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100
BEST
PRODUCTS
OF THE YEAR
STORE IT ONLINE:Gigabytes of Space for Your Stuff
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74470 37771
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DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 11, 2006
$6.99 USAu $7.99 CANADAuPrinted in USA
JULY 2006u TECHNOLOGY ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST®u WWW.PCWORLD.COM
» POWERFUL PCs
»ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE
»COOL GADGETS
»FREE WEB SERVICESTIPS!
EasyFixesfo
r
E-MailHeada
ches
SECURITY SUITES
TOTAL PROTECTION AGAINST
SPYWARE, HACKERS & SPAM
NEW! HIGH-DEF DVD
First Hands-On Tests
How to Build the PERFECT PC
7
JULY 2006
WWW.PCWORLD.COM
FEATURES
COVER STORY
SECURITY SUITES
100 All-In-One Security
Today, threats to your PC take many forms, from simple viruses to sophisticated spy- ware. Though you can defend your system with separate tools by different makers, security suites promise integrated, compre- hensive protection from dangers old and new. We tested ten such packages, pitting them against a rogues’ gallery of malware.
ONLINE STORAGE
121 Store It
on the Web
Online data storage services provide a hedge against hard disk failure with off-
site backup, a conve-
nient place to store files
when you’re running out of
room, and an easy way to share anything from spreadsheets to videos with family, friends, and coworkers. We look at 17 free and low-cost services—and pick our favorite for each of these three major uses.
82 The 100 Best Products
of the Year
Our World Class awards for 2006 pay tribute to outstanding products and services as diverse as dual-core CPUs, image editors, wide-screen LCDs, e-mail apps, digital cameras, browsers, and (of course) PCs. Plus: We take a not-very-nostalgic look at some true technology lowlights—the 25 worst tech products of all time.
Cover photography by Marc Simon.
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J U LY
2 0 0 6
VOLUME 24u NUMBER 7
W W W . P C W O R L D . C O M
ON THE COVER
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JULY 2006
WWW.PCWORLD.COM
COMING UP IN AUGUST
REVIEWS & RANKINGS
DEPARTMENTS
NEWS & TRENDS
HERE’S HOW
RESOURCES
76
74
FIND-IT URLs
TO ACCESS INFORMATION about any item in PC World with an accom-
panying Find-It URL, enterf i n d . p cwo r l d .co m /xxxxx(w h e rex x x x x i s
the appropriate fi ve-digit number) into your browser’s location fi eld.
You’ll jump to a Web page containing the information you want.
The Top 10 Security Threats You
Don’t Know About: The latest on
the battle for control of your PC.
Affordable Dual-Core PCs: A new
crop of value desktops promise
high speed for around $1500.
Internet News Wrangling:N e w
sites and software make getting
the news you need a breeze.
Cheap Laptop Tweaks: Tips and
add-on hardware and software for
getting more from your notebook.
12How to Contact PC World
141PC World Marketplace
151Advertiser Index
128Ste p - By-Ste p
Assemble your own ully equipped desktop PC.
132Windows Tips
A sae way to run programs that you don’t trust.
134Internet Tips
Identiy IP addresses; create Web site shortcuts.
136Answer Line
Transer important data to a new drive partition.
138GPS Tips
Use waypoints to customize your GPS device.
20High-Def DVD Products Arrive
They’re here, but until the ormat war between Blu-ray and HD DVD gets resolved, consumers must careully weigh their buying alternatives.
24First Draft-N Networking Gear Disappoints
Equipment based on the interim 802.11n wire-
less standard is slower than 802.11g products.
26Microsoft Revamps Media Player
In a major overhaul, the sotware acquires a new,
Vista-style interace. We test-drive the beta.
28Beware of Mailed Ads That Look Like Bills
Companies are targeting domain name owners
with marketing pitches disguised as invoices.
30Plugged In
AMD and Intel are poised to do battle yet again.
17Up Front
A look behind this year’s World Class Awards.
34Lette rs
A range o reactions to our “Fabulous Freebies.”
41Consumer Watch
Charges or cell phone extras add up—and up.
45Hassle-Free PC
Reuse e-mail with huge attachments; use blind-
copy addressing to protect recipients’ privacy.
47Gadget Freak
Is the truly universal remote just a cruel mirage?
49Bugs and Fixes
What to do when security patches need patching.
152Full Disclosure
Craving a hot new product? Better cool of a bit.
52Audio Players
Models rom Apple, Cre-
ative, Dell, and SanDisk
57Ultra Mobile PCs
Samsung Q1,
Tablet Kiosk EO
58Top 10 Notebook PCs
60DVD Software
Ulead MovieFactory 5
60Notebook PC
Toshiba Satellite
P105-S921
61Plasma Displays
Models rom Maxent,
Samsung, and Vizio
62Top 10 Inkjet MFPs
64Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda
7200.10 750GB
67Top 5 NAS Drives
68Accounting Software
Peachtree Premium 2007
70Video System
MovieBeam Player
70GPS Device
Sony Nav-U NV-U70
72Backup Utilities
Apps rom CMS Prod-
ucts, NTI, and Stardock
74Value Desktop PC
eMachines T6532
76Digital Camcorder
Panasonic VDR-D300
78More Reviews
See page52 for a complete list of
new products reviewed.
47
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