Look Inside: Now Brighter & Bolder!

The
Best First Annual
Digital Drive
Awards

THE CAR OF THE FUTURE

High
Tech
19 Amazing New Options
Just Around the Bend

NOKIA’S
LATEST
It’s a phone (but you knew
that already, right?)

PHOTO
BLOWOUT
Great Cameras,
Awesome Tools Cars
www.pcmag.com
APRIL 25, 2006
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A Global Hotel Company Analyzing 1.4 Million Records a Day.
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import data from six systems into one data warehouse requiring 7 million rows, and
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*Results not typical, and are based on use with Windows Server TM 2003 Enterprise Edition. Availability is dependent on many factors, including hardware and software technologies, mission-
critical operational processes, and professional services. © 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Windows logo, Windows Server, Windows Server System, and
“Your potential. Our passion.” are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and
products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
 F I R ST WO R D
BY JIM LOUDERBACK, EDITOR

Our elegant new look and feel brilliantly captures the thrill
of technology in the 21st century.

W
ELCOME TO THE RE- can respond to this column in our Forum at go.pcmag
freshed PC Maga- .com/discuss). We’ve put faces to the tech experts you
zine! You’ll notice an trust—Neil Rubenking and Loyd Case. And in each is-
updated look and feel sue we will present a cool project—in this one, a high-
to this almost 25-year- tech office for your car.
old publication. Col- In this issue, we debut our annual Digital Drive
ors, hairstyles, and the awards, highlighting the best high-tech cars. Why
Internet have changed cars in PC Magazine? Because cars are where homes
dramatically in the last five years (remember “hunter were 15 years ago. Covering home technology seemed
green”? The goatee? Pets.com?), and we were due for pointless then, but it proved prescient. Today’s cars
MORE ON THE WEB
an upgrade, too. are packed with digital technology, and the best You can contact
Our new look’s main theme is “Out of the Box.” deliver a transcendent driving experience. You have Jim Louderback at
Jim_Louderback
Ever since we first celebrated IBM’s beige box in 1982, my promise: We won’t focus on overhead cams or tail- @ziffdavis.com.
we’ve focused on squeezing the most performance and light design. But we will help you make the best tech For more of his
columns, go to
productivity out of what’s inside. The innards are still choices for cars, as we’ve done for your homes, offices, go.pcmag.com/
key—and our industry-leading PC Magazine Labs and pockets. louderback.
excels at testing and explaining PCs, processors, and Computers and digital technology have moved
graphics cards—but what’s outside is now as impor- outside the box—and PC Magazine readers are at the
tant as what’s inside. forefront of tying it all together and leading better lives
Start with the case. Sleek, customized enclosures, because of it. So enjoy each issue as we continue to
with themes from NASCAR to Mickey Mouse, have chronicle, evaluate, and celebrate the wild world of
replaced beige, so we highlight new case mods in the high tech. Q
back of each issue. But it’s more than the box. Hook an
iPod to your PC and get a music store in your pocket.
Chronicle your life with digital still and video cameras.
Cable modems and wireless networks bring the world
to your home. And the PDA is now a communicator far
beyond Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek fantasies.
Just as technology has expanded beyond the PC,
we have spread our wings, too. Our elegant new look
and feel, courtesy of DJ Stout and his wonderful team
at Pentagram, brilliantly capture the thrill of technol-
ogy in the 21st century. Our talented in-house art
team, led by Richard Demler, has executed this vision
to perfection.
Much of what’s inside should be familiar—we’ve
been beta-testing it for months. Along with Labs-
based testing, we’ve added a real-world angle, where
our analysts shop for tech gear just like you. And our
Connected Traveler section uncovers the best hot
spots, high-tech hotels, and geek-friendly attractions
from a featured city.
We’re still the best place for hands-on exploration
of computers and digital technology. We’ve expanded
First Looks, and we’ve added Buying Guides. We’re
also expanding our coverage of small-business tech
too, with SMB Bootcamp and new product reviews in
the First Looks section. Our PCMag.com Web site is
now even more integrated with our print efforts. (You

All portraits by Eugene Smith; illustration by Brian Stauffer APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 5
 PCONTENTS APRIL 25, 2006 VOL 25 NO. 7

C OV E R S T O R Y

PC MAGAZINE’S DIGITAL DRIVE AWARDS

56 Car technology isn’t just about power windows and steering today. Cars are
platforms for some very cool technology for entertainment, navigation, safety,
and even the preservation of the environment. For PC Magazine’s first annual Digital Drive
awards, we rate the most technically advanced cars available.

FIRST LOOKS
23 Hardware 32 Consumer 40 Networking 45 Small Business
Apple MacBook Pro
Electronics Netgear Lenovo ThinkPad T60
Vizio P50 HDM RangeMax 240
Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1 Dell Latitude D820
Dell W5001C Linksys SRX 400
Apple Mac mini HP Compaq nc6320
Logitech Harmony 520
Epson Perfection 42 Software Toshiba Tecra A6-S513
V700 Photo Sirius S50
Buying Guide: Photo ZyXEL ZyWALL 35 UTM
Buying Guide: Nokia 7380 Management Software Microsoft Visual Studio
Desktop LCDs Apple iPod Hi-Fi 2005 Professional Edition
Picasa 2.0
Gateway FPD2185 JVC RX-D702B
49 What to Buy
Buying Guide: Digital SLRs
The best products in
Nikon D200 one place

Illustration by Joe Zeff APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 7

 PCONTENTS

C OV E R S T O R Y OPINIONS SOLUTIONS
DOWN THE ROAD 5 First Word 89 The Connected

71
Jim Louderback Traveler in Detroit
The Motor City features
51 Inside Track the Henry Ford Museum,
How will the car of five to ten years from now look—and what
John C. Dvorak free Wi-Fi for downtown,
will it be able to do? You may be surprised by some of the
3G cellular networks,
features we should see within a decade on every family sedan and soccer 53 Michael J. Miller
and—of course—
mom van. Airless tires, drowsiness sensors, night vision, automatic braking, geeked rides.
54 Bill Machrone
cool entertainment, intuitive navigation systems, high-speed Internet, LED
headlights, and much more are just around the corner. 112 John C. Dvorak 90 SMB Boot Camp
Here’s how to get started
building your beachhead
on the Web.

91 Vista Revealed
Alt-Tab is soooo 5 minutes
ago. With Win-Tab, you get
live application previews.

92 Ask Loyd
Use up to four monitors;
enable the highest CRT
resolutions; upgrade a Dell.

94 Ask Neil
Identify changes in
contracts; print from PRN
files; and more.

96 Security Watch
Anti-malware software
can’t protect you if you fall
victim to social engineering.

97 Software Solutions
Make your screenshots
work better for you with
SnagIt.

GAMING &
C OV E R S T O R Y
PIPELINE CULTURE
GEEK YOUR RIDE 16 NEC’s Cool Designs 108 Is World of Warcraft

76
3D ads hanging in the the new golf?
sky; nanotube-based
Not everyone can shell out $100,000 for a tricked-out Mercedes.
How can you bring your old beater up to speed? We’ve rounded up
flexible displays
GEARLOG
17 Space Elevator
some of the best add-on gadgets for those who want to keep up with the times A telematics revolution 111 Flash wristbands:
without breaking the bank. We include an automotive troubleshooter, hands-free 256 wearable megs
Bluetooth phone, and music and navigation aids galore.
TECHNORIDE
BUILD IT 20 Chevrolet Tahoe

OFFICE ON WHEELS
Best auto Web site
Sky driving PC ONLINE

80
Can’t get enough of
21 Bill Howard
the gorgeous cars in
If you do your wheeling and dealing on wheels, you need our cover story? Go
a high-tech office in your car. We help you set it all up: from to PCMag.com to see
an LCD touch screen and EV-DO card for your laptop to a printer, a scanner, ALSO INSIDE more of the audio
a heads-up display, GPS, stereo, and a TV tuner (for coffee breaks). We even 14 Feedback systems, entertain-
put a shredder in the glove compartment. ment features, and
14 Abort, Retry, Fail navigation systems
.PC Magazine, ISSN 0888-8507, is published semi-monthly except monthly in January and July at $44.97 for one
that turn a car into
year. Ziff Davis Media Inc, 28 E. 28th St., New York, NY 10016-7940. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10016-
7940 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Address changes to PC Magazine, P.O. Box 54070, Boulder, a geek’s paradise.
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8 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006 Illustration by Mondolithic Studios

 姞

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姞
 FEEDBACK

TRIBBLES? NO TROUBLE
Regarding your comments about ravenous Trib-
bles (Feedback, March 7, page 87), I can whole-
heartedly assure you that Tribbles do not eat com-
puter magazines. If that were true, I’d be up to my ass
in furballs and still struggling to figure out CP/M,
dBase II, WordStar, and Colossal Cave Adventure.
—David Gerrold (author, The Trouble with Tribbles)
Thanks for the reassuring note. I’ve been a huge
fan of Tribbles since grade school. I remember
painstakingly stitching my own Tribbles togeth-
er—using a mix of fake and recycled real fur—
based on plans from your history book. Had they
developed a taste for silicon, I’d probably still be
washing dishes at the Straight Wharf Restaurant.
Don’t know what a Tribble is? For shame!
Google it and find out.—Jim Louderback
FULFILLING THE DREAM
OF PERSONAL TECH
A reader (Feedback, March 7) asks why you are
covering TVs. I’ve been around PCs since cas-
sette tapes were sexy as storage, and your evolu-
tion into the coverage of cars, TVs, and anything
else with electronic intelligence makes com-
plete and utter sense. These emergent products
embody the dream we all had when the first IC
appeared. Each issue of PC Magazine needs to
track the rapid evolution of personal technol-
ogy, or you will suffer the fate of any entity that
stands still (think buggy whips). I’ve read PC
Magazine for decades and expect nothing less.
—Ara Kazanjian
CORRECTIONS & AMPLIFICATIONS
The table that accompanies the guide to building your
own PC (March 7, page 106) quotes wrong prices for
three Microsoft Windows versions. The correct price
for XP Home is $199 direct; for XP Pro, $299 direct. You
can’t buy XP Media Center Edition directly, but online
retailers sell OEM copies for as little as $130.
FOR OUR OWN PROTECTION
I was a little disturbed by Michael J. Miller’s
“When the Government Knows Where You
Search” (March 21, page 15), which suggests
that advancement in content filtering is a suf-
ficient substitute for actively monitoring would-
be online threats. Collecting search engine data
to profile potential terrorists, criminals, and
online predators is not only necessary but long
overdue. The early, no-holds-barred version of
the Internet became a breeding ground for the
worst scum of the earth, and now we’re scram-
ABORT, RETRY, FAIL
EDITED BY DON WILLMOTT
A tasty treat!
What a relief!
bling to figure out how to protect ourselves. For
the good of the country, and for the safety of our
children, I’d be willing to share my shopping
list; I’d certainly be willing to give up my right to
learn how to build a homemade bomb.
—Eric Schneider
BIG BUG-SMASHERS
In the Future Watch item that shows the cock-
pit of an Airbus A380 (March 7, page 26), Se-
bastian Rupley asked how pilots will be able
to concentrate on where they’re going, with
all the dials, lights, and gizmos. The answer to
this very good question is: “They’d damn well
better be able to, or a lot of folks in back are in
for a bad day.” As a driver of one of those glass-
cockpit bug-smashers since 1982, now retired
from American Airlines, I can tell you that mod-
ern airliners’ cockpits are designed to make the
job easy, to minimize distractions, and to pres-
ent all the information needed to handle most
situations. The last thing a pilot needs is the
distraction of some blinking light, so only a few
are installed, and those are seldom activated.
Almost everything on the left instrument panel
is duplicated on the right (so that a first officer

We neglected to identify the laptop bag in our March 21

cover photo. It is the Mobile Edge Men’s Premium Brief-
case, and it sells for $89.99 at www.mobileedge.com.

A crucial piece of context was deleted in the editing of

Loyd Case’s story, “Your Next PC Will Cost $159” (March
21, page 98). The promotion Loyd stumbled upon was
for a limited time only. Though similar deals occasion-
ally crop up, it will likely take a bit of hunting (and time)
for readers to find one this ultra-cheap for themselves.
Such a deal!
ARF NEEDS YOU! If your entry is used, we’ll send you a PC Magazine T-shirt. Submit your photos or
screen captures via e-mail to arf@ziffdavis.com. Ziff Davis Media Inc. shall own all property rights in the
entries. Winners this issue: Paul Flack, Blaine Trimmell, and Stephen Walker.

14 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

can take over from the pilot if need be), so there
are only half as many cosmic toys as you see.
The neatest gadgetry is the lower part of the
large screen on the centerline, known as EICAS
(Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System).
All the gizmos in the machine report to it. Any
system discrepancies are reported, in English,
right on that screen. An unobtrusive beep alerts
the crew to any new EICAS messages. No spin-
ning dials. No blinking lights. At worst, “bitch-
ing Betty,” a synthesized human voice, throws a
tantrum if someone misses a biggie.
—Gail G. Pence
YES WE CAN
I have always learned something new reading
PC Magazine! There is nothing quite like the
satisfaction of building your own computer. Joel
Durham Jr.’s article was a delight —simple, easy,
and very informative. Many have written about
how to build or upgrade a PC before, but with
all the new hardware, it’s a story that needs to be
repeated at least once a year!
Having built several PCs in the past year,
I’m really impressed with how much easier it’s
become. No more need to learn about IRQ
and DMA settings. The BIOS is much easier
to customize, and connectors are finally getting
color coded. It’s not only hard to make a costly
mistake, but it’s also harder to cause any serious
Stan, I wish everything was as dependable
as a Ricoh color printer.
ricoh-usa.com/itchannel
1.800.RICOH.43
©2006 Ricoh Corporation
damage by mixing up connectors. I only wish
that PC diagnostics had evolved as quickly.
I have one piece of advice, as an old-timer
in the business: Invest in a static strap ($3)
and use it. A static mat is even better. If noth-
ing else, make a dummy cable that has only a
ground wire and keep the chassis grounded.
—Russ Hodes
THE FIRST HYBRID
Bill Howard, like every media writer to discuss
hybrids (February 21, page 25), starts with
comments about the holy Toyota Prius. Next,
he mentions the Honda Civic. As impressive
as these cars are, with gas mileage better than
40 miles per gallon, he never mentions the first
hybrid available in the U.S.: the Honda Insight.
It’s still available, although it’s one of Honda’s
best-kept secrets.
It’s derided as a two-seater. If it had 200 hp
and only two seats, the press would think it was
sexy and would be all over it. Meanwhile, I get
50-plus mpg driving around town and upwards
of 60 mpg on the highway, and I’m not even a
particularly conservative driver. All the stuff you
like about the Prius and the Civic is even truer
about the forgotten Insight.
Way back in 2000, Honda pioneered a lot of
technology to make the Insight what it is today.
The hybrid engine is only part of it. It’s the light-
That's why they call it
wishful thinking, Jerry.
est and has the lowest drag coefficient of any
car sold in the U.S. The spark plugs are indexed
(custom-fitted to determine in which of the
four directions the electrodes should point rela-
tive to the threads, in order to maximize air flow
through the combustion chamber); the index
number is stamped into the cylinder head next
to each spark plug. Electric power steering is
lighter than hydraulic steering and gives full as-
sistance when you are parking (hydraulic loses
power when the engine isn’t revved up). Geeks
who want to know more should check out www
.insightcentral.net.
Those who have them love them. It’s
like with Harleys: If I have to explain it, you
wouldn’t understand.—Will Martin
The Insight deserves credit for being hybrid
before hybrid was cool. But with its weird shape,
two seats, and a bunch of batteries in the back,
it was an acquired taste. The Civic, in com-
parison, is a normal car that, by the way, has a
hybrid engine.—Bill Howard
HOW TO CONTACT US
We welcome your comments and suggestions.
When sending e-mail to Feedback, please state
in the subject line of your message which arti-
cle or column prompted your response. E-mail
pcmag@ziffdavis.com. All letters become the
property of PC Magazine and are subject to ed-
iting. We regret that we cannot answer letters
individually.
Ricoh dependability moves your ideas forward.
PIPELINE
WHAT’S NEW FROM THE WORLD OF TECH

FLEXED
Bendable displays
have been shown as
prototypes for years,
but they’ve never
become mainstream.
Now, researchers at
Rensselaer Polytech-
nic Institute have come
Designs to Go

H
up with a new polymer
NEC designers envision the ubiquitous devices of the future.
material—essentially a
“skin” based on car-
AVE ALL THE GOOD HARDWARE IDEAS
bon nanotubes—that already been thought of? Not accord-
could usher them into ing to NEC. The company’s Resonant-
widespread use. ware line of ubiquitous networking
Here, a nano-skin devices consists of imaginative con-
is flexible enough cepts conceived by top designers.
to wrap around the
end of a plastic rod.
From intelligent pens to a cell phone you could wrap
Commercial displays around your wrist while playing tennis, the prototypes
will follow.—SR focus on go-anywhere technology.
Resonantware emphasizes “design possibilities
with near-future paradigms in mind: the world where
humans and machines resonate with one another,”
according to NEC. If that sounds a little fanciful, con-
sider some of the gizmos already cooked up. For start-
ers, Tag is a malleable mobile-phone concept. Formed
from a shape-memorizing rubbery material, it might
hang from your belt or be wrapped around your arm.
You could jog with Tag affixed to your body.
Wacca (shown above) stores “visual memory in a
bracelet.” The bracelet captures surrounding visual im-
ages, adapting to the distance from the viewers’ faces
through distance sensors. You can browse through cap-
tured images using a viewer on the bracelet or park it in
a picture frame to view large versions of the photos.
There are several other far-out ideas in the Reso-
nantware line, including a pen-shaped cellular phone,
a virtual keyboard, and a personal ID key with cashless
pass functions. The next issue of PC Magazine will fo-
cus on new designs and feature more Resonantware
concepts. Stay tuned.—Sebastian Rupley

HANGING IN MIDAIR BUZZWORDS DEMYSTIFIED

If you’re a fan of the film Blade Runner, Captive Portal A default Web page that is downloaded to
you probably remember the giant, eerie everyone who logs onto the Internet. Typically used
3D advertisements suspended in the for Wi-Fi hot spots.
night sky above Los Angeles. At the Na-
tional Institute of Advanced Industrial Web 2.0 Umbrella term for the second wave of the
Science and Technology in Tokyo (AIST Web’s development. It implies an information and
for short), researchers have developed computing platform, not a content storehouse.
a way to project such 3D images.
The images are created when the Spintronics Using the spin of an electron to represent
intensity of a laser pulse becomes high binary data (0 or 1).
enough to cause plasma emissions in
the air. Burton Inc. is working with AIST Adaptive Site A Web site that learns the habits of
on commercial applications.—SR visitors and presents them with personalized pages.

GUT FEELING Never underestimate the power of a hunch. Icosystem’s new hunch engine
software enhances human intuition by putting a seed idea through a series of mutations.
You select examples that look promising. Find out more at www.icosystem.com.
16 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
 A SOLDIER’S
FOUR-LEGGED
FRIEND
What would a robotic
mule be good for?
Plenty, in the eyes of
developers at Boston
Dynamics. Researchers
there, sponsored by the
Defense Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency
(DARPA), created Big-
Dog: a prototype, load-
carrying mule dubbed
“the most advanced
quadruped robot” by
its makers.
Powered by an on-
board computer loaded
with actuators and
sensors and running on

D
G O I N G U P? gasoline, BigDog can
climb steep slopes and
OES TECHNOLOGY INSPIRE SCIENCE FICTION AUTHORS, OR VICE
recover its balance after
versa? Arthur C. Clarke’s 1978 novel Fountains of Paradise proposed a hard kick. A laser gyro-
that an elevator to space would be feasible. Now, LiftPort Group scope and a stereo vi-
is aiming to make the dream a reality. The company has tethered a sion system help it navi-
cable, held aloft by balloons, one mile into the air. Computer-driven gate. The robot can trot
robots climbed most of the way up and down the cable—though at 3.3 mph and carry a
120-pound load for a
there were a few glitches. LiftPort’s goal is to extend an ultrastrong carbon-nano- soldier. A next-genera-
tube cable 62,000 miles into space by the year 2018. The space elevator, which tion version capable of
will be anchored in the Pacific Ocean, is intended for human transport as well as carrying heavier loads
cargo.—Sebastian Rupley is in the works.—SR

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 17

TECHNORIDE

TAHOE GOES TECH

T
H E 2 0 0 7 C H E V R O L E T TA H O E I S
longer (202 inches) and larger (5,500-
plus pounds) than previous versions,
and it has a vastly more comfort-
able ride and better handling. Most
important to us, it integrates more
technology. Half the V8’s cylinders shut down when
they’re not accelerating; stability control comes
standard; the $2,145 navigation system is decent;
the $1,295 rear-seat DVD system is a decent option
for families; the engine happily drinks E85 fuel (85
percent ethanol, 15 percent gas); and a hybrid version
is due by the end of the year. For safety, a backup cam-
era and sonar are available options. Unfortunately,
Bluetooth isn’t offered, and fuel economy could be bet-
ter. But cockpit fit and finish are vastly improved for all
of GM’s 2007 full-size SUVs, including the Cadillac
Escalade, the GMC Yukon, and the stretched-out
Chevy Suburban and Yukon XL.—BH

MORE ON THE WEB

Want the full story
on these reviews, plus news
and opinions? Go to
www.technoride.com,
the car site for tech fans.

CHEVROLET
TAHOE
era
$34,000 to $50,000
Backup cam
PROS Stability control
and OnStar are standard.
Decent nav system.
Cylinder-deactivation BEST AUTO WEB SITE
feature, runs on ethanol/ According to researcher
gas mix. Backup camera J.D. Power & Associates’
and sonar available. semiannual Manufactur-
CONS No Bluetooth. ers Web Site Evaluation
Unsophisticated trans- Survey, Lexus moved
mission. 15/21 mpg EPA from sixth place to first.
rating (city/highway). The site got kudos for
BOTTOM LINE Every- simple navigation and
thing’s better about GM’s for being easy to load
full-size 2007 SUVs, in- using broadband or
cluding standard stability dial-up. At TechnoRide,
control and a flex-fuels, we’ve found that most
flex-cylinders engine.
buyer sites are more
But there’s so little cargo
room you may need an than adequate; unfor-
extended-cabin GM SUV; tunately, the owner sec-
then you can say goodbye tions are nearly all weak
to 21 mpg on the highway. in useful content.—BH

20 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006


Runs on
ethanol/gas mix
THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A PLANE, but it’s actually
a Transition Personal Air Vehicle (PAV)—a concept
from the minds of talented grad students at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Terrafugia,
an aviation manufacturing company working with
the students, says the Transition will be able to drive
at normal highway speeds, fly at speeds ap-
proaching the light-sport-aircraft limit, and
fit in a standard garage. It will weigh 1,320
pounds and have a 100-hp engine. Gas mile-
age in the air is around 30 mpg.
The first delivery of the
Transition PAV is scheduled
for 2009, but a fully opera-
tional prototype is expected
in 2008. Start saving now; the
estimated price is $148,000.
—Jennifer L. DeLeo
B I L L H O WA R D
A
A TELEMATICS REVOLUTION
MICROSOFT WINDOWS LOGO
etched onto a button sits proudly
on the steering wheel of the new
Fiat Grande Punto. Press it for
affordable access to Bluetooth,
MP3 music, and navigation.
Put it on more car models, sell it
outside Europe, and you’ve got
a revolution. This joint Microsoft-Fiat venture, called
Blue&Me, brings a telematics box to Fiat’s best-selling
small sedan for the equivalent of $275, or about what
you’d pay for an integrated Bluetooth hands-free phone
module alone.
Blue&Me uses Microsoft Windows Mobile for
Automotive (WM4A, to Microsoft), an offshoot of the
Windows Automotive software currently used in more
than 60 car models. It offers these functions:
• Bluetooth hands-free phone connections.
• Voice recognition.
• Playback of MP3 and WMA files from virtually
any music player or USB flash key.
• Remote diagnostics, via uploads of car-fault
codes to your dealer.
• Turn-by-turn navigation using voice prompts
and, depending on the sophistication of the car,
text prompts, iconic arrows, or full maps.
Since Apple closely guards its ironically named Fair-
Play copy protection scheme, you can’t play protected
iTunes files, but Apple may relent in the future.
The navigation component of Blue&Me won’t be
implemented until later this year. Routes will be down-
loaded from a server to your cell phone to the telemat-
ics box, rather than from an onboard DVD or CD or a
hard drive. The T-Box system is easily upgraded, and it
can be implemented in cars with just a two-year lead
time—miraculously short for the auto industry.
Before you make the obvious jokes about this part-
nership, note that Fiat is much healthier financially
than it has been recently, and the Windows Automo-
tive software is competitive with offerings from Wind
River Systems and QNX.
Fiat has an exclusive until March 2007, and Micro-
soft says it has at least one more automaker lined up.
I think Ford is the likeliest U.S. candidate, because its
in-car telematics and navigation offerings are in sham-
bles: a paltry 4-inch display for its nav system?
I believe Blue&Me will be truly disruptive. It makes
even $1,000 portable nav systems look expensive, and
with it, every music player—not just the iPod—can be
controlled from the car. Twenty years ago, the Supreme
Court allowed automakers to lock out third-party enter-
tainment systems. With Blue&Me, the built-in hard-
ware is still theirs, but the entertainment is all yours. Q
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 21
MONITOR COLOR CORRECTION
It’s your monitor.
It’s not your eyes.
Introducing huey. The first step to great prints. It automatically corrects monitor
color so each hue is more vibrant, photographs are more accurate and movies and
games are more life-like. A unique ambient light feature even adjusts for room lighting.
You might not know your monitor is off, but you’ll notice the difference once it’s fixed.
PANTONE®, huey™ and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. GretagMacbeth is a registered trademark
/
of Amazys Holding AG. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © Pantone, Inc., 2006. All rights reserved. For more information, visit pantone.com
USEFUL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS for navigating digital magazines
PAGE DOWN ................................. flip to next page
PAGE UP....................................... flip to prior page
ENTER ................................... zoom in on left page
SHIFT + ENTER ..................... zoom in on right page
ENTER .................. zoom back out to full-page view
C ....................................... flip to Table of Contents
HOME ......................................... flip to front cover
END............................................. flip to back page
USEFUL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS for navigating digital magazines
PAGE DOWN ................................. flip to next page
PAGE UP....................................... flip to prior page
ENTER ................................... zoom in on left page
SHIFT + ENTER ..................... zoom in on right page
ENTER .................. zoom back out to full-page view
C ....................................... flip to Table of Contents
HOME ......................................... flip to front cover
END............................................. flip to back page
 FIRST LOOKS
WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN: lllll EXCELLENT | llllm VERY GOOD | lllmm GOOD | llmmm FAIR | lmmmm POOR

INSIDE...

O
H, THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’. WE’VE
got a new look, a fresh approach and—what’s
this?—an Apple laptop on our First Looks cover.
Of course, it’s not just any Macintosh system.
It’s Apple’s first Intel Core Duo–based portable,
and it really screams. The Cupertino company
has been stirring the pot lately, and in this edition we also
decant the iPod Hi-Fi and Core Duo Mac mini. There’s also
a healthy helping of Windows laptops (including the best
ThinkPad ever), 50-inch plasmas, phones, and reviews of
products geared to small businesses. Also, don’t miss our
new Buying Guides on Digital SLRs, Desktop Displays, and
Photo Management Tools. It’s a whole new First Looks.

Apple MacBook Pro

This Intel-based system
is one sweet upgrade
from the beloved
PowerBook G4. Turn
the page for the full
review.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 23

 F I R ST LO O KS
H A R D WA R E

iSight

Apple MacBook Pro

The MacBook Pro comes
with a 100GB hard drive,
a superfast 256MB ATI
graphics card, Intel’s
802.11a/g wireless, and a
DVD±RW drive. With its
bigger, brighter display
and an excellent soft-
ware bundle (including
iLife ’06 and Front Row),
there’s little more to
wish for.
$3,099 direct as tested
go.pcmag.com/
intelmacbook
llllm

Just one
inch thin Remote control
IR sensor
slimmerrive
DVD d

BATTERY LIFE SPEED TESTS

Bigger bars are better. In hours:minutes. Smaller bars are better. In minutes:seconds.

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Apple PowerBook G4 15-inch* 0:29

Start-up
1:18

DVD Battery 2:05 0:50

Rundown Test iPhoto Import
2:12 2:35

QuickTime 2:13
Pro Conversion
* Apple PowerBook (PowerPC G4, 1.67 GHz) reported for comparison. 3:36

24 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 OTHER
INTEL
CORE DUO
OPTIONS

RAW POWER
Acer TravelMate
8204WLMi Thanks to its
dual-core processor and
impressive components,
this beauty is a top
performer. The durable
carbon-fiber chassis
and manageable weight
make this a solid system.
$2,499 list
go.pcmag.com/acer8204
llllh

MagSafer
adapte
ard/ 34 slot
Ex press C AFFORDABLE
HP Pavilion dv1000t
One of the first note-
books to go dual-core,
the dv1000t is an

INTEL’S INSIDE THE NEW MACBOOK PRO

affordable multimedia

T
HIS TIME, THE LATEST “MUST-HAVE”
from Apple is not another pocket-size
music player. It’s the 5.5-pound suc-
cessor to the PowerBook G4. And
though just as sexy as an iPod, the new
Apple MacBook Pro has some serious
Intel firepower. For most consumers, the Intel Core
Duo processor raises the bar for performance, letting
notebook that is 5.5
pounds. You get lots of
DVI-D port. The S-Video port is gone, though you can storage space (100GB),
get a DVI-D to S-Video converter for $19. a BrightView screen, the
The MacBook Pro still doesn’t include a TV tuner QuickPlay instant-on
for watching and recording live TV. But for all your interface, and a dual-
layer DVD±RW drive.
other media needs, you’re set. The Front Row multi- $1,922.99 direct
media interface is very well designed, and you can go.pcmag.com/
access it from across the room via a shuffle-like re- hpdv1000t
mote. You can scroll through different menus access- llllm

them immerse themselves in a digital lifestyle. But
graphics and media professionals who make a living
using Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut Pro may want to
hold off for just a bit.
Many features are very cool, like Apple’s integrated
iSight camera. With the growing popularity of video
chats, the iSight camera, with its excellent resolution,
is a smart addition. But I was very disappointed to see
that the MacBook has only two USB ports; other 15.4-
inch notebooks have four, which is more appropriate,
considering the plethora of USB-connected devices
available. Apple has abandoned the FireWire 800 port,
leaving only the FireWire 400 port, and made the move
from a PC Card slot to an Express Card slot. Many
manufacturers are moving to Express Card, although
right now not a lot of products support it. And if you
want to connect your MacBook Pro to a TV, and really
put Front Row on display, you’ll have to do it via the
ing photos, music, and other content. Also included is
the stellar iLife ’06 software suite.
The MacBook Pro demonstrated impressive speed
on my tests. For example, it showed a performance
gain of more than 200 percent over the PowerBook G4
when importing and exporting pictures in iPhoto. And
it took only 29 seconds to start up, which is blazingly
fast compared with the PowerBook G4’s 1:18. The MULTIMEDIA
dual-core processor does cause the aluminum chas- Dell Inspiron E1705
sis to heat up a bit, but this is neither problematic nor The E1705 is a multime-
dia laptop with a bright
uncomfortable. 17-inch widescreen and
It’s not as if graphics and media professionals will plenty of multimedia
never benefit from the cool new MacBook Pro. They buttons, instant-on
will, as soon as certain software—such as Photoshop, software, and good per-
formance. You can even
Final Cut Pro, and Aperture—is optimized for the In- do some gaming.
tel platform (called universal binary). But for all other $2,307 direct
Mac-heads and Windows converts, this system is an go.pcmag.com/delle1705
awesome upgrade right now.—Cisco Cheng llllm

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 25

 F I R ST LO O KS Intel inside
H A R D WA R E

ports!
4 USB

Apple Mac mini

The Mac mini is a media
hub masquerading as a
budget PC. Though it can
do everything an entry-
level system can, this mini
comes with a remote.

T
Nary a keyboard, mouse, APPLE’S MINI APPEAL
or monitor is in sight.
$799 direct HE ORIGINAL G4 MINI WAS A TRI-
go.pcmag.com/ u m p h of compact design. Now,
intelmacmini the newest Apple Mac mini shares
llllm
the same form factor and, thankfully,
the same value-minded media hub/
PC mentality—even with the Intel
Core Duo processor inside.
In addition, the mini comes with the Front Row
media interface. The included iPod shuffle–look-
alike IR Apple Remote makes it easy to scroll through
photos, slide shows, music, and downloaded videos
on your PC. And with its built-in wireless and Bonjour
networking, it’s easier than ever to network all your
home’s PCs so that you can access media files from
anywhere in the house. The only downside for such a
media-centric system is its current lack of a TV tuner.
For more traditional PC tasks like e-mail, Web
searching, and word processing, the Mac mini has
more than enough power to keep you happy.
Even without a TV tuner, the Mac mini excels at
what it’s meant to do: act as your home’s central media
hub or a basic, entry-level PC.—Joel Santo Domingo

2’’ LCD
Sony DVDirect
VRD-MC1
With its host of
ports and mem-
ory card slots,
you can capture
video from almost any
device—camera, cam-
corder, VCR—and burn
it to DVD.
$299 direct
go.pcmag.com/

A
sonydvdirect
llllh
THE VIDEO-TO-DVD CHAMP
RE YOU LOOKING FOR AN EASY
way to save precious video memories
(even the ones stored on that grainy
VHS tape) to DVD? If so, consider
the Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1. It lets
you transfer video quickly and easily
from a camcorder, camera, memory card, or a VCR. video will need. The drive supports 16X DVD-R and
The 2-inch LCD screen—one of the DVDirect’s DVD+R write speeds (the fastest available).
most important features—lets you see exactly what is There are plenty of ports, including DV, S-Video-in,
being recorded. A/V-in, and a printer USB port—not a video-out port,
Choose from five quality modes to record in, from though, which means the DVDirect can’t play DVDs.
HQ, or High Quality, which produces the best re- For saving your video memories to DVD, the Sony
cording, to SLP (Super Long Play), the poorest. This VRD-MC1 is fast, easy, and affordable—and our favor-
selection lets you designate how much DVD space a ite solution, to boot.—Cisco Cheng

26 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 Tray holds
up to 12 es
35mm slid

Epson Perfection V700

Aiming to attract serious
amateur photographers,
QUALITY FILM AND the Epson Perfection
V700 has comprehen-

T
PHOTO SCANNER sive options for handling
film and produces top-
HE EPSON PERFECTION V700 PHOTO
quality scans.
is not for everyone. But if you take your $549 list
photography seriously, are demanding go.pcmag.com/
about scan quality—and particularly epsonv700
llllh
if you have a large print and film col-
lection waiting to enter the digital matic, which, like a point-and-shoot camera, handles
age—this scanner should be on your short list. all the settings for you, to Professional, which gives you
The V700 is an okay all-purpose scanner, but it ex- much more control over the scan. Regardless of what
cels as a film scanner (which is what you’ll be using it mode you choose, the V700 is easy to use: You can
for anyway), producing some of the best scan quality either launch the scan from within a program or sim-
I’ve seen. It can scan eight different film formats, in ply press the single button on the front of the console.
three different modes. The modes range from Auto- —M. David Stone

Stan, how do you keep

those Ricoh printers
so dependable?

You add paper, Jerry.

Ricoh dependability moves your ideas forward.

ricoh-usa.com/itchannel
1.800.RICOH.43
©2006 Ricoh Corporation
 F I R ST LO O KS
H A R D WA R E
BUYING GUIDE
Desktop Displays
s t a b le necode
Adju ortrait m
for p
I
F YOU HAVEN’ T ALREADY MADE THE LEAP
to an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor,
now is the time to do so. While it’s true that
CRTs have a slight edge when it comes to
displaying moving images, LCDs are flicker-
free (no more late-day headaches) and take
up much less room. Why suffer another day with that
dinosaur of a CRT on your desk? Reclaim your desktop
space and read on.
Sizing It All Up
Before you start shopping, there are a few things you
need to decide—most important, how much you want
to spend and what size monitor suits your needs. Typi-
cally, the bigger the display, the more you can expect to
STAY AWAY!
NEC MultiSync 90GX2 Though the Envision EN7600 In a market where
glossy screen is great for movies and three-year warranties are the norm, the
games, workaholics will quickly tire of one-year warranty and subpar dead-
the glare. $480 street. go.pcmag.com/ pixel policy don’t cut it. $279.99 direct.
nec90gx2 l l l h m go.pcmag.com/en7600 l l l m m
28 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
GATEWAY FPD2185W
The Gateway FPD2185W is
an affordable 21-inch wide-
screen LCD monitor that
boasts a 1,680- by 1,050-
pixel resolution, multiple
inputs, a 16:10 aspect ratio,
and enough features to satisfy the
most demanding home or office
user. It’s one of the best values on
the market.
The FPD2185W does a fine job
of displaying fast-action games and
DVD video. Doom 3 looks terrific on
its wide screen, and The Matrix ran
on it with no flutter, minimal arti-
facts, and no noticeable ghosting.
If you’re looking for an affordable
21-inch LCD monitor that can handle
all your multimedia needs and look
good while doing it, look no further
than the Gateway FPD2185W.
$599.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/gatewayfpd
llllh
k
spend, but there are other factors that also affect price.
At the low end of the price spectrum are the 15-inch
models, which are slowly disappearing from the market
in favor of the 17-inch displays. While 15-inch moni-
tors are adequate for Web surfing, e-mail, and general
office tasks, you’re better off spending a few extra bucks
and upgrading to a 17- or 19-inch panel. Currently, a
moderately priced 19-inch monitor delivers the best
bang for your buck in terms of total viewing area.
Aside from the size, comfort with the screen’s
native resolution is another key consideration. If, for
example, you view a document on a monitor running
at 1,600-by-1,200 and the text appears too small, you’ll
want to consider a lower-resolution display that runs at
1,280-by-1,024 instead. As a general rule: the higher
the native resolution, the smaller the font will be. You
can always run the monitor at lower than native resolu-
tion, but image quality will suffer.
Big widescreen displays, say 24- or even 30-inch
ones, offer very high resolutions, ranging from 1,600-
by-1,200 to 2,560-by-1,600. These monitors are better
 A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
BY JOHN R. DELANEY

I
suited for graphics professionals and people who work
in imaging and video. (They’re also superb for watching OTHER F YO U H AV E K I D S , R O OM M AT E S ,
siblings, or a spouse with different TV
movies.) If you’re a desk jockey who works with words
and numbers, these beauties are overkill.
OPTIONS viewing habits from yours, you’ve prob-
ably thought about buying a second, third,
Pixel response rate (expressed in ms) measures or fourth TV set to keep the peace dur-
how quickly the display’s pixels go from black to white ing prime time. Or maybe you just want
or gray to gray and is a good indication of how well an to kick back and watch a Yankees game
LCD handles moving images. For example, a 12-ms without flipping a coin for viewing rights.
display is “adequate” for gaming, but you’ll experience Here’s an idea: Turn your LCD monitor into a TV set.
some jitter and ghosting. The action will be much Watching TV using your PC is nothing new, but
smoother on a 3-ms monitor. most people don’t realize just how easy it is. For start-
HIGH-END MARVEL
ers, your monitor needs to have a built-in TV tuner or
Dell UltraSharp Wide-
Entertainment Value screen 3007WFP video card. If it doesn’t, you’ll need a TV tuner for your
Additional features, such as dual inputs, integrated This 30-inch display has PC. (HD TV tuners are inexpensive and deliver bet-
speakers, built-in USB ports, and other external con- better image quality and ter image quality, even on SD, than most non-HD TV
a faster pixel response
nectivity ports, also affect the utility and price of the tuner cards.) Also, get a good set of speakers.
rate than its rival, Apple’s
display. Choose a model that offers digital (DVI) and Cinema HD. Not long ago, you’d have had to be moderately
analog (VGA) inputs, even if your current PC supports $2,199 direct tech-savvy to install a tuner card in your PC, but now
only VGA graphics. (You’ll thank me when you eventu- go.pcmag.com/dell30 you can simply buy a USB tuner for around $150,
llllm
ally upgrade your PC.) plug it in, load some software, and you’re ready to go.
If you plan to use the display as part of an enter- GAMER’S DELIGHT
Of course, you’ll need an antenna, cable, or satellite
tainment hub, look for a model with S-Video-in and ViewSonic VX924 feed nearby.
component-video-in ports. And though integrated With extremely fast pixel Using your LCD monitor as a TV has certain ad-
speakers save space, they are usually underpowered response rates, this is an vantages. For starters, LCDs are aesthetically pleasing.
excellent 19-inch monitor
and distort at high volumes. A cheap set of desktop for gaming and video.
Even the plainest is better-looking than most TV sets,
speakers will usually do a better job. $469 direct and they don’t take up a lot of room. They weigh less
go.pcmag.com/vx924 than TVs and can be easily moved. Also, LCDs con-
Stands and Warranties lllhm sume less power than TV sets (approximately 30 per-
Another seemingly small thing to investigate is the cent less) and, because they’re flicker-free, are easier
BUDGET BEAUTY
stand. Nearly all LCD monitors have stands that can be ViewSonic VA912b
on your eyes. Last but certainly not least, most LCDs
adjusted for comfortable viewing. The most common Dual inputs, a wide provide a bright, vivid TV picture.
adjustment is tilt. Look for those that add height adjust- viewing angle, and good There are a few things you should know before you
ments as well (no more hunching over your desk!). image quality make this trash your old TV set. If you do a side-by-side compari-
19-inch display a terrific
And finally, check out the manufacturer’s warranty value.
son of an LCD monitor and an old CRT TV, you’ll no-
before you buy. Most vendors offer a standard three- $320 street tice that the LCD loses some luster when viewed from
year warranty that covers parts, labor, and most impor- go.pcmag.com/va912b the side, whereas the TV looks good regardless of the
tant, backlighting.—JD lllhm viewing angle. LCD technology has come a long way
in terms of viewing-angle performance, but CRTs still
rule when it comes to crowding around the set.
RECENT REVIEWS Also, LCDs are known for displaying motion arti-
Philips 190P6 $579.99 lllhm A versatile 19-inch LCD monitor facts (background noise). Again, LCD technology has
list loaded with features.
minimized the artifacts, but they’re there; not so with
Samsung Sync- $600 llllm A 19-inch LCD that brings style and TVs. Finally, PC-based TV tuner cards can’t compete
Master 193p Plus street quality to the desktop.
with the real TV tuner cards in TVs, because USB and
Sony SDM-S95D $335 lllhm Well-designed and sleek, this 19-inch PCI tuners tend to degrade the signal. Images may ap-
street LCD has good image quality.
pear a little soft around the edges on some channels.
Samsung Sync- $550 llllh A brilliant 20-inch LCD panel. Despite a few drawbacks, watching TV on your
Master 204T street
LCD monitor is a practical way to maximize the re-
Lenovo Think- $617 lllmm A strong performer, this business turn on your PC investment. And what are a few ar-
Vision L201p list 20-inch LCD is a bit pricey.
tifacts when you can catch the game (Go Yankees!)
Planar PX1920M $469 lllhm Ergonomic and well-designed, this while the rest of the clan is fighting over the remote—
list 19-inch LCD is better than average.
in the other room? Q
MORE LCD REVIEWS ONLINE John R. Delaney is a regular contributor to PC Maga-
Check out all our LCD monitor reviews at go.pcmag.com/lcds zine and our resident monitor expert.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 29

Toshiba recommends Windows XP Professional.

Satellite
Smart notebooks for every budget.
Starting at $699

Tecra
The reliability business demands.
Starting at $1,199

Portégé
Thin, light and powerful.
Starting at $1,599

Qosmio™
4-in-1 personal entertainment center.
Starting at $1,699

Portégé R200 Notebook PC

Style and performance come together
in an elegant ultraportable.

Intel Pentium M Processor Ultra Low Voltage 753

for faster execution of instructions at lower power

Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Toshiba EasyGuard™ enhancements1 for increased

mobile security, system integrity, network connectivity
and overall ease of use

Starting at $1,899

ToshibaByDesign.com/R200
1.800.TOSHIBA

1. Toshiba EasyGuard technology comprises a number of features some of which may or may not be available on a particular Toshiba notebook depending on the model selected. See www.easyguard.toshiba.com for detailed information. 2. Weight may vary.
See Weight Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 3. Battery life may vary. See Battery Life Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 4. Hard drive capacity may vary. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 109 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. See Hard Disk
Drive Capacity Legal Footnote at www.info.toshiba.com. 5. Toshiba’s shock absorption technology provides higher impact protection for your system as compared to Toshiba systems without similar shock protection features based on Toshiba’s drop tests.
Toshiba’s standard limited warranty terms and limitations apply. Visit www.warranty.toshiba.com for details. Portégé, Satellite and Tecra are registered trademarks and EasyGuard and Qosmio are trademarks of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.
 Magnesium Alloy Chassis
Exterior casework material used in aerospace
manufacturing maximizes durability without
adding unnecessary weight. 60GB Hard Drive4
Toshiba micro-engineering
fits 60GB of data in a tiny
1.8-inch drive.

Thin. Light.
Goes for hours.
Toshiba is always striving to make notebooks smaller, thinner, lighter — without
compromising functionality. The Portégé R200 is the latest result of that Hard Drive
Hard Drive
philosophy. Its sleek chassis is built from materials similar to those used in fighter Protection4544
Protection
jets. And starting at 2.68 lbs.2 and just over half an inch thin, it still has enough 3D accelerometer
battery life to last up to five hours.3 Portability plus performance. detects free falls
and quickly
Size plus stamina. That’s 360˚ innovation. That’s Toshiba. prepares the hard
drive for impact
to help protect
Where can innovation take you? your data.
ToshibaByDesign.com/R200

Fingerprint Reader
Embedded biometric sensor
helps prevent unauthorized
access for better security.

Up to Five Hours of Battery Life3

Proprietary battery design and low-voltage
processor optimize battery efficiency.

Innovation by design.
and/or Toshiba Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Inside, the Intel Inside logo, Celeron, Intel Centrino, the Intel Centrino logo and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and
other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. While Toshiba has made every effort at the
time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifications, configurations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. Toshiba is not liable for pricing,
typographical or photography errors. Prices listed are based on products listed at ToshibaDirect.com at time of publication printing. Reseller/Retailer pricing/products may vary. © 2006 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Two 10-watt speakers

Vizio P50 HDM

This 50-inch
wonder looks 2 component
good, delivers video inputs
a great 720p
2 digital VGA port 2 composi
HD picture,
and is one of the most video ports video porttse
affordable 50-inch TVs
we’ve tested.
$2,499.99 direct
go.pcmag.com/p50hdm
llllm

32 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006


BIG PLASMA, LOW PRICE
H T
IGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION DOESN’T
always have to come at a high cost. Wit-
ness the Vizio P50 HDM. Granted, its
price tag isn’t exactly chump change,
but this is the least-expensive 50-inch
plasma display we’ve tested to date,
and we came away very impressed with its good overall
picture quality and great selection of A/V inputs.
The P50, which has a native resolution of 1,366-
by-768, is technically an HD monitor: It lacks an in-
tegrated digital television tuner and has no CableCard
slot. For those with cable or satellite set-top boxes, this
won’t be much of an issue. This display is bordered by
a glossy black bezel complete with a factory-attached,
oval-shaped table stand. On-display control buttons
on the monitor’s lower right side are easy to access.
Volume is ample—for TV speakers—from the perma-
nently attached units below the screen, but the sound
can be a bit tinny and harsh at maximum levels.
In use with a PC, the VGA input allows full ac-
cess to the display’s native resolution, providing crisp,
attractive imagery with no sign of overscan. Connect-
ing a PC to the monitor using a DVI-to-HDMI cable
limited us to a lower progressive resolution of 1,280-
by-720 (720p) and introduced just a hint of overscan.
The P50’s Faroudja DCDi video processor helped
it post the second-best HQV test results of all displays
we’ve tested to date. The results benefited from menu
settings that let you adjust digital and motion-based
noise reduction.
The Vizio P50 HDM impressed us with its attrac-
tive design and good image quality when using 720p
and PC video sources. The lack of a digital tuner and
its scaling issues with 1080i content make it best
suited for use with a set-top box that provides content
scaled to the display’s preferred 720p resolution. Per-
haps most important, Vizio has delivered a 50-inch
plasma monitor that sets a high bar for performance at
a low price.—Robert Heron
o
2 S-Vide
ports
20-wakers
spea
Dell W5001C
The W5001C’s decent
TV tuners and audio
performance are com-
pletely overshadowed by
its inability to scale HD
imagery properly when
using HDMI or compo-
nent video inputs.
$3,799 list
go.pcmag.com/dell5001c
lhmmm
tt
AVOID THIS DELL
HE DELL W5001C 50-INCH HIGH
Definition Plasma TV is the compa-
ny’s first foray into 50-inch territory,
and the results are definitely second-
rate. Image quality with most analog
sources is noisy, and all inputs intro-
duce color errors and other artifacts into video contain-
ing dark scenes.
The W5001C’s main A/V input block is centered
on the rear of the display along the lower edge. Its inte-
grated digital and analog TV tuners effectively handle
local broadcast stations, and a pair of 20-watt speakers
produces a pleasingly warm sound with good bass re-
sponse for TV speakers.
For PC use, the W5001C’s VGA input offers the
best viewing experience, with detailed imagery and
no sign of overscan. Digital PC input is possible using
a DVI-to-HDMI cable, but full-screen, progressive
resolution support is reduced to 1,280 by 720 pixels
(720p). This makes for an overscanned picture that
lacks the clarity of TV’s VGA input.
HD input via HDMI or component video result-
ed in a very flattened picture. The W5001C’s lack of
image size controls left us no way to compensate for
this. The color shifts we noted in shadows or other
dark detail were an additional distraction that sealed
the W5001C’s fate as a second-rate HDTV.—RH
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 33
 F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Logitech
Harmony 520
Anyone who
thinks a uni-
versal remote
costs too
much—or loses an old
one under the couch—
will be happy
to have this one in hand.
$99 list
go.pcmag.com/
logitechharmony520
llllh
Glow But
Sirius S50
The player’s interface
needs work, and the
meager 7 hours of bat-
tery life is disappointing.
But if you’re a Sirius
subscriber, the S50 is
the best way to take
your tunes with you.
$329.95 (with new
subscription)
go.pcmag.com/s50
lllmm
34 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
H
Hot keys THE ULTIMATE REMOTE CONTROL
AVE CONTROL ISSUES? THE LOGI-
tech Harmony 520 Advanced Uni-
versal Remote can fix them—for less
money than an hour at the therapist’s.
This is the first sub-$100 remote the
company has launched since acquir-
ing the successful Harmony brand. The 520 sports a
sleek silver design, responsive buttons, and an interac-
tive monochrome screen that adjusts to the functions
of the device you’re controlling at the time.
The remote automatically selects the appropriate
inputs and volume controls and will even change the
aspect ratio of your TV if necessary. The 520’s biggest
advantage over less-refined universal remotes is device,
or state, awareness. This means that if, for example,
your TV scrolls through the available inputs using one
button rather than dedicated buttons for Input 1, Input
2, Video, and so on, the 520 will automatically switch
inputs based on the task.
ton
Overall, the 520 did an excellent job of controlling
our entertainment center, and we were impressed with
its quality.—Oliver Kaven
W
A SIRIUS DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER
Click the
Love buttonsong
ANT TO TAKE YOUR HOWARD
Stern to go? The Sirius S50
is the first and, for now, the
to store a
only portable player that lets
you play Sirius satellite radio
programming. At 3.9 by 1.9
by 0.7 inches, the S50 slips easily into a jeans pocket.
The device’s black, glossy face is button-free and has
a bright, 176- by 220-pixel, color display that shows
channel and track info. The S50 plays live channels
only when connected to the car kit or home dock; on
the go, it plays previously recorded material from its
1GB of internal flash memory.
You can record blocks of programming or set the
player to record future programming. Hear a song you
love? Just click the Love button using the dial and the
song will be recorded to the S50. The S50 caches the
first minute or two of every song, so you don’t have to
catch the song at the very beginning. The S50 also
lets you move your own WMA and MP3 files onto the
player from your PC, but unfortunately you can’t move
Sirius content to your PC.—Dan Costa
 note the
leather trim

NOKIA’S NEW ‘IT’ PHONE Nokia 7380

T
It’s definitely a phone to
HE FASHION-CONSCIOUS SAY NEUTRAL see and be seen with, but
colors are in. The tech-savvy say 2-megapixel those used to letting their
camera phones with Bluetooth are all fingers do the talking may
find this a tough sell.
the rage. Put the two together and you get $699.99 direct
the Nokia 7380. go.pcmag.com/
At first glance, there’s no way to tell that this key- nokia7380
padless and apparently screenless rectangle is a phone. tooth, then spin through your contacts using the scroll lllhm

The front is mostly a mirror, with a single glowing jew- wheel. Or you can use the built-in dialing feature.
eled button surrounded by a rubberized scroll wheel. It’s safe to say that few if any other people at your
So how do you dial something without a keypad? cocktail party will be toting anything like this piece
You can download your contacts from your PC via Blue- of tech art.—Sascha Segan

IPOD HI-FI BRINGS DA NOISE

A
PPLE WANTS YOU TO THROW OUT
JVC RX-D702B
This receiver will take up your home stereo and use its
or
half the space yet sound
twice as nice as your old a n el fns new iPod Hi-Fi instead. Based on
our lab testing, that just might be
n p to
power-hungry analog
receiver. Opere but worth it. The iPod Hi-Fi is a one-piece, three-
$879.95 list mo way combination speaker and iPod dock that
go.pcmag.com/ looks a lot like a center-channel speaker from
jvcrxd702b a home theater system, with horizontally set
lllmm
drivers. It can thump, sing, and squeal with
a lot more power than any other dock on the
market, and at 14.5 pounds, it’s relatively
portable.
Apple had the presence of mind to shield
the dock well, so there is no audible digital
noise during playback. On all tracks, the bass
was tight and punchy.
The Hi-Fi had no problem filling up our
20-by-20-foot audio lab with clear, crisp Apple iPod Hi-Fi
It’s no surprise that the
sound, so we took it into one of our carpeted
new champ among iPod
DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT meeting rooms, which can seat a couple hun- speakers/docks comes
dred people, and turned up the volume all
MADE SIMPLE from Apple. The iPod

A
the way up. This thing is capable of powering Hi-Fi is versatile and loud
enough for almost any
N A / V R E C E I V E R D O E S N ’ T H AV E T O a serious party.—Mike Kobrin
listening needs, though it
be complicated to be good. The 150-watt lacks video output.
JVC RX-D702B unit takes up half of the $349 direct
space of your old power-hungry analog re- go.pcmag.com/ipodhifi
llllh
ceiver and sounds twice as nice. The sound is loud and
crisp, thanks to a digital amplifier and digital signal pro-
cessing. You can even connect it to your PC via USB or
wirelessly, to stream music from your MP3 collection.
The internal Faroudja DCDi video processor will
take analog composite, S-Video, and component video
inputs and upconvert them to HD-like quality. The
receiver gives you three high-definition sources that
can be routed to a single HDMI TV connection and
three low-definition sources that can be upconverted
to HDMI at 480p.
The device itself runs a little hot and the wireless
range is a little weak, but otherwise this makes a good
all-purpose receiver.—Dave Mathews

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 35

 F I R ST LO O KS
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

BUYING GUIDE

Digital SLRs
flash NIKON D200
versatgilesystem Like most digital SLRs, the
5 frames lightin Nikon D200 comes loaded
with controls, both auto-
per second matic and manual, and in
the hands of a skilled photo-
grapher will perform beau-
tifully. But it’s the camera’s innovative
ability to control lighting that makes
it our new Editors’ Choice.
The D200’s CCD 10.2MP sensor
creates large files and allows exten-
sive cropping in your image-editing
program. The impressive 11-area auto-
focus (AF) system does a fine job of
keeping your subjects in focus, and
the camera uses the same 3D color-
metering system found in the excep-
tional Nikon D2X.
$1,699.95 list (without lens)
go.pcmag.com/d200
llllh

le
flexibfocus
10.2 MP aut o
CCD sensor
sturdy ium alloy
magnes

U
body
NLESS YOU’VE BEEN NAPPING FOR
the past year or so, you’ve noticed that
Digital Single-Lens Reflex (D-SLR)
cameras have come way down in price
and are now within reach of nearly all
consumers. You can spend as little as
$600 for an entry-level D-SLR with a kit lens or ten
times that for a professional one, which doesn’t come
with a lens. But do you need one? That depends on
STAY AWAY! what kind of photographer you are.
Pentax *ist DS2
With just passable
Megapixels and More
image quality and per- Most entry-level D-SLRs are either 6 or 8 megapixels,
formance, the Pentax but there has been a steady increase in megapixels,
*ist DS2 is outclassed with midrange D-SLRs now delivering 10- to 12MP
by the competition.
$750 street
images. This means you’ll get images with more data
go.pcmag.com/istdS2 for larger prints, or maybe for more radical cropping in
llmmm your image-editing program. Keep in mind that a 6MP
D-SLR will give you more than enough data for a great
8-by-10 print. If you’re interested in fine-art, large-size
prints, you might want a 10-, 12- or 16MP D-SLR.
Here are some other things to think about when
getting a D-SLR: Do you want a pop-up flash on your
camera? Professional D-SLRs don’t have them, but
entry-level models generally do. What type of memory
card does your camera take? Some entry-level models
use SD or xD cards, but most still take CompactFlash
cards or microdrives. Right now, xD cards are limited
to a 2GB capacity, making CompactFlash better for
avid photographers. Look to see what file formats are
available on your camera: Most shoot RAW and JPEG,
and not as many support TIFF anymore. Like RAW,
TIFF is a lossless format, but it lets the camera handle
some image settings, like white balance and sharpness.
Also, some higher-end D-SLRs enable you to shoot in
varying combinations of RAW and JPEG files so that
you get two files with each picture you take.
How big does your LCD need to be? Many D-SLRs
now have 2.5-inch screens. Do you care if your D-SLR
is powered by a rechargeable proprietary lithium ion
battery, or do you want to use double-A batteries? How
fast a shutter speed do you need? Are there any special

36 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
B Y T E R RY S U L L I VA N

T
features you’re looking for? Konica Minolta puts its
vibration reduction technology into its camera bodies OTHER HE NEW YORK TIMES RAN AN
interesting photo on its cover
instead of its lenses (which is what most others do).
Olympus has a special feature that knocks dust off the
OPTIONS when Pope John Paul II passed
away last year. The pontiff was
SMALL AND LIGHT
image sensor when the camera is turned on. Canon EOS
being carried through a massive
We also suggest trying out the camera in a store to Digital Rebel XT crowd gathered in Vatican City. I
get a hands-on feel for it. Try the burst modes on the Don’t want was struck by the number of peo-
model you’re interested in to see whether it’s quick a bulky ple who were snapping photos,
camera, but
enough and steady enough. How many frames per still look-
arms raised above their heads, with digital cameras.
second (fps) do you want to shoot? Is the camera too ing for a I imagined how I might have taken a shot in that
heavy? Too bulky? Maybe you have large hands and D-SLR? It’s situation. If, like them, I’d had a digital camera with
don’t like the feel of some of the more entry-level, com- not svelte, an articulating LCD panel, I also would have been
but the Digital
pact D-SLRs. Check out the camera’s menus, dials, Rebel XT is the smallest
able to hold the camera above my head and still see
buttons, multi-controllers, and so on. Is there anything of the bunch and offers my subject on the screen. But more likely, I’d have
you find awkward or annoying? Does the camera offer great daylight picture been carrying a digital SLR, forcing me to rely on a
any help features? Ask to see the manual. Is it helpful, quality, to boot. throwback to the days of 35mm film SLRs—the “Hail
$799.99 list
or just a jumble of jargon, acronyms, and meaningless go.pcmag.com/
Mary” shot. I would’ve set my camera to burst mode,
charts? We cover most of these factors in our reviews, digitalrebelxt held it aloft, pressed the shutter, fired as many shots
but there is no substitute for hands-on testing. lllll as possible, and prayed that out of the lot I’d get one
decent picture.
Extras That Count EASY TO USE This iffy method is necessary because D-SLR
While we have made much of the D-SLR camera body, Nikon D50 screens don’t give you a view, in real time, of what
a very powerful part of the D-SLR experience is the Long the benchmark for you’re about to shoot: You can review shots only after
D-SLRs, the D50 features
fact that it’s part of a system that includes a variety of an excellent
the fact. In addition, nearly all D-SLRs have non-
accessories. Aside from lenses, there are external flashes, menu articulating displays, so you can’t move the LCD. The
wireless adapters, focusing screens, power packs, tele- system only way to see what you’re shooting is to look through
converters (for extended telephoto ranges), and much with clear, the optical viewfinder.
under-
more. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of standable
The lack of an articulating LCD preview screen is
being able to choose from a variety of accessories, which options. one of the traits that distinguishes D-SLRs from point-
really enables you to personalize your system. $699.99 list and-shoot cameras—or used to. The latest Olympus
Last, when you actually want to purchase a digital go.pcmag.com/nikond50 D-SLR, the Evolt E-330, has blown away that sacro-
lllll
camera, make sure you purchase from a trustworthy sanct division. An additional CCD sensor along the
vendor. Watch out for products sold via gray markets image path transmits the live scene to the LCD.
or unauthorized channels. Often a product that was The Evolt E-330 has another unusual attribute
purchased overseas is resold here below list price. That for a D-SLR: The screen articulates. Although most
may sound appealing, but gray market cameras will D-SLRs, as noted, have fixed LCDs, the decision to
not be covered by any warranties.—TS integrate a live-preview function made a strong case
for a movable screen.
From eBay sellers to photographers, anyone who
RECENT REVIEWS takes shots at odd angles will really appreciate the
Olympus Evolt $799.99 llllm A very good entry-level D-SLR that Evolt E-330. And if, like me, you spend lots of time
E-500 list falls just shy of greatness.
craning to look through the viewfinder of a D-SLR
Pentax *ist DL $799.99 llllm A worthy follow-up to the *ist DS, but mounted on a light stand, you can almost feel your
list it can’t quite match other D-SLRs.
neck relaxing just by thinking about an articulating,
Fujifilm $2,400 llllm Portrait photographers will enjoy the live-view screen on a D-SLR.
FinePix S3 Pro street quality, but the burst rate is slow.
We expect to have an Olympus Evolt E-330 in the
Nikon D2X $4,999.95 llllh This is the perfect camera for the en- lab for testing soon, so we’ll find out how it really per-
list thusiast with professional aspirations.
forms. Whatever the result, though, I’m convinced
Nikon D70s $1,199.95 llllm The 6.1-MP D70s is basically the that this radical vision—or at least perceptiveness—
list popular D70 with a larger LCD.
on the part of Olympus injects a much-needed feature
Pentax *ist DS $899.95 lllhm One of the smallest, lightest, and into the D-SLR category that will pay off for the com-
direct easiest-to-operate D-SLRs out there.
pany and for users. Q
MORE CAMERA REVIEWS ONLINE Terry Sullivan is PC Magazine’s Lead Analyst for
Check out all our digital SLR camera reviews at go.pcmag.com/dslr Photography.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 37

 F I R ST LO O KS
NETWORKING

Multiple s boost
antennra tes
data a

Netgear
RangeMax 240
wireless router
and WPNT511
CardBus PC
Card
This wireless router/PC
Card duo blasts data
faster than wired Fast
Ethernet!
$135 street;
t
PC Card, $100 street
go.pcmag.com/
Snap-on fee
rm240router
llllh

WIRELESS TO THE MAX

P
AIR A NETGEAR RANGEMAX 240 WIRE-
less router with its WPNT511 Card-
Bus PC Card client and you’re in for
quite a shock. The pair breaks wired
networking’s lock on 100-Mbps trans-
MORE ON THE WEB
For in-depth looks at fers. On my tests, at distances up to
both routers built on the 120 feet the two even beat the stunningly fast Linksys
Airgo Gen3 chipset, visit
go.pcmag.com/
SRX 400 and its laptop adapter.
airgo3routers. The router/PC Card combination hits more than
103 Mbps at10 feet, exceeding the throughput of
wired Fast Ethernet. In fact, data transfer is a remark-
able 95.3 Mbps at 60 feet—still on a par with Fast Eth-
ernet. Even at 160 feet, throughput is 22.4 Mbps—
significantly faster than with any wireless technology
I’ve tested before.
Netgear didn’t sacrifice ease of use or features for
speed, though. The bundled software and the router’s
Web-based configuration interface are both intuitive.
And the hardware packs in all the features I’d expect:
port forwarding and triggering, VPN pass-through, dy-
namic DNS, service blocking, UPnP, and plenty more.
Your wireless security choices are the standard
WEP, WPA, or WPA2 with preshared key. All that’s
lacking—as with the Linksys SRX 400—is effective
parental controls.
For anyone streaming multimedia simultaneously
to several wireless clients (or engaging in other band-
width-hogging pursuits), this is the fastest and easiest-
to-use wireless hardware currently available. It well
deserves its Editors’ Choice.—Oliver Kaven

40 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 Wraparound
status LEDs

T
GOING THE DISTANCE
HE LINKSYS WIRELESS-G BROAD-
band Router with SRX 400 isn’t
quite as fast at most distances as the Linksys Wireless-G
Broadband Router
Netgear RangeMax 240, but it’s darn with SRX 400 and
close. And at the extreme end of the Wireless-G Notebook
test range (160 feet), it’s significantly Adapter with SRX
faster (28.2 Mbps versus 22.4). Even at 160 feet, through-
put with the Linksys SRX
In a clever design touch, status LEDs on the front 400 is an astonishing 28.2
edge of the case wrap around the corner so they’re Mbps—nearly twice what
readable whether the box is vertical or horizontal. And the fastest previous tech-
the router interface is one of the best I’ve seen. nology managed.
$130 street; PC Card,
As with the Netgear RangeMax 240, you’ll find all $85 go.pcmag.com/
the right features—except for real parental controls— srx400router
including port triggering, port range forwarding, and llllh

QoS capability. There’s no VPN, but there is PPTP,

IPsec, and L2TP pass-through. The box supports
WPA preshared key with TKIP and AES encryption,
RADIUS, WEP security, and more.
Although the Netgear RangeMax 240 just barely
edges it out on performance, the Linksys SRX 400 is
a superb product. You won’t go wrong with the router/ Color-coded
client card combination from either vendor.—OK ports

WIRED, YOU’RE FIRED! I n tech products across the board, wires are being cut Higher scores are better. Data measured in Mbps.
loose faster than The Donald can bark, “You’re fired!” Now beleaguered cables 120

Beats wired Ethernet!

have gotten another pink slip: the Airgo Networks True MIMO Gen3 chipset.
When I tested the first two router/client card combinations (one from Linksys
and one from Netgear) based on Airgo’s new hardware, I came away seriously 100

impressed. At short distances, both fling data through the air faster than the 100
Mbps of wired Fast Ethernet! In fact, wireless throughput remains comparable Netgear Near
at up to 60 feet. Even at 160 feet—the extreme of my testing range—these new 80 RangeMax
doublley
previ s
240
products are signficantly faster than any I’ve evaluated that use previous wireless
technologies.
60 best owus
Airgo works its mojo primarily by turning a broadcast nemesis—multipath re-
flection—into an ally. Signals that travel different routes interfere with each other Netgear Pre-N speeds ireless
if they arrive at one antenna that feeds into one radio—and that’s the way current Wireless WGM124*
Linksys
40
wireless products are set up. MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) technology, SRX400
used by Airgo (and others, soon), collects the echoes via multiple antenna/radio
combinations and uses sophisticated processing to build a stronger, faster signal. 20
Speed can be dangerous, though. The next wireless standard, 802.11n, hasn’t
been ratified. Some of the technology in this pre-n hardware is sure to be in the * Previous best-performing wireless router, reported for comparison.
products that come out after 802.11n approval, but the implemention will probably 0
differ. The chances of pre-n products being upgradable are slim. Still, ratification 10 60 120 160
may be as distant as sometime in 2007. Do you really want to crawl there?—OK Distance to router (feet)

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 41

 F I R ST LO O KS
S O F T WA R E

BUYING GUIDE

Photo
Management
Software
Folder view
sorts pictures Use Timeline button
by year to scroll through photos
slider button for PICASA 2.0
resizing photos Organize, edit, share, and
back up photos with an app
that takes minutes to learn.
Browse the library—automat-
ically created from your con-
MORE ON THE WEB
For in-depth reviews of tent—directly in Windows, or create
photo-management tools,
visit us online at
labels (virtual albums) that let one
go.pcmag.com/ image appear in multiple collections.
photomanagement The editing utilities are amazingly so-
phisticated, and the Timeline quickly
scrolls through your library. Tools let
you e-mail content, upload to shar-
ing sites, or just burn CDs and DVDs.
Free
go.pcmag.com/picasa20
llllh
P
HOTO APPLICATIONS FALL INTO TWO
camps: sharers and managers. In our
April 11 issue, I looked at sharing apps
and services. This time I’ll concentrate
on managers, which often have some
sharing capabilities but primarily let you
organize (and often edit) your photos.
At installation, a photo manager scans your hard
drive for pictures and pulls them into a single digital
library. From there you can easily browse, search, edit,
and yes, share them. You can quickly pull new shots
into the library as well—straight from your camera,
scanner, or memory card.
Library arrangements differ. The Preclick Gold
Photo Organizer strings your images across what is best
described as a virtual film roll. You can spin through this
long strip at lightning speed or leap forward and back
with a mouse click. You can also search by keyword,
date, and rating. This sort of search is far more effective
when your photos are heavily tagged, so the app makes
changing titles and dates, adding captions, and tacking
on all sorts of other info easy. You can also sort photos
into virtual albums for convenient browsing.
Organizing approaches differ among products, but
the basic idea is the same. In most cases, you can easily
build virtual albums, add tags, and search according to
specific criteria. The best photo managers, including
Preclick Gold, Google’s Picasa 2.0, and Adobe Pho-
toshop Elements 4, also offer tools for dynamically
browsing your entire collection. Preclick Gold has its
HOW THEY RATE
Product name Price
ACDSee 8 Photo Manager $50
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 $100
Corel Photo Album 6 $49
Picasa 2.0 Free
Preclick Gold Photo Organizer Free

RED denotes Editors’ Choice.

42 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 A N A LY S T ’ S V I E W
BY CADE METZ

I
virtual film roll; Picasa has Timeline, a way of spinning
through a chronological catalog of photos. OTHER F SOMEONE OFFERED YOU A MICROSOFT
Word document manager, would you take
Most photo managers include editing tools. Some
don’t go much beyond cropping, rotating, removing
OPTIONS it? Even for free? Probably not. Even if
you’ve accumulated a fair number of per-
FREE AND EASY
red-eye, and a few other basic effects. Others, most Preclick Gold Photo
sonal documents over the years, you can
notably Photoshop Elements and ACDSee 8 Photo Organizer probably organize them just fine with good
Manager, go further. Photo Manager, for instance, A good app just a step old Microsoft Windows—you’re used to
includes histogram tools and color-cast controls. behind Picasa. Nov- the tried-and-true folder metaphor, and
ices can edit and e-mail
Elements offers a “Healing Brush” for removing blem- photos, burn them to CD,
the operating system’s new search tools track down
ishes—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. and more. documents quicker than ever.
Sharing tools, if included, vary from simple meth- Free So why would you want a photo manager? After all,
ods based on e-mail to tight integration with Web ser- go.pcmag.com/pgoldorg Windows Explorer includes tools designed specifically
llllh
vices. SimpleStar’s PhotoShow lets you upload pics for helping you manage your images. When you browse
to the PhotoShow Circle sharing service on the Web. ALL-PURPOSE PRO
folders filled with pictures, you can see thumbnails.
Kodak EasyShare dovetails with the company’s Web ACDSee 8 Photo Windows Picture and Fax Viewer lets you rotate imag-
service, EasyShare Gallery. Other managers integrate Manager es, adjust their sizes, zoom in and out, and even view
with popular third-party services such as SnapFish An astounding tool set slide shows. If that’s not enough, Web services such
gives serious photogs
and Shutterfly. amazing import, search,
as SmugMug and Flickr—which many of us already
Many photo managers have tools for building edit, and organizing use to share pictures with friends and family—also
entertaining slide shows and burning pictures to CD power. organize photos.
and DVD. Some handle digital video. The number of $50 street The truth is, many people can get by with nothing
go.pcmag.com/acdsee8
tools shoehorned into these products can be daunting, but the photo tools woven into Windows—for a while.
llllh
but each tool is fairly simple. Generally, photo manag- And yes, if you use a photo-sharing site, your pics are
ers are easy to learn. EDITING ACE neatly laid out on the Web. But once your collection
Which manager is right for you? Our Editors’ Adobe Photoshop expands to more than about 200 images, these meth-
Elements 4
Choice for general use is Picasa, but Preclick is a close ods begin to break down. Because photos are harder
Pros and near-pros get
second. Both are free and offer most everything the sophisticated, easy-to- to search than text files, managing large numbers with
average consumer could want. But there’s no shortage use tools—more than Windows alone is difficult. And what if your photo-
of other free tools, including several from major cam- with ACDSee 8—but at sharing site goes out of business or loses your data?
twice the $$$.
era and printer manufacturers. $100 street
Or if you decide to switch sites?
Those interested in the higher end might prefer go.pcmag.com/pselem4 If you’re dealing with a large collection, tools such
to spend a little for more advanced software such as lllhm as Picasa 2.0 and Preclick Gold Photo Organizer
ACDSee 8 Photo Manager ($50), Adobe Photoshop make finding the shot you want much easier. Spend
Elements 4 ($100), Corel Photo Album 6 ($49), Foto- CALENDAR CREATOR a few seconds browsing pictures with Picasa’s photo
Corel Photo Album 6
Time FotoAlbum ($29.95), or SimpleStar PhotoShow Deluxe Edition Timeline or Preclick’s virtual film roll and you’ll never
Deluxe 4 ($39.99). If editing is your main concern, go The crop tool is clever, go back to organizing with Windows again. Beyond
with Photoshop Elements 4. If you’re just as interested the editor intuitive (but that, these applications provide ways to back up pic-
in organization, go with Photo Manager. The others are thin). Create calendars, tures so that you don’t lose them all if your hard drive
cards, and more.
impressive but may not justify their prices. Unless you $49 direct crashes or something goes wrong with your photo-
particularly love the interface that another app offers, go.pcmag.com/corela6d sharing site.
you’re better off with Picasa.—CM lllhm You should also realize that the term photo manager
is somewhat misleading: Many could just as easily be
called photo editors. A number of the products let you
do everything from removing red-eye and cropping to
Organizing Editing Sharing Ease of use Overall adding special effects. And though these tools can’t
replace full-fledged photo-sharing services, they do
llllm llllm lllmm llllm llllh
facilitate sharing. Some dovetail nicely with popular
llllm lllll llmmm lllmm llllh Web-based services. Others send images via e-mail.
Some do both.
lllmm llmmm lllmm lllmm lllhm
A Word Document Manager? Pretty useless. But
llllm lllmm lllmm lllll llllh by the time you’ve taken a few hundred photos with
that new digital camera, you’ll definitely need a photo
lllmm llmmm llllm lllll llllh
manager. Q
Cade Metz is Senior Writer at PC Magazine.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 43

 F I R ST LO O KS
SMALL BUSINESS

New antage
ThinkV n
butto
EV-DOnna
ante

Magnesium
alloy base
Lenovo
ThinkPad T60
Nothing says
Fingerprint business like
reader a ThinkPad.
The T60 packs
power, with its dual-core
processor, 1GB of RAM,

F
BOARDROOM BEAUTY
OR YEARS, THE LENOVO THINKPAD
T Series (formerly the IBM ThinkPad
T series) has been racking up our Edi-
tors’ Choice awards for business note-
books—and it still continues to impress
us. Not only does the ThinkPad T60
come with the Intel Core Duo processor, but it also
100GB hard drive, and an
ATI Radeon X1400. So
nesium alloy, making the T60 a very durable notebook. much so that it can suit-
Although the T60 tips the scales at 6.2 pounds, the ably double as your main
extra weight is due mostly to the15-inch screen and desktop, not just one for
the nine-cell battery, which sticks out about an inch the road.
$2,599 direct
from the back. That extra inch, though, gives you an go.pcmag.com/
impressive 5 hours 16 minutes of battery life. thinkpadt60
With the Intel Core Duo T2500 (2.0 GHz) proces- llllh

integrates Verizon’s 3G EV-DO wireless, so that now
you can get broadband access almost anywhere at any
time you want.
The T60 comes in the traditional black, and overall,
the design doesn’t deviate from that of its predecessor,
the ThinkPad T43. The only differences are subtle: the
EV-DO antenna protruding from the right side of the
screen; and the base, which is now covered with mag-
sor and 1GB of RAM, the T60 shows dramatic im-
provement in performance over the popular T43—by
a hefty 55 percent on our performance tests.
This particular configuration is rather expensive,
at $2,599, but simpler versions start at $1,299. Buying
at the high end, however, will alleviate your need for a
desktop. The ThinkPad T60 is, hands down, the ulti-
mate boardroom companion.—Cisco Cheng

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 45

 F I R ST LO O KS
SMALL BUSINESS

HEAVY DUTY

T
HE DELL LATITUDE D820 IS A HEFTY,
6.5-pound portable computer that offers
great performance and a crisp 15.4-inch
-inch display.
Bright 15 Like its peers, Dell is now integrating 3G wire-
screen less into its notebooks. But unlike the others, Dell
offers an option of either Verizon EV-DO ($179) or
Cingular HSDPA ($225). (Lenovo and HP offer only
EV-DO, and Sony offers only Cingular EDGE.)
Frequent travelers will appreciate the Wi-Fi
catcher switch, which searches for open signals—
even when your system is shut down. They will also
like the fingerprint reader for added security.—CC

mory
6-in-1 meeader
card r
HP Compaq nc6320
The HP Compaq nc6320
has incredible connectiv-
COPIOUSLY CONNECTED

H
ity options and just about
everything a mobile pro-
EWLETT-PACKARD IS GOING TOE-TO-
fessional could want.
$1,799 direct toe with Lenovo in the business lap-
go.pcmag.com/hpnc6320 top market, positioning the HP Com-
llllm paq nc6320 as a competitor to the
Lenovo ThinkPad T60. The T60 is still superior,
but the nc6320 is a very enticing lower-cost alter-
native. It has integrated EV-DO, the Intel Core
Duo processor, and a fingerprint reader. The
6.1-pound nc6320 has a very corporate-looking
Dell Latitude D820
graphite-gray magnesium alloy exterior, with a The very capable D820
bright 15-inch screen and a quiet keyboard. has more options for
Though its performance is a bit slower than wireless, plus a strong
the T60’s, the nc6320 handles everyday tasks dual-core processor and
an impressive battery life
without hesitation.—Cisco Cheng (more than 5 hours).
$2,224 direct
go.pcmag.com/delld820
llllm

f SERIOUS, AFFORDABLE
Spill-pronoder

T
tray u rd HE TOSHIBA TECRA A6-S513 IS A COMPE-

keyboa tent laptop that’s light enough for travel

but is still budget-friendly.
The A6-S513 weighs 5.3 pounds, has a
Toshiba bright 14.1-inch widescreen, and includes the Intel
Tecra A6-S513 Core Solo T1300, a 60GB hard drive, and 512MB
This single-core of RAM. Though not the top of the line, all of these
system is budget-
components are fine for running Microsoft Office,
friendly but serious:
It has a fingerprint surfing the Web, and playing music.
reader, four USB ports, If you demand higher performance, however—
and a 4-in-1 memory say you work with graphics-intensive programs or
card reader.
crunch lots of numbers—look to a system with the
$1,149 direct
go.pcmag.com/ Intel Core Duo inside.
toshibatecraa6 The A6-S513 is built for those on a budget who
lllhm take their work seriously and frequently bring it on
the road.—CC

46 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 tion card
Accelerl-atime
a
for re nning
AV sca

ZyXEL ZyWALL 35 UTM

This all-in-one security
box is also a DHCP server
and does load balancing
addition, the unit provides modem-based backup dial- between its two front-
ing, integrated RADIUS, and more. accessible WAN ports.
$1,118 direct; protection-
For most small businesses, this should be suffi- service subscriptions,
cient. If you need more features—and don’t mind extra $362 and up
complexity—look at the Astaro Security Gateway 120. go.pcmag.com/zy35utm

T
FIREWALL AT A NICE PRICE It offers tremendous NAT, security, and reporting fea- lllhm

HE ZYXEL ZYWALL 35 UTM (UNIFIED tures at a comparable price.

Threat Management) appliance is a
relatively compact rack-mountable
firewall designed to serve 10 to 50
users in a small business. It undercuts
most competing products on price yet
offers a good array of capabilities, easy setup, and a
Web GUI for admin tasks.
I certainly found all the features I’d expect in a
UTM appliance, including an SPI firewall with VPN
capability, antivirus software, antispam tools, con-
tent filtering, and an intrusion detection system. In
After a trial period, yearly subscriptions for content
filtering, Kaspersky AV service, and IDS start at $362.
Updating of IDS signatures isn’t always reliable, and
I’d prefer spam and content filtering from top-tier pro-
viders. Even with the protection of an appliance like
this, though, attached systems need security utilities
for threats that slip past the firewall.
Overall, this is an impressive device. If you want an
SMB gateway security device and don’t need the com-
plexity of the Astaro 120, put the ZyWALL 35 UTM
near the top of your list.—Oliver Kaven

Creating m
apps is a snaobp ile

M
Microsoft Visual Studio
2005 Professional
Edition
The new Visual Studio
has emulation of Pocket-
PC and Smartphone
devices, and lets you
build mobile applications
using the same develop-
ment environment as for
standalone applications.
$799 direct;
upgrade, $549
go.pcmag.com/vs05pro
llllm
PROGRAMMING POWERHOUSE
ICROSOFT VISUAL STUDIO 2005
lets developers at all levels get
the most from .NET. The ability
to create standalone Microsoft
Windows projects using Win-
dows Forms is a major focus of
the new release. The visual designer for Windows
Forms is particularly strong. With its powerful .NET
Framework 2.0 components I could speedily design an
order-tracking database front end, in both Visual Basic
and C#. I also built a simple mobile app.
Easy-to-use components make connecting to data
sources simple, and new controls allow anyone to tap
advanced OS features. New wizards let you quickly
create forms with slick navigation controls; others auto-
matically add a Windows menu and standard toolbars.
Enhanced support for writing code beyond compo-
nents is a big advance. There’s an extensive library of
reusable code snippets for all languages. And because
distributing standalone Visual Basic programs has
been a major problem, Visual Studio adds OneClick
deployment, which automates publishing of apps.
Visual Studio’s Visual Web Designer isn’t nearly as
visual a tool as its Windows Forms counterpart. You
can import and use existing cascading style sheets, but
creating new ones is difficult. That said, the new Web
tools let you define and reuse master pages, and those
can contain other content.
Visual Studio continues to impress. Productivity
enhancements along with the many choices of pro-
gramming languages make this release an excellent all-
purpose .NET toolset for both expert and nonexpert
Windows developers.—Richard V. Dragan

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 47

Seamless Sharing.
New! LinkStation Multimedia Home Server and TeraStation Home Server series offer
affordable network attached storage (NAS) solutions for storing and sharing digital
media over your network. With built-in media server software, DLNA CERTIFIED™
Buffalo Home Servers automatically find and access any DLNA CERTIFIED
devices on your network for instant streaming of stored videos, images or
music.* Enjoy the freedom of seamless multimedia sharing with Buffalo
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Learn more at www.buffalotech.com/pcmag-seamless

*Some contents may not be compatible with other DLNA CERTIFIED™ products. **Based on LinkStation Multimedia Home Server 300 GB, model HS-D300GL.
Values used for videos, photos, files and mp3s are approximates based on typical length, compression and resolutions.
© Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. Buffalo Technology and Buffalo Technology logo are registered trademarks of Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc. DLNA and DLNA
CERTIFIED logos are trademarks and/or service marks of Digital Living Network Alliance. The names and logos of other companies mentioned herein belong to their
respective owners.

LOW-COST HDTV (LCD)
Proview RX-326
Proview; $949.99 list
Pleasing picture quality.
Consistent image quality
with analog and digital
video inputs.
go.pcmag.com/proviewrx326
DIGITAL CAMERA
(COMPACT)
Canon PowerShot S80
Canon USA; $549.95 list
Great picture quality,
good performance.
Wide-angle lens.
go.pcmag.com/s80
LAPTOP
Dell Inspiron 6000
(Media Center)
Dell; $968.80 direct
(E-Value Code 1111-i6004pc)
Media Center OS. 15.4-
inch widescreen display.
Very good performance.
go.pcmag.com/
inspiron6000mce
DEDICATED PHOTO
PRINTER
Canon Selphy CP510
Canon USA; $99.99 direct
Fast performance and
low running cost. Very
good photo quality for
the price. Battery option.
go.pcmag.com/canoncp510
ALL-IN-ONE PRINTER
Canon Pixma MP500
Canon USA; $199 street
Prints, scans, and copies.
Fast performance. Excel-
lent paper handling.
go.pcmag.com/
canonpixmamp500
W H AT T O B U Y
DESKTOP
Dell Dimension E310
(Windows OS)
Dell; $746 direct, $929 with
17-inch LCD
Windows Media Center
Edition. DataSafe op-
tion for added storage
protection. Great bang
for the buck.
go.pcmag.com/delle310
MOBILE PHONE
(SPRINT)
Sprint’s Power Vision
MM-A940
Samsung Electronics;
$399.99 direct
Vast feature set. Optical
zoom lens. Bluetooth.
Good game perfor-
mance.
go.pcmag.com/mma940
SMARTPHONES
(KEYBOARDLESS)
T-Mobile SDA
T-Mobile; $299.99 direct
Wi-Fi. Dedicated
music buttons. Excel-
lent screen. Syncs with
Outlook.
go.pcmag.com/sda
HARD DRIVE
Maxtor OneTouch III
Turbo Edition (1TB)
Maxtor; $900 direct
Fast. 1TB storage. Rela-
tively quiet. RAID 1 and
RAID 0 configurations.
go.pcmag.com/maxtor1tb
TAX SOFTWARE
TurboTax Premier 2005
Intuit; $14.95–$69.95 direct
Excellent coverage of
personal tax topics. Top-
notch interface and help.
go.pcmag.com/
turbopremier05
IPOD SPEAKERS/DOCK
(LCD)
Apple iPod Hi-Fi
Apple; $349.99 list
Excellent sound quality.
Can run on alkaline
batteries or AC power.
Optical and analog
audio inputs.
go.pcmag.com/ipodhifi
HOME NETWORKING OPTICAL DEVICE
Netgear RangeMax Sony DVDirect VRD-MC1
240 WPNT834 wireless Sony; $299.99 direct
router and WPNT511 Easily transfers video
CardBus adapter directly to DVD from
Netgear; router, $135 street; camcorder or VCR.
CardBus adapter, $100 street Easy to use. Two-inch
The highest throughput preview LCD.
we’ve ever seen (more go.pcmag.com/sonydvdirect
than 100 Mbps) at short
distances makes this our
wireless router of choice.
go.pcmag.com/rangemax240
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 49

T
HE AMD-INTEL ANTITRUST CASE IS
getting nastier, as AMD jumped
all over the recent Intel-Skype
deal. The way the deal is struc-
tured, the more advanced fea-
tures of the new Skype would
work only on an Intel chip, for no
other reason than that Intel and
Skype did a deal. AMD is going after Skype’s records
via the judicial system. This has to be a huge inconve-
nience for Skype.
Someone asked me if I thought that AMD is going
too far with this case. I had to mention that way back
during the 286 era, Intel was the one that began the
process of using the courts to harass and intimidate
the competition. I sense payback for the thousands of
hours of depositions and millions of dollars in court
costs and legal fees heaped upon AMD for more than
a decade. This has turned into a genuine McCoy-
Hatfield feud.
Curiously, none of the original players from Intel
or AMD—David House, Andy Grove, or Jerry Sand-
ers—are part of this case. In fact, both of these com-
panies are breeding a whole new generation of guys
who will not like each other. One of the daughters of
one clan had better marry one of the sons o’ the other.
Yep. And soon!
Here Come the Chinese Dept.: When you ask
someone in China or Taiwan, “What’s your marketing
strategy?” the answer is always “Best price!” That’s
the strategy then, now, and forever. Hence, we see a lot
of cheap junk from China flooding the market.
So it particularly galls the People’s Republic of
China that it has to spend money to license inven-
tions, and what galls it the most are the myriad fees
related to DVD and HD-DVD technology. The coun-
try has made up its collective mind that 12 cents per
player is the limit. This is not possible with today’s
licensing structures, and thus, the AVS initiative.
AVS (Audio Video Coding Standard) is a standalone
MPEG-4-like codec.
China is said to be graduating four to five times
as many engineers as the U.S., a figure disputed by
some researchers. But even if it were graduating the
same number as we are, China certainly has enough
engineers to develop a decent MPEG-4 codec. It didn’t
take a country the size of China to develop MPEG-4
codecs such as DivX or XviD, both of which were cre-
ated by small teams.
Most companies pay royalties because they can-
not afford the “make” in a “make-buy” decision, but
Chinese companies can afford the “make.” China has
attempted this international bypass a few times in the
past, without much success. There was the Wi-Fi
I N S I D E T R AC K
BY JOHN C. DVORAK
clone that went nowhere. And before that, there was
a mobile-phone coding scheme that flopped, and the
EVD optical disk that also was a bust. It is not easy to
develop a cool localized standard that will take hold in
a global market. But it seems that the Chinese want
this one very badly.
The Chinese are good at many things, but some
technologies are not in their strike zone. There has
been a lot of talk lately about China’s developing its
own microprocessors. Maybe in 20 years—if ever.
China also has been accused of intellectual prop-
erty theft. The Chinese can lift a design and make the
product, people claim. This might be doable for furni-
ture or fashion, but technologies are moving targets.
If you don’t develop the design yourself, you can’t fully
understand and develop it further. So you get killed as
the market moves forward. Buh-bye!
I sense payback for the thousands of hours
of depositions and millions of dollars in court
costs and legal fees heaped upon AMD for
more than a decade.
PMA Photo Marketing Show Dept.: I actually en-
joyed the PMA show this year. Each year some stan-
dard style of popular camera emerges, and this year
it was the 7- to 8-megapixel superzoom with a 10X or
12X optical zoom, selling for $399 to $499. The mod-
els are so similar it’s incredible. All have image stabili-
zation and nice optics. The price point for the quality
is outstanding.
Probably the biggest news out of PMA, though,
was the rollout of a joint venture between Panasonic,
Leica, and Olympus to produce some advanced Four
Thirds gear, including the L1 Lumix/Leica D-SLR.
People who are familiar with the digital SLR market
realize that this group could be a threat to the clear
leader in the arena, Canon. (Nikon is also competi-
tive.) One or two more companies really need to jump
on the Four Thirds bandwagon in order for it to roll.
I am betting that Kodak will come through, although
Fuji might also be an interesting bedfellow, what
with its unique sensor technology. (Both are listed as
participants in the Four Thirds initiative, which per-
mits compatibility between D-SLR lenses and bodies
from different manufacturers and provides for other
performance enhancements, but neither so far has
done much to develop gear for it.) What fun.
One of the common beliefs, by the way, is that the
pixel wars are over! If that is indeed true, it’s good
news for consumers. Q
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 51
 IT’S A NOTEBOOK.
IT’S A TABLET.
IT’S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

Fujitsu recommends
® ®
®
LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
• Configurable to only 4.3 lbs.
• A versatile, built-in modular bay
• Up to 8.5 hours maximum battery life
• XGA wide-view display with optional indoor/outdoor XGA
It’s a notebook that converts into a tablet.
wide-view and standard SXGA+ high-resolution displays

Why limit yourself to an ordinary tablet or notebook? The Fujitsu LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC with Intel® Centrino® Mobile
Technology instantly changes from one to the other with just a twist and flip of its brilliant, 12.1" screen. From the field to the
back office, this no-compromise solution is the only mobile computing platform you need. With its built-in modular bay, you
have the flexibility to burn CDs and DVDs, work up to 8.5 hours between charges, or trim down to a nimble 4.3 lbs. It also
features the exclusive Fujitsu BayLock™ utility, which keeps the media drive and its contents safe should you accidentally hit the
release button while in Tablet PC mode.To find out why the LifeBook T4000 Tablet PC gives mobile
professionals the best of both worlds, visit www.shopfujitsu.com/LifeBookT4000
or call 1.800.FUJITSU.

©2006 Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation. All rights reserved. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo and LifeBook are registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited. BayLock is a trademark of Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation. Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside
logo, Intel Centrino, and Intel Centrino logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

The Truth About Vista
W
E’VE PUBLISHED A NUM-
ber of stories and blog
posts on Microsoft
Vista lately, and the
questions and com-
ments from readers
have been pouring in.
Here are some com-
mon ideas and misconceptions about the operating
system, and my take on what we can really expect
when the software finally releases in the second half
of this year.
Vista is just a pretty new face on an old oper-
ating system. Vista is based on Windows 2003 Ser-
vice Pack 1 and incorporates a lot of improvements
at the very heart of the operating system. Microsoft
has rewritten the kernel to make it more secure and
stable, and it has fixed problems such as heap fragmen-
tation. New features include 64-bit support, a better
sleep mode, and a SuperFetch system that should load
applications faster and take advantage of USB-based
flash memory.
Vista is a Mac clone. Not really. Vista’s interface
looks a bit like Apple’s OS X and some Linux desktops,
but the basic concepts for a graphical user interface go
back 30 years. Today’s interfaces are variations on those
original concepts, but they take advantage of state-of-
the-art hardware. For example, integrated graphics are
now more powerful than any of the graphics cards that
were available when Windows XP shipped six years
ago. So, naturally, Vista is going to harness the latest
graphics hardware. But I do give Apple and some of
the Linux desktop makers credit for moving faster than
Microsoft to update their interfaces. Six years is really
too long to wait between releases.
Microsoft is just copying features from other
operating systems. Many of Vista’s features aren’t
brand-new. Integrated search debuted on the Mac
a couple of years ago; the new Sidebar that displays
little applications on the side of the screen resembles
Borland’s Sidekick, HP’s Dashboard, and Microsoft’s
own Active Desktop; and tabbed browsing goes back to
Opera. What’s new is how these features are integrated
into Windows and how they work with new tools aimed
at developers, particularly those working on games and
Internet applications.
Vista won’t be very secure. We don’t know yet
whether this is true, but Microsoft says it has spent a
good deal of time reworking the code from the ground
MICHAEL J. MILLER
up to be secure. For instance, users won’t be able to
change critical system functions or install applications
without first entering a password. That alone is a big
step in the right direction, but Windows will remain
the prime target for malware because it’s the most
widely used operating system.
Vista requires new hardware. Vista should run
on most current systems, but to get the best graph-
ics—known as Aero—you’ll want to get a graphics card
with 256MB of graphics memory. This will give you a
3D view of all your windows and a transparency effect
when dragging and dropping them.
Vista packaging is very confusing. Absolutely.
You’ll have a choice of Home Basic, with the basic user
interface but not the advanced Aero graphics; Home
Premium, which includes Aero as well as Media Cen-
ter Edition and Tablet PC functions; Vista Business,
which includes Aero and Tablet PC functions but not
I expect every major hardware vendor (except
Apple) to support Vista on all new devices
starting this fall.
Media Center; Vista Enterprise, designed for big com-
panies with service plans and worldwide deployment;
and Vista Ultimate, combining the Vista Business and
Home Premium versions. Confused? If you buy the
wrong version, rumor has it that Microsoft will offer
upgrades that won’t require you to reinstall the operat-
ing system.
All of these things matter. None of Vista’s fea-
tures in and of themselves will determine the OS’s ul-
MORE ON THE WEB
timate success. What has made Windows successful Read Michael
in the past is the huge number of applications and de- Miller’s insights daily
on his blog, at
vices that work with it. Microsoft will certainly get the blog.pcmag.com/miller.
hardware support: I expect every major hardware ven-
dor (except Apple) to support Vista on all new devices
starting this fall. But how quickly we will see support
for older devices and how well Vista will support older
applications is still a big question mark. I would like
to travel with my Vista laptop, but I can’t because it
doesn’t support my VPN or wireless WAN card. It’s a
safe bet that the makers of these products will ensure
that they work on Vista shortly after it begins shipping.
And, in the end, an operating system’s success or fail-
ure depends on how well it supports what users want
to do with their machines. Q
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 53
 B I L L M AC H R O N E
UPS, eBay, and the Law
M
Y COLUMN “WHAT BROWN
Did for Me” (March 21,
page 65) described a
learning experience: what
happens when an eBay
purchase is damaged and
a claim is filed. In the
process, I discovered that
neither the seller nor the buyer (me) was UPS’s official
customer: The company actually considers itself to be
doing business with the third-party shipper, in my case
a store that did UPS shipments.
In case you missed that column, UPS picked up
the damaged item—a guitar amplifier—from me, in-
spected it, denied the claim, and sent it back to the
shipper. The company did not inform me or the seller
what it had done, nor would the customer service rep
explain the situation or UPS’s actions to me. The ship-
per went out of business in the middle of all this, which
just added to the confusion.
I discovered that I wasn’t alone. PC Magazine
readers have deluged me with e-mails citing similar
cases, and they weren’t just limited to UPS. Every car-
rier has the same policy: Its allegiance is to the shipper
of record. This policy worked well in the traditional
mail-order business, when you ordered a product
from a manufacturer or a retailer who simply shipped
you the goods. The shipper retained control if a pack-
age was damaged or lost. This arrangement is covered
by 100 or more years of precedent in transportation
law: If the consignee refuses a shipment, possession is
retained by the shipper. If the consignee accepts the
shipment, ownership transfers to him. Unfortunately,
it doesn’t make sense when the shipper is a third party,
as is the case with many online auctions, where the
seller ships the product from a UPS Store or a similar
shipper’s agent.
A UPS employee interested in my case, who
speaks officially neither for his company nor for the
industry, asked me why I thought that the damaged
amplifier was mine, or why I thought that I had
paid for the shipping or the insurance. He said that
common-carrier regulations and transfer of owner-
ship were covered in basic accounting classes. I point-
ed out that those of us on technical or liberal arts tracks
never had that accounting course. Despite the “buy-
er pays shipping” language common to most online
auctions and classifieds, the shipper of record—in
this case, the third-party representative—paid UPS
54 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
for both shipping and insurance; the seller and I
were out of the picture.
My contact admits that the industry has not
adapted well to the third-party model, although UPS’s
acquisition of Mail Boxes Etc. to bolster the UPS
Store chain is an attempt to do so, as is FedEx’s team-
ing up with many Staples, OfficeMax, and Kinko’s
stores. But legal precedents and customer-centric
procedures doubtless lag well behind the way we use
the delivery services today.
Some readers have taken matters into their own
hands by creating accounts with shipping companies,
so that they become the carriers’ customers. Larger sell-
ers dislike this “pull” shipping because it erodes their
volume. Some smaller sellers reserve their right to set
the terms of the sale, including shipping, but agents
such as the UPS Store allow this only with overnight
and second-day shipments, which are more expensive.
My UPS contact has admitted to me that it is
virtually impossible for customers to learn about the
In my case, UPS did what it was supposed to
do, despite the seeming illogic of sending my
amp back to the shipper. This merely points
out the need for a fresh approach.
carriers’ ownership-transfer policies or applicable
transportation law by perusing their sites, or even by
conducting online searches. What is common knowl-
edge to the carriers and their employees is opaque
and widely misunderstood by the rest of us, even if
we use their services daily. He says that UPS is work-
ing on these issues and is seeking ways to improve its
MORE ON THE WEB
services for the burgeoning numbers of online buyers You can contact Bill Machrone
and to inform the public better about existing services at Bill_Machrone@ziffdavis
.com. For more of his
and practices. I, for one, would like to see the seller columns, go to go.pcmag
listed as the shipper and the shipping store as merely .com/machrone.
the agent.
In my case, UPS did what it was supposed to do,
despite the seeming illogic of sending my amp back
to the shipper. This merely points out the need for a
fresh approach.
By the way, my amp finally made its way back to
me, three months later, although slightly worse for
the additional wear. Now I can begin restoring it to its
former glory. Q
 Our First Digital
We picked ten of the most technolo-
gically advanced cars on the market
and rated them on their digital smarts.
MORE ON THE WEB
For extensive slide shows of
all the Digital Drive finalists,
go to go.pcmag.com
/digitaldrive.
56 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
B Y B I L L H O WA R D
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN SPENDS
weeks each year in a car. It’s no won-
der we’re demanding smarter, safer,
and more entertaining automobiles.
Yet for all the billions spent on devel-
opment, the fusion-powered flying
cars of science-fiction movies have stubbornly failed
to appear. Cars still run on rubber tires powered by the
same gas-powered, environment-unfriendly engines.
But are cars really as primitive as all that? A look at the
higher-end machines now reaching the street shows
that, in fact, Detroit, Munich, and Tokyo are embrac-
ing technology to improve the driving experience and
the car’s underlying mechanical functions.
We’ve picked the ten most technologically com-
pelling cars from this year’s models as finalists for our
Digital Drive awards. They range from the fantasti-
cally expensive Mercedes S550, which costs more
than $100,000 in our recommended configuration
and includes just about every gadget on the market, to
the more modest but still technically impressive hy-
brid Honda Civic, attractively priced for soccer moms
everywhere. We rated each of the cars based on a mix-
ture of the built-in technology, the relative merits of the
entertainment system and GPS, and how much fun the
overall experience was. We also gave a special nod to
the best uses of environmentally friendly tech.
Not ready to buy a new vehicle? Give your car’s
tech level a boost with our favorite accessories. We also
look down the road, to show you what a high-tech car
(and dashboard) of the future might look like. Want
even more? Keep up with the latest in car tech every
day at our Web site www.technoride.com.
Drive Awards

Photograph by Vic Huber APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 57

58 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
COCKPIT CONTROLLER
The cockpit control wheel and
nearby buttons handle naviga-
tion, entertainment, climate,
and trip-computer functions.
Adjacent buttons make the
controller easier to use than
BMW’s iDrive, but there’s still
a learning curve.
CAMERA IN WINDSHIELD
The lane-departure warning
camera in the windshield watches
pavement markings. If you drift
out of lane without the blinker on,
the M45 gently beeps. The M45
and its FX35 sibling are the first
cars in the U.S. with this feature.
STEERABLE
HEADLIGHTS
Xenon headlights turn as
you turn the steering wheel,
helping you see around
sweeping curves.
REAR-VIEW CAMERA
The backup camera sees what’s
behind you. Green-yellow-red
dashed lines projected on your
dash LCD screen show what’s
directly behind and far away;
curved orange lines show your
reversing path given the current
steering-wheel position.
LUXURY WINNER
INFINITI M45
CHECK OFF JUST TWO OPTIONS ON THE ORDER FORM FOR THE
Infiniti M45—the Technology and Journey packages—and you’ll
be driving the most technologically advanced car you can get for
under $100,000, our Digital Drive winner for luxury automobiles.
This big sport sedan (roomier than even the BMW 5 Series or
Mercedes-Benz E-Class) is the first car to offer lane-departure
warning; it has a camera at the top of the windshield that watches pavement markings
and beeps if you veer out of lane without your blinker on. Another camera next to the
rear license plate monitors backing up, and the 8-inch in-dash display overlays posi-
tioning lines to show your path when the wheels aren’t pointed straight ahead.
A cockpit controller—the automotive version of your PC’s mouse—sits on a
ledge on the dash. Once you learn how to use it, or if you use voice recognition, you
get access to a first-rate Xanavi navigation system. One mode of the LCD displays
just the right amount of information on your trip, climate control, the audio system,
and your Bluetooth phone. No other car maker does that integration better. Infiniti
has included a line-in jack, a 14-speaker Bose audio system that plays MP3s and
WMAs, Sirius or XM Satellite radio, climate-controlled front seats for convenience
and comfort, and laser-based active cruise control. In addition, the car automatically
tightens seat belts if it senses a crash is imminent.
The 335-hp V8 engine is so powerful that you may want to step back to the
six-cylinder M35, saving $6,310 and a couple of mpg; with the M35, you also have
access to the V6-only all-wheel drive option. Our only complaint: We wish the gas
mileage were better.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $47,800–$59,300 Recommended options: Technology package ($4,200):
MILEAGE: 17 city, 23 highway navigation system, premium audio with six-disc changer
OVERALL 4.5 and MP3-WMA playback, 14 speakers, intelligent cruise
TECHNOLOGY 5.0 control, lane-departure warning, and XM Satellite or Sirius
NAVIGATION 4.5 radio. Journey package ($2,750): climate-controlled front
ENTERTAINMENT 4.5 seats, steerable xenon headlights, upgraded stereo with
FUN FACTOR 5.0 six-disc changer and MP3 playback, rear camera, and
ECO-FRIENDLINESS 3.0 precrash seat-belt tightener. All-wheel drive, $2,500
www.infiniti.com (six-cylinder M35 only).
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 59
60 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
ENGINE
The engine compartment is home
to a 110-hp gasoline engine, a 20-hp
electric booster motor driven by a
NiMH battery pack (recharged by
the engine and by braking), and a
continuously variable transmission.

NAV
SYSTEM
Despite minor setup hassles,
the Alpine navigation system
works well. Flip up the display
and you have access to a
PC Card socket. The dash
also has a line-in jack.

ENVIRO AWARD
AFFORDABLE WINNER

SPEEDOMETER
HONDA CIVIC HYBRID
The speedometer at the THE BEST AFFORDABLE CAR YOU CAN BUY TODAY IS THE HONDA
top of the dash shows Civic Hybrid. It’s well made and reliable, and its noteworthy tech-
the speed, the fuel-
economy status, and
nologies make it exceptionally eco-friendly. A modest but effective
the fuel-tank status. assortment of tech options (navigation and sound, mainly) make it
our Digital Drive winner for best affordable car.
Unlike the gas engine in the Toyota Prius, the Civic’s electric
motor runs only in conjunction with the gasoline engine. This means that the 20-
hp electric booster motor is more of a power booster than a power source. Even so,
the car’s gas mileage is competitive. The Civic qualifies as a ULEV, or ultra–low-
emissions vehicle, in the eyes of the Environmental Protection Agency.
There’s no need to agonize over the options list: Get the excellent Alpine naviga-
tion system for $1,500—it beats the Prius’s Denso option. The audio system plays
MP3s and WMAs, and has a line-in jack and a PC Card socket for your music, and
you can add a dealer-installed iPod adapter for $214 or a built-in XM-capable radio
for $444. Except for its somewhat cramped rear seat, this is a near-perfect sub-
$25,000 car.

TECH SPECS
INSTRUMENT PRICE: $22,400–$23,900 Recommended options Alpine
CLUSTER MILEAGE: 50 city, 50 highway navigation system, $1,500. Ac-
The main instrument cluster OVERALL 5.0 cessories: iPod adapter, $214.
has a tachometer. Ribbon TECHNOLOGY 4.5 XM Satellite Radio, $444.
gauges indicate the health of NAVIGATION 3.5
ENTERTAINMENT 4.5
the battery and whether the FUN FACTOR 4.0
hybrid system is assisting or ECO-FRIENDLINESS 5.0
being charged by the engine. www.automobiles.honda.com

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 61


ENGINE
The hybrid synergy-drive
engine propels the Prius
forward on electric-only,
gasoline-only, or a combina-
tion. Energy regenerated
during braking is stored in an
NiMH battery array.
ENVIRO AWARD
FINALIST
TOYOTA PRIUS
THE TOYOTA PRIUS DESERVES CREDIT FOR THE ADVANCED
technology that gives it double the gas mileage of most other
entries on our list. But its mediocre nav system drags the car’s
overall score down below that of its most prominent competitor,
the Honda Civic Hybrid.
Options are sold in packages. Set aside at least $3,000 to jump
from two to six airbags and get Bluetooth; a killer stereo with a line-in jack that also
plays WMAs and MP3s; a backup camera; and keyless entry. The Denso navigation
system is underwhelming, largely because of its clunky interface.
Still, there is cool tech here—under the hood. The Prius’s combination of a gaso-
line engine and electric motor typically returns fuel mileage of over 50 mpg in urban
driving, and, no matter how you push a Prius, you’d be hard-pressed to dip below
40 mpg. The Prius can run off its electric motor (at low speeds), the gasoline motor
alone (when not accelerating or charging the battery), or both, when full power is
called for. The 210-volt NiMH battery recharges both from the gasoline engine and
from regenerative braking, which uses generators to slow the car and convert power
into energy. (The car still has regular disc and drum brakes.) Every Prius comes with
a useful but hard-to-reach center-console LCD dash screen that lets you track the
interplay among the gas engine, electric motor, regenerative brakes, and battery.

COCKPIT
The clean layout and swept-back TECH SPECS
dashboard make the interior look PRICE: $22,305–$29,381
especially spacious. The LCD MILEAGE: 60 city, 51 highway
panel comes standard on all Prius OVERALL
models, not just the ones with the TECHNOLOGY
optional navigation system. NAVIGATION
ENTERTAINMENT
FUN FACTOR
ECO-FRIENDLINESS
www.toyota.com/prius
Recommended options: Package C
($3,205): side airbags, side curtain air-
4.0 bags, stability control, backup camera,
4.5 Bluetooth, premium audio with WMA,
2.5 MP3 playback. Package D ($5,730):
3.5 xenon headlights, navigation. Package
4.0 E ($6,890): adds leather trim.
5.0

62 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006


CONTROL WHEEL
The Comand control wheel
puts most commands at the
driver’s or passenger’s finger-
tips. Select functions with a
button—entertainment, phone,
seat controls, and heating.
FINALIST
MERCEDES-BENZ S550
THE NEW MERCEDES-BENZ S550 TOWERS ABOVE EVERY OTHER
car when it comes to technologically advanced features. And
when it comes to price, too. Most nondriving functions are han-
dled by the Comand cockpit controller and monitored on a deeply
recessed center-console LCD. The Comand controller is superior
to BMW’s iDrive and nearly as good as the Audi A6’s MMI. But-
tons surrounding the controller let you preselect navigation, phone, and entertain-
ment. A list of further choices pops up on the LCD as you scroll through the menus
or when you enter a voice command.
The standard navigation system runs off a 20GB hard drive. An in-dash PC Card
slot lets you play MP3 or WMA music through the 14-speaker, 600-watt stereo sys-
tem. There’s a line-in jack in the console. Bluetooth? Of course.
The Night Vision Assist option bathes the road 500 feet ahead with infrared light,
which is scanned by a windshield IR camera; a clear-as-day black-and-white picture
shows up in an 8-inch LCD panel in the driver instrument cluster. Distronic Plus
(what Mercedes calls intelligent cruise control) uses short- and long-range radar for
active cruise control and automatic braking: If you’re not braking hard enough to
avoid a crash, the car takes over and brakes you to a complete stop. Distronic Plus
also reaccelerates for you in stop-and-go driving.
Sporty drivers will appreciate seat bolsters that inflate and deflate as you go
around corners, holding you in place. Active body control holds the whole car level
through turns. If you’ve got the money, Mercedes provides the pinnacle of price-is-
no-object automotive technology.

TECH SPECS
PRICE: $87,175–$111,000
MILEAGE: 16 city, 24 highway
OVERALL
REAR-VIEW CAMERA TECHNOLOGY
NAVIGATION
This camera shows you obstacles ENTERTAINMENT
behind the car, your path as the FUN FACTOR
wheels are currently turned, and ECO-FRIENDLINESS
the best path for parallel parking. www.mbusa.com
Recommended options: Distronic
Plus (active cruise control, braking),
4.5 $2,850. Night vision, $1,775.
5.0 Dynamic, massaging front seats,
4.0 $1,800. Window shades, $700. Dual
4.5 sunroofs, $1,000. Sirius satellite radio,
4.0 $500. Keyless go, $1,000. Rear
2.5 camera, $700. Active body control,
$7,777. Power rear seats, $1,120.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 63

 FINALIST
BMW 3 SERIES
FOR THE HOTTEST TECHNOLOGY IN BMW’S DAZZLING 3 SERIES,
look under the hood, not at the dash. Variable valve timing and
variable-length intake manifolds help the smallest of BMW’s se-
dan lines burn fuel economically, handily meet emissions stan-
dards, and blast past 60 mph in a hurry. Choose your options care-
fully, however, because BMW’s tech-heavy checklist can blast the
$32,000 base price past $50,000—pricey for a compact, rear-drive sedan that seats
four or five people snugly.
NAV SYSTEM Highway cruisers will love the radar-assisted active cruise control, which keeps
BMW’s navigation system, pace with the car ahead of you, and the steerable xenon headlights that guide the
supplied by Siemens VDO, uses
both voice input and the iDrive
car around curves. The Steptronic automatic transmission can be shifted manually;
controller and has a split-screen if you don’t do stop-and-go driving, the six-speed manual shift is a gem. We like the
mode, typically showing a premium package’s leather seats, Bluetooth connectivity, and Mayday calling, but
map plus iconic turn arrows. most of the technology is standard: stability control, six airbags, run-flat tires, and a
line-in jack for MP3 players.
We’d pass on the navigation system, because it requires BMW’s mediocre iDrive
control knob, which we found awkward to use. We also didn’t think active steer-
ing, which turns the car more sharply (for the same steering-wheel effort) at lower
speeds, was worth the price. A nicely but not excessively equipped BMW 3 will cost
IDRIVE about $40,000. If you really must have every option, step up to the roomier 5 Series
The force-feedback
iDrive knob, included and check out the infrared night vision and head-up display.
only with the nav Of our ten favorite tech cars, the 3 Series is best at remembering that the driver,
system, handles not microprocessors, should be in charge.
navigation, enter-
tainment, climate
control, and audio
TECH SPECS
functions. We found
PRICE: $31,595–$51,715 Recommended options: Premium package (Bluetooth,
it awkward to use.
MILEAGE: 20 city, 30 highway Mayday calling, leather seats), $2,900. Steerable xenon
OVERALL 4.0 headlights, $800. BMW Assist (Bluetooth, Mayday service),
TECHNOLOGY 4.5 $750. Parking sonar, $350. Active cruise control, $2,200.
NAVIGATION 2.5 Consider: Steptronic manual/automatic transmission,
ENTERTAINMENT 3.0 $1,275. Premium sound, $1,200. Sirius satellite radio, $595
FUN FACTOR 5.0 (yes, $595). Cold-weather package, $1,000.
ECO-FRIENDLINESS 4.0
www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/3/

64 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

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NAV SYSTEM
The NavTraffic option
overlays traffic information
on the nav screen—green for
smooth flow, yellow for slow,
and red for stop-and-go.
ONSTAR DISPLAY
Acura includes OnStar
safety and information
service for now, but OnStar
is going to be a GM-only
product in the future.
FINALIST
ACURA RL
IN THE RAREFIED WORLD OF $50,000 SPORT SEDANS WITH
superior tech features, only the Infiniti M provides more tech-
nology for about the same price as the RL. Just about everything
is included on the RL, too. The lone options choice—the $3,800
Technology package—gives you run-flat tires, NavTraffic, and
Acura’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS).
The first-rate NavTraffic system, made by Alpine, uses real-time traffic data to
pinpoint accidents and color your route green, yellow, or red, based on traffic flow.
CMBS is a smarter active cruise control that adds moderate to heavy braking to avoid
or mitigate accidents. It even tightens seat belts before a crash. You’ll also want a few
of the dealer-installed options: a backup camera (it integrates with the nav display),
backup sonar, or both, and an iPod adapter.
Everything else comes standard in the tech-heavy RL—much of it activated by a
big control knob in the center console—including steerable xenon headlights, six air-
bags, tire-pressure monitoring, keyless entry, a ten-speaker Bose stereo system with
a DVD drive that plays MP3 and WMA audio, and Bluetooth. Though the 4,012-
pound, 194-inch-long RL isn’t particularly fuel-efficient, the 290-hp V6 engine is
ultra–low-emissions certified.
TECH SPECS
PRICE: $49,915–$53,715
MILEAGE: 18 city, 26 highway
Recommended options: Technology
package, $3,800. Backup camera,
$495. iPod adapter, $214.
OVERALL 4.5
TECHNOLOGY 4.5
NAVIGATION 4.5
ENTERTAINMENT 4.0
FUN FACTOR 4.5
ECO-FRIENDLINESS 3.5
www.acura.com
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 65
 FINALIST
AUDI A6 4.2
SOME DAY EVERY CAR WILL HAVE A COCKPIT CONTROLLER .
Today, Audi’s A6 luxury sports sedan leads the way with its
integrated MultiMedia Interface (MMI). How does it work? You
select a function such as Nav, CD, or AM/FM via one of eight
buttons, then you navigate screens via the knob. In addition to the
7-inch screen in the console, a smaller LCD in the gauge cluster
provides key navigation, phone, and entertainment information. Bluetooth is stan-
dard, and the Bose audio system plays MP3s and WMAs.
The six-cylinder A6 3.2 might be an even better choice if price is an issue, because
it costs $10,000 less. You don’t get a V8 engine, but you can have Audi’s continuously
variable transmission (CVT) if you opt for front-wheel drive only. Because it has no
gears, the CVT drives more smoothly and gets better gas mileage. The all-wheel-
drive Quattro drive train requires an automatic transmission.

TECH SPECS
COCKPIT PRICE: $54,485–$66,510 Recommended options: Technol-
CONTROLLER MILEAGE: 17 city, 23 highway ogy package (navigation, xenon
The MMI, or MultiMedia OVERALL 4.0 headlights, parking sonar, Sirius or
Interface, lets the driver TECHNOLOGY 4.5 XM Satellite Radio). Adaptive cruise
NAVIGATION 4.0 control, $2,100.
or passenger use the
ENTERTAINMENT 4.5
surrounding buttons to FUN FACTOR 4.5
choose functions without ECO-FRIENDLINESS 3.0
first using the controller. www.audiusa.com

FINALIST
CADILLAC STS
AMERICA’S PREMIER LUXURY SPORTS SEDAN OFFERS VIRTUALLY
every technology feature you might want: radar-based active cruise
control, magnetic ride control, a Denso navigation system, Blue-
tooth connectivity, an awesome Bose audio system with 15 speak-
ers, XM Satellite Radio, xenon headlights, stability control, six
airbags, performance brakes, and tire-pressure monitors. Go with
the V8 Luxury Performance version with the 320-hp Northstar engine ($58,980).
The five-passenger, rear-drive STS (all-wheel drive is optional) is one of the first
GM cars to offer OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation: Press the OnStar button and tell
the operator where you want to go, and spoken directions are downloaded to the car.
They’re linked to the STS’s integrated GPS sensors and played back as you approach
turns and off-ramps.
Bristling with all this digital gear, the STS is equipped to do battle with the BMW
5 Series, Lexus LS 430, Infiniti M45, and Mercedes E-Class.

TECH SPECS
PRICE:$41,740–$61,130 Recommended options: OnStar NAV SYSTEM
MILEAGE: 17 city, 26 highway Turn-by-Turn Navigation, estimated NavTraffic service on the
OVERALL 3.5 $10 per month subscription. Active Denso-based navigation
TECHNOLOGY 4.0 cruise control, Bose premium audio
system overlays current
NAVIGATION 3.5 (in packages). All-wheel drive, $1,900.
ENTERTAINMENT 4.0
traffic conditions on your
FUN FACTOR 4.0 route in red, yellow, or green.
ECO-FRIENDLINESS 3.5 NavTraffic covers the two
www.cadillac.com dozen biggest U.S. cities.

68 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 FINALIST
BUICK TERRAZA
ALL THE PASSENGER-SEAT TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD WON’T
keep your kids from fighting in the back seat. For kids, automotive
technology begins and ends with back-seat entertainment. And
the most versatile entertainment system lives in GM’s crossover
sport vans (read: minivans): the Buick Terraza, along with the
Chevrolet Uplander and the Saturn Relay.
All come standard with a rear-seat DVD player, and they’re the only vehicles that
offer a factory-installed PhatNoise Mobile Digital Media Player, a must-have $695
option. Fill its removable hard drive with music, movies, and photos from your PC,
and the PhatNoise delivers three separate streams: SpongeBob cartoons for Junior,
Backstreet Boys for the tweener, and classic rock for Mom and Dad in the front.
This capability, combined with XM Satellite Radio ($325) and OnStar’s remote
diagnostics, makes this otherwise average minivan stand out. The Honda Odyssey
and Toyota Sienna are better minivans but don’t offer PhatNoise.

TECH SPECS
PHAT NOISE PRICE: $27,900–$35,980 Recommended options: PhatNoise
CARTRIDGE MILEAGE: 18 city, 25 highway Mobile Digital Media Player, $695.
Remove the 40GB OVERALL 3.0 Driver confidence package (backup
cartridge, connect it TECHNOLOGY 2.0 sonar, sliding driver-side rear door,
NAVIGATION 2.5 antitheft), $605. XM Satellite Radio,
to your PC via USB,
ENTERTAINMENT 5.0 $325. Six-disc in-dash CD changer,
and update it with FUN FACTOR 2.5 $295. Dual-stage front airbags, front-
new music, videos, ECO-FRIENDLINESS 3.5 side, first/second row air curtains,
and photos. www.buick.com/terraza $700. Upgraded V6 engine, $500.

FINALIST
ACURA TL
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS DON’T COME ANY FINER THAN THE ONE
in the Acura TL, an affordable compact midsize sports sedan
with a 258-hp V6 front-wheel-drive engine. The TL’s Alpine-built
nav system is displayed on an 8-inch screen in the center console
and operated by a small joystick or voice input. The car uses its
GPS sensor to determine the relative position of the sun and pro-
vides more air conditioning to the sunny side.
The TL is chock-full of standard equipment; the only options are a five-speed
automatic transmission (no cost), nav system ($2,000), performance tires ($200)
and a few useful dealer accessories, including an iPod adapter and a backup sensor.
The Elliot Scheiner/Panasonic audio system sounds great and plays a host of formats,
including DVD-Audio. Bluetooth comes standard, as does leather upholstery.

TECH SPECS
PRICE: $33,940–$36,140 Recommended options: Naviga-
MILEAGE: 20 city, 29 highway tion system, $2,000. Backup sensor,
OVERALL 4.0 $631; iPod adapter, $214 (both dealer
TECHNOLOGY 4.0 installed). NAV SYSTEM
NAVIGATION 4.5
ENTERTAINMENT 4.0
The excellent Alpine navigation system (a
FUN FACTOR 5.0 $2,000 option), has an 8-inch screen, takes
ECO-FRIENDLINESS 4.0 voice input, and has a small joystick. It’s top-
www.acura.com rated in the most recent J.D. Power survey.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 69

 Down the Road

BY BILL HOWARD The car of the near future has no jet

engine, isn’t submersible, and won’t
drive itself, but just about anything
else is within reach. Some seemingly
futuristic technologies are appearing
now, but since they each add $500 to
$3,000 to the bottom line, it’s going
to take a while for them to reach the
family car. Still, all the technologies
we look at here are likely to reach the
mainstream within five to ten years.
Photograph by Getty Images APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 71
Car of the Future
LOOK-AHEAD
RADAR/LIDAR,
AU T O M AT I C B R A K I N G
Radar or lidar (think of radar,
but using lasers) scans the road
ahead, maintains a safe following
distance through active cruise
control (ACC). Assisted braking
stops the car if you aren’t
braking hard enough to avoid
accidents. (The Acura RL,
Mercedes S-Class already
have this.)
AIRLESS TIRES
Tires will be like thick rubber
bands with treads applied
around a wheel with highly
flexible spokes that compress
the way sidewalls do now. They
can’t go flat, but prototypes
from Michelin ride hard. First
use likely will be in military
vehicles and construction
equipment. Nearer term,
run-flat tires eliminate spare
tires, saving 60 pounds.
72 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
BLIND-SPOT DETECTION
Infrared or other sensors will
compare heat signatures behind
and beside you to see if it’s just
the road (cooler) or another car
(warmer) in the blind spot your
mirrors can’t see. Warnings
alert you via a red light in the
side mirror, beeps, or a vibrating
steering wheel. Coming soon.
A D VA N C E D
TRANSMISSIONS
Automatic transmissions will get
six, seven, possibly eight gears.
Even better is the continuously
variable transmission with an
ultra-strong belt between
two variable-size drive pulleys.
Automatic shifting manual
transmissions with two clutches
for smoother shifts, or direct
shift gearbox (DSG), will expand
beyond Audi.
STEER BY WIRE
The steering wheel will no longer
directly turn the front wheels.
Instead, it will control a black box
that turns motors that turn the
wheels. Steer by wire takes up
less space, offers infinitely vari-
able power steering effort, and
enables speed-sensitive variable
turning ratios. Yes, the steering
wheel could be a joystick.
C A PA C I T O R D R I V E
FOR HYBRIDS
Capacitors—two big plates
separated by an insulator—can
store a heck of a lot of energy.
Put dozens of high-voltage
capacitors into your car and you
don’t need a big NiMH battery
pack to boost acceleration.
Batteries might last ten years.
Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
HYDROGEN ENGINES
German engineers are working
on engines that mix and burn
two parts hydrogen (from an
ultra-high-pressure tank) and
one part oxygen (from the air),
emitting only H20. We’ll never
run out of hydrogen, but refining
and pressurizing it uses energy.
Prototypes that also burn
gasoline exist now and could
be marketed in five to ten years.
SEE THROUGH THE DARK
An infrared camera looks for
heated objects ahead (passive
IR) or uses IR lighting on the
car (active IR). Passive works to
1,000 feet; active gives a more
detailed image to about 500
feet. The Lexus RX, the Acura RL,
and the Mercedes S550 have
it already.
A D VA N C E D E N G I N E
TECHNOLOGY
Variable displacement shuts
down half the cylinders when not
needed. Hybrids use gas engines
and electric motors powered by
batteries or capacitors. Diesel
engines idle efficiently, get great
highway mileage, and emit little
pollution. Turbocharging uses
exhaust gas pressure to spin
turbines that blow fresh air (and
fuel) into a small engine during
acceleration. Regenerative
braking converts car’s motion
into stored electricity.
L A N E - D E PA RT U R E
WA R N I N G ( L D W )
A video camera watches
pavement markings, beeping
or shaking the wheel if you
veer across unless your blinker
is on. (It won’t save Grandpa
if he leaves the blinker on.)
LDW is available on long-haul
trucks and on the new Infiniti.
Future LDW may nudge the
car back into position, but you
can easily override it.
PRE-CRASH
P R E PA R E D N E S S
Heavy braking or violent
fishtailing will snug seat
belts, raise reclined seats,
close sunroof. Mercedes
has it; others will get it soon.
(Automakers often share
initially exclusive lifesaving
technology for modest
royalties). Car with radar
sensors can tighten seat belts
even more just milliseconds
before a crash, then small
explosives (some cars have
them now) tighten belts a
third time just milliseconds
after the crash.
LEDS
LEDs last forever, use less
energy, and soon will be bright
enough to use as headlights
(steerable as the car turns)
in addition to taillights. Inside
the car, LED instruments mean
no more $75 shop charge to
replace a burned out $1 bulb
behind the clock.
APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 73
Dashboard of the Future
C O N V E R S AT I O N A L
VOICE RECOGNITION
Today’s sophisticated voice
recognition can understand
word lists (volume down, reduce
volume, reduce sound). Future
systems will understand the
context of recent conversations
(subway as a passenger drop-off
point versus fast food dining)
and let you ask the car
about anything.
CUSTOM
E N T E RTA I N M E N T
A big hard disk will store your
favorite music and videos
plus navigation information.
Dashboard and back seat will
have USB jacks that let all
music players (not just iPods)
be controlled from the dash-
board. In nearer future, more
cars get flash card slots
(PC Card or SD card) or
line-in jacks.
74 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
DROWSINESS COCKPIT CONTROLLER O N E D I S P L AY,
SENSORS A turnable knob and selector TWO VIEWS
Cars will measure buttons on the console let Center-of-the-dash
drivers’ eye blinks or driver and passenger fine-tune LCD screen provides
steering corrections entertainment, navigation, different views from
to gauge fatigue. The climate control. But most impor- left and right, provid-
car will sound alarms, tant functions are duplicated ing entertainment for
tug seat belts, or on the dash. Advantage: less the passenger and
engage the driver by complexity, fewer switches driving info for the
playing trivia games to install and wire. driver. Sharp’s Dual-
via voice synthesis View technology is 24
and recognition. months away.
GLASS COCKPIT S M A RT N AV I G AT I O N NETWORKING
Discrete gauges and Navigation systems will get WiMAX or cellular
switches give way information on traffic jams, data will provide
to a color flat-panel route you around them or tell always-on Internet
display in front of the you how long you’ll be stuck, access. Mesh net-
driver that can be predict traffic conditions based worked cars anony-
anything you want: on past history (end of major mously broadcast
speedometer (ribbon sporting events, Friday evening position, speed, and
or round, big or small, of Memorial Day weekend). Road road conditions for
metric or imperial), maps will be constantly updated accurate traffic infor-
tachometer, naviga- wirelessly and stored in onboard mation. Cars will
tion instructions, hard disks. Systems will learn upload diagnostic
audio info. your shortcut preferences. information, and
download updates
and directions to the
nearest dealer for
emergency repairs.
Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
MPC recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional.

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• 17 or 19-inch TFT SXGA high-resolution LCD
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• Advanced Exchange Service
Look closer, and you’ll discover that MPC is the Profumata di Tortona of computer companies, • ATI Mobility Radeon X600 PCI Express Graphics
• Integrated high-definition audio
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©2005 MPC Computers, LLC (“MPC” or “Seller”). MPC is not responsible for omissions or errors in typography or photography. All offers are subject to availability. Prices and specifications may
change without notice; prices do not include shipping, handling or applicable taxes, unless specifically required under contract. Seller's return policy does not include return freight and original
shipping/handling charges, and a restocking fee may be charged. All return and warranty periods begin from date product is shipped. All sales are controlled by Seller's current terms and condi-
tions of sale and limited warranty, copies of which are available on Seller's website or from its sales representatives. On-site service is provided at sole discretion of MPC. A qualifying diagnostic
determination must be made by MPC prior to on-site service (if any). On-site service is provided by a third-party service provider under a separate contract between you and the service provider.
Advertised configurations may differ from award-winning configurations. Intel, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Intel Centrino, Intel Centrino logo, Celeron, Intel Xeon, Intel Speedstep, Itanium, Pentium
and Pentium III Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Other product names herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. 1. All hard drive sizes calculated with 1GB equal to
1 billion bytes. 2. MPC 56K modems capable of receiving downloads at up to 56Kbps and sending at up to 31.2Kbps. Due to FCC regulations on power output, receiving speeds are limited to
53Kbps. Actual speeds may vary. 3. 52X = 52X max./17X min. 48X=48X max./17X min. 24X = 24X max./10X min. 8X DVD = 8X max./1X min.
Geek Your Ride
Here are some of our favorite accessories to
keep your car on the leading edge of technology.
B Y B I L L H O WA R D

Buying Tip
There’s little advantage
to factory-ordering a
rear-seat entertainment
setup, since there’s
seldom a connection
to the car audio system.
The installer makes an
electrical connection
and that’s it—audio
goes to the head-
phones, not the car’s
APC PNOTEAC350
speakers. Also, most
DC TO AC INVERTER
car LCD displays are
Keep a 350-watt DC-to-AC
a wimpy 7 inches
power inverter handy for
diagonally.
providing 120 volts to
recharge or power what-
ever you’re carrying in
your car: laptop, cell
phone, music player.
The APC PNOTEAC350
Mobile Power DC-to-AC
inverter works with any
device you can plug into
a wall socket. $50 street.
American Power Conversion
Corp., www.apcc.com.

LOWRANCE IWAY 350

AUTOXRAY CODESCOUT
When the Check Engine light pops up
on your dashboard, it’s going to cost you
money, as much as $50, for the dealer just
to read out the fault code. The AutoXray
CodeScout plugs into an OBD II connector
and tells you what’s wrong, including simple
things anyone can fix, such as a loose gas cap.
$130 street. AutoXray Inc., www.autoxray.com.
With portable navigation
devices, you can have good
or you can have low-cost.
Lowrance does both with the
iWay 350C. Maps reside on a
4GB hard drive, while an SD
socket lets you play MP3s or
view JPEG photos. A lithium
ion battery keeps it going for
hours if you don’t plug it into
the accessory socket. We’ve
seen prices as low as $425.
$500 list. Lowrance Electronics
Inc., www.lowrance.com.

76 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 VISTEON DOCKABLE
ENTERTAINMENT
CENTER
Among the dozens of
DVD players that mount
in the back of your car,
the Visteon Dockable
Entertainment Center
stands out because
you can pull it out for
use as a portable player
on airplanes or shuttle
it between cars. The
SOUNDGATE most recent edition
integrates the Nintendo
LINE-IN AUDIO
GameBoy.
ADAPTER
A direct connection $1,500 street,
to your car radio/CD installed. Visteon Corp.,
player provides far bet- www.visteon.com.
ter sound than an FM modulator or
cassette adapter. SoundGate line-in
adapters usually connect through
the radio’s proprietary CD changer
jack and fit most popular cars. Some
have two inputs so that you can attach
both an MP3 player and satellite radio.
If you have an iPod, check first to see
whether your car or radio has an
iPod-specific connector.
$80 street. SoundGate,
www.soundgate.com.

Buying Tip
If you’re worried that
a ceiling-mount DVD
player may obscure the
view, install two smaller
LCD panels in the backs
of the front-seat head-
rests. This isn’t a viable
option for three-row
vans because of the cost
(four panels needed)
DELPHI XM and hassles of remov-
ROADY XT ing the middle seats for
Sirius and XM Satellite cargo hauling.
Radio play similar music
(talk shows and sports
differ). But if you want
the smallest dash-
mount satellite radio,
the hands-down winner
is XM with Delphi’s
Roady XT. About the
size of a deck of playing
cards, the Roady XT
fits into even the most
cramped cockpit. A
line-out jack and a fair
FM modulator connect
to your existing radio.
$80 street, $12.95 per
VALENTINE ONE RADAR DETECTOR
month. Delphi Corp.,
The Valentine One radar detector provides the best,
www.xmradio.com,
most comprehensive, most useful, and least annoying
www.shopdelphi.com.
alerts. It tracks multiple signals and notes whether the
latest signal is in front, beside, or behind you.
$399 direct. Valentine Research Inc., www.valentine1.com.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 77

 MICROSOFT STREETS
& TRIPS 2006
Online maps are getting
better, but they’re not
yet a match for a PC
using Microsoft Streets
& Trips 2006 mapping
and route-planning
software. At 15 bucks
a year, it’s the way to go.
An enhanced version
includes a GPS module
so that you—or better,
the passenger—can follow
the route in real time.
$40 street; with GPS mod-
ule, $125. Microsoft Corp.,
www.microsoft.com

GARMIN NÜVI 350

The Garmin nüvi represents
the best of a new breed:
downsized portable
navigation devices that
also play music, show
JPEG images, and function
as a world-traveler alarm
clock. Quick enough to lock
in GPS signals and powerful
enough to get a fix inside
a building, it’s handy to
have if you want to map
out your route at the
breakfast table.
$900 street. Garmin
International Inc.,
www.garmin.com.

HARMAN KARDON
Buying Tip DRIVE+PLAY
With most accessories Integrate your iPod with
you install in the car, virtually any car audio
the value they add at system using Harman
resale time will be Kardon’s two-piece unit:
about . . . zero. Best a control knob that works
bets are accessories like Apple’s circular scroll
that make sense: pad and a multiline
backup sonar or display. There’s a
camera on a big SUV, second input for
rear-seat video in a van. portable satellite
radio or other music
players. For the best
sound quality, you
may need car-
specific adapters
($15 to $125). $200
street. Harman Inter-
national Industries Inc.,
www.harmankardon.com.

PIONEER AVIC-N2
Replace your car radio with a touch-screen
DVD-based nav system with voice recognition
that overlays real-time traffic reports on a
6.5-inch color display. The AVIC-N2 also plays
AM/FM, MP3, regular CDs, and DVD videos;
gets XM satellite radio; has jacks for an iPod
connector and a backup camera.
$1,900 street. Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.,
www.pioneerelectronics.com.

78 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 ALPINE BLACKBIRD
The Blackbird PMD-B100, with a 3.5-inch touch
screen, isn’t just another portable navigation
device. It plays MP3s and WMAs via an SD card
slot and tunes FM radio. A car-docking module
lets you view and control the Blackbird from
the LCD touch-screen panel of any recent
Alpine in-car radio/DVD player.
$750 street. Alpine Electronics of
America Inc., www.alpine-usa.com.

PHATNOISE PHATBOX
Want to play all your music in the car, not just
some of it? PhatNoise PhatBox mounts in the
trunk and stores thousands of MP3 or WMA files
on its 40GB hard drive cartridge. Pop it out, take
it inside, and sync some or all of your music
collection via a USB cradle. Upgrades to 80GB
or 120GB cartridges are available.
$700 direct. PhatNoise, www.phatnoise.com.

PORON MICRO 3
The first time you avoid backing
into a fire hydrant, you’ve recouped
your investment in backup sonar.
To set it up, you mount transceivers
on the trunk or liftgate and run a wire
to the dash and the backup lights.
When you’re within 8 feet of an
object, the unit beeps and a voice
announces the distance.
$300 street. Poron USA Inc.,
www.poronusa.com.

Buying Tip
If you’re considering
multiple accessories
such as a backup
camera, a back-seat
DVD player, and a front
radio, install them all
at once. Every time the
installer removes and
replaces panels, they’ll
squeak more than
they did before.

MOTOROLA IHF1000 BLUETOOTH CAR KIT

If you use your phone a lot in the car, want to obey
hands-free laws, and don’t like earpieces, Motorola’s
IHF1000 is a permanently mounted solution. It has a
Bluetooth connection, a microphone, voice recognition,
and favorite-number storage, and it plays through your
car stereo or its own speaker.
$200 street. Motorola Inc., www.motorola.com.
Our Contributers Bill Howard is the editor of TechnoRide.com,
the car site for tech fans, and writes a column on car technology
for PC Magazine. He is a contributing editor of PC Magazine.
Features editor Sean Carroll and executive editor Carol L.
Gonsher were in charge of this story.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 79

BUILD IT
en
n e r hiddor
Scaner sun vis
und
Paper sh Picks up T V too!
in glove bredder
ox

n
scree Printer mou
u c h
To nted on arm consonted
mou ash le
on d
Add
a GPS

Laptop
under
Engine ics seat
diagnost

Office on Wheels
The best finishing touches aren’t necessarily made of chrome or full of spokes.
They’re things like a working PC, with high-speed Internet access and a do-it-yourself
TV setup. Here’s how to turn your everyday ride into a luxury limousine.

T
BY RYAN O’HORO
RICKING OUT A CHRYSLER 300
is easy. Adding flair to a Toyota
Corolla or Camry takes more
work. And for the true Road
Warrior—the business profes-
sional who can’t leave his car
long enough to boot a desk-
top—the finishing touches
aren’t just the chrome trim and new hubcaps: They’re
things like a working PC and Internet access.
So in honor of everyone who’s spilled coffee on their
lap while typing on a laptop, we’ve constructed the
ultimate mobile office. We consolidated office data,
optimized paper flow, and assessed various corporate
dynamics while maintaining a comfortable and relax-
ing home away from home—all inside a 1998 Corolla.
Nearly all of the computer components that make up
our office on wheels connect with and are powered by
USB. Since such cables can be quite long, you’ll have
no problem routing them behind your car’s door panels
and trim. But see our Web site for more detailed in-
formation about the complex issue of sending enough TURN
power to everything. THE
While we don’t foresee Toyota coming out with an PAGE
Office Suite anytime soon—or Ferrari putting a photo ....and open
printer into the armrest of the next Fiorano—we think the gatefold
a few companies might benefit from some of our sug- for detailed
gestions. Check them out. parts and plans

80 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

 They’re your servers. And your network.
(It’s time you took back control of them.)

©2006 CDW Corporation

 Optimize your servers. Upgrade your network.
(And save yourself.)
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be just the answer. From storage management to networking, CDW has a full line of HP servers featuring AMD
dual-core processors. So your network can handle higher capacities, without slowing down applications. So call
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• Universal ID (UID) for easy identification in
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• Works with HP ProLiant DL145 G2 Rack-mount
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• AMD OpteronTM Processor (1.80GHz)
• Provides a highly scalable architecture to deliver
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• AMD OpteronTM 250 Processor (2.40GHz )
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Hard drives SMART BUY -
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1
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separately; savings may vary based on channel and/or direct standard pricing. Offer subject to CDW’s standard terms and conditions of sale, available at CDW.com. © 2006 CDW Corporation
BUILD IT
THINKPAD UNDERSEAT INSTALLATION
We began with the assumption that a businessman on
the road already has a laptop with all his contracts, in-
voices, and literature ready at hand. With this in mind,
we stowed a Lenovo ThinkPad T43 port replicator under
the driver’s seat and custom-fabricated a pull-out tray for
it. This affords easy access to the laptop for removal or
insertion while allowing several external components to
remain connected. The alternative: stowing your critical
hardware in the back seat among the empty fast-food
containers. The T43 is ideal for our project, but almost
any business notebook with a port replicator can be simi-
larly configured.
Thinkpad slides in an
d out
A MOBILE SCANNER
We didn’t want documents we receive from our business contacts floating around the car.
The Pentax DSMobile USB scanner seemed like a good, safe way to digitize (in color, no less!)
our flying friends. It allows for quick scanning and conversion of paper into PDFs for faxing or
e-mailing, using the included Presto! PageManager software.
It’s all about having the
1 First things first We pieced to-
gether a tray from pieces of steel
and aluminum and used two ball-bear-
ing drawer slides to stow it. Laying the
slides about 4 inches apart, we riveted
the steel on top to give us a mount for
the laptop. A length of aluminum con-
nects either side to stabilize the struc-
ture. The port replicator is Velcroed far
enough back so the laptop rests at the
lip when loaded.
2
Install the mount Anchor the
back of the tray to the floor of
the car. Be careful to avoid hitting the
brake lines when you drill: Measure
from the side of the car before you
start. We made slight adjustments to
the height, using plastic parts from the
seat itself and double-sided tape to let
the laptop and EV-DO card clear the
carpet and seat-adjustment lever.
3 Adjust the height Depending
on the make of your car, you may
have to raise the seat slightly to ac-
commodate the apparatus.
4 Dock and go Plug your system
into the port replicator. Here,
we’ve attached the scanner, printer,
and audio system to our laptop, but it
can still be removed easily.
Caution: this while dri
ving
Don’t attempt
1 Use Velcro The scan-
ner mounts nicely on the
passenger visor, and you can
secure it with traditional Velcro.
The attached USB cable makes
its way back to the dashboard,
hidden behind various pieces of
trim. Just don’t lower the visor!
2 Feed me! Paper passes
cleanly through the scanner
and comes out toward the wind-
shield. This location also makes for
easy disposal once you’ve com-
pleted a scan . . . just throw that
useless paper into your glove box
shredder! Don’t forget to empty
the waste pail every so often.
 DATA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS WITH A TOUCH SCREEN
While you’re on the road, interacting with the PC needs to be simple and fast, so you
won’t get distracted. We added a touch-screen monitor from EarthLCD for quick ref-
erence and to control audio from your notebook and GPS-based navigation. It’s large
and easy to read—great for authoring documents or watching a DVD.

1 Create a “blank”
Replace the stock
radio using slotted right-
2 Route the wires
The cables associ-
ated with the LCD run
3 Lock it down Bolt
the LCD onto the
bracket and adjust it so it
angle steel, guided by a back through the radio clears the ignition switch
cardboard template of opening in the dash, un- and wiper control. You’ll
the radio’s opening and der the floor mats, and still need to turn those on
mounting points. This back to the ThinkPad. and off, right?
serves as a base to affix
the LCD’s bracket, which
is included in the pack-
age from EarthLCD. The
assembled blank and
bracket protrude from
the dash and anchor the
screen with articulation
capability.

A DIY HEADS-UP DISPLAY
Airplanes convey crucial information to pilots by projecting it directly on the windscreen.
Clearly, we need the same system. So along with our 10-inch LCD is a 2- by 20-character
vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) by Matrix Orbital. This handy tool shows information on de-
mand: Winamp track information with a spectrum analyzer, new e-mail notification, and almost
anything you can think of that can be associated with an event and displayed. Definitely choose
a VFD over a traditional LCD, as these displays have a much higher contrast ratio.
1 Wrap it up Make a
crude enclosure for
reen the VFD, which includes
Here’s our sc a mirror and a Fresnel
lens. Simply hot-glue the
mirror, lens, and display
together to form a trian-
gle. Test it out, and make
sure that the display
projects light at the cor-
rect size, orientation, and
apparent distance.
We couldn’t
covering the re
h
sist
in the dash ol e
with our logo
ic
s, a graph
Song titler, even new e-mail
equalizeright here
show up
2 Hang the display
The new assembly 3 Build a screen A
piece of clear plastic
mounts above the driver, rests on the dashboard.
facing the windshield, The VFD projects onto
mirror (which came from it to show the final im-
a cheap pocket brush) age. Now install the LCD
angled at the dash. Run Smartie software that
the USB cable up the operates the VFD (free
molding at the side of online, lcdsmartie
the windshield and tuck .sourceforge.net), feeding
it away with a small plas- it information about Win-
tic putty knife. Clever, eh? amp and your e-mail.

e right technology products.

AN HP ARMREST PRINTER
Making hard copies to sign and share is just as important
1 Four-point plan
We fabricated a four-
post support from alumi-
as having an e-mail address to give to a new client. So we num and steel stock, riv-
decked out our car with an HP Deskjet 460 printer, which eting the pieces together.
The metal stand sits
is a photo-quality ink jet with all the trimmings: Bluetooth,
over the center console
Wi-Fi, USB, a lithium ion battery, and a memory card reader. and allows access to the
Mounting the printer between the front seats also provides a emergency brake. Secure
stylish and comfortable armrest. it with rivets at the base
as well.

2 Measure once, print often Take a test run

before permanently mounting your gear. In
this case, measure the printer to ensure that it
makes a comfortable armrest for the driver.

3 Lock it in place
Finally, we attached
the printer to the stand
using SuperLock fasten-
ers, a plastic, Velcro-like
material. The printer’s lid
simply folds open, and
the documents come out
beside the driver for easy
stop-light reading.

carefully
Measure

A SHREDDER IN THE GLOVE BOX

Opportunistic thieves can readily swipe passwords, account num-
1 Disassembly first Remove
the glove compartment from
the car and measure the interior
bers, and other confidential data by grabbing your trash. There’s space. Afterwards, disassemble the
a tried and true way of discouraging theft of important in-forma- shredder and cut it to fit with a ro-
tary tool, such as a Dremel.
tion, however: A shredder! That’s right, a portable shredder, just
waiting to be fed, can lie in wait in your glove compartment. Open
the latch to the box and the battery-powered shredder revs up, Trim to fit
triggered by a switch installed in the back.

2 Next stop, wiring Wire a

roller switch into the circuit. You
can mount it in the rear of the glove
box door, such that when the door
is closed, the switch is depressed.
When the door opens, the switch
activates the circuit and powers on
the shredder.
3 Insertion To wrap it up, add
plastic supports to suspend the
shredder inside the compartment
(for strength) and permanently in-
stall the entire assembly. Now test it
out: Grab the shredder’s instruction
manual and permanently destroy it.

(So we carry just about all of the

 AFTER HOURS: REALLY LOUD MUSIC & LIVE TV BELLS & WHISTLES
After a hard day’s work, a relaxing drive home requires some seri- While you’re busy spending money (and time) in
ous entertainment hardware. Lurking beneath the front passenger the garage, go for the gold medal with the following
seat is a monster Infinity Reference amplifier, which powers four collection of extra gear and gadgets.
Infinity Kappa component speakers. The audio signal comes di-
Add a GPS There’s no time
rectly from the laptop via the port replicator’s line out. But music to get lost on the road, so
delights only half the senses; we needed TV, too. So we added a we attached a DeLorme
USB TV tuner that receives signal through the car’s antenna. It’s Earthmate USB GPS. Its
Street Atlas navigation
live TV for your car!
software has a chatty and

1
touch-friendly interface and
Get loud First replace
offers turn-by-turn naviga-
the stock front speakers
tion—with voice commands.
in your car. This requires
The GPS sits on the dash
removing the door pan-
and is secured by its cable,
els and running speaker
which we routed snugly Speed file transfers
wire. The rear speakers Just below the driver, we
down into the interior of the
are next and harder to re- dropped in a combina-
dash and back to the PC via
place; remove the luggage a USB hub. We really liked tion flash card reader and
shelf to gain access to the the text-to-speech function USB hub from IOGear to
mounting holes. We hid the that announced the streets. facilitate file transfers and
amplifier below the front help synchronize handheld
seat, next to the laptop, to devices. Take a photo at a
reduce the length of the au- Go wireless Round out the
office on wheels’ utility: A job site and instantly send it
dio cables—and the com- to your laptop.
plexity of routing them. Gyration wireless keyboard
allows for text input on a
larger scale, when an on- Hit the Internet

2 TV and radio A
Hauppauge WinTV
USB tuner feeds our
screen keyboard just won’t
do the trick. The keyboard
Most important for the
connected traveler: Gain
doesn’t need much space, on-the-go Internet access
senses. This provides both so store it in the driver-side with ample bandwidth with
UHF/VHF and FM recep- door pocket. You’ll lack the a Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO
tion—for rest-stop enjoy- space for a proper custom PC Card. It’s a simple but
ment only, of course. We keyboard tray. essential PC Card device.
reused the car’s FM an-
tenna to receive broadcast
stations using a splitter, a
few coaxial cables, and a
splice kit to fuse the two.

3 Hide the tuner The

device itself is tucked
away inside the dashboard.
You’ll probably make it
messy, as we clearly have,
but there’s plenty of space
back there. We’ve also
hidden a USB hub in this
space, to aid connecting
the other components in
our car.

4 Live TV . . . finally!
Using the software
Hauppauge includes with
Quick file tra
nsfers
the WinTV tuner, you can
time-shift shows while
you’re driving or play
TURN THE PAGE
back videos that you re- ....For complete pricing info
corded earlier. and a detailed plan.

em.)
 HP ProLiant DL385 Dual-core
Rack-mount Server
• Dual Core AMD OpteronTM 265 Processor
(1.80GHz)
$
280499
CDW 811471
• Memory: 1GB std., 16GB max.
• Six SCSI hot-pluggable drive bays
Hard drives
sold separately
• Large internal storage capacity for everything
from Web applications to databases
• Easily connects to storage networks and is
easily managed from one place

HP StorageWorks® 1/8 Tape

Autoloader Ultrium 460
• 1.6TB native LTO Ultrium-2 tape storage system
• Flexible tape automation solution with the ability
to automatically back up multiple servers without
operator intervention

$4571.99 CDW 813323

HP ProLiant DL585 Rack-mount

Dual-core Server
• Two AMD OpteronTM 865 Dual Core Processors
(1.80GHz)
$
959999
CDW 792310
• Memory: 2GB
Hard drives • Four hot-pluggable drive bays
sold separately • Redundant power supply
• 32-bit computing performance, extends the
performance of memory-constrained applications
and 64-bit capabilities to x86-based environments

HP StorageWorks® MSA1000 SAN Starter Kit

• 4x 146GB 15K hard drives
• Two FCA24214 Host Bus Adapters for
Windows® or Linux® servers
• Dual hot-pluggable fans/power supplies

$12,961.99 CDW 872344

The Storage Solutions You Need When You Need Them.

BUILD IT

2 4
1 3
Dashboard view
Lenovo ThinkPad
T43 Installed underneath
7 1 Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner......... $150
6 the driver’s seat, the T43
5
is the nerve center of our
9 3 RG6 coaxial cables........................... $12
8 mobile office. It’s small
enough to stow away but
powerful enough to run
all of our gadgetry.
10
Side view
11 12
13
14
EarthLCD 10-inch
MODELED TO A T touch screen Because
the T43 is lodged under
1 DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 the driver’s butt, we
2 Matrix Orbital VFD figured it might be hard
3 Hauppauge WinTV USB tuner to access while driving.
That’s why we installed
4 Pentax DSMobile USB scanner
this sweet touch screen
5 Gyration GO 2.4 Optical Air Mouse from EarthLCD. With it,
and Compact Keyboard Suite we could log on from the
6 Card reader/USB hub dashboard!
7 EarthLCD 10-inch touch screen
8 HP Deskjet 460
9 Desktop shredder
10 Infinity Kappa component speakers
11 Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC Card
12 Lenovo ThinkPad T43
13 Lenovo Port Replicator II
14 Infinity Reference 7541A amplifier
Hauppauge WinTV
USB tuner If you
thought arguing with
your passengers over
radio station choices
was bad, wait until you
have to choose between
American Idol and the
Mets game. Splice this
tuner into your radio
antenna and you can get
broadcast TV in the car.
MORE ON THE WEB
For an in-depth discussion
of the wiring and electrical
part of the project, as well
as a hack for your car’s diag-
nostic scanner, check out
go.pcmag.com/diy
PARTS LIST
Glove-Box Shredder
2 ft OF 16-gauge wire.........................$1
1 desktop shredder.............................$15
1 mini roller switch............................. $3
6 double-A batteries......................... $5
Project total..................... $24
Radio/TV Tuner
1 UHF/VHF splitter............................... $7
1 coaxial cable splice kit..................... $5
2 ft of 16-gauge wire..........................$1
1 automotive voltage regulator........... $30
1 Infinity Reference 7541A amplifier... $300
4 Infinity Kappa component
speakers.......................................... $340
4 right-angle RCA plugs.....................$16
1 mini-pin-to-RCA cable.................... $6
2 RCA Y-cables.................................... $8
Project total.....................$875
Touch-Screen Setup
1 EarthLCD 10-inch touch screen........ $600
1 small-footprint printed
circuit board .......................................$2
2 ft of 16-gauge wire..........................$1
3 12-volt, 1-amp voltage regulators.. $6
3 ft slotted right-angle steel..............$7
1 mini USB mouse.................................$13
Project total...................... $629
Heads-Up Display
1 Matrix Orbital VFD............................ $100
1 Owl wallet light................................ $10
1 folding pocket mirror.......................$1
1 USB extension cable........................ $15
Project total..................... $126
Armrest Printer
1 HP Deskjet 460
(with 12V adapter).............................. $250
1 box of medium-size rivets.............. $3
2 ft right-angle aluminum................ $9
1 small sheet of steel......................... $7
3 ft steel flat bar................................. $9
4 SuperLock fastening strips............. $3
2 ft of 16-gauge wire......................... $1
Project total.....................$282
Sub-Lap Laptop
1 Lenovo ThinkPad T43
(with 12V adapter)............................ $2,200
1 Lenovo Port Replicator II................ $300
1 box of medium-size rivets.............. $3
1 ft right-angle aluminum.........,....... $9
1 small sheet steel.............................. $7
Project total.....................$2,519
Scanner in the Visor
1 Pentax DSMobile USB scanner........ $100
1 USB extension cable........................ $15
Project total: $115
Bells and Whistles
1 DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20........ $100
1 Gyration GO 2.4 Optical Air Mouse
and Compact Keyboard Suite........... $120
1 IOGear GUH284R USB hub.... ............ $30
1 Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC Card........ $360
Project total...................... $610

TURN THE PAGE Grand total.................$5,180

Want to build the projects shown above?
Ouch!
Flip back a page for plans.
CONNECTEDTRAVELER
DETROIT

BEST WIRED
HOTELS
Courtyard by Marriott
Downtown Detroit
333 E. Jefferson Ave.
www.detroitdowntown
courtyard.com
Paid Wi-Fi service is
provided by iBahn and
T-Mobile. The Courtyard
also has a Sweet Lor-
raine’s restaurant in the
lobby (a Metro Detroit
favorite), as well as a
health club, pool, spa,
and—get this—a Play-
Station in every room.

Four Points by
Sheraton Detroit
North Hotel
WHILE YOU’RE IN TOWN It may not live at the top of most tourists’ must-see places, but and Suites
Detroit has some cool things to do and see nonetheless. Be sure to check out the renowned 30000 Van Dyke
Detroit Institute of Arts, the fifth-largest fine arts museum in the U.S. And don’t pass on the Ave., Warren
www.starwood.com/
Hitsville USA house, the birthplace of Motown Records—one of the reasons Detroit fourpoints/detroitnorth
is famous. A short drive from down-
town, the Four Points in
Warren offers spacious
TOP TECH ATTRACTIONS The Motor City has many automotive attrac- suite rooms (each with a
tions and lots of stuff for techies and science geeks. Check out American wet bar and small kitchen
innovations, historic objects such as John F. Kennedy’s limo, and the vast area), free and reliable
collection of curios Henry Ford amassed (including a sealed jar reportedly Wi-Fi access in every
containing Thomas Edison’s last breath) at the Henry Ford Museum (www room, a fitness center,
.thehenryford.com). The Cranbrook Institute of Science (science.cranbrook cordless phones, video
.edu) includes an observatory, and the Detroit Science Center (www check-out, and in-room
.detroitsciencecenter.org) has set up a space-travel exhibit with NASA. video games and movies.

Hotel Pontchartrain
FREE WI-FI HOT SPOTS FAST FACTS 2 Washington Blvd.
www.hotelpontch.com
Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center (Meet- Both Verizon and Sprint Nextel have high-speed 3G
The Pontch is a classic
ing rooms area), 1 Washington Blvd. cellular networks that cover the entire Metro Detroit Detroit hotel, offering a
Detroit Wireless Project Throughout Metro area area, and Cingular offers a 2G GSM network (with restaurant, an outdoor
(for network map, go to www.dwp.org). plans to roll out a 3G network by the end of this year). pool, a business center,
and a convenient loca-
Atlanta Bread Company 19181 Mack Ave. The Wireless Oakland initiative plans to offer free tion—one block from the
wireless access over the entire 910 square miles of Cobo Convention Center.
Town Pump Tavern 100 W. Montcalm St. suburban Oakland County (just north of Detroit)
Paid Wi-Fi is offered by
Columbris and Wayport.
The Majestic Cafe 4120 Woodward Ave. by 2007, a first in the country.
Panera Bread Various locations throughout Metro Detroit has more registered bowlers than any
Detroit, www.panerabread.com. American city.

AIRPORT FACTS Wi-Fi has arrived at Detroit’s modernist glass-and-steel Metro Airport; it ain’t free, but at least it’s there. Travelers in
the McNamara or Smith Terminals with laptops, PDAs, and smartphones can now surf the Web, send e-mail, and even log on safely to
corporate intranet sites. This service costs $6.95 for a 24-hour period. Travelers can also plug into dataports at every public telephone in
the airport. The new North Terminal project will also include Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. The airport’s Wi-Fi comes from Concourse Com-
munications Group of Chicago, which has roaming agreements with seven major wireless ISPs.

Photographs: (Top) Getty Images; (Bottom) Detroit Science Center APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 89
SMB BOOTCAMP
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Join PC Magazine editors
and experts on April 19th in a
live Web seminar focused on
helping you build the perfect
Web site and select the right
hosting provider. Sign up at
pcmagcast.com.
90 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
Build a Beachhead
on the Web
A very basic course on building your Web presence.
BY MATTHEW D. SARREL
F
ACE IT: IF A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER CAN’T
find you on the Web, he or she won’t buy
anything from you, hire you, or contact
you. Whether you just want to get your
name out there or you aspire to Web great-
ness, it’s important to secure a solid base of operations
on the Web on your first assault.
So pay attention as I explain how to get your Web
site up and running, fast. If you think an HTML
tag is a game schoolchildren play, you should
use one of the tools that your Web site host-
ing provider offers. If you’re more savvy, skip
them, because most of them produce
nonstandard HTML code that makes
it difficult to step up to a real Web edi-
tor later. Microsoft FrontPage is a step
up from these tools, and Macromedia
Dreamweaver is a step up from Front-
Page. But you’ll need to know at least
a bit about Web design to use Dream-
weaver, the tool consultants are most
likely to rely on.
FrontPage has been dis-
continued by Microsoft, to
be replaced by separate busi-
ness and consumer apps.
While we wait for its replace-
ments, FrontPage remains a
competent, easy-to-use Web
editor. It could , however,
limit visitors to those using IE. If you’re going to use it,
make sure your hosting provider supports FrontPage
extensions and components, so you can use FrontPage’s
canned code. It provides a split-window view that dis-
plays HTML code at the top and a WYSIWYG page at
the bottom. A Button Builder lets you add mouseover
actions to navigation bars. Complex page layouts are
built with the Layout Table feature, which positions
text and graphics in a table-like framework visible in the
editing screen but not in a browser. One-click publish-
ing simplifies uploading pages to the server.
Dreamweaver combines a WYSIWYG design
environment with unrivaled hands-on coding power.
This is the Web editor pros use. It offers powerful
templates that you can create or update with a single
mouse click, and it generates cleaner code than Front-
Page, with fewer extraneous comments. It doesn’t use
proprietary HTML tags and creates pages that can be
viewed with any browser. With the Rendering Toolbar,
you can see how a page will look onscreen, on a por-
table device, or in print. The Coding Toolbar provides
quick access to snippets of code, source formatting,
invalid-code highlighting, and adding or removing
comments from code. The Synchronize command
transfers files in the background, making it easy to
keep your site up to date.
To make an informed decision about hosting, you
first need to understand which type of site you want.
A simple site of a few pages of text and graphics, com-
monly referred to as brochureware, can be hosted
at any service for less than $10 a month. Shop around
for the best price and ask colleagues whom they use.
GNX Online and GoDaddy are competitively priced
in this category.
The next step up is a dynamic site with server-side
scripting and database usage. These sites typically build
template-based pages on the fly with content pulled
from a database. If your site’s content-heavy, this is
the way to go, because it makes updating content easy.
1&1, GoDaddy, and Yahoo! offer competitively priced
services here.
Beyond that is an e-commerce site designed to
serve a catalog and process transactions. Small busi-
nesses should use a small-business e-commerce solu-
tion such as Yahoo! Merchant Solutions or Microsoft
Web Hosting for Small Business with Commerce
Manager. These and similar apps let you create online
stores complete with a shopping cart and credit card
processing, and usually include Web site analytics
and e-mail marketing tools. More sophisticated plans
provide inventory management and tie-ins to Intuit’s
QuickBooks.
If you anticipate a high volume of traffic, then it
pays to consider dedicated hosting, which gives you
your own server and dedicated bandwidth. You can
rent or buy a server and have it installed at your ISP,
a solution known as collocation. Expect to pay much
more for these solutions. Q
Matthew D. Sarrel is a consultant and former PC
Magazine Labs technical director.
Illustration by Scott Menchin
 VISTA REVEALED

lay
ontin ues to p
Video c LIVE PREVIEW
Mouse over a taskbar
button and Vista gives
FLIP 3D VIEW you a scaled-down but
Windows-Tab activates fully live preview of the
the new Windows Flip application window.
3D view, giving you a
dramatic perspective
view of all your open ap-
plications. Each preview
is live. Rolling the mouse
wheel forward or back-
ward spins the applica-
s show tion windows around like
All windowontent cards in a Rolodex.
actual c
PARTIAL TRANSPARENCY Windows
and dialog borders are partially trans-
parent to provide a better sense of
depth when viewing overlapping
windows, even in applications that
weren’t specifically written for Vista.

BETTER TASK SWITCHING

V
I S TA’ S A E R O G L A S S M O D E , W H I C H
exploits high-performance graphics
hardware to provide visual effects such
as transparency, animation, and even 3D
perspective, sounds almost like a recipe
for gratuitous excesses in the user interface. Do we re-
ally need these features to get our work done? Or are
they the OS equivalent of tail fins, the fussy frills we’ll
dismiss as nuisances and even laughingstocks—like
Office’s infamous Clippy assistant and the annoying
Windows XP “search puppy”?
After months using various prerelease versions
of Windows Vista, I’m beginning to conclude that
Microsoft’s measured use of these capabilities is, in
fact, a positive move. One of the best places to see it
is in Vista’s new task-switching capabilities. The fa-
miliar Alt-Tab combination that so many of us have
committed to muscle memory still works just fine, but
the experience of changing between applications gets
a lot more interesting if you’re running in Aero Glass
mode. More important, Vista with Aero Glass provides
live previews of applications you’re choosing among.
IMPROVED ALT-TAB Alt-Tab still works as you’d
expect, only better. Known as the Windows Flip view,
it now cycles through live previews of all your open
applications (including the content within them, not
just a representative icon) as well as the desktop itself.
These previews aren’t static snapshots; rather, they’re
scaled-down versions of what appears in the actual ap-
plication windows.
Here’s a glimpse at some of the effects, which
CAN’T GET ENOUGH VISTA?
are still subject to change as Microsoft polishes the You’ll love our next issue:
product for its final release in the second half of 11 pages of Vista secrets!
2006. If you don’t have the hardware to support
Aero Glass, consider this a look at what you might be
missing.—John Clyman, contributing editor

April 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 91

 A S K LOY D

Q
MULTIPLE MONITORS

I have an SLI system with two BFG
GeForce 7800 GT OC cards. In SLI
mode, I can drive only one of my mon-
itors (I use two Dell 2001FP displays).
In non-SLI mode, I can use both dis-
plays, which are currently plugged into one card.
The second card just sits there unused. Can I
plug the second monitor into the second card?
Can I use four displays with two cards?
A
The A7217A is HP’s version of the Sony
GDM-FW900, and it was a terrific monitor
when it was released. You won’t damage your
display by enabling resolutions it can support. If your
display is rated for higher resolutions at higher refresh
rates, but you can’t see it in the Windows control
panel, you should be fine if you disable the Hide modes
checkbox. Just be sure you don’t accidentally pick an
unsupported resolution/refresh rate combo.
The reason your control panel doesn’t show all pos-
sible resolutions is that the EDID (extended display
information data) can’t be read using a BNC connec-
tion. Though you may perceive a loss of sharpness
when connecting to the VGA port, the convenience
may be worth the trade-off. It’s also possible that the
VGA cable you were using isn’t the best, and getting
—Daniel S. a good-quality, shielded cable may make all the differ-
ence. But it’s true that the BNC connectors will give

A
If you have a pair of graphics cards in your sys-
tem, each of which can support two displays,
then you can run four displays simultaneously.
This will let you have a truly huge Windows desktop.
The Ergotron nVidia has hinted that it is working on dual-display
DeskStand 100 support that will function with SLI, but there is no for-
lets you mount mal word yet.
you a somewhat sharper image, all else being equal.
You may also be able to see all the supported resolu-
tions in your display control panel by using the latest
Catalyst drivers from ATI and manually specifying the
Sony GDM-FW900 as the display.
UPGRADING A DELL

four displays to The real problem will be managing all those displays.
save desktop You’ll need either a huge desk or a display stand. The
space Quad SLI photo in the Ask Loyd tip
“How do SLI and CrossFire work?”
(go.pcmag.com/slicrossfire) shows
the position of DVI connections for
multiple monitors.
ENABLING HIGHEST
RESOLUTIONS
Q
I have a four-year-old Dell 8200. It was a
high-end system when I bought it. Since
then, I have added a Dell 24-inch wide-
screen LCD that seems to run only at 1,920-by-
1,200. Though the nVidia GeForce 4 4600 seems
to run this monitor just fine, I’ve been told that I
need to upgrade the graphics card to use this dis-
play to its fullest potential, so I bought an eVGA
GeForce FX 5500 DDR. The box says that the card
requires a power supply of at least 250 watts.

Q
I recently got a refur-
bished HP A7217A CRT
monitor, which has both
BNC and VGA connections.
My ATI Radeon 9600 card has
both DVI and CRT connections.
I want to upgrade my power supply, but have
been told I can’t upgrade a Dell power supply be-
cause it uses a proprietary connector. Can I use this
card in the Dell as it is? Can I upgrade the power
supply in the Dell 8200? —Ahmasi Rohn Lloyd

NEED ANSWERS?
ExtremeTech.com’s edi-
tor Loyd Case tackles your
toughest hardware problems
each issue. Send him yours at
askloyd@ziffdavis.com
I I prefer connecting to the dis-
play’s BNC connectors, be-
cause the picture quality seems
better, but the BNC connectors
aren’t plug-and-play: If I try to
set a resolution beyond 1,600-by-1,200, I get
a virtual desktop that forces me to scroll around
to see the whole screen. This display is capable
of handling 1,920-by-1,200. Will turning off
“Hide modes not supported by Windows” in the
display control panel damage my display if I use
higher resolutions? —Michael Kutka
A
There are really two questions here: Can you
use a GeForce FX 5500 in your current Dell
8200, and is it possible to upgrade a Dell
power supply? The answer to both is yes.
Dell tends to be conservative in how it allocates the
power budget in its PCs. The 5500 will probably run
fine on a system that ran a GeForce 4 4600. But you
may run into power issues if you add other peripherals.
If you’re concerned about the power supply, you can
upgrade it. PC Power & Cooling (www.pcpowercooling
.com) makes power supplies that work in Dell systems,
including a 410W unit recommended for the 8200. Q

92 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006

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Performance.

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Our Turbo-Cool® 1KW, the world’s best performing computer power supply, is the first and only unit to come with
its own individual Certified Test Report. Why the documentation? You deserve honest facts—not hype. With so
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 ASK NEIL
Q
IDENTIFY CHANGES IN CONTRACTS
I have multiple serial versions of a
contract. There are minor and major
changes due to negotiations over a
period of six months. Since they’re
already written, is there some way I
can track the changes from one version to the
next? I really don’t want to go through every
line on each 30-page version. —Don Warshaw
A
Microsoft Word can sniff out the differences
between two versions of a document. Open
the older version, then select Tools | Compare
NEED ANSWERS?
and Merge Documents from the menu. In the resulting
Each issue, PC Magazine’s dialog, select the newer version. Uncheck the Legal
software expert blackline and Find formatting boxes. Click the down
Neil J. Rubenking
answers your toughest arrow attached to the button labeled Merge and select
software and Internet Merge into new document. Save this new document
problems. Send yours
to askneil@ziffdavis.com. with a name that identifies its sources, for example
“changes from june 29 to july 20.doc.” Repeat as nec-
essary for other pairs in the sequence.
In print, the merged document will show changes
A merged Word docu-
clearly. New text will be underlined and colored, and
ment will clearly display
any changes (additions deleted text will appear in balloons in the right margin.
and deletions) between You may prefer simply to strike out deleted text (like
the old document and this), especially if there’s a lot of it. If so, choose Tools
the new. | Options from the menu, click the Track Changes tab,
Additions Deletions
94 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
The Generic/Text-only printer may help in inputting
text documents from older programs.
find the drop-down box titled Use Balloons (Print and
Web Layout), and select Only for comments/formatting
in the drop-down list.
WHAT TO DO WITH PRN FILES
Q
If a file is saved as a print file with the ex-
tension .prn, what can be done with it? I
am unable to print the file or view it. For
example, if we print a report to a file instead of
printing it to a printer, the file is saved with the
extension .prn. —Mustapha Fawaz
A
The PRN file contains the same bytes of da-
ta that would have been sent to the selected
printer had you not chosen to print to a file.
Unless you have access to that printer or an identical
one, there’s not much you can do with the PRN file.
If you do have access to the printer, you may be able to
print the file from a Command Prompt window. This
command may successfully send filename.prn to the
printer: COPY /B filename.prn /B PRN. If that doesn’t
work, try again, replacing PRN with LPT1. Note,
though, that some Windows-only printers won’t take
input in this way. A Google search on “free raw print
utility” (no quotes) will turn up a number of free utili-
ties designed to send PRN files to a Windows printer.
Depending on the program whose output you’re
capturing, you may find it worthwhile to install and use
the Generic/Text-Only printer. Click the Start button
and choose Printers and faxes from the menu. Under
Printer Tasks at left, click Add a printer. As you step
through the pages of the Add Printer Wizard, choose
Local printer attached to this computer but uncheck the
option to detect it automatically. When it asks what
port to use, choose FILE: (Print to File). Then select
Generic as the manufacturer and Generic/Text Only as
the printer model. When you’ve completed the wizard,
you’ll have a new printer to choose from in the stan-
dard Print dialog. Try printing from your program to
this printer; then open the resulting file in Notepad
to check the results. Some programs, especially older
ones, will produce useful text-only output.
ALOHA TO ALOHABOB? INSERT COLORED SYMBOLS IN WORD

Q Q
The PC Magazine review of Alohabob PC Regarding “Sharps, Flats, and Naturals
Relocator Ultra Control 2005 Edition (go in Word” (go.pcmag.com/addsymbols):
.pcmag.com/pcrelocator05) lists pros and I write about bridge, and using Insert
cons. A con that I’ve never seen on the outside | Symbol in Microsoft Word, I have assigned
of the box is that Alohabob can be used for only the playing-card symbols for clubs, diamonds,
one transfer. I am returning the software to get my hearts, and spades to my keys F9, F10, F11, and
money back.—newtrail via PCMag.com F12. This is a fine time-saver, but I can’t get the
diamond and heart symbols to appear in red,

A
Many software licenses specify only that you the color used in writing about bridge. Is there a
must not use the application on two com- way to do this? —Marshall Pearlman
puters at the same time. You’re free to unin-

stall it from computer A and install it on computer B.
That makes sense for something like a word proces-
sor. But migration products like Alohabob often have
a more restrictive usage policy, and it actually makes
sense. Without such a policy, a business could buy one
copy and use it to migrate hundreds of computers.
You may have missed one point in the license agree-
ment. Though businesses need one license for each
“target PC,” home users can use Alohabob on multiple
target PCs in the same home, if the PCs are not pri-
marily for business. (Microsoft just bought Apptimum,
makers ofAlohabob, to aid the Vista transition. License
terms may change; see go.pcmag.com/alohasold).
A
You can get the effect you want by recording
a simple macro. Suppose F12 is associated
with the heart symbol. Select Tools | Macros |
Record new macro from the menu. Click the Keyboard
button, click in the box under Press new shortcut key,
press F12, click the Assign button, and click the Close
button. Use the Font Color button on the toolbar to
change the font color to Red, insert a heart symbol,
then change the font color back to Automatic. Click
the Stop button in the floating macro-recording toolbar
or select Tools | Macro | Stop Recording from the menu.
Repeat the process to create another macro that will
insert a red diamond symbol. Q

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about select companies advertising in PC Magazine. To find out more on these companies and the products they
offer, to contact the company directly, or even to make a purchase, please visit the following websites:

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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 95

 SECURITY WATCH
KEEP IT
SAFE
Some simple steps
can help you—and
your company—
avoid being the patsy
in an online scam
1 Never run a program
unless you trust the
source of the program.
2 Secure your
computer with
antivirus, antispyware,
and a personal firewall.
Such software can
warn you if a program
appears to be doing
something suspicious.
3 Never give out your
passwords. Only your
employer and your bank
should require your Social
Security number.
4 Deploy a network
intrusion-preven-
tion system to detect the
signs of an attack early.
5 Managers should
require all workers
who use computers to
undergo training in the
best computer-security
practices.
KEEP YOURSELF SAFE!
Subscribe to our Security
Watch newsletter and get
up-to-date info on the
latest threats delivered to
your inbox automatically:
go.pcmag.com/
securitywatchletter.
96 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
This Man Has a Virus
Security software can do little about the most
dangerous delivery mechanism of all—the user.
BY ROBERT LEMOS
I
F A RESPECTABLE-LOOKING PERSON HAND-
ing out sample CDs on the street offered you
one, would you take it home and run it? If he
handed it to you on your commute to the office,
would you run it at work? If someone called and
said she was with IT and needed your computer’s pass-
word, would you give it? If you said yes to any of these
questions, you’re a prime target for social engineering.
Social engineering tries to bypass security altogether
by fooling the user. As operating systems and apps be-
come more secure, online attackers can still rely on
social engineering to compromise systems and access
high-value data. Phishing attacks, Trojan horses, and
many viruses use social-engineering tactics to trick us-
ers into compromising their own computer systems.
The stakes are higher than just losing data on a
compromised system: A single PC can become a
springboard within a company’s network from which
enemies can launch further attacks. Insider attacks—
whether executed by malicious employees or workers
ignorant of the risks—are the most expensive class of
cyber threats. Companies’ need to let their employees
work free from stringent security measures can help
insiders do extensive damage before being detected.
A year ago, law enforcement agencies announced
that Sumitomo Mitsui Bank had foiled an attempt to
steal $423 million after detect-
ing suspicious money transfers.
An investigation revealed a key-
logger—a program that records
keystrokes—installed on an
employee’s system.
Many workers aren’t aware of
the risks. In a recent study, The
Training Camp, a U.K. firm fo-
cused on training workers in in-
formation technology, handed out
CDs with a simple Trojan horse
program to people at a subway sta-
tion. The CDs didn’t do anything
malicious, but phoned home when
run on a computer, the company
said. Employees at banks, insur-
ance companies, and other busi-
nesses obligingly put the CDs into
their work computers and ran the
program. A few years ago, a similar
study found that as many as 90 percent of people gave
their passwords to a person conducting a survey.
Education is critical for defanging social engineer-
ing. Though many users know to be wary of ques-
tionable e-mail attachments, a person handing out
official-looking CDs adds a layer of trust to the equa-
tion. The Sony BMG copy protection system is an
extreme example of that: People trusted the brand to
such an extent that no one thought to check for ques-
tionable code.
The necessity of protecting users from themselves
has Microsoft and other software makers adding com-
ponents to turn their software into expert security sys-
tems. Microsoft’s next browser, IE 7, will switch to a
green address bar when the user is on a trusted site.
And its personal firewall will protect systems against
applications that attempt to connect to the Internet.
The threat will only worsen. Security professionals
have noticed evidence of better social-engineering at-
tacks, frequently targeted at just a few people within
an organization. Computer security incident-response
groups in the U.K., Canada, and Australia have con-
firmed such attacks.
Security is only as good as the weakest link. And
most often, the weakest link is the human one. Q
Robert Lemos is a freelance technology journalist
and the editor-at-large for SecurityFocus.
Illustration by Arthur E. Giron
 SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

SCHEDULE IT When I want

to find out what an app has
been up to, I use SnagIt’s
timer-activated capture. To
make sure I don’t fill up my
hard drive with screens, I
enable the Discard Identical
Captures option.

PREVIEW IT
After SnagIt captures a
MARK IT UP
screen, the Preview edi-
WinPointer lets you
tor comes up. From this
mark up the live screen
app, you can annotate
with annotations. The
the screenshot, save it
program gives you
to a file or clipboard, or
five annotation layers.
even e-mail it or send it
Right-click to save the
out by IM.
screen and markups to
the clipboard or a file.

CAN YOU SEND ME A SCREENSHOT OF THAT?

T
HE POPULARITY OF SCREEN-CAPTURE TOOLS ALWAYS BEWILDERED
me. Don’t people know that Microsoft Windows makes it very easy
to capture screens? Want to capture the whole screen? Just press the
Print Screen button. The whole image goes to the clipboard, which you
can then paste into a mail message or Microsoft Word document. Hold
down Alt-Print Screen and you get the active window or dialog box.
The Windows tools work just fine for most purposes, but it can be a bit of a pain
to save captures. And you may find that certain parts of screens, such as video, don’t
get captured. Instead, you end up with a big black box, and tool tips and the mouse
cursor get lost.
Whenever I’ve needed a better screen capture tool, I’ve grabbed a 30-day trial of
TechSmith’s SnagIt (Version 8, $39.95 direct, www.snagit.com), a perennial Editors’
Choice in our annual utility guide. There’s nothing this program can’t capture or
do, it seems. SnagIt can assign sequential filenames to screens, capture screens at
fixed time intervals, capture entire Web pages instead of only the visible portion, and
even create mini videos—great for demonstrations. Our own WinPointer 3 utility SAVE IT To save screens captured with Win-
(go.pcmag.com/winpointer; $19.97 per year for unlimited access to the utility library, dows’ built-in tool, load Microsoft Paint (Start
or $5.97 for a single download) lets you annotate the screen before saving it out as | Run | Accessories | Paint). Paint will increase
an image or video.—Ben Z. Gottesman, editor, technology the size of the canvas to fit what’s pasted.

APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 97

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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 107

G A M I N G + C U LT U R E
O
MORE ON THE WEB
Get the inside scoop on the
gaming world, as well as all
the news and reviews you can
sink your teeth into, at
www.1up.com.
108 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
World of
Warcraft
Is the New Golf
Tech entrepreneurs meet, quest,
and talk shop.
BY JANE PINCKARD, 1UP.COM
V E R H E A R D AT B R U N C H : T W O T E C H
entrepreneur types discussing World
of Warcraft. “What server are you on?
What guild? Yeah, me too. It’s a good
way to schmooze.” Is that true? Has
logging on to the world’s most
popular massively multiplayer online game
replaced a few rounds on the links as the way
to make the right business connections in our
tech-driven culture?
The guild discussed by these brunchers was
started by Joi Ito, who became a Warcraft fan
after embarking on the game to research social
networks. Joi is the money-and-ideas guy behind
Internet companies PSINet, Digital Garage,
and Infoseek Japan, as well as social
software such as Moveable Type,
Technorati, and Socialtext. He
has quite a few hangers-on who
hit him up for advice, money, or access to his Rolodex.
Since June, when he first posted on his blog that
he was dipping into the popular game, he has become
the guildmaster of “We Know,” a crypti-
cally named group that’s something
of a joke. It probably refers to the
fact that about half of the guild
is made up of people whom Joi
knows in real life. Joi and co-
founder Eric Haller, a friend in
real life, along with a friend they’d
never met save in the game, start-
ed recruiting others to the group
mostly to have people to play with.
“What’s funny is that it’s really
hard for me to make friends
on Warcraft,” the über-
connected Joi wrote
in a blog post soon
 TOP10
MOST POPULAR
PS2 GAMES

about who he is and what

1Black First-person
shooter with mega
explosions.
he does, even starting blogs
and a wiki exclusively for
his travels in World of War-
2 Kingdom
Hearts II
of

Sequel to the famous

craft—not all of them care Disney game.
what he does in real life, as
long as he can be a good 3 State of
Emergency 2
A riot-themed brawl in
A TOUR WITH JOI—BY VIDEO “I’m begging people to let me join their group guildmaster. the streets.
and casting nice spells on people to earn their friendship,” says Joi Ito. These days Joi enjoys

after starting the game. “I’m begging people to let me

the social aspects of the
game. And by “enjoys” we mean “is absolutely obsessed
4 MGS3: Subsistence
Expanded online
version of Metal Gear.

5 Zombies
join their group and casting nice spells on people, try- by.” “The game really starts at level 60,” he says. Tak- vs.
ing to earn their friendship.” His begging days are over ing care of a guild, administering to members’ needs, Ambulances
now. News of the “We Know” guild has spread and looking after newbies, and pleasing the veterans is a A high-stakes battle
between sworn enemies.
its server, Khadgar, has become so crowded that Joi delicate balancing act: It challenges even someone
tried to thin the ranks by launching a “Khadgar Sucks”
campaign. Since then, Joi has moved the guild to a
who’s the CEO of several fast-growing companies. Joi
is still learning how to balance everyone’s needs.
6 Cowboy Bebop
3D action based on
the popular Japanese
new server, much to the dismay of several members. “Warcraft is like a really, really well-designed UI title.

7 Monster Hunter 2
“It’s a little like moving to a new city in high school,” for real-time, ad hoc group collaboration and manage-
Joi said. “It’s drama.” ment of tons of people. The tools are really interesting Hunt monsters in this
Joi maintains that most of the people in the guild because they apply to stuff that we’ll be using in the sequel.
are simply there to play the game, that they don’t travel
in the same tech-centric, blog-heavy circles he inhab-
real world.” Has he learned new lessons about lead-
ership because of his involvement with the game? 8 Warship Gunner 2
Implement competi-
tive destroyers, subma-
its in real life. “Half of them don’t even have blogs,” “Definitely,” he says. Eric notes that Joi carries around rines, and more.
he says. Besides, even if certain folks may have logged copies of the game to hand out to people he meets in
on initially to make tech friends and influence people,
there’s too much structure in World of Warcraft for
real life. Joi has become a Warcraft evangelist.
Then, challenged to a duel, he went quiet for a mo-
9 Drakengard 2
Sequel to the
Dragon-packed game.

people who aren’t actually gamers. You wouldn’t last
long if all you wanted to do was talk shop.
After tagging along with Joi a bit on the server, it
did seem that some folks treated him with just a lit-
tle more deference and extra-friendliness, although
whether that’s because Joi’s the guildmaster or because
he’s a leading-edge investor is unclear. Though every
member probably knows his name—Joi is fairly open
10 Grandia III
ment while he fought. “What is this guy? Is he a rogue?
Did he go stealth? He’s trying to backstab me,” Joi mut- Battles packed
tered while searching the screen for his opponent. with polish and slick
visuals.
We got out of the way while Joi took care of busi-
ness—and lost. “You didn’t hit me once, lol” taunted Source: Gametab.com
the challenger, a youngster from the “We Know”
guild. Joi just laughed. We moved away from the duel-
ing ring. It was okay. Joi had other things to do. Q

AUCTION BLOCK MOD WORLD

Its shape may be
reminiscent of the
Xbox 360, but Finn-
ish reader Ville Kyro’s
A Mortal Kombat dagger! Aluminum Spire is
Great for chopping tomatoes. a PC. It has an AMD
eBay price: $129 Athlon XP 1700+
chip and a GeForce
Pogo the Monkey 6600GT video card
T-shirt from Grand on board. The tape
Theft Auto—a rare find. measure shows the
eBay price: $99.99 svelte system to be
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APRIL 25, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 109

 GEARLOG
Try this withrive!
your flash d

MORE ON THE WEB

For the whole scoop on Intel’s
ultra-mobile PC concept and
Microsoft’s Origami, head to
www.gearlog.com.

W
BAND OF BYTES
E’ V E SEEN USB K EYS STUFFED INSIDE OF PENS, FORK S,
rubber ducks…even disguised as bits of sushi. But the ideal
flash drive isn’t quirky; it’s handy—easily accessible, on a
necklace or a keychain. Unfortunately, we’ve seen few wear-
able keys that don’t instantly endorken an outfit. And while WATCH THIS
WRIST
we like the convenience of wearable devices, trading style for
Imation disguised
megabytes is unfortunate, to say the least. Then we saw it: Imation’s Flash Wristband. 256MB of flash
It looks more like one of those Lance Armstrong bands than like a hardware periph- memory as an
eral, so it’s fairly innocuous. It pops on and off easily, and the 256MB version sells ordinary rubber
for a very reasonable $34.99. What’s more, it passed an unscientific straw poll in the band. Pretty crafty, eh?
halls of PC Magazine: Most people here called it cool, voting for the black version over
blue. Then again, we all skew a bit dorky to begin with….—Jeremy A. Kaplan
 J O H N C. D V O R A K
In Asia, you can choose from at least four or five colors
for most camera models. In the U.S., we typically get only
silver—or for bigger cameras, black.
S
O HERE I AM ON THE BACK PAGE
with a better layout, fewer words
to write, and some nice art to go with
the words. I’m throwing this out
to you as an introduction, since
this change needs to be explained.
And I’d go ahead and explain it
except I’m too darn mad to do any-
thing back here but complain about the PC, the Mac,
the iPod (ugh), laptops, Linux, hard drives, software
that doesn’t work as advertised, license agreements
that suck, liability issues, the lack of consumer protec-
tion in this country, beige, and the lack of small red
MORE ON THE WEB
Can’t get enough cameras in the U.S. because manufacturers think
Dvorak? A new rant goes that Americans don’t like red.
up every Monday at
go.pcmag.com/dvorak. Yes, let’s explore that one. At the last Photo Mar-
You can email him directly keting Association show one company, Canon, finally
at pcmag@dvorak.org.
brought out a red pocket camera—the SD30, in a
color called Rockstar Red. I’m not sure what red has
to do with rock stars, but I’m sure some marketing guy
thought it was a good idea. The SD30 also comes in
violet, gold, and black. This is a radical departure for
the American market.
Panasonic also has a cute pocketable camera in
some mild silvery colors, including a very light pink.
I asked a Panasonic rep about red. I like red cars and
112 PC MAGAZINE APRIL 25, 2006
think that small devices look good in red, especially
a deep metallic red. The rep told me the company
has red cameras but didn’t bring them to the U.S.,
although the little red Lumix cameras are all number
one in sales in Japan. And Panasonic doesn’t sell them
here because . . . ?
In Asia, you can choose from among at least four
or five colors for most camera models. In the U.S., we
typically get only silver—or for bigger cameras, black.
Why? Are we all Oakland Raiders fans? If I get a D-
SLR I want it in black, not red, but I’m tired of little
silver or black devices. Seriously. In most of the world,
cameras come in gold, silver, black, red, and blue. Now
I’m seeing violet and other colors—except in the U.S.,
of course.
So who exactly did the study that says that Ameri-
cans do not want color in their lives? Is it the same
group that, years ago, concluded that there was no
market for copying machines? Or could it be the one
that claimed that home PCs would never sell? Or the
group that thought that the IBM PCjr would become
the dominant platform? Or maybe the group that said
that hard drives would be replaced by silicon memory
by 1990? Or perhaps the people who thought that the
Internet would be killed by MSN? I still laugh over
that one! Let’s stop listening to these researchers and
instead use common sense.
I first encountered this color bigotry back in the
late 1970s when I asked a floppy-disk salesman who
sold the typical black 5.25-inch disks why his compa-
ny didn’t make them in other colors. He said that the
company had studied it and concluded that people
would not buy a floppy disk that was in any color other
than black. Some years later, after a few manufactur-
ers finally got a clue, you couldn’t find anyone who
could sell a black diskette anymore—they were all
in color. In all the years I’ve been writing about tech-
nology, I’ve found this sort of thing to be par for the
course. Typical, but baffling—as it is in the case of
silver cameras.
It is obvious that this column is not going to be
much different than it was when it was tucked inside
the magazine next to Inside Track. It’s just me com-
plaining about the situations around me. I hope that
it will be a good spot to harp on these issues and get
things changed. Q
Illustration by Dan Page
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