Computer Shopper
Transcription
Computer Shopper
GREAT DEALS ON BIG HARD DRIVES ULTIMATE POWER: CUSTOM-BUILT PCs THE RIGHT DIGITAL CAMERA FOR YOU º THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY COMPUTERSHOPPER.COM 20TH ANNUAL SHOPPERS’ CHOICE AWARDS YOU PICKED + THEBEST READERS PICK THEIR FAVORITE • HARDWARE • SOFTWARE • GADGETS • PC SUPPORT PLUS THE TOP WEB STORES & SERVICES MAKE YOUR PC START FASTER 15 WAYS TO RECYCLE OLD TECH PRODUCTS KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE ONLINE HOW TO CONTACT EVASIVE E-TAILERS 2 70992 06900 0 A CNET Publication U.S. $4.99 | CANADA $5.99 0 2> FEBRUARY 2006 | DISPLAY UNTIL FEB. 13, 2006 20 BLAZING GRAPHICS CARDS CONTENTS , 140 What you should know about PC makers’ warranties before you buy your next desktop or notebook. FEBRUARY 2006 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 2 ISSUE 311 DESKTOPS 24 26 26 27 27 20TH 59 Velocity Micro Gamers’ Edge DualX T1300 HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline Vigor Hornet Bully Surgeon Sony VAIO VGC-RC110G NOTEBOOKS ANNUAL 28 28 32 32 32 HP Pavilion DV8000z Dell XPS M140 Asus W2V Averatec 3715-EH1 Sony VAIO FJ170/B 32 COMPONENTS 25 34 34 Features 34 READERS’ PICKS OF 2005 59 Annual Shoppers’ Choice Awards The savviest tech shoppers speak out! Our readers pick their favorite products of the past year in our annual awards survey. Plus, we look back at some past picks from the last two decades. DISPLAYS 38 38 38 Hand-Crafted Computers If you’re after personalized service, a wide variety of components, or unique hand-finished detailing, a PC from a custom builder is the way to go. Canon Pixma iP4200 Epson PictureMate Express Edition Lexmark T640 34 HOME NETWORKING 71 42 42 42 APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router Netgear SC101 Storage Central MOBILE PRODUCTS 44 44 RECYCLE YOUR TECH 83 BenQ FP91E LaCie 319 Sony SDM-S75A PRINTERS 40 40 40 PCs FROM CUSTOM BUILDERS 71 Logitech Z-5450 Digital ATI Radeon X1600 XT Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser Pioneer DVR-R100 48 Dell Axim X51v Archos AV500 DIGITAL CAMERAS Give or Go Green Has a new holiday PC left you tripping over the old one? Find out the right way to donate or recycle your retired tech. 48 48 48 Kodak EasyShare One Konica Minolta DiMage Z6 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 DIGITAL AUDIO 49 49 49 Iriver U10 JVC Alneo XA-HD500 Sennheiser PXC300 DIGITAL LIVING 50 83 50 50 Page 98 Page 92 Page 83 Page 96 Page 115 Page 134 50 SOFTWARE Page 71 Page 152 Page 59 Bose 3-2-1 Series II Home Entertainment System HP PL4200N Panasonic PT-52LCX65 44 Archos AV500 Want television to go? The capable AV500 is a portable video recorder that puts your favorite programming in the palm of your hand. 52 52 54 54 54 55 55 55 Acronis True Image 9.0 Norton Ghost 10.0 BeInSync 1.6 CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0 System Mechanic 6 Professional EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0 IronTrainer 2 MediaMonkey 2.4 TOP 25 56 The best Media Center PCs, thin-and-light notebooks, MP3 players, 17-inch LCDs, and home-PC software. computershopper.com February 2006 9 Help & How-To COMPUTER CURES 89 Alfred dispenses some smart registry advice and helps a reader partition a hard drive within Windows. Plus, find out how to boot up your PC in an emergency—using Linux. By Alfred Poor 92 Kick-Start Your Bootup Time and OS-clogging apps are the enemy of a fast-booting PC. We help you trim the fat and get a leaner, faster-starting system. Safety Net Keeping your kids safe online is a 24/7 job. Find out how to help your child elude cyber predators with our collection of tips and child-friendly software. WEEKEND PROJECT 96 96 TechMarket COMPLETE PRODUCT MARKETPLACE GUIDE BUYING ADVISOR 98 2006: A Storage Space Odyssey Space is finite, but data is forever expanding. The Advisor rounds up five new roomy, economical Serial ATA hard drives for a speed and feature test. By John A. Burek CONSUMER ALERT 115 Whom to Call When Things Go Wrong It’s almost impossible to find phone numbers for many of the largest online merchants. We provide customer-service numbers for some popular etailers, and tips on how to contact the rest. BUYING BASICS 152 How to Buy the Right Digital Camera 117 122 132 134 136 138 140 SOHO Desktops Desktop-Replacement Notebooks Home and Small-Office Laser Printers Performance Graphics Cards External DVD Burners Smartphones PC Service and Support Plans Web Buyer THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING 143 143 144 145 146 146 Tech Products Apple Hardware and Software Input Devices Direct PC Vendors Software Blank Media 138 Also in This Issue TRENDS 17 20 Dell tests the retail waters by selling PCs at Costco. Plus, Samsung looks to brighten up cell-phone screens, and TiVo adds support for the Apple iPod and Sony PlayStation Portable. GEAR 20 • Asus MyPal A636 Pocket PC • Buffalo MiniStation • Linksys WUSBF54G Wireless-G USB Adapter With Wi-Fi Finder • Nokia 7380 • Shure E4g Sound Isolating Earphones: Gaming Edition • Targus Urban Messenger 20 DEPARTMENTS 12 12 147 151 Editor’s Note Letters Spotlight Ad Index Computer Shopper (ISSN 0886-0556) is published monthly, for $24.97 per year in the U.S. and $54.97 per year outside the U.S., by CNET Networks, Inc., 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7942. Periodicals Mail postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Canadian GST registration number is 140496720 RT. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40009221. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Computer Shopper, P.O. Box 52565, Boulder, CO 80322-2565. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6. Entire contents Copyright©2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use Computer Shopper content is granted on a case-by-case basis. CNET welcomes requests. Please direct inquiries to [email protected]. You may also make phone requests by contacting Reprint Management Services at 717-399-1900. “Computer Shopper” and “CNET Editors’ Choice” are trademarks of CNET Networks, Inc. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. computershopper.com February 2006 11 EDITOR’S NOTE JANICE CHEN are far from unique among technology and gadget magazines. Plenty of editorial staffs present a “best of the year” to help you sift through gazillions of new products released by tech manufacturers. Of course, my biased opinion is that Computer Shopper’s annual Top 100 (in our November issue) is TOP-PRODUCT LISTS a standout in the game of cataloging superlatives. But this month, we bring you a list that’s truly peerless: our annual Shoppers’ Choice Award winners (p. 59). Unlike the rest of the bestofs, this honor roll was decided by you, our readers. And that’s what makes it so valuable: No matter what the experts tell you, there’s nothing like hearing it from the buyer’s mouth. This year marks the 20th anniversary of our readers’ choice awards, and while much has changed since we started surveying our audience back in 1985, some things remain constant. You continue to be savvy shoppers, not only choosing products for their technical prowess and innovative design, but also keeping price and 20TH overall value top of mind. This year’s winners ANNUAL include high-performance picks such as Western Digital’s Raptor Series of 10,000rpm hard drives, as well as value-oriented options like the HP Photo- LETTERS AN EASIER WAY TO DVD John Burek did a nice job answering the challenge of turning old VHS cassettes into DVDs (“Exit Videotapes, Enter DVDs,” December, p.128). I recently faced the same daunting task. But the solution I recommend doesn’t involve a computer at all. I used a VCR and a DVD recorder unit from GoVideo. With this device, you simply insert the tape and a blank DVD, set it to copy, and go do something else. I could even watch TiVo while it was recording. Copying about 100 VHS tapes took more than three months, so I’m glad I didn’t have to sit in front of my PC for all that time. Dan Connors GREAT GIFT SHORTLIST I found the “Thrifty Gifts” sidebar in your December issue to be worth the price of smart 375 snapshot printer, which beat out pricier, full-service inkjets for best photo printer. And Newegg.com, a runaway winner in the Best Place to Buy categories, stands out among e-tailers by offering extremely competitive pricing and a huge selection. While finding out what everyone else wants can certainly be edifying, those who aren’t satisfied with cookie-cutter configurations churned out by top-tier desktop vendors won’t want to miss “Hand-Crafted Computers,” (p. 71), which covers fully customized desktop rigs. Custom PC builders like All American Computers, Overdrive PC, and Puget Custom Computers deliver practically anything you can dream up, whether it’s a custom paint job, liquid cooling, or even a cherry-red see-through case. Before you make your next high-tech purchase, chances are you’ll need to clear out the old to make room for the new. It may be tempting to take a sledgehammer to your old clunker and toss it in the trash, but you’ll do the environment a favor by recycling or donating old electronics. And you might even be able to get some cash in return. Check out “Give or Go Green” (p. 83) to find out how. [email protected] D WIN! A 60GB Apple iPod and a $25 iTunes Gift Card Go to computershopper.com/survey. sweepstakes rules on p. 150. the magazine See (“Present Tech,” p. 91). Your recommendations for simple, affordable gifts are universal, and any tech geek would love to have them. David Carson TRULY FREE FAXING In regards to Nancy Lang-Feldman’s January column (“eFax Eats Your Free Lunch,” p. 108), eFax also threatened to cut off my service when I went over the 20-page incoming-fax limit. I found another free fax service, K7.net (www.K7.net). There is no 20-page limit; you just need to use the service at least once a month to avoid losing your number. They also have a very affordable paid service that has unlimited incoming faxes and permits you to send outgoing faxes. Tom Lovely CORRECTIONS We incorrectly stated the editors’ rating for the Dell Inspiron 6000 as 6.3 in “More Go, Less Dough,” (December, p. 94). The correct rating is 6.1, as stated in the Feature Comparison table on p. 100 of that story. We reviewed two different configurations of the same notebook, the HP Compaq Presario V2000Z, in our December issue. The configuration reviewed in “More Go, Less Dough” (p. 94) provided a better value-toperformance ratio than the configuration in our Notebook Reviews section (p. 38) did, resulting in a higher rating. We want to hear from you. Letters, Computer Shopper 28 E. 28th St., 10th Fl. New York, NY 10016-7922 E - M A I L : [email protected] Letters may be edited for length and clarity, and may be published in any medium. WRITE: For subscription service questions, address changes, or to order: Please contact us at www.service.cshopper.com (customer service) or www.subscribe.cshopper.com (to order); Phone: US and Canada (800) 274-6384, elsewhere (902) 563-4752; Mail: Computer Shopper, P.O. Box 52565, Boulder, CO 80322-2565 (please include mailing label, as it contains information that will expedite processing); Fax: (303) 604-0518; E-mail (please include your full name and the address at which you subscribe; do not send attachments): [email protected]. 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Box 52565, Boulder, CO 80322-2565. 12 February 2006 computershopper.com TRENDS 18 TiVo Adds iPod, Sony PSP Support 18 Samsung Hopes to Brighten Up Cell-Phone Screens 18 iPod Competitors Look to Build a Common Port 20 Gear UPCOMING TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS Dell Tests the Retail Waters By Offering Systems at Costco COULD DELL’S burgeoning relationship with big-box retailer Costco lead to more retail channels for the computer giant? Recently sighted at some Costco warehouse outlets were $899.99 Dell 2200 15-inch laptops with 1.7GHz 540-series Pentium 4 processors, DVD±RW drives, and 80GB hard drives, prompting some analysts to ask if Dell is breaking out of its online-only business model. Mike Maher, a Dell spokesperson, says the company isn’t planning similar retail partnerships outside of Costco. Analysts suggest, however, that additional retail partners could help spice up Dell’s online sales, which in the past have been boost- How Much Do You Spend on a New PC? More than $2,000 $1,500 to $2,000 12.7% 19.8% $1,000 to $1,500 28.6% Less than $500 6.9% $500 to $1,000 32% ed by appearances at shopping-mall kiosks. Roger Kay, an industry analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, says that Dell may be testing the retail waters the way it did in the late ’90s with Price Club, which was later acquired by Costco. “Right now, Dell is struggling with consumers, and when a company has that problem, it tends to experiment with its business models,” Kay says. “They make a small commitment to a new • TRENDSPOTTING business method and then see how it goes, and if things seem good, then the company can pump up the volume.” Dell’s relationship with Costco is a logical fit, according to Kay, because Costco is a buyer’s club that draws in small to midsize businesses, a core demographic for Dell. Costco has also been featuring $1,299 Dell 6000 laptops and $2,499 Dell XPS 600 desktop Media Center PCs with 20-inch wide-screen LCDs. Both models come with a three-year warranty, which Toni Duboise, a Current Analysis analyst, says is a good incentive for the business customers that frequent Costco. A few years from now, you might be able to carry a home theater system in your pocket. Finland’s Upstream Engineering is working on a light-emitting diode (LED) projection system that could potentially, because of its small size and relatively low cost, allow manufacturers to put projectors inside MP3 players or other portable electronics for just a few dollars. Upstream’s current optical-engine prototype is about the size of a matchbox. An accompanying projector would be about the size of a cell phone. —Michael Singer, News.com —Michael Kanellos, News.com Consumers Learning to Love New Tech Are tech phobias fading? Acceptance of new technology among consumers is on the rise, a new survey shows. About 28 percent of consumers say they are more inclined to accept new technology now versus a year ago, while only 4 percent are now more skeptical of it, according to a study conducted by Harris Interactive. The other 68 percent said their attitudes toward technology have remained unchanged. Nearly 39 percent of consumers polled say they are likely to buy home technology products over the next six months. The top five product categories in the home segment include computers, printers, home theaters, TV content providers, and game consoles. The mobile products most likely to be purchased include cell phones, cameras, laptops, personal music devices, and video cameras. Ease of use and warranties were key factors in influencing purchase decisions. Only a few consumers noted that comparisons with what they have now and the brand of the new product would affect their decisions. —Dinesh C. Sharma, Special to News.com Source: Computer Shopper reader survey computershopper.com February 2006 17 TRENDS TECH NEWS TiVo Adds iPod, PlayStation Portable Support TIVO IS looking to attract more customers by collaborating with Apple Computer and Sony, makers of the two most popular mobile devices on the market: the iPod and the PlayStation Portable. The company, whose box has become synonymous with digital TV recording, plans to roll out a version of its TiVoToGo mobile service for the popular devices. In the coming months, customers will be able to synchronize downloads of their programs from their TiVo Series2 boxes and transfer them to the portable devices via their PCs. To use the new service, subscribers will have to purchase lowcost software that will en- able the transfer of content. “The service will automatically prepare and transcode the television show to one of these portable devices using industry-standard format designs,” says Jim Denney, director of product market- ing at TiVo. The rollout will increase the number of devices with which TiVoToGo can interact. Introduced in January 2005, TiVoToGo lets you transfer TV shows from your DVR to a laptop or PC over your home network. Last April, TiVo added support for devices compatible with the Microsoft Portable Media Center format. To discourage abuse or unlawful use of this feature, the company will apply “watermark” technologies to programs transferred with TiVoToGo, enabling it to track the account from which a transferred program originated. —Michael Singer, News.com Samsung Sees the Light on Mobile Screens SAMSUNG is applying its expertise in manufacturing oversize flat screens to a much smaller arena: handheld displays. With hopes of replicating the success it’s had with large LCD screens, the company is converting its televisions’ high-definition image rendering for use in mobile phones in camera mode, according to Joe Virginia, vice president of TFT/LCD marketing and business development. Another picture-quality improvement underway: adding white pixels to the standard RGB alignment (the three colors used to translate spectral light in displays 18 by as much as 70 percent, thus reducing the amount of power it requires. Other upgrades Samsung expects to roll out over the year include broadening its handhelds’ color palette from 262,000 to 16.7 million colors and improving screen resolution to a WVGA-quality 852x480, Virginia says. The improvements will have a slimming effect on the devices, reducing their depth from 2.1mm to 1.6mm. Samsung is also investing in slimmer, hybrid touch-screen panels, which it expects to include in its Future Samsung cell phones lineup of display technolocould have much-improved resogies in the fourth quarter of lution over new QVGA-quality phones like the SCH-B200. this year. —M.S., News.com and digital cameras), which Samsung claims will increase a screen’s brightness February 2006 computershopper.com Competitors To iPod Seek A Common Connection Hoping to loosen Apple Computer’s grip on the market for digital music players, Microsoft is rallying consumer-electronics companies to foster a connection they would all share—literally. The software maker is part of a working group recently launched by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) to develop a standard port for connecting gadgets such as music players to audio systems in homes and cars. Apple’s popular iPod already has a standard dock connector that connects its recent models to speakers, car kits, and other devices. Other music-player makers, such as Creative Labs, Dell, and Iriver, however, employ their own nonstandard ports, making it difficult for accessory manufacturers to create add-ons that will work with multiple formats. Most accessories are geared toward the iPod, the market leader, and Apple collects a cut from each “made for iPod” add-on that works with the music player. So far, over 40 companies have signed up to be part of the working group, according to the CEA. They include representatives from Belkin, Best Buy, Bose, Creative Technology, Nokia, Philips, and Sirius. (Apple is not a member of the group.) Dave Wilson, the CEA’s director of technology and standards, says the group hopes to have a standard port completed by midyear. —M.S, News.com GEAR NEW PRODUCTS BY BRIAN BENNETT PlayStation isolation Designed to shut out disruptive external sounds, the $299 Shure E4g Sound Isolating Earphones: Gaming Edition really get you in the game. Intended for use with handheld audio/game devices such as the Sony PlayStation Portable, the stereo headset comes in console-coordinating black. Shure also claims the E4g’s sound-isolating technology is just as effective as the active noise-canceling techniques of competing headphones. Shure, www.shure.com Tank drive Dialing in style Crafted with sleek lines sure to please tech fashionistas, the model-thin Nokia 7380 eliminates the traditional phone keypad in favor of a circular dialer. Beyond the attractively etched chassis, the $649 handset also features a 2-megapixel camera (with 4x digital zoom), Bluetooth connectivity, and the ability to play MP3 files. Nokia, www.nokiausa.com 20 February 2006 computershopper.com Toss the Buffalo MiniStation into your bag or pocket, and you’ll always be ready to grab or share important files. Not only does this portable hard drive connect to PCs via USB 2.0, it also features a nifty shockabsorbing case and floating internal supports for riding out minor bumps and falls with minimum damage. The 40GB model costs $149, and the 80GB, $199. Buffalo Technology, www.buffalotech.com Tech pack The $59.99 Targus Urban Messenger bag will get you noticed for your sense of style, not for a bulging notebook. Tailored to fit laptops with screens measuring up to 15.4 inches, the satchel features distinctive black-and-orange accents and plenty of pockets to carry your cell phone, identification, MP3 player, and documents. You even get a six-slot CD/DVD sleeve. Targus Group International, www.targus.com PDA pilot The $599 Asus MyPal A636 Pocket PC runs Microsoft’s latest Windows Mobile operating system, version 5, and has a speedy 416MHz CPU. The PDA also features both Bluetooth and 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking. And in case you get lost, the integrated GPS receiver will help you get back on track. Asustek Computer, usa.asus.com Detect and connect Sniff out wireless networks wherever you roam with the Linksys WUSBF54G Wireless-G USB Adapter With Wi-Fi Finder. Powered by an internal rechargeable battery, the $79 device enables you to search for, identify, and filter available access points by security, name, and signal strength. Better still, the gadget adds 802.11b/g connectivity to any PC. Linksys, www.linksys.com computershopper.com February 2006 21 REVIEWS THE LATEST HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PRODUCTS Velocity Micro Gamer’s Edge DualX T1300 Boutique brings handcrafted PC to retail buyers THE GAMER’S EDGE DualX T1300 is Velocity Micro’s entry into the electronics retail channel. Available in Best Buy’s retail outlets and on its Web site (www.bestbuy.com), the $1,990 T1300 is a serious gaming machine. It’s one of three configurations offered by the retail 7.2 giant (but the only one you’ll EDITORS’ RATING see in stores). 0 BETTER >> 10 The T1300 is housed in Velocity Micro’s Signature LXPROS Highly upgradable; strong overall performer; overW case. The interior is wellclocked graphics card organized and bathed in blue CONS Monitor, speakers cost light. A door conceals a douextra; no flash-card reader ble-layer DVD burner and a DVD-ROM drive, as well as a SPECS 2.4GHz Athlon 64 3800+; 1GB DDR; 250GB hard floppy drive, but the PC lacks drive; double-layer DVD±RW; a memory-card reader. DVD-ROM; no monitor; nVidia Two USB 2.0 GeForce 7800 GT graphics ports and a (256MB); Windows XP Home Edition FireWire port share Velocity Micro, 800-303-7866 space on the lower-front www.velocitymicro.com bezel with headphone and Direct Price $1,990 microphone jacks. Rear- What’s the Deal? Velocity Micro jumps into the retail game with the Gamer’s Edge DualX T1300, a smart configuration and a good value for a gaming PC. What it’s for: Intended for gaming, the T1300 is stocked well enough to make quick work of most consumer activities, including digital media work. Who it’s for: Anyone seeking an off-the-shelf gaming rig, or those just looking for more performance and customization in their next PC. Business use: Productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, as well as graphics work. What’s included: One year of parts-and-labor coverage, onsite service, and toll-free phone support; standard Microsoft Internet keyboard and optical scroll mouse; assorted bundled software, including Cyberlink PowerDVD 5, the Nero CD/DVD burning suite, Ubisoft’s Far Cry, and a system-restore CD. Extra essentials: 5.1- or 7.1-channel speakers; monitor for work and 3D gaming; games. The bottom line: Velocity Micro successfully brings high-end, overclocked components and handcrafted workmanship to retail buyers. 24 February 2006 computershopper.com accessible connections include four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, an Ethernet connection, and jacks for audio from the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card. The T1300’s 2.4GHz Athlon 64 3800+ processor runs on an Asus A8N SLI motherboard with 1GB of memory. A 250GB hard drive provides ample storage, and the removable drive-bay cage has room for four additional hard drives. The PC comes with a single, overclocked 256MB nVidia GeForce 7800 GT graphics card; a second x16 PCI Express (PCIe) slot maintains space for an identical card should you opt for a dual-card performance boost. On the BAPCo SYSmark 2004 test, the component combination managed a respectable score of 198. The CPU is fast enough for most users, and the graphics card is close to top-of-theline, flipping frames at a rate of 80 per second on our 1,600x1,200 Velocity Micro uses the same custom Half-Life 2 test. —John R. Delaney detailing in its retail entry for Best Buy as it does on its own site. in this section Logitech Z-5450 Digital Wireless rear speakers provide clutter-free surround sound THE TROUBLE WITH surround-sound setups is that their wiring, well, surrounds you. Logitech’s Z-5450 Digital untangles the mess by adding two wireless rear speakers to an otherwise typical 5.1 setup. How do they sound? Like music to our ears. The $499.99 Z-5450 consists of six speakers (two front satellites, two rearchannel satellites, a center-channel speaker, and a subwoofer) for a total of 315 watts RMS. You can operate the Z-5450 either via a wired control module, which EDITORS’ RATING 0 7.5 BETTER >> 10 PROS 2.4GHz wireless surround speakers; surround-sound decoder; wireless remote control; multiple digital inputs CONS Loose-sounding subwoofer; wireless transmitter can interfere with cordless phones Logitech, 800-231-7717 www.logitech.com Direct Price $499.99 functions as a preamp and a wireless transmitter, or with the included remote control. The control module incorporates Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and DTS 96/24 processing, and it allows you to directly connect the system to devices such as sound cards, DVD players, and game consoles. Shaped like a wireless router, the control module has a luminescent text display with a large front-panel volume knob. Its assortment of A/V-receiver-style connections includes two optical digital-audio in- puts, one coaxial digital-audio input, and three 1/8-inch analog mini-jack inputs. We plugged our system into a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card and placed the two wireless rear speakers behind us. Each rear speaker has a hardwired power cord (meaning the rear speakers aren’t 100 percent wireless), but we’re of the opinion that connecting directly to a power outlet is better than using batteries. The control module employs 2.4GHz digital wireless transmission to send the signal to the surround speakers. When our 2.4GHz cordless phone was in the same room as the speakers, interference from the Z-5450 rendered the phone unusable. On the other hand, the speakers didn’t cause any interference with our Wi-Fi network and were able to deliver clear, hiccup-free rear-channel sound. During intense deathmatch battles in Half-Life 2, the subwoofer drove grenade explosions home with satisfying boom. When we played Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” however, the bass line was a little more lumbering and loose than we would have liked. A viewing of Star Trek: Insurrection presented perfectly clear center-speaker dialogue. Treble and midrange also sounded smooth and balanced. 26 DESKTOPS HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline Vigor Hornet Bully Surgeon Sony VAIO VGC-RC110G 28 NOTEBOOKS HP Pavilion DV8000z Dell XPS M140 Asus W2V Averatec 3715-EH1 Sony VAIO FJ170/B 34 COMPONENTS ATI Radeon X1600 XT Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5000 Laser Pioneer DVR-R100 38 DISPLAYS BenQ FP91E LaCie 319 Sony SDM-S75A 40 PRINTERS Canon Pixma iP4200 Epson PictureMate Express Edition Lexmark T640 42 HOME NETWORKING APC 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router Netgear SC101 Storage Central 44 MOBILE PRODUCTS Dell Axim X51v Archos AV500 —Nathaniel Wilkins The Z-5450’s router-like control module doubles as a wireless transmitter to the rear speakers, which operate on a 2.4GHz frequency. 48 DIGITAL CAMERAS Kodak EasyShare One Konica Minolta DiMage Z6 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 49 DIGITAL AUDIO Iriver U10 JVC Alneo XA-HD500 Sennheiser PXC300 50 DIGITAL LIVING Bose 3-2-1 Series II Home Entertainment System HP PL4200N Panasonic PT-52LCX65 52 SOFTWARE Acronis True Image 9.0 Norton Ghost 10.0 System Mechanic 6 Professional BeInSync 1.6 CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0 EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0 IronTrainer 2 MediaMonkey 2.4 For details on how we test the hardware we review, visit computershopper.com/ HowWeTest. computershopper.com February 2006 25 REVIEWS DESKTOPS HP Pavilion s7220n Slimline Compact box is quiet, affordable HEWLETT-PACKARD’S tiniest small-form-factor PC yet, the $569.99 Pavilion s7220n Slimline is a stylish, quiet, and able budget performer. Its lack of expandability makes it better suited for use as a second PC, however. The s7220n’s case, like that of Apple’s Mac Mini, isn’t meant to be opened (or its insides tinkered with), so HP has EDITORS’ RATING 0 6.8 BETTER >> 10 PROS Highly affordable; compact design; quiet operation; roomy hard drive CONS Cannot be upgraded, customized SPECS 1.5GHz Celeron M 370; 512MB DDR2; 200GB hard drive; double-layer DVD±RW; no monitor; Intel integrated graphics; Windows XP Home Edition; Microsoft Works 8 Hewlett-Packard, 877-801-7183 www.hp.com Direct Price $569.99 (before a $50 mail-in rebate) smartly outfitted the PC with a relatively robust feature set. You get 512MB of RAM, a flash-card reader, a spacious 200GB hard drive, and a double-layer LightScribe DVD burner. Connectivity options include five USB 2.0 ports (four in the back, one in front), one FireWire port, and jacks for six-channel audio. The PC achieves its tiny Vigor Hornet A well-priced, entry-level 3D gamer size thanks in part to the use of a notebook processor, the 1.5GHz Celeron M 370, which runs more efficiently than a desktop chip. This allows the s7200n to run cool and quiet in a compact case. Besides the CPU, the s7220n uses no other mobile technology—the optical drive and motherboard, for example, are full-size and as durable as those on a traditional desktop. HP even managed to fit the power supply inside the box, so the unit requires no external power brick. In our tests, the PC’s processor kept up with budget competitors. The s7220n managed a 125 score on BAPCo SYSmark 2004, proving it can handle the basics, but not much else. And while its integrated graphics chip isn’t capable of heavy chores—it couldn’t complete our Half-Life 2 tests—it will suffice for DVD viewing or the occasional photo edit. —Asa Somers EDITORS’ RATING 0 7.4 BETTER >> 10 PROS Solid 3D performance; lots of expansion room; three- VIGOR GAMING is a relative newcomer to the boutique-PC market, and its Hornet desktop ($1,577 as configured, without monitor or speakers) is a serious 3D-gaming rig that won’t overtax your budget. A huge, gloss-black custom chassis with silver-aluminum trim, the Hornet’s case is quite attractive. A windowed leftside panel provides a view of the unique Super Monsoon Active Cooling System (MACS) CPU assembly. The MACS is regulated by thermoelectric chips that use the CPU fan to draw heat away from the CPU. Vigor claims this process provides a 10 degree Celsius reduction in heat at full loads, allowing for safe overclocking without the need for water-cooling components. The CPU fan is lit by bright green or blue LEDs that complement the three blue-lit system fans, resulting in a dazzling light show. The Hornet’s case holds lots of expansion 26 February 2006 computershopper.com room for optical drives, year warranty hard drives, and PCI cards. CONS Monitor, speakers cost Ports—both front and extra; huge tower; cable routing could be neater back—abound for peripherals. Vigor tie-wrapped SPECS 2.4GHz Athlon 64 every cable inside, but the 4000+; 1GB DDR; two 160GB hard drives; double-layer routing scheme isn’t as DVD±RW; no monitor; nVidia tidy as it could be. GeForce 7800 GT graphics The Hornet’s (256MB); Windows XP Home overclocked Edition 2.4GHz Athlon 64 Vigor Gaming, 866-907-3536 4000+ processor www.vigorgaming.com and 1GB of memDirect Price $1,577 ory performed more than admirably, with the PC scoring an impressive 221 on BAPCo SYSmark 2004. Graphics performance, driven by a 256MB nVidia GeForce 7800 GT card, was also respectable, at 115 frames per second on our 1,024x768 Half-Life 2 test. Vigor offers a three-year parts-and-labor warranty standard, along with toll-free phone support for the duration of the PC’s life. The company’s Web site, on the other hand, offers little support beyond a —John R. Delaney FAQ page. REVIEWS DESKTOPS Bully Surgeon Liquid-cooled midrange PC has room to grow AIMED AT USERS who want a fully customizable, hand-built PC without shelling out for a high-cost machine, the Bully Surgeon offers midrange performance for a similarly midrange $1,499 (without speakers or a monitor). The Surgeon’s anodized-aluminum case features a side-panel window that provides a view of the blue-lit interior, EDITORS’ RATING 6.5 well-organized sheathed 0 BETTER >> 10 cabling, and a small waterPROS Water-cooling system; cooling unit for the CPU. generous software bundle; threeBehind a flimsy front-panel year standard warranty door are a double-layer CONS Mediocre 3D perforDVD±RW burner and a floppy mance; monitor, speakers not drive. An optional second opincluded; no option for mediatical drive is available, but a card reader flash-card reader is not. A SPECS 1.8GHz Athlon 64 small removable drawer, 3000+; 1GB DDR; 160GB hard handy for storing small tools, drive; double-layer DVD±RW; no is built into the case. Audio monitor; nVidia GeForce 6600 GT graphics (128MB); Windows XP jacks and two USB 2.0 ports Home Edition; Microsoft Works 8 are on the front face, with Bully Computers, 847-891-0085 jacks for the integrated 7.1 www.bullypc.com audio and four more USB 2.0 ports on the rear. Internal exDirect Price $1,499 Sony VAIO VGC-RC110G A quiet, attractive, well-rounded Media Center pansion is abundant. Our test unit was stocked with a 1.8GHz Athlon 64 3000+ processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a 128MB GeForce 6600 GT graphics card. You can order the Surgeon with different processors (AMD or Intel), hard drives, and graphics cards (including nVidia Scalable Link Interface setups). Considering most of its components barely qualify as midrange, the Surgeon performed as it should. Its 148 score on BAPCo SYSmark 2004 indicates the PC is adequate for mainstream tasks. Although its 3D performance isn’t terrible, the Surgeon won’t blow you away; it delivered 26 frames per second on our 1,600x1,200 Half-Life 2 test. Bully bundles an assortment of software, including Microsoft Works 8 and Panda’s Antivirus Titanium 2005, and provides a generous warranty: three years on parts and labor. Note that phone support is not toll-free, however. —John R. Delaney EDITORS’ RATING 0 THE $1,299 Sony VAIO VGC-RC110G is a mainstream Media Center PC that earns points for its attractive case, quiet operation, and generous A/V-connectivity options, though having a manual or two in the box would greatly aid setup. This living-room-friendly PC operates in near-silence, thanks to its liquid-cooling system, which kept noise to a barely audible hum. The illuminated VAIO logo on the front of the striking tower is one of the only indications that it’s on. Two optical drives reside up front: a doublelayer DVD±RW, and a DVD-ROM. A versatile array of ports is available, too, including the aforementioned A/V jacks, seven USB 2.0 ports (three in front, four in the back), two FireWire ports, and a 6.7 BETTER >> 10 PROS Quiet operation, thanks media-card reader. to liquid cooling; attractive case; The dual-core 3GHz Penwide array of ports; generous tium D 830 CPU and 1GB of software bundle DDR2 memory offer reCONS Application, systemspectable performance, derecovery discs not included; no printed setup instructions, livering a fairly high 206 on manuals our BAPCo SYSmark 2004 benchmark test. The 128MB SPECS 3GHz Pentium D 830; 1GB DDR2; 250GB hard drive; ATI Radeon X300 isn’t double-layer DVD±RW; DVDmuch of a graphics card, ROM; no monitor; ATI Radeon however, and the PC manX300 graphics (128MB); Winaged a barely playable 23.2 dows XP Media Center Edition 2005; Microsoft Works 8 frames per second on our 1,024x768 Half-Life 2 test. Sony Electronics, 877-865-7669 Like most VAIOs, the www.sonystyle.com VGC-RC110G comes with a Direct Price $1,299 vast bundle of media apps and other software. The assortment includes Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 3 and Premiere Standard Edition, Microsoft Works 8, and Roxio’s DigitalMedia SE. Sony doesn’t provide the software on CD, however, nor any kind of system-restore disc. Sony is good at providing service, but printed documentation for this PC is conspicuously absent. You do get around-the-clock phone support for one year, though. —Troy Dreier computershopper.com February 2006 27 REVIEWS NOTEBOOKS HP Pavilion DV8000z A multimedia-friendly machine, but no 3D pro HEWLETT-PACKARD’S $1,699 Pavilion DV8000z is a featurerich yet competitively priced desktop replacement with enough performance for basic home use. Instead of the Intel Pentium M processors most laptops have, the notebook features a 2.2GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-40 processor. You also get 1GB of DDR RAM, a roomy (100GB) but sluggish (4,200rpm) hard drive, and a doublelayer DVD burner. The EDITORS’ RATING 7.0 17-inch 0 BETTER >> 10 wide-screen PROS Affordable; excellent display, which has a keyboard; solid multimedia sharp native resolution of features, performance; double1,680x1,050 (WSXGA+), isn’t layer DVD burner as bright as other screens CONS Dim display; weak 3D we’ve seen. graphics The DV8000z is svelte for a SPECS 2.2GHz Turion 64 MLdesktop-replacement laptop 40; 1GB DDR; 100GB hard drive; and weighs a reasonable 8.3 DVD±RW; 17-inch TFT; Windows pounds (9.1 pounds with AC XP Professional adapter). A touch pad (with Hewlett-Packard, 888-999-4747 vertical- and horizontalwww.hp.com scrolling capabilities) and a Direct Price $1,699 separate number pad supple- Dell XPS M140 Luxe laptop is an impressive performer ment an already excellent keyboard. Plus, you can use the multimedia controls to operate the laptop’s Quick Play software, which plays CDs and DVDs without booting up Windows. Notable connections include one four-pin FireWire port, four USB 2.0 ports, a sixformat media-card reader, one ExpressCard slot, and an integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio. The DV8000z mustered a decent, though not stellar, BAPCo SYSmark 2004 score of 144. The weak ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics won’t power 3D games well, however. One upside: While the laptop’s size may impede portability, the battery life of 3 hours and 32 minutes is comforting. HP provides a one-year warranty for the DV8000z, including toll-free 24/7 phone support and the cost of hardware repairs. —Justin Jaffe EDITORS’ RATING 0 7.7 BETTER >> 10 PROS Fast performance; lengthy battery life; can play THE NEWEST member of Dell’s XPS luxury laptop line, the XPS M140 delivers speedy mobile performance and lengthy battery life. Our $2,049 test configuration came with top-shelf parts for its high price, including a 2.13GHz Pentium M 770 processor, 1GB of fast 533MHz memory, and a 5,400rpm 80GB hard drive. An integrated Intel 915GM graphics chip borrows up to 128MB of main memory, so you can forget about playing graphically demanding games. To burn DVDs and CDs, the notebook features a double-layer DVD±RW drive. In addition, the crisp 14.1-inch wide-screen LCD features a 1,280x800 native resolution. Running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, the laptop also comes with Dell’s Media Direct software, which lets you play CDs and DVDs without booting up. CDs/DVDs without booting up; double-layer DVD burner The XPS M140 measures 1.5x13x9.6 inches and CONS Weak 3D graphics; pricey weighs 5.9 pounds (the SPECS 2.13GHz Pentium M 770; three-prong AC adapter adds 1GB DDR2; 80GB hard drive; just under a pound more), double-layer DVD±RW drive; 14.1-inch TFT; Windows XP Media average for a thin-and-light Center Edition 2005 notebook. We enjoyed typing Dell, 800-999-3355 on its spacious keyboard, www.dell.com and the machine’s touch pad and two mouse buttons are Direct Price $2,049 also sizable. On our BAPCo MobileMark 2005 benchmark test, the XPS M140 proved itself nimble, scoring a high 238. Also impressive: its long battery life of almost 6 hours using a nine-cell battery. For a thin-and-light laptop, the XPS M140 offers plenty of connections, including an ExpressCard slot, a fiveformat flash-memory reader, and four USB 2.0 ports. An integrated 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio handles wireless networking. The XPS M140 ships with a one-year warranty; repairs are handled by mail-in service. You also get toll-free, 24-hour tech support for a year. —Stephanie Bruzzese SECTION CONTINUES ON PAGE 32 28 February 2006 computershopper.com REVIEWS NOTEBOOKS Asus W2V One stylish Media Center machine THE $2,599 Asus W2V is elegantly designed and features impressive multimedia capabilities. With a brushed-aluminum chassis measuring 1.4x17.6x12.7 inches, the W2V is wide but possesses a sleek, high-end look. Weighing a reasonable 7.5 pounds, EDITORS’ RATING 6.7 the laptop feels > > 0 BETTER 10 extremely PROS Elegant design; gorsturdy. An expansive geous screen; impressive feature keyboard and average-size set touch pad provide plenty of CONS Slow 3D-graphics room for typing and navigatperformance; below-average ing documents with comfort. support Connectivity includes one SPECS 2.13GHz Pentium M FireWire port, four USB 2.0 770; 1GB DDR2; 100GB hard ports, and built-in Wi-Fi drive; double-layer DVD±RW 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth drive; 17-inch TFT; Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 wireless networking. Our test system paired a Asustek Computer 888-678-3688 2.13GHz Pentium M 770 usa.asus.com processor with 1GB of fast 533MHz DDR2 RAM, and List Price $2,599 came with a large 100GB hard drive and a slot-loading doublelayer DVD burner. The system’s crisp 17-inch wide-screen display is great for video, delivering rich colors, smooth playback, and excellent offaxis viewing. Driving the screen was a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon x700 3D-graphics chip, which is robust, if not the fastest solution available. Running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, the laptop also came with a wireless mouse, a remote control, a USB radio-frequency antenna for catching TV broadcasts, and a dongle for connecting cable and satellite boxes. The W2V scored a strong 163 on BAPCo SYSmark 2004. The machine isn’t great for gaming, however, posting a slow 20.9 frames per second on our Doom 3 test. Asus provides a standard one-year warranty for the W2V, but you’ll have to pay to ship the laptop back to a repair depot. Also, phone support—available during limited hours through the week—is not toll-free. —Asa Somers Averatec 3715-EH1 Sony VAIO FJ170/B Affordable portable is no powerhouse Swift lightweight has a sharp screen THE $949.99 Averatec 3715-EH1’s light weight and low price can’t completely make up for its slow performance and short battery life. Our test model carried a 1.8GHz AMD Sempron 3000+ processor, 512MB of slow 333MHz memory, a 12.1-inch 1,024x768 (XGA) display, and an integrated Via S3G graphics chipset that takes 32MB from main memory. Averatec also includes a DVD±RW burner and a big (if slow) 4,200rpm 80GB hard drive. Weighing 4.1 pounds (4.8 pounds with AC adapter) and measuring 1.3x10.8x8.8 inches, the notebook is demurely compact. Its keyboard is wide EDITORS’ RATING 5.3 enough for comfort, however. Along with built-in 802.11b/g 0 BETTER >> 10 Wi-Fi, connections include a PROS Inexpensive; compact FireWire port, three USB 2.0 design; DVD burner ports, and a four-format CONS Slow mobile perforflash-memory slot. mance; short battery life The 3715-EH1 scored a low SPECS 1.8GHz Sempron 146 on BAPCo MobileMark 3000+; 512MB DDR; 80GB hard 2005. Battery life also disapdrive; DVD±RW; 12.1-inch TFT; pointed—just 2 hours and 30 Windows XP Home Edition minutes. Averatec supplies a Averatec, 877-841-7423 standard one-year warranty www.averatec.com with 24/7 toll-free tech supDirect Price $949.99 port. —Stephanie Bruzzese SONY’S reasonably priced EDITORS’ RATING 6.4 VAIO FJ170/B satisfies with its strong performance and good0 BETTER >> 10 enough battery life. PROS Lightweight case; fine Our $1,499 test model came performance; sharp wide-aspect configured with a 1.73GHz Pendisplay tium M 740 processor, a mamCONS Heavy AC adapter moth 100GB hard drive, a douSPECS 1.73GHz Pentium M ble-layer DVD burner, and 740; 512MB DDR2; 100GB hard 512MB of DDR2 RAM. The 14.1drive; double-layer DVD±RW; inch, 1,280x800 wide-screen 14.1-inch TFT; Windows XP display made colors pop. Home Edition We like the laptop’s attracSony Electronics, 877-865-7669 tive, light case, which measwww.sonystyle.com ures 1.3x13.4x10 inches and Direct Price $1,499 weighs 5.3 pounds. (The heavy AC adapter, however, adds another pound.) The wide keyboard is comfortable, as are the touch pad’s mouse buttons. Connections include a four-pin FireWire port, three USB 2.0 ports, built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, and a Memory Stick slot. The FJ170/B scored a high 203 on our BAPCo MobileMark 2005 benchmark test, and an adequate battery life of 3 hours and 48 minutes. Sony covers the notebook with a standard one-year warranty that includes —S.B. toll-free, 24/7 phone support. 32 February 2006 computershopper.com REVIEWS COMPONENTS ATI Radeon X1600 XT Next-gen card falls short on 3D performance WE FIND IT hard to recommend ATI’s 256MB Radeon X1600 XT when nVidia’s GeForce 6800 and 6800 GT cards remain on the market. Chances are, you can find a better-performing nVidia card for less than ATI’s $249 asking price. If upgrading your home theater PC is your primary objective, however, and your card has to be only semicompetent at gaming, this ATI midrange board is your best bet. The X1600 XT incorporates the same key 3D features found in ATI’s new Radeon X1000 family, such as Shader Model 3 and support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) EDITORS’ RATING 5.8 lighting. Also onboard is ATI’s Avivo video technolo0 BETTER >> 10 gy—the card’s saving grace. PROS Supports Shader Model Avivo supports the H.264 3, HDR lighting; Avivo video standard, which is impordecoding tant if you plan to switch to CONS Performance lags on the new Blu-ray or highgame tests; pricier than competdefinition-DVD formats ing nVidia cards anytime soon. At press ATI Technologies, 888-974-6728 time, no other card offered www.ati.com this support. You also get a Direct Price $249 series of video-quality Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser A wireless media manager for your PC WE DON’T NORMALLY get weak in the knees over keyboard-and-mouse bundles, but Logitech’s MX 5000 Laser had us blushing at the mere mention of its name. The $149.99 kit consists of the MX1000 mouse, which tracks more accurately than any mouse we’ve tested, and the newly designed MX 5000 keyboard. The keyboard features a built-in LCD that not only lists the time, date, and temperature, but also can be set to chime whenever you receive e-mail or an instant message (IM). Both the keyboard and the mouse support Bluetooth 2.0 EDR and require no configuration, EDITORS’ RATING 6.6 though you’ll have to install Logitech’s bundled MediaLife 0 BETTER >> 10 software. The keyboard has PROS LCD, touch-sensitive four programmable function media controls built into keybuttons and a strip of touchboard; mouse provides excellent sensitive media controls. traction; Bluetooth 2.0 support Our only quibbles: The notiCONS Occasionally slows your fications of incoming e-mail system; slow to notify of new and IMs were tardy and moe-mails, IMs mentarily slowed our system. Logitech, 800-231-7717 We experienced no other www.logitech.com performance lag or disconDirect Price $149.99 nects, however. —Louis Ramirez tweak options with ATI’s drivers, making the X1600 XT a good choice for any media-centric PC. In our gaming benchmark tests, however, nVidia’s cards ran circles around the X1600 XT. Even on HalfLife 2, a Direct3D-based game in which ATI usually dominates, the X1600 XT’s 40 frames per second (fps) lagged behind the GeForce 6800 by 23 percent. You could dial down the anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering and get 63fps on the X1600 XT, but a similarly tweaked GeForce 6800 still outstripped it by an embarrassing 44 percent. ATI’s card did surpass the GeForce 6800 GT in our Futuremark 3DMark05 test, but by only a paltry 6 percent. —Rich Brown Pioneer DVR-R100 FIRST The next-generation DVD-format wars are raging, but TAKE Pioneer briefly sidestepped the battle to announce the DVR-R100, a high-speed internal CD/DVD burner that may give your music and movies a new lease on life. Upside: Available in black or beige, the $89 drive can write to double-layer DVD±R media at up to 8x speed. It writes to single-layer DVD±R discs at 16x, DVD-RW at 6x, and DVD+RW at 8x. Pioneer claims the drive is 75 percent quieter than its predecessors, making it ideal for any media-centric PC that will reside in your living room. The drive comes with a comprehensive Ulead software package that includes DVD MovieFactory 4, Photo Explorer 8.5 SE, and VideoStudio 9 SE DVD. Downside: Although we like the drive’s support for both DVD+R and DVD-R double-layer media, the discs themselves are still pricey. Also, those who don’t like to tinker with the dusty innards of their PC are out of luck—Pioneer doesn’t offer an external version of the drive. Outlook: It’s hard to distinguish one optical drive from another, but the DVR-R100’s noteworthy speeds, generous software bundle, and attractive price make it difficult to resist, especial—L.R. ly if you’re in the market for an affordable upgrade. p Pioneer Electronics U.S.A., 800-421-1404, www.pioneerelectronics.com List Price $89 SECTION CONTINUES ON PAGE 38 34 February 2006 computershopper.com REVIEWS DISPLAYS Sony SDM-S75A A no-frills display suitable for office use WITH THE 17-inch SDM-S75A, Sony trades the glitzy look of its flagship LCDs for a more restrained design. At 0 BETTER >> 10 $315.99, the monitor is an entry-level PROS Sharp text rendering display fit only for office use. CONS Hard-to-read button The screen’s bottom edge is fixed 5.75 labels; no digital input; ghosting inches from the desk, a good height for when displaying video most people. You can tilt the display Sony Electronics, 877-865-7669 back 20 degrees and forward 5 degrees, b2b.sony.com and it swivels from side to side. Keeping Direct Price $315.99 with the display’s streamlined look are small black buttons, embedded in the right bezel, used for navigating the onscreen menu. Their tiny labels are hard to read, however. The SDM-S75A has a native resolution of 1,280x1,024 and only a VGA input—no digital connectivity. The display excelled at rendering text, but it didn’t impress us as much with color. We noted compressed shades at the bright end of their ranges, and solid colors showed traces of other tints. Also, despite its reasonably zippy 12-millisecond pixel-response rate, the LCD exhibited ghosting in our DVD-playback and gaming tests. —Dan Littman EDITORS’ RATING LaCie 319 Pricey LCD offers advanced features A LOT OF people are in the market for a svelte, high-performing LCD. Unless you’re a graphics pro, however, LaCie’s 319 might be out of your range. Sure, its color performance is excellent, but at $999, the display costs twice as much as a layperson’s 19inch LCD. EDITORS’ RATING 7.1 The black-clad 319 doesn’t break any 0 BETTER >> 10 ground in LCD design. PROS Outstanding color It is, however, very performance; lots of adjustment flexible, with a neck potential; optional color-calibrathat telescopes betion software, colorimeter tween 1.5 and 6.5 CONS Expensive; unwieldy inches, and a lazy Sutilt adjustment; disappointing san that lets it swivel gaming performance 90 degrees right and LaCie, 503-844-4500 left. Besides rotating www.lacie.com between portrait and Direct Price $999 landscape modes, the screen can tilt forward and back, though adjusting the stiff ball-and-socket-style joint on our unit required two hands and near-superhuman strength. The display supports VGA and DVI connections. Additionally, you can fit a metal hood to keep out ambient light. A little hook in the center enables you to hang LaCie’s optional $349 Blue Eye Pro colorimeter for performing advanced calibrations on white-point temperature, gamma, and brightness. Alternatively, you can buy the 319 bundled with the colorimeter for a hefty $1,199. The 319 did an excellent job in our color tests. It displayed a wide range of colors that looked very rich and didn’t shift in tint as the display progressed up and down the intensity scale. Grayscale performance was also satisfactory, with only slight introduced color in the midlevel grays. Although the screen performed well in our DVDplayback tests, gaming performance was jerky and blurry. —Kristina Blachere 38 February 2006 computershopper.com 6.5 BenQ FP91E Stylish screen delivers subpar performance THERE’S NO denying the visual appeal EDITORS’ RATING 5.6 of the $479 BenQ FP91E, but this 19-inch LCD’s image quality doesn’t justify the 0 BETTER >> 10 asking price. The display is adequate for PROS Attractive design; intebasic tasks such as word processing and grated speakers; includes preset Web surfing, but graphics enthusiasts brightness/contrast levels should look elsewhere. CONS Lackluster image qualiDespite our test unit’s 8-millisecond ty; limited adjustability; cramped cable connectors response time, we experienced digital noise and ghosting during DVD playBenQ America, 949-255-9500 back. On the plus side, the FP91E comes www.benq.us with two integrated 2-watt speakers, its Mfr. Est. Price $479 onscreen menu is easy to navigate, and preset modes for brightness and contrast are built-in. You can easily calibrate the screen by connecting it via an analog interface. (DVI is also supported.) The display offers little adjustability, however, and its fixed height may require a monitor riser for comfortable viewing. Another quibble: Its tightly spaced cable connectors make it difficult to connect cables behind the monitor. —K.B. REVIEWS PRINTERS Lexmark T640 An office laser with room for extreme expansion Canon Pixma iP4200 Versatile inkjet for the budget crowd CANON’S PIXMA iP4200 may not be perfect, but considering it costs just $129.99, it has plenty to offer. Featuring automatic duplexing (doublesided printing), this four-color inkjet prints bordered or borderless color photos, and it’s relatively fast for the money. In our tests, the iP4200 produced adequate-looking printouts. Text showed some artifacts and jagged lines, but these were noticeable only under close magnification. EDITORS’ RATING 7.5 Bargain-hunting s hoppers will find the 0 BETTER >> 10 text and photo quality PROS Respectable print qualiquite acceptable. ty; automatic duplexing; two The printer impaper-input trays pressed us a bit more CONS Easy to direct output to with its speed. Six wrong paper tray pages of text took about a minute to Canon U.S.A., 800-652-2666 usa.canon.com print, and a duplexed sheet with text, about 3 Mfr. Est. Price $129.99 minutes. An 8.5x11inch color print took 4 minutes and 9 seconds, and a 4x6-inch print, 74 seconds. While these aren’t the fastest times we’ve seen, they’re decent for the price. We appreciated the iP4200’s dual paper-input trays, which enable versatile paper-feeding options. (For example, you can load 8.5x11-inch paper into one tray and keep a supply of 4x6-inch sheets in the other.) This arrangement makes it easy to accidentally direct output to the wrong tray, however, so we recommend using the driver’s Paper Allocation feature to specify the type of paper in the cassette. Ink costs about $14.25 per color tank for refills, while a black tank retails at $16.25. Based on the company’s claim of 300 pages per cartridge, we estimate printing costs of about 19 cents per page of graphics, 30 cents per 4x6 photo, and 5 cents per page of text. —David D. Busch 40 February 2006 computershopper.com 7.5 THE MODEST-LOOKING Lexmark T640 laser printer hides big potential for 0 BETTER >> 10 growth. If you’re willing to shell out for extras atop its $699 price, you can get PROS Fast printing; highly expandable; direct printing from add-on paper drawers that hold as many USB flash drive; low per-page as 3,850 sheets in total, or an optional cost duplexer for double-sided printing. CONS Merely fair graphicsThat’s not to say the T640 isn’t a print quality; expansion options good monochrome laser right out of inflate price the box, however. It comes with unusuLexmark International al features such as a plug-in USB port 800-539-6275 that lets you print PDFs from a flash www.lexmark.com drive. Plus, thanks to its 400MHz Direct Price $699 processor, the printer keeps pace with other fast office workgroup models. In our tests, it cranked out text at an average of 26.4 pages per minute (ppm), and graphics at 23ppm. The quality of the output was less impressive, however. Fonts below 5 points looked rough when examined up-close, and graphics prints showed uneven blending. Still, printing costs should work out to a low 1.8 cents per page, or 1.6 cents per page if you trade in your Lexmark cartridge. —Kristina Blachere EDITORS’ RATING Epson PictureMate Express Edition FIRST When we first reviewed Epson’s PictureMate Deluxe Viewer, we TAKE found it delivered great all-around 4x6-inch prints. It was somewhat slow, but unlike its precursor, the PictureMate, the Deluxe had a 2.4-inch color LCD and supported all our favorite memory-card formats. Now, Epson’s hoping to pull a hat trick with the PictureMate’s third incarnation, the Express Edition. Upside: The Express should be faster than its sluggish predecessors—Epson estimates it should print a 4x6-inch print in 80 seconds. Though it doesn’t have a color screen, the six-color printer retains the rest of the features we liked about the Deluxe. Plus, a new 270-sheet PictureMate Print Pack means cheaper per-print costs, though its $64.99 price may send seismic waves through your budget. Downside: Epson’s speed claims are promising, but in most cases, printers rarely meet their manufacturers’ estimated speeds. Despite the increased print speed, keep in mind the Express won’t be the fastest printer available, and it could even lag behind other stand-alone snapshot printers. Outlook: Aside from the bumped-up speed and lack of a color LCD, the Express is identical to the Deluxe. Is it worth buying if you don’t already own a PictureMate? —Lori Grunin Stay tuned for our review. p Epson America, 800-463-7766, www.mypicturemate.com Direct Price $149.99 REVIEWS HOME NETWORKING Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router MIMO on the cheap, but with a performance hit BASED ON Airgo Networks’ True MIMO chipset and featuring dual antennas, the value-price Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router bested or tied with some of its pricier three-antenna multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) competitors in our testing. That’s impressive, considering its low $97.99 price. Belkin does a great job with the Wireless G’s documentation and setup. The router ships with both hard and electronic copies of the well-written manuals. Its browser-based configuration tool lets you alter the device’s ample security features, which include Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) encryption, as well as Media Access Control (MAC) address EDITORS’ RATING 7.1 filtering and a built-in firewall. The Wireless G also of0 BETTER >> 10 fers a demilitarized zone PROS MIMO technology at a (DMZ) outside of the firewall, low price; excellent documentaand a quality-of-service tion, warranty feature, should you use the CONS Mediocre throughput at router to stream Voice over long range Internet Protocol (VoIP) or Belkin, 800-223-5546 multimedia packets. www.belkin.com The unit’s performance in Direct Price $97.99 our testing couldn’t match that of its pricier, three-antenna sibling, the Belkin Wireless Pre-N Router. In fact, its long-range throughput of 18.2Mbps at 200 feet was precisely half that of the Pre-N Router’s. The Wireless G nearly matched the Pre-N Router’s outstanding score on our maximum-throughput test, however. It also compared favorably with three-antenna MIMO competitors such as the Buffalo AirStation WZR-G108 and Linksys WRT54GX in maximum-throughput and mixed-mode testing. With the Wireless G, Belkin provides the best warranty coverage we’ve seen for a wireless router: an unlimited warranty that lasts for as long as you own the device, along with around-the-clock toll-free tech support. —Stephanie Bruzzese Netgear SC101 Storage Central APC 3-in-1 Wireless Do-it-yourself network storage Mobile Router IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a network storage device but have been stymied by the high price per gigabyte, Netgear’s $149.99 SC101 Storage Central may just be what you’re after. An unpopulated box with two easy-access drive bays for standard ATA drives, the SC101 offers drivespanning and volume-sharing features. You can install a single hard drive in the box, but you’ll need two if you want RAID mirroring (data stored simultaneously to two drives for redundancy). While the SC101 connects to your network via Ethernet, it isn’t accessed via an IP address like many NAS boxes—it appears as a normal drive letter, not a mapped network EDITORS’ RATING 7.5 drive. The included utility soft0 BETTER >> 10 ware is easy to use and PROS Inexpensive; easy guides you nicely through setup; drive spanning the drive-configuration CONS Need to add your own process. For users who don’t hard drives already have a favorite backNetgear, 888-638-4327 up program, Netgear inwww.netgear.com cludes Storage Sync Pro. Mfr. Est. Price $149.99 42 February 2006 computershopper.com —Jon L. Jacobi Not the friendliest travel companion AMERICAN POWER ConverEDITORS’ RATING 5.1 sion’s $69.99 3-in-1 Wireless Mobile Router can transform a 0 BETTER >> 10 hotel-room Ethernet jack into PROS Compact design; WPA an 802.11b/g wireless hot spot. security; SPI firewall Toting this small, light device CONS Slow throughput at long along on your travels is easy, range; confusing documentation; and its support for Wi-Fi Procan’t draw power from a laptop tected Access (WPA) encryption USB port and a stateful packet inspecAmerican Power Conversion tion (SPI) firewall helps your 877-272-2722 data remain secure. www.apc.com Installing the router is an exDirect Price $69.99 ercise in frustration, however, due to its poor documentation. In addition, you can’t plug the included USB cable into your laptop’s USB port to draw power. Instead, the cable connects the router to APC’s optional TravelPower Adapter, another device you have to carry. The device performed decently in our maximum-throughput test but poorly on our long-range tests. The latter might not matter in a hotel room, but if you need a mobile router for situations where range is a factor, 3Com’s OfficeConnect Travel Router is a better bet. —S.B. REVIEWS MOBILE PRODUCTS Dell Axim X51v Features galore, but needs more pep THE $499 Dell Axim X51v offers an agreeable combination of functions and a big software bundle, but we were unimpressed by the PDA’s performance and subpar battery life. At 4.7x2.9x0.7 inches and 6.2 ounces, the X51v won’t weigh you down. Still, it’s solidly built and comfortable to hold. The star attraction, though, is the 3.7-inch VGA screen—thanks to its 640x480 resolution and 16-bit-color output, it displays sharp text and images. In addition, the handheld’s battery is user-replaceable, and you’ll find CompactFlash and SD slots, as well as a 3.5mm jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones. Running Microsoft’s latEDITORS’ RATING 7.4 est OS for handhelds, Windows Mobile 5.0, the X51v 0 BETTER >> 10 comes powerfully equipped PROS Integrated Wi-Fi, Bluewith a 624MHz Intel XScale tooth; solid software bundle; PXA270 processor, a 16MB dual memory-card slots; userIntel 2700G graphics engine, replaceable battery 64MB of RAM, and 256MB of CONS Sluggish performance; ROM. Bluetooth and 802.11b short battery life Wi-Fi radios are built-in. Dell, 800-388-8542 Outfitted with a generous www.dell.com software bundle, the device Direct Price $499 includes handheld versions Archos AV500 Pricey pocket-size video device is highly capable of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. You also get a bunch of handy utilities, a few games, and Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, which can play MP3/WMA audio and WMV video files. The X51v’s performance fell below our expectations. The PDA responded sluggishly to taps of the stylus, and lagged when multiple applications were running. Also, while playing a looped video clip with all wireless connections off and the backlight set to high, the X51v lasted barely more than 4 hours. —Bonnie Cha EDITORS’ RATING 0 THE COSTLY ($499.95) Archos AV500 puts high-quality widescreen video in the palm of your hand, but getting viewable content onto the device isn’t quite a point-and-click process. With its brushed-metal exterior, the 9-ounce AV500 has an industrial look and is bigger than most MP3 players. Its 4-inch wide-screen LCD is bright and has a resolution of 480x272. Another plus is the included user-removable battery. The AV500 saves digital content to a 30GB hard drive. (A 100GB version is available for $699.95.) The device can serve several functions: audio player/recorder, video player/ recorder, voice recorder, photo viewer, and portable hard drive. Attaching to your PC via a USB 2.0 port, it shows up as a drive visible by Windows or as a Microsoft PlaysForSure media device, 44 February 2006 computershopper.com 8.3 BETTER >> PROS Extensive audio/video 10 autosyncing with Windows recording features; bright display; Media Player 10. The device long battery life; excellent sound natively plays DivX, MPEGquality; DivX support 4, and WMV video files, but CONS Expensive; unintuitive it can’t display videos from controls; no support for iTunes video downloads Apple’s easy-to-use iTunes Music Store. Archos, 949-609-1483 Archos supplies a dockwww.archos.com ing pod, Direct Price $499.95 (30GB); which can $699.95 (100GB) connect to a television or home theater system and allows you to record shows to the AV500 in real time. The hardware setup is complicated, however, and you have to schedule recordings using an awkward, VCR-like onscreen menu. Even though the AV500’s controls aren’t intuitive, operating the device is relatively simple, thanks to its attractive, icon-driven interface. The player delivered superb-looking video, and audio quality was excellent. Files also transferred quickly, and battery life was impressive—the AV500 lasted 21.1 hours playing audio and 8.2 hours screening video. —Rick Broida REVIEWS DIGITAL CAMERAS Kodak EasyShare One Wi-Fi camera shares better than it shoots WITH ITS 3-inch touch-screen LCD and Wi-Fi transfer capabilities, Kodak’s $599.95 EasyShare One enables photographers to instantly share pictures. If only the 4-megapixel camera were as adept at shooting them. The EasyShare One can transfer images directly to a PC using 802.11b Wi-Fi. It can also print wirelessly to Kodak’s EasyShare Printer Dock Plus Series 3 or the EasyShare Photo Printer 500 if the printer is equipped with an optional Wi-Fi card. Additionally, via a Wi-Fi hotspot, you can upload your images to the Kodak EasyShare Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com, formerly Ofoto) directly from the camera, and EDITORS’ RATING 5.6 then view them. Changing the EasyShare 0 BETTER >> 10 One’s settings (using the PROS Easy wireless photo LCD touch screen or a foursharing; 3-inch LCD; generally way directional pad) can be quick performance slow and tedious. Switching CONS Subpar image quality; from Auto ISO to ISO 400, for slow wake-up time; cumbersome instance, required a whopinterface ping 13 button presses. UnEastman Kodak, 800-235-6325 surprisingly, the camera www.kodak.com worked best when in fullDirect Price $599.95 automatic mode. Wake-up time was an interminable 8 seconds, but the camera trounced most of its competition in other performance tests, clocking a shutter lag of only 0.4 second (including autofocus time), even in low light. Also, it’s a good thing the EasyShare One comes with two battery packs, because the oversize LCD (there’s no optical viewfinder) and the Wi-Fi antenna both drain power quickly. While the camera can produce images of sufficient quality for casual snapshots, its photos fall short of those from similarly priced competitors. Dynamic range was a bit compressed, and we noted blown-out highlights. The EasyShare One’s 3x optical zoom lens also produced obvious purple fringing around backlit objects under normal conditions. —Shams Tarek Konica Minolta DiMage Z6 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 Appealing 12x zoom lens, but so-so images Advanced shooter snaps 10-megapixel photos KEEN-EYED photographers may fuss over its image quality, but Konica Minolta’s $399.99 DiMage Z6 offers enough to attract enthusiasts who want the feel of a single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera and a long-reach lens. The 6-megapixel Z6’s main attraction is its 12x zoom lens. Konica Minolta’s Anti-Shake technology complements the camera’s extended telephoto range and macro abilities. Macro lovers will also appreciate the Super Macro mode, which lets you focus as close as 0.4 inch. Although the Anti-Shake technology worked extremely well, some of our images came out softer than we had hoped, particularly with the zoom extendEDITORS’ RATING 6.7 ed to its full range. Details, while visible, were also less 0 BETTER >> 10 than crisp throughout the foPROS 12x zoom lens; Antical range. Colors were generShake image stabilization; ally accurate, if not vibrant. extremely close macro focus While the Z6 trailed comCONS Less-than-stellar photo petitors in typical shot-to-shot quality; slow shot-to-shot times times, it was perkier in its conKonica Minolta, 800-285-6422 tinuous-shooting modes. The kmpi.konicaminolta.us camera’s battery life was also Mfr. Est. Price $399.99 —Theano Nikitas impressive. WITH ITS crisp 5x zoom lens, EDITORS’ RATING 7.7 the $999.95 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 makes a worthy com0 BETTER >> 10 petitor to the digital singlePROS Excellent 10-megapixel lens-reflex (dSLR) cameras in image quality; crisp 5x zoom its price range. It’s a handy, lens; fast burst-mode versatile camera with excelperformance lent image quality. CONS Can’t shoot RAW files The DSC-R1 offers a broad in burst mode; limited macro capability range of features, but its highlights are the wide-angle zoom Sony Electronics, 877-865-7669 lens, which runs from 24mm www.sonystyle.com to 120mm (35mm equivalent), Direct Price $999.95 and the large 10.3-megapixel complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. Macro photographers will be disappointed by the camera’s inability to focus closer than 13.7 inches, however. The camera’s 1.2-second shutter delay in dim lighting was relatively long. In continuous-drive mode, however, we measured a blazing capture rate of 4.3 frames per second— but you can’t use the continuousdrive mode with RAW files. The DSC-R1 produced excellent images, particularly at lower ISO ratings, with crisp details and nicely balanced colors. —Lisa Gidley 48 February 2006 computershopper.com REVIEWS DIGITAL AUDIO Sennheiser PXC300 Noise-canceling headphones are travel-friendly Iriver U10 Unique player is packed with features IRIVER’S U10 is a superbly designed flash-memory player that’s easy to use and feature-rich. The sleek and stylish, if pricey, device comes in 512MB ($199.95) and 1GB EDITORS’ RATING 8.3 ($249.95) capacities. Shaped like a 0 BETTER >> 10 miniature television PROS Unique design, interwith a vibrant 2.2-inch face; supports WMA-based display, the compact subscription content; includes U10 measures FM radio, voice recorder; sup2.7x1.8x0.6 inches and ports photo, video, text viewing; long battery life weighs 2.5 ounces. You navigate the player’s CONS Expensive; no album-art interface by pressing support buttons on the sides of Iriver, 800-399-1799 the display. Although www.iriveramerica.com this tactile control Direct Price $199.95 method is both intu(512MB); $249.95 (1GB) itive and logical, it makes one-handed operation awkward. Compensating for the U10’s limited capacities and high price is a cornucopia of features, including an FM tuner, a voice recorder, a text viewer, and linein recording via an optional cradle. The U10 supports MPEG-4 video, but video conversion is necessary before playback is possible. The good news: Videos looked sharp, though small, on the bright color screen. The player can also display photos and slide shows while playing music and Iriver claims that it will support album art by the time you read this. As for digital music, the U10 can play MP3, OGG, and WMA files, including songs purchased from online stores or on-the-go subscription services such as Napster To Go. Capable of pounding out plenty of decibels, the player sounded great, offering clear highs, a defined midrange, and tangible lows. Another bonus: The rated battery life is 28 hours, but our testing surpassed that by over 3 hours, squeezing out 31.5 hours of music-only playtime. 7.7 FEATHER-LIGHT and comfortable, Sennheiser’s $219.95 PXC300 noise-can0 BETTER >> 10 celing headphones produce sound qualiPROS Comfortable on-ear ty approaching that of some full-size design; highly effective noisemodels. The road-ready headphones fold canceling circuitry; lightweight, flat for easy storage in the supplied soft compact travel case, and come with batteries and CONS Noise canceling can’t airline-audio adapters. quite compare with full-size While the PXC300’s earpieces don’t headphones completely cover your ears, their Sennheiser, 860-434-9190 leatherette ear cushions block out a sigwww.sennheiserusa.com nificant amount of noise. Plus, Direct Price $219.95 the headphones employ Sennheiser’s proprietary, spiral-embossed Duofol diaphragms and bass-tube technology for improved sound quality. The PXC300’s sound-buffering performance isn’t up to the standard of full-size headphones, but it’s definitely within the ballpark. In our tests, engaging the PXC300’s noise-canceling circuitry (housed in a separate plastic tube and powered by two AAA batteries) significantly boosted the volume level and accentuated midrange frequencies. Sound quality was above-average, with satisfactory bass power and definition. And as for mileage, the batteries power up to 80 hours of noise—Steve Guttenberg canceled bliss. EDITORS’ RATING JVC Alneo XA-HD500 FIRST Apple may have killed off its iPod Mini, but micro-hard-drive MP3 TAKE players are still alive and playing. Just ask JVC—in an effort to shore up its digital-audio credibility, the company has released the $249.95 Alneo XA-HD500, a 6GB player that aims to top its more established competitors with its superior battery life and sound quality. Upside: Instead of packing too many multimedia features, the 3.2-ounce Alneo is audio-focused, offering MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM playback, as well as on-the-go playlists and an impressive 30-hour battery life. Sound quality was excellent, thanks to a host of adjustable audio options—including digital-surround modes and a bass-boost feature—which enhanced our listening experience even in noisy environments. Plus, the Alneo comes bundled with an infrared remote and a docking/charging station that also provides a line-out connection. Downside: Though the player features JVC’s proprietary audioenhancement technology, its sound quality couldn’t top that of the SRS-Wow-enabled players we’ve heard. The Alneo also lacks coveted extras such as an FM-radio tuner, line-in recording, and JPEG support. Outlook: While the Alneo is an admirable effort in a saturated market, we’re not certain that JVC’s stripped-down MP3 player can compete with similarly priced, feature-loaded devices from brand names such as Apple, —Erin Kandel Creative, and Iriver. p JVC Company of America, 800-247-3608, www.jvc.com Direct Price $249.95 —Jasmine France and James Kim computershopper.com February 2006 49 REVIEWS DIGITAL LIVING HP PL4200N PC maker turns out a worthy plasma television WE’VE HAD mixed results with computer-branded high-definition televisions (HDTVs) in the past from Dell and Gateway, but Hewlett-Packard’s $3,299 PL4200N 42-inch plasma panel is the first we can heartily endorse. This full-featured set isn’t just slick-looking—it delivers image quality that nearly bests our current favorites from plasma leader Panasonic. The PL4200N’s native resolution of 1,024x768 isn’t high enough to display every pixel of HD material, but it’s still EDITORS’ RATING 7.3 significantly finer than en0 BETTER >> 10 hanced-definition television (EDTV). For receiving HD sigPROS Excellent black-level performance; solid video pronals, an ATSC off-air HDTV cessing with 2-to-3 pull-down; tuner is built-in for local reincludes SD-card reader, PC Card ception. You also get a Cableslot Card slot for Digital-CableCONS Poor color decoding; Ready compliance. somewhat limited connectivity; Aspect-ratio controls incan’t change aspect ratio with clude four choices for stanHD sources dard-definition sources. Hewlett-Packard, 888-999-4747 You can’t change modes www.hp.com while watching HD material, Direct Price $3,299 however. Connections include one High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input, two component-video inputs, two A/V inputs with a choice of S-Video or composite video, a VGA input for hooking up a PC, and a digital optical audio output. Considering the panel’s price, we’d have liked a second HDMI input. The set also has an SD-card reader and a PC Card slot, both of which enable you to view digital photos directly on the screen. Overall, we were pleased with the PL4200N’s above-average picture quality and black-level performance. Also, the set’s video processing incorporated solid 2-to-3 pull-down detection. In terms of color reproduction, however, the unit fell a bit short of the Panasonics we’ve tested, and its color decoding was far from accurate. —Kevin Miller Panasonic PT-52LCX65 Bose 3-2-1 Series II Low-cost projection set is no bargain A novel surround-sound solution PANASONIC’S budget-price PT52LCX65, a 52-inch LCD-based rearprojection high-definition television (HDTV) that sells for $2,299, proves that you get the image quality you pay for. The PT-52LCX65 includes a builtin ATSC tuner for receiving off-air HDTV, and a Digital-Cable-Ready CableCard slot for cableHDTV reception. Connection options are fairly generous, including one High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input, three component-video inputs, a VGA input, and an SD-card slot for displaying images from digital cameras. With a native resolution of 1,280x720, the set should be able to fully resolve 720p HD EDITORS’ RATING 5.5 sources. Its overall performance, however, leaves much 0 BETTER >> 10 to be desired. The 2-to-3 pullPROS Inexpensive; versatile down processing operated inconnectivity correctly in our tests, and the CONS Poor black-level unit’s out-of-the-box grayperformance; inaccurate color scale rendering is among the decoding; incorrect 2-to-3 least accurate we’ve seen. pull-down detection Blacks appeared a muddy Panasonic, 800-405-0652 dark gray, and color decoding www.panasonic.com was also largely inaccurate. THE PRICEY $999 Bose 3-2-1 EDITORS’ RATING 6.4 Series II Home Entertainment System uses digital signal 0 BETTER >> 10 processing to simulate surPROS Delivers simulated round sound with just two surround-sound effects without small satellites and a subrear speakers; decent audio connectivity woofer. Its sparse video connectivity, however, makes it CONS Expensive; no HDMI less versatile than many output; lackluster music playback competing home-theater-ina-box systems. Bose, 800-999-2673 www.bose.com Besides the speakers, the 3-2-1 includes a DVD player/ Direct Price $999 tuner unit. You get standard analog video outputs, but no High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) output. The system’s audio-input connectivity is a bit more robust, and it can decode Dolby Digital and DTS surround soundtracks. We were surprised by the 3-2-1’s broad, expansive sound field, even if surround-channel sonic elements weren’t as localized as they would have been with an actual 5.1channel speaker setup. Music we played, on the other hand, had less texture and detail than we’ve heard from better speakers. —Nathaniel Wilkins Direct Price $2,299 50 February 2006 computershopper.com —K.M. REVIEWS SOFTWARE Safeguard Your Data Two top-notch backup utilities face off AFTER YEARS OF watching Symantec do little to improve its venerable Norton Ghost program (version 8.0, for example, still ran in DOS long after its competitors had switched to Windows), we were delighted to discover Acronis’ True Image last year—so much so, we made True Image 8.0 an Editors’ Choice. But what a difference a year makes. For 2006, Symantec has completely revised Norton Ghost 10.0 (and returned to its backup-assistant roots) by absorbing tools from Norton GoBack. Ghost’s interface is now more intuitive, making it easier for anyone to clone disk data or back it up without exiting Windows. In comparison, True Image 9.0, while still a sound product, lacks some of Ghost’s ease of use. Though True Image remains our choice for advanced or experienced users, we recommend Ghost if you haven’t backed up before or are planning to migrate to a new hard drive soon. NORTON GHOST 10.0 Symantec has transformed Norton Ghost 10.0 from a mere disk utility to a general-purpose backup solution, clearly distinguishing it from Acronis True Image 9.0. Ghost looks and feels like other Symantec products, and its usability and feature enhancements make it a unique and powerful application, suitable even for novices. Install the app, and a wizard helps you create a backup schedule. You can use the console to explore and restore files and ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE 9.0 One of last year’s Editors’ Choice recipients, Acronis True Image 8.0 took the lead in disk-imaging technology. Version 9.0 continues to innovate, but in terms of usability, it falls behind rival Norton Ghost 10.0. True Image 9.0 installs easily. Launch the program, and it greets you with an organized display of its features. Disk-imaging novices may find various functions, such as incremental versus differential backup, somewhat bewildering, however. Another potential source of confusion is managing backups you’ve already created—True Image retrieves backups by filename, which can get tricky if you create daily system backups and manually delete old ones to free up space. Version 9.0 offers power users several features lacking in other disk-imaging utilities, such as the ability to save data to a hidden partition on your hard drive. Another worthwhile feature, Plug Image, makes a disk image appear as a separate virtual hard drive. Better still is the program’s capacity to back up specific files and folders. While this may seem out of place in a product that specializes in backing up entire drives, it’s actually very useful. Also, the app offers password protection for archives, though it doesn’t support strong data encryption. The boxed version comes with a detailed, though poorly organized, printed manual and a detailed Windows help file. Filling out a support ticket at the company’s site gets you free technical support. Acronis also offers fee-based phone support. 52 February 2006 computershopper.com folders from backups you’ve made. Version 10.0 includes easyto-use tools for managing backups—you can manually delete or archive backups onto removable media, or have the software automatically delete old backups to save disk space. Ghost’s complete-image backup is both its greatest strength and its greatest limitation. Unlike many backup solutions, Ghost doesn’t let you specify which folders or file types to back up; it only works with complete drive partitions. New features and usability enhancements help you recover from minor troubles, such as accidentally deleting a file, or more serious mishaps, such as a hard drive crash. Also new is Ghost’s optional password-based Advanced Encryption Standard 128-bit, 192-bit, or 256-bit security. Plus, a Copy My Hard Drive function will copy the contents of one hard drive onto another. Included with the boxed version is a detailed printed manual, which guides you through installation and, if things go wrong, recovery. Symantec offers free support via its Web site, but it charges $29.95 per incident for its phone tech support. —Ken Feinstein and Robert Vamosi Product Summary Acronis True Image 9.0 Symantec Norton Ghost 10.0 EDITORS’ RATING 6.5 7.0 PROS Creates complete disk-image and folder-based backups; builds virtual hard drives Creates a complete backup of hard drive; easy to use, even for novices; supports encryption CONS No free phone tech support; no encryption No free phone tech support; no way to back up specific folders or file types COMPANY Acronis 650-875-7593 www.acronis.com Symantec 888-810-9896 www.symantec.com DIRECT PRICE $49.99 (download); $59.99 (boxed version) $69.99 (download or boxed version) REVIEWS SOFTWARE BeInSync 1.6 Simple, Web-based remote access System Mechanic 6 Professional Top of the PC-maintenance heap THE MAIN INTERFACE is overly complex, but the $69.95 System Mechanic 6 Professional still remains the best package of utilities for optimizing and protecting your Windows PC. The program launches quickly. Its various utilities are accessible from one of five category buttons: Optimize, Clean, Repair, Protect, and Maintain. Clicking on Clean, for instance, brings up a screen with Junk File Removal, Uninstall Software, Duplicate File Inspector, and Internet Cleanup and Privacy. Iolo made some changes to the interface in this release, adding features such as wizards, but in the process made the interface more cluttered. Because you can’t customize it, you’re stuck with any elements EDITORS’ RATING 7.7 you don’t use. Iolo has added 0 BETTER >> 10 and improved a PROS Excellent, deep range of number of tools. utilities; thorough help; helpful, Disk defragmentafree tech support tion is much faster, CONS Busy interface; no printed and Registry optior electronic manual mization is more Iolo Technologies, 877-239-4656 detailed. The packwww.iolo.com age also includes a Direct Price $69.95 long-overdue tool, Drive Medic, which finds hard drive problems and offers to repair them. Plus, the Startup Manager is expanded with better analysis to help determine if any startup files are obsolete, spyware, or potential viruses. You’ll also find the Advanced Process Manager, an offshoot of the Advanced Startup Manager’s improvements. Think of it as a juiced-up Windows XP Task Manager, with all processes showing publishers, startup mode, descriptions, summaries, and dependencies. System Mechanic lacks a printed or PDF manual, which is important in a complex product like this. The context-sensitive help is first-rate, however, as is online support. The company offers helpful, live, no-charge phone support, but the number isn’t toll-free. —Barry Brenesal 54 February 2006 computershopper.com EDITORS’ RATING 6.3 BEINSYNC redefines file-sharing technology by turning it into a secure collab0 BETTER >> 10 oration and remote-access tool. The serPROS Intuitive interface; secure vice’s clean, intuitive wizard-based Web-based remote access interface is a definite plus, but it lacks CONS Lacks configurable folder some important features—including permissions; no Mac support; configurable user permissions on limited synchronization of shared folders—to make it outstanding. e-mails, contacts The program works only with WinBeInSync dows-based PCs. The free version is fairwww.beinsync.com ly limited, but the $59.95-per-year Pro Direct Price Free (Basic); version enables you to share up to 15 $59.95 per year (Pro) folders, have unlimited file access, and get Web-based remote access protected by 256-bit SSL encryption. Plus, the app’s byte-level file-transfer functionality means that it can transfer just the bytes that have changed, instead of syncing the whole file. While BeInSync offers synchronization of e-mail and contacts, this feature works only with Outlook. Also, the app won’t sync with Outlook, as it makes e-mail messages and contacts from your main PC available on a second PC. —Ken Feinstein CrazyTalk Media Studio 4.0 Animation app misses the mark EDITORS’ RATING 0 6.0 BETTER >> 10 PROS Credible job creating animated faces from still images CONS Frustrating need to REALLUSION’S $149.95 CrazyTalk Media guess-and-test animation Studio 4.0 takes a still image of a face (or settings; only supported in IE almost any object you choose) and digiReallusion, 408-573-6107 tally manipulates it to lip-sync prerecord- www.reallusion.com ed or synthesized speech. In our tests, Direct Price $149.95 speech synchronization was, at best, modestly convincing. Crystal-clear and slowly spoken scripts produced the best results, while a stepped-up pace resulted in a quivering mouth in a permanently open position. Controls are largely intuitive, but not all of the slider settings have a true numerical value, making it difficult to gauge a special effect’s impact. The app’s depth of controls, however, is impressive, allowing for details such as individual-eye controls and customizable teeth. You can export animations to several formats, including Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages for compatible cell phones. Web playback works only with Internet Explorer browsers, however. —Jason Compton REVIEWS DOWNLOADS MediaMonkey 2.4 A tool to manage your music DESPITE A GLUT of free music players/ encoders, it’s tough to find one that meets our expectations. Formerly known as Sound DB, the rechristened MediaMonkey from Ventis Media has excellent librarymanagement tools to keep the largest digital music collections well-organized. Stir that up with tight Winamp and Nero CDburning integration, a stellar interface, a full-featured encoder, and the ability to sync with DOWNLOAD.COM EDITORS’ RATING portable audio devices such as the iPod, PROS First-rate tools for and you have a pretty big music collections; superb compelling product. interface Launching the program CONS More than the average summons up a prompt to music maven needs scan your drive for any supVentis Media ported digital media files www.mediamonkey.com you can add to the library. Direct Price Free to try; The app sorts files based on $19.99 (Gold Version 2) ID3 tags, and the helpful Auto-Rename and Auto-Tag From Filename features keep untagged tracks from falling through the cracks. Thirdparty plugins are available from the site if you want to tinker with the playback and encoding engine or add sound-processing effects. The interface is well-designed, with clean, colorful icons throughout. Considering how polished this application is, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything you don’t like. Although it’s definitely geared toward managing large collections, just about anyone will appreciate the comprehensive feature set. For $19.95, MediaMonkey Gold adds advanced features such as a sleep timer, unlimited MP3 encoding, and track previews. —Download.com Staff IronTrainer 2 EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0 Keep your workouts on track Turn memories into months IRONTRAINER 2 is a comprehensive workout, weight, and dietary log that helps you track your progress on your way to a healthier body. Through its tabbed interface, you can follow your SPECTRUM SOFTWARE’S DOWNLOAD.COM EDITORS’ RATING EZ Photo Calendar Creator 4.0 allows you to design basic photo calendars. CreatPROS Straightforward design ing a calendar with your tools; defined sets of holidays; own photo collection is a wide control over fonts, colors no-brainer. Simply select CONS Free version has waterone of six calendar formats mark on output; can’t design (including wall and desk), your own templates choose a style, and browse Spectrum Software your PC to add images. You www.spectrumsoftware.com can generate annual or Direct Price Free to try; monthly calendars with a $17.95 (full version) number of predesigned templates and 10 tweakable color schemes. You can’t design your own from scratch, however. You can edit the names of months or days so calendars can be printed in different languages. The settings screen also enables you to define sets of holidays and events to a calendar, from U.S. holidays to NASCAR races, and adding your own special dates is easy. ##### progress in a number of areas, including detailed workouts, food intake, cardio training, and body measurements. The program graphs your progress over time for a full analysis you can print out. Another DOWNLOAD.COM EDITORS’ RATING great detail is the ability to print out workout plans to bring to the gym, enabling you PROS Tracks a broad range of to check off each exercise as exercise-, health-related informayou complete it. tion; printable workout plans The program lacks mouseCONS Interface, terminology over information to clarify can be confusing some of the confusing interPS Workshop face aspects, terms, and www.psworkshop.com acronyms, but a help guide Direct Price Free to try; and glossary are just a click $39.99 (full version) away. —Download.com Staff ##### ##### —Download.com Staff Download these applications and more at www.computershopper.com/download. computershopper.com February 2006 55 Top25 This month’s best desktops, notebooks, flash-memory MP3 players, 17-inch LCD monitors, and home-PC software. MEDIA-CENTER DESKTOPS >> Slick PCs that add brains to your home entertainment system. PRODUCT PRICE SPECS/REQUIREMENTS BOTTOM LINE WinBook PowerSpec MCE 410* www.winbook.com $999 3GHz Pentium 4 530; 512MB DDR; 160GB HDD; Radeon X300 LS We love this PC’s rack-mount case, solid specs, and bargain price. Pair it with WinBook’s $899 30-inch LCD for a sweet sub-$2,000 home-theater setup. 8.2 Creature Scylla S301 www.creaturehtpc.com $4,650 2.4GHz Athlon 64 3800+; 1GB DDR; 120GB, 1TB HDDs; GeForce 7800 GTX This monster of a Media Center has an equally monstrous price. But your money buys top-notch gaming performance and more than a terabyte of storage space. 7.5 Dell XPS 600 www.dell.com $2,849 3GHz Pentium 4 830; 1GB DDR2; 160GB HDD; two GeForce 6800 GTs Equipped with two SLI graphics cards, the XPS 600 not only functions as a powerful home theater system, it also plows through games and demanding consumer apps. 7.4 Niveus Media Center Denali Edition www.niveusmedia.com $4,799 3.2GHz Pentium 4 640; 1GB DDR; 500GB HDD; GeForce 6600 GT The Denali Edition is designed exclusively for home theater operation. It’s pricey, but A/V enthusiasts will appreciate its unique case and solid construction. (See p. 72.) 7.3 Alienware DHS 2* www.alienware.com $1,659 3GHz Pentium 4 530; 512MB DDR; 80GB HDD; Radeon X300 More powerful than Alienware’s previous Media Center PCs, the DHS 2 packs Wi-Fi, a faster processor, and a bigger hard drive into its slim, living-room-friendly case. 7.2 THIN-AND-LIGHT NOTEBOOKS >> Laptops that let you take performance on the road. Apple iBook G4* www.apple.com $1,299 1.42GHz PowerPC G4; 512MB DDR2; 60GB HDD; DVD±RW; 14.1-inch TFT The refreshed 14-inch iBook G4 is a clean, white, minimalist notebook with many welcome upgrades, including a faster CPU, more RAM, and AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi. 7.4 Apple PowerBook G4* www.apple.com $2,499 1.67GHz PowerPC G4; 512MB DDR; 120GB HDD; DVD±RW; 17-inch TFT As powerful as a desktop replacement, yet light enough for the road, Apple’s 17-inch PowerBook delivers performance and features to satisfy home and small-office users. 7.3 Sharp M4000 WideNote www.sharpsystems.com $1,799 1.73GHz Pentium M 740; 512MB DDR2; 80GB HDD; DVD/CD-RW; 13.3-inch TFT With its 13.3-inch wide-screen display, midrange Pentium M CPU, and high-capacity battery, the M4000 is just right for business travelers looking to lighten their loads. 7.2 HP Pavilion DV1000* www.hp.com $1,094 1.6GHz Pentium M 725A; 512MB DDR; 80GB HDD; DVD/CD-RW; 14-inch TFT There’s a lot to like about the Pavilion DV1000, including its attractive 5.5-pound case, abundance of handy buttons with slick blue backlights, and decent overall performance. 6.7 Lenovo ThinkPad T42* www.lenovo.com $1,499 1.8GHz Pentium M 745; 512MB DDR; 60GB HDD; DVD/CD-RW; 14.1-inch TFT With its tough construction and updated components, the ThinkPad T42 is an attractive choice for professionals who want a top-notch laptop at a reasonable price. 6.6 FLASH-MEMORY MP3 PLAYERS >> Portable audio players small enough for a shirt pocket. Apple iPod Nano www.apple.com $199/ $249 2GB/4GB capacity; AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, Audible, MP3, WAV; 1.5 oz. The iPod Nano is a forward-thinking flash-based player with a gorgeous, superslim design, a bright color screen, and an unprecedented 4GB of flash memory. 8.3 Cowon iAudio U2 www.jetaudio.com $99 to $159 256MB/512MB/1GB capacity; ASF, MP3, WAV, WMA; 1.2 oz. The stylish iAudio U2 crams tons of features—including great sound quality, an FM radio, a readable LCD, and line-in recording—into a tiny, pocketable package. 8.3 Samsung Yepp YP-T7 www.samsung.com $149.99/ $199.99 512MB/1GB capacity; ASF, MP3, WMA, WMA DRM; 1.3 oz. A top choice for feature-hungry music aficionados, the YP-T7 offers great sound and lots of audio options, plus a glorious, if small, color screen for displaying photos. 8.3 iRiver U10 www.iriveramerica.com $199.99/ $249.99 512MB/1GB capacity; ASF, MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM; 2.5 oz. The superbly designed U10 is easy to use and packed with audio features. Plus, it plays MPEG-4 video on its miniature, TV-like screen. (See p. 49) 8.3 Samsung Yepp YP-MT6 www.samsung.com $99.99 to $179.99 256MB/512MB/1GB capacity; ASF, MP3, WMA, WMA DRM; 1.6 oz. For Windows users, the Yepp YP-MT6 is superior to the featureless Apple iPod Shuffle, incorporating an FM tuner, a voice-memo function, and line-in recording. 8.0 17-INCH LCD MONITORS >> Space-saving displays that improve your view. Samsung SyncMaster 711T www.samsung.com $379 1,280x1,024 native resolution; 25ms pixelresponse rate; DVI, VGA inputs Though it costs a bit more than other 17-inch LCDs, the SyncMaster 711T is a stylish, highly adjustable display with a high contrast ratio and solid image quality. 7.3 Sony MFM-HT75W www.sonystyle.com $599.99 1,280x768 native resolution; 16ms pixelresponse rate; DVI, VGA inputs; TV tuner The MFM-HT75W is a snazzy, well-designed LCD/TV-tuner combo for those who want a display that can work and play simultaneously. 7.3 Envision EN7220 www.envisiondisplay.com $249 1,280x1,024 native resolution; 16ms pixelresponse rate; VGA input Inelegant pencil cups and photo clips notwithstanding, the EN7220 is a simple, highly adjustable flat panel that performs well and costs less than many 17-inch LCDs. 6.7 Sharp LL-172G-W www.sharpsystems.com $349 1,280x1,024 native resolution; 16ms pixelresponse rate; DVI, VGA inputs The LL-172G-W is a handsomely designed LCD, with decent adjustability, built-in speakers, and both analog and digital ports. Its image quality is mediocre, however. 6.7 Sony SDM-HS75P/B www.sonystyle.com $399.99 1,280x1,024 native resolution; 8ms pixelresponse rate; DVI, VGA inputs If you like a glossy screen (and don’t mind a little glare), you’ll appreciate the SDM-HS75P/B, a sleek LCD that produces rich, brilliant colors with accuracy. 6.5 HOME-PC SOFTWARE >> Essential apps to optimize your computing experience. Copernic Desktop Search www.copernic.com Free Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000, or XP Though it doesn’t search the Internet, Copernic Desktop Search locates all file types on your hard drive. It’s fast and easy to navigate, and, best of all, it doesn’t cost a dime. 8.3 Microsoft Encarta Premium 2005 www.microsoft.com $49.99 333MHz CPU; 128MB RAM; 385MB hard drive space; Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP With Encarta’s latest update, Microsoft has made it easier for children to use the library. In addition to updated information, improvements include an integrated search bar. 8.3 Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 www.adobe.com $99.99 800MHz CPU; 256MB RAM; 900MB hard drive space; Windows XP No longer a watered-down version of Photoshop, this hobbyist-friendly imaging program offers improved editing and organization features for amateur photographers. 8.1 Nero 7 Ultra Edition www.nero.com $99.99 800MHz CPU; 128MB RAM; 600MB hard drive space; Windows 98, 2000, Me, or XP Still an excellent value, version 7 of this versatile, comprehensive DVD- and CD-burning suite has a new media-browsing interface that offers remote control from the couch. 8.0 Quicken Premier 2006 www.quicken.com $69.99 300MHz CPU; 128MB RAM; 100MB hard drive space; Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP It isn’t a big step up from the 2005 edition, but we like the latest Quicken’s tweaks, including its new minireports feature and the ability to attach images to Quicken records. 8.0 = Editors’ Choice 56 RATING * = Configuration changed from original review. February 2006 computershopper.com ANNUAL 2005 20TH SHOPPERS’ CHOICE AWARDS Our readers pick the year’s best products, services, and places to buy. TWO DECADES AGO, when Microsoft and Dell were fledgling companies and Computer Shopper was printed on newsprint, we launched our annual readers’ choice awards. This poll gives our readers the chance to tell us what they consider the most outstanding products on the market each year. Thousands of readers visited our Web site in 2005 to cast their votes for the best hardware, software, gadgets, Web services, and shopping sites. In editing the piece, we were reminded of just how much has changed in the tech world since the first Shoppers’ Choice Awards. In 1985, for instance, digital cameras had yet to burst onto the scene, and the Internet was practically a private party. Some things have remained constant, however. We’re still buying desktops, monitors, hard drives, and software, although today’s versions are incredibly advanced compared with those of yesteryear. To illustrate the extraordinary evolution of personal technology, we’re mixing in a few past winners with the best of 2005. Cast in that perspective, your choices for 2005 represent not only the year’s best products, but also astonishing achievements in technology. computershopper.com February 2006 59 BEST COMPUTER SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE DESKTOP Alienware Aurora ALX SLI Expert assembly, silent liquid cooling, and a high-end configuration that reads like a computer geek’s wish list—the Aurora ALX SLI is PASTPICKS for family computing. The 5100 adds modern essentials, such as a BTX motherboard and a 64-bit CPU, that should hold obsolescence at bay for a few years. Its similarly configured replacement, the Dimension E510, now features the Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OS, giving you a sweet, affordable entertainment station. Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $699 (base price, Dimension E510) Runner-Up: Sony VAIO VGC-RB38G Alienware Aurora ALX SLI BUDGET DESKTOP PC (UNDER $1,000) Dell Dimension 3000 (Replaced by the Dimension E310) undoubtedly worthy of its Best Performance Desktop ranking. But what really gives the ALX the edge is Alienware’s dedicated service-and-support staff, ready to provide the one-on-one attention you deserve when you lay out more than $4,000 for a PC. Alienware www.alienware.com 800-254-3692 Direct Price: $4,449 (base price) Runner-Up: Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 MIDRANGE DESKTOP Dell Dimension 5100 (Replaced by the Dimension E510) Well-priced and decently powered, Dell’s Dimension 5100 looks good inside and out, and is a reliable choice The Dimension 3000 is our readers’ favorite mainstream option because its balance between parts and performance is perfect for families, students, and small businesses with basic needs. And, with an under-$600 price tag that includes a 17-inch LCD, this budget system—since replaced by the Dimension E310—is tough to beat. Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $599 (base price, Dimension E310) Runner-Up: HP Pavilion a1030n 1988 BEST COMPUTER SYSTEM Northgate 386 Power System We hailed Northgate’s 386 Power System for its excellent specs: an Intel 80386 processor with a 64K cache, 1MB of RAM, and a 65MB hard drive—all for $3,899. Desktops sure have come a long way since. SMALL-FORMFACTOR DESKTOP Dell Dimension 5100C (Replaced by the XPS 200) While the Dimension 5100C isn’t a traditional small-formfactor PC, you have to admit that this desktop is tiny. And despite the PC’s smallerthan-a-briefcase size, Dell is still able to load it with top components. (The 5100C has been replaced by the equally space-saving XPS 200.) Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $999 (base price, XPS 200) Runner-Up: Shuttle XPC G5 9500g MEDIA CENTER PC Dell Dimension XPS Gen 5 DESKTOPREPLACEMENT NOTEBOOK Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 (Replaced by the XPS M170) Astonishingly fleet-footed performance on our benchmark tests and 16 eye-popping LEDs are no doubt two of the reasons you overwhelmingly chose the Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 as the best desktop-replacement notebook. Even better, Dell has now replaced the XPS Gen 2 with the XPS M170, which features a more robust 3D-graphics chip, the nVidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX. Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $2,699 (base price, XPS M170) (Replaced by the XPS 600) Runner-Up: Sony VAIO VGN-A790 Maybe it’s the 1.5 terabytes of hard drive space, or this PC’s ability to pack two of the fastest nVidia graphics cards available. Or perhaps it’s the superior multimedia-handling abilities of Intel’s Pentium D dual-core processor, or the dual TV tuners. Whatever the reason, you chose the Dimension XPS Gen 5 to anchor your digital-media world. The Gen 5’s replacement, the XPS 600, gives you the power of a gaming PC with the controls of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $1,749 (base price, XPS 600) Readers are attracted to the Inspiron 700m for its slick design, minute size, and bright, wide-aspect 12.1-inch screen. Weighing just over 4 pounds, the 700m strikes a great balance between extreme portability and swift application performance. It also doubles as a good DVD player to help you endure those long flights. Dell • www.dell.com 877-886-3355 Direct Price: $1,349 (base price) Runner-Up: HP Media Center PC m7070n Runner-Up: Dell Latitude D610 Dell Dimension E510 THIN-AND-LIGHT NOTEBOOK Dell Inspiron 700m BEST COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERALS ULTRAPORTABLE NOTEBOOK (UNDER 4 POUNDS) Sony VAIO VGN-T350P Your favorite ultraportable tips the scales at just 3.1 pounds, yet it still finds room to squeeze in an Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M CPU, a gorgeous 10.4-inch widescreen display, a 60GB hard drive, and a DVD±RW burner. To stay connected in the field, the VGN-T350P includes a special antenna that lets you connect to EDGE cellular data networks. Sony Electronics www.sonystyle.com 877-865-7669 Direct Price: $2,199 Runner-Up: Dell Latitude X1 PDA OR HANDHELD PC Palm Tungsten T3 (Replaced by the Palm TX) Many a mobile user was swayed by the Tungsten T3’s seductively thin design and powerful feature set. If you can live without Wi-Fi or a keyboard, the T3 offers a fast 400MHz CPU and 64MB of RAM, plus an SD-card slot, at a reasonable price. Palm TX Be sure to check out the T3’s replacement model, the Palm TX, which has the same sleek design but offers better specs and built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking. Palm • www.palm.com 800-881-7256 Direct Price: $349 (Palm TX) Runner-Up: HP iPaq HX4700 Pocket PC MAINSTREAM LCD MONITOR (17 INCHES OR SMALLER) Samsung SyncMaster 711T Another in the company’s long line of stylish LCDs, Samsung’s SyncMaster 711T displays the kind of high-end looks you’d expect from a fine-tailored suit. Clad entirely in black, the display has a slim bezel that frames the 17-inch screen. With its 1,280x1,024 native resolution and 1,000-to-1 contrast ratio, this is one LCD you’ll want for more than just its looks. Samsung www.samsung.com 800-726-7864 List Price: $379 Runner-Up: NEC MultiSync LCD1770NX DVD-RECORDABLE DRIVE Plextor PX-716A Our readers opt for fast optical drives, which is why they selected the high-performance PX-716A. This drive delivers burning speeds of 24x CD-RW, 8x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, and 6x double-layer DVD±R. These specs enable the PX-716A to burn a double-layer 7.9GB DVD movie in as little as 17 minutes, or rip the same capacity from a double-layer disc in less than 12 minutes. Plextor • www.plextor.com 888-999-4700 Direct Price: $139 Runner-Up: Sony DVDirect VRD-VC10 HARD DRIVE WD Raptor Series Its predatory name may sound fearsome to some, but it’s music to our ears. Western Digital’s Raptor series is the company’s fastest family of drives, spinning Watch movies, at a blazing surf the Net, and 10,000rpm. play Quake 4 in Although all its glory with the line curDell’s giant rently tops UltraSharp out at 74GB 2405FPW. This capacity, this 24-inch LCD has a Serial pixel-packed ATA drive 1,920x1,200 resolution, Dell UltraSharp delivers topand features built-in 2405FPW notch perforUSB ports, a flash-card mance if it’s speed you need. reader, and picture-in-picWestern Digital ture (PIP) capability. The www.wdc.com 2405FPW impressed us as 800-275-4932 much as it did our readers Direct Price: $169.99 (74GB, with its crisp colors and bare drive) deep, dark blacks. Multiple video inputs and a full range Runner-Up: of adjustability options round off its covetable Seagate Barracuda Series feature list. Dell • www.dell.com GRAPHICS CARD 800-999-3355 nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX Direct Price: $1,199 In our tests, the GeForce 7800 GTX proved itself the best graphics chipset for gameplay. Runner-Up: Cards based on it delivered Samsung SyncMaster 915N PERFORMANCE LCD MONITOR (18 INCHES OR LARGER) Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW faster frame rates, more throughput, and all-around better performance than any we’ve seen. nVidia doesn’t manufacture retail nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX cards itself, so if you want a card based on the 7800 GTX, check out www.nvidia.com/ page/7800_partners.html. nVidia • www.nvidia.com 408-486-2000 Price: Varies by manufacturer Runner-Up: ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition INKJET PRINTER HP Photosmart 8750 Professional Photo Printer Using nine dye-based colors (in three tricolor cartridges), the Photosmart 8750 Professional features all the extras we’re accustomed to seeing in photo printers: flash-memory slots, PictBridge compatibility, and support for a variety of paper formats. It seals the deal by giving you control of ink saturation, brightness, and tone, and it even lets you print stills as big as 13x19 inches. Hewlett-Packard www.hp.com • 888-999-4747 Direct Price: $499.99 Runner-Up: Canon Pixma iP5000 Photo Printer MULTIFUNCTION DEVICE HP Color LaserJet 2840 All-in-One Whoever said that a jack of all trades was a master of none never powered up the Color computershopper.com February 2006 61 BEST COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERALS LaserJet 2840 All-in-One. This colossal multifunction device scans, prints, faxes, and copies, letting you replace the platoon of devices you’d otherwise need to complete dayto-day tasks. The flatbed scanner accommodates most media, and small offices will appreciate the 50-page document feeder. HP even fitted the 2840 with slots for popular media cards. Hewlett-Packard www.hp.com 888-999-4747 Direct Price: $899 automatic red-eye removal. Hewlett-Packard www.hp.com • 888-999-4747 Direct Price: $199.99 (Photosmart 385) Runner-Up: HP PSC 2355 All-in-One Runner-Up: Canon Pixma iP8500 Photo Printer PERSONAL LASER PRINTER HP Color LaserJet 3550 It may be white on the outside, but this printer creates black output that commands your attention. The Color LaserJet 3550 does a great job of delivering sharp, clean monochrome text. In addition, the printer moves pages through the device only once to print all four colors. As a result, it can print as fast in color as it does in monochrome. Hewlett-Packard www.hp.com • 888-999-4747 Direct Price: $699 Runner-Up: HP LaserJet 2420d PHOTO PRINTER HP Photosmart 375 Photo Printer (Replaced by Photosmart 385 GoGo Photo Printer) This PC-independent photo inkjet has a lunchbox-like design that invites you to take it wherever you go. It offers direct printing from any PictBridge-compatible camera, and it accepts most flashcard formats. A generous 2.5inch LCD lets you browse photos and perform light edits. The discontinued 375’s replacement, the 385, adds 62 range, in our tests delivering more than four times the throughput of 802.11g routers at 200 feet. The WRT54GX also features a stateful packet inspection firewall for extra security, not to mention a generous three-year warranty. Linksys • www.linksys.com 800-546-5797 Mfr. Est. Price: $199 Runner-Up: D-Link AirPlus G High-Speed 2.4GHz Wireless Router DI-524 HP Photosmart 385 SCANNER Epson Perfection 4990 Photo The Perfection 4990 Photo might look like a typical desktop scanner, but if it’s high-quality scans you’re after, search no more. The 4990 offers a dynamic range of 4.0 DMax, with a 4,800x9,600dot-per-inch (dpi) optical resolution. The unit’s 8.5x11.7-inch scanning area accepts both prints and film, and the bundled software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements, as well as scanning and copying utilities. Epson America www.epson.com 800-463-7766 Direct Price: $449.99 Runner-Up: Canon CanoScan 9950F HOME NETWORKING DEVICE Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX WRT54GX The Linksys entry into the world of multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) devices is our readers’ router recommendation. The WRT54GX lived up to Linksys’ claim of better throughput at longer February 2006 computershopper.com INPUT DEVICE Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse Thanks to Logitech’s futuristic design, the humble computer mouse has finally managed to shrug off its ho-hum image. The MX1000 enables precise mousing, courtesy of its 800dpi optical sensor and a deeply contoured body that allows for better handling. If you want to feel the future, this is it. Logitech • www.logitech.com 800-231-7717 Direct Price: $79.95 Mfr. Est. Price: $899 (body only); $999 (kit, with lens) Runner-Up: Nikon Coolpix 8800 DIGITAL CAMCORDER Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam With its large 1/3-inch CCD sensor, the DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam positively shines when the lights are low, and it also offers wide-screen recording and a 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD. What’s more, it snaps 3.3megapixel still photos and includes options such as a burst mode, exposure bracketing, red-eye reduction, and half a dozen scene modes. Despite all these features, the DCRHC90 has the pocket-friendly proportions of an entry-level camcorder. Sony Electronics www.sonystyle.com 877-865-7669 Direct Price: $999.99 Runner-Up: Panasonic PV-GS250 Runner-Up: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3100 DIGITAL STILL CAMERA Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT The EOS Digital Rebel XT is a shot ahead of its predecessor, the original Digital Rebel. It Sony DCR-HC90 MiniDV Handycam offers more creative control, an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, and Canon’s DIGIC II processCELL PHONE Motorola Razr V3 ing engine for zippy snapping. The Rebel XT’s smaller, lighter Undeniably the coolest mobile body is about as compact as phone released last year, the possible for a digital single Razr V3 made a big splash lens reflex (dSLR) camera. with its strikingly thin profile Though designed for amaand slick features. Remarkably, teurs, it delivers the responintegrated within the phone’s siveness and image quality trim chassis is a Bluetooth you’d expect from a semipro transmitter, a VGA camera, model. and a beautiful 2.5-inch, Canon U.S.A. • usa.canon.com 260,000-color display. The V3 800-652-2666 can replenish its battery via a PASTPICKS standard AC adapter or through a PC’s USB port. Motorola www.motorola.com 866-289-6686 Direct Price: $199 (with two-year contract) Runner-Up: LG VX8000 WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE RIM BlackBerry 7510 the Shuffle syncs seamlessly with Apple’s iTunes 6, which can be set to automatically preshuffle your playlist for a truly random listening experience. Apple Computer www.apple.com 800-692-7753 Direct Price: $99 (512MB); $129 (1GB) 1997 BEST DIGITAL CAMERA Kodak Digital Science DC120 Zoom “High resolution is what the DC120 is all about,” we wrote. Of course, high resolution in 1997 meant 1.2 megapixels with interpolation. Now you can buy a 10-megapixel camera such as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 for roughly the same price ($1,000). Runner-Up: Creative MuVo Micro N200 (Replaced by RIM BlackBerry 7520) DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER (HARD Our readers singled out the DRIVE) Blackberry 7510 as their handheld communicator of Apple iPod choice, a surprise victory No one is close to knocking over Palm’s Treo 600. Featurthe iPod from the top of the hard drive player heap. The ing a tactile, backlit QWERTY fifth-generation iPod makes keyboard, the Blackthat task even more daunting. Berry 7510 supports It’s thinner, lighter, real-time wireless access to up to 10 perand sexier than ever, sonal or corporate ewith a bigger (2.5mail accounts, and it inch) color screen can connect to a PC that plays video and to sync contacts and displays digital phoappointments. It’s tos. And, of course, been replaced by the only Apple portable BlackBerry 7520, players support which adds Bluetooth tracks and videos RIM BlackBerry 7520 and GPS support to purchased from the feature set. Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Research in Motion Apple Computer www.blackberry.com www.apple.com 519-888-7465 800-692-7753 List Price: $449.99 Direct Price: $299 (20GB); $399 (BlackBerry 7520) (60GB) Runner-Up: Palm Treo 600 Runner-Up: Apple iPod Photo DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER (FLASH MEMORY) Apple iPod Shuffle PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYER/GAMING DEVICE Sony PlayStation Portable Although the market is full of flash players that have more features, our readers prefer the stripped-down simplicity of Apple’s iPod Shuffle. It weighs less than an ounce and includes a built-in USB 2.0 interface (but no LCD). It comes in 512MB and 1GB capacities at affordable prices. Your tunes will never skip, and The undisputed king of portable game machines, the PSP isn’t just for playing its action-packed, PlayStation 2-caliber game titles. The compact device also screens movies on its 4.3-inch color LCD using Sony’s Universal Media Disc (UMD) format. You can even play digital audio and display snapshots stored on Memory Stick flash media. And integrated 802.11b wireless networking allows you to play games online or surf the Web. Sony Computer Entertainment America us.playstation.com 800-345-7669 Mfr. Est. Price: $249.99 Runner-Up: Nintendo Game Boy Advance GAMING CONSOLE Sony PlayStation 2 The best-selling video-game console of all time, the PlayStation 2 underwent a slick restyling last year that yielded a slim, less-intrusive design. Other strengths include its extensive game library and ability to handle titles for the original PlayStation. Bonus: It includes built-in dial-up and Ethernet support for online gaming. Sony Computer Entertainment America us.playstation.com 800-345-7669 Mfr. Est. Price: $149.99 Runner-Up: Nintendo GameCube HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE TiVo Series2 DVR Many cable companies and consumer-electronics manu- facturers market digital video recorders (DVRs), but none has anything quite like the TiVo. Yes, you do have to pay a monthly fee to use TiVo’s services, but its features include an intuitive interface that lets you pause and rewind live television, as well as search for upcoming shows by title, subject, actor, director, time, and channel. Plus, the Series2 DVR can connect to an Ethernet or wireless adapter to share recorded video programming with other TiVos on your home network. TiVo • www.tivo.com 877-289-8486 Direct Price: $199.99 (40hour); $299.99 (80-hour); $349.99 (300-hour) Runner-Up: Sony RDR-HX900 FLAT-SCREEN TELEVISION Samsung HL-P5085W (Replaced by HL-R5087W) Samsung’s radical-looking Digital Light Processing (DLP) offering, the 50-inch HL-P5085W, has a unique pedestal-style design that makes for an eye-catching television with a small footprint. The set has a native resolution of 1,280x720, which means it should deliver all of the detail of 720p high-definition programming. With calibration, the HL-P5085W can be made to perform extremely well, showing deep blacks that most DLP sets have trouble displaying. The HL-P5085W has been replaced in Samsung’s DLP lineup by the HL-R5087W. Samsung www.samsung.com 800-726-7864 Mfr. Est. Price: $3,699 (HL-R5087W) Runner-Up: Pioneer PDP-5050HD computershopper.com February 2006 63 BEST SOFTWARE/ONLINE SERVICES OFFICEPRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft Office XP (Replaced by Office 2003) While all the other productivity suites are busy emulating it, Microsoft Office has been busy leading the way. This comprehensive work suite continues to be tops among our readers, most likely because it contains basics that every business needs. The current version is Office 2003; later this year, Office 12, a new version, will debut. Microsoft www.microsoft.com 888-218-5617 Direct Price: $399 (2003 Standard Edition); $499 (2003 Professional Edition) Runner-Up: Corel WordPerfect Office 12 HOME-PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE Microsoft Works Suite 2005 fact, calling it a disc-authoring app is a disservice, because the suite also provides a capable backup program, a DVDauthoring app that compares favorably with all but its professional-level competitors, and a movie-playback program that supports Video CD (VCD), DVD, and MPEG-4. Nero • www.nero.com 818-956-7551 Direct Price: $99.99 (Nero 7 Ultra Edition) Runner-Up: Easy Media Creator 7 Runner-Up: Quicken Premier 2005 DVD/CD UTILITY Nero 6 Ultra Edition (Replaced by Nero 7 Ultra Edition) Nero’s Ultra Edition, now in version 7, is the most comprehensive, versatile CD- and DVD-mastering and packetwriting suite on the market. In 66 (Replaced by SystemWorks 2006 Premier) The yellow box comes in tops again with our readers as the best tool for keeping PCs up and running smoothly. Norton SystemWorks is that do-everything suite everyone should have for restoring PCs to a healthier state, performing preventative maintenance, and shutting out viruses. The PHOTO EDITING/ ORGANIZING Adobe Photoshop CS2 When it comes to digital image editing, Adobe Photoshop CS2 stands above the competition. This latest version adds support for Camera Raw 3.0 and Digital Negative (DNG) images, plus tools to reduce noise and optical lens distortion. Web designers will appreciate the integration of additional ele- (Replaced by Works Suite 2006) Designed for home users, Microsoft Works Suite contains all of the tools to plan and budget a family vacation, then edit the digital images afterward. The suite now packs Word 2002, along with 2006 versions of Money, Digital Image, Encarta Encyclopedia, and Streets & Trips. Microsoft www.microsoft.com 888-218-5617 Direct Price: $99.95 (Works Suite 2006) UTILITY PACKAGE Norton SystemWorks 2005 Premier Norton SystemWorks 2006 Premier new 2006 Premier release adds spyware protection and enhanced Internet privacy controls. Symantec www.symantec.com 800-441-7234 Direct Price: $99.99 (SystemWorks 2006 Premier) Runner-Up: System Mechanic 5 Professional latest version, Norton Internet Security 2006, adds a Security Inspector tool that uncovers unsafe browser settings and Windows passwords. Symantec www.symantec.com 800-441-7234 Direct Price: $69.99 (Norton Internet Security 2006) Runner-Up: Spybot—Search & Destroy COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE Microsoft Outlook 2003 Soon to be replaced by Outlook 2006, Outlook 2003 represented a huge improvement over its predecessor when first introduced. It was the first iteration to let users group messages and replies of backand-forth exchanges, flag messages with a single click, and customize Search folders to create new views. Although its antispam features aren’t the most powerful you can find, they let you identify junk mail and either drop it into a special folder or automatically delete it. Microsoft www.microsoft.com 800-642-7676 Direct Price: $109 Runner-Up: Google Gmail MEDIA PLAYER Adobe Photoshop CS2 ments of Adobe ImageReady CS2. It’s overkill for casual snapshooters, but advanced users frustrated by the limitations of basic photo applications consider Photoshop CS2 worth the price. Adobe Systems www.adobe.com 800-833-6687 Direct Price: $599 Runner-Up: Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 February 2006 computershopper.com INTERNET SECURITY Norton Internet Security 2005 (Replaced by Internet Security 2006) Our readers picked this suite of four utilities as their top choice to keep PCs safe from criminal hackers and malicious code. Its components include Norton’s AntiVirus, Personal Firewall, AntiSpam, and Parental Control apps. Outbreak Alert informs users of rapidly spreading virus threats and recommends downloadable updates. The Windows Media Player 10 We were a bit surprised to see that Windows Media Player 10 received more than twice as many votes as the runner-up for this category. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the stellar jukebox software comes Windows Media Player 10 PASTPICKS loaded on every new PC. Nonetheless, Media Player 10 can stand on its own merits: The easy-to-use, streamlined version 10 integrates compatible music stores and movie-download services, including MSN Music Service and Napster. Plus, it syncs with more than 75 portable devices. Microsoft www.microsoft.com 888-218-5617 Price: Free 1993 BEST OPERATING SYSTEM IBM OS/2 2.1 According to our effusive write-up on IBM’s bid for OS supremacy, “this version has broken Microsoft’s iron grip on today’s computers.” Oops. A faithful follow-up to one of the greatest PC games of all time, Half-Life 2 has gorgeous 3D graphics, an amazingly realistic physics model, and a familiar story line packed with plenty of paramilitary bad guys and aliens to plug. The fun doesn’t stop there. It also has a strong multiplayer component and Store offers a ton of advantages: flexible usage rights, high-quality tracks, a simple pricing scheme, and a monstrous catalog of more than 2 million songs, 25,000 podcasts, and 11,000 audiobooks. Since the debut of the new video iPod last fall, the one-stop music shop also features more than 2,000 music videos, Pixar animation shorts, and television shows for $1.99 a pop. Apple Computer www.apple.com 800-692-7753 Direct Price: 99 cents per song; $1.99 per video Runner-Up: Napster 3.0 Half-Life 2 includes free mods such as Counter-Strike: Source, a visceral terrorist/counter-terrorist combat sim, and Day of Defeat, a fast-paced World War II shooter. Valve • www.half-life2.com 425-889-9642 Direct Price: $39.95 Runner-Up: Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil ONLINE MUSIC SERVICE iTunes Music Store Built into its iTunes application, Apple’s iTunes Music the intuitive Web site is a delight to use. Netflix • www.netflix.com Direct Price: $9.99 to $47.99 per month Runner-Up: Kodak EasyShare Gallery VOIP SERVICE Vonage Runner-Up: iTunes 4.9 PC GAME Half-Life 2 BEST PLACES TO BUY The granddaddy of Internet phone services, Vonage offers a wealth of calling features, extensive coverage, and strong support. While some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are best used as a secondary line or for saving money on especially expensive long-distance calls, clear calling makes Vonage a suitable replacement for your primary phone line. Vonage • www.vonage.com 866-243-4357 Direct Price: $24.99 per month Runner-Up: Skype Dell is the No. 1 seller of computers worldwide, so it’s no surprise that its online store once again nabs the top spot. The company’s lineup of eminently configurable desktops ranges from bargain models (starting at $349) to its new premium XPS line. No matter your budget, Dell enables at-a-glance comparisons of its product lines in a format that’s clean and accessible. When you’re ready to customize, Dell’s configuration pages provide an exhaustive combination of options. And its revolving carousel of special offers keeps shoppers coming back for free shipping and upgrades. Dell • www.dell.com 800-999-3355 Runner-Up: Newegg.com FREE DOWNLOAD Firefox Mozilla’s Firefox is your dream Internet browser. With features like tabbed browsing, customizable search bars, and a built-in Really Simple Syndication (RSS) reader, Firefox is finally putting a dent in BEST PLACE TO BUY NOTEBOOKS Dell Microsoft Internet Explorer’s unrivaled market dominance. Firefox is fast and stable, and it displays an impressive range of browsing options. Mozilla Foundation www.mozilla.org Laptops are, by nature, more personal than their lessportable counterparts, and selecting that just-right model can be challenging. Our readers opt for the Dell solution: Its product-comparison tool enables you to narrow down choices by lining up a range of notebooks, then checking off the models you wish to compare. After you’ve identified the one that best fits your needs (remember to check out the 360degree images), you can upgrade the notebook’s components to yield a customconfigured machine that fits you like a glove. Dell • www.dell.com 800-999-3355 Runner-Up: Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition Runner-Up: Newegg.com ONLINE SERVICE Netflix Netflix’s model of renting DVDs by mail for a flat monthly fee is so brilliant that it has spawned lots of copycats. But none— not even Blockbuster— has been able to best the originator of the concept. A variety of Netflix plans lets you have from one to eight discs out at a time. You keep them as long as you like and mail them back in prepaid envelopes without incurring late fees. Turnaround is swift, titles are plentiful, and BEST PLACE TO BUY DESKTOPS Dell Firefox computershopper.com February 2006 67 BEST PLACES TO BUY BEST PLACE TO BUY CORE COMPONENTS Newegg.com Our readers know that Newegg.com is the place to go for a comprehensive array of components that ranges from utilitarian heatsinks to blistering 64-bit dual-core processors. You can also get just about anything you need to upgrade, trick out, rejuvenate, or repair your PC. On top of the company’s extremely competitive pricing, it also provides speedy delivery and reliable service. Newegg.com www.newegg.com 800-390-1119 PASTPICKS home productivity, games, business basics, and utilities. The store also offers software licenses for various versions of Microsoft Windows, as well as OEM versions of selected titles. And for those who simply can’t wait, the site offers more than 500 downloadable software and game titles. Shipping is typically $1.49 or less, if not free. Newegg.com www.newegg.com 800-390-1119 1995 BEST SERVICE AND SUPPORT, HARDWARE Gateway 2000 Before Dell started sweeping this award every year (and before Gateway changed its name), Gateway 2000 took top honors for its customer service and tech support. All of its desktops came with a three-year warranty, including a year of onsite service. Ah, the good old days. provements with each iteration. Our readers voted the recently video- enabled iPod (30GB, $299; 60GB, $399) the most innovative product of the year. With its ability to smoothly play Runner-Up: back videos and Best Buy select TV programming, the BEST PLACE TO fifth-generation BUY CONSUMER iPod may finally ELECTRONICS kick-start the Best Buy market for Runner-Up: Best Buy is doubly portable video Best Buy tempting: If one of its devices. Even if 714 U.S. retail locations it doesn’t, the isn’t near you, the BEST PLACE TO BUY Apple iPod iPod continues chain’s comprehensive PERIPHERALS to define the market for Web store is just a click away. Newegg.com portable digital-audio players. Either way, Best Buy delivers When you’re shopping for a Apple Computer an unbeatable selection of flatperipheral—a flat-panel diswww.apple.com panel televisions, digital camplay, hard drive, or printer, to 800-692-7753 eras, digital audio players, name a few—the sheer volgaming devices, and home ume of choices can be dauntRunner-Up: theater equipment. You can ing. Newegg.com makes it Firefox save time by easy by organizpicking up ing its sweeping your online orinventory of prodBEST SERVICE AND der at a nearby ucts in a store SUPPORT store. Bonus: that’s logically orDell Best Buy also ganized and easy Tech support may be getting a offers in-home to browse. If bad rap these days, but Dell Newegg.com service, reyou’re looking for still tops your list as the best pairs, and installations. opinions, the e-tailer has postsource of PC-related help. BeBest Buy • www.bestbuy.com ed more than 225,000 product sides offering its customers 888-237-8289 reviews from its customers, all excellent extended warranties searchable by keyword. on its products, the computer Runner-Up: Newegg.com giant has recently taken a Newegg.com www.newegg.com leading role in fighting online 800-390-1119 threats such as viruses and spyware. Its downloadable MOST INNOVATIVE Runner-Up: Dell Support application, prePRODUCT OR Best Buy installed on many of its comSERVICE puters, also helps to maintain Apple iPod PCs in optimum health. BEST PLACE TO BUY Has any other company conDell • www.dell.com sistently outdone itself with SOFTWARE such a succession of awe-inNewegg.com 800-999-3355 spiring products? Apple’s iPod Newegg.com covers the softhas demonstrated solid— ware spectrum with a selecRunner-Up: tion of titles that includes Newegg.com sometimes amazing—im- 68 February 2006 computershopper.com BEST PLACE TO BUY RETAIL Best Buy Sometimes you just want to try out a tech product before you buy. Our readers think electronics superstore Best Buy is the best place to visit if you want to compare picture quality on high-definition televisions or how different digital cameras feel in your hands. While it has plenty of big-ticket items, Best Buy is also great for finding deals on CDs, DVDs, and tech accessories. Best Buy • www.bestbuy.com 888-237-8289 Runner-Up: CompUSA BEST PLACE TO BUY ONLINE Newegg.com With its three other first-place finishes and five runner-up positions, it shouldn’t be surprising that Newegg.com takes overall honors as the place to buy tech products online. Offering substantially more selections than any brick-andmortar store could ever hold, Newegg.com trounces the competition with competitive pricing, excellent service, and first-rate delivery options. The site also posts extensive feedback on the products it stocks from its legion of customers. What more could you ask for in an online seller? Newegg.com www.newegg.com 800-390-1119 Runner-Up: Tiger Direct HAND-CRAFTED COMPUTERS DON’T SETTLE FOR A COOKIE-CUTTER PC— GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT FROM A CUSTOM DESKTOP BUILDER. Edited by Joshua Goldman computershopper.com February 2006 71 buying a PC means heading to the online configurators of Dell, Gateway, and Hewlett-Packard, and choosing among the components listed in the dropdown menus. While these offerings will please most PC buyers most of the time, what happens if you’re picky about certain components? (Say the graphics card or case you really want is not an option.) The solution: a small, custom PC builder that can give you exactly what you want, à la carte. FOR MOST SHOPPERS, A couple of the vendors we send you to this month may be completely new to you, but that’s just the point. These are small, boutique vendors that build custom PCs to your exact specifications, so their prices are high and their volume low. We requested a high-end configuration from All American Computers (AAC), NiveusMedia, Overdrive PC, and Puget Custom Computers. Although the PCs we received ranged in price from just under $5,000 to nearly $6,500, that doesn’t mean these companies aren’t capable of building more-economical machines. Most small, boutique manufacturers offer customers personal attention so they come away with the PC they want, not simply the one that’s available. Overdrive offers modest configurations of its overclocked computers, and AAC and Puget Custom will build to order everything from budget desktops to the loaded ones we feature here. The exception is NiveusMedia, which sticks to high-end Media Center PCs for A/V enthusiasts and doesn’t offer many customization options. But the build quality is superior to anything you’d find from a mainstream maker. Each PC we tested for this AAC LiquidXS ATI Crossfire roundup has unique features, such as carefully assembled liquid-cooling systems or distinctive case designs. And although peak performance wasn’t our main goal, none of these boutique boxes disappointed in that regard. AAC LiquidXS ATI Crossfire Editors’ Rating: 7.3 out of 10 Pros: Attractive design; attention to detail; lots of component options; solid warranty Cons: Top performance held back by older components; limited expansion options; no accessories THE COMPANY: Indiana-based AAC will build just about any configuration you want and talk you through the whole process, if need be. And if you seek a unique gaming box that’ll drop jaws at your next LAN party, consider AAC’s LiquidXS PCs for their incredible appearance and performance. THE COMPUTER: AAC sent us a $4,889 (without monitor, speakers, keyboard, or mouse) limited-edition Crossfire dual-graphics-card desktop, the first ATI dual-graphics-card combination we’ve seen. The cherry-red acrylic case is stunning, and surprisingly sturdy considering it’s reasonably lightweight. ATI’s Crossfire logo is laser- etched into the left panel, but AAC will inscribe whatever design you choose for an additional fee. The clear removable panel on the other side offers easy component access while showing off the AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 processor’s liquid-cooling system and the organized interior cable routing. Two ultraviolet lights make the coolant glow blue, while three 120mm white-LED fans enhance the light show. Up front, you’ll find audio jacks, a double-layer DVD±RW drive, and two USB 2.0 ports. The interior is tight, with unusable PCI slots, a single open 5.25inch bay, a couple of RAM slots, and nothing more—not that you’d need much else. Two 10,000rpm 74GB hard drives set to RAID Level 0 back up a 200GB drive, and a superb Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound card handles audio. But the stars here are the 256MB ATI X850 XT graphics card and its Crossfire companion card. (AAC also offers nVidia SLI builds.) The cards performed as expected: great at our tested 1,024x768 resolution, but not as good as the newer 256MB nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX at higher resolutions. On our Half-Life 2 test, the combo cards hit 111.6 frames per second (fps). Although the GPU fans are loud, the case dampens the din. The 2.6GHz FX-55 CPU we received is no longer AMD’s top of the line, but it’s still powerful, and when coupled with the PC’s 1GB of high-performance memory, produced strong results, scoring 216 on our BAPCo SYSmark 2004 test. Of course, you can always choose a faster CPU. THE WARRANTY: AAC covers parts for one year and labor for three. Also, component upgrades are installed free of charge. NiveusMedia Media Center Denali Edition Editors’ Rating: 7.3 out of 10 Pros: Unique fanless case; four TV tuners include two high-definition; solid construction Cons: Hard to upgrade; outdated components; large; expensive; meager warranty THE COMPANY: Unlike other vendors that build Media Center PCs as a line extension, San Jose, Calif.-based NiveusMedia offers PCs strictly for the A/V crowd. The company does not allow for much customization, but the audio and video quality you get is top-notch. THE COMPUTER: PC enthusiasts will quibble about the part-to-price ratio of CONTINUES ON PAGE 78 72 February 2006 computershopper.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE 72 NiveusMedia Media Center Denali Edition izes in overclocking to provide the most performance for your money, whether your setup costs $2,000 or $5,000. THE COMPUTER: At $4,924 without a monitor or speakers, the Torque.SLI we tested isn’t for everyone. But if you absolutely must have the fastest PC on the block, this one comes with bragging rights. e-mail support. That’s a little stingy for Our test unit’s simple black Lian Li the $6,298 Media Center Denali Edition, PC-6070 midtower is also available in but A/V fanatics will see value in its a high-end model, but it’s still in line silver or with a custom paint job. The stable component mix, Imaging Science with A/V-component manufacturers. clean-cut image dissolves once you Foundation certification (a videoApplication Performance: BAPCo SYSmark 2004 crack open the case, however. The quality stamp of approval), and its AAC LiquidXS side panels are coated with a foamnear-silent operation. 216 ATI Crossfire rubber sound-damping material, and At 15x25x8.3 inches (HWD) and 60 NiveusMedia Media 191 Center Denali Edition the motherboard, hard drives, and pounds, the black, anodized-alu255 Overdrive Torque.SLI expansion cards are fitted with stainminum case is a behemoth. It reless-steel screws and rubber washers. sembles a large amplifier, with side 235 Puget Liquid Cooled SLI fins that act as giant heat sinks to Cables are carefully routed and 0 100 150 200 250 300 enable fanless operation. These fins clipped to maximize airflow, and qui3D-Gaming Performance: Half-Life 2 (1,024x768) get hot, so give this monster suffiet fans help reduce noise output. You cient space in your A/V cabinet. even get a small flashlight clipped to AAC LiquidXS 111.6 ATI Crossfire The minimalist front panel holds the drive cage. And despite a case NiveusMedia Media 60.5 Center Denali Edition just two USB 2.0 ports and a slot for packed with state-of-the-art hard128.9* Overdrive Torque.SLI the double-layer DVD burner. Aside ware running at beyond-default from one FireWire and four USB speeds, the Torque.SLI’s fans stayed 110.6 Puget Liquid Cooled SLI ports, rear-panel connections are all so quiet during testing we could hear 60 75 90 105 120 135 (frames per second) A/V-oriented, and they’re abundant. the hard drive heads moving. * = Running an older version of our Half-Life 2 test. Connections for the nVidia GeForce With a pair of 256MB XFX GeForce For details on how we test desktop PCs, visit 6600 GT video card and onboard Intel 7800 GTX graphics cards and a Crecomputershopper.com/HowWeTest and click “Windows desktops.” High Definition 7.1 audio are routed ative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS to a series of plugs home-theater buffs sound card, you’ll find little room for will love. You get four TV tuner cards— expansion—only a single PCI slot and a Overdrive Torque.SLI two standard-definition and two overcouple of memory slots. External exEditors’ Rating: 8.4 out of 10 pansion is more promising, with six the-air high-definition (HD)—but you’ll Pros: Unmatched performance; quiet USB 2.0 ports, two of which are fronthave to supply your own HD antenna. operation; variety of configuration options mounted. With 16 bolts securing the top, the Cons: No onsite service; limited expansion The Torque.SLI came with a doublecase clearly isn’t designed to be room; $5,000 gets you only one year of layer DVD burner and a DVD-ROM, plus opened. Initial configuration options warranty coverage a pair of 10,000rpm 74GB hard drives are limited to RAM (up to 4GB) and EDITORS’ THE COMPANY: Box after CHOICE box, Georgia-based Overhard drive space (up to 800GB); our test configured in a RAID Level 0 array to PC came with 4GB of RAM and two drive PC continues to imaugment the removable 200GB drive. 400GB SATA hard drives. You can call to press us. The system builder specialThe PC also had a floppy drive with a discuss other options, but NiveusMedia prefers to ship its computers with Overdrive slightly older but proven parts, such as Torque.SLI a 3.2GHz Pentium 540 CPU. The Denali hit a competent 191 on our BAPCo SYSmark 2004 tests. A dualcore processor would offer improved media performance, and at press time, NiveusMedia said dual-core systems were in the works. Although not designed as a gaming machine, the Denali can handle most of today’s games at moderate resolutions; at 1,024x768, Half-Life 2 ran at 60.5fps. THE WARRANTY: The standard oneyear warranty includes phone and 78 February 2006 computershopper.com Puget Liquid Cooled SLI built-in media-card reader. Overdrive’s overclocking efforts go beyond just toggling a few settings. In addition to overclocking the 2.8GHz Athlon 64 FX-57, graphics cards, and RAM, it optimizes the BIOS and Windows settings for maximum performance. The results were an impressive Half-Life 2 score of 128.9fps at 1,024x768. (This test was recently altered, due to changes made by the game manufacturer, and this should push scores even higher.) The application score of 255 on BAPCo SYSmark 2004 was equally inspiring. THE WARRANTY: Overdrive provides one year of parts-and-labor coverage and toll-free tech support. That’s meager considering the PC’s price. A warranty upgrade costs $100 per year. No onsite service is available, but Overdrive covers shipping both ways while the PC is under its Platinum warranty. Puget housed its creation in the Silverstone Temjin TJO7 chassis, which is massive at 25.5x8.6x22.2 inches (HWD) and hefty at more than 50 pounds with all the hardware installed. Beneath the slot-loading double-layer DVD±RW burner, you can watch the water from the liquid-cooling system flow through a reservoir, which glows blue from the light of an LED. The other available external bay is occupied by Creative’s X-Fi Fata1ty FPS audio control panel. All other bays are occupied by internally mounted devices, including a water-pump assembly and a special watercooled cage for the two 10,000rpm 74GB hard drives, which are set to RAID Level 0. Because nearly every component is watercooled, the interior is loaded with tubing, radiators, pumps, shielded cables, and special waterblock fittings. This hardware added more than $1,100 to the price of the computer. Puget offers desktops based on AMD Puget Liquid Cooled SLI Editors’ Rating: 7.5 out of 10 Pros: Strong 3D performance; liquid cooling provides plenty of headroom for overclocking; well-built; includes top components Cons: One-year warranty; large; expensive; monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse cost extra THE COMPANY: Seattle-based Puget is a build-to-order shop that specializes in custom-made desktops, servers, and laptops. THE COMPUTER: The tricked-out Liquid Cooled SLI we tested proved to be a top 3D performer. It’s pricey at $6,438 without any accessories, but its wow factor is high. Feature Comparison EDITORS’ RATING CONFIGURATION Processor System Memory Graphics Hard Drives First Optical Drive Second Optical Drive Monitor Speakers Operating System Warranty (Parts/Labor) COMPANY DIRECT PRICE 80 and Intel processors, with a variety of motherboard choices. If you don’t see the part you want while configuring online, fill out the comments section and someone from Puget will contact you to review your request and order the part. Our PC came with a 2.8GHz Athlon 64 FX-57 processor and 2GB of DDR memory. A pair of 256MB nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX graphics cards provides the 3D muscle. Missing from the configuration was a sizable hard drive, but you’ll find plenty of room to add one. This wasn’t the fastest 3D system we’ve seen, but it’s close at 110.6fps on Half-Life 2 at 1,024x768 resolution. Its application-performance mark of 235 on BAPCo SYSmark 2004 was equally impressive. Although the Puget was configured to run at default settings, bumping up the processor speed and GPU timings will result in improved performance, possibly better than the Overdrive PC’s. Its elaborate watercooling system qualifies it for overclockPuget Liquid Cooled SLI ing, as does its 7.5 warranty. THE WARRANTY: A 2.8GHz Athlon 64 FX-57 short one-year war2GB DDR Two nVidia GeForce ranty covers this 7800 GTX (256MB) costly PC, but Puget Two 74GB pays for shipping in DVD±RW (double-layer) both directions if you None None need service, and exNone tensions are reasonWindows XP Professional ably priced. AAC LiquidXS ATI Crossfire NiveusMedia Media Center Denali Edition Overdrive Torque.SLI 7.3 7.3 8.4 2.6GHz Athlon 64 FX-55 1GB DDR Two ATI Radeon X850 XT (256MB) Two 74GB, one 200GB DVD±RW (double-layer) None None None Windows XP Professional Edition One year/three years 3.2GHz Pentium 4 540 4GB DDR nVidia GeForce 6600 GT (128MB) Two 400GB DVD±RW (double-layer) None None None Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 One year/one year 2.8GHz Athlon 64 FX-57 1GB DDR Two nVidia GeForce 7800 GTX (256MB) Two 74GB, one 200GB DVD±RW (double-layer) DVD-ROM None None Windows XP Professional Edition One year/one year All American Computers 866-468-2819 www.aacdirect.com NiveusMedia 866-258-2929 www.niveus.com Overdrive PC 866-410-9958 www.overdrivepc.com Puget Custom Computers 425-458-0273 www.pugetsystems.com $4,889 $6,298 $4,924 $6,438 February 2006 computershopper.com Edition One year/one year Reviews by Dan Ackerman, Denny Atkin, John Delaney, and Joshua Goldman Illustrations by David Flaherty GiveorGoGreen DONATE OR RECYCLE THOSE OUTDATED TECH PRODUCTS IN EXCHANGE FOR SOME GOOD KARMA— AND MAYBE A DISCOUNT ON FUTURE SHOPPING. pounds. You’ll receive a prepaid UPS mailing slip, and all you have to do is pack up the parts and take them to the nearest UPS drop-off site for recycling. by Kevin Savetz DISPOSAL WITH BENEFITS IF YOU STARTED OFF THE NEW YEAR with a shiny new computer, chances are you didn’t even get it plugged in before the question hit: “What am I going to do with the old one?” It might seem tempting to dispatch that bulky tower and huge CRT to a dusty corner in the basement and promptly forget about them, but it’s more responsible to dispose of yesterday’s technology by recycling it or donating it to charity. Whatever you do, don’t park the old equipment on the curb. Besides taking up landfill space, computers and peripherals contain lead, mercury, and other toxic materials that can leach into the ground and water table. In fact, some components are considered hazardous waste, making it illegal to toss them out with household trash. If there’s life left in those components, you’ll find plenty of organizations that specialize in getting them to people who really need them. (More on that later.) But if your old tech isn’t usable, the right thing to do is to make sure it’s disposed of properly. A good first step on the road to ecoresponsibility is to check with your PC’s manufacturer to see if it offers a recycling program. For a small fee, some big computer makers will take your old PC and other components (no matter who manufactured them, in most cases) and recycle what can be reused, before properly disposing of the rest. Hewlett-Packard’s hardware recycling program (www.hp.com/recycle) covers any piece of computer hardware from any manufacturer. The company charges $13 to $34 per item: Recycling a typical desktop PC and CRT monitor will cost around $46. Once you pack up the old equipment, HP will arrange for it to be picked up from your home or business. For $29.99, IBM’s Recycling Service (www.ibm.com/ibm/environment/ products) will take your retired PC, display, printer, and other components—as much as you can fit into a 26-inch-square box. The company will either recycle or refurbish the equipment, depending on its age and condition. Refurbished items are donated to Gifts In Kind International, an organization that links corporate donors and various recipient charities; you’ll receive a receipt for tax purposes. Apple’s program (www.apple.com/ environment/recycling) is similar: For a $30 fee, the company will accept a 26-inch-square box of components up to 60 If you’re just not willing to pay to recycle, you may be able to find a program that pays you. Dell (www.us.dell.com/recycle) offers free recycling of an old PC when you buy a new Dell. The company provides prepaid airbills for shipping the old equipment and allows you to recycle two large items—such as the PC and monitor—plus smaller parts such as a keyboard and speakers. Data Wipeout NO MATTER HOW you dispose of that retired PC, it’s critical to remove any sensitive personal data on its hard drive. Simply tossing files into the Recycle Bin or reformatting the drive is not enough. Instead, you should wipe the hard drive to remove all traces of your financial information, passwords, e-mail messages, and other private data. Darik’s Boot and Nuke (dban. sourceforge.net) is a free, easy solution for destroying data. The utility creates a self-contained boot floppy or CD-R that securely erases the hard drives of most Macs and PCs. Active Kill Disk, also free, (www.killdisk.com) is another option. It only works on PCs, however. Dell also offers the option of giving your old equipment to the National Cristina Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides technology and training to disabled and economically disadvantaged children and adults. In addition to the good feeling you’ll get, you may be eligible for a tax deduction. And as a bonus, Dell will give you 10 percent off a future software or peripheral purchase. (You can also computershopper.com February 2006 83 donate to the National Christina Foundation directly. For more information, go to www.christina.org.) If you previously purchased a Gateway or eMachines PC, you may be able to get cash back for your old technology through Gateway’s Trade-In & Recycle program (gateway.eztradein.com). The amount you’ll receive depends on the condition and age of your items. An online trade-in estimator (gateway.eztradein.com/ gateway/calculators.cfm) makes an educated guess at your old machine’s value. A typical 1.3GHz Pentium 4 PC, for instance, could earn you $85 back. An older machine, such as a Pentium III, might have no trade-in value, in which case you can opt to pay a per-pound recycling fee. Regardless of where you purchased your PC, CNET’s Trade-In Center (cnet.tradeups.com) lets you turn it into cash to use toward the purchase of new gear. Get an instant online quote for the value of your old desktop, display, notebook, PDA, printer, digital camera, server, or projector, and CNET will contribute 10 percent of each trade-in’s value to the school of your choice. (CNET Networks is Computer Shopper’s parent company.) THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY If you prefer to keep your donations local, it’s pretty easy to find community organizations that will take your old tech. You can donate working PCs to a nonprofit organization or school in your area. Although the machine may be too anemic to handle today’s hottest 3D games, it probably has enough power to help a senior citizen get on the Internet or assist a student in learning word processing. Give judiciously, however. A too-old or nonworking PC can be a burden rather than a benefit, so contact the organization first to find out if it can use the hardware. Note that many groups have minimum specs for PCs (Pentium II or later, for instance). Share the Technology (www.sharetechnology.org) will help you find nonprofit organizations and schools in your area that can use technology products. Search the database to find a local group that needs hardware, or add your equipment to the list. If you can, donate some of your time along with the hardware: Many schools and organizations don’t have a tech-savvy staff to set up an old computer. An hour or two of your time to get that machine hooked up and working can only increase the good karma you’ve got coming. Finally, to dispose of unusable dead items, check with local government agencies for low-cost or free curbside-pickup options, drop-off centers, and periodic recycling events. Sell, Swap, or Drop Off THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS to turn old tech into new cash. All you need is a Web browser. For a nominal fee, you could auction off your old equipment. Just remember eBay (www.ebay.com) is a global marketplace, so you’ll want to include your geographic location and specify whether you’re willing to ship the items overseas. Even better, posting on Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) is a free and easy way to find local people willing to pay for old components. And if your trash doesn’t fetch any cash, you can almost always find someone on Craigslist who will trade old stuff for yours. Because the service is local, you typically don’t have to deal with the bother of shipping. If you don’t have luck unloading your PC and components for cash, try 84 February 2006 computershopper.com Freecycle (www.freecycle.org), a site that directs you to thousands of regional mailing lists. Subscribe to the list for your area, then post a message offering up your retired stuff. Within hours, you’re likely to receive at least a dozen messages from people willing to take it off your hands (for free, hence the name), no matter how old it is. You’ll need to make arrangements to get the items to their new home, but recipient pickup is customary, saving you the trouble of shipping or delivery. And Freecycle isn’t just for computers: The group’s mission is to keep material out of landfills by finding takers for unwanted items. Use the service to give or receive most any type of free item, from furniture to firewood. Salvage the Small Stuff CHANCES ARE YOU DON’T DISPOSE of large items like desktops, notebooks, and displays very often. But what about smaller gadgets and consumables that become old (or depleted) much quicker? These are also harmful to the environment and need to be carefully recycled. Those who print regularly know how fast ink cartridges get depleted. Fortunately, used inkjet and toner cartridges can be refilled and resold, and many organizations accept them. You can use prepaid mailers, available in many post offices, to send your used printer cartridges to Recycle-Free (www.recyclefree.com). The organization also lets you earn cash by collecting empty cartridges as a fund-raiser for your school, church, or business; it will supply collection envelopes and boxes for free. We Buy Empties (www. webuyempties.com) pays from 10 cents to $3 for each depleted inkjet cartridge. Hewlett-Packard (www.hp. com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/ environment/recycle) also accepts used HP inkjet and laser cartridges, and will even send you a prepaid mailer for returning them. Plenty of organizations accept old mobile phones for reuse. The Charitable Recycling Program (www. charitablerecycling.com), CollectiveGood (www.collectivegood.com), and ReCellular (www.wirelessrecycling. com) all salvage secondhand cell phones. (Collective Good also accepts PDAs and pagers.) If it works, they’ll give it to a charity; if not, they’ll recycle it in an environmentally responsible manner. The rechargeable batteries in phones, electric razors, and other gadgets should also be recycled. Rechargeable Battery Recycling (www.rbrc.org) provides the addresses of local businesses that will accept nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal-hydride, lithium-ion, and small sealed-lead batteries to be recycled for free. HELP &HOW-TO TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE TECH EASIER 92 Software Weekend Project 96 Software Weekend Project 98 Buying Advisor 115 Consumer Alert COMPUTER CURES ALFRED POOR DIVIDE AND CONQUER I have a new desktop running Windows XP Professional, with 4GB of RAM and two internal hard drives (250GB each). I bought the PC primarily for image processing in Photoshop. I plan to install Photoshop on the C: drive, and I want to partition 15GB of the other internal (D:) drive and designate it as a scratch disk used exclusively for Photoshop. The remaining space on the D: drive will be used for storage of images. Do I need special software to partition the second drive? E r i c a Tat e Your plan makes sense, because it may boost your system performance. And you don’t need special software—Windows XP has a disk-management utility that can handle the job for you. Start by backing up any data on the second hard drive that you want to keep— you’ll be wiping out anything stored on this drive, so now is the time to preserve it. Next choose Start, right-click on My Computer, and choose Manage. In the Computer Management window, if there’s a plus sign next to the Storage line, click on it to expand that section, then select Disk Management. You’ll see a list of the storage devices in your system. Disk 0 is your boot drive and holds your C: drive. Your secondary drive is Disk 1, and it has probably already been partitioned and formatted, and will show up as the D: drive. If this is the case, delete the partition by right-clicking on the drive and choosing Delete Partition. Next, right-click on the available space of the drive, and choose New Partition. The New Partition wizard will guide you through the process. First, create a new 235GB partition for the data portion of the drive; this will become the D: drive. Then, repeat the process for the remaining 15GB to create a logical drive in the remaining space, which will become the E: drive. Be sure to select the option to format the drives as you create them. Now you can restore your backed-up files and configure Photoshop to use the E: drive as the scratch disk. REGISTRY RESIDUE I was poking around in my Registry and decided to search for a program that I had deleted—or thought I had. I found the app, along with some other old programs I thought I’d deleted. Are these files taking up disk space? And are there other Registry archives where deleted files, documents, and programs are stored? If so, where can I find them? Kevin Collins What you found in your Registry are not the program files, but keys that once referred to those files. The Windows Registry is essentially a database that stores all the configuration information about your PC’s hardware and software. For programs, this often includes information about file locations and data formats. Poking around in your Registry can be risky, especially if you’re using the Windows REGEDIT utility. The program has no undo function, and changes take effect immediately. Many program-uninstall routines fail to remove these keys, but it’s really not much to worry about. These Registry entries take up a negligible amount of hard drive space. In my opinion, the potential for trouble increases when you try to remove these entries manually. Poking around in your Registry can be risky, especially if you’re using the Windows REGEDIT utility. This program has no undo function, and any changes you make take effect immediately, even if you haven’t explicitly saved the file. SCRATCH PAPER I am interested in making paper and was wondering if you had any information on what kind of coating is applied to paper to make it good for inkjet printing. L o r i Tr i b u r g o I’ve created homemade paper in the past, but I’ve never made it specifically for use in a printer. Inkjets are more tolerant of uneven paper surfaces than are other printer types, such as lasers, but I suspect you’ll want to press your paper sheets so that they have a relatively smooth surface. This may help prevent the ink from wicking along the exposed fibers. The glossy or slick paper used for magazines and similar printed materials has a fine clay coating on the surface. If you want to print fine details, you may want to investigate this option. To my knowledge, regular commercial bond paper used in printers does not have any coating, so you may not need any at all. DITCH THOSE DISKETTES! I just bought a removable flash drive because I want to copy—then dispose of—the hundreds of floppies I have all over my desk. I thought I could copy from a floppy directly to the flash drive. When I tried this, I received an error message stating that the source and destination disks are not the same type. I wanted a quick, easy way to save space. If I have to copy each file to my desktop, then to the flash drive separately, I might as well give the drive away. Do you have a solution? H o wa r d M i l b e r t computershopper.com February 2006 89 HELP & HOW-TO COMPUTER CURES TV ON MY PC? I’ve recently seen several online ads for Internet television. What is it? Harry Olivero TIP OF THE MONTH: A NON-WINDOWS BOOT SOLUTION In the good old days, if your hard drive had problems and you couldn’t boot Windows, you could grab a DOS floppy and boot with that, then access your hard drive to rescue files and troubleshoot the problem. Not so with Windows XP, which doesn’t offer such a boot option. You can boot from the Windows XP CD, but that method is best for repairing or reinstalling the OS, which can have unintended consequences. This month’s tipster has an alternate solution. When my Windows XP system has boot problems, I boot the PC using a live edition of one of the major Linux versions on a CD. These “test” versions allow you to boot without touching the hard drive, but they still give you access to retrieve all of your hard drive data. Robert Cook 90 February 2006 computershopper.com Internet television—also called IPTV or Next-Generation TV—simply means that programming is delivered over the Web instead of the traditional cable, satellite, or terrestrial broadcast systems. The content may be streamed, or you can download the files to your PC’s hard drive to play whenever you want, just as you can with MP3 audio files. This is an exciting new development that could change the way we think about television altogether, as it makes true “on-demand” programming possible. It also means we’ll be more likely to have a PC at the center of our entertainment system in the future. Apple’s recent success in offering downloadable music videos and popular TV programs seems to indicate that consumers are interested in getting their video content over the Internet. RANDOM RESETS My PC was stuck on the opening screen (the one right before the BIOS screen). I restarted the PC, and it booted up properly. Shortly after that, I was surfing the Web, and the PC suddenly reset itself again and went back to the beginning screen. It did this several times. I scanned for viruses, and my PC came up clean. I’ve replaced the video card, I haven’t spent a lot of time with Linux, but I’m motivated to change that on the basis of this tip. You can download a bootable image of most major versions of the OS for free. If you’re not sure how to record it on a CD-R so that it’s bootable, simply plug “Linux CD” into your favorite search engine, and you’ll find several sources that will sell you a CD, usually for less than $10. Make sure that the version you choose will give you access to your hard drive. Some “test” Linux CDs don’t let you read or write data on a hard drive so that you don’t risk messing up your existing in- and my machine still resets itself randomly, for no apparent reason. Any idea why this is happening? Mark Harris Intermittent PC problems are the most difficult to diagnose. I’ve got three possible suspects, however: overheating, electrical-power problems, and failing components. Because the problem occurs right after booting up, overheating can likely be ruled out. And if the problem were with the electrical supply, I suspect you would have noticed your PC’s lights dimming intermittently, so we can probably rule that out as well. This leaves the possibility of a failing component, but pinpointing the faulty one can be difficult. You can try removing and reseating all expansion cards and socketed components—such as the CPU and memory modules—and disconnecting and reconnecting all cables, including the ones from the power supply. If this doesn’t help, it’s likely that a component is failing. You might try replacing the power supply, since that’s an inexpensive experiment, but beyond that, it may not be worth the time, effort, and cost to track down and replace the culprit. A new PC may be the most cost-effective strategy. stallation. Also, try to find a version that supports USB drives. USB drives have a larger capacity, are faster, and are more convenient to use than floppies— all factors that are important if you have to copy files to one from a damaged drive. Finally, Linux can read and write data on drives partitioned with FAT32, but it can only read NTFS-formatted drives. So this tip may let you recover data from a damaged XP system, but you won’t be able to fix a problem on the hard drive if it was partitioned with NTFS. Still, a Linux CD is a handy tool to have, and you should add one to your PC-troubleshooting kit. Send us your favorite tip, and you could receive a tipster’s prize package. “Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures,” Computer Shopper, 28 E. 28th St., 10th Fl., New York, NY 10016-7942 [email protected] Please include your name. Due to the number of letters we receive, we cannot provide personal replies, nor return any enclosures. Illustration by David Flaherty I recommend that you put the contents of each floppy in a separate folder on the flash drive. The easiest way to do this is to use a batch file, a short text file that issues a series of commands. It will make it easy to automate the process. I’ll assume that the flash drive shows up as drive E:, but you should substitute the appropriate letter, if necessary. Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories> Notepad. Enter the following lines: E: md %1 xcopy a:*.* \%1 /S Save this file as COPYFLOP.BAT in your Windows folder. Now, put a floppy in the drive. Choose Start > Run. Type COPYFLOP folder where folder is the name you want for this floppy, and press OK. This will create a new folder on your flash drive, and it will then copy all the files and folders from the floppy to the flash drive. (Note that it won’t copy empty folders; if you want to include them, change the /S to /E.) When it’s done, just put in a new floppy and repeat with a new folder name. HELP & HOW-TO WEEKEND PROJECT SOFTWARE 1 A little PC maintenance can speed up your startups. Although nothing in the following steps is particularly risky, Windows XP is unpredictable enough to warrant a nod to Murphy’s Law. So, before you do anything else, run a thorough virus check, then create a safe place to go back to using Windows XP’s System Restore utility. (Right-click on My Computer, then click Properties > System Restore.) For added protection, perform a full backup of your hard drive. Using a stopwatch, time how long your startup takes before you make any changes. But because it’s not always obvious when the sequence is complete, first place a shortcut to the Notepad applet in the Windows startup group as a point of reference. To do this, right-click the Start button, and click Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click Classic Start menu > Customize > Advanced. In the Start Menu folder, find the Notepad shortcut (in the Start Menu/Programs/Accessories folder) and drag it to the Startup folder under Programs. Now, STARTUP DETAIL each time you boot up, Windows will Before After Event 0.00 0.00 Power on open a Notepad winManufacturer splash screen appears dow on the desktop. “Windows XP” with animated If you time how long horizontal bar appears it takes for the win“Welcome” appears dow to appear before Desktop appears and after tweaks are Windows Notepad applet opens made, you’ll know if Use a table like this to jot down your you’ve accomplished before-and-after bootup times. anything. You can always remove the shortcut once you’ve completed your beforeand-after timing comparison. Exit Windows, then power off your machine. Wait a few seconds, then power back on again, and start timing. If the startup sequence pauses for your username and password, stop the clock at the pause, then restart it after you’ve entered the information. Tip: To keep an accurate account of your efforts, draw up a table in which you can record your bootup times. You can time different intervals, such as when the manufacturer splash screen appears, or when the Desktop appears. Kick-Start Your Bootup 92 February 2006 computershopper.com Illustration by David Flaherty BY JOHN WORAM DOES IT SEEM LIKE the more time you spend with your Windows XP installation, the longer your PC takes to pull itself out of bed when booting up? It’s not a sign of old age; it’s the ever-growing accumulation of detritus that various applications and hardware deposit on your hard drive when you install them. Whether these items are functional or completely useless, they all take time to load. Here’s how to trim the bloat and reduce the time it takes your PC to get ready for action. Prepare your system 2 Check what’s automatically running As your PC boots up, Windows looks in several locations for instructions on how to launch the various applications and processes that load at startup. Depending on the program, the locations for these instructions vary. Many are in the Registry, a hierarchical database of user, application, and hardware-device information. Others are in a Startup group folder, and a select few could be in your PC’s WIN.INI file. We’ll refer to these locations collectively as the Autorun group, because the items they contain run automatically every time Windows starts. To see which ones are in the Registry, go to Start > Run, then type in REGEDIT.EXE to enter the Registry. Just don’t alter anything—changes to the Registry are irreversible and could cause serious damage to your PC. Even advanced users can run into trouble in a hurry if they’re not careful. The Run keys are the most important. You’ll find The Run Registry key displays a list of them by items that load at startup. drilling down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/ CurrentVersion. If you double-click the Run folder, you’ll see some items that load when you boot your PC. You can examine the items in the Startup group folder by going to Start > All Programs > Startup. Finally, you can see if anything is in the WIN.INI file by selecting Start > Run, then typing WIN.INI. Look for anything listed on a RUN= or LOAD= line. It’s unlikely you’ll find anything there, but checking won’t hurt. 3 Dismiss unwanted Autorun items Now you can use Windows’ System Configuration Utility to trim the fat from the Registry Run keys and the Startup group. To start the utility, select Start > Run, then type MSCONFIG. Select the Startup tab to show a list of items executed during bootup. To see the entire Command column, stretch it to the right. A scroll bar should now appear at the bottom of the window, enabling you to view more of the Location information. Scroll down the list to see if you recognize anything that shouldn’t be there. If so, all you have to do is clear its checkbox to remove the appropriate Registry comUse the powerful System Configuration mand line or Utility to easily (but not permanently) remove software from the boot procedure. Startup group shortcut. Tip: The items you remove from the Windows System Configuration Utility aren’t lost; they’ve just moved to a “startupreg” or “startupfolder” key in the Registry. You can retrieve them later if it turns out you shouldn’t have removed them. To restore an item to the bootup routine, simply run the utility again, and re-check the item’s box. 4 Uncover unknown items It’s not unusual for the System Configuration Utility’s Startup tab to display a Startup item with no name, making it next to impossible to determine whether it’s important. One way to find out is to disable that line by unchecking it. If you’re running a security utility such as ZoneAlarm Security Suite, you may get a pop-up warning message that identifies the name of the item about to be changed. If so, just do a Google search on the name for more details. If no alert appears, download the freeware app Autoruns The Autoruns app displays a list of items that load during startup. “Files not found” likely are remnants of uninstalled apps. (www.sysinternals.com/utilities/autoruns.html) to display a great deal of useful information about Autorun items on your system. Double-click any item on the list, and the utility opens the Registry Editor, highlighting the line associated with that item. If that’s not enough info, right-click any highlighted Registry entry, and select Google on the context menu to search the Web for more information about the highlighted item. (In the current version, 8.22, this feature doesn’t work on items listed in the Startup groups.) Tip: Also, check the Image Path column within Autoruns for any line that starts with “File not found.” Such lines are probably artifacts from uninstalled applications that didn’t do a good job of cleaning up after themselves. 5 Clock your speed Once you’ve identified the items that don’t need to be launched every time Windows starts, use the System Configuration Utility’s Startup tab or the Autoruns utility to clear the checkboxes next to the names of these items. Then, restart your computer to get a subjective feel for any speed improvement. Run a few of your frequently used applications just to make sure all’s well. If you discover you’ve accidentally disabled something vital, just use either utility to re-check the box next to that item. When you’re done, do a cold reboot, and time the complete startup sequence, ending when your Notepad window launches. Compare your before-and-after results to see how much time you trimmed from the sequence. Depending on what you were able to remove, the speed difference will range from modest to significant. Either way, you’ll have a little less “stuff” dragging down your system, and more memory will be freed up for your use. computershopper.com February 2006 93 HELP & HOW-TO WEEKEND PROJECT SOFTWARE 1 Protect your children from online predators. Safety Net A few months back, a steady procession of predators showed up at a home rigged with Dateline NBC hidden cameras to meet a 12-year-old who indicated she was open to the idea of having sex. The teen was a decoy volunteer from vigilante group Perverted-Justice (www. perverted-justice.com), but she could just as easily have been a real child. Law-enforcement officials estimate 50,000 predators are online at any given time, according to the Dateline segment. This doesn’t mean you have to rip the Ethernet cable from the wall if you have children who use the Net, however. These steps, combined with careful vigilance, can help you keep them safe online. 96 February 2006 computershopper.com Illustration by David Flaherty BY RICK BROIDA Batten down your browser Children can easily find explicit material on the Web—and if they don’t, it often finds them. If your daughter happens to type www.girl.com instead of www.gURL.com, the popular site for teenage girls, she’ll end up at a porn site. And until it was shut down recently, the porn site www.whitehouse.com displayed inappropriate images to young students who probably meant to type www.whitehouse.gov. Sites like these, which count on erroneously entered URLs, are shut down quickly, but as soon as they are, more crop up to replace them. And the most popular Web browsers offer little in the way of blocking tools. Mozilla Firefox offers no content filtering. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 has some tools, but they’re weak. Go to Tools > Internet Options > Content, and in the Content Advisor box, select Enable. In the new window you’ll see four categories: Language, Nudity, Sex, and Violence. To enable blocking, move the slider directly below the categories to the lowest level, then click Apply. Blocking is based on a self-rating system devised by the Recreational Software Advisory Council (now the Internet Content Rating Association). The downside: Most Internet sites haven’t rated themselves, and if you set Internet Explorer to block all unrated sites, you’ll lose access to some useful sites, including Amazon.com, Google, and even Internet Explorer’s filtering utility is dependent on sites Computer Shopper. rating themselves. As an alternative, download a child-friendly content-filtering Web browser such as Crayon Crawler (www.crayoncrawler.com), KidRocket KidSafe (www.kidrocket.org), or Noah’s Web (www.noahsweb.com). Noah’s Web comes with three browsers: one for children ages 4 to 12, one for teens, and one for parents. To ensure that your child can use only the child-friendly browser you install for Net surfing, create a user account in Windows that prevents installation of new apps. Go to Control Panel > User Accounts, and select “Create a new account.” In the wizard, enter a name for the new account, and select Limited. Now, password-protect any other accounts that aren’t Limited. This still leaves Internet Explorer, however, because it comes with Windows and can’t be uninstalled. To prevent your child from using Internet Explorer, password-protect it. Go to Tools > Internet Options, Crayon Crawler is a kid-friendly browser that automatically and select the Content blocks objectionable sites. tab. Under Content Advi- sor, click Enable. On the General tab, locate the “Supervisor password” area. Type in a password, then hit Apply. Tip: Mac users seeking robust content controls should check out BumperCar 2.0 (www.freeverse.com) for Mac OS X systems. 2 Safeguard America Online One of the safest online environments for children is America Online. The service lets parents invoke varying levels of control over Web browsing, instant messaging (IM), e-mail, and chat rooms. To access these settings, go to keyword: PARENTAL CONTROLS. Click your child’s screen name, then the button for the area you want to manage. Clicking Edit Web Control, for instance, will bring up choices ranging from Kids Only (which restricts all inappropriate content) to Mature Teen. When a child tries to view a suspect site, AOL blocks access until permission is received from the parent via either e-mail or IM. AOL also supplies a kid-friendly search engine AOL lets you give different that avoids potential traps inscreen names varying herent in Google and the like. levels of restrictions. Tip: With the Parental Controls window open, click the Internet Access Controls button, then click Turn On Internet Controls. This blocks access to inappropriate sites via an external browser. 3 Monitor instant messages If there’s one thing teens love more than MTV, it’s instant messaging, either in online chat rooms or via IM clients such as ICQ and Yahoo Messenger. Either way, a little parental intervention is essential. Start by telling your kids not to give out personal information, even when they’re in chat rooms with friends. It’s also a good idea to review their user profiles, as certain words and information can attract online predators. Try to keep the profile as nondescript as possible. Hobbies and interests are okay, but don’t specify age or sex. While chat rooms are more or less guaranteed to involve strangers, instant messaging should never be anonymous. All the major chat clients let you block messages from unknown users. In AOL Instant Messenger, press F7, click Privacy, then select “Allow only users on my Buddy List.” In ICQ, click Main > Security & Privacy Permissions > Spam Control, and enable “Accept messages only from users on my Contact List.” In MSN Messenger, click Tools > Options > Privacy, and enable “Only people on my Allow List can see my status and send me messages.” In Yahoo Messenger, click Messenger > Preferences > Ignore List, and enable “Ignore anyone who is Yahoo Messenger’s Ignore List lets you keep strangers from sending not on my Messenger instant messages to your child. List.” 4 Stop objectionable spam 5 Install safety software 6 Find out more Spam isn’t good for anyone, but for children, it can be particularly harmful, because links in e-mails can lead to pornographic Web sites. The solution: Install a spam filter. For e-mail clients such as Outlook or Outlook Express, OnlyMyEmail (www.onlymyemail.com) is a good add-on for blocking spam before it reaches your PC. But it’s more likely your kids are using free Web-based mail systems such as Hotmail or Yahoo Mail. If the service has a built-in spam filter, set it to the highest level of protection. Just keep in mind nothing can stop your child from perusing the Junk E-mail folder in search of legitimate mail caught by the filter. Tip: If your teenager uses Outlook Express, consider switching to Mozilla’s free Thunderbird (www.mozilla.org). It’s similar to Outlook Express in appearance and function, but it includes a builtin spam filter. To get all these features in one convenient package, consider installing a program designed specifically for the purpose. CyberPatrol 7.5 (www.cyberpatrol. com) and Net Nanny 5 (www.netnanny.com), both priced at $39.95, offer a wealth of protection features, including activity monitoring, site and image blocking, and time management (for limiting Net usage by time). Tip: Try before you buy. You can download fully functional versions of both programs and use them for two weeks. If one doesn’t CyberPatrol offers a thorough set of parental controls not offer the controls you want, found in other apps. try the other. Keeping abreast of threats lurking online goes a long way toward keeping your kids safe online. GetNetWise (kids.getnetwise.org), ProtectKids.com, and SafeKids.com offer plenty of articles, information, and resources, including links for reporting suspected cyber crimes. You’ll also find information on software and Web tools designed specifically for children. Perverted-Justice, mentioned earlier, has a section for parents on how to curb their children’s time online and how to spot if their kids are in danger. Also, try bookmarking a selection of kid-friendly sites so that your children are less tempted to wander the Web aimlessly. KidGrid (www.kidgrid.com) is a Yahoo-like search engine with categorized links, all of which have been designated “safe.” Kaboose (www.kaboose.com) provides fun stuff for kids and parents alike, from online games to party planning. Tip: It’s one thing to safeguard your own PCs, but that doesn’t help when your kids are online at their friends’ houses. Communicate with other parents. Relay your concerns, and share tips with them to make sure your child surfs safe, no matter whose computer he or she uses. computershopper.com February 2006 97 HELP & HOW-TO BUYING ADVISOR JOHN A. BUREK 2006: A Storage Space Odyssey The Advisor spins up five roomy Serial ATA hard drives. We tested each drive on an NCQ-compliant Promise SATA/300 TX4 controller, writing 1GB of music files to each from a 10,000rpm WD Raptor source drive, then copying (reading) the folder back to the Raptor. We did the same with a 600MB WAV file. All tests were done with NCQ on (if supported), then off, in turn. In each NCQ state, we ran each test solo, and again while playing a WAV file to judge each drive’s juggling ability. Surprisingly, our results hardly varied on any given test across drives, or across similar tests with the same drive. Virtually all comparable results fell within a 1-to-3second spread. Only the SpinPoint was consistently behind by a couple of seconds on most operations. Exit Samsung. So speed wasn’t much of a real-world differentiator—which brought us to warranty, and cost per gigabyte. Western Digital’s and Maxtor’s one-year plans disappointed, so we eliminated their drives. DeGracia should demand at least three years. (WD offers a $14.95 upgrade to three, but this swells the cost per gig.) Hitachi and Seagate remained. The 250GB Hitachi Deskstar T7K250’s grouplow cost per gig is hard to ignore, and its three-year warranty is competitive. We laud Seagate’s five-year plan, but how to weigh it against the Deskstar’s extra 90GB of space? Given price trends, replacing a 250GB drive will probably cost $50 in 2009. Therefore, we think depreciation makes the shorter warranty a fair risk, given the extra gigs at stake. Three years of coverage, 250GB—workz for us. A SURE SIGN you’re talking with a memronments but don’t confer the full benefit. ber of Generation Net: He casually refers NCQ should shine when multithreaded to programs as “appz” and “gamez.” In our apps and dual-core CPUs become comadvisee’s case, he’s out of room for both. monplace, but these are still emerging. “I need a 7,200rpm internal Serial ATA For today, though, the major U.S. drive drive,” writes Diego DeGracia, a student makers pitched us their roomiest SATA drives within DeGracia’s budget. Capacifrom Panama City, Panama. “At least ties ranged from 160GB to 250GB. (See the 160GB capacity, but not so expensive— table.) Four came as retail kits, with SATA less than $120. I don’t know whether to go data cables and install with Maxtor, Seagate, or someone else.” software; the fifth, THE CHALLENGE Neither did we. InSamsung’s SpinPoint User profile: Diego A. DeGracia, a ternal hard drives SP2004C, is sold only university student from Panama City, have become com“bare.” Bare drives lack Panama. modities; consumer cables or manuals. Computing needs: A 160GB or larger drives now have pre(Some of the kit drives Serial ATA internal hard drive, from a dictable specs, with can also be bought U.S. online shop, for his “appz” and once-premium bare for slightly less.) “gamez.” Budget: $120. 7,200rpm spin rates Three of the drives and 8MB buffers now support the latest THE SOLUTION near-universal. But SATA interface flavor, The Advisor’s choice: The $120 the Serial ATA (SATA) SATA/300. BackwardHitachi Deskstar T7K250 features interface, slowly compatible with group-leading capacity, competitive eclipsing familiar SATA/150 controllers speed, and a three-year warranty. and motherboards, IDE, is spurring drive SATA/300 supports higher maximum innovations, and DeGracia is pondering a recent feature of many SATA drives: Nadata-transfer rates. But most PCs don’t yet tive Command Queueing (NCQ). “What support SATA/300, so this isn’t a deal does it do?” he asks. “Does it really help?” maker or breaker. More critical: SATA To understand NCQ, think of a hard drives use a special, thin power-supply drive as a record player, but spinning connector. Some SATA drives have this magnetic platters instead of a Bee Gees LP. socket in addition to the familiar four-pin The “tone arm” shuttles to and fro, fetchMolex-style one, and you can use either; ing or writing data. But the data is often others have only the SATA type. If DeGrascattered in chunks across the platters, cia’s PC power supply isn’t recent, it lacks and multiple requests often vie for attenSATA power cables; he’d need a converter tion. NCQ reorders arm activity for top if the drive lacks a traditional connector. If you need help making a smart buying decision, efficiency. This Maxtor’s drive stumbled here: It had just e-mail [email protected]. also can reduce the SATA connector, and no converter. SATA Showdown wear and operHitachi Deskstar Maxtor SATA Ultra Samsung SpinPoint Seagate Barracuda WD Caviar SE 160GB ating noise. T7K250 200GB (L01M200) SP2004C 7200.9 (WD1600JD) The idea’s not Capacity/Interface 250GB, SATA/300 200GB, SATA/150 200GB, SATA/300 160GB, SATA/300 160GB, SATA/150 new (SCSI drives Spin Rate/Buffer/NCQ 7,200rpm/8MB/Yes 7,200rpm/8MB/Yes 7,200rpm/8MB/Yes 7,200rpm/8MB/Yes 7,200rpm/8MB/No Packaging/Warranty Retail kit/three years Retail kit/one year Bare drive/three years Retail kit/five years Retail kit/one year use similar tech), Power Connector(s) Four-pin and SATA SATA only SATA only* SATA only* Four-pin and SATA but in practice, Price/Cost per Gigabyte $120/48 cents $120/60 cents $100/50 cents $120/75 cents $99.99/63 cents URL www.hitachigst.com www.maxtor.com www.samsung.com www.seagate.com www.wdc.com NCQ requires a ANECDOTAL TESTING: SOLO OPERATION (NCQ ON) compliant moth1GB Folder Write/Read 34 sec./31 sec. 33 sec./31 sec. 35 sec./30 sec. 32 sec./34 sec. 33 sec./32 sec. erboard or SATA 600MB File Write/Read 17 sec./17 sec. 17 sec./17 sec. 20 sec./18 sec. 17 sec./18 sec. 16 sec./19 sec. controller—the ANECDOTAL TESTING: OPERATION WHILE PLAYING WAV FILE (NCQ ON) drives work fine in 1GB Folder Write/Read 32 sec/31 sec 33 sec./32 sec 34 sec./33 sec. 35 sec./37 sec. 32 sec./33 sec. 600MB File Write/Read 18 sec./17 sec. 17 sec./18 sec. 19 sec./18 sec. 19 sec./20 sec. 17 sec./18 sec. non-NCQ envi* = Converter cable included 98 February 2006 computershopper.com HELP & HOW-TO CONSUMER ALERT NANCY LANG-FELDMAN Whom to Call When Things Go Wrong is a wonderful thing, enabling you to browse without a salesperson looking over your shoulder, and check competitors’ prices with just a few clicks. Sadly, though, when problems arise, you’ll find this aversion to human contact is mutual. OKAY, ONLINE SHOPPING instructions. “When I called customer service, I was told it would be weeks or months because they were backlogged with orders. I called [the company president] about 11 p.m. on a Friday evening. All of the missing items were delivered to me Wednesday of the following week.” A few years later, Wise had a problem with a TigerDirect motherboard that shipped without instructions. “I tried for six weeks to contact someone and have the oversight corrected,” he recalls. “I would be put on hold, told to call another department, told the lines were too busy and to call back later, and hung up on.” Six weeks later, customer service told Wise the company didn’t supply instruction manuals with any of its motherboards. “The techie said I had to call them, and they’d tell me over the phone how to connect all the many pins and jumpers. Do you believe that?” This time, Wise consulted his phone-directory software for the home number of Carl Fiorentino, TigerDirect’s president. The company’s Web site revealed TigerDirect is based in Miami, and Wise found a single listing for a Carl Fiorentino in that city. Yahoo’s People Search offers the same information. “I was polite and apologetic for bothering [Mrs. Fiorentino] so near Christmas [December 24], and Mrs. F. was understanding.” She gave Wise the phone number for Fiorentino’s personal secretary, who was also sympathetic. “Within a few days I had a manual, and in a later e-mail correspondence directly from Mr. Fiorentino, an apology. I was told [by Fiorentino] that a few heads had rolled in the tech/customer-service departments.” Wise stresses this is something you should do only as a last resort. You could first try calling the executive in the office. Most companies list their physical addresses and officers’ names on their About Us pages. If you can’t find a main number through a Yellow Pages search, try Hoovers (www.hoovers.com). Here you can plug in an executive’s name, and, if you find a match, you’ll have the company’s mailing address and phone number. I struck gold on my first attempt at reaching the CEO’s office at Iomega. I called the main number, asked the IVR system for Werner Heid, and, within seconds, was speaking with his secretary. You could also try snail-mailing the office of the president. But if you’ve made every conceivable good-faith attempt to rectify a problem and your frustration level has reached critical mass, you may want to resort to the home number. Doing so is extreme—some may even say rude—but it could be a lot more rewarding than cursing at a voice-response system. Some online sellers go to great lengths to avoid you, even omitting their customer-service phone numbers from their sites. So whom are you going to call when the digital camera you ordered from Amazon.com arrives DOA or when that new hard drive won’t spin? Go to the Web site and find the phone number for customer service; I’ll wait here. Find it yet? Of course not—it isn’t there. Okay, now try Buy.com. Or Netflix. Beginning to get the picture? These companies don’t want to talk to you, particularly when you’ve got problems. So there you are, stuck with inoperable hardware or missing parts, and you want action—now. You don’t want support pages or FAQs; you want a human. As hard as they try to convince you otherwise, these companies actually do have phones. To make it easy for you, I’ve tracked down some customer-service numbers. Here are a few of the most elusive (and desirable): If you make it past the voiceresponse gatekeeper and the customer-service rep is less than helpful, try the CEO. Amazon.com: 800-201-7575, 206-266-2335. (With the second number, I actually got a live human being after only one ring!) Buy.com: 877-780-2464 Half.com: 800-545-9857, 888-879-4253 Netflix: 800-585-8131 Overstock.com: 800-843-2446, 800-989-0135 PayPal: 888-221-1161, 402-935-2050 Yahoo: 408-349-1572 This is all good, but what happens when you get caught in the telephone torture loop (see “I’ve Fallen Into a TTL, and I Can’t Get Out!” May 2004, p. 38), in which the robotic operator refuses to release you to a humanoid? That’s when Paul English’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Cheat Sheet (www.paulenglish.com/ivr) comes in handy. In my May column, I advised remaining silent until a live person picked up. But English provides some key combinations that can help you reach a carbon-based life form more k quickly at specific companies. oo eb on me Ph Ho ll You could always try hitting zero repeatedly e ry r C Ha ley ell y Ha rid C CEO and yelling a bit, but if that doesn’t work, or your g a In g ell me Io ac C e experiences with the living are no more rewarding, Isa Hom l ell Jil C ll e try taking your case to a higher authority. Fred Wise Jo h Ce s Jo of Glen Burnie, Md., goes so far as to roust top executives out of bed. His local credit union had a list of the names, addresses, and home phone numbers of the heads of every corporation in America; when stuck, he used it to go right to the top. He first used that list back in 1996, when he received an Iomega Zip drive without cables, power supply, or 3 2 1 6 5 4 9 # 8 7 0 Nancy Lang-Feldman is executive editor of Computer Shopper. Contact her at [email protected]. * computershopper.com February 2006 115 TECHMARKET THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMART TECHNOLOGY SHOPPING 117 SOHO Desktops 122 Desktop-Replacement Notebooks 132 Home and Small-Office Laser Printers 134 Performance 3D-Graphics Cards 136 External DVD Burners 138 Smart Phones 140 PC Service and Support Plans NEED TO KNOW SMALL-OFFICE/HOME-OFFICE DESKTOPS PROCESSOR Time is money, so steer clear of slower budget processors. Getting a CPU that’s one or two steps down from the fastest will give you the power you need at a good price. Upgrade: Expect to spend $90 for every 200MHzincrement upgrade of Intel 3GHz and faster processors. MEMORY 256MB of memory is standard for business PCs, but don’t expect to multitask efficiently. Raise the RAM to 512MB, and you’ll be able to switch among applications without delays. Upgrade: Each additional 256MB of DDR memory will cost roughly $50. GRAPHICS An office PC is the only case where integrated graphics won’t cause a huge performance hit. We still recommend getting a budget-price discrete graphics card, however. HARD DRIVE Bottom line: Protecting your business data is important. Ideally, go for two hard drives of at least 80GB apiece, configured in a RAID Level 1 array to ensure that your files are always backed up. Upgrade: Each additional 40GB of storage will cost about $36. Model Base Price* Processor RAM Graphics Next OPTICAL DRIVES A DVD±RW is wise for easy month: backups in a home office. If you’re worried about Budget Desktops employees walking away with vital company data, however, go with a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. SOUND AND SPEAKERS Integrated sound is common, and it’s probably all you’ll need. If you’ll be doing some afterhours digital media activities, adding a sound card is a better choice. As for speakers, opt for a good two-piece stereo set. MONITOR A CRT delivers more viewing space for a few hundred dollars less than similarly sized LCDs. But it’s hard to deny the appeal of an attractive, space-saving flat panel, so the choice may hinge on your budget and space constraints. Upgrade: 17-inch LCD monitors priced under $300 have become common. WARRANTY Productivity suffers most when your PC fails. Protect yourself with a three-year parts-and-labor package with 24/7 phone support, onsite service, and, if available, overnight replacement. —Joshua Goldman, Desktop Editor Hard Drive Optical Drive(s) Monitor Editor’s Take Find Out More 160GB DVD-ROM None More graphics power than the average office needs. Still, a powerful configuration for the price. www.abspc.com 800-876-8088 www.apple.com 800-692-7753 ABS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES Ultimate M5 Vortex $1,169 2GHz Athlon 64 3200+ 1GB nVidia GeForce 6600 GT iMac G5 $1,299 1.9GHz 512MB PowerPC G5 ATI Radeon 160GB X600 Pro DVD±RW 17-inch (double layer) LCD Unless you’re a graphic designer, this slim Mac has the muscle to perform office tasks without hogging space. Power Mac G5 $1,999 Two 2GHz 512MB PowerPC G5 ATI Radeon 160GB 9600 DVD±RW None (double layer) The standard for designers of all types, this Power Mac offers adequate components, though at a steep price. Dimension 3100 $549 2.8GHz Pentium 4 521 256MB Integrated 80GB CD-RW None As long as you don’t need tons of storage, this entry-level box will suffice for officeproductivity tasks. Optiplex GX620 $793 2.8GHz Pentium 4 521 512MB Integrated 80GB CD-ROM None Built for business, the Optiplex comes in four case designs, ranging from ultrasmall to a full desktop tower. Dimension 5100C $899 3GHz Pentium 4 630 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD/CD-RW 17-inch combo LCD Integrated graphics will be fine for most. This PC’s flexibility and compact design are what we like best. XPS 600 $1,649 3GHz Pentium 4 630 1GB nVidia GeForce 6800 160GB DVD-ROM, CD-RW 19-inch LCD Small-biz version of Dell’s gaming-andentertainment PC comes with a nice mix of parts, but it’s too flashy for work environs. APPLE COMPUTER DELL www.dell.com 800-999-3355 GATEWAY S-5200S $579.99 2.8GHz Pentium 4 521 512MB Integrated 40GB CD-RW None Short on hard drive space, but office desktops generally are. Entry-level specs match entry-level price. DX300S $699.99 3GHz Pentium 4 630 512MB Integrated 80GB CD-RW None Processor is a little more potent than that of the S-5200S. Unexpectedly, comes with Microsoft’s Media Center OS. E-4500S $989 3GHz Pentium 4 630 512MB Integrated 40GB CD-RW None A three-year service plan is standard— definitely something to look for in a PC relied upon for daily business. Profile 5.5 $1,199 2.8GHz Pentium 4 521 256MB Integrated 40GB CD-ROM 17-inch LCD This all-in-one is underpowered for the price; also, has only limited future upgrade options. www.gateway.com 800-369-1409 * = Base price reflects vendor’s default configuration. Most models are configurable. See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. computershopper.com February 2006 117 TECHMARKET SMALL-OFFICE/HOME-OFFICE DESKTOPS Base Price* Model Processor RAM Graphics Hard Drive Optical Drive(s) Monitor Editor’s Take Find Out More www.hp.com 888-999-4747 HEWLETT-PACKARD Compaq DX2000 Microtower $496 2.8GHz Pentium 4 521 256MB Integrated 40GB CD-ROM None An inexpensive way to get basic office chores done. When configuring, note that the microtower isn’t easy to upgrade. DX5150 $745 1.8GHz Athlon 64 3000+ 512MB Integrated 40GB CD-ROM None Horizontal design means the case can go under the display on your desk for easy access to drives and ports. Compaq DC7600 Ultraslim $899.99 3GHz Pentium 4 630 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD/CD-RW None combo Another slim form factor for the office. HP offers some interesting choices with this model, including a Linux OS option. DC5100 Microtower $986 2.8GHz Pentium 4 520 512MB Integrated 160GB CD-ROM Fine configuration includes three years of onsite repairs. Want more? HP offers upgrade recommendations for every PC. Value-Pro $999 2.2GHz Athlon 64 3500+ 1GB nVidia GeForce 6200 160GB DVD±RW 17-inch (double layer) LCD A great configuration for $1,000, but don’t www.ibuypower.com expect the service, documentation, and quality 888-462-3899 control you’d get from a bigger vendor. Dream 2006 $1,469 2.8GHz Pentium D 820 1GB nVidia GeForce 7800 GT 200GB DVD±RW None (double layer), DVD-ROM An excellent price for a lot of fine parts. Could easily double as a game machine and home-office workhorse. ThinkCentre A50 $399 128MB Integrated 40GB CD-ROM None ThinkCentre E50 $699 2.53GHz Celeron 325 3.06GHz Pentium 4 519K 512MB Integrated 80GB CD-RW None More small-office than home-office; comes loaded with utility, productivity, and security apps. A straight-up office workstation. The case might say Lenovo, but IBM’s familiar look and feel are still at the heart. ThinkCentre M51 $859 256MB Integrated 40GB CD-ROM None ThinkCentre S51 $1,089 2.66GHz Celeron D 331 3.2GHz Pentium 4 541 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD-ROM None None IBUYPOWER LENOVO www.lenovo.com 866-458-4465 Three-year parts-and-labor warranty doesn’t make up for low-end parts. Upgrades are definitely in order. If you’re pinched for space, this highly compact desktop works well—but you’ll pay for the design. POLYWELL COMPUTERS Poly 939NX-3200 $999 2GHz Athlon 64 3200+ 512MB nVidia GeForce 6200 TC 80GB DVD±RW 17-inch (double layer) LCD The iBuypower Value-Pro is a better deal, but this compact tower might be more appealing for the space-constrained. Poly 845PE-ISA $1,019 2GHz Pentium 4 256MB 40GB CD-RW Many better deals abound, such as the the 945GX below. Poly 945GX $1,243 2.8GHz Pentium D 820 1GB nVidia GeForce4 MX420 Integrated 120GB DVD±RW 17-inch (double layer) LCD If you can afford the extra cash, this is the best price-to-part ratio from Polywell; will handle productivity apps with aplomb. 512MB Integrated 200GB DVD±RW None (double layer) www.sonystyle.com 877-865-7669 512MB Integrated 250GB DVD±RW None (double layer), DVD-ROM Sony’s VAIO PCs are aimed more at A/V fans than cubicle dwellers. But this isn’t a bad option for a home office. Only slightly more punch than VGC-RB53. Sony includes a nice selection of apps on its PCs, though many are trial versions. www.systemaxpc.com 888-845-6225 17-inch CRT www.polywell.com 800-999-1278 SONY ELECTRONICS VAIO VGC-RB53 VAIO VGC-RB51P $749.99 3GHz Pentium 4 630 $1,099 3.2GHz Pentium 4 640 SYSTEMAX Venture S519J $599.99 3.06GHz Pentium 4 519J 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD/CD-RW None combo A fairly standard business PC. Its AGP slot means you can add discrete graphics, though only an older card. Venture HU B650I $999.99 3.4GHz Pentium 4 650 1GB Integrated 250GB DVD±RW None (double layer) More power here than in the S519J. Also has an available slot for a graphics card, but here it’s newer PCI Express. Vector SX-V $859 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD/CD-RW None combo $1,135 512MB 120GB DVD-ROM, CD-RW None ProMagix PCX $1,245 nVidia GeForce 6600 nVidia GeForce 6600 120GB DVD-ROM, CD-RW None Build quality is exceptional, but for those who need power, the Systemax Venture HU B650I offers more. Similarly configured to the ProMagix below, but with an Athlon CPU. Should handle office tasks easily. The 500-watt power supply will allow this machine to grow if your business demands expansion. www.velocitymicro.com 800-303-7866 Vision 64 3GHz Pentium 4 630 2.2GHz Athlon 64 3500+ 3.2GHz Pentium 4 640 2.66GHz Pentium 4 505 2GHz Sempron 3000+ 512MB Integrated 120GB DVD/CD-RW None combo www.ztgroup.com 866-984-7687 512MB Integrated 200GB DVD±RW 17-inch (double layer) LCD Won’t satisfy power users, and ZT doesn’t offer many upgrade options. But the hearty warranty with onsite service is a plus. You lose the three-year warranty from the X6755, but you gain in components and get an LCD. $52 restores the coverage. VELOCITY MICRO 512MB ZT GROUP Pro Business X6755 $649 SOHO PC A4016 $749 = Editors’ Choice * = Base price reflects vendor’s default configuration. Most models are configurable. See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. 118 February 2006 computershopper.com NEED TO KNOW DESKTOP-REPLACEMENT NOTEBOOKS (MORE THAN 7 POUNDS) PROCESSOR When choosing a CPU, configure your system with a robust processor such as Intel’s desktop Pentium 4 with Hyper-Threading technology, a fast Pentium M, or AMD’s 64-bit Athlon 64. Upgrade: Expect to pay about $50 for every 200MHz-increment upgrade of Pentium 4 processors. MEMORY Don’t be frugal with main system RAM—inadequate memory can drastically slow overall performance. Shoot for 512MB or even 1GB. Upgrade: Each additional 256MB of DDR SDRAM will cost roughly $60. GRAPHICS If you play games, go for the latest graphics solutions with dedicated memory from ATI or nVidia. If you’re not a gamer, save a little money by opting for 64MB or 128MB of graphics RAM rather than 256MB. HARD DRIVE A 40GB or 60GB drive may be plenty of space for casual users, but those who have large digital music collections, play lots of advanced games, or edit digital video should opt for 80GB or more. Upgrade: Each additional 20GB of storage should cost about $30. OPTICAL DRIVES Look for a multiformat (DVD±RW) Base Price* Processor Model Hard Optical Drive Drive Next DVD burner, which writes to both plus- and month: Thin-andminus-format media. The drive’s write speed Light is a secondary consideration, and slower Notebooks drives are cheaper. Upgrade: Expect to pay about $100 to upgrade to a DVD±RW from a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. CASE Don’t fear heft and weight, because you probably won’t be traveling with a desktop replacement. Powerful components do tend to run hot, so ensure that the case provides proper ventilation. Note that magnesium and other molded metal enclosures usually dissipate heat better than plastic ones. WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Integrated 802.11 wireless networking (Wi-Fi) is an essential feature. Most notebooks ship with 802.11b/g internal Wi-Fi radios, which is plenty fast for typical users. 802.11a is not widely used. MONITOR Go for a wide-screen 17-inch or 15-inch TFT. Whether you’ll be watching DVDs in all their letterboxed glory or merely viewing multiple documents at once, more screen is always better. —Brian Bennett, Notebooks Editor RAM Graphics Display Wireless Weight Editor’s Take 512MB ATI Mobility 60GB Radeon 9700 512MB ATI Mobility 120GB DVD±RW Radeon X800 (two 60GB) 17 inches 802.11b/g 512MB ATI Mobility 100GB DVD±RW 17 inches Radeon X700 (double layer) 802.11b/g 512MB nVidia 60GB GeForce Go 6600 ATI Mobility 60GB Radeon 9700 DVD±RW 15.4 inches 802.11b/g DVD±RW 17 inches 802.11b/g 1GB nVidia GeForce Go 7800 GTX 80GB DVD±RW 17 inches (double layer) 802.11b/g 512MB ATI Mobility 60GB Radeon X300 DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo 802.11b/g 512MB ATI Mobility 40GB Radeon X600 CD-ROM 15.4 inches 802.11b/g 512MB nVidia Quadro FX Go1400 nVidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra 40GB CD-ROM 15.4 inches 802.11b/g 80GB DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo None 40GB DVD/CD-RW 15 inches combo 802.11a/b/g 7 lbs. Find Out More ABS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES Mayhem G3 Mayhem G5 $1,449 2GHz Mobile Athlon 64 3200+ $2,699 3.2GHz Pentium 4 540J DVD/CD-RW 15.4 inches 802.11b/g combo 7.1 lbs. May not pack all the punch of a Pentium 4 laptop, and graphics engine is showing its age. 12.6 lbs. Lots of cash buys premium components for desktop-level performance. Huge at almost 13 pounds. www.abspc.com 800-876-8088 ACER AMERICA Aspire $1,399 AS9502WSMi 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 8.4 lbs. A nice deal for the price, considering www.acer.com the DVD burner, roomy hard drive, 800-571-2237 and competent 3D graphics. CYBERPOWER Xplorer X5-5700 Xplorer X64-9900 Xplorer X7-9000 $1,265 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 $1,679 2GHz Mobile Athlon 64 3000+ $2,525 3GHz Pentium 4 630 1GB 7.2 lbs. A low-cost thin-and-light machine www.cyberpowerpc.com with decent parts. 3D graphics 800-707-0393 could be better, however. 8.5 lbs. Powerful 64-bit CPU, plus lots of extras, including generous RAM and a DVD burner. 8.5 lbs. An aggressively styled gaming laptop with multimedia capabilities and a sweet 17-inch wide-screen display. DELL Inspiron 9300 $1,299 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 Latitude D810 $2,078 2.26GHz Pentium M 780 Precision M70 $2,148 1.73GHz Mobile Pentium M Workstation 740 XPS M170 $2,399 2GHz Pentium M 760 1GB 7.9 lbs. A cutting-edge processor, a huge www.dell.com screen, and decent graphics make 800-999-3355 for a good deal. 7 lbs. Hearty components, along with a sturdy design; a smart choice for business buyers. 7.1 lbs. Designed for mobile graphics gurus. Expensive, but has pro-grade 3D prowess. 8.6 lbs. The ultimate in mobile gaming. Features pace-setting 3D speed and application performance. FUJITSU LifeBook E8020 LifeBook N3520 LifeBook N6220 $1,399 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 $1,499 1.86GHz Pentium M 750 $2,449 1.86GHz Pentium M 750 256MB Integrated 512MB 1GB Affordable, but with an unimpressive www.fujitsu.com/us mix of specs. Lacks wide-screen 800-385-4878 LCD and dedicated graphics. ATI Mobility 80GB DVD/CD-RW 15.4 inches 802.11a/b/g 7.5 lbs. Offers a decent configuration and Radeon X300 combo the Windows XP Media Center OS at an average price. ATI Mobility 200GB DVD±RW 17 inches 802.11a/b/g 9.3 lbs. Pricey, but packed with potent 3D Radeon X600 (two graphics and two massive 100GB 100GB) hard drives. * = Base price reflects vendor’s default configuration. Most models are configurable. Prices are subject to change. = Editors’ Choice See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. SECTION CONTINUES ON PAGE 130 122 February 2006 computershopper.com TECHMARKET DESKTOP-REPLACEMENT NOTEBOOKS (MORE THAN 7 POUNDS) Base Price* Processor RAM Graphics S-7700N $1,349 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 512MB ATI Mobility 40GB Radeon X700 NX850X $1,399 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 512MB ATI Mobility 60GB Radeon X700 Model Hard Optical Drive Drive Display Wireless Weight Editor’s Take Find Out More DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo 802.11b/g 7.7 lbs. Thin and light for a 17-incher, and decent specs for the price, but the NX850X is a much better bargain. www.gateway.com 800-369-1409 DVD±RW 17 inches (double layer) 802.11b/g 7.7 lbs. Robustly configured for the price. There’s a lot to like here, including a big, wide LCD and a DVD burner. GATEWAY HEWLETT-PACKARD Compaq R4000 $699 1.8GHz Sempron 3200+ 256MB ATI Radeon 40GB Xpress 200M DVD/CD-RW 15.4 inches 802.11b/g combo 7.8 lbs. A budget model that’s easy on the wallet but woefully underpowered. www.hp.com 888-999-4747 Pavilion ZV6000 Series $879 1.8GHz Sempron 3200+ 256MB ATI Radeon 40GB Xpress 200M DVD/CD-RW 15.4 inches None combo 8 lbs. The price is under a grand, but you get components good for only basic computing. Pavilion DV8000z Series $1,149 1.8GHz Turion 64 ML-32 512MB ATI Radeon 80GB Xpress 200M DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo 802.11b/g 8.1 lbs. Well-designed and equipped for multimedia, with a beefy CPU and expansive screen. Pavilion ZD8000 Series $1,399 2.8GHz Pentium 4 520 512MB ATI Mobility 60GB Radeon X600 DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo None 9.3 lbs. Features a mighty desktop CPU and decent graphics engine, but at near 10 pounds, not exactly slim. $1,079 1.8GHz Mobile Athlon 64 2800+ 512MB ATI Mobility 40GB Radeon 9700 Pro DVD/CD-RW 15.4 inches None combo 7.7 lbs. Inexpensive price nets a 64-bit processor with a modest mix of components. Lacks Wi-Fi. www.ibuypower.com 888-462-3899 40GB DVD/CD-RW 15 inches combo 802.11b/g 7.2 lbs. A pleasing price for a ThinkPad, but apart from the robust CPU, other upgrades are in order. www.lenovo.com 866-458-4465 1GB ATI Mobility 40GB Radeon X600 DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo 802.11b/g 8.8 lbs. On the pricey side, given its underpowered processor, smallish hard drive, and lack of a DVD burner. 1GB ATI Mobility 160GB DVD±RW 17 inches Radeon X700 (double layer) 802.11b/g 8.8 lbs. You’ll pay for Sony’s elegant style in this model, but you’ll also get topnotch components. None 7.3 lbs. 9.5 lbs. Affordable 17-incher should work well for the basics, but serious gamers should look elsewhere. IBUYPOWER Battalion 101 S-Turbo LENOVO ThinkPad G Series $1,049 3.06GHz Pentium 4 532 256MB Integrated SONY ELECTRONICS VAIO VGN-A600 $1,429 1.4GHz Celeron M 360 VAIO $2,229 1.86GHz VGN-AX570G Pentium M 750 www.sonystyle.com 877-865-7669 TOSHIBA AMERICA Satellite M60 $1,249 1.5GHz Celeron M 370 256MB Integrated 40GB DVD/CD-RW 17 inches combo Light for a 17-inch laptop, but over- www.toshiba.com priced given its underpowered parts. 800-316-0920 Comes in choice of three colors. Satellite P35 $1,599 3.46GHz Pentium 4 552 512MB ATI Mobility 100GB DVD±RW/ Radeon 9000 DVD-RAM 17 inches 802.11b/g Qosmio G25 $2,499 2GHz Pentium M 760 1GB nVidia GeForce Go 6600 120GB DVD±RW/ (two DVD-RAM 60GB) 17 inches 802.11a/b/g 9.5 lbs. The best combination of TV, DVR, stereo, DVD player, and highperformance laptop we’ve seen. WINBOOK COMPUTER V120 $899 2.53GHz Celeron D 325 512MB Integrated 60GB DVD/CD-RW 15.1 inches 802.11b/g combo 8.4 lbs. Affordable, but an anemic processor www.winbook.com and integrated graphics make it 800-254-7806 suitable only for the basics. A710 $1,099 1.8GHz Athlon 64 3000+ 512MB Integrated 80GB DVD±RW 17 inches (double layer) 7.9 lbs. A solid deal on a set of competent components, save the feeble integrated graphics. 802.11b/g * = Base price reflects vendor’s default configuration. Most models are configurable. Prices are subject to change. = Editors’ Choice See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. THE BEST RECENTLY REVIEWED DESKTOP-REPLACEMENT NOTEBOOKS Dell XPS M170 • $3,624 (as tested) • Editors’ Rating 8.3 Powered by a top-shelf processor and state-of-the-art graphics engine, the XPS M170 is one of the fastest, slimmest gaming machines we’ve seen. Dell XPS M170 Toshiba Qosmio G25 • $2,499 (as tested) • Editors’ Rating 8.1 This Qosmio delivers the most complete portable multimedia experience you can get. A gloss-black beauty, it features the Windows XP Media Center OS and a TV tuner. HP Pavilion DV8000z • $1,699 (as tested) • Editors’ Rating 7.0 In addition to a pleasing design, well-selected multimedia features, and solid performance, the DV8000z costs much less than the competition. 130 February 2006 computershopper.com NEED TO KNOW HOME AND SMALL-OFFICE LASER PRINTERS COLOR OR MONOCHROME With a few color laser models priced under $1,000, some small businesses might find it worth the splurge to add some extra pop to its printed materials. For the most part, however, monochrome lasers are a far better value for home users and small businesses. RESOLUTION Print resolution refers to the maximum number of dots per inch (dpi) a printer creates, measured both horizontally and vertically. For example, a 600x600dpi laser printer lays down a 1-inch square comprising 600 dots across by 600 dots down. A resolution of 600dpi is more than adequate for most textprinting tasks. If you’re printing more-demanding jobs— newsletters, for instance—consider models that print at 1,200dpi or even 2,400dpi resolution. Model Price Monochrome/ Maximum Color Resolution SPEED This spec measures how many pages per minute (ppm) a printer pumps out. Today’s laser printers should deliver more than 10ppm of text, with slightly slower speeds for a mixture of text and graphics. Most color lasers do four separate passes on color printouts, so expect much slower speeds. (Actual print speeds are slower than rated speeds.) CONNECTIVITY All printers have either a USB 1.1 interface or the newer, faster USB 2.0. Don’t worry too much if your system doesn’t have USB 2.0—the two standards get along just fine, and USB 1.1 is fast enough for printing. Workgroup printers also support printing over a network using a standard Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector. For even better mobility, many models support printing wirelessly, using infrared, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi access points with built-in print servers. —Louis Ramirez, Hardware Editor Rated TextPrint Speed Memory (Mono/Color) Compatibility Editor's Take Find Out More BROTHER INTERNATIONAL HL-2040 $119.99 Monochrome 2,400x600dpi 8MB 20ppm PC, Mac Speedy monochrome model fits tight budgets and cramped workspaces. www.brother-usa.com 800-276-7746 HL-5140 $199.99 Monochrome 2,400x600dpi 16MB 21ppm PC, Mac Fast and network-upgradable; memory is expandable to 144MB. HL-5170DN $299.99 Monochrome 2,400x600dpi 32MB 21ppm PC, Mac Network-ready, with built-in duplexer and expandable paper-input capacity. HL-6050DW $649.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 32MB 25ppm PC, Mac Offers 802.11b/g networking and faster print speed than HL-5170DN. Laser 1100 $99 Monochrome 600x600dpi 15ppm PC Low price; great for home use and for students. Only 2MB of RAM, however. Laser Printer 1700 $199 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 25ppm PC Promises fast printing and a high resolution—at a decent price. MFP Laser 1600n $399 Monochrome 600x600dpi 32MB 22ppm PC Impressive print and scan quality from all-in-one; includes Ethernet interface. Laser 5100cn $999 Monochrome, color 600x600dpi 128MB 35ppm/25ppm PC, Mac Good performance, fast print speeds; can handle heavy network use. LaserJet 1020 $179.99 Monochrome 600x600dpi 2MB 15ppm PC Scant 2MB of RAM; not ideal for intense graphics printing. LaserJet 1022 $199.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 8MB 19ppm PC, Mac Quick, high-quality prints, but noisy and no duplex printing. LaserJet 1022n $299.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 8MB 19ppm PC, Mac Similar to the 1022, but $100 extra buys you Ethernet networking. LaserJet 1160 $329.99 Monochrome 600x600dpi 16MB 20ppm PC, Mac Excellent text printing, but lacks a built-in duplexer and expandability. LaserJet 1320n $499.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 22ppm PC, Mac Quality printing, swift speeds, two-sided printing, and network-ready. Color LaserJet 2550n $599.99 Monochrome, color 600x600dpi 20ppm/4ppm PC, Mac Great print quality, but sparse features and slow color-printing speeds. LaserJet 1320tn $599.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 22ppm PC, Mac $100 upgrade from 1320n brings built-in wireless networking to the mix. Color LaserJet 3550 $799.99 Monochrome, color 600x600dpi 16ppm/16ppm PC, Mac Text is fine but slow; color is fast but substandard. Easy to use, though. $427 2,400x2,400dpi 32MB 27ppm PC Designed for small businesses and workgroups; supports PostScript. www.ibm.com 800-358-6661 21ppm PC Inexpensive, compact speed demon offers impressive text quality. printer.konicaminolta.net 800-705-2001 DELL 2MB www.dell.com 800-915-3355 HEWLETT-PACKARD 64MB 64MB www.hp.com 888-999-4747 IBM Infoprint 1412 Monochrome KONICA MINOLTA PRINTING SOLUTIONS U.S.A. PagePro 1350W $149.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 8MB See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. 132 February 2006 computershopper.com TECHMARKET HOME AND SMALL-OFFICE LASER PRINTERS Model Price Monochrome/ Maximum Color Resolution Rated TextPrint Speed Memory (Mono/Color) Compatibility Editor's Take Find Out More KONICA MINOLTA PRINTING SOLUTIONS U.S.A. PagePro 1250E $299 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 17ppm PC, Mac Adequate print speed and quality for a home or one-person office; decent price. Magicolor 2400W $399 Monochrome, color 1,200x600dpi 32MB 20ppm/5ppm PC Inexpensive color laser printer that is easy to use and great for small spaces. Magicolor 2430 DL $499 Monochrome, color 2,400x600dpi 32MB 20ppm/5ppm PC Text is fine, but color prints are only so-so; PictBridge printing requires extra RAM. printer.konicaminolta.net 800-705-2001 LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL E232 $199 Monochrome 600x600dpi 16MB 22ppm PC, Mac Compact size and fast print speed, considering the low price. E330 $399 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 32MB 27ppm PC, Mac For $200 more than the E232, you get faster printing and twice the memory. C510 $499 Monochrome, color 2,400x2,400dpi 64MB 30ppm/8ppm PC, Mac Fast color and mono printing, plus true PostScript and PCL emulation. E332n $499 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 32MB 27ppm PC, Mac Similar specs to the E330, along with internal Ethernet networking. T640 $699 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 64MB 35ppm PC, Mac Fast and business-friendly, with low print costs. Highly expandable. www.lexmark.com 800-539-6275 OKI DATA AMERICAS B4100 $167.99 Monochrome 1,200x600dpi 8MB 19ppm PC LED-based printer serves up decent print speed for the price. B4250 $240.99 Monochrome 1,200x600dpi 16MB 23ppm PC Doubles the B4100’s internal memory, which boosts print speed. B4350 $314.99 Monochrome 1,200x600dpi 16MB 23ppm PC, Mac Specs similar to B4250’s, with optional networking and PostScript support. 600x600dpi 8MB 17ppm PC Inexpensive laser offers good print speeds for the price. www.okidata.com 800-654-3282 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA ML-1740 $157.25 Monochrome ML-2250 $229.99 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 22ppm PC Step-up from the ML-1740 has twice the memory and faster print speeds. ML-2251N $299 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 16MB 22ppm PC A space-saving laser that’s ideal for small workgroups. CLP-510N $499.99 Monochrome, color 1,200x1,200dpi 64MB 25ppm/6ppm PC, Mac Color, networking, and a duplexer for just $500? This one’s a keeper. CLP-550 $505 Monochrome, color 1,200x1,200dpi 64MB 21ppm/5ppm PC Built-in duplexing; NO-NOIS technology keeps printing quiet. So-so performance. Phaser 3150 $349 Monochrome 600x600dpi 32MB 22ppm PC Features fit-to-page printing and poster printing for larger projects. Phaser 3500/B $549 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 32MB 35ppm PC, Mac Office laser is too large for tight spaces, but it’s faster than the 3150; duplexing optional. Phaser 4500 $899 Monochrome 1,200x1,200dpi 48MB 36ppm PC, Mac Fast print speeds and ample paper capacity, but Ethernet is optional. Phaser 8500/N $899 Monochrome, color 600x600dpi 24ppm/24ppm PC, Mac Fast, capable printer for small businesses; Ethernet optional. www.samsung.com 800-726-7864 XEROX 128MB www.office.xerox.com 888-247-5107 THE BEST RECENTLY REVIEWED HOME AND SMALL-OFFICE LASER PRINTERS Dell Laser 5100cn • $999 • Editors’ Rating: 7.7 Dell’s under-$1,000 color laser features Ethernet capability, twosided printing, reliable paper handling, and speeds fast enough for an office workgroup. Lexmark T640 Konica Minolta Magicolor 2430 DL • $499 • Editors’ Rating: 7.7 At only $499, the diminutive but full-featured 2430 DL pushes the entry price for color laser printing down near inkjet levels. Plus, it prints from PictBridge-compatible cameras. Lexmark T640 • $699 • Editors’ Rating: 7.5 The modest-looking T640 is fast, expandable, and features low perprint costs. Its output quality is only fair, however. computershopper.com February 2006 133 NEED TO KNOW PERFORMANCE 3D-GRAPHICS CARDS ($299 AND HIGHER) MEMORY When it comes to graphics memory, you can never have too much, especially if you’re a hard-core gamer. More RAM means better performance, improved 3D texturing, and higher display resolutions. If you’re an avid gamer itching to frag opponents in Half-Life 2 or Doom 3, make the move up to 256MB. More memory allows for smoother gameplay, though anything above 256MB won’t make much of a difference. SLOT TYPE The AGP bus was developed specifically for graphics cards, but has been replaced by a faster technology called PCI Express. Both nVidia and ATI, makers of the two competing graphics-processing units—the engines that drive the cards—are supporting this new technology, which doubles the bandwidth of AGP 8x. The cards are more expensive, but worth the investment. Make sure you Model Price Graphics Engine buy the right type for your motherboard. DIRECTX 9 The latest version of Microsoft’s multimedia instruction set enhances DirectX 9-compatible graphics cards’ ability to render more realistic visuals. Look for DirectX 9 support if you’re planning to play the latest 3D games. DVI VERSUS ANALOG Many of today’s LCD monitors have Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connections, which provide image quality superior to the standard analog VGA interface (which is also typically present). Make sure your card has a DVI connection so you can take advantage of this improvement. TV TUNER Can’t afford a digital video recorder (DVR)? A graphics card with a built-in TV tuner lets you watch your favorite channels on your PC and use your computer as a TiVostyle DVR, enabling you to save shows to your hard drive and watch at your convenience. —Louis Ramirez, Hardware Editor Rated Max. Video DirectX OpenGL RAM Interface Version Version DVI-Out Editor’s Take Find Out More ASUSTEK COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL Extreme AX800XL/2DTV Extreme N7800 GTX-2DHTV Extreme AX850XT PE/2DHTV $454 $570 $689 Radeon X800 XL 256MB PCI Express GeForce 7800 256MB PCI GTX Express Radeon X850 XT 256MB PCI Platinum Edition Express 9 2 Yes 9 2 9 2 Yes (two) Yes (two) 9 2 Yes 9 2 Yes 9 9 2 2 9 2 9 2 Yes Yes (two) Yes (two) Yes (two) PCI Express card packs HD and S-Video outputs so usa.asus.com you can project your games onto your television. 502-995-0883 Packs nVidia’s 7800 GTX GPU and the ability to record your gaming sessions as MPEG-4s for later viewing. A top-of-the-line board more expensive than a budget PC, but sure to satisfy even the most finicky gamer. ATI TECHNOLOGIES Radeon X800 XL $299 All-In-Wonder X800 XT Radeon X850 XT NEW Radeon X1800 XL $399 Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition Radeon X1800 XT $499 $399 $399 $549 Radeon X800 XL 256MB PCI Express Radeon X800 XT 256MB AGP 8x Radeon X850 XT 256MB AGP 8x Radeon X1800 256MB PCI XL Express Radeon X850 XT 256MB PCI Express Radeon X1800 512MB PCI XT Express High-end 3D performance at a midrange price. Strikes www.ati.com the perfect balance between power and value. 905-882-2626 Slightly less powerful than the X850 XT, yet costs the same. Go for the real thing. The fastest AGP-based graphics solution ATI offers. Despite all its features, ATI’s second-best 3D card falls short on performance in games like Doom 3. A faster, PCI Express version of ATI’s high-end AGP card. ATI’s top card is no match for nVidia’s top brass, but it’s saved by Avivo, which decodes all types of video. BFG TECHNOLOGIES GeForce 6800 GT OC GeForce 7800 GT OC $309.99 GeForce 6800 GT $379.99 GeForce 7800 GT 256MB PCI Express 256MB PCI Express 9 1.5 2 Yes (two) Yes Overclocked card is a decent performer with reasonable www.bfgtech.com power requirements, but no bundled games. 847-281-3110 Overclocked and SLI-ready—you’ll need a fire extinguisher to tame this blazing card. 9 $399.99 GeForce 6800 GT $549.99 GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB AGP 8x 9 2 Yes 256MB PCI Express 9 2 Yes Expensive for a 6800-chipset card, but has a compact www.evga.com design and S-Video output. Bundled with Far Cry. 888-881-3842 Hold on tight—nVidia’s 7800 GTX chip delivers a breakneck 3D-gaming experience. 256MB AGP 8x 9 1.5 Yes 256MB PCI Express 256MB PCI Express 9 2 9 2 Yes (two) Yes (two) Features both digital and analog connections for multi- www.leadtek.com ple-display gaming. Attractive price doesn’t hurt, either. 510-490-8076 In addition to fast performance, also features HDTV output. Ships as a 430MHz/1,200MHz card, but overclockable to 450MHz/1,250MHz using company’s instructions. EVGA e-GeForce 6800 GT e-GeForce 7800 GTX LEADTEK RESEARCH WinFast A400 GT TDH WinFast 7800GT TDH MyVIVO WinFast PX7800 GTX TDH MyVIVO $350 $499 $599 GeForce 6800 GT GeForce 7800 GT GeForce 7800 GTX MATROX GRAPHICS Parhelia APVe $349 Parhelia-LX 128MB PCI Express 8.1 1.3 Yes (two) Not intended for gamers; skimps on memory, but offers HDTV component-video output. www.matrox.com 514-822-6000 $529 GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB PCI Express 9 2 Yes (two) Gamers take note: This is the best card your money can buy. www.msicomputer.com 626-913-0828 $299.99 GeForce 6800 GT $499.99 GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB AGP 8x 9 1.5 256MB PCI Express 9 2 Yes (two) Yes (two) The best nVidia-based card you can buy if your PC www.pny.com doesn’t support PCI Express. 973-515-9700 SLI-ready card features nVidia’s fastest GPU, plus dual digital connections for limitless gaming opportunities. MSI COMPUTER NX7800GTX PNY TECHNOLOGIES Verto GeForce 6800 GT AGP Verto GeForce 7800 GTX PCIe = Editors’ Choice 134 See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. February 2006 computershopper.com NEED TO KNOW EXTERNAL DVD BURNERS FORMAT When DVD burners first emerged, buyers had to make an often-confusing choice between two incompatible formats: DVD-R/DVD-RW and DVD+R/DVD+RW. Thankfully, drive manufacturers now offer multiformat drives that can write and rewrite to both formats. Some drives also record to DVD-RAM discs, although these drives are much less common and tend to cost a little more. SPEED How fast a drive can read, write, and rewrite discs is measured in terms of “x.” If you’re on a limited budget, look for a drive that can write (or “burn”) DVDs at 8x— that’s approximately 8.5 minutes for a full disc. Currently, most drives write at 16x. DOUBLE-LAYER SUPPORT “Double layer” refers to the technology that allows two recording layers to fit on the single side of a DVD, effectively doubling a disc’s storage capacity from 4.7GB to 8.5GB. Though perfect Model Price Format CD/DVD Read Rewrite Speeds Write Speeds* Speeds** for those who need to archive huge amounts of data, double-layer burning currently maxes out at 8x speed, and the discs may not play in some DVD players. Also, you’ll run across two types of double-layer recording. Most double-layer drives support DVD+R double layer (DL), but some newer ones also support DVD-R DL. To get the most bang for your buck, look for drives that support both. INTERFACE Most external DVD drives connect to your computer via USB 2.0. Some drives, however, offer both USB and FireWire ports, but you’ll have to spend a little more for the additional interface. Likewise, if you travel often, you’ll have to invest more for a slimmer, more portable drive. Although they’re usually slower than their desktop counterparts, slimmer drives are easier to tote along when you’re on the road. —Louis Ramirez, Hardware Editor Buffer Size Interface Editor’s Take Find Out More ASUSTEK COMPUTER INTERNATIONAL SDRW-0804P-D DRW-1604P-D $130.99 DVD±RW 20x/8x 24x/8x/8x/2.4x (double layer) $149.99 DVD±RW 40x/16x 32x/16x/16x/4x (double layer) 24x/4x/4x/NA 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire USB 2.0, FireWire Though not bus-powered, small enough for usa.asus.com travel and features an international AC adapter. 502-995-0883 Supports both double-layer formats, but is heftier than its thinner counterpart, the SDRW-0804P-D. 24x/4x/4x/NA 2MB $129.99 DVD±RW 40x/16x 40x/16x/16x/2.4x 24x/4x/4x/NA (double layer) 2MB USB 2.0 No support for double-layer DVD-R; slow 2.4x DVD+R double-layer speed. www.benq.us 866-700-2367 Faster write speeds than BenQ’s model. USB interface only; still no DVD-R double layer. Adds DVD-RAM to the mix, but with slower overall speeds than the FDDRWDF16D. www.fantomdrives.com 310-320-7272 BENQ EW1621 FANTOM DRIVES FDDRWDF16D $97.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x (double layer) DVD-RW/ 32x/12x 24x/NA/8x/NA DVD-RAM 24x/4x/4x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 FDRAMRWU25 $385 16x/NA/4x/5x 2MB USB 2.0 $159.99 DVD±RW 40x/16x 40x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 Good rewrite speeds; also features LightScribe technology for labeling your discs. www.hp.com 888-999-4747 IDVD8DBE $129.99 DVD±RW 24x/4x/2x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 www.iomagic.com 949-707-4800 IDVD16DDME $149.99 DVD±RW 40x/16x 40x/16x/16x/2.4x 24x/4x/4x/NA (double layer) $179.99 DVD±RW 24x/8x 24x/8x/8x/2.4x 24x/4x/2x/NA (double layer) 2MB USB 2.0 2MB USB 2.0 Rewrite speeds could be better; provides justbelow-average speeds overall. $20 upgrade from the IDVD8DBE gets you double-layer support. Sacrifices speed for a more compact, slimmer form. HEWLETT-PACKARD DVD Writer DVD740e I/OMAGIC IDVD8PE 40x/12x 40x/8x/4x/NA IOMEGA Super DVD 16x16 $159.95 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x (double layer) 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 Fast ripping and burning at a reasonable price; www.iomega.com shame about the toll-based tech support, though. 888-516-8467 $89 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) DVD±RW 40x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB FireWire It won’t make you an A-list celeb, but this is one www.lacie.com Porsche that’s both fast and affordable. 503-844-4502 Also Porsche-designed, but with LightScribe technology for disc labeling. DVD±RW 40x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) DVD±RW 40x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) DVD±RW 24x/8x 24x/8x/8x/2.4x (double layer) 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire FireWire 24x/4x/4x/NA 2MB USB 2.0 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) $129.99 DVD±RW 40x/16x 40x/16x/16x/4x (double layer) 32x/8x/6x/5x 2MB USB 2.0 24x/8x/6x/5x 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire LACIE DVD±RW Porsche 16x DVD±RW with LightScribe Porsche 16x d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe Slim DVD±RW with LightScribe Porsche 8x $119 $139 $189 $189 A slight price increase buys you two high-speed interfaces. Similar to the previous d2, but you lose the USB 2.0 interface and gain Toast 7 Titanium software. You’ll take a hit in speed, but this is the slimmest of LaCie’s drives. LG ELECTRONICS GSA-2166D GSA-5163D $129 Piano-black drive delivers looks and performance to match; supports DVD-RAM. This drive provides it all: high-speed connections and support for all formats, even DVD-RAM. us.lge.com 800-243-0000 * = Speeds expressed as CD-R/DVD+R/DVD-R/double-layer DVD; not all double-layer drives support both plus and minus DL media. ** = Speeds expressed as CD-RW/DVD+RW/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM NA = Not applicable See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. 136 February 2006 computershopper.com TECHMARKET EXTERNAL DVD BURNERS Model Price Format CD/DVD Read Rewrite Speeds Write Speeds* Speeds** Buffer Size Interface Editor’s Take Find Out More LITE-ON IT SOHW-1633SX SOHW-1693SX SOHW-1673SX $75.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/8x/2.4x 24x/4x/4x/NA (double layer) $95.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 24x/8x/6x/NA (double layer) $105.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 24x/8x/6x/NA (double layer) 2MB USB 2.0 Chunky drive suffers from an outdated 2.4x double-layer write speed. Unlike the SOHW-1673SX, this drive writes to both formats of double-layer media. As fat as SOHW-1633SX, but with a slightly faster double-layer speed. www.liteonamericas.com 510-687-1800 2MB USB 2.0 2MB USB 2.0 24x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire Respectable write speeds and dual interfaces make this drive a solid choice for upgraders. www.memorex.com 562-653-2800 32x/8x/4x/NA 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire USB 2.0, FireWire Offers multiformat double-layer support; wellpriced for its feature set. Available in four colors; price jump due to its slightly slimmer form factor. www.plextor.com 800-886-3935 24x/8x/4x/NA 8MB 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 32x/8x/6x/NA 2MB USB 2.0, FireWire USB 2.0, FireWire USB 2.0, FireWire USB 2.0, FireWire FireWire Features the usual Sony flair, and has the specs to back up its looks. Lacks DVD-R double-layer support; slower CD-RW rewrite speeds, but still pricey. Supports both double-layer formats, though it’s still a tad slower than the DRX-810UL. Now Mac-friendly, with Roxio Toast for Macs and Nero for Windows. Even for a drive this slim, its speeds are painfully slow. www.sonystyle.com 800-222-7669 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 24x/8x/6x/NA 2MB 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 24x/8x/6x/NA 2MB 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x 24x/8x/6x/NA 2MB 24x/8x 8x/4x/4x/NA 2MB 24x/8x/6x/NA 8MB USB 2.0, FireWire FireWire RCA jacks and FireWire port allow for direct, PC-independent video recording to DVDs. Same pocketable size as the PCGA-DDRW2, but slightly faster speeds and a higher price. 10x/4x/4x/NA 2MB MEMOREX PRODUCTS DVD Double-Layer $179.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x Recorder 16x16 Dual (double layer) Format External PLEXTOR PX-740UF $179 PX-716UF $239 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/8x (double layer) DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/6x (double layer) SONY ELECTRONICS DRX-810UL DRX-720UL/T DRX-8000UL DRX-810UL/T PCGA-DDRW2 VRD-VC20 DVDirect PCGA-DDRW3 $159.99 DVD±RW (double layer) $179.99 DVD±RW (double layer) $179.99 DVD±RW (double layer) $179.99 DVD±RW (double layer) $249.99 DVD±RW 16x/4x/4x/NA $259.99 DVD±RW 48x/16x 48x/16x/16x/4x (double layer) $399.99 DVD±RW 24x/8x 24x/8x/4x/2.4x (double layer) Increase Office Productivity by 20-50% By performing fast reactions to multiple sources of information, Doublesight users can experience significant productivity increases ranging from 20 to 50% by easily managing multiple programs simultaneously. 15” 17” 19” IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES DESKTOP SOLUTION • NOTEBOOK SOLUTION The new DoubleSight dual LCD monitor is an attractive, space saving and cost effective alternative to large CRT monitors that consume a lot of physical desktop space or expensive LCD monitors. DoubleSight monitors provides an economic, easy to use technique for seamlessly displaying as much data as possible. For more information, please visit www.doublesight.com To purchase, please visit www.dell.com www.doublesight.com toll free: 1-800-585-3186 1-949-253-1535 ext. 211 computershopper.com February 2006 137 NEED TO KNOW SMARTPHONES SIZE AND CAPABILITY Smartphones come in a wide range of shapes and sizes but can be divided into three major styles based on primary function. Large, PDA-like handsets tend to be powerful organizers first and cell phones second. Sleeker models are meant to be used as mobile phones above all else, but they also offer advanced connectivity features. Finally, e-mail- and text-messagingcentric devices can double as voice communicators. INPUT METHOD If you plan to chat via IM or send e-mails frequently while in the field, a keyboard is a big plus. A full QWERTY keyboard almost always adds to a handset’s size, however. Phones that rely on a touch-screen keypad and bundled stylus are not ideal for manually entering data but are generally more portable. Flip- and candy-bar-style handsets are the smallest of all and use standard numerical keypads, which are extremely awkward for data entry. Model Price* Wireless Operating Carrier(s) Standard System RAM Input SCREEN Though most smartphones will have a color screen, TFT resolution is another matter. Look for the highest pixel count in the smallest screen size you can live with. CONNECTIVITY Most smartphones connect to a cellular network via GSM or CDMA technology. A few GSM-based devices even qualify as world phones, meaning they can roam on the GSM networks commonly found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Some smartphones also support Bluetooth and/or 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking. CAMERA Most models have rudimentary digital cameras able to capture low-resolution VGA (640x480-pixel) pictures. Many of these phones can even record brief video clips. That said, unless you have a burning desire to capture basic images on the road, this feature shouldn’t factor much into your decision. —Brian Bennett, Mobile Products Editor Built-In Camera Weight Editor’s Take Find Out More HEWLETT-PACKARD iPaq HW6515 Pocket PC $649.99 Cingular GSM Windows Mobile 2003 64MB Keyboard, Yes SE Phone Edition stylus 6.2 oz. Pricey, but packs features galore, including Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. www.hp.com 888-999-4747 SP3i $399.99 Cingular, T-Mobile GSM Windows Mobile 2003 32MB Keypad for Pocket PC Yes 3.5 oz. Powerful, multimedia-capable, and compact. Wi-Fi www.imate.com and a full keyboard would complete the package. Jam 850 $649 Cingular, T-Mobile GSM Windows Mobile 2003 64MB Stylus for Pocket PC Yes 5.3 oz. Expensive, but small for a Windows PDA/cellphone combo. No keyboard. $249.99 Cingular GSM Windows Mobile 2003 32MB Keypad for Smartphone Yes 3.9 oz. Nicely sized flip phone running Windows Mobile OS syncs easily with Outlook. $299 Cingular GSM Symbian OS 7.0 80MB Keypad, No 5.9 oz. keyboard $599 Cingular, Sprint, Verizon GSM, CDMA Palm OS 5.4 23MB Keyboard, Yes stylus 6.3 oz. Screen and keyboard are improved over popular Treo 600’s; also, provides more support for Microsoft apps. www.palm.com 800-881-7256 www.rim.com 519-888-7465 IMATE MOTOROLA MPx220 www.motorola.com 866-289-6686 NOKIA 9300 NEW Bluetooth-enabled, Symbian-based cell splits www.nokiausa.com open to reveal a wide keyboard and big color screen. 888-256-2098 PALM Treo 650 RESEARCH IN MOTION BlackBerry 7100g $249.99 Cingular GSM Proprietary 4MB Keypad No 4.2 oz. A BlackBerry/cell hybrid, it’s slim and lightweight, though some may dislike its tricky keypad. BlackBerry 7290 $249.99 Cingular, T-Mobile GSM Proprietary 4MB Keyboard No 4.9 oz. Features a big, bright color screen, easy e-mail access, and worldwide voice support. BlackBerry 7520 $449.99 Nextel Nextel Proprietary 4MB Keyboard No 6.1 oz. Bulky for a BlackBerry, but features simple wireless e-mail access and push-to-talk capabilities. SPH-i700 $199.99 CDMA Windows Mobile 2003 64MB Stylus for Pocket PC Yes 6.9 oz. Large, but lacks a keyboard for fast, on-the-go text www.samsung.com entry. Otherwise, a capable, inexpensive choice. 800-726-7864 SP-i600 $499.99 Sprint CDMA Windows Mobile 2003 32MB Keypad for Smartphone No 5 oz. Compact, pocket-friendly flip phone also lacks a keyboard. SCH-i730 $599.99 Verizon CDMA Windows Mobile 2003 64MB Keyboard No for Pocket PC 6.4 oz. A nice blend of phone and Windows PDA, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and EVDO broadband. $679.99 Cingular GSM Windows Mobile 2003 128MB Keyboard, No SE for Pocket PC stylus 7.4 oz. Well-designed Pocket PC phone with nifty slidedown keyboard, plus Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. www.siemens-mobile.com 888-777-0211 SAMSUNG Verizon SIEMENS SX66 Pocket PC Phone SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS P910a $499 Cingular GSM Symbian OS 7.0 64MB Keypad, Yes keyboard, stylus 5.5 oz. The Porsche of smartphones, with its compact design and all-encompassing feature set. www.sonyericsson.com 866-766-9374 $299.99 T-Mobile GSM Danger OS 32MB Keyboard Yes 7 oz. A mobile messenger’s dream, featuring a hidden, swiveling keyboard. Great for sidewalk surfing. www.tmobile.com 800-866-2453 www.audiovox.com 800-229-1235 T-MOBILE Sidekick II UT STARCOM PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SMT5600 $249.99 Cingular GSM Windows Mobile 2003 64MB Keypad SE for Smartphone Yes 3.6 oz. Slim Windows phone relies on keypad input but has potent entertainment features. PPC6601 $599.99 Sprint CDMA Windows Mobile 2003 128MB Keyboard, Yes for Pocket PC stylus 6.8 oz. A state-of-the art PDA/phone combo with lots of RAM, a sliding keyboard, and Bluetooth. PPC6700SP $599.99 Sprint CDMA Windows Mobile 5.0 6.1 oz. Large, but supports three flavors of wireless data networking: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and EVDO. * = List price. Price may vary by carrier. 138 64MB Keyboard, Yes stylus See computershopper.com for full reviews of products in boldface. February 2006 computershopper.com NEED TO KNOW WARRANTIES AND SERVICE PLANS FOR DESKTOPS AND NOTEBOOKS TERM Major vendors such as Dell and Gateway are trying to set the benchmark for support at 90 days, but no PC owner should settle for a warranty that short. If you’re looking at a term shorter than one year, consider an extended service plan. Fine Print: Most extended plans require you to purchase them before the standard warranty has expired. PARTS COVERAGE As a rule, standard warranties cover your computer’s main hardware components (CPU, hard drive, RAM). Software and peripherals, such as monitors and keyboards, are usually covered by their manufacturers’ warranties or an optional service plan. Keep in mind that extended service plans for PCs still won’t cover these extras—they only lengthen the coverage period of the standard warranty. DAMAGE PROTECTION Under a standard warranty, vendors will repair computers damaged during shipping or with defective parts. Notebook owners and the accident-prone should invest in an accidental damage protection (ADP) plan to insure their PCs against falls, Plan Price spills, and regular wear and tear. Fine Print: ADP plans aren’t available in all states. REPAIRS Many vendors offer depot service, which requires a customer to return a PC to an authorized factory or service center for major repairs and parts replacement. If you get a service plan that includes onsite repair, a computer technician will fix your PC at your home, usually by the next business day. Fine Print: A host of eligibility restrictions usually apply to getting onsite service. Examine the service contract before buying. TECHNICAL SUPPORT Phone and online chat are generally the most effective forms of tech support, but an easily navigable online knowledge base can help you solve simple computer problems at home, without waiting on hold. TERMS AND CONDITIONS While the warranty and support information below applies to most of each vendor’s offerings, terms and conditions can vary by system or system line. Always review the terms for your particular PC carefully before buying. —Erin Kandel, Editorial Assistant Term AccidentalDamage Onsite Repair/ Free Online Protection Return-to-Depot Knowledge Toll-Free Phone (ADP) Service Base Support Hours One year No No/yes Yes Weekdays, 11:30 a.m. Yes/yes to 8:30 p.m. (ET) No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily (90 days) Yes/yes Apple’s massive knowledge base is one of the best in the (90 days) business, but its skimpy 90-day support is a real downer. E-Mail Support/ Live Chat Editor’s Take ABS COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES Standard Warranty Free www.abspc.com • 800-876-8088 APPLE COMPUTER Expanded tech-support options now include live chat and an online help forum, though phone hours are still limited. www.apple.com • 800-692-7753 Limited Warranty Free One year AppleCare Protection Plan $149 to $349 Three years No Yes (desktops)/ yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes A necessity for all but the bravest to bolster the standard, measly 90 days of support. Covers hardware and software. Free One year No (notebooks); three years (desktops) Yes (desktops)/ yes No 24 hours daily (one year) Yes/no Lackluster notebook coverage, but desktops get a solid three years, plus one year of onsite service. Desktop owners can add an extra year of onsite and 24/7 phone support for $40 in the second year of warranty, or for $80 in the third year. Free 90 days to one year No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily (one year) Yes/yes XPS PCs get a full year of support, but some Dimension desktops come with an unimpressive 90 days. Extended Services $19 and up Plan One to four years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Three- and four-year plans include global support for laptops and extended hours for onsite repairs. CompleteCare Agreement One to four years Yes Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Well-priced plan has some caveats: It doesn’t cover all components, and notebooks require at least a three-year contract. One year No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Solid, no-frills coverage provides peace of mind for one year, but doesn’t include shipping costs for depot repairs. Extended Warranty $99.95 (one year); One year; $179.95 (two years) two years No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Note: This warranty extension must be activated within 30 days of the date of notebook purchase. Executive Mobile Service $49.95 (one year); One year; $149.95 (three years) three years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Adds onsite repair but no damage protection; must buy two-year extended warranty with the three-year contract. Value Plan Free No No/yes Yes No Yes/yes Basic 90-day warranty falls short, and phone support is not toll-free. For increased coverage, the Value Plus Plan is a better buy. Value Plus Plan $39.99 to $119.99 One to (desktops); $99.99 four years to $319.99 (notebooks) No Yes/yes Yes No Yes/yes Gateway recently lowered the cost of this extendedwarranty upgrade. Includes onsite repair and advanced live chat, but still no toll-free phone support. Total Protection Plan $149.99 to $259.99 One or (desktops); $169.99 three years to $419.99 (notebooks) Yes Yes/yes (notebooks only) Yes No Yes/yes Next-day onsite repair is a standout, but at this price, this plan should include toll-free phone support. Plus, notebook-only damage protection limits the appeal for desktop users. CYBERPOWER Limited Warranty www.cyberpowerpc.com • 800-707-0393 DELL www.dell.com • 800-999-3355 Limited Warranty $59 and up (desktops); $79 to $199 (notebooks) FUJITSU COMPUTER SYSTEMS International Limited Warranty Free www.fujitsupc.com • 800-385-4878 GATEWAY 140 www.gateway.com • 800-369-1409 90 days February 2006 computershopper.com TECHMARKET WARRANTIES AND SERVICE PLANS FOR DESKTOPS AND NOTEBOOKS Plan Price Term AccidentalDamage Onsite Repair/ Free Online Protection Return-to-Depot Knowledge Toll-Free Phone (ADP) Service Base Support Hours E-Mail Support/ Live Chat Editor’s Take One year No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Knowledge base is impressive, but lack of support via online chat weakens this basic support plan. HEWLETT-PACKARD www.hp.com • 888-999-4747 Basic Warranty Free Extended Service Plan $99.99 to $219.99 Two or (desktops); $99.99 three years to $179.99 (notebooks) No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Covers displays purchased on same invoice as PC, and notebooks get express three-day repair, but we’d like either damage protection or onsite service at this price. HP House Call for Desktops $199.99 to $269.99 Two years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Plan applies only to eligible desktops and Media Center PCs; includes live chat. Accidental Damage Protection Extended Service Plan $149.99 to $269.99 One to (desktops); $99.99 three years to $349.99 (notebooks) Yes No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Adds damage protection to Extended Service Plan package, but doesn’t cover damage from user wear and tear. Limited Warranty for Desktops Free One year No Yes/yes No Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. Yes/yes to 5:30 p.m. (ET) Limited phone-support hours, but iBuypower recently added online chat. Plus, this plan includes onsite service. Limited Warranty (Notebooks) Free One year No No/yes No 24 hours daily Yes/yes Average notebook coverage strengthened by beefed-up support options. No online knowledge base, however. Depot Service Warranty (Notebooks) $29 One year No No/yes No 24 hours daily Yes/yes To cover shipping costs for repairs, notebook buyers should shell out the $29 for this plan. Two years; three years No Yes/yes No 24 hours daily Yes/yes Great price, but use onsite support carefully—there’s a $165 service charge for software problems. IBUYPOWER www.ibuypower.com • 888-462-3899 Extended Warranty $49 (two years); (Desktops) $79 (three years) LENOVO (FORMERLY IBM) www.lenovo.com • 866-968-4465 Limited Warranty (Desktops) Free 90 days to four years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Terms vary greatly from model to model; some plans offer mail-in instead of onsite service. Steer clear of 90-day terms. Limited Warranty (Notebooks) Free 90 days to four years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Aside from a few models with 90-day terms, notebooks get better-than-average coverage here. Warranty Service $29 to $293 Upgrade (Desktops) One to four years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no The most-expensive upgrades provide long coverage plus 24/7, same-day onsite service. Warranty Service Upgrade (Notebooks) One to five years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Lenovo’s willingness to cover notebooks for five years is reassuring, but look to the ADP plan for damage protection. One to four years Yes No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Plan offers full damage protection for up to four years, but, considering the cost, we wish it included onsite service. Varies by model No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily (one year) Yes/no Parts coverage is based on individual manufacturers’ warranties; five years of labor coverage for PCs priced $1,000 and up. No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/no Depending on the price of your PC, this plan option can cost a bundle—plus, it requires the purchase of an onsite-service contract. No knowledge base. No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes A solid limited warranty, enhanced by a superior knowledge base and live-chat support. $49 to $549 Accidental Damage $199 to $589 Protection (Notebooks) POLYWELL COMPUTERS www.polywell.com • 800-900-5836 Basic Warranty Free Enhanced Basic Warranty 3 percent of price One year; (one year); 8 percent three years of price (three years) SONY ELECTRONICS www.sonystyle.com • 877-512-7669 Limited Warranty Free One year Express Ship (Notebooks) $124.99 to $429.99 One to four years No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Sony’s most basic warranty extension for notebooks, this plan shoulders express shipping costs for depot repairs. Onsite Service (Desktops) $149.99 to $379.99 Two to five years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Covers lightning damage if your surge protector fails, but no complete damage-protection plan is offered for desktops. Onsite Service with $199.99 to $439.99 Two to ADP (Notebooks) four years Yes Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes Pricey but well-rounded package covers all the bases for long-term laptop protection. TOSHIBA AMERICA www.toshibadirect.com • 800-316-0920 Limited Warranty Free 90 days to three years No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily No/no Best to upgrade if you’re stuck with a skimpy 90-day term. No live-chat or e-mail support. At-Home Repair $71.10 to $224.10 One year; three years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily No/no Same coverage as limited warranty, but with onsite support; a better deal when purchased with an extension. One to four years No No/yes Yes 24 hours daily No/no Most expensive for Qosmio laptops; for extra protection, consider adding ADP coverage. Yes No/yes Yes 24 hours daily No/no Well-priced damage-protection plan is offered in more term lengths when bundled with a warranty extension and/or at-home repair. Extended Warranty $89.10 to $359.10 SystemGuard $179.10 to $359.10 One year; Accidental Damage three years Coverage VELOCITY MICRO www.velocitymicro.com • 800-303-7866 Limited Warranty Free One to three years No Yes/yes Yes Weekdays, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sat, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Yes/yes Phone-support hours aren’t the best, but the user-friendly live chat and up to three years of free onsite service can’t be beat. VelocityCare Free; $49 to $79 (varies by model) One to three years No Yes/yes Yes 24 hours daily Yes/yes This plan rounds out limited warranty features with 24/7 phone hours; comes free with most models. computershopper.com February 2006 141 WEB BUYER 143 143 144 145 146 146 Tech Products Apple Hardware and Software Input Devices Direct PC Vendors Software Blank Media THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING • BY KEVIN SAVETZ >>TECH PRODUCTS acortech.com Inexpensive PC accessories abound at Acortech.com. We found 17-inch LCD monitors for under $300, flash drives for under $20, optical mice for less than $5, and other low-cost goodies for certified tech geeks. altex.com With a big dose of Texan pride, Altex Electronics offers a generous selection of computer and networking gear. You’ll find a vast variety of items: case lights, digital cameras, printers, power supplies, and much more. amazon.com Amazon.com is an unparalleled superstore with a massive inventory equaled only by its special features, such as personalized product recommendations and mobile access. The Early Adopter Products pages show what’s fresh in electronics, video games, and DVDs. Jabra BT500 Bluetooth Wireless Headset from Amazon.com cdw.com In addition to a wide selection of hardware and peripherals, CDW offers an Outlet section where you’ll find deals on clearance merchandise and customer returns. Click the Mac Warehouse tab to reveal a medley of Apple hardware and peripherals. chumbo.com Check out Chumbo for a bountiful selection of popular hardware, software, and electronics. The topselling products in each category are always in view, so you’ll know which deals are the hottest. circuitcity.com Plug in to Circuit City, where you can choose from a quarter million movies, video games, and CDs. The inventory also includes digital cameras, televisions, and PDAs. Have your products delivered, or pick them up in a Circuit City store. compusa.com The well-organized CompUSA rounds out the usual selection of PC hardware, peripherals, and accessories with areas devoted to home electronics and wireless gadgets. Set your own price on PCs at CompUSA’s auction site. computerbags.com Need your laptop to survive—no matter what? Check out Computerbags.com’s selection of waterproof, floating, and crushproof cases. If style is more important, explore the large selection of soft-sided cases and backpacks. computers.ebay.com eBay is an unparalleled auction site and a unique shopping experience. Shoppers can set their own prices on components, including new and used PCs, software, tech books, and vintage computers. computers4sure.com audioadvisor.com Catering to enthusiasts, Audio Advisor sells hightech equipment for your home theater. Its stock includes DVD players, equalizers, preamps, and power conditioners. Check out the Clearance and Hot Buys sections for decent deals. bestbuy.com Our readers voted Best Buy their favorite place to buy consumer electronics. The selection is comprehensive and impressive. The best part? You can have your gadget delivered or ready for pickup at a nearby store. buy.com Buy.com’s vast million-product inventory includes computer hardware, software, electronics, video games, books, music, and DVDs. Sister site BuyMusic.com delivers music downloads starting at 79 cents a song. Illustrations by Bill Rieser www.buyuptime.com BuyUptime.com stocks uninterruptible power supplies, replacement batteries, power-distribution units, and other security offerings. The UPS Selector tool will show you the three best models for your computer setup. cambridgesoundworks.com Cambridge SoundWorks sells home-audio and home-theater products that will please everyone from the budget-minded to the serious audio buff. The site provides a 45-day price-protection guarantee and a 45-day satisfaction promise on most items. APPLE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE At Computers4Sure, you’ll find 21 departments well-stocked with a broad spectrum of products, including networking gear, PDAs, and scanners. connectxpress.com With oodles of cables for computers, audio/video components, and networks, ConnectXpress will get you more wired than a triple latte. You get a lifetime warranty on all cables. cpusolutions.com CPU Solutions will entice you with inexpensive computer components and upgrade kits. The site offers several complete desktop computers for under $500, plus PC kits for under $300. crutchfield.com In business for 30 years, Crutchfield assembles an impressive catalog of camcorders, digital cameras, and audio/video products for your home and car. If sound is more important than looks, tune to the Scratch & Dent section for deals. directron.com Directron.com has the stuff tinkerers dream of. The massive selection of PC gear includes cases, storage, mods, lighting, motherboards, and more. Plus, orders earn you the right to pick through the Free Stuff bin. ecost.com Look to eCost.com for deals on PC components, software, electronics, and DVDs. You’ll be enticed by short-lived but sweet deals in the Bargain Countdown area. club-mac.com Join the club—the selection of Apple hardware, peripherals, and software at ClubMac is hard to beat. Click the category tabs to zoom in on a bountiful selection of USB and FireWire add-ons, or check the Blowout Deals tab for discounts on open-box items. dealmac.com Dealmac searches online and offline stores for the best deals on Mac-friendly hardware and software. Find deals on the site, on the RSS feeds, or in the daily newsletter. Top Reader Picks highlight popular offers. eshop.macsales.com Other World Computing delivers a universe of accessories for Apple users. Its inventory includes acceleration cards, memory, FireWire add-ons, and PowerBook accessories. eunitek.com Eunitek is a great place to go for iPods, iBooks, iMacs, and eMacs. Systems often come with extra RAM or other freebies. macmall.com MacMall is a vast catalog of Apple products. Visit the iPod Store for the latest Apple digital music players and accessories, or the Storage area for external FireWire hard drives, backup software, and DVD add-ons. maczone.com Mac Zone will dazzle you with its Appleoriented catalog of G5 desktops, PowerBooks, server hardware, and software. Many hardware purchases include free memory, accessory kits, or other extras. powermax.com PowerMax Computers sells new, customconfigured Macintosh computers, plus capture cards, editing software, camcorders, and storage. smalldog.com Sniff around Small Dog for new and refurbished hardware, software, and peripherals. Its catalog includes desktop and portable Macs, iPods, digital cameras, and accessories. The Kibbles & Bytes newsletter will keep you informed about Mac news. computershopper.com February 2006 143 WEB BUYER SHOPPING SITES INPUT DEVICES etronics.com onecall.com Etronics.com is a techie’s dream: a megastore offering satellite radio, home-office gadgets, and appliances. You’ll also find barbeques and pens in the site’s diverse catalog—with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee on everything. Choosy gadget shoppers will find a wide assortment of camcorders, digital cameras, and speakers at OneCall. Free three-day shipping is available for many items. frozencpu.com Shoppers at Fry’s Outpost.com enjoy an ample catalog of hardware, software, cameras, and video games. Notable features include the Power Search function, special deals, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on most products. Focused on PC cooling and case modifications, FrozenCPU.com will delight PC builders and overclockers. The catalog of freakishly cool accessories includes transparent PC power supplies, LEDilluminated fans, and modified cases. belkin.com Belkin sells specialized peripherals for gaming, as well as keyboards and mice for work. Specialties include the Nostromo Speedpad, a keyboard-and-gamepad combination tuned to one-hand control. You’ll also find the Nostromo Game Mouse, which offers tactile feedback. datadesktech.com Many keyboards are more or less the same, but Datadesk Technologies specializes in boards for special needs. Choices include small, colorful keyboards for kids, ergonomic split keyboards, and keyboards with built-in trackballs. gyration.com Gyration creates and sells unusual input devices, including a Cordless Optical Air Mouse that doesn’t require a desktop, a Media Center remote control, and a wireless mouse with an impressive 100-foot range. kensington.com Kensington’s keyboard selection includes the uniquely pleasant Comfort Type Keyboard, the classic and tactile StudioBoard mechanical model, and the do-it-all PilotBoard Multimedia keyboard. Also check out the Bluetooth models tuned to wireless desktop or mobile use. logitech.com At Logitech’s site, you’ll find wireless keyboards, models with media-control features, and matching keyboard-and-mouse sets. For gamers, the site stocks gaming mice, joysticks, gamepads, and steering wheels. microsoft.com/hardware Microsoft’s innovative input devices offer features such as biometric fingerprint readers, Bluetooth connectivity, and—for mice—laser tracking. Some keyboards feature the Zoom Slider, a novel control for zooming in on graphics applications and other programs. us.creative.com/shop Creative Technology’s line of input devices includes mice, wireless keyboards, and, for musical fun, USB/MIDI music keyboards. Shipping is just $2.99, no matter the size of your order. xoxide.com Why should your keyboard and mice look like everyone else’s? Xoxide’s inventory stocks illuminated and clear keyboards, plus mice that glow, shine, and even blow cool air onto your sweaty palms. 144 February 2006 computershopper.com granitedigital.com outpost.com pcconnection.com Looking for a rock-solid storage or backup system? At Granite Digital, you’ll find fast FireWire hard drives, hot-swappable RAID systems, and diagnostic equipment. PC Connection can connect you to a world of PCs, peripherals, and software. Use the Rebate Center to find products with cash-back deals, or visit sister site MacConnection (www.macconnection.com) for Mac OS wares. insight.com pcmall.com Insight delivers IT products for businesses, including networking hardware, projectors, and servers. The stellar Narrow Your Results feature and comparison tools will help you find the best product. Catering to businesses of all sizes as well as consumers, PC Mall’s catalog includes more than 100,000 products, with hot deals on notebooks, LCD monitors, and digital media. Sister site MacMall (www.macmall.com) is devoted to Apple hardware and software. jdr.com JDR Microdevices sells a decent selection of PC hardware and accessories at reasonable prices. In the Electronics section, you’ll find electronic components and kits, integrated circuits, and technical reference books. jncs.com J&N Computer Services specializes in pretested motherboard/CPU/memory bundles and offers several options for creating your perfect computer. Use the Custom Configurator to build a desktop, notebook, or small-form-factor PC. jr.com Televisions, MP3 players, office products, and appliances abound at J&R Music and Computer World. Read the Product Guides for tips on buying and using audio and video gear, computers, digital cameras, and more. www.pcmicrostore.com PCMicroStore.com sells 20,000 products, with plenty of inexpensive accessories for upgraders. The selection includes drive enclosures, video cards, and keyboard/video/mouse (KVM) switches. A decent selection of removable media and printer consumables is also available. pdapanache.com PDA Panache offers replacement styli customized for your particular PDA model. Look for the cute translucent plastic pointers and elegant stylus/pen combinations. pdasmart.com Is your broken PDA out of warranty? PDASmart.com offers do-it-yourself repair kits, as well as mail-in repair and upgrade services for many PDAs and iPods. Look for extended-life batteries, replacement LCD screens, and bezels. powernotebooks.com Palm TX from J&R Music and Computer World Choose among Sager and PowerPro portable computers at PowerNotebooks.com. Find a laptop based on screen size or CPU. The store has a sky-high satisfaction rating with previous customers. priorityelectronics.com Shop for a new battery, PC Card, or external media adapter for your laptop with help from Priority Electronics. The company also has an impressive assortment of desktop-PC, digital-camera, and iPod accessories. radioshack.com lik-sang.com So you think you’ve seen every possible gaming peripheral? You haven’t been to Lik-Sang.com, which imports video-game accessories from around the world. Discover mod kits for game consoles, hard-tofind imported games, and unusual controllers. mwave.com Mwave.com’s friendly site sells a multitude of PC hardware products. The Top Ten Sellers and New Products pages link to hot items. Check the Refurbished section for deals on as-is, refurbished hardware. newegg.com Newegg.com is a nest of good stuff for do-it-yourself PC upgraders. The site stocks hard drives, motherboards, CPUs, optical-storage add-ons, and consumer electronics. RadioShack stocks a variety of phones, cables, digital-audio players, and PC peripherals. Get free shipping on orders of at least $50. www.shop.teleadapt.com The global travel products at Teleadapt include regional phone and power converters, along with portable surge suppressors to keep your hardware safe even on questionable foreign power grids. sparco.com Check out Sparco.com’s list of products that come with “free stuff” or instant rebates. The catalog of more than 200,000 products includes PCs, peripherals, and software. store.a2zcable.com The only thing that rivals the selection at A2Z Cables is the amount of technical information the site provides. You’ll find all the connectors you’ll need, WEB BUYER SHOPPING SITES from networking to audio/video, along with detailed connectivity guides. you want, the way-cool look you crave, and the personalized system-rescue discs you may one day need. shopprostar.com thinkgeek.com gateway.com Looking for an unusual gift for the geek in your life? ThinkGeek may have it. The catalog includes curious PC peripherals, books, irreverent apparel, cubicle toys, and unusual caffeinated snacks. One of the biggest players in online computer sales, Gateway has an enormous and informative site that sells custom-built desktops and notebooks. Each computer in ProStar Computer’s line of notebook PCs is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, a speedy-repair promise, and free tech support. tigerdirect.com At this site, choose among Hewlett-Packard and Compaq desktop and notebook computers, plus networking accessories, printers, handhelds, and digital cameras. For deals and discounts, visit TigerDirect. This sizable catalog includes low-cost PC components, PDAs, and office equipment. Geeks on a budget can find desktop PCs for as little as $250 and laptops for under $500. tristatecomputer.com TriState Camera stocks a plethora of digital and analog cameras, plasma televisions, computer peripherals, and necessities for home or office. tweeter.com Tweeter offers a large selection of portable music players and digital-imaging devices, as well as plenty of home audio and video products. Take advantage of free shipping on most products. yourmobiledesk.com Keep on truckin’ (or flyin’, or drivin’) by browsing Yourmobiledesk.com, which focuses on portable computing accessories. Mobile work desks, car power adapters, and travel cases will keep your gear humming on the road or in the air. hpshopping.com Need computing power that’s faster than fast? Go hypersonic. Visit Hypersonic PC for gaming systems, workstations, and laptops outfitted with the latest high-performance peripherals. “Enthusiast options” include 3D-graphics optimization and case customization. ibuypower.com iBuypower can power up your workspace with a 64bit PC for less than $500. Even the company’s leastexpensive PCs include large hard drives, dedicated graphics cards, desktop speakers, and other essentials. All products are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. iBuypower Battalion 101 G-600 There’s a zone for whatever you need at Zones: the home page for hardware and software, the Mac Zone for Apple stuff, the Creative Pro page for graphics pros, and the Zones Clearance section for special buys. starfishtech.com Starfish Technologies offers PCs with plenty of customization options, plus motherboards, sound cards, and other components for do-it-yourself PC architects. store.apple.com The Apple Store’s well-designed site lets you custom-configure any Macintosh and offers a wide array of Mac-compatible software and accessories. For frequent (or compulsive) customers, the one-click-ordering feature makes purchases extra simple. The custom-configured notebooks and Tablet PCs at Toshiba Direct range from budget models to the unique Qosmio laptops, which combine PC, TV, DVD, and audio features. us.fujitsu.com/shop abspc.com idotpc.com Expect gaming, multimedia, and business PCs aplenty at ABS Computer Technologies. The company offers a choice of Intel or AMD processors, a three-year parts and lifetime labor warranty, and tollfree technical support. Visit the Outlet Store for shortlived specials. Find a customized desktop, an economical bare-bones PC, or a personalized laptop at iDotpc.com. Menus allow you to create the PC that’s right for you, letting you specify the processor, memory, optical drive, and other necessities. alienware.com Lenovo sells IBM’s former lines of ThinkCentre desktops, ThinkPad laptops, and ThinkVision monitors. Configure built-to-order PCs, and choose among accessories such as memory and printers. MPC Computers sells desktops, notebooks, and servers. You can custom-configure a high-performance Millennia desktop, tuned to your specifications, for business, multimedia, or gaming. Sony VAIO VGX-XL1 Digital Living System toshibadirect.com >> DIRECT PC VENDORS buympc.com Sony Style is a sleek-looking site selling Sony’s line of VAIO desktops and notebooks, plus digital cameras, displays, and storage devices. hypersonic-pc.com zones.com Alienware can custom-build your dream game machine—desktop or laptop. Each is available with out-of-this-world cases in a rainbow of colors. Buyers get a personalized owner’s manual and tollfree technical support any time of the day or night. sonystyle.com/vaio lenovo.com/think maingear.com MainGear specializes in premium PCs with advanced specs for gamers and other power users. The selection includes sleek-looking and colorful desktops, space-saving X-Cube machines, and powerful laptops. monarchcomputer.com Fujitsu’s site focuses on portable computing, including notebook PCs and pen-based tablet computers. Each computer has several warranty options. velocitymicro.com Looking for a 64-bit processor to push your games to the limit? They’re in Velocity Micro’s Gamer’s Edge and Raptor models. The customconfiguration menus offer a mind-boggling array of component choices. viciouspc.com Creating “hardware for the hard-core,” Vicious PC sells desktops with clear cases, high-output ventilation, easy-access sliding rails, and front-accessible USB ports. Washable air filters mean your computer’s innards will remain dust-free. voodoopc.com Nobody else can do the voodoo that they do so well. VoodooPC specializes in high-end PCs for gamers, with a choice of Intel or 64-bit AMD processors. Take your pick among tower systems, laptops, and portables—all thoroughly customizable, of course. Power up with a customized Intel or AMD system from Cyberpower. The selection includes 64-bit machines, gamers’ dream systems, Media Centers, and budget PCs for everyday use. Monarch Computer Systems creates build-toorder desktops, workstations, and servers. Configure the computer you want, then lock in the price for up to a week. If you’re building a PC, check out the PC Parts section for components and peripherals. dell.com overdrivepc.com Dell’s electronic storefront has always led the way in ease of use. The site is jam-packed with detailed information that makes it a snap to match a machine to your needs. Each system is configurable to the nth degree, and you can get quick access to online support customized for your PC. Sleek, pre-overclocked PCs for gamers and professionals highlight Overdrive PC’s offerings. Each computer includes a quiet cooling system, free antivirus software, and no-cost shipping. WinBook Computer sells laptops and desktops with a 30-day money-back guarantee, a one-year warranty, and free tech support. Ironically, some of the best deals,“Web specials,” can only be ordered by phone. sagernotebook.com www.ztgroup.com Specializing in notebook computers, Sager offers a variety of options, from budget machines to speedy multimedia units. Service includes a 72hour repair-turnaround guarantee and free lifetime tech support. ZT Group builds and sells desktop and notebook computers for every type of user. The selection includes PCs for gaming, media, home offices, and businesses, with your choice of AMD or Intel processors. cyberpowersystem.com falcon-nw.com Once you get your talons on a Falcon Northwest PC, you won’t want to let go. The heavyweight desktops and totable FragBox computers include the hardware winbook.com computershopper.com February 2006 145 WEB BUYER SHOPPING SITES BLANK MEDIA >> SOFTWARE atomicpark.com Free shipping is available for AtomicPark.com’s entire selection of business and productivity apps. Plus, you’ll never pay a restocking fee. The new Direct Downloads section lets you use new software in minutes, not days. allmediaoutlet.com The mammoth selection at All Media Outlet includes mini-DVDs, double-layer discs, and hard-to-find storage media. The CD-R and DVD-R sampler packs let you try different brands of discs before committing to a bulk purchase. cd-dvd-supplies.com The aptly named CD-DVD-Supplies.com sells name-brand, bulk, and economy discs. The site offers some substitutes for plain old media, such as business-cardsize, miniature, and colorful discs. www.discmakers.com Disc Makers sells blank DVDs and CDs, duplicators, authoring software, and supplies for packaging and mailing. If you’re looking for a bargain, go for the Mixed Lot CD-Rs—a bulk load of assorted blanks. goldenromonline.com Burn it, package it, and label it with help from GoldenROMonline.com. The site sells bulk CD-R discs in a variety of flavors, including tinted, printable, and business-cardsize. Store and ship them with a medley of jewel cases, paper sleeves, and mailers. ioproducts.com The diverse selection of media at IO Products includes scratch-resistant DVD+Rs, double-sided mini-DVD-RWs, and goodold blank audio cassettes. The site provides a satisfaction guarantee on every product. As a bonus, you get a free CD/DVD-safe marker with every order. www.mediasupply.com In addition to bulk bundles of CD-R and DVD blanks, Media Supply sells duplicators that can churn out dozens of copies an hour, and printers for creating beautiful labels for your discs. meritline.com Buy CDs or DVDs at Meritline.com to store every digital picture you’ve ever taken. Then, pick up printer ink to create custom labels, and writable drives to burn even more photos. supermediastore.com SuperMediaStore.com offers blank media in all writable DVD and CD formats, plus tips on burning and printing DVDs. Subscribe to the site’s newsletter for coupons and deals. tapeworld.com Tape World delivers modern digital storage media, including CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and MiniDiscs, as well as analog tape from bygone eras: audio cassettes, reel-to-reel, and Betamax. The site stocks more than 400 types of blank recording media, with flat-rate shipping. 146 February 2006 computershopper.com bigclearance.com Offering current-version software at clearance prices, the big selection at BigClearance.com includes wares from Microsoft, Macromedia, Corel, and others. buycheapsoftware.com The name says it all. Buycheapsoftware.com’s selection consists primarily of business and utility apps. The company offers flat-rate $5 shipping on small orders and free shipping on orders over $200. buypcsoft.com Buypcsoft.com sells Windows software in categories from business management to virus prevention. It’s an efficient site with a good selection of big-name applications. download.com CNET Download.com will help you find shareware and free software, linking to thousands of programs for PC, Mac, and mobile devices. Well-written newsletters and down-to-earth reviews help you find the perfect program. (CNET Networks is Computer Shopper’s parent company.) driverguide.com happypenguin.org Get your game on with The Linux Game Tome, an index of more than 1,000 games for Linux, each with a screenshot and brief description. Discuss the games on the site’s discussion forums or IRC channel. jumbo.com Jumbo is a fitting name for this monstrous file archive, featuring shareware, freeware, and commercial-software demos for PC, Mac, and Linux. 9software.com #9 Software is stocked with applications in nine categories, ranging from games to business applications. The company provides free shipping on orders of more than $99. nonags.com Nonags offers software that’s useful, tested, and (as the name suggests) won’t nag you to pay. Basic access to the site is free, but a subscription to the Plus version adds MP3 downloads and “best of” software links. nothingbutsoftware.com You’ll make much ado about Nothing But Software. This collection of apps includes games, educational titles, graphics programs, utilities, and more—all with flat-rate shipping. Try the programs in the Specials section for as little as $7. palmgear.com Palm OS users will appreciate the large selection of free and commercial programs downloadable from PalmGear.com. Check out the list of “essential” apps, then sign up to get software news and tips. pdfstore.com With more than 100,000 downloadable drivers for every conceivable piece of computer hardware and operating system, Driver Guide is indispensable when you’re repairing a malfunctioning system or piecing together a PC from spare parts. The PDF Store specializes in software for creating content. Shop for applications that produce Portable Document Format (PDF) files, e-books, and printed materials. ebgames.com software-blowouts.com EBgames.com is a gamer’s paradise, selling new and pre-owned titles for PCs and every game console under the sun. Check the Hot Deals list for short-lived discounts. Software Blowouts is home to oodles of inexpensive Windows and Mac OS software, with flat-rate shipping. Peruse the Blowouts page for education, entertainment, and utility titles, many for just $9.95. 5dollarsoftware.com softwarecheaper.com Stock up on software without breaking the bank. As the name implies, everything at 5 Dollar Software costs just $5, including games, educational titles, and utilities. Flat-rate shipping for orders of any size costs $3. Software Cheaper is a funky little bargain basement that sells Windows and Macintosh software, most for less than $6. Every order gets you a pick from the Free Software page. Domestic U.S. shipping is always free. freewarefiles.com FreewareFiles.com is an index to free downloadable software for Windows. Articles and tutorials deliver advice on free software and computer maintenance. You’ll want to feast on the software selection at SoftwareDiner.com, which focuses on low-cost applications and utilities for home and smallbusiness users. You’ll save money but only receive a CD; manuals and boxes aren’t included. gamehippo.com softwareoutlet.com GameHippo.com provides more than a thousand absolutely free downloadable PC games. You’ll find descriptions, ratings, and easy-to-read icons that show whether a game supports multiple players, a network, and so on. Check the Top 20 Rated Games to discover other players’ favorites. Plug in to SoftwareOutlet.com, a veritable virtual bargain bin. You’ll find dirt-cheap applications and hardware accessories. Browse older software from defunct companies, plus modern titles. gamespot.com With game news, reviews, and cheat codes, GameSpot is a one-stop shop for PC and console gamers. Downloadable previews and a pricecomparison tool will help you get good deals on games you’ll love. (GameSpot is owned by CNET Networks, Computer Shopper’s parent company.) gamestop.com GameStop.com is an elegant site that specializes in new and used games for consoles and PCs. Recent price drops, top sellers, and “just arrived” products are highlighted, so you’ll always know the score. softwarediner.com store.purplus.net Purplus Software is a well-regarded seller of software for business, graphics, and music. The site offers free shipping on orders over $45. tucows.com Tucows is an incredible library of freeware and shareware for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This recently designed site makes it easy to find the newest, most popular, or top-rated software. viosoftware.com Emphasizing low prices and great customer service, VioSoftware.com sells applications from Adobe, Macromedia, Microsoft, and other big-name publishers. Shipping is always free. HELP & HOW-TO BUYING BASICS HOW TO BUY The Right Digital Camera BY BRIAN BENNETT SHOPPING SPECS Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT RESOLUTION Measured in megapixels, resolution refers to the number of pixels of image information provided by a digital camera’s image sensor. Among low-end consumer cameras, 5 or 6 megapixels is now standard, with many 8and even 10-megapixel models also available. Note that it’s often difficult for the untrained eye to differentiate between snapshots taken at these high resolutions. LENS Look for a digicam with at least a 3x optical zoom, more if you shoot a lot of faraway action. If you’re an advanced shooter, you may want a digital single-lens-reflex (dSLR) camera that supports interchangeable lenses for maximum flexibility. REMOVABLE STORAGE You need to look for certain essential features when shopping for a new digital camera—whether you’re retiring your old film camera or upgrading your outdated 2-megapixel shooter. Here are the vital specs you need to know, plus a few great models to consider. 3 GREAT BUYS GOOD HP Photosmart R817 (www.hp.com, $299) The R817 showcases a sharp 5.1megapixel resolution, plus a 5x optical zoom lens to get you close to the action. The compact camera uses SD/MMC media, in addition to its 32MB of internal memory, to store photos and 30fps video. BETTER Nikon Coolpix 7900 (www.nikonusa.com, $399.95) Encased in a stylish black chassis, the pocket-friendly Coolpix 7900 packs an ultrafine 7.1-megapixel resolution and features a 3x optical zoom. It relies on SD/MMC flash-memory cards for image storage and captures VGA-quality movies at 30fps. The most popular flash-memory formats are CompactFlash, SD/MultiMediaCard (MMC), and xD-Picture Card. Many of Sony’s cameras support the company’s Memory Stick format. If you own a laptop, PDA, or flash-based MP3 player, consider getting a camera that uses the same storage format as your other devices so you’ll be able to share cards among them. VIDEO RECORDING Many digital cameras (though generally not dSLRs) let you record video clips in addition to still images, though not with the same quality as a good camcorder can. The best cameras shoot at 30 frames per second (fps) in VGA (640x480) resolution with sound. BEST Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (usa.canon.com, $899 for body only; $999 for kit, with lens) Not for the casual shutterbug, this compact consumer dSLR features a classleading 8-megapixel resolution, accepts Canon’s EF-mount lenses, and shoots wonderfully detailed, colorful photos. Images are saved to CompactFlash cards. = Editors’ Choice 152 February 2006 computershopper.com