in the driver-side door pocket. You’ll lack the space for a proper custom keyboard tray.
1
Get loud First replace
Speed file transfers Just below the driver, we dropped in a combination flash card reader and USB hub from IOGear to facilitate file transfers and help synchronize handheld devices. Take a photo at a job site and instantly send it to your laptop. Hit the Internet Most important for the connected traveler: Gain on-the-go Internet access with ample bandwidth with a Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC Card. It’s a simple but essential PC Card device.
TV and radio A Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner feeds our senses. This provides both UHF/VHF and FM reception—for rest-stop enjoyment only, of course. We reused the car’s FM antenna to receive broadcast stations using a splitter, a few coaxial cables, and a splice kit to fuse the two. Hide the tuner The device itself is tucked away inside the dashboard. You’ll probably make it messy, as we clearly have, but there’s plenty of space back there. We’ve also hidden a USB hub in this space, to aid connecting the other components in our car.
2
3
Using the software Hauppauge includes with the WinTV tuner, you can time-shift shows while you’re driving or play back videos that you recorded earlier.
4
Live TV . . . finally!
Quick file tra
nsfers
TURN THE PAGE ....For complete pricing info and a detailed plan.
em.)
HP ProLiant DL385 Dual-core Rack-mount Server
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$
CDW 811471
280499
Hard drives sold separately
HP StorageWorks® 1/8 Tape Autoloader Ultrium 460
• 1.6TB native LTO Ultrium-2 tape storage system • Flexible tape automation solution with the ability to automatically back up multiple servers without operator intervention
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HP ProLiant DL585 Rack-mount Dual-core Server
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$
959999
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HP StorageWorks® MSA1000 SAN Starter Kit
• 4x 146GB 15K hard drives • Two FCA24214 Host Bus Adapters for Windows® or Linux® servers • Dual hot-pluggable fans/power supplies
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The Storage Solutions You Need When You Need Them.
BUILD IT
PARTS LIST
2 4 3
1
Glove-Box Shredder 2 ft OF 16-gauge wire.........................$1 1 desktop shredder.............................$15 1 mini roller switch............................. $3 6 double-A batteries......................... $5 Dashboard view
Project total..................... $24
5
6
7 8 9
Lenovo ThinkPad T43 Installed underneath
the driver’s seat, the T43 is the nerve center of our mobile office. It’s small enough to stow away but powerful enough to run all of our gadgetry.
10
Side view
11 12 13 14
Radio/TV Tuner 1 Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner......... $150 1 UHF/VHF splitter............................... $7 3 RG6 coaxial cables........................... $12 1 coaxial cable splice kit..................... $5 2 ft of 16-gauge wire..........................$1 1 automotive voltage regulator........... $30 1 Infinity Reference 7541A amplifier... $300 4 Infinity Kappa component speakers.......................................... $340 4 right-angle RCA plugs.....................$16 1 mini-pin-to-RCA cable.................... $6 2 RCA Y-cables.................................... $8
Project total.....................$875
MODELED TO A T
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 Matrix Orbital VFD Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner Pentax DSMobile USB scanner Gyration GO 2.4 Optical Air Mouse and Compact Keyboard Suite Card reader/USB hub EarthLCD 10-inch touch screen HP Deskjet 460 Desktop shredder Infinity Kappa component speakers Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC Card Lenovo ThinkPad T43 Lenovo Port Replicator II Infinity Reference 7541A amplifier
EarthLCD 10-inch touch screen Because
the T43 is lodged under the driver’s butt, we figured it might be hard to access while driving. That’s why we installed this sweet touch screen from EarthLCD. With it, we could log on from the dashboard!
Touch-Screen Setup 1 EarthLCD 10-inch touch screen........ $600 1 small-footprint printed circuit board .......................................$2 2 ft of 16-gauge wire..........................$1 3 12-volt, 1-amp voltage regulators.. $6 3 ft slotted right-angle steel..............$7 1 mini USB mouse.................................$13
Project total...................... $629
Heads-Up Display 1 Matrix Orbital VFD............................ $100 1 Owl wallet light................................ $10 1 folding pocket mirror.......................$1 1 USB extension cable........................ $15
Project total..................... $126
Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner If you
thought arguing with your passengers over radio station choices was bad, wait until you have to choose between American Idol and the Mets game. Splice this tuner into your radio antenna and you can get broadcast TV in the car.
Armrest Printer 1 HP Deskjet 460 (with 12V adapter).............................. $250 1 box of medium-size rivets.............. $3 2 ft right-angle aluminum................ $9 1 small sheet of steel......................... $7 3 ft steel flat bar................................. $9 4 SuperLock fastening strips............. $3 2 ft of 16-gauge wire......................... $1
Project total.....................$282
Sub-Lap Laptop 1 Lenovo ThinkPad T43 (with 12V adapter)............................ $2,200 1 Lenovo Port Replicator II................ $300 1 box of medium-size rivets.............. $3 1 ft right-angle aluminum.........,....... $9 1 small sheet steel.............................. $7
Project total.....................$2,519
Scanner in the Visor 1 Pentax DSMobile USB scanner........ $100 1 USB extension cable........................ $15
Project total: $115
MORE ON THE WEB
For an in-depth discussion of the wiring and electrical part of the project, as well as a hack for your car’s diagnostic scanner, check out go.pcmag.com/diy
Bells and Whistles 1 DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20........ $100 1 Gyration GO 2.4 Optical Air Mouse and Compact Keyboard Suite........... $120 1 IOGear GUH284R USB hub.... ............ $30 1 Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC Card........ $360
Project total...................... $610
TURN THE PAGE Want to build the projects shown above? Flip back a page for plans.
Grand total.................$5,180
Ouch!
CONNECTEDTRAVELER DETROIT
BEST WIRED HOTELS
Courtyard by Marriott
Downtown Detroit 333 E. Jefferson Ave. www.detroitdowntown courtyard.com Paid Wi-Fi service is provided by iBahn and T-Mobile. The Courtyard also has a Sweet Lorraine’s restaurant in the lobby (a Metro Detroit favorite), as well as a health club, pool, spa, and—get this—a PlayStation in every room.
WHILE YOU’RE IN TOWN It may not live at the top of most tourists’ must-see places, but Detroit has some cool things to do and see nonetheless. Be sure to check out the renowned Detroit Institute of Arts, the fifth-largest fine arts museum in the U.S. And don’t pass on the Hitsville USA house, the birthplace of Motown Records—one of the reasons Detroit is famous.
TOP TECH ATTRACTIONS The Motor City has many automotive attractions and lots of stuff for techies and science geeks. Check out American innovations, historic objects such as John F. Kennedy’s limo, and the vast collection of curios Henry Ford amassed (including a sealed jar reportedly containing Thomas Edison’s last breath) at the Henry Ford Museum (www .thehenryford.com). The Cranbrook Institute of Science (science.cranbrook .edu) includes an observatory, and the Detroit Science Center (www .detroitsciencecenter.org) has set up a space-travel exhibit with NASA.
Four Points by Sheraton Detroit North Hotel and Suites
30000 Van Dyke Ave., Warren www.starwood.com/ fourpoints/detroitnorth A short drive from downtown, the Four Points in Warren offers spacious suite rooms (each with a wet bar and small kitchen area), free and reliable Wi-Fi access in every room, a fitness center, cordless phones, video check-out, and in-room video games and movies.
FREE WI-FI HOT SPOTS
Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center (Meet-
FAST FACTS
Both Verizon and Sprint Nextel have high-speed 3G cellular networks that cover the entire Metro Detroit area, and Cingular offers a 2G GSM network (with plans to roll out a 3G network by the end of this year). The Wireless Oakland initiative plans to offer free wireless access over the entire 910 square miles of suburban Oakland County (just north of Detroit) by 2007, a first in the country. Detroit has more registered bowlers than any American city.
Hotel Pontchartrain
2 Washington Blvd. www.hotelpontch.com The Pontch is a classic Detroit hotel, offering a restaurant, an outdoor pool, a business center, and a convenient location—one block from the Cobo Convention Center. Paid Wi-Fi is offered by Columbris and Wayport.
ing rooms area), 1 Washington Blvd.
Detroit Wireless Project Throughout Metro area (for network map, go to www.dwp.org). Atlanta Bread Company 19181 Mack Ave. Town Pump Tavern 100 W. Montcalm St. The Majestic Cafe 4120 Woodward Ave. Panera Bread Various locations throughout Metro
Detroit, www.panerabread.com.
AIRPORT FACTS Wi-Fi has arrived at Detroit’s modernist glass-and-steel Metro Airport; it ain’t free, but at least it’s there. Travelers in the McNamara or Smith Terminals with laptops, PDAs, and smartphones can now surf the Web, send e-mail, and even log on safely to corporate intranet sites. This service costs $6.95 for a 24-hour period. Travelers can also plug into dataports at every public telephone in the airport. The new North Terminal project will also include Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. The airport’s Wi-Fi comes from Concourse Communications Group of Chicago, which has roaming agreements with seven major wireless ISPs.
Photographs: (Top) Getty Images; (Bottom) Detroit Science Center APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 89
SMB BOOTCAMP
Build a Beachhead on the Web
A very basic course on building your Web presence.
F
BY MATTHEW D. SARREL
ACE IT: IF A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER CAN’T
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Join PC Magazine editors and experts on April 19th in a live Web seminar focused on helping you build the perfect Web site and select the right hosting provider. Sign up at pcmagcast.com.
find you on the Web, he or she won’t buy anything from you, hire you, or contact you. Whether you just want to get your name out there or you aspire to Web greatness, it’s important to secure a solid base of operations on the Web on your first assault. So pay attention as I explain how to get your Web site up and running, fast. If you think an HTML tag is a game schoolchildren play, you should use one of the tools that your Web site hosting provider offers. If you’re more savvy, skip them, because most of them produce nonstandard HTML code that makes it difficult to step up to a real Web editor later. Microsoft FrontPage is a step up from these tools, and Macromedia Dreamweaver is a step up from FrontPage. But you’ll need to know at least a bit about Web design to use Dreamweaver, the tool consultants are most likely to rely on. FrontPage has been discontinued by Microsoft, to be replaced by separate business and consumer apps. While we wait for its replacements, FrontPage remains a competent, easy-to-use Web editor. It could , however, limit visitors to those using IE. If you’re going to use it, make sure your hosting provider supports FrontPage extensions and components, so you can use FrontPage’s canned code. It provides a split-window view that displays HTML code at the top and a WYSIWYG page at the bottom. A Button Builder lets you add mouseover actions to navigation bars. Complex page layouts are built with the Layout Table feature, which positions text and graphics in a table-like framework visible in the editing screen but not in a browser. One-click publishing simplifies uploading pages to the server. Dreamweaver combines a WYSIWYG design environment with unrivaled hands-on coding power. This is the Web editor pros use. It offers powerful templates that you can create or update with a single
mouse click, and it generates cleaner code than FrontPage, with fewer extraneous comments. It doesn’t use proprietary HTML tags and creates pages that can be viewed with any browser. With the Rendering Toolbar, you can see how a page will look onscreen, on a portable device, or in print. The Coding Toolbar provides quick access to snippets of code, source formatting, invalid-code highlighting, and adding or removing comments from code. The Synchronize command transfers files in the background, making it easy to keep your site up to date. To make an informed decision about hosting, you first need to understand which type of site you want. A simple site of a few pages of text and graphics, commonly referred to as brochureware, can be hosted at any service for less than $10 a month. Shop around for the best price and ask colleagues whom they use. GNX Online and GoDaddy are competitively priced in this category. The next step up is a dynamic site with server-side scripting and database usage. These sites typically build template-based pages on the fly with content pulled from a database. If your site’s content-heavy, this is the way to go, because it makes updating content easy. 1&1, GoDaddy, and Yahoo! offer competitively priced services here. Beyond that is an e-commerce site designed to serve a catalog and process transactions. Small businesses should use a small-business e-commerce solution such as Yahoo! Merchant Solutions or Microsoft Web Hosting for Small Business with Commerce Manager. These and similar apps let you create online stores complete with a shopping cart and credit card processing, and usually include Web site analytics and e-mail marketing tools. More sophisticated plans provide inventory management and tie-ins to Intuit’s QuickBooks. If you anticipate a high volume of traffic, then it pays to consider dedicated hosting, which gives you your own server and dedicated bandwidth. You can rent or buy a server and have it installed at your ISP, a solution known as collocation. Expect to pay much more for these solutions.
Matthew D. Sarrel is a consultant and former PC Magazine Labs technical director.
Illustration by Scott Menchin
90 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
VISTA REVEALED
ontin Video c
ues to p
lay
LIVE PREVIEW FLIP 3D VIEW
Windows-Tab activates the new Windows Flip 3D view, giving you a dramatic perspective view of all your open applications. Each preview is live. Rolling the mouse wheel forward or backward spins the application windows around like cards in a Rolodex. Mouse over a taskbar button and Vista gives you a scaled-down but fully live preview of the application window.
s show All window ntent o actual c
PARTIAL TRANSPARENCY Windows and dialog borders are partially transparent to provide a better sense of depth when viewing overlapping windows, even in applications that weren’t specifically written for Vista.
V
BETTER TASK SWITCHING
I S TA’ S A E R O G L A S S M O D E , W H I C H
exploits high-performance graphics hardware to provide visual effects such as transparency, animation, and even 3D perspective, sounds almost like a recipe for gratuitous excesses in the user interface. Do we really need these features to get our work done? Or are they the OS equivalent of tail fins, the fussy frills we’ll dismiss as nuisances and even laughingstocks—like Office’s infamous Clippy assistant and the annoying Windows XP “search puppy”? After months using various prerelease versions of Windows Vista, I’m beginning to conclude that Microsoft’s measured use of these capabilities is, in fact, a positive move. One of the best places to see it is in Vista’s new task-switching capabilities. The familiar Alt-Tab combination that so many of us have committed to muscle memory still works just fine, but the experience of changing between applications gets a lot more interesting if you’re running in Aero Glass mode. More important, Vista with Aero Glass provides live previews of applications you’re choosing among.
IMPROVED ALT-TAB Alt-Tab still works as you’d
expect, only better. Known as the Windows Flip view, it now cycles through live previews of all your open applications (including the content within them, not just a representative icon) as well as the desktop itself.
These previews aren’t static snapshots; rather, they’re scaled-down versions of what appears in the actual application windows. Here’s a glimpse at some of the effects, which are still subject to change as Microsoft polishes the product for its final release in the second half of 2006. If you don’t have the hardware to support Aero Glass, consider this a look at what you might be missing.—John Clyman, contributing editor
CAN’T GET ENOUGH VISTA? You’ll love our next issue: 11 pages of Vista secrets!
April 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 91
A S K LOY D
Q
MULTIPLE MONITORS
I have an SLI system with two BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC cards. In SLI mode, I can drive only one of my monitors (I use two Dell 2001FP displays). In non-SLI mode, I can use both dis-
A
plays, which are currently plugged into one card. The second card just sits there unused. Can I plug the second monitor into the second card? Can I use four displays with two cards?
—Daniel S.
The Ergotron DeskStand 100 lets you mount four displays to save desktop space
A
If you have a pair of graphics cards in your system, each of which can support two displays, then you can run four displays simultaneously. This will let you have a truly huge Windows desktop. nVidia has hinted that it is working on dual-display support that will function with SLI, but there is no formal word yet. The real problem will be managing all those displays. You’ll need either a huge desk or a display stand. The Quad SLI photo in the Ask Loyd tip “How do SLI and CrossFire work?” (go.pcmag.com/slicrossfire) shows the position of DVI connections for multiple monitors. ENABLING HIGHEST RESOLUTIONS
The A7217A is HP’s version of the Sony GDM-FW900, and it was a terrific monitor when it was released. You won’t damage your display by enabling resolutions it can support. If your display is rated for higher resolutions at higher refresh rates, but you can’t see it in the Windows control panel, you should be fine if you disable the Hide modes checkbox. Just be sure you don’t accidentally pick an unsupported resolution/refresh rate combo. The reason your control panel doesn’t show all possible resolutions is that the EDID (extended display information data) can’t be read using a BNC connection. Though you may perceive a loss of sharpness when connecting to the VGA port, the convenience may be worth the trade-off. It’s also possible that the VGA cable you were using isn’t the best, and getting a good-quality, shielded cable may make all the difference. But it’s true that the BNC connectors will give you a somewhat sharper image, all else being equal. You may also be able to see all the supported resolutions in your display control panel by using the latest Catalyst drivers from ATI and manually specifying the Sony GDM-FW900 as the display. UPGRADING A DELL
I have a four-year-old Dell 8200. It was a high-end system when I bought it. Since then, I have added a Dell 24-inch widescreen LCD that seems to run only at 1,920-by1,200. Though the nVidia GeForce 4 4600 seems to run this monitor just fine, I’ve been told that I need to upgrade the graphics card to use this display to its fullest potential, so I bought an eVGA GeForce FX 5500 DDR. The box says that the card requires a power supply of at least 250 watts. I want to upgrade my power supply, but have been told I can’t upgrade a Dell power supply because it uses a proprietary connector. Can I use this card in the Dell as it is? Can I upgrade the power supply in the Dell 8200? —Ahmasi Rohn Lloyd
Q
NEED ANSWERS? ExtremeTech.com’s editor Loyd Case tackles your toughest hardware problems each issue. Send him yours at askloyd@ziffdavis.com
I recently got a refurbished HP A7217A CRT monitor, which has both BNC and VGA connections. My ATI Radeon 9600 card has both DVI and CRT connections. I I prefer connecting to the display’s BNC connectors, because the picture quality seems better, but the BNC connectors aren’t plug-and-play: If I try to set a resolution beyond 1,600-by-1,200, I get a virtual desktop that forces me to scroll around to see the whole screen. This display is capable of handling 1,920-by-1,200. Will turning off “Hide modes not supported by Windows” in the display control panel damage my display if I use higher resolutions? —Michael Kutka
Q
A
There are really two questions here: Can you use a GeForce FX 5500 in your current Dell 8200, and is it possible to upgrade a Dell power supply? The answer to both is yes. Dell tends to be conservative in how it allocates the power budget in its PCs. The 5500 will probably run fine on a system that ran a GeForce 4 4600. But you may run into power issues if you add other peripherals. If you’re concerned about the power supply, you can upgrade it. PC Power & Cooling (www.pcpowercooling .com) makes power supplies that work in Dell systems, including a 410W unit recommended for the 8200.
92 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
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Specifications and pricing available on website. SLI is a trademark of NVIDIA Corporation. Turbo-Cool and PC Power and Cooling are registered trademarks of PC Power & Cooling, Inc. ©2006
ASK NEIL
Q
IDENTIFY CHANGES IN CONTRACTS
I have multiple serial versions of a contract. There are minor and major changes due to negotiations over a period of six months. Since they’re already written, is there some way I
The Generic/Text-only printer may help in inputting text documents from older programs.
can track the changes from one version to the next? I really don’t want to go through every line on each 30-page version. —Don Warshaw
find the drop-down box titled Use Balloons (Print and Web Layout), and select Only for comments/formatting in the drop-down list.
NEED ANSWERS? Each issue, PC Magazine’s software expert Neil J. Rubenking answers your toughest software and Internet problems. Send yours to askneil@ziffdavis.com.
A
A merged Word document will clearly display any changes (additions and deletions) between the old document and the new.
Microsoft Word can sniff out the differences between two versions of a document. Open the older version, then select Tools | Compare and Merge Documents from the menu. In the resulting dialog, select the newer version. Uncheck the Legal blackline and Find formatting boxes. Click the down arrow attached to the button labeled Merge and select Merge into new document. Save this new document with a name that identifies its sources, for example “changes from june 29 to july 20.doc.” Repeat as necessary for other pairs in the sequence. In print, the merged document will show changes clearly. New text will be underlined and colored, and deleted text will appear in balloons in the right margin. You may prefer simply to strike out deleted text (like this), especially if there’s a lot of it. If so, choose Tools | Options from the menu, click the Track Changes tab,
Q
WHAT TO DO WITH PRN FILES
If a file is saved as a print file with the extension .prn, what can be done with it? I am unable to print the file or view it. For example, if we print a report to a file instead of printing it to a printer, the file is saved with the extension .prn. —Mustapha Fawaz
A
Additions
Deletions
The PRN file contains the same bytes of data that would have been sent to the selected printer had you not chosen to print to a file. Unless you have access to that printer or an identical one, there’s not much you can do with the PRN file. If you do have access to the printer, you may be able to print the file from a Command Prompt window. This command may successfully send filename.prn to the printer: COPY /B filename.prn /B PRN. If that doesn’t work, try again, replacing PRN with LPT1. Note, though, that some Windows-only printers won’t take input in this way. A Google search on “free raw print utility” (no quotes) will turn up a number of free utilities designed to send PRN files to a Windows printer. Depending on the program whose output you’re capturing, you may find it worthwhile to install and use the Generic/Text-Only printer. Click the Start button and choose Printers and faxes from the menu. Under Printer Tasks at left, click Add a printer. As you step through the pages of the Add Printer Wizard, choose Local printer attached to this computer but uncheck the option to detect it automatically. When it asks what port to use, choose FILE: (Print to File). Then select Generic as the manufacturer and Generic/Text Only as the printer model. When you’ve completed the wizard, you’ll have a new printer to choose from in the standard Print dialog. Try printing from your program to this printer; then open the resulting file in Notepad to check the results. Some programs, especially older ones, will produce useful text-only output.
94 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
Q
ALOHA TO ALOHABOB?
The PC Magazine review of Alohabob PC Relocator Ultra Control 2005 Edition (go .pcmag.com/pcrelocator05) lists pros and cons. A con that I’ve never seen on the outside of the box is that Alohabob can be used for only one transfer. I am returning the software to get my money back.—newtrail via PCMag.com
Q
INSERT COLORED SYMBOLS IN WORD
Many software licenses specify only that you must not use the application on two computers at the same time. You’re free to uninstall it from computer A and install it on computer B. That makes sense for something like a word processor. But migration products like Alohabob often have a more restrictive usage policy, and it actually makes sense. Without such a policy, a business could buy one copy and use it to migrate hundreds of computers. You may have missed one point in the license agreement. Though businesses need one license for each “target PC,” home users can use Alohabob on multiple target PCs in the same home, if the PCs are not primarily for business. (Microsoft just bought Apptimum, makers ofAlohabob, to aid the Vista transition. License terms may change; see go.pcmag.com/alohasold).
A
Regarding “Sharps, Flats, and Naturals in Word” (go.pcmag.com/addsymbols): I write about bridge, and using Insert | Symbol in Microsoft Word, I have assigned the playing-card symbols for clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades to my keys F9, F10, F11, and F12. This is a fine time-saver, but I can’t get the diamond and heart symbols to appear in red, the color used in writing about bridge. Is there a way to do this? —Marshall Pearlman
A
You can get the effect you want by recording a simple macro. Suppose F12 is associated with the heart symbol. Select Tools | Macros | Record new macro from the menu. Click the Keyboard button, click in the box under Press new shortcut key, press F12, click the Assign button, and click the Close button. Use the Font Color button on the toolbar to change the font color to Red, insert a heart symbol, then change the font color back to Automatic. Click the Stop button in the floating macro-recording toolbar or select Tools | Macro | Stop Recording from the menu. Repeat the process to create another macro that will insert a red diamond symbol.
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
Want to learn more about PC Magazine’s Advertising Partners? This listing provides our readers with information about select companies advertising in PC Magazine. To find out more on these companies and the products they offer, to contact the company directly, or even to make a purchase, please visit the following websites: 1 & 1 Internet Web Hosting www.1and1.com Buffalo Technology MultiMedia Home Server www.buffalotech.com/ pcmag-seamless CDW www.cdw.com Cisco-Linksys Network Storage Link www.linksys.com Diskeeper Diskeeper10 Automatic Defragmenter www.diskeeper.com/pcm10 Fujitsu LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC www.shopfujitsu.com/LifeBookT4000 Gateway Pro Professional www.gateway.com/TellUs/HED Hewlett Packard HP COMPAQ nx6110 Business Notebook www.hp.com/go/secure4 Hewlett Packard HP ProLiant ML150 G2 Server www.hp.com/go/ML150mag8 Konica Minolta Magicolor Laser Printers www.buymagicolor.com Microsoft Office www.microsoft.com/office/evolve Microsoft SQL Server www.microsoft.com/bigdata Motion Computing LS800 Tablet PC www.motioncomputing.com MPC Computers ClientPro 414 All-In-One www.mpccorp.com/pcmag608 NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc. MultiSync Display www.necdisplay.com/ protectyourimage Newegg www.newegg.com Pantone Inc. Huey Monitor Color Correction www.pantone.com
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 95
PC Power & Cooling, Inc. Turbo-Cool 1KW www.pcpower.com Ricoh Printers www.ricoh-usa.com/itchannel SoftChoice www.softchoice.com SpectorSoft Spector CNE (Corporate Network Edition) www.spectorcne.com Toshiba R200 Notebook PCs www.toshibabydesign .com/R200 Trend Micro Worry Free Security www.trendmicro.com/worryfree Universal Laser Systems VersaLaser www.VersaLaser.com Hewlett Packard Find out about HP’s small and medium size business solution including: notebooks, desktops, servers, printers and more! Visit www.hp.com/go/mag8 or call 1.866.625.0784
SECURITY WATCH
This Man Has a Virus
Security software can do little about the most dangerous delivery mechanism of all—the user.
SAFE
1 2
KEEP IT
Some simple steps can help you—and your company— avoid being the patsy in an online scam
Never run a program unless you trust the source of the program.
Secure your computer with antivirus, antispyware, and a personal firewall. Such software can warn you if a program appears to be doing something suspicious. Never give out your passwords. Only your employer and your bank should require your Social Security number. Deploy a network intrusion-prevention system to detect the signs of an attack early. Managers should require all workers who use computers to undergo training in the best computer-security practices.
3 4 5
I
BY ROBERT LEMOS
F A RESPECTABLE-LOOKING PERSON HAND-
KEEP YOURSELF SAFE! Subscribe to our Security Watch newsletter and get up-to-date info on the latest threats delivered to your inbox automatically: go.pcmag.com/ securitywatchletter.
ing out sample CDs on the street offered you one, would you take it home and run it? If he handed it to you on your commute to the office, would you run it at work? If someone called and said she was with IT and needed your computer’s password, would you give it? If you said yes to any of these questions, you’re a prime target for social engineering. Social engineering tries to bypass security altogether by fooling the user. As operating systems and apps become more secure, online attackers can still rely on social engineering to compromise systems and access high-value data. Phishing attacks, Trojan horses, and many viruses use social-engineering tactics to trick users into compromising their own computer systems. The stakes are higher than just losing data on a compromised system: A single PC can become a springboard within a company’s network from which enemies can launch further attacks. Insider attacks— whether executed by malicious employees or workers ignorant of the risks—are the most expensive class of cyber threats. Companies’ need to let their employees work free from stringent security measures can help insiders do extensive damage before being detected. A year ago, law enforcement agencies announced that Sumitomo Mitsui Bank had foiled an attempt to
steal $423 million after detecting suspicious money transfers. An investigation revealed a keylogger—a program that records keystrokes—installed on an employee’s system. Many workers aren’t aware of the risks. In a recent study, The Training Camp, a U.K. firm focused on training workers in information technology, handed out CDs with a simple Trojan horse program to people at a subway station. The CDs didn’t do anything malicious, but phoned home when run on a computer, the company said. Employees at banks, insurance companies, and other businesses obligingly put the CDs into their work computers and ran the program. A few years ago, a similar study found that as many as 90 percent of people gave their passwords to a person conducting a survey. Education is critical for defanging social engineering. Though many users know to be wary of questionable e-mail attachments, a person handing out official-looking CDs adds a layer of trust to the equation. The Sony BMG copy protection system is an extreme example of that: People trusted the brand to such an extent that no one thought to check for questionable code. The necessity of protecting users from themselves has Microsoft and other software makers adding components to turn their software into expert security systems. Microsoft’s next browser, IE 7, will switch to a green address bar when the user is on a trusted site. And its personal firewall will protect systems against applications that attempt to connect to the Internet. The threat will only worsen. Security professionals have noticed evidence of better social-engineering attacks, frequently targeted at just a few people within an organization. Computer security incident-response groups in the U.K., Canada, and Australia have confirmed such attacks. Security is only as good as the weakest link. And most often, the weakest link is the human one.
Robert Lemos is a freelance technology journalist and the editor-at-large for SecurityFocus.
Illustration by Arthur E. Giron
96 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
SCHEDULE IT When I want
to find out what an app has been up to, I use SnagIt’s timer-activated capture. To make sure I don’t fill up my hard drive with screens, I enable the Discard Identical Captures option.
PREVIEW IT
After SnagIt captures a screen, the Preview editor comes up. From this app, you can annotate the screenshot, save it to a file or clipboard, or even e-mail it or send it out by IM.
MARK IT UP
WinPointer lets you mark up the live screen with annotations. The program gives you five annotation layers. Right-click to save the screen and markups to the clipboard or a file.
T
CAN YOU SEND ME A SCREENSHOT OF THAT?
HE POPULARITY OF SCREEN-CAPTURE TOOLS ALWAYS BEWILDERED
me. Don’t people know that Microsoft Windows makes it very easy to capture screens? Want to capture the whole screen? Just press the Print Screen button. The whole image goes to the clipboard, which you can then paste into a mail message or Microsoft Word document. Hold down Alt-Print Screen and you get the active window or dialog box. The Windows tools work just fine for most purposes, but it can be a bit of a pain to save captures. And you may find that certain parts of screens, such as video, don’t get captured. Instead, you end up with a big black box, and tool tips and the mouse cursor get lost. Whenever I’ve needed a better screen capture tool, I’ve grabbed a 30-day trial of TechSmith’s SnagIt (Version 8, $39.95 direct, www.snagit.com), a perennial Editors’ Choice in our annual utility guide. There’s nothing this program can’t capture or do, it seems. SnagIt can assign sequential filenames to screens, capture screens at fixed time intervals, capture entire Web pages instead of only the visible portion, and even create mini videos—great for demonstrations. Our own WinPointer 3 utility (go.pcmag.com/winpointer; $19.97 per year for unlimited access to the utility library, or $5.97 for a single download) lets you annotate the screen before saving it out as an image or video.—Ben Z. Gottesman, editor, technology
SAVE IT To save screens captured with Windows’ built-in tool, load Microsoft Paint (Start | Run | Accessories | Paint). Paint will increase the size of the canvas to fit what’s pasted.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 97
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Logicube Inc. 19755 Nordhoff Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311 U.S.A.
/
Tel 818.700.8488
/
Fax 818.700.8466
TOLL-FREE 888.494.8832
/ www.logicube.com
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 99
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100 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 101
The Straight Talk People
S I N C E 1 9 9 1
SM
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ABERDEEN STONEHAVEN A53 ABERDEEN STONEHAVEN A122 ABERDEEN STONEHAVEN A142T
1U 14-Inch Short Depth Opteron™
• AMD Opteron™ Model 165 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • ServerWorks HT1000 Chipset w/64-bit Support • 512MB DDR400 ECC Memory (8GB Max) • 320GB Internal SATA Hard Drive (500GB Max) • Dual Gigabit LAN • 260W Power Supply w/PFC • 5-Year Limited Warranty
1U Opteron 2 x SATA
• AMD Opteron™ Model 165 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • ServerWorks HT1000 Chipset w/64-bit Support • 1GB DDR400 ECC Memory (8GB Max) • 2 x 250GB Hot-Swap SATA Hard Drives (500GB Total) • Dual Gigabit LAN • 260W Power Supply w/PFC • 5-Year Limited Warranty
1U Opteron Redundant 4 x SATA
• AMD Opteron™ Model 265 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • ServerWorks HT2000 Chipset w/64-bit Support • 1GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (16GB Max) • 4 x 250GB Hot-Swap SATA Hard Drives (1.0TB Total) • Dual Gigabit LAN • 400W Hot-swap Redundant Power Supply • 5-Year Limited Warranty
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ABERDEEN STONEHAVEN A141T
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1U Dual Opteron 4 x SATA
• Dual AMD Opteron™ Model 265 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • AMD 8000 Series Chipset w/64-bit Support • 1GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (16GB Max) • 4 x 250GB Hot-Swap SATA Hard Drives (1.0TB Total) • Dual Gigabit LAN • 400W Power Supply w/PFC • 5-Year Limited Warranty
1U Dual Opteron Redundant 4 x SATA II
• Dual AMD Opteron™ Model 265 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • ServerWorks HT2000 Chipset w/64-bit Support • 2GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (32GB Max) • 4 x 500GB Hot-Swap SATA II Hard Drives (2.0TB Total) • SATA II 3Gb/s RAID Controller, Dual Gigabit LAN • 700W Hot-swap Redundant Power Supply • 5-Year Limited Warranty
2U Dual Opteron 6 x SATA II
• Dual AMD Opteron™ Model 265 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • AMD 8000 Series Chipset w/64-bit Support • 2GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (16GB Max) • 6 x 500GB Hot-Swap SATA II Hard Drives (3.0TB Total) • SATA II 3Gb/s RAID Controller, Dual Gigabit LAN • 460W Hot-swap Redundant Power Supply • 5-Year Limited Warranty
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PC Magazine February 8, 2005 —Aberdeen Stonehaven A261S
3U Dual Opteron 8 x SATA II
• Dual AMD Opteron™ Model 265 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • AMD 8000 Series Chipset w/64-bit Support • 4GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (16GB Max) • 8 x 500GB Hot-Swap SATA II Hard Drives (4.0TB Total) • SATA II 3Gb/s RAID Controller, Dual Gigabit LAN • 760W Triple Hot-swap Redundant Power Supply • 5-Year Limited Warranty
4U Quad Opteron 8 x SATA
• Quad AMD Opteron™ Model 865 Dual-Core (1.8GHz) • AMD 8000 Series Chipset w/64-bit Support • 4GB DDR400 ECC Reg. Memory (32GB Max) • 8 x 250GB Hot-Swap SATA Hard Drives (2.0TB Total) • SATA II 3Gb/s RAID Controller, Dual Gigabit LAN • 950W 3+1 Hot-swap Redundant Power Supply • 5-Year Limited Warranty
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AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron, combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other trademarks are of their respective owners. pc042
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102 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 103
You Scan. It Types!
Enter text and numbers into any application with the IRISPen!
Compatible with Word, Excel, Emails and accounting software, etc.
The IRISPen Express
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Ideal for students, professionals and anyone dealing with paper documents.
The IRISPen Executive
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All the IRISPen Express features + Text-tospeech in 1 of 10 languages available, bad pixels removal, brightness adjustments, multi-lines, hand written numbers, barcoding, etc!
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The IRISPen is a pen sized scanner that allows you to immediately enter text and number into ANY application. The efficient USB connection enables you to capture characters from the largest variety of media at the fastest speed. This new version is the lightest and the most compact ever! Fast & accurate Over 1,000 characters per second with up to 100% accuracy. Portable and versatile Small, light and portable, use it with your laptop or desktop wherever you go!
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Everything you expect from the most powerful OCR software! Save an incredible amount of time when converting any paper, PDF and image documents into digital files you can edit, share and save! Readiris Pro offers an unmatched combination of speed and accuracy!
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104 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
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dtSearch Terabyte Indexer
“Bottom line: dtSearch manages a terabyte of text in a single index and returns results in less than a second” — InfoWorld
◆ over two dozen indexed, unindexed, fielded data and full-text search options ◆ highlights hits in HTML, XML and PDF, while displaying links, formatting and images ◆ converts other file types (word processor, database, spreadsheet, email and attachments, ZIP, Unicode, etc.) to HTML for display with highlighted hits ◆ Spider supports static and dynamic Web content, with WYSWYG hit-highlighting ◆ optional API for C++, .NET, Java, SQL, etc. Ask about new .NET Spider API
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 105
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 107
G A M I N G + C U LT U R E
World of Warcraft Is the New Golf
Tech entrepreneurs meet, quest, and talk shop.
O
MORE ON THE WEB Get the inside scoop on the gaming world, as well as all the news and reviews you can sink your teeth into, at www.1up.com.
BY JANE PINCKARD, 1UP.COM
V E R H E A R D AT B R U N C H : T W O T E C H
entrepreneur types discussing World of Warcraft. “What server are you on? What guild? Yeah, me too. It’s a good way to schmooze.” Is that true? Has logging on to the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online game replaced a few rounds on the links as the way to make the right business connections in our tech-driven culture? The guild discussed by these brunchers was started by Joi Ito, who became a Warcraft fan after embarking on the game to research social networks. Joi is the money-and-ideas guy behind Internet companies PSINet, Digital Garage, and Infoseek Japan, as well as social software such as Moveable Type, Technorati, and Socialtext. He has quite a few hangers-on who
hit him up for advice, money, or access to his Rolodex. Since June, when he first posted on his blog that he was dipping into the popular game, he has become the guildmaster of “We Know,” a cryptically named group that’s something of a joke. It probably refers to the fact that about half of the guild is made up of people whom Joi knows in real life. Joi and cofounder Eric Haller, a friend in real life, along with a friend they’d never met save in the game, started recruiting others to the group mostly to have people to play with. “What’s funny is that it’s really hard for me to make friends on Warcraft,” the überconnected Joi wrote in a blog post soon
108 PC MAGAZINE
APRIL 25, 2006
TOP10
MOST POPULAR PS2 GAMES
about who he is and what he does, even starting blogs and a wiki exclusively for his travels in World of Warcraft—not all of them care what he does in real life, as long as he can be a good A TOUR WITH JOI—BY VIDEO “I’m begging people to let me join their group guildmaster. and casting nice spells on people to earn their friendship,” says Joi Ito. These days Joi enjoys the social aspects of the after starting the game. “I’m begging people to let me game. And by “enjoys” we mean “is absolutely obsessed join their group and casting nice spells on people, tryby.” “The game really starts at level 60,” he says. Taking to earn their friendship.” His begging days are over ing care of a guild, administering to members’ needs, now. News of the “We Know” guild has spread and looking after newbies, and pleasing the veterans is a its server, Khadgar, has become so crowded that Joi delicate balancing act: It challenges even someone tried to thin the ranks by launching a “Khadgar Sucks” who’s the CEO of several fast-growing companies. Joi campaign. Since then, Joi has moved the guild to a is still learning how to balance everyone’s needs. new server, much to the dismay of several members. “Warcraft is like a really, really well-designed UI “It’s a little like moving to a new city in high school,” for real-time, ad hoc group collaboration and manageJoi said. “It’s drama.” ment of tons of people. The tools are really interesting Joi maintains that most of the people in the guild because they apply to stuff that we’ll be using in the are simply there to play the game, that they don’t travel real world.” Has he learned new lessons about leadin the same tech-centric, blog-heavy circles he inhabership because of his involvement with the game? its in real life. “Half of them don’t even have blogs,” “Definitely,” he says. Eric notes that Joi carries around he says. Besides, even if certain folks may have logged copies of the game to hand out to people he meets in on initially to make tech friends and influence people, real life. Joi has become a Warcraft evangelist. there’s too much structure in World of Warcraft for Then, challenged to a duel, he went quiet for a mopeople who aren’t actually gamers. You wouldn’t last ment while he fought. “What is this guy? Is he a rogue? long if all you wanted to do was talk shop. Did he go stealth? He’s trying to backstab me,” Joi mutAfter tagging along with Joi a bit on the server, it tered while searching the screen for his opponent. did seem that some folks treated him with just a litWe got out of the way while Joi took care of busitle more deference and extra-friendliness, although ness—and lost. “You didn’t hit me once, lol” taunted whether that’s because Joi’s the guildmaster or because the challenger, a youngster from the “We Know” he’s a leading-edge investor is unclear. Though every guild. Joi just laughed. We moved away from the duelmember probably knows his name—Joi is fairly open ing ring. It was okay. Joi had other things to do.
First-person shooter with mega explosions.
1Black Hearts II 2 Kingdom of
Sequel to the famous Disney game.
Emergency 3 State of 2
A riot-themed brawl in the streets.
4 MGS3: Subsistence Ambulances 5 Zombies vs.
Expanded online version of Metal Gear. A high-stakes battle between sworn enemies.
6 Cowboy Bebop
3D action based on the popular Japanese title. Hunt monsters in this sequel. Implement competitive destroyers, submarines, and more. Sequel to the Dragon-packed game. Battles packed with polish and slick visuals.
7 Monster Hunter 2 8 Warship Gunner 2 9 Drakengard 2 10 Grandia III
Source: Gametab.com
AUCTION BLOCK MOD WORLD
A Mortal Kombat dagger! Great for chopping tomatoes. eBay price: $129 Pogo the Monkey T-shirt from Grand Theft Auto—a rare find. eBay price: $99.99 Its shape may be reminiscent of the Xbox 360, but Finnish reader Ville Kyro’s Aluminum Spire is a PC. It has an AMD Athlon XP 1700+ chip and a GeForce 6600GT video card on board. The tape measure shows the svelte system to be only 7 centimeters wide at its thinnest point. Find out more about the Aluminum Spire, including its innovative cooling approach and more about what’s inside, at Metku Mods (www.metku.net).
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 109
Legend of Zelda neon wall clock Click on this link. eBay price: $10
GEARLOG
Try this withrive! your flash d
MORE ON THE WEB For the whole scoop on Intel’s ultra-mobile PC concept and Microsoft’s Origami, head to www.gearlog.com.
W
BAND OF BYTES
E’ V E SEEN USB K EYS STUFFED INSIDE OF PENS, FORK S,
rubber ducks…even disguised as bits of sushi. But the ideal flash drive isn’t quirky; it’s handy—easily accessible, on a necklace or a keychain. Unfortunately, we’ve seen few wearable keys that don’t instantly endorken an outfit. And while we like the convenience of wearable devices, trading style for megabytes is unfortunate, to say the least. Then we saw it: Imation’s Flash Wristband. It looks more like one of those Lance Armstrong bands than like a hardware peripheral, so it’s fairly innocuous. It pops on and off easily, and the 256MB version sells for a very reasonable $34.99. What’s more, it passed an unscientific straw poll in the halls of PC Magazine: Most people here called it cool, voting for the black version over blue. Then again, we all skew a bit dorky to begin with….—Jeremy A. Kaplan
WATCH THIS WRIST
Imation disguised 256MB of flash memory as an ordinary rubber band. Pretty crafty, eh?
J O H N C. D V O R A K
In Asia, you can choose from at least four or five colors for most camera models. In the U.S., we typically get only silver—or for bigger cameras, black.
think that small devices look good in red, especially a deep metallic red. The rep told me the company has red cameras but didn’t bring them to the U.S., although the little red Lumix cameras are all number one in sales in Japan. And Panasonic doesn’t sell them here because . . . ? In Asia, you can choose from among at least four or five colors for most camera models. In the U.S., we typically get only silver—or for bigger cameras, black. Why? Are we all Oakland Raiders fans? If I get a DSLR I want it in black, not red, but I’m tired of little silver or black devices. Seriously. In most of the world, cameras come in gold, silver, black, red, and blue. Now I’m seeing violet and other colors—except in the U.S., of course. So who exactly did the study that says that Americans do not want color in their lives? Is it the same group that, years ago, concluded that there was no market for copying machines? Or could it be the one that claimed that home PCs would never sell? Or the group that thought that the IBM PCjr would become the dominant platform? Or maybe the group that said that hard drives would be replaced by silicon memory by 1990? Or perhaps the people who thought that the Internet would be killed by MSN? I still laugh over that one! Let’s stop listening to these researchers and instead use common sense. I first encountered this color bigotry back in the late 1970s when I asked a floppy-disk salesman who sold the typical black 5.25-inch disks why his company didn’t make them in other colors. He said that the company had studied it and concluded that people would not buy a floppy disk that was in any color other than black. Some years later, after a few manufacturers finally got a clue, you couldn’t find anyone who could sell a black diskette anymore—they were all in color. In all the years I’ve been writing about technology, I’ve found this sort of thing to be par for the course. Typical, but baffling—as it is in the case of silver cameras. It is obvious that this column is not going to be much different than it was when it was tucked inside the magazine next to Inside Track. It’s just me complaining about the situations around me. I hope that it will be a good spot to harp on these issues and get things changed.
Illustration by Dan Page
S
MORE ON THE WEB Can’t get enough Dvorak? A new rant goes up every Monday at go.pcmag.com/dvorak. You can email him directly at pcmag@dvorak.org. 112 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
O HERE I AM ON THE BACK PAGE
with a better layout, fewer words to write, and some nice art to go with the words. I’m throwing this out to you as an introduction, since this change needs to be explained. And I’d go ahead and explain it except I’m too darn mad to do anything back here but complain about the PC, the Mac, the iPod (ugh), laptops, Linux, hard drives, software that doesn’t work as advertised, license agreements that suck, liability issues, the lack of consumer protection in this country, beige, and the lack of small red cameras in the U.S. because manufacturers think that Americans don’t like red. Yes, let’s explore that one. At the last Photo Marketing Association show one company, Canon, finally brought out a red pocket camera—the SD30, in a color called Rockstar Red. I’m not sure what red has to do with rock stars, but I’m sure some marketing guy thought it was a good idea. The SD30 also comes in violet, gold, and black. This is a radical departure for the American market. Panasonic also has a cute pocketable camera in some mild silvery colors, including a very light pink. I asked a Panasonic rep about red. I like red cars and
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