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america’s fastest isps MaRCh 2009

wiNdows 7
PC Labs Tests and
Reviews Beta One
TAx sofTwAre rouNdup
Make This Tax Season Easier

the Best
> aPP LaunChERS
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free
> BLOgging
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> COMMuniCaTiOn/
E-MaiL
> COnfEREnCing
> fiLE TRanSfER/
dOwnLOad
> fiLE ViEwERS/
COnVERTERS
> finanCE
> fun/hOME
> gRaPhiCS

software
> iMS
> inTERfaCE EnhanCERS
> LOCaL SEaRCh
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173
> OPERaTing SySTEMS
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> RSS REadERS
Apps You
> SynChROnizaTiOn
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PC
vol. 28 no. 3 march 2009

cove r s to ry

The Best Free Software


28
I n times like these, the word “free” becomes particularly enticing. But you
can’t just go downloading free apps and utilities willy-nilly—that’s a surefire
way to put malware and other nasty stuff on your system. We’ve scoured
the Internet for only the best free utilities and apps for networking, backup,
entertainment, and more. Here you’ll find 173 ways to save a buck.

first looks
9 Software
Windows 7 Beta 1
Tax Software Roundup
Plus Quick Looks at Spore Origins,
eReader 1.3, and more.

13 Hardware
Sony VAIO VGC-JS130J/P
Canon Pixma MP980 Wireless
Photo All-In-One Printer
ViewSonic N2201w HDTV/monitor
Gateway FX6800-01e
Plus Quick Looks at the Dell Studio
XPS 16, the Samsung P400, the Sony
Lifestyle PC, and more

The Fastest ISPs OPINIONS


3 First Word: Lance Ulanoff 17 Business

in America 24 John C. Dvorak


25 Inside Track: John C. Dvorak
Lenovo ThinkPad W700
ViewSonic PJ513DB

39
 e enlisted thousands of PC
W 26 Sascha Segan Apple iWork ’09
Mag readers nationwide to
test which ISPs are the fastest 27 Dan Costa 20 Consumer Electronics
and friendliest. After months
SOLUTIONS RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900
of crunching data, here’s what (T-Mobile)
we found. 45 New Uses for Old Digicams
What can you do with your old HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)
camera? Turn here to find out. Creative Vado Pocket
4 feedback Video Cam HD
48 At Work
front side Sony Reader Digital Book
50 Office (PRS-700)
5 How the stimulus package will
affect tech; dealing with the 52  Security Vizio VP505XVT
“digital cliff”; the best of our blogs; 53  Tech Tips Plus Quick Looks at the LG Incite,
handy Web sites; finding the right the Cowon O2, the Nikon Coolpix
GPS. 55 the best stuff S60, and more

PC Magazine Digital Edition, ISSN 0888-8507, is published monthly at $24.97 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York NY 10016-7940.

march 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 


®

Editor-in-ChiEf, pC magazinE nEtwork Lance Ulanoff


Editor Stephanie Chang
dirECtor of onLinE ContEnt, EXECUtiVE prodUCEr Vicki B. Jacobson www.pcmag.com

EXECUtiVE EditorS Dan Costa (reviews), Jeremy A. Kaplan (features)


art dirECtor Richard J. Demler
EditoriaL prodUCtion dirECtor Nicholas Cosmo
pC LabS dirECtor, SEnior Editor (hardwarE) Laarni Almendrala Ragaza
SEnior EditorS Sean Carroll (software, Internet, networking), Wendy Sheehan Donnell (consumer electronics), Carol Mangis (blogs),
Kyle Monson, Sarah Pike (Solutions), Erik Rhey (Digital Edition)
SEnior writEr Eric Griffith
rEViEwS EditorS Gary Berline (software, Internet, networking), Tony Hoffman (hardware), Matthew Murray (consumer electronics)
Copy ChiEf Elizabeth A. Parry Copy EditorS Margaret McVeigh, Ann Ovodow
pC LabS LEad anaLyStS Cisco Cheng (laptops), Tim Gideon (audio and video), Robert Heron (HDTV and home theater),
Mario Morejon (networking and small business), Michael Muchmore (software), Neil J. Rubenking (security), Joel Santo Domingo (desktops),
Sascha Segan (mobile devices), M. David Stone (printers and scanners) anaLySt Dan Evans (DIY, gaming)
jUnior anaLySt PJ Jacobowitz (digital cameras and camcorders)
prodUCt rEViEwS Coordinator Zachary Honig inVEntory ControL Coordinator Nicole Graham
Staff photographEr Scott Schedivy
pCmag.Com managEr, onLinE prodUCtion Yun-San Tsai
prodUCErS Gregg Binder, Mark Lamorgese, Whitney A. Reynolds
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®
FIRST WORD lance ulanoff

Diary of a Slow PC
During the many times I’m called upon between actions. This was unacceptable. system specs. The CPU seemed right, but
to provide tech support, there’s often And so, on a recent visit, I began my 4- the RAM made me question my sometimes
a moment when my eyes are squeezed hour-plus troubleshooting odyssey. faulty memory. It said 128MB of RAM. I
shut, my hands are pressed hard against Windows’ Automatic Updates recom- asked my mother-in-law about the mem-
my skull, and I’m muttering under my mended an upgrade to IE7 and Service ory upgrade she purchased. She said it was
breath. It’s at such times that I’m this close Pack 3. I ran these updates and retested in there, but she couldn’t recall how much
to giving up. I had one of these moments the browser. With one tab open, things was added. At the time, neither could I. It
recently, dealing with a system issue I had were okay. When I opened the second, the was time to take radical action.
probably helped create. system started to slow down a bit. When I powered the system down and
Let me rewind. I tried a third, I was back where I started. unplugged every single cable from it. After
Roughly four years ago, I bought my Soon I had a system message that virtual vacuuming out unbelievable amounts
mother-in-law a new Dell PC. While this memory was running low and I needed to of dust and dog hair from the back vents
may seem like an extravagant gift, I must close some processes. Man, this thing was and an intake chamber on the front, I took
admit that the whole thing cost less than in bad shape. Since resources and processes a look at the motherboard and the two
$500, including the display. These days, seemed to be the issue, I began to look at memory SIMM chips. It looked as if nei-
that’s not much of a bargain, but back then,
netbooks and sub-$300 Eee PCs were
pretty much nonexistent. Even so, I made My failure to buy the right PC, a bad memory install,
some mistakes with that purchase—ones
I would not make again. Take a look at the and looking for problems in all the wrong places had
system’s specs and you can see where I
went wrong: Dell Dimension 2400, 2.4- cost all of us countless wasted hours.
GHz Celeron CPU, 128MB of RAM, Intel
Extreme Graphics Controller Integrated
(82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV/) 32MB VRAM, things that always ran and were resident at ther one of them was fully seated. I used
Microsoft Windows XP. Got it? Right. start-up. I uninstalled a bunch of unused my thumbs to press one in—snap!—and
Even running Windows XP, this AOL utilities and with those eradicated, I then the other—snap! I put the PC back
machine did not have enough memory did another reboot. The results were the together, rebooted, and immediately the
or graphics power. In my defense, my same. Looking for other possible causes, I system found 384MB of memory. After this
mother-in-law did little more than use noticed in the Task Manager that McAfee browsing was fast, easy, effortless. This
Microsoft Word and Excel, browse the security software was eating up copious was a zippy PC.
Web, and access her America Online amounts of resources. So I uninstalled In the end, my failure to buy the right
account. Within a month, I got a call from McAfee and went with Norton Internet PC in the first place, a bad memory install,
“Mom.” “The PC seems slow,” she com- Security 2009 instead. NIS 2009 installed and looking for problems in all the wrong
plained. Sometime later, I was out for a on my home PCs like a dream, but things places had cost all of us countless wasted
visit, checked the system, and agreed: This went a little less smoothly with Mom’s. hours. The lessons here are to buy the
thing was a dog. I spent some time clear- Initially, the installation killed the Internet right PC with the right specs; don’t always
ing her Internet cache and defragging the connection. I performed an uninstall and assume your PC’s problem is with Win-
hard drive. That seemed to help, some- then a reinstall and the Internet miracu- dows, malware, or apps; and always seat
what. However, with those specs, this PC lously returned. I wish I could tell you why. memory properly (then make sure the sys-
was never going to be even respectably My first reboot after the successful NIS tem recognizes it).
fast. A couple of years later, I convinced 2009 install took forever, but eventually, I Now, whenever I call my mother-in-
my mother-in-law to buy additional RAM. was back online. With a few browser tabs law, I ask how the PC’s doing. Her reply:
Since she lives hours away, someone else open, however, the system was no bet- “It’s wonderful.”
installed the RAM. ter than it had been before. I even got the
But it was still a dog. My in-laws “virtual resources low” message. I think it Follow me on Twitter! Catch the
explained that the PC had gotten to the was at this point that the head pressing and chief’s comments on the latest tech develop-
point where it could take a minute or more muttering began. I decided to check the ments at twitter.com/LanceUlanoff.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 


Feed
Kudos to the Digital Edition its product upgrades did not install prop- see discrete add-in cards at some point this
I’m really enjoying the digital form of the erly. I look at security suites almost every year. But it won’t be until early 2010 that
magazine. I can pick the story I’m inter- year, since a new retail version is normally manufacturers will build the technology
ested in and enlarge it, making it much a better deal than a service contract exten- into chipsets, and therefore into laptops.
easier to read.—Lorraine Hall sion.—Don Malchow Besides, by all accounts, Windows 7 won’t
support USB 3.0 at first anyway—we’ll see
Security Thumbs Up Where Art Thou, USB 3? what happens once it’s out of beta. So in
I just finished reading your security cover I am going to be purchasing a laptop in light of that, I wouldn’t hold off your pur-
story (“Reclaim Your Online Privacy,” Feb- the next few months. I have recently been chase based on this one factor.
ruary, page 28). It is by far the most com- reading about USB 3.0 technology being —Jeremy Kaplan
prehensive and informative security suite developed. When are laptops going to be
review I have read. There are more features able to support USB 3.0? If I buy a laptop CORRECTIONS AND AMPLIFICATIONS
In our Front Side piece “40 Years of the Mouse,” we
to evaluate and report on than ever, and soon, I don’t think I can upgrade it to USB mistakenly identified the codeveloper of the Logitech
you covered them in a well-organized and 3.0 from 2.0 without replacing the mother- gyroscopic mouse. The correct company is Hillcrest
easy-to-read way. It takes skill, judgment board.—Steven Feldman Labs.
In our December cover story, “The Best and Worst
and most importantly resolve to make any of 2008,” we mistakenly cited the price of the HP
technical article readable without reliance At the CES 2009, we saw a few demos of Photosmart Pro B8850. The correct price is $549.99
direct.
on acronyms and terms unfamiliar to users USB 3.0 in action, meaning manufacturers
that are not fluent in the particular geek are finally testing interoperability. But get- HOW TO CONTACT US We welcome your com-
speak dialect. ting working ports into laptops takes lon- ments and suggestions. When sending e-mail
to Feedback, please state in the subject line
I have relied on reviews of this type ever ger. Look for manufacturers to finalize the which arti­cle or column prompted your response.
since I decided to no longer send money to PHYs—that’s industry slang for the physi- E-mail pcmag@pcmag.com. All letters become
the property of PC Magazine and are subject to
an arrogant company that thought its cus- cal layer device, or the port itself—late this edit­ing. We regret that we cannot answer letters
tomer should pay for tech support when summer. This means we’ll almost definitely individually.
Front
What’s New from the World of Tech

sending a message After much debate, President Obama finally signed a stimulus bill that
ensures, among other things, money for technology so he can continue to use his BlackBerry.

Tech Gets a Cash Boot-Up


The economic stimulus act dedicates billions to technology development.
The economic stimulus package has domi- the tech landscape­—in both the public and 21st-century economy. The package allo-
nated nightly newscasts and newspaper private sectors. So what are your tax dol- cates $7.2 billion for broadband grants
headlines for months. Democrats and lars buying tech-wise? Basically everything and loans, split between the Department
Republicans disagree over whether the bill from broadband grants and a $650 million of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service
will actually boost the economy or simply boost to the DTV program to an upgraded and the National Telecommunications
give handouts to companies that help cause electric grid and millions of dollars worth and Information Administration (NTIA)
this mess. Despite the political pugilism, of explosive-detection devices at airports. within the Commerce Department.
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Here is a more in-depth breakdown of Agriculture must allocate at least 75
Act of 2009 has passed, and the final ver- some of the technology projects and initia- percent of its $2.5 billion to rural areas
sion includes some serious cash for tech- tives that will get funding. without sufficient access to broadband,
related projects. The money invested could Access to broadband is increasingly and these grants must be open-access. The
have some significant long-term effects on considered essential to competing in our NTIA will also get $350 million to track

Photograph: Getty Images/Saul Loeb MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 


frontside

broadband availability and develop a Web- diate information technology security


based broadband inventory map. and upgrades to support mission-critical
Although the DTV transition has been In addition to security operations. Of that, about $38 million will
delayed until June (see the story below), go toward the creation of backup informa-
the stimulus act allocates an additional and infrastructure, the tion-management facilities to protect the
$650 million for the converter box coupon systems from mission failures, enhance
program. About $90 million of that total stimulus act includes cybersecurity, and secure immediate hard-
can be used for education and outreach ware and software upgrades
efforts. some serious cash for Don’t forget about $4.5 billion to give
Also, research funding for technology our electrical grid a makeover.
and other fields will get a nice boost (in tech-related projects. Digitizing health records is also a hot-
an effort to keep math and science Ph.D button issue these days. Well, the stimulus
graduates in the country), including $1 bil- package will help make that a reality with
lion for NASA, $3 billion for the National for border and airport security technolo- about $2 billion for health information
Science Foundation, $2 billion for science gies, as well as for nonintrusive detection technology (HIT), including establishing
research within the Department of Energy, technology at seaports. There is also more a national HIT coordinator.
and $220 million for research and grants money to repair and construct inspection And in case you think the government
at the National Institute of Standards and facilities at land borders and to purchase forgot about the children, the stimulus
Technology (NIST) within Commerce. explosive-detection systems. package also sets aside $650 million for the
As for security technology, if you enjoy We at PCMag are always reminding Enhancing Education through Technology
those machines at the airport that puff readers of the importance of backing up program. In addition, $50 million has been
air at you to detect explosives, there are your data. Well, Uncle Sam is also getting divested to state-level Internet Crimes
more on the way. The Homeland Secu- the message. At the State Department, Against Children (ICAC) initiatives.
rity Department gets more than a billion the bill allocates $290 million for imme- ­—Chloe Albanesius

Falling Off the Digital Cliff


Even with a converter box, some will be left out in the cold after the DTV switchover.
As we know, the transition from analog and either finds a receiver or doesn’t.
to digital TV has been delayed from Nielsen defines as “unprepared”
February 17 to June 12. The delay is a household that does not have any
meant to allow extra time for consum- TVs capable of receiving a digital sig-
ers to get their converter boxes and for nal after the transition. Nielsen uses
the government to implement its tran- a representative sampling of 35,000
sition programs, including the coupons households to derive its estimates. The
for those boxes and the recycling of the company issued a readiness alert in Jan-
thousands (and maybe even millions) uary stating that the elderly with more
of TVs that will be thrown away. disposable income are more ready for
One issue that is still unresolved DTV than those under 55
is that of the “digital cliff.” In a nut- Nielsen also found that the top six
shell, a digital cliff means no TV signal least-prepared cities were Albuquer-
(regardless of whether you have a con- que, Houston, Tulsa, Dallas-Ft. Worth,
verter box) for those in rural areas or Austin, and Memphis. The most pre-
who live a great distance from a digital pared market is the Hartford-New
broadcast station. With analog, a weak Haven area of Connecticut, because
signal means low quality, but a weak of the proliferation of cable TV access
digital signal means a blank screen. in that region. Of course, Nielsen does
The digital cliff has not been widely reported, and it’s an issue not track small communities such as Ames, Iowa, or remote loca-
the FCC has not, according to many, addressed effectively. At DTV tions in Montana or Minnesota. Households in rural areas will
.gov, for example, you can find information about antenna adapt- likely not get digital reception after the transition even if they own
ers, but there are no diagrams or maps that explain how a DTV a converter box, which could cause a problem for retailers trying
signal works or how far the signal travels. to sell DTV antennas.
“At this point, our estimates are that 5.1 percent of U.S. TV house- “Our advice for people in rural areas is to buy an upgraded
holds are unprepared, which is about 5.8 million households,” says antenna and to test digital reception now, before the transition,”
Anne Elliot, a vice president at The Nielsen Company. Elliot says says Mary Diamond, an FCC spokesperson. She declined to
that a DTV signal travels in a different kind of contour from analog elaborate.—John Brandon

 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009 Illustration by Alex Eben Meyer


BEST of our blogs
GEARLOG
CSI Stick: A Jealous Lover’s Best Friend
The Paraben CSI Stick ($199) plugs into a cell phone
and lets the user pull off all the phone’s “forensic
data,” including the phone book, text messages,
camera-phone images, call logs—everything.
The Stick can even retrieve text messages
that have been deleted by the phone’s
owner. Terrifying! The CSI Stick comes
with replaceable heads that can be
used with a number of cell-phone
models; it is available at GoodCleanTech
Paraben’s site.—Brian Heater Recompute Makes a Computer Out of Cardboard
While most “green” computers focus on reduced
energy consumption or using bioplastic, this one
goes off the usual course and uses something
Security Watch else as a material for the desktop’s build. Re-
Security Vendors Offer Windows 7 Protection compute, as you can clearly see, utilizes layers of
Just because you’re running a beta operating system doesn’t mean you can recyclable and renewable corrugated cardboard.
go without security protection. In fact, Windows 7 will nag you to install According to its designer, there are four low-
security and point specifically to security providers AVG, Kaspersky, and impact steps in making this computer—die cut-
Symantec. Kaspersky has announced a prototype of its antivirus app for ting, gluing parts with nontoxic glue, printing,
Windows 7, and Symantec also offers a free beta of Norton 360 Version 3 and assembling the electronic parts. There’s no
to those running Windows 7 beta.—Larry Seltzer plastic or metal anywhere in the chassis besides
what’s in the electronic components. And yes, it’s
a real working computer.—Mariella Moon
@Work
Polycom Launches High-Res Videoconferencing
Polycom recently introduced the QDX 6000 ($3,999) widescreen videoconferencing system
for enterprise-level businesses. The QDX 6000 features DVD-quality video that can maintain
high resolutions even when operating over low bandwidths. Its video signal operates at 30
frames per second, uses Polycom’s Lost Packet Recovery (LPR), and can take input from up to
five video sources.—Mario Morejon

www.r-tt.com/pcmag001.
frontside

co n n ec te d tr av e l e r

BEST
of the Internet Find the Right GPS for Your Travels
Here’s the quickest route to the best GPS device.

MyFolio
MyFolio is an online
community of artists
in which you can easily
upload and share media,
create your own blog,
and create galleries to
showcase your talent.
The free account offers
1GB of storage space
and imposes a limit of
100MB per file upload-
ed.—Alan Henry
get there in style GPS models like the
Navigon 2200T and Garmin nüvi 755T have big
screens and millions of maps.

Now that gas prices have come back down to the inexpensive, entry-level Nextar Q4 ($249.99
Last Freeware
earth, it’s a lot easier to get behind the wheel again. list, l l l h m ), which are perfect for most people.
Version So, whether that means you’re commuting to Every GPS will also have a points-of-interest
With Last Freeware Ver- work again or you’re finally taking that road trip, (POI) database to help locate landmarks, hotels,
sion, you can find older a GPS device can help keep you on track. Today’s restaurants, and other attractions along your
versions of some of your
favorite applications
navigators, though, can do a lot more than just get route, in a particular city, or at your destination.
when they were free and you from point A to point B. There are units on On average, you can expect a GPS to pack a few
roll back to when the the market that will help you sidestep traffic, find million POIs. The Magellan Maestro 4350 ($500
app didn’t cost money a great new restaurant, or even make hands-free street, l l l l m ) has six million, for example. On
to use. In addition to
some popular pro-
cell-phone calls. top of that, several systems tack on extra goodies:
grams, Last Freeware The nuts and bolts of picking the right GPS Navigon’s high-end 7200T includes onboard Zagat
Version keeps a number are fairly straightforward. Start by selecting your guides and 3D landmark views, and Magellan’s
of smaller, lesser-known screen size and onboard maps, and tack on the Maestro devices include AAA Tourbook listings.
applications.—AH
additional features that you need (or want) from A vital part of getting where you’re going is
there. As far as screens go, you can find ones with avoiding obstacles, like traffic jams and tickets,
big displays (like the 5-inch Magellan Maestro along the way. Some systems have speed-limit
5310, $599 street, l l l h m ) or small (like the 3.5- alerts and traffic-camera detectors in addition to
inch Navigon 2200T, $229 list, l l l l m ), but most live traffic updates, which can help you sidestep
devices these days feature 4.3-inch displays (like congestion. The Garmin nüvi 755T($499.99 list,
l l l l h ) for example, includes subscription-free

live traffic updates provided by Navteq. Many


Clerkdogs
models, like the Sony NV-U94T nav-u ($299.99
Clerkdogs is a Web list, l l h m m ) include built-in traffic receivers and
service that contains come with trial subscriptions that let you test the
hundreds of thousands service for free.
of movie recommenda-
tions from video-store
Aside from navigation tools and other extras,
clerks. Enter the name you can find a host of multimedia features in many
of a movie you like and GPS units. Our budget Editors’ Choice model, the
the service will return a V7 NAV740 ($299.99 list, l l l l m ) has a media
list of other movies you
might also enjoy.—AH
player that supports most common music, photo,
and video formats. A few other, typically higher-
For more cool Web sites end devices, including the Magellan 4350 and the
and handy utilities and
cheap trip The Navigon 8100T ($599.99 list, l l l h m ), can also
apps, visit PC Magazine’s
blog AppScout (www V7 NAV740 is our connect to your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone so
.appscout.com). Editors’ Choice that you can make hands-free calls through the
for budget GPSs. GPS.—Corinne Iozzio

 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


First
our ratings key: lllll EXCELLENT l l l l l m VERY GOOD l l l l m m GOOD l l l m m m FAIR l l m m m m POOR

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 1


Free
Not rated
Pros Smaller disk and memory
footprint. Faster startup/shut-
down. Stable. Less intrusive. Task-
bar icons more flexible. Working
with external hardware is easier.
Multitouch support. Nice-looking
new eye candy.
Cons Maintains Registry and
some other Windows baggage.
Start-up times not faster than
Vista’s in this beta.

Click here for more.

Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 1

The Beta Debut of Windows 7


Let’s get something straight: The just-released Some other noteworthy features in Windows 7
Microsoft Windows 7 Beta 1 retains much of Vista’s relate to hardware and networking. Device Stage is
kernel architecture, as will the final version. But the a feature that, when you plug in a cell phone or other
new OS is more compact than Vista, has an updated device, pops up a screen specific to that device with
interface, and builds in better networking capabil- options, including syncing. (However, this feature
ity. It also includes some cool advances, such as relies heavily on the device manufacturers providing
multitouch support and a redesigned taskbar with Microsoft with the necessary data.) When you join
movable buttons. You can put the beta on as many a wireless network with Windows 7, you can choose
machines as you like, but you can’t use it for real to set it as home, work, or public. When you choose
business purposes, and it expires in August 2009. the first, you can create a HomeGroup. That way, you
Though the interface has its own new look, Vista can specify libraries and devices to share, as well as
users won’t have much to learn. Even upgrading XP migrate settings to your home environment.
users will have little trouble, but neither will they be Although the licensing agreement for Windows
able to cling to the past. There’s no XP emulation 7 beta prevents me from publishing benchmark
theme in Windows 7, as there is in Vista. The taskbar test results, I can say informally that in a couple of INSIDE
has the most noticeable changes, with taller buttons months of running the pre-beta and a short period
and the choice to combine multiple docs/windows of heavy-duty testing on beta 1, I have yet to see any- 9 Software
in one app or keep separate. The buttons glow thing remotely resembling a crash. I have, however, 13 Hardware
when you hover the mouse over them and show a encountered occasional error dialogs. As far as rec-
17 Business
preview thumbnail of open docs. Also, the Librar- ommending Windows 7, we’ll have to wait to see how
ies folder-arrangement system let you group related the pricing and final code bears out. But for those 20 Consumer
files—regardless of their location. Windows 7 is also who like to tinker, I definitely recommend taking a Electronics
optimized for touch-screen systems. look at the future of Windows.—Michael Muchmore

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 


first looks SOFTWARE

The Best Tax Tools of 2009


This year, more than any other, you want to save every penny you can on taxes.
One of these top-notch tax packages can help. By Kathy Yakal

Take your pick


As you enter infor-
mation in TaxACT’s
main working
screen, you can
select from guid-
ance options on the
horizontal tab.

TaxACT 2008 Deluxe Although doing your taxes is never an enjoyable from you. They also break the 1040 down into man-
Edition experience, the good news is that the 2008 tax code ageable bits and take you through them in a pretty
Deluxe Federal, $12.95
includes changes that may save you money. Some natural order. They have you provide personal infor-
direct; State, $13.95;
Ultimate Bundle (Federal new perks include a new first-time homebuyer mation, and then launch into sections where you
and State), $19.95 credit, an increase in the standard mileage rate, and enter your income and deductions. And though you
ll l h m lowered taxes for many investors, to name a few. can often file federal taxes for free, you usually have
PROS Very affordable. The better news is that the new editions of the top to pay for a state filing (typically less than $20). In the
Simple, understandable tax-preparation packages include these changes. To long run, the money is well spent to get the highest
interface. Screen toggles
for help options. Free
save you even more money, it turns out that choos- refund (or lowest payout) and avoid an audit.
support. Good up-front ing one of these suites may not cost you a dime. A
preparation. partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alli- TaxACT 2008 Deluxe Edition
CONS Help language ance LLC (an organization of several private-sector For years, TaxACT has been the tax program of
could be simplified and tax software companies) provides free access to choice for the budget-conscious. It lacks some of
more context-sensitive.
Could use FAQs and less
online versions—minus some of the more advanced the bells and whistles of the premium services but
white space. capabilities—of the companies’ tax software. If you is significantly cheaper than TurboTax and TaxCut.
meet the criteria outlined at IRS.gov, you’ll be able In the areas it covers, it’s a strong competitor. The
Click here for more.
to prepare and file your taxes online at no charge biggest change this year is the addition of a tool to
through the IRS Free File program. help you determine the fair market value of non-
If you don’t qualify, or want the extra features, you cash charitable contributions. There’s also a new
have a lot of options. Overall, the three tax packages customer import report, and overview screens for
we review have not changed drastically. Those new income, deductions, and credits. The average filer
to tax-prep programs will find what veterans already will probably want more help, but if you can handle
know: These programs are easier to navigate than 1040s and other forms without the additional sup-
most software. All the products reviewed here use a port, this is the app for you.
question-and-answer interview approach to collect On pages that require data entry, TaxACT uses
the necessary personal and financial information a split screen. The question-and-answer fields are

10 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


Investments included TaxCut also asks you Best of both worlds TurboTax lets you see
questions about stock market–related transactions your answers as a split screen with the Step-by-
and calculates your tax obligation. Step questions above.

positioned above, with several help options in a TurboTax Premier 2008 H&R Block TaxCut
tabbed window that can be toggled below. Neither TurboTax and H&R Block’s TaxCut wage a mighty Premium
$49.95 direct
TurboTax nor TaxCut employs a split screen; they battle in the premium personal tax-preparation soft- llllm
position help tools elsewhere. ware market every year, with TaxACT mopping up
PROS Deep search tool.
With TaxACT, the tax interview questions are the more budget-conscious and knowledgeable Excellent walk-through
thorough and clear, but the program lacks some of ­filers. This year, the outcome is the same as in recent of 1040. Expanded
the navigational guides that make TurboTax and years: TurboTax is our Editors’ Choice. Though explanations within
TaxCut superior. Nonetheless, TaxACT’s interface TaxCut wins points for its more reasonable pricing questions. Good help
and audit support.
is simple, fast, attractive—and works in much the and remains a formidable foe in terms of function-
CONS Too many screens
same way as those of its competitors. For the cash- ality, it hasn’t evolved as skillfully as TurboTax has. displaying too little
strapped, TaxACT is certainly an acceptable option. Both premium apps continue to do a commend- information. Help is not
able job of exploding the 1040 into palatable chunks always context-sensitive.
H&R Block TaxCut Premium that can be more easily digested and processed, but Dull interface.
Year after year, H&R Block continues to publish an Turbo­Tax—the more versatile of the two, especially Click here for more.
exceptional personal tax-preparation program with in the Premier version—takes apart complex topics
excellent help tools and audit support. This year, and eases you through them with a greater variety of
the big news is a $20 price drop from last year (with at-the-ready guidance. TurboTax Premier
the package I reviewed, Premium Federal + State + TurboTax’s designers have put together an appli- 2008
Premier, $89.95 direct;
E-File). With TaxCut you get one help session with cation that’s—arguably—as elegant and deft as any Deluxe, $59.95
an H&R Block tax professional covering one topic, in the universe of desktop productivity applications, llllh
audit support, and the additional programs WILL- though it runs a bit more slowly than the competi- Pros Direct
Power and Deduction Pro. Not even TurboTax can tion. Granted, a program’s interface is just window import from
match H&R Block in terms of sheer bang for the dressing if it isn’t backed up with solid innards, but Quicken. Elegant
buck this year. But is the core TaxCut program the TurboTax has that in spades, too. TaxCut’s look is interface. Good
breakdown of
best personal tax-preparation program for 2008? old in comparison, and that detracts from what is a complex topics. Best
Not quite. Given that the old paper and snail-mail very capable program. TurboTax does a better job combination of help
system still works just fine, the most important thing of using screen space, whereas TaxCut displays too tools, some content-
a software and e-filing approach can offer (besides a much empty real estate, which leads to more click- sensitive. Thorough
­coverage of tax topics.
faster refund) is ease of use, and that means a ­better ing. TaxACT’s UI falls somewhere in the middle—
Cons Price of state
UI and better help. TaxCut trails TurboTax a bit on better overall than TaxCut’s, but not in the same e-file ($34.95). Slow.
both counts. For example, TaxCut’s interface has league as TurboTax’s. This package saves time by
letting you import W-2 info directly from employ- Click here for more.
too much white space, which means extra pages and
tedious extra mouse clicks to go from page to page. ers who use ADP, Paychex, and ProBusiness, as well
Also, TurboTax puts more help resources within as import tax-related income and expenses directly
reach during the process. However, TaxCut oversees from Quicken 2007–2009 and major financial insti-
the review of your return just as well as the compe- tutions. In a nutshell, TurboTax Premier 2008 pro-
tition. Though TaxCut is an excellent bargain and a vides the most cohesive, intuitive, well-designed
solid package, TurboTax is still the best choice if you tax-preparation experience out there, with more
want the most thorough, well-guided, elegant tax- understandable and accessible help than the com-
preparation experience available for the desktop. petition offers.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 11


first looks software

Quick Looks
Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and scores of other software products.

RED indicates Editors’ Choice. PROS CONS BOTTOM LINE


MOBILE APPS (iPHONE)
Spore Origins • Easy for casual gamers to pick up • Game play is repetitive on most levels Spore Origins gives you a taste of the PC version of
$6.99 direct • Fun creature editor • Evolutionary stages are limited to undersea this evolution game, including the ability to add new
lllmm adaptation elements to your creatures. Unfortunately, the repeti-
tive levels of play that this iPhone title offers could
stand a little more diversity.

MobileFiles Pro • Full editing of Excel 2003 docs • No Word document editing Business iPhone users will welcome the ability to
$9.99 direct • Transfers files to and from desktops via Wi-Fi • No cut-and-paste edit Excel spreadsheets and easily transfer them
lllmm • Allows access to MobileMe files over Wi-Fi to and from desktop systems. But if you’re
a serious spreadsheet jockey, you should stick with
Mobile Excel.

eReader 1.3 • Free • Getting new books is harder than it should be The eReader does a decent job of presenting books
Free • Flexible text formatting on your iPhone, and the dictionary option is handy,
lllhm • Good interface defaults but acquiring reading matter needs to be easier, and
• Easy bookmarking the software should support more file formats.

Stanza • Free • No undo With support for a broad range of content, Stanza is
Free • Flexible text formatting • Highlighting text for cutting and copying is a the most versatile e-book application for the iPhone.
Llllm • Large free library available bit awkward
• All major e-book file formats accepted • Can’t edit Office docs
• Converts text, Web, and PDF documents

Photogene • Good range of editing tools • Can’t shoot photos from within app The scope of Photogene’s editing tools—which
$2.99 direct • Pleasant interface • Tiny, crowded mode buttons include many that other iPhone photo-editing apps
Llllh • Responsive controls • Effects are strictly photographic lack—makes this a very appealing app.
• Many features
• Scales to the iPhone’s full resolution

CameraBag 1.4 • Converts images to any of nine classic or • Can’t tweak images beyond setting the basic Whether you’re a nostalgia buff, a photography
$2.99 direct creative photo styles style student, or just someone who wants to spruce up your
Llllm • Easy to preview images and save them in • Somewhat crash-prone iPhone photos, the easy-to-use CameraBag lets you
multiple styles remake your images in various photographic styles.
• Four image resolutions

SECURITY
DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 • Effective touch-style fingerprint reader • Must save account credentials manually DigitalPersona Personal 4.0 stores, applies, and rates
With U.are.U fingerprint reader, • Fingerprint log-in to Windows • No user-defined names for accounts your passwords. Both the password manager and its
$69.95 direct; without, $29.95; • Manages username/password credentials for • No automatic generation of strong passwords associated fingerprint reader are attractive and easy
fingerprint-based file encryp- Web sites and programs • Lacks sharing and true reporting features to use. DigitalPersona offers fingerprint-based Win-
tion, $14.95 additional • Checks for strong passwords dows log-in and an extra-cost file encryption module.
llllm

a-squared • Blocked every malware sample from launching • Identified several perfectly valid programs as a-squared’s near-perfect malware blocking perfor-
Anti-Malware 4.0 • Warns of malware-like behaviors malware mance is tainted by its erroneous identification of
$39.95 direct • Community-based alert reduction limits pop-up • Did a poor job of cleaning up malware valid programs as malware. In testing, it did a poor
llmmm queries • Disabled two test systems by quarantining job of cleaning up infested systems. You can get
Windows Explorer better protection for the same price with Webroot or
Spyware Doctor.

Lavasoft Anti-Virus Helix • Antivirus engine is highly praised by indepen- • Rootkit protection is turned off by default The Avira engine that powers Lavasoft’s stand-alone
$23.95 direct dent labs • Needs to work alongside an antispyware antivirus is surprisingly effective against non-virus
Lllhm • Very effective at preventing installation of product for comprehensive protection malware types, but it still needs to work alongside an
non-virus malware • Full scan is interrupted by pop-up queries by antispyware solution for comprehensive protection.
• Successfully removed many non-virus malware default
infestations

CA Internet Security • Advanced program control blocks “leak tests” • Advanced program control damages valid There’s little to love in this Frankenstein’s monster
Suite Plus 2009 • Browser-independent parental control programs of a suite. Patched together from many separate
$79.99 direct • Firewall stealths all ports • Big performance drag mediocre tools, it put the biggest drag on system
llmmm • Prevents accidental transmission of user- • Antivirus not highly rated by independent labs performance of any suite tested. Save ten bucks and
defined private data • Poor malware removal and blocking get Norton’s suite (or Trend Micro’s) instead.
• Includes system migration tool • Backup very rudimentary

MUSIC
Slacker for BlackBerry • Streaming Internet Radio • Slow to load streaming stations With easy, free, customizable Internet radio, this app
Basic, free; Slacker Premium • Station caching • Requires BlackBerry OS 4.3 or later delivers on the multimedia promises that so often are
Radio, $7.50 monthly • All the functionality of Slacker.com made in BlackBerry’s television commercials.
Llllh • Free

12 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks hardware

Sony VAIO VGC-JS130J/P


$1,099.99 list
ll l l m

Pros Compact all-in-one


PC. Vista Premium. Cheap-
er and better equipped
than the base iMac and
other all-in-one PCs. Range
of colors to choose from. 4GB of
memory. 500GB hard drive.
Cons Wired keyboard and mouse
spoil sleek lines. Some crapware.
No back button on the mouse.
Weak integrated graphics.
Short (91-day) trial Internet
security subscription.

Click here for more.

Sony VAIO VGC-JS130J/P

An iMac Killer—At Last


As netbooks are doing to the laptop markets, all-in- seconds (slower than the JS190J/B, which took 52
one PCs are causing rapid evolution among desk- seconds) and a speedy 32 seconds on the Photoshop
tops. This new VAIO all-in-one is a prime example CS3 test (only 6 seconds slower than the JS190J/B).
of that progression. It’s better equipped for the real While the JS190J is faster, it’s not a lot faster. Apart
world than the bare-bones iMac—and costs $99 less. from being loaded down with crapware, the JS130J/
The JS130J/P (like its JS190J/B sibling) has a cut- P tops its competition by a slim margin, achieving
ting-edge design that would look right at home on our Editors’ Choice award.—Joel Santo Domingo
the set of a science-fiction film. The screen is bright
Spec data: 2.5-GHz Intel Pentium E5200 processor; 4GB,
and clear, suitable for both browsing photos and
800-MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 500GB, 7,200-rpm SATA hard
watching online and DVD videos. The keyboard is drive; integrated Mobile Intel GMAX4500HD graphics;
comfortable to use, but the mouse feels a bit flimsy dual-layer DVD±RW drive; integrated 20.1-inch wide-
and lacks a back button. Also, a wireless keyboard screen LCD monitor; five USB 2.0 ports; one FireWire/
and mouse would have been nice here. This VAIO i.Link port; integrated stereo speakers; Windows Vista
is $400 cheaper than (the JS190J/B) because it lacks Home Premium 64-bit.
a Blu-ray drive and has a slightly slower processor. PERFORMANCE TESTS 3D TESTS MULTIMEDIA TESTS
That said, the JS130J/P’s dual-core Pentium E5200 is
Windows Photoshop
still plenty for day-to-day tasks, and its 4GB of RAM L High scores are best.
Media CS3 Action
M Low scores are best. 3DMark06 L Cinebench
and 500GB hard drive is the same as the JS190J/B’s. Bold type denotes first place. 1,920 x 1,200* R10 L
Encoder M
min:sec
Set M
min:sec
The JS130J/P’s performance is akin to that of
Sony VAIO VGC-JS130J/P N/A 4,974 1:13 0:32
its more expensive brother: It’s very good at multi­
Sony VAIO VGC-JS190J/B N/A 6,221 0:52 0:26
media tasks like photo editing and video encoding,
but abysmal at 3D. The JS130J/P finished the Win- Apple iMac (24-inch Penryn) 1,859 5,842 1:03 0:30
dows Media Encoder test in a decent 1 minute 13 RED denotes Editors’ Choice. N/A—Not applicable: The product could not complete this test. *Anti-aliasing/anisotropic filtering was set to 4X.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 13


first looks HARDWARE

Canon Pixma MP980 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer

Wireless Home Photo Lab


Supreme
As Canon’s replacement for the Editors’ Choice Pixma MP970, the
Pixma MP980 has a lot to live up to. The MP970 had the distinction
of printing great-looking photos while being far less expensive
than any of its competition. The MP980 carries on in that tradi-
tion, earning an Editors’ Choice of its own.
In some ways, the MP980 is a straightforward update to the
MP970, sharing most of the same features. It can print, scan, copy,
and e-mail. It can both scan and print directly from 35mm slides
and strips of film, and print directly from PictBridge cameras and
memory cards (but not USB keys). The two models even share the
same lack of office-centric features, with no automatic document
feeder (ADF) or fax support.
Canon Pixma MP980 Wireless Photo Despite all these similarities, however, the MP980 also differs
All-In-One Printer from the MP970 in important ways, most notably in its ink system.
$299.99 direct
ll l l m
The MP970 used seven inks, and the MP980 uses six. The result
is slightly slower speeds for the MP980 and impressively better-
Pros High-quality photos. Scans and prints
from 35mm film. Network and Wi-Fi support. looking monochrome photos. For example, the MP980 scored 16
Built-in duplexer. minutes 25 seconds on our business application suite, compared
Cons No fax support. Clumsy network with the MP970’s 15:58. But photos printed on the MP980 are near
installation. Can’t set network support to professional photo labs output, with pictures that are suitable for
accept both wired and wireless connections.
framing. So, like its predecessor, the MP980 has some room for
Click here for more. improvement, but its flaws are forgivable.— M. David Stone

ViewSonic N2201w

A Versatile 22-Inch
HDTV/Monitor
Designed for use in tight spaces, the N2201w is ideal for a dorm
room, studio apartment, or home office. This versatile 22-inch
HDTV/monitor hybrid sports a variety of entertainment features,
including a built-in DVD player and a digital TV tuner, but its dark
grayscale performance is lacking.
The 1,680-by-1,050-resolution panel is perched atop a sturdy
oval base. The 3-watt speakers embedded in the lower bezel are
a cut above the usual underpowered speakers found on displays.
A slot-loading DVD player with five control buttons is integrated
into the left-hand side of the cabinet.
While in PC mode, you can adjust contrast, brightness, and
sharpness, as well as toggle among four Picture modes (though I
recommend sticking with the Standard setting). In general, I was
impressed with the N2201w’s performance as a PC monitor. It did a
very good job of reproducing the lightest shades of gray on the Dis-
ViewSonic N2201w playMate 64-Step Grayscale test. Colors were bold and uniform at
$430 street the high end of the scale. The panel had a difficult time displaying
ll l h m the darkest shades of gray, however, making the deepest reds and
Pros Built-in DVD player and TV tuner. Solid light blues darker than they should be. For video, the L2201w showed a
grayscale reproduction. Good audio output. sharp picture, with no apparent jaggies or artifacts.
Cons Very weak dark-gray performance. Stiff stand Despite a couple of flaws, this LCD is a good deal for a display
with limited adjustability. Some backlight bleed. that pulls double duty as a PC monitor and an HDTV/DVD player
Click here for more. combo.—John R. Delaney

14 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks HARDWARE

Gateway FX6800-01e
$1,249.99 list
L lllm

Pros Good expandabil-


ity. External hard drive bays
work with off-the-shelf SATA
drives. Plays Crysis yet costs
less than $1,300. CrossFire-
capable motherboard.
Cons Expansion limited by the
included 500W power supply.
Crapware. Plastics could be better.
64-bit OS doesn’t make sense with
only 3GB. Only a 60-day trial of
Norton 360.

Click here for more.

Gateway FX6800-01e

Power-Packed
Budget Gaming Rig
The Gateway FX6800-01e is clearly going after the In terms of performance, this system turned in a
gamer on a budget. It’s a bit more expensive than respectable 58 frames per second (fps) on Crysis at
sub-$800 gaming boxes like the Cyberpower Gamer 1,280-by-1,024, and a very smooth 70 fps on World
Ultra SLI Basic, but this Gateway system can play in Conflict (WiC) at the same resolution. These
today’s games a whole lot better. numbers are similar to those of gaming rigs that
The FX6800-01e is equipped with the quad-core cost over $700 more. The FX6800-01e is also very
Intel i7-920, a Hyper-Threading chip that is capable speedy on multimedia tasks: 37 seconds for Win-
of processing up to eight streams simultaneously. dows Media Encoder and 26 seconds for Photoshop
This system is also equipped with a single 512MB are impressive even for a quad-core system. All this
ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card. The FX6800- makes FX6800-01e a performance bargain—and an
01e’s chassis includes a pair of externally accessible Editors’ Choice.—Joel Santo Domingo
hard-drive sleds, so you can easily add up to two
SATA hard drives without opening the side door. If Spec data: 2.66-GHz Intel Core i7-920 processor, 3GB
1066-MHz DDR3 SDRAM, 750GB 7,200-rpm SATA hard
you do open the case, you can also fit another hard
drive, 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card, dual-
drive, optical drive, a PCIe x4 card, another PCIe layer DVD±RW drive, eight USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire
x16 graphics card, and three more RAM sticks. You ports, two eSATA ports, Gateway stereo speakers,
can also configure this system for RAID 0, 1, 5, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.
1+0 with multiple hard drives. One complaint: Why
install 64-bit Vista when the system comes with only PERFORMANCE TESTS MULTIMEDIA TESTS GAMING TESTS
3GB of memory?
Windows
Like other Gateway computers, the FX6800-01e L High scores are best.
Media Photoshop World in
M Low scores are best. 3DMark06 L Encoder M CS3 M Crysis L Conflict L
has some crapware on it. There’s the usual 60-day Bold type denotes first place. 1,280 x 1,024* min:sec min:sec 1,280 x 1,024* 1,280 x 1,024*

trial of Microsoft Office and the 60-day trial of Nor- Gateway FX6800-01e 12,521 0:37 0:26 58 70
ton 360. There’s other stuff, too, like ads for eBay,
Acer Aspire Predator G7700 13,497 0:41 0:25 57 67
Napster, and ISPs. All this junk can make a system
unstable, so for optimum results, you may want to Cyberpower Gamer Ultra SLI Basic 4,260 1:07 0:46 9 10
reinstall the OS fresh. RED denotes Editors’ Choice. * Anti-aliasing/anisotropic filtering was set to 0X.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 15


first looks hardware

Quick Looks
Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and scores of other hardware products.

RED indicates Editors’ Choice. PROS CONS BOTTOM LINE SPECS


DESKTOPS
Velocity Micro • Speedy gaming and multimedia • At lower resolutions, it performs The Z55 brings Intel’s Core i7 2.93-GHz Intel Core i7-940; 6GB
Edge Z55 performance not much better than a $1,200 to a high-performance gaming 1,333-MHz DDR3 SDRAM; two
$3,834 direct, • Expandability gaming system system. Though not quite as 150GB, 10,000-rpm SATA hard
$4,133 with • Attractive styling and neat • A little loud expensive as the systems in the drives (RAID 0); two 1GB ATI
22-inch widescreen interior • Nearly $4,000 is a lot of money $5K club, its performance is Radeon graphics cards; dual-
LCD monitor • No crapware certainly competitive with those layer DVD±RW drive; Vista Home
ll l h m • Blu-ray reader in the upper strata. Premium.

LAPTOPS
Acer Aspire • Blu-ray reader included • A bit bulky Equipped with a Blu-ray drive 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800;
6930G-6723 • Unbeatable price and generous performance parts 4GB DDR2 SDRAM; 320GB, 5,400-
$1,020 street • Good performance scores for under $1,000, the 6930G has rpm hard drive; 256MB nVidia
ll l l h • Good graphics card regained the Editors’ Choice acco- GeForce 9600M GS graphics;
• Terrific typing experience lade for best value media center 16-inch display; 7.2 pounds (8.3
• Generous feature set laptop that its predecessor lost. pounds travel); 71-Wh battery;
Vista Home Premium.

ASUS EeePC • Gunmetal casing • Lacks a six-cell battery Its metallic finish makes the 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270; 1GB
1002HA • Included overclocking software • Could use more features 1002HA the most attractive net- DDR2 SDRAM; 160GB, 5,400-rpm
$499 list • 92 percent keyboard book to date, and its performance hard drive; 128MB Intel Graphics
ll l l m • Excellent battery life doesn’t disappoint. However, Media Accelerator 950; 10.2-inch
• Bright 10-inch widescreen it could use some help in the display; 2.7 pounds (3.2 pounds
• Under $500 features department. travel); 31-Wh battery; XP Home
Edition.

Dell Studio • Strikingly gorgeous design • Could be lighter The XPS 16 delivers a lavish 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600;
XPS 16 • Blu-ray reader included media center experience with 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 320GB,
$1,804 direct • Vibrant 16-inch widescreen a unique design, home-theater 7,200-rpm hard drive; 512MB ATI
ll l l h • Illuminated keyboard features, and a vibrant RGB LED Mobility Radeon HD 3670; 16-inch
• HDMI and DisplayPort widescreen. widescreen; 6.9 pounds (7.8
• High-capacity battery is pounds travel); 85-Wh battery;
available Vista Home Premium.

Sony • Incredibly light • Mouse buttons are adjacent to The Sony Lifestyle PC is a mag- 1.33-GHz Intel Atom Z520; 2GB
Lifestyle PC • 8-inch widescreen LED is first the touchpad nificently designed device with a DDR2 SDRAM; 64GB SSD; 128MB
(VGN-588EQ) of its kind solid set of features, but perfor- Intel graphics; 8-inch, 1,600-by-
$1,199 direct 3G wireless is standard mance can be limiting if you’re 768 widescreen LED display; 1.4
ll l h m • Two memory card slots using it as a primary laptop. pounds (1.7 pounds travel); two
• Pre-boot Linux environment is a USB ports; 16-Wh lithium ion bat-
nice addition tery; Windows Vista Home Basic.

DISPLAYS
ASUS LS221H • Slim cabinet • Poor dark grayscale perfor- The LS221H is an attractive 22-inch LCD; 1,680-by-1,050
$349 list • Good motion performance mance 22-inch display with a slim profile native resolution; HDMI and
ll l m m • Good text readability • Lacks multimedia features and a fast pixel response. But analog VGA inputs; 16:10
• Tilt-only stand its flaws include the inability to aspect ratio.
reproduce dark shades of gray.

STORAGE
OWC Mercury • Bus-powered • Comes HFS+ formatted (bad The Mercury is a speedy (7,200- External hard drive; 350GB
On-The-Go • Speedy FireWire 800 interface for PCs) rpm) SATA notebook-class hard c­ apacity; 7,200 rpm.
(320GB) • Comes HFS+ formatted (good • Backup software on CD drive that works with USB or
$179.99 direct for Macs) • Physically a bit larger than the FireWire power (for a Mac or a
ll l h m • Comes with all cables and a competition PC) and doesn’t require a power
carrying case • Pricey per GB adapter.

PROJECTORS
Samsung P400 • Highly portable • Doesn’t handle video well—loses The P400 isn’t the lightest projec- DLP engine; 4:3 aspect ratio;
$550 street • Unexpectedly bright details in dark areas tor, or the smallest, but it delivers rated brightness, 150 ANSI
ll l l m • Surprisingly high audio volume • Relatively noticeable rainbow a surprisingly bright image and lumens; analog VGA and com­
• LED light source with 20,000- effect high-volume audio in a highly posite inputs, 2.5 by 5.8 by 5.7
hour lifetime portable package. inches (HWD); 2 pounds.

DATA TRANSFER
Clickfree • No configuration necessary • No Mac compatibility With the Clickfree cable, making 10 inches.
Transformer • No installation needed • You need to buy storage Windows-based document back-
Cable • One of the most user-friendly separately ups is finally as easy as plugging
$60 list backup methods we’ve tested • File backups only in a power cord.
ll l l m • Works with any USB hard drive • May not work with some USB
or USB key hubs
• Can support multiple computers

16 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks BUSINESS

Lenovo ThinkPad
W700
$4,240 direct
Llllh

Pros Internal
Pantone color
calibrator. Palm-
rest digitizer.
Option for a
cool secondary display.
Quad-core proces-
sor delivered amazing
results. Dual hard drives.
ISV certified graphics.
Outstanding graphics for
gamers and profession-
als. WUXGA widescreen.
Adobe RGB–compatible
Lenovo ThinkPad W700 screen.

The Photography
Cons Butt-ugly and
bulky.

Click here for more.

Pro’s Mobile Workstation


The ThinkPad W700 is monstrous, and its looks may video-encoding and CineBench 10 scores com-
not strike a chord with fashion photographers, but pletely dominated the competition’s. Its 44-second
some unheard-of built-in features will instantly make score on Windows Media Encoder 9 is 15 seconds
style moot. The Pantone color sensor, for instance, less (roughly 35 percent faster) than the Lenovo
eliminates the need to carry a separate color calibra- Thinkpad T400’s. And its CineBench score was
tion device; a Wacom digitizer that’s traditionally nearly double that of other machines in its class.
part of the screen is cleverly positioned on the palm Obviously, at this price, the W700 isn’t for every-
rest; and an option for a 10-inch secondary display one. But if time is money in your field, the W700 will
that slides out from the back of the primary one is save you tons of it.—Cisco Cheng
an industry first. These features, along with the built-
Spec data: 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300;
in Intel quad-core technology, earn the W700 an 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 320GB (two 160GB, 7,200-rpm
Editors’ Choice in the workstation category. hard drives); 1GB Nvidia Quadro FX 3700M graphics;
With the W700, you also get a CompactFlash 17-inch, 1,920-by-1,200 widescreen; 9.4 pounds (12.3
and SD slot and connections for DisplayPort, pounds travel); five USB ports; one FireWire port;
DVI-D, five USB slots, one FireWire port, a webcam, 96-Wh, 6.45-Ah lithium ion battery; Windows Vista
Home Premium 64-bit.
and a fingerprint reader. Although the dual-layer
DVD burner sounds ordinary at this juncture, you PERFORMANCE TESTS MULTIMEDIA
can upgrade to a Blu-ray burner. The dual 160GB, Mobile- 3D- Windows
7,200-rpm hard drives (320GB total) not only spin L High scores are best.
M Low scores are best.
Mark Mark06* MeDia Photoshop
2007 L Cinebench
fast but are arranged in RAID 0, which comes in Bold type denotes first place.
hr:min
L
1,024 x 768
EncodeR M
min:sec R10 L
CS3 M
min:sec
handy for performance testing.
Lenovo ThinkPad W700 2:31 12,678 0:44 10,809 0:30
The W700 runs a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme
Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch N/A 6,453 1:09 5,187 0:32
QX9300 processor—fitting for a machine of this (Dual Graphics) - Boot Camp
caliber. Add to the quad-core the 4GB of DDR3
Lenovo ThinkPad T400 4:12 2,904 0:59 5,838 0:26
memory and we have performance scores that are
RED denotes Editors’ Choice. N/A—Not applicable: The product could not complete the test, or the test was not compatible.
beyond anything I’ve seen on a laptop. The W700’s * The test was configured at the default setting.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 17


first looks BUSINESS

ViewSonic PJ513DB

A No-Frills, High-Quality
SVGA Projector
The ViewSonic PJ513DB is the kind of projector
that anyone on a tight budget should love—and not
just because of its low price. What makes this unit
appealing is that it gets the basics right, starting with
a suitably high-quality image and surprisingly good
audio.
Designed for typical business presentations, the
PJ513DB is a basic, no-frills projector built around an
SVGA (800-by-600) DLP engine. Although it’s not ViewSonic PJ513DB
the lightest or smallest projector available by any $450 street
lllhm
means, it’s fairly portable, at 5.7 pounds and 4.3 by 10.4 to throw a reasonably large image with typical office
by 8.6 inches (HWD). It doesn’t come with a carry­ing lighting. In testing, the projector showed some minor Pros Low cost. Reason-
ably light. Easy setup,
case, however, so if you need one, you’ll have to buy it DLP rainbow effects but handled images from a com- with well-designed,
separately. The same goes for most cables you might puter and DVDs (played over S-Video) pretty well. easy-to-use menus.
want; you get only a power cord and VGA cable for However, it was less effective for TV input. Despite Cons No remote mouse
plugging into a computer. Moreover, there’s no USB oversights like the lack of a remote mouse con- control. Optical zoom is
port or zoom control. trol and the nearly pointless zoom, the ViewSonic too meager to be useful.
The PJ513DB has a respectable contrast ratio of PJ513DB is a good choice for the cash-strapped, and Click here for more.
330:1 and a brightness of 1,717 lumens, about 78 per- certainly one of the best projectors in its category.
cent of its 2,200 lumen rating. It is also bright enough —M. David Stone

Lexmark T650n

Workhorse Monochrome
Laser Printer
For small offices and workgroups with heavy-duty Lexmark T650n
printing needs, workhorse monochrome lasers like $699 direct
Llllm
the Lexmark T650n are indispensable. As a rule,
Lexmark printers are among the best in the cat- Pros Fast.
Full set of
egory, and the T650n is no exception. Its fast speed paper-handling
and plentiful paper-handling options are enough to options, with up
make it a new Editors’ Choice. to 4,000-sheet
At 13.7 by 16.7 by 19.4 inches (HWD), this printer is Output quality was typical for a monochrome laser input capacity. Low cost
per page.
small enough for your desk, but you’ll probably need on graphics and photos, but text quality was a bit
Cons Slightly subpar
help moving this 40.6-pound unit into place. The below par—though still more than good enough for text for a mono laser.
T650n’s paper-handling options include a duplexer most business use.
($275), a 250-sheet drawer ($199), a 550-sheet drawer One last issue is running cost, a critical factor for Click here for more.
($249), a 2,000-sheet drawer ($499), and an output a printer designed to print lots of pages. Lexmark
expander with additional 550-sheet bin ($149). claims a reasonably low 1.6 cents per page. That,
This printer’s 45-ppm engine helped it score along with fast speed, capable paper handling, and
5 minutes 7 seconds on our business applica- reasonably high-quality output makes the T650n an
tions suite, which is fast, but not as fast as the 4:57 impressive package indeed, altogether worthy of the
achieved by the T640n, the printer it is replacing. Editors’ Choice.—MDS

18 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks business

PICK A PAGE In Pages, you can pick and choose which presentation pizzazz In Keynote, a neat little
page layouts you want to use from any template. pop-up menu lets you resize images.

Apple iWork ’09

Apple Gets to Work


Apple iWork '09 Apple has a lot to boast about in iWork ’09, the lat- iWork’s PowerPoint rival is Keynote, still the
$79 direct; five-license est version of its productivity application suite and most dazzling presentation program on any plat-
family pack, $99
ll l l m
still the only one written from the ground up for OS form. The app now offers spectacular, animated
X. The result is a suite that gives home users and slide transitions. PowerPoint still has one advantage
Pros Innovative,
graphically dazzling
students a huge bang for a small number of bucks— over Keynote: PowerPoint has the ability to create
suite. Highly compatible and it feels far more at home on the Mac platform good-looking diagrams based on text-based data
with Microsoft Office than Microsoft’s pricier, professional-oriented like lists and outlines. But otherwise, Keynote out-
documents. Canvas-style Office for the Mac. classes it everywhere else. Unless you need the tight
page holds multiple
tables. Presentation
Pages is both a word processor and what used integration with Excel and Word that you get with
software outclasses to be called a desktop publishing app (for creating Presentations, Keynote is the presentation program
competitors. Great bang graphics-rich leaflets, posters, and greeting cards). for Mac users.
for the buck. You choose between two editing modes when creat- Apple has also put a toe into the online docu-
Cons Not as feature- ing a document: Word Processing or Page Layout. ment world by launching iWork.com, a sparsely
rich as Microsoft Office.
Sample templates too
The first creates a conventional document, and Page featured sharing and viewing service that lets iWork
elaborate for most users. Layout treats each page as a canvas on which to cre- users share documents with users on any platform,
No view that hides top, ate text and graphics boxes. Pages’ documents look including Windows and Linux. Unfortunately, you
bottom page margins. terrific, but the program is clearly designed for the need a $99-per-year MobileMe account before you
Click here for more. more casual user. Those working on a college thesis can upload anything to the site, although coworkers
or lengthy report may end up gnashing their teeth. can view, download, and comment on files without
Numbers, iWork’s spreadsheet program, on the an account.
other hand, continues to one-up Microsoft Excel in For home, school, and very-small-business
many ways. It is the only app out there to support users, iWork is the best office suite on the market.
multiple tables on a single page. And a Numbers For advanced users, however, Microsoft Word and
worksheet is a canvas that can include multiple Microsoft Excel remain indispensable; furthermore,
charts, each with its own layout, plus graphics and the Windows version of Microsoft’s Office suite
text boxes. Also, Numbers finally has a feature akin remains far more powerful than the Mac version.
to a pivot table. —Edward Mendelson

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 19


first looks CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 (T-Mobile)

T-Mobile’s Best BlackBerry Yet


After its last release, the buggy BlackBerry Storm 9530, RIM’s got
its groove back. The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 juices up the
already-excellent Curve form factor with a sharper screen, faster
processor, and better camera, letting it jump through new multi­
media hoops while still helping you get your work done. If you
need to stay connected, this Curve is the simplest and most stylish
way to do it for T-Mobile customers.
RIM BlackBerry The Curve 8900 is mostly black with an insanely high-res
Curve 8900
(T-Mobile) screen: 360 by 480 pixels on a 2.4-inch panel (even higher res than
$349 direct; $199 and the iPhone’s). Like the original Curve, the 8900 features a full
up with a two-year QWERTY keyboard of slightly separated keys that are a breeze to
contract use. Despite its just-average signal strength, the 8900 is an excel-
ll l l m
lent voice phone, with calls sounding especially loud and clear on
Pros Gorgeous, T-Mobile’s 2G EDGE network.
ultra-high-res
screen. Sublime The beefy 528-MHz processor lets the phone multitask com-
keyboard. fortably and perform well on audio and video. But since the 8900
Smooth and doesn’t hit T-Mobile’s 3G network, you can’t stream video with-
­elegant operation. Ter- out Wi-Fi coverage. Within Wi-Fi range, streaming worked well.
rific messaging, solid
music and video players. The 3.2-megapixel camera takes sharp photos, even in low light. I
Makes free calls over experienced delays of up to 2 seconds while the camera focused,
Wi-Fi. however, and I couldn’t find any way to disable autofocus. The only
Cons No 3G. Subpar big problem with this phone is the Web browser, which choked on
Web browser. pages with JavaScript. But this wasn’t enough to outweigh its many
Click here for more. benefits, which earn it an Editors’ Choice.—Sascha Segan

HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)

This Mobile Office Needs


a Battery Boost
Hot on the heels of AT&T’s HTC Fuze, Sprint has busted out its
own version, the Touch Pro, a virtual clone of the Fuze but with
a few new pluses. These include improvements to the software
bundle, form factor, and QWERTY keyboard arrangement, and
the addition of CDMA and EV-DO radios for compatibility with
Sprint’s network. But there are also some minuses, including dis-
mal battery life. Depending on your viewpoint, the Touch Pro is
either a loaded business smartphone for Windows power users or
an iPhone competitor with an identity crisis.
On Sprint, the Touch Pro is a dual-mode CDMA phone, featur-
ing both EV-DO and Wi-Fi radios. Reception was a little weak: In a
rural area, the Touch Pro vacillated between 1X and EV-DO modes.
Calls also came through a bit choppy, with static. The handset’s
speakerphone was too quiet and distorted for anything but close,
indoor use. Even worse, battery life was miserable—just 3 hours 8
minutes on our talk-time run-down test.
HTC Touch Pro (Sprint)
Overall, the Touch Pro is a bit more pleasant on Sprint than the $299 with two-year Sprint contract
Fuze is on AT&T, thanks to its lighter weight, improved software lllmm
bundle, and better keyboard. However, its battery life and voice Pros Powerful feature set. Slick interface graph-
quality are lacking. Sprint smartphone buyers should also consider ics. Five-row QWERTY keyboard. Better software
the Touch Diamond, which is less expensive but lacks a QWERTY bundle than AT&T’s version (the HTC Fuze).
keyboard. The BlackBerry Curve 8330 remains our Editors’ Cons Expensive. Poor battery life. Confusing
“dual-OS” interface. Slow. No headphone jack.
Choice–winning Sprint smartphone, for its excellent keyboard,
stellar e-mail management, and long battery life.—Jamie Lendino Click here for more.

20 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Creative Vado Creative Vado POCKET VIDEO CAM HD


­Pocket Video
Cam HD
$229.99 direct
Vado HD One-Ups the HD Flip
Ll l l m With the Vado HD, Creative decided against a complete overhaul of
Pros Records its original mini camcorder—and with good reason. The Vado has
high-quality a sleeker body, a larger screen, and a lower price tag than Pure Dig-
HD video. Big,
ital’s Flip, plus a removable, rechargeable battery. In fact, the Vado
bright screen.
Removable, re- was our favorite mini videocam until we gave an Editors’ Choice to
chargeable battery. 8GB the Kodak Zi6. But a few key changes in the Vado HD are enough to
of memory. HDMI-out. make it supplant the Zi6 as our new EC winner.
HDMI cable bundled.
On the outside, this Vado looks a lot like its predecessor. The
Cons Only 2X digital
zoom. Memory isn’t
USB arm is still located on the bottom of the camera on a flexible
expandable. cord. Directly above the arm is a button that offers quick access to
the camera’s removable lithium ion battery, which gives you about
Click here for more.
2 hours and charges when the Vado is connected via USB. On the
left-hand side of the camera is a mini HDMI port, making the Vado
HD the only pocket camcorder with high-quality HD output.
The camcorder’s bright 2-inch LCD remains, but the new
aspect ratio means that HD shooting will bring up black bars
on the top and bottom of the display. Even with a touch less real
estate, the display is a vast improvement over the competition’s.
Images are far clearer and smoother than the original Vado’s. Also,
this device has 8GB of storage—double that of the same-price Flip
Mino HD—letting you store about 2 hours of footage recorded at
the highest quality. Though the Zi6 gets points for its expandable
memory and still-image ability, the Vado HD has pulled ahead.
—Brian Heater

Sony Reader Digital Book (PRS-700)

The Kindle Alternative


The Amazon Kindle may be one of Oprah’s favorite things, but
Sony has been making e-book readers longer, and the sophisticated
design of its latest, the Reader Digital Book (PRS-700), clearly dis-
plays this experience. With a touch-sensitive screen, a faster pro-
cessor, and a streamlined interface, the new Sony Reader is a great
way to get your literary fix. Sure it’s expensive, but unlike the hard-
to-get Kindle, it’s available without your going on a waiting list.
The 10-ounce device measures approximately 6.9 by 5.1 by 0.5
inches (HWD), about the same size as a trade paperback (albeit
a very short one). The top of the unit houses a power switch, as
well as SD and Memory Stick Pro card slots. The bottom features
volume controls, a headphone jack, and mini USB and AC-in jacks.
Sony has also added side lighting, although these are a bit too dim.
Although the PRS-700 has the same look and feel as the previous
PRS-550 and the PRS-500, Sony has made a number of welcome
enhancements, most notably a 6-inch (diagonal), 800-by-600-
pixel, touch-sensitive screen that lets you turn pages by drawing
your finger across the screen.
Sony Reader Digital Book (PRS-700)
$399.99 direct In testing, I downloaded a novel from the Sony store in 12 sec-
l l l l m onds, and I was able to sync it with my Reader in less than a min-
Pros Touch-sensitive screen. Streamlined ute. That’s pretty smooth, but it does require using the included
interface. Attractive design. USB cable. The Amazon Kindle lets you purchase books wire-
Cons Pricey. Doesn’t provide wireless down- lessly, thanks to its built-in EV-DO modem—a convenience that the
load of titles (unlike Amazon’s Kindle). LED Sony Reader simply can’t match. Although this device is expensive
sidelights aren’t very strong.
and lacks a wireless download feature, it’s a good way to get in the
Click here for more. e-book game—at least until Kindles are back in stock.—Dan Costa

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 21


first looks CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Vizio VP505XVT
$1,499.99 list
ll l l m
Vizio VP505XVT
Pros Standard-

Big Plasma, Small Price


definition video
quality is excel-
lent. Very good
picture contrast.
Good value.
Cons Calibration
As LCDs dominate the HDTV market, plasmas are becoming better values every
­required for accurate day—great news, since no LCD can match a plasma’s wide viewing angles. Case
HD color. in point: The affordable 50-inch Vizio VP505XVT plasma features full 1080p
Click here for more. screen resolution and superb standard-definition video processing, all wrapped
in a stylishly modern design. The set’s default color setup isn’t optimized for
accurate HD viewing, but its picture controls can remedy that.
Vizio is best known for affordability; its latest sets, however, don’t sacrifice
style or features for their low sticker prices. For example, you get four HDMI
ports; additional HD-compatible video ports include one component video
input, a VGA, and an RF input. This Vizio plasma also has excellent overscan PORTS INCLUDED
controls for every input type and video format, and accurate color reproduction CableCARD 0
(though slightly oversaturated primary and secondary colors). It also has a solid Component 1
contrast ratio of 1,245:1. And thanks to HQV technology, this plasma upconverts Composite 1
standard-definition video to the TV’s native 1080p resolution with better clarity
DVI 0
and fewer distracting artifacts than any other plasma we’ve tested.
Ethernet 0
The VP505XVT’s estimated operating cost is $7.08 per month (356 watts aver-
FireWire 0
age), which is in line with other 50-inch plasma screens. If you use the TV’s less-
HDMI 4
intense movie picture preset, the cost drops to $5.82 (292W) based on 5 hours of
RF 1
daily use at 13 cents per kilowatt hour (a San Francisco average).
RS-232C 0
Despite the set’s being slightly too colorful in output and its not offering
S-Video 1
the energy efficiency of an LCD HDTV, its value factor offsets those relatively
USB 0
minor problems and makes it our newest Editors’ Choice in this category.
—Robert Heron VGA 1

22 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


first looks Consumer electronics

Quick Looks
Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and other consumer electronics products.

RED indicates Editors’ Choice. PROS CONS BOTTOM LINE SPECS


SMARTPHONES
Sony Ericsson • Powerful processor • Insanely expensive The super-luxe Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile Professional;
Xperia X1 • New Panel interface is the best • Buggy Xperia X1 would be a decent GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA data
$799.99 list Windows Mobile home-screen • Not a great voice phone Windows Mobile smartphone networks; 3.1-inch, 800-by-480
ll h m m hack so far choice if it were half the price. TFT LCD; 3.2MP camera; 4.4
• Opera browser by 2.1 by 0.7 inches (HWD), 5.1
ounces.

LG Incite (AT&T) • Sleek design • Sluggish LG’s first smartphone, the Incite, Windows Mobile Pocket PC;
$199 (with • Good voice quality • Stubborn, dim touch screen is attractive and powerful, but it’s GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA data
two-year service • Solid battery life • Poor camera let down by its obstinate touch networks; 3-inch, 240-by-400 TFT
agreement) • 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth • Buggy music playback screen, sluggish performance, LCD; 3MP camera; 4.2 by 2.2 by
ll l m m radios • No place to stow the stylus—and and sloppy software design. 0.6 inches (HWD), 4.2 ounces.
you’ll need it

DIGITAL CAMERAS
Nikon Coolpix • Sleek and good-looking • No hardware zoom control Viewing your pictures on this 10MP resolution; 3.5-inch touch-
S60 • Big, responsive touch screen • Captures fewer resolution lines camera is a blast, thanks to its screen LCD; accepts SDHC flash
$349.95 list • Simple touch gestures make than competitors iPhone-esque touch screen. memory; 2.4 by 2.8 by 0.9 inches
ll l m m photo playback a snap • No HD video recording ­Image quality, however, is lack- (HWD); 5.1 ounces.
• Flash shots are underexposed ing, so the fun of its flashy touch
• Poor battery life interface will likely fade quickly.

DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES


Sony VAIO • Elegant design and interface • Expensive The VGF-CP1 digital picture 7-inch screen; 800-by-400
VGF-CP1 • Wi-Fi • Browser freezes occasionally frame is pricey, but its high per- maximum resolution; accepts
$299 list • Strong Web-connected features formance and extensive feature CompactFlash, Memory Stick,
ll l l h • Opera Web browser set justify the investment. and Secure Digital flash memory;
internal speakers; 6.9 by 5.2 by
1.4 inches (HWD).

PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS


Cowon O2 • Excellent file support • Despite its large size, the player The O2’s file support is fantastic, 16GB flash memory; 4.3-inch
8GB, $199.99 list; • Large display has no hard drive, only flash and it is cheaper than its two screen; 480-by-272 max resolu-
16GB, $239.99; • Voice recorder memory main competitors, the iPod touch tion; supports AAC, FLAC, MP3,
32GB, $299.99 • Comparatively affordable • No Internet access and the Archos 5—but it packs far OGG, WMA audio formats; photo
ll h m m • Few extra features fewer features into its inexplica- and video capability; 2.9 by 4.7 by
bly large frame. 0.7 inches (HWD); 7.2 ounces.

HEADPHONES
Apple In-Ear • Secure fit • Audio output is decent—but Apple’s In-Ear Headphones In-canal; Bluetooth; passive noise
Headphones • Built-in mic and remote control could be stronger for the price feature extras like a built-in canceling; 109-dB SPL per 1 mW
$79 direct • Works with latest-generation • Short on bass response remote and mic, but they’re a bit sensitivity; 23-ohm impedance;
ll l m m iPod’s Voice Memos feature overpriced given the audio quality 0.4 ounce.
you get.

BLUETOOTH HEADSETS
Altec Lansing • Comfortable fit • Music sounds overly bright The most comfortable stereo Play/Pause, Volume, Fast For-
BackBeat • Long battery life • Voice call quality isn’t great, Bluetooth headset we’ve seen ward, Rewind, and Call Answer
Model 903, $99.99 • Music doesn’t sound muddy especially outdoors has a lot going for it, but sound buttons.
list; 906, $129.99 quality still doesn’t match that of
Ll l h m wired or mono headsets.

GPS
Magellan • User interface is improved from • Voice recognition found in previ- The Maestro 4350 includes 6-million-entry POI database;
Maestro 4350 the Maestro 4250 ous models has been removed features that make it a worthy real-time traffic; 3D view; sup-
$499.99 list • New OneTouch feature • Current speed not displayed in upgrade. But bargain hunters ports MP3 playback; supports SD
ll l l m • Six-million-entry POI database map view may prefer the older yet still and MMC flash memory; 4.3-inch
• Can calculate up to three route solid 4250, which you can pick up touch-screen display; 3.3 by 4.9
profiles simultaneously online for $200 less. by 0.7 inches (HWD); 7.2 ounces.

MEDIA EXTENDERS
Western Digital • Affordable • No wireless streaming What the WD TV HD Media Player Remote control; RCA stereo
WD TV HD • Excellent file support • Doesn’t include a USB drive does it does well, but that doesn’t a­ udio, composite video, HDMI,
Media Player • Simple, intuitive user interface • Unremarkable physical design necessarily mean that this is a and USB inputs; supports AVI,
$129.99 list • Includes file-conversion useful or desirable device. H.264, MKV, MOV, MPEG-1/2/4,
ll l m m software and WMV 9 formats; 1.6 by 4.9 by
3.9 inches (HWD); 10.72 ounces.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 23


john c. dvorak

Newspapers Still Befuddled


So now we hear that The New York Times The Internet added comparison shop- papers carry notices like this in the finan-
is contemplating the notion of becoming ping to the mix. Want a story about the cial pages, but most do not.
a subscription-based Web site, where you baby stuck down in the well? How about And, as an aside, what is dumber than
only get to read it if you pay real money. 3,000 stories about the baby in the well? the stock quote listings in the newspaper?
What a quaint idea. Pretty soon the public began to notice You can type a ticker symbol into Google
Let me put it bluntly: This won’t work. that 2,975 of those 3,000 stories about the and get a real-time quote with all sorts of
It will completely sink the publication baby in the well were the exact same story, other information. How do you compete
faster than it’s already sinking. with the other 25 being rewrites of the with that? Individual sites and technolo-
The problem with the subscription exact same story. Then came the revela- gies simply do certain things better than
model for today’s big newspapers is the tion. “Hey, these newspapers are all doing old-fashioned newspapers can.
fact that there is very little exclusive infor- the exact same thing! Why do we need so So should the newspaper go the way of
mation of any real value. The New York many of them?” the buggy whip? No, it just needs to return
Times syndicates much of its content In hindsight, USA Today had the right to its roots, and focus on providing densely
to other papers, so there are alternative idea. National newspapers do seem like the edited and directed information of impor-
sources—not subscription-based—with best idea, but that trend and the Internet tance as decided by a trustworthy source.
the same information. Why buy a cow cannot seem to line up correctly, and the And it should leave the fluff to the Internet.
when milk is free? Internet is becoming the national paper. For too long newspapers have taken on
the role of cultural arbiter and distribution
channel for popular culture ideas. That is
For too long newspapers have taken on the role of all over and can never return.
That said, nobody has nailed the new
cultural arbiter and distribution channel for popular model for the old newspaper. These pub-
lishers are out-and-out idiots. They see
culture ideas. That is all over and can never return. something online and immediately try to
do the same thing in print. “We want color
ink and more stories about celebrities!”
Starting back in the early seventies, Like most writers who have worked at I was doing research at the University of
most of the big newspapers around the newspapers, I have mixed feelings regard- California Newspaper Library, which has a
country were lulled into a sense of security ing their future as instruments of commu- tremendous collection of microfilmed old
and easy money by eschewing in-house nication for something vaguely referred to newspapers from every era. If you want to
reporting in exchange for syndicated news as “news.” I’d advise people to take a good see the heyday of the newspaper business
from the likes of the Associated Press, The look at newspapers before 1850 and com- and quickly see what would work today,
New York Times, The Washington Post, the pare them with what we have today. look at a 1954 edition of The San Francisco
Los Angeles Times, and Reuters. Early newspapers consisted of local Examiner. It’s so dense with news stories
Over time syndicated stories began to stories, summaries of events, and listings that today’s papers look as if there’s noth-
dominate the newspapers in major cities of items such as ship departures and other ing in them. It is extremely compelling.
all over the country. This got so bad that notices. There were no recipes, feature The point is that there are good ideas
you’d find a local story, for example, in a stories about dogs, or full-page advertise- already out there, and they just need to
San Francisco paper covered by The New ments for movies. be rediscovered. But for now the panic-
York Times. It was just cheaper to do that, Then somewhere along the way, news- stricken bosses seem to be heading down
so they did. papers became more entertaining than the same abyss in the same direction. It’s
This began to undermine the local informative. The writing was often flowery the direction that created the abyss in the
papers; readers kept seeing all these New and dramatic. Columns written by person- first place.
York Times stories and soon traded their alities joked around about the events of the
local paper subscription for their regional day. There were cartoons and horoscopes. Dvorak Live on the Web John’s
edition of the Times. This marked a decline If I wanted to know what ships were com- Internet TV show airs every Wednesday
of interest in the local products. Then ing in and out of port carrying a shipment at 3:30 ET on CrankyGeeks.com. You can
came the Internet. of Honda cars, where would I find it? Some download back episodes whenever you like.

24 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


Inside
This should be the last year of the economic downturn, action suits will be flying. Do not let this happen to your
which has resulted in nothing good for the computer user children—or you. These headsets cost only $19.95! And they
except for machines that are cheaper than ever, lots of free come in cool colors and iPod white, so there is none of the teen
programs, and the blossoming of a new platform: the smart- humiliation you’d get from, heaven forbid, black earbuds.
phone computer. Whither the OLPC? The fabled $100 laptop that never
So I got my G-phone, G1, Android, whatever you want to was $100 from the OLPC team has got be to be hit hard by the
call it. And I have to say that it has a few flaws here and there, announcement by Tata of India of a $20 laptop. First of all,
but nothing that is a deal killer. And one of the cooler features the $100 laptop never got below $150 from what I can tell. And
is that it can actually read bar codes and call up a central loca- it had to compete with an Intel design that was adopted all
tion, and, bingo, you now can look up prices or details for an over the world.
item on the fly. A friend of mine used this feature at a wed- I was in Portugal recently, where I played with a state-
ding; he determined the prices of all the gifts. Pretty funny. sponsored version of the Intel machine sold to students there.
These phones are still a little weak for word processing I found it to be quite usable and very rugged.
and full docking capability. By that I mean On top of all this are the netbooks com-
the phone should be dockable, but not into ing out with a lot of power for prices around
another computer—into a simple dock that $250. Now this $20 clunker. I’m told the dis-
attaches a keyboard and screen. The smart- plays are now costing a buck or two. Memory
phone should have enough power to run is dirt cheap, and small hard drives are being
the software it has as full-blown application sold as surplus. So I suppose $20 is possible.
software. Combined with some nifty cloud I’m now waiting for the $1.99 laptop.
applications and remote storage, these Everything Is a Fractal Dept.: Do we
phones should give people enough to get by. have to endure yet another Microsoft Win-
In fact, the newer processor chips coming dows campaign? Personally, I’m tired of it.
out for the smartphone will deliver a lot of It follows the exact same pattern time after
computing power. time. Let’s deconstruct the entire process:
The smartphone computer also needs Microsoft preannounces a new version
a good PowerPoint-type program and the of Windows and gives it some weird name
ability to drive a digital projector. While that initiates discussion as people try to deci-
there is some chatter about pico projectors being built into pher its deeper meaning or what it references. Chicago, Long-
smartphones, this is just a cute gimmick. What you want is an horn, Blackcomb, 7. The specification is revealed, with the goal
XGA or better I/O to drive a projector, even if you have to plug being to “fix the problems with . . . the previous version.”
the phone into a wall to keep the batteries from draining. Beta code always leaks out, and people get a good look.
The Android phone and the iPhone should be the two final A buzz ensues. Microsoft decides to ship the beta and let the
winners in the game. While I’ve never been a strong believer public chime in, so the company opens the servers and lets
in the notion that most of the Internet action is going to be everyone play with it. The product has no legacy hooks or real
done on mobile devices like this, it is obvious that a lot of security, so it just rocks on a computer and people comment
Internet activity will be done on these things. on how much better it is. The word is that it’s a winner.
More and more people pull out these devices in normally Naysayers and critics are shouted down.
circumspect places like restaurants and surf the Net together There are then a series of mixed messages regarding the
in search of some factoid about something or other. ship date. The company claims it will be early, but it’s late.
Genuinely Interesting Hardware Dept.: CES was a bit dis- The release comes, and people are shown on the local
appointing for many showgoers this year, mainly because there news lined up at some store camping out overnight to buy
was a downbeat note to the event. And a lot of excellent prod- the thing. The final product, it turns out, gets crammed with
ucts were completely overlooked, as usual. The most impres- security fixes, stability code and built-in drivers, and soon
sive idea I saw at the show (and what should have won Best becomes as slow as the products that came before. Critical
of Show) are some children’s earbuds and headphones from a reviews appear, and the complaining begins. The company
company called iHearSafe. Details are found at iHearSafe.com. then reports it’s working on the next “better than ever, made
These are devices that will not allow a child, or an adult for that from scratch” OS, which will go through the same process.
matter, to generate more than 85 dB from the headphones.
Anything above that and you risk long-term hearing damage. Want more Dvorak? John writes a weekly column for our Web
Someday the earbud and the iPod are going to be recog- site, too. Log on to go.pcmag.com/dvorak. You can also e-mail
nized for creating a generation of deaf people. The class- him at john_dvorak@pcmag.com.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 25


SASCHA SEGAN

Don’t Delay the DTV Transition


Sometimes you’ve just got to give people According to an April 2008 government Of course, some of those 5.7 percent
a hard deadline—it’s the only way to get report, 32 percent of digital channels are just don’t understand what’s going on.
things done. The Senate-approved delay waiting until the transition to deliver full The government has botched the educa-
in the transition from analog to digital tele- broadcast strength. tion campaign around DTV and screwed
vision (DTV), from February 17 to June 12, Many grumpy people are outraged that up the associated converter-box coupon
won’t help the few people who still haven’t they may have to buy a converter box. But program. The coupons were confusing to
gotten the DTV transition memo, and it’ll this is the first major TV transition we’ve order, expired too soon, and the program
hurt the much larger population of people had in 50 years. That’s a long time for a ran out of money. This is irritating, and the
who could benefit from new wireless tech- technology to remain static. For the com- government should allocate more money
nologies. Obama ran on the change plat- mon good, TV stations should clear off for coupons immediately. I’ve also heard
form. That change should start now. some of the radio spectrum so other people insanities like “DTV requires a special
Let’s start with some numbers: The can do more stuff with it. Five percent of antenna” (wrong), “DTV will require you
DTV transition has been publicized for the population shouldn’t hold that up. to get digital cable” (wrong), and “DTV is
two years now. Only 5.7 percent of Ameri- Switching to over-the-air digital TV is HDTV” (wrong). But three months more
cans aren’t ready, according to Nielsen, and actually pretty awesome. I got rid of my will not give us any magical explanations
almost every one of them could become cable TV and went to over-the-air digital we didn’t have for the past two years.
Implementing a much better idea, the
FCC is taking a positive step by order-
TV stations should clear off some of the radio spec- ing stations to turn on “analog night-
lights” throughout the country. This order
trum so other people can do more stuff with it. Five requires some analog stations to stay on,
broadcasting a fixed message about how
percent of the population shouldn’t hold that up. to get a converter box. The FCC should
extend the order by demanding at least one
nightlight in each TV market. Broadcasters
DTV-compliant in about 45 minutes with a recently, supplemented by an AppleTV are complaining about the cost of keeping
trip to Radio Shack or Best Buy. Yes, 5.1 per- with Boxee for cable-TV content. I get those nightlights on, but delaying the tran-
cent of the country is holding up the other many more channels than I did before dig- sition will cost even more.
94.3 percent. The DTV-unready customer ital, including five PBS channels instead of More delays will not help this prob-
isn’t a frail, helpless elderly person, the one. Some of them are even in high defi- lem. More bureaucracy, more confusing
Nielsen survey says. Under-35s are much nition, for free. I think over-the-air digital coupons, and more misleading ads from
more likely than over-55s to lack converter TV is terrific. cable companies will not help this prob-
boxes or new TVs. Complainers also don’t seem to under- lem. Only one thing will help this problem:
The problem and solution are both stand why we’re doing this in the first place. America must convert. A small percent-
pretty simple. The problem: Your TV is For a while now, TV stations have been age of people can’t get a TV signal. They
more than two years old, and you don’t allowed to squat on two channels instead go to their local electronics store. They get
have cable or satellite. The solution: A of one. When the transition occurs, they’ll boxes. Problem solved.
$45 converter box available online or at have to give up one of their two channels, As long as there are deadlines, there
your local electronics store. There, done. and most of that spectrum will go to new will be procrastinators. My college room-
Nobody needs to buy a new TV, though we wireless networks. Some of it will go to TV mate usually wrote his papers in marathon
got reviews of some under-$500 choices for cell phones. Some of it will go to Inter- stretches leading up to the very last minute
for you if you want one. As for the whole net connections. Some of it will go to pub- they were due. (He also always got A’s.) If
hysteria about needing new antennas, lic safety uses. Even if you’re not going to you extend the deadline, procrastinators
wait a little while. Some channels now use that stuff, you have to agree that it’s a will just procrastinate further.
broadcasting weakly will ramp up their better use of the space than broadcasting
signals after the transition, and some chan- the same thing twice to the same people. STAY PHONE-SMART Keep up with the
nels broadcasting on UHF will switch to And it will serve much more than 5.7 per- latest on smartphones by reading Sascha’s
VHF, which covers long distances better. cent of the population. column at go.pcmag.com/segan.

26 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


DAN COSTA

Five Tech Companies to Watch


For the tech sector, just like the rest of the tually led to sacrifices in customer service has a secondary gig as a high-end business
economy, 2009 is simply going to suck. and build quality. Today, the company has services company, leasing out server time
Nonetheless, there are still pioneers to solid footholds in the consumer, business, through its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
be found. The interesting thing is that it and gaming PC space but also has a reputa- for more than a year. Now its Web ser-
seems as though the old-school firms— tion for being a bit dull. That will change vices business includes everything from
often thought to be past their prime, or in 2009 as the company shifts its focus technical support, on-demand workforce
even headed toward demise—are the ones toward design and personalization. ­management, and payroll services.
doing the innovating. Dell has partnered with hundreds of Amazon is striving to provide the
• Palm’s CES Sleight of Hand artists and is allowing its customers to ­u niversal back end for just about any ­
Undoubtedly the hottest product at CES customize the look of many of its lap- e-commerce business, whether it involves
was Palm’s Pre, an innovative and elegant top and netbook lines. Dell is also letting shipping books via postal mail or streaming
smartphone that takes the best features of users make a statement on the high end Internet videos. This is the kind of diversifi-
the iPhone and then adds a full, hardware with Adamo, a slick, ultrathin, 4-pound, cation that will help Amazon weather 2009,
QWERTY keyboard and a radical new brushed-aluminum laptop that any well- and possibly even thrive in it.
operating system. “Hmmm,” you might heeled CEO would want to carry into a • CompUSA Lives! If you want to see
say, “Didn’t you previously write a column board meeting. the future of electronics retailing, take a
drive down to CompUSA’s Dadeland, Flor-
ida, location. Yes, the company declared
Through innovation—and more than a little oppor- bankruptcy at the end of 2007, but in early
2008 it was snapped up by Systemax, the
tunism—these old-school companies are doing well parent company of TigerDirect. This has
given the venerable retailer not only a new
despite the economic crisis. lease on life but an entirely new way to sell
electronics, dubbed “Retail 2.0,” by Gilbert
J. Fiorentino, chief executive of the tech-
saying that no matter what the company • Microsoft’s Lucky 7 Whatever the nology products group at Systemax and
announced, Palm was just a few screen strengths and weaknesses of Vista may be, CompUSA stores.
taps away from death?” Yeah, well, turns it’s pretty clear that Microsoft has lost this “Walk into any retail store and you’ll see
out I was dead wrong. Sorry about that. round of the OS wars. Microsoft has made a bunch of displays with the same movie
The Palm Pre and the sophistication of the beta of Windows 7 available online, and playing or the Windows start-up screen—
the Nova OS surprised just about everyone. the company seems intent on shipping the it’s a waste,” Fiorentino says. “Those
I played with the Pre at the show, and the final version by the end of the year. screens can be used to sell.” You still have
form factor and interface are fantastic. Of Windows 7 isn’t going to blow anyone a retail space with a commission-based
course, we need to put the handset through away with stunning innovation, but so far, salesperson there to guide you through the
its paces at PCMag Labs to see just how it has a few cool new features and that “just process. But instead of a tiny paper card
wonderful this brand-new, Linux-based works” appeal. One of the more interesting on the shelf with little product informa-
operating system really is. Palm has a long additions is Digital Living Network Alli- tion, the system’s display shows the prod-
history of building relationships with third- ance (DLNA) compliance, which essen- uct page on the CompUSA Web site, with
party developers. Look for Palm to be a tially allows you to play a media file on any every spec. Bringing Internet connections
serious player in the mobile space again. device in your house (including gaming to the retail shelf will also help with sup-
• Dell’s Grand Designs Now 25 consoles, HDTVs, and more) with the click port. CompUSA’s renewal is indicative of
years old, Dell, in many ways, is the quint- of a button. While consumer electronics the others discussed here. Through inno-
essential PC company. Its initial successes companies are scrambling to figure out vation—and more than a little opportun-
were founded on its unique, direct, build- seamless digital living solutions, Microsoft ism—these old-school companies are
to-order model that earned the company has one that’s already working. doing well despite the economic crisis.
profits by simply being more efficient than • Amazon’s Head Is in the Cloud
the competition. Over time, though, those Most people know Amazon as the most TALK back to Dan E-mail your thoughts
returns diminished, and cost-cutting even- successful online retailer around. But it to dan_costa@ziffdavis.com.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 27


App Launchers • 28 l Audio/Music • 28 l Backup • 29 l Blogging • 29 l Browsers • 30
Calendar/PIMs • 30 l Communication/E-Mail • 31 l Conferencing • 31 l File Transfer/Download • 32
File Viewers/Converters • 32 l Finance • 32 l Fun/Home • 32 l Graphics • 33 l IMs • 34
Interface Enhancers • 34 l Local Search • 35 l Office • 35 l Operating Systems • 36
Networking • 36 l RSS Readers • 37 l Synchronization • 37 l Video • 37

The
BestFree
Software
The best things in life often are free. Here, a list of 173 of them—free software for
launching apps, networking, backup, entertainment, and more. By Eric Griffith
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Why launching—Launchy is the best choice
pay? You’ve already shelled out money App Launchers available.
for a computer, so there’s no reason that
what’s running on that pricey PC should Circle Dock circledock.wikidot.com Quicksilver www.blacktree.com
cost a darn thing. Not in this day and age Windows Who says a dock has to actually Mac OS Quicksilver does more from the key-
of amazing freebie software and Web apps. dock? To the side of the screen, that is. board than just launch programs. It can act
That’s why every year PCMag presents a Circle Dock brings up a spiraling launcher on any item you can find or drag on your
look at the best programs you can down- interface with all the icons you want to click. Mac. Plug-ins add even more functions.
load or access online at no cost. All are Rotate it with the wheel on your mouse and
worthy replacements for your ancient and change the skin to suit your desktop. Audio/Music
sometimes forgotten desktop applications,
and they’ll save you thousands of dollars to ObjectDock www.stardock.com ★ HALL OF FAME ★

boot. Windows Replace the Windows Taskbar Audacity audacity.sourceforge.net FAME


We’ve organized our list of 173 favor- and Quick Launch toolbar with this Mac- Windows | Mac OS | Linux On a par with any
ites by categories for easy searching, and like animated toolbar of icons for all your commercial audio editor, Audacity is the
also note the best of the best as our Hall of programs. It comes with a few “docklets” free sound editor of choice. The latest beta
Fame winners—just look for the icon next for displaying info like the time, weather, (1.3.6) even supports MPEG-4, Dolby Digi-
to names like Audacity and Thunderbird. and a Web search form. tal, and Windows Media.
Of course, it’s impossible for us to find
all of the free apps, much less try them all Launchy www.launchy.net Banshee banshee-project.org
out. Did we miss one that you can’t live Windows | Linux “Keystroke launcher” is a Linux iTunes is riffed upon again, this time
without? Share your favorites at a special fancy way of saying “command line,” but in a Linux-only option that supports audio
posting site on our AppScout blog, Your if you like to type rather than click for con- and video, Android phones, and older iPods
Favorite Free Software. trol—a practice that goes well beyond app (but not iPhones or iPod touch . . . for now).

28 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


AUDIO/MUSIC

EphPod www.ephpod.com
Windows It does whatever iTunes does in
Windows—syncing, playlists, iPod firm-
ware updates, and more, including moving
music from an iPod to your new PC.

foobar2000 www.foobar2000.org
Windows Basic playback of just about any
audio you can imagine is foobar2000’s
calling card, complete with an iTunes-like
interface.

imeem (formerly Anywhere.FM)


www.imeem.com
Web If iTunes were entirely in the cloud, it
would be pretty close to imeem (formerly
Anywhere.FM). Upload your music collec-
tion and videos to stream from any device.
Digital photos, too. You can share them
with friends you make on the service. Songbird www.getsongbird.com
Windows | Mac OS | Linux Mozilla’s knockoff of iTunes is free, is open-source, and sup-
★ HALL OF FAME ★ ports just about every kind of music file you can imagine. You can even download
iTunes www.apple.com/itunes MP3s that are embedded on Web sites to your permanent collection. Extensions
Windows | Mac OS Do we have to explain add support for iPods and Web services.
iTunes as the (so far) ultimate media player
coupled with online store, and the primary
way to get media on an iPod or iPhone? Or
say that it plays most files—from music to is customizable (it heralded the age of background, but SpiderOak goes Mozy
video to games to podcasts—save (unsur- “skins” on software) and also comes in one better by supporting Linux.
prisingly) Windows Media formats? Prob- multiple versions, including one that
ably not. works with CDs. SyncToy v2.0
www.microsoft.com/downloads
Mojo www.deusty.com Backup Windows This so-called PowerToy from
Windows | Mac OS When you and some Microsoft has the power to make sure that
friends install Mojo, you’re ready for a DriveImage XML www.runtime.org the folders across your multiple drives or
unique sharing experience. Browsing Windows Make a replica—an image—of even your home network stay fully syn-
and downloading MP3s from each other’s your entire hard drive for easy backup and chronized.
iTunes music libraries is suddenly a very restore later.
easy proposition. If it’s a DRM file from SyncBack Freeware
the iTunes store, Mojo highlights it in red MozBackup mozbackup.jasnapaka.com www.2brightsparks.com/freeware
so you won’t be bothered trying. Windows If you’re a big user of Mozilla Windows Set all the parameters and Sync­
products—including Firefox, Thunder- Back will handle synchronization or
Screamer Radio www.screamer-radio.com bird, and SeaMonkey, as well as Flock and backup between folders, FTP sites, or ZIP
Windows You can download an app or run Netscape—use MozBackup to store your archives.
it from the Web, but either way, Screamer hard-earned settings and data like book-
Radio accesses and lets you record Inter- marks and e-mail messages. Blogging
net radio in a number of streaming audio
formats (Shoutcast, Icecast, Ogg Vorbis, MozyHome Free www.mozy.com ScribeFire www.scribefire.com
WMA, and AAC). Windows | Mac OS Don’t even think about Windows | Mac OS | Linux This add-on for
backing up: MozyHome will do it for you, in Firefox is a perfect tool for posting entries
WavePad Sound Editor the background, for up to 2GB of data (you to just about any blogging software or ser-
www.nch.com.au/wavepad can pay to get unlimited space). Perfect for vice in existence.
WavePad puts all the
Windows | Mac OS | Linux office docs, but you’ll want to pay for more
usual bells and whistles of audio editing storage to back up pictures, music, or vid- TweetDeck www.tweetdeck.com
and effects at your fingertips. eos. Soon it will sync between PCs, too. Windows | Mac OS | Linux Don’t restrict Twit-
ter to just a column when this Adobe Air–
★ HALL OF FAME ★ SpiderOak www.spideroak.com based software can spread itself across
Winamp www.winamp.com It’s another 2GB of
Windows | Mac OS | Linux your desktop with multiple columns. Each
Windows Still a primo MP3 player, Winamp free online storage that backs up in the column can contain replies, direct mes-

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 29


sages, or whatever you specify. As with Flock 2 www.flock.com OperaTor
any tweet tool, the columns auto-update Windows | Mac OS | Linux Flock 2 stresses the archetwist.com/en/opera/operator
as new tweets arrive. And TweetDeck social along with surfing, integrating fea- Windows Combine the portable version of
stores all tweets that arrive while the app tures like RSS reading and Twitter and Opera with the anonymizing service Tor
is running so you don’t miss anything media access right into the browser. Since (The Onion Router) and you get OperaTor,
overnight. it’s based on Firefox, it can also use many a bundle (including Polipo as a proxy) that
of the same extensions. keeps your surfing secret.
Twitteriffic For our full review, click here.
www.iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific Safari www.apple.com/safari
Mac OS| MobileA small desktop footprint is ★ HALL OF FAME ★ Windows | Mac OS Fast page load times are a
the hallmark of this reverse-type Twitter Firefox www.mozilla.com hallmark of this browser, the default for
app, which is great for reading and post- Can’t wait for
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Mobile Mac installations and also available for
ing to the popular microblogging service. the free update to IE 8, which promises Windows. Safari offered private browsing
All the features you expect, and more, are an enhanced address bar and upgraded before it was cool.
there—even in the free version, which privacy protections? In the meantime use For our full review, click here.
includes advertisements. our favorite browser. Firefox is beholden
to no one and extensible to the nth degree. Calendar/PIMs
Zoundry Raven www.zoundryraven.com Upcoming versions will offer far more
Windows Finally, standalone software that security and superfast JavaScript to make 30 Boxes www.30boxes.com
gives Windows Live Writer some serious the browsing experience even better. Web An online calendar that actually looks
competition for the pro bloggers. It han- For our full review, click here. like a calendar. The buddies feature makes
dles full WYSIWYG editing on multiple sharing schedules and to-dos a breeze.
blogs and can run portably from a USB FoxReplace
flash drive to use with any Windows PC. code.google.com/p/foxreplace Calgoo Calendar
If you work in a lot
Windows | Mac OS | Linux www.calgoo.com/calendar
twhirl www.twhirl.org of Web forms or Web apps like Google Windows | Mac OS | Linux Think of Calgoo as
Windows | Mac OS A desktop interface for Docs, this Firefox add-on is a must-have. It one calendar app to rule them all: The soft-
Twitter, twhirl requires Adobe AIR to run can search and replace text in Web pages ware provides desktop access to Google
but makes it infinitely easier to keep up quickly and easily. Calendar and 30 Boxes, and syncs data
with tweets and/or twits. with Outlook and Apple iCal.
Google Chrome
Ustream.tv www.ustream.tv www.google.com/chrome Doomi doominow.com
Web Still the best way to broadcast your- Windows Everyone pays attention to what Windows This simple to-do list app requires
self, live, across the Web. All you need is Google does, so when the company made Adobe Air to run, and floats on your screen
the webcam. a Web browser, the world noticed. And or rests in the system tray—the very model
for good reason: This streamlined, fast, of an unobtrusive application. Future plans
WordPress.com www.wordpress.com secure software has true potential in the include syncing with an online to-do list.
Web You could install WordPress on your browser wars.
servers, or go right to this commercial, For our full review, click here. Google Calendar
hosted site and set up a professional-look- www.google.com/calendar
ing blog in no time. ★ HALL OF FAME ★ Web | MobileWith multiple views, simple
For our full review, click here. Internet Explorer 8 Beta www.microsoft sharing, and seamless integration with
.com/windows/internet-explorer other Google products, Google’s calendar,
Windows Live Writer Windows This is a freebie you’re probably like most of its Web apps, stands a notch
get.live.com/writer/overview already using in some form, as IE is the above the rest.
Windows This desktop software for blog most-used Web browser in the world. The For our full review, click here.
posting is a favorite with the pros who latest beta adds fantastic (if overdue) fea-
want a WYSIWYG editor that also posts tures such as a stealth mode, better perfor- Lightning
photos, maps, and other content. mance, and the ability to subscribe to “Web www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning
slices” that are just parts of a full Web page. Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Solaris | OS2 Mozilla’s
Browsers calendar add-on for Thunderbird gives the
Opera www.opera.com e-mail client all it needs to take on all the
Camino caminobrowser.org Opera can
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Mobile features of Microsoft Outlook.
Mac OS We know; you love Firefox but just claim many “firsts”—tabs, speed dial, and
wish it was a little more . . . Mac-ish. Camino more—and some say it’s the best. At the Chandler chandlerproject.org
solves that issue, offering “Mozilla power, least, it’s a fast browser with a presence An open-source, shar-
Windows | Mac OS | Linux
Mac style.” It has full support of Mac OS’s available on just about any device in your able desktop to-do master, Chandler looks
Keychain, AppleScript, and all the typical digital arsenal. vaguely Outlook-esque, but it doesn’t
Firefox goodies. For our full review, click here. worry about communications—just tasks

30 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


Communication/e-mail

for those embracing the “getting things


done” lifestyle.

Remember The Milk


www.rememberthemilk.com
Web | Mobile This power to-do list site gives
you many ways to get reminders (e-mail,
SMS, IM) and even more ways to create
them, from Google widgets to phone calls
to IM bots.

Remember The Task


www.jashsayani.com/my-softwares
Windows | Mac OS | Linux This Adobe Air–based Zenbe www.zenbe.com
app puts a small window on your desktop Web Zenbe is a multi-account, Internet-based interface to check Yahoo Mail,
with one fantastic purpose: full-time access Gmail, AOL, Windows Live, and POP3 messages. It throws in a shareable calendar,
to your Remember The Milk task list. an address book, and other tools to make it extra-useful.

TaskFive www.taskfive.com
Web Just five tasks a day? Take it as a chal-
lenge, not a limitation. TaskFive sports an Google Contacts RSS feeds or plan your calendar.
elegant calendar interface, and you can hogi.a.orn.jp/en/gmcont.html For our full review, click here.
enter tasks via Web, e-mail, or text mes- Windows This extension for Thunderbird
sage. Team to-dos will cost you, however. does one thing you need: It synchro- Yahoo Mail mail.yahoo.com
nizes contacts between Thunderbird and Web Our webmail Editors’ Choice embeds
Yahoo Calendar calendar.yahoo.com Google’s Gmail. the Yahoo Messenger IM and RSS reader,
Web An old-timer compared with many, works on the Web with any browser or
Yahoo Calendar doesn’t innovate a lot but iContact www.dataload.com/icontact operating system, and has more features
provides solid features, shareable calen- Windows Accessing your Gmail contacts is than anyone could hope to master.
dars, and synchronization with Outlook. all the easier with iContact. This app dis- For our full review, click here.
plays the normally browser-accessible-
Communication/E-Mail only list on your desktop and integrates Conferencing
those contacts into other communications
Affixa www.affixa.com software, like Skype. Dabbleboard www.dabbleboard.com
Windows Usually, with webmail, you have Web As simple as any whiteboard in a con-
to put attachments on a message after the Simple Mail ference room, Dabbleboard’s online app
fact. Affixa does it automatically when you www.userlogos.org/extensions/simplemail brings drawing and some real-time col-
select a file, or from within other apps like Windows | Mac OS | LinuxIf you already have laboration to your group.
MS Word. Building on its predecessors, Firefox open all the time, why not have one
gAttach and yAttach, Affixa works with of those tabs just for mail? The Simple Mail SightSpeed www.sightspeed.com
both Gmail and Yahoo Mail. add-on puts a POP3/IMAP client right Now owned by Logitech,
Windows | Mac OS
inside the browser. SightSpeed provides one-on-one video
eM Client www.emclient.com chat with unparalleled video quality, but
Windows Anyone familiar with Outlook ★ HALL OF FAME ★ more than two users at a time will cost you.
or Thunderbird can master the basics of Thunderbird For our full review, click here.
using eM Client freeware in no time. It www.mozilla.com/thunderbird
already syncs with Google Calendar, and Windows | Mac OS | Linux The Internet’s top Skype www.skype.com
future developments will integrate social e-mail client from Mozilla is (of course) Windows | Mac OS | Linux Easy to use for phone
networks and IMs with your e-mail. extensible, but even without add-ons calls (free between Skype users, with a
Thunderbird is simple-to-master software minimal charge to call other phones),
Gmail www.gmail.com for anyone with a POP3 or IMAP e-mail Skype truly shines when paired with a
Web | MobileThe current bellwether in Web- account. high-end webcam so that you can see your
based e-mail is still in beta, but Google con- For our full review, click here. friends and family.
tinues to innovate with additions via the For our full review, click here.
Gmail Labs. The searchable and increas- Windows Live Mail get.live.com
ing storage (up to 7GB now, from 5.5GB Windows Outlook Express has been trans- Tokbox www.tokbox.com
last year) doesn’t hurt. New themes make formed into the modern-day Live Mail, Web The Tokbox service turns your AIM
it pretty. And you can use it to IM or send ready to check POP3, IMAP, and webmail buddy list into a videoconferencing buddy
SMS text messages to friends’ phones. accounts when you’re not using it to read list directly in your browser. Separate apps

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 31


make it work through Facebook or on your
desktop. You provide the camera. File Viewers/Converters Finance
For our full review, click here.
★ HALL OF FAME ★ Billeo www.billeo.com
File Transfer/Download Adobe Reader www.adobe.com/reader Windows Install the Billeo toolbar on your
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Mobile Adobe’s PDF Web browser and add your accounts and
CrossFTP www.crossftp.com reader is far from basic, with a number of you’ll get fast access to assistance with
Built on Java, Cross-
Windows | Mac OS | Linux extra features including online collabora- online shopping, online bill payment, and
FTP works and looks the same, no mat- tion tools. reports on your spending.
ter which OS you run. It features tabs for For our full review, click here.
each connection, support for archives, and Foxit Reader www.foxitsoftware.com
drag-and-drop transfer, and it comes in a Windows | Linux | Mobile Frequently preferred Buxfer www.buxfer.com
free server version, too. over Adobe’s own reader for PDFs, Foxit Web | Mobile Sign up (or use an existing
has a reputation for speed. What’s more, it AOL, Facebook, Google, OpenID, or Yahoo
DownThemAll www.downthemall.net can annotate files. account) to get started with tracking
Windows | Mac OS | Linux Don’t download just shared expenses, so divvying up the bills at
one item at a time from a Web page. As the PeaZip peazip.sourceforge.net the end of the month becomes a breeze.
name implies, this download manager for Windows | Linux It’ll create ZIPs, 7Zs, TARs,
Firefox handles them all. ARCs, and more; it’ll open those and many Mint www.mint.com
other archives too, including RAR. PeaZip Web Mint manages your money by sucking
Filezilla www.filezilla-project.org can do so with AES encryption of your files in data from all your bank, credit card, and
Windows | Mac OS | Linux Slick and simple FTP and can even split or join extra-large files other accounts, providing you with regular
that does the job, complete with drag-and- to make them easier to transport. reports on what you’re spending and how
drop from local to remote or vice versa. to save.
Sumatra PDF For our full review, click here.
FireFTP fireftp.mozdev.org blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf
Windows | Mac OS | Linux Because it’s a plug-in Windows The perfect PDF reader for the Wesabe www.wesabe.com
for Firefox, FireFTP behaves like any other minimalist, with a super-simple interface Windows | Mac OS | Web “Part money man-
tab in the browser, so you don’t have to and fast start-up time. Sumatra is perfect to agement tool, part community,” where
launch another app to transfer files. carry on a USB thumb drive. info—your comments about your spend-
ing—is shared (anonymously) with the
Halite www.binarynotions.com/ Quick Media Converter (QMC) group so everyone can find value. Of
halite-bittorrent-client www.cocoonsoftware.com course, ­Wesabe also helps track your
Windows Instead of downloading an entire Windows If you frequently find yourself spending and income.
file, apps using the super-popular BitTor- converting audio or video files to different
rent protocol break files into chunks and formats, keep this tool handy for (as the Fun/Home
distribute them among several users. Free, name suggests) quick media conversion
open-source application Halite is a BitTor- to an impressive range of potential for- eBay Desktop desktop.ebay.com
rent client focused on using the smallest mats and codecs. Windows | Mac OSThis app, which requires
memory footprint as possible. Adobe Air, looks like eBay replicated on
WinRAR www.rarlab.com your desktop. But for power buyers it
net2ftp www.net2ftp.com Windows We all know about compressing adds special functions, like not needing to
Web If you sit at a computer with no FTP files with ZIP, but RAR is also quite popu- refresh the page and a clock synchronized
software but need to upload a file, stat, this lar; WinRAR will compress or decompress with eBay’s own.
Web app comes to your rescue quickly as files in both.
long as you have the server, username, and Geni.com www.geni.com
password information. YemuZip www.yellowmug.com/yemuzip Web There’s no easier place to plug in your
Mac OS Sometimes unzipping a compressed family tree, and since it’s a Web app it’s
Rightload www.rightload.org file on the Mac makes a mess. YemuZip easy to share such info with the rest of the
Windows Send a file to preconfigured FTP makes archiving and decompressing a family so that they can fill in the gaps.
servers anytime you want with a simple simple drag-and-drop procedure.
right click. Rightload adds just a single line Google Earth earth.google.com
to the context menu, with fly-out menus Zamzar www.zamzar.com Windows | Mac OS | Linux If you like Google
for each FTP server you want. Web Upload just about any file (under Maps online, welcome to that same kind
100MB) and you can convert it to just of action on steroids. You can traverse the
uTorrent www.utorrent.com about any format that makes sense. This globe on its interlocking satellite images,
Windows Still the best—and smallest—Bit- very cool tool even grabs online videos or reverse it and look skyward, even travel
Torrent client in existence, uTorrent will from YouTube and turns them into files to the past. Third-party add-ons continue
have you downloading big files in no time. you can use. to extend Google Earth’s capabilities

32 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


graphics

beyond what our puny terrestrial minds


can imagine.
For our full review, click here.

Home Inventory www.knowyourstuff.org


Windows | Mac OS Insurance companies ask
you to inventory your possessions prior to
signing up for a homeowner’s or renter’s
policy. Create a home inventory of every-
thing you own on this site, a service of
the Insurance Information Institute, and
throw in digital pictures or even scanned
purchase receipts to make sure what’s
yours is yours.

Penzu www.penzu.com
Web Hard to believe that in the age of blog-
ging, some people still want journals and
diaries they keep to themselves. Penzu is
all about making that happen, online, with
privacy as the first priority. Paint.NET www.getpaint.net
Windows This student project turned freeware masterpiece puts the power of
Springpad www.springpadit.com higher-end graphics editors in anyone’s hands.
Web Manage your life tasks with online
notebooks filled with lists, photos, notes,
and maps/directions you can share with
the whole family. Perfect for tracking images in ways specific to social networks latest IrfanView (version 4.20) received
receipts, planning meals or trips, and get- and mobile handsets. a nice cosmetic update. It also supports
ting your house organized. instant video and audio playback.
FastStone Image Viewer For our full review, click here.
Timetoast www.timetoast.com www.faststone.org
Web Ever wanted to create a timeline for Windows Another image browser and con- Pencil www.les-stooges.org/pascal/pencil
your site or a presentation, but couldn’t verter that handles almost any file type, Windows | Mac OS | Linux For the budding
decide what tool would best display the FastStone also has companion programs, Chuck Jones at home, Pencil is a free way
data? Wonder no more, as Timetoast adds like the handy Photo Resizer, complete to get started in the world of traditional 2D
this useful data with an attractive flair. with a fast batch processor. animation—that is, draw each frame anew.

Graphics ★ HALL OF FAME ★ Picasa picasa.google.com


GIMP www.gimp.org Windows | Linux Few free programs come
Artweaver www.artweaver.de Windows | Mac OS | Linux close to handling photos with the skill
Windows If you want the freedom to paint, GNU Image Manipulation Program of Picasa. Organize them, do quick edits
without the mess and without paying $359 (GIMP) has provided Photoshop-like tools (including red-eye reduction), and share
for Corel Painter X, Artweaver is a good at no charge for over a decade. pics online or e-mail them to friends.
starter tool for artists. For our full review, click here. For our full review, click here.

DestroyFlickr www.destroytoday.com/ Google SketchUp sketchup.google.com MobaPhoto mobaphoto-en.mobatek.net


?p=Project&id=DestroyFlickr Windows | Mac OS If you’re new to 3D but Windows Portability is the key here. This
Windows This Adobe Air app puts Flickr want to build worlds anyway, a free tool lightweight photo editor (only 1.6MB) puts
on your desktop, but with a completely like SketchUp is a great place to start; the photographs into great-looking photo gal-
different interface. Why “destroy”? In the latest version includes “self-aware” 3D leries. Naturally, it has all the usual tools
words of app creator Jonnie Hallman, “To models so the app knows, for example, to you need to fix red-eye, crop, and resize. It
destroy today is to make the most of the resize a virtual staircase by adding more will even batch-process images.
day—destruction as a form of creation.” stairs and extend a virtual fence by adding
more slats. Photoshop Express
flauntR www.flauntr.com For our full review, click here. www.photoshop.com/express
Web This online photo editor integrates Web It lacks the full power of Photoshop
with just about any picture service you can IrfanView www.irfanview.com on the Web, but it does offer rudimentary
imagine, including Facebook and Flickr, Windows Perhaps the ultimate image viewer editing, basic photo sharing, and 2GB of
and offers a suite of tools to manipulate (with some editing tools thrown in), the storage for your photos. Partnerships with

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 33


sites like Picasa and Facebook make Photo­ Dexrex www.dexrex.com ting you output a PDF without the blank
shop Express fun as well as useful. This add-on records
Windows | Mac OS | Mobile sheets. A tree somewhere out there will
For our full review, click here. your IM conversation transcripts and thank you.
stores them online for later reading and For our full review, click here.
Photosynth www.photosynth.com analysis. It works with AIM, Digsby, Yahoo
Web Photosynth does so many unique Messenger, and many others. muCommander
things with photos that we gave it a Tech- www.mucommander.com
nical Excellence award. It takes multiple Meebo www.meebo.com Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Mobile muCom-
photos, finds where they overlap, and cre- Web | Mobile When you want to avoid install- mander is unique: It’s a file manager that
ates an almost 3D image; it can even make ing software but still want to chat on all looks the same on all operating systems. A
a 3D replica of an object from shots at mul- the major IM networks, Meebo is your site standard dual-pane, it also has support for
tiple angles. of choice. Sign up for a Meebo account to archived files, FTPs, and previews files.
access multiple IM networks all at once
Picnik www.picnik.com and log all conversations. PlacesBar Tweaker
Web Picnik is the gold standard in online For our full review, click here. www.ioisland.com/placesbar
image editing these days: It fixes photos Windows Every time you open or save a file
without confusing users and works with a Interface Enhancers in Windows XP, the dialog box gives you
number of photo-sharing sites. And best of a few select options, like Desktop or My
all, you don’t have to register to get started AccelMan File Manager Documents, to choose from in the Places
using it—unless you want to save images www.flexigensoft.com/accelman bar. You can personalize that list with this
online. Windows As much a file viewer as a file tweaker, putting your most used folders in
For our full review, click here. manager, AccelMan has multiple win- the lineup.
dows that offer info galore on each file and
Pictomio www.pictomio.com its contents. The app can even play back RBTray moitah.net
Windows Handling all your photos with media files when you don’t want to launch Windows RBTray does one thing and does it
a simple but powerful interface, Picto- another player. well: It enables you to minimize any appli-
mio browses in many styles—including cation you like to the system tray as an icon
a carousel mode similar to iTunes’ Cover Desktops technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ rather than as a taskbar button, without
Flow, which benefits from a good 3D video sysinternals/cc817881.aspx even doing a full install (RBTray can run
card. Pictomio organizes shots and cre- Windows Desktops is a virtual desktop man- from a thumb drive).
ates instant slideshows. It will even handle ager in a small package; the app is only a
audio and video. 62K download. Personalize hotkeys for StandaloneStack
quick switches between desktops. www.chrisnsoft.com/standalonestack
Splashup www.splashup.com Windows Mac OS X Leopard introduced
Web You don’t even need to sign up to get DExposE2 cool towers of icons to the interface, with
instant access to this Flash-based image devrexster.googlepages.com/dexpose2 shortcuts to frequently accessed fold-
editor with all the features (and more) that Windows This app is a Windows clone of the ers, called stacks. Now you can put those
you’d find in a downloadable app. Mac interface treat Exposé, which makes stacks in Windows as well. There’s even
opening and closing apps and getting to an add-on to help you put stacks on the
SUMO Paint www.sumo.fi/web the desktop a fast process. Windows XP RocketDock launcher.
Web Not every Web-based image editor and Vista users can also set up DExposE2
can claim to be high-end, but SUMO can, to work on multiple monitors. Start++ www.brandontools.com/content/
by carefully mimicking the look and feel of StartPlusPlus.aspx
Photoshop—maybe a little too well. Try it Emerge Desktop emergedesktop.org Windows A nice addition in Vista to the
before this free Flash app gets sued out of Windows So you think the Windows desk- Windows environment was the Start
existence by Adobe. top looks too busy with that system tray, Menu’s search box. Start++ turbocharges it
taskbar, and Start button? You’re not alone. with extras like online searches that post
IMs EmergeDesktop does away with them all, results in the menu, and its own set of wid-
replacing the Windows shell (the inter- gets and plug-ins (one option, for example,
★ HALL OF FAME ★ face, that is) with its minuscule emerge- is displaying the weather).
AIM www.aim.com Tray. Launch apps with a right click, or
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Web | Mobile AOL’s couple Emerge Desktop with a launcher TrayEverything www.winapizone.net/
Instant Messenger is the most-used net- like ObjectDock. software/trayeverything
work in the U.S., and the software—only Windows You’ve got a lot of applications
the Windows version gets regular updates GreenPrint www.printgreener.com open, but only so much space in your Task-
these days—packs in as much as possible. Windows | Mac OS Stop printing that extra bar . . . so why not minimize them directly
You can access the AIM network with just blank page when you need a hard copy of a to the system tray on the lower right-hand
about any multi-protocol IM software. Web page, or for any printout for that mat- side of your screen? TrayEverything will
For our full review, click here. ter. GreenPrint saves the paper, even let- do it for you.

34 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


ims

UltraExplorer
www.mustangpeak.net/ultraexplorer.html
Windows Another replacement for Win-
dows Explorer, UltraExplorer stands out
by sporting a command-line interface to
go with the dual-pane view of files. And
it offers a preview window, so you can
quickly check the contents of a file before
opening it.

Yahoo Widgets widgets.yahoo.com


Windows | Mac OS The world’s biggest col-
lection of widgets—more than 5,000 of
the things—is yours through Yahoo. Some
widgets, obviously, are more useful than
others, but with the right combination,
your desktop can be an information power­
house.
Digsby www.digsby.com
Local Search Windows Brand new this year, Digsby may be the ultimate way to stay in real-
time touch with friends. It incorporates multiple IM networks, social networks
Google Desktop desktop.google.com (including Twitter), and e-mail and webmail notifications. You can even send
Windows | Mac OS | Linux Put the power of mail through Digsby. Mac OS and Linux versions are promised soon.
Google’s search engine to work on finding
your own files. The software indexes in the
background, while in the foreground you
get to put all the Google Gadgets (widgets) EtherPad etherpad.com Incollector
you like on your desktop. Web You don’t even have to sign up to cre- www.incollector.devnull.pl
For our full review, click here. ate a new pad, a shareable text document Windows | Linux Note-taking doesn’t have to
stored online for you by EtherPad. Don’t hog the whole desktop, or even the whole
Everything www.voidtools.com expect fancy formatting, but do expect browser window. Incollector runs in the
Windows Don’t need the extras? Everything real-time, color-coded editing between all background, letting you call up a new note
really does just one thing in its small pack- collaborators. page from the system tray when you want,
age: It indexes your PC in real time for tag it, and easily find it later.
lightning-fast search. Evernote www.evernote.com
Windows | Mac OS | Mobile | Web Take a clipping Jarte www.jarte.com
Locate32 www.locate32.net of anything you see—online or off—for Wi n d ows No one loves the Notepad
Windows The Locate32 project is all about later reference. Built-in OCR makes text included in Windows, and there are many
indexing the contents of your hard drives inside images searchable. replacements out there. Jarte does most of
and other storage to run fast finds on local them one better, because it is completely
data. GMDesk self-contained and also portable—the best
www.robertnyman.com/gmdesk/ part of Jarte is that you can run it from a
Office Windows Bring Google’s Web apps to the thumb drive!
desktop with this site-specific browser
Adobe Buzzword www.buzzword.com interface that requires Adobe Air. You’ll KompoZer www.kompozer.net
Web This online-only word processor has have access to Gmail, Google Reader, Windows | Mac OS | Linux This free WYSIWYG
one of the best-looking minimalist inter- and Google Docs just as you would in a Web page authoring package builds on the
faces going, since it was built entirely with browser, but GMDesk stays alive when abandoned Nvu project. It supports CSS,
Adobe Flash, and each page looks as good your browser crashes. file management (including FTP), and tabs
as any formatted in Word. for multiple pages.
For our full review, click here. Google Docs docs.google.com
Web | Mobile If you’re ready to move your Lotus Symphony symphony.lotus.com
blist www.blist.com work life to the cloud, Google’s word pro- Windows | Mac OS | Linux IBM’s entry into the
Web Web lists (aka “blists”) are little data- cessor, spreadsheet, and presentation suite world of office suites is based on Open­
bases for all your data needs. The Flash is ready for you, and comes complete with Office and is currently in beta for Mac
interface makes this fast for newbies and storage for all of your docs. It also comes and Linux. It covers the three big suite
powerful enough for everyone else. You with forms you can fill out to gather data tools: word processing, presentations, and
can even put your blists on your blog or from outside. spreadsheets.
social-network pages. For our full review, click here. For our full review, click here.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 35


LucidChart www.lucidchart.com in Excel? Visualize the same data through Axence NetTools
Web Why make flowcharts complicated? Widgenie and create a beautiful graph www.axencesoftware.com
This Web app goes back to basics with widget, even one with animation, that you Windows Want a quick look at everything
simple, black-and-white charts that any- can share online. Text clouds, artful pre- that’s happening on your home network?
one can make—and better yet, anyone else sentations of the most popular words on NetTools scans the network and reports
can easily understand. a page, are always a favorite with bloggers. back on what ports are in use, and the
inbound and outbound connections. You
NeoOffice www.neooffice.com Zoho www.zoho.com can use it to test your networking connec-
Mac OS NeoOffice comes with most of the Web | Mobile If there’s a tool in the arsenal tions over TCP or UDP protocols.
same tools as the Mac version of Open­ of office suites that Zoho doesn’t include,
Office but carries a more Apple-friendly we can’t think of it. Not all the Web apps are GBridge www.gbridge.com
look and feel. free, but those that are—word processor, Windows GBridge allows you to set up a rel-
spreadsheet tool, presentation app, mail, atively painless VPN between computers
★ HALL OF FAME ★ wiki, and many more—all bring the goods. for sharing and syncing files and folders,
Notepad++ For our full review, click here. using your Google account as the connec-
notepad-plus.sourceforge.net tion point (though Gbridge is not affiliated
Windows Notepad++ is the standard by Operating Systems with Google).
which all replacements for Notepad—that
weak little app that comes with Win- gOS 3.0 Gadgets www.thinkgos.com InSSIDer
dows—are measured. It sports full text Linux With its emphasis on easy access www.metageek.net/products/inssider
styles, tabs, drag-and-drop, and super- to tools from Google, it’s easy to see why Windows Taking up where the venerable
speed and is suitable for any coding or some think of this lightweight Linux— NetStumbler left off, InSSIDer is a Wi-Fi
writing you can throw at it. renowned for powering cheap PCs from network scanner that runs under Vista and
Wal-Mart—as the Google OS. XP—even the 64-bit versions. You can use
★ HALL OF FAME ★ it to find out what’s wrong with local 802.11
OpenOffice www.openoffice.org pure:dyne networks.
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Solaris Version 3 of code.goto10.org/projects/puredyne
the freebie office suite ups the ante against LinuxConsider this the creative Linux dis- LogMeIn Hamachi secure.logmein.com
Microsoft’s hegemony, becoming fast and tro: Boot just about any Intel PC (even Set up a secure tunnel
Windows | Mac OS | Linux
polished enough to warrant serious con- MacBooks) from a Live CD with pure: between two PCs using a virtual private
sideration by all, especially small busi- dyne, and you’ll get instant access to free network (VPN), just like the ones the pros
nesses. It looks like MS Office 2003 (for tools for editing audio, video, and images use to access the server at work. Only this
those not in love with the Ribbon inter- (many already in this story). one is free.
face in Office 2007) and has all the tools— For our full review, click here.
except e-mail—you’ll ever need. ★ HALL OF FAME ★

For our full review, click here. Ubuntu www.ubuntu.com NetSetMan www.netsetman.com
Linux The easiest Linux to install, now in Windows Stop using Vista’s convoluted
SlideRocket www.sliderocket.com version 8.10 (aka “Intrepid Ibex”), not only interface to change network settings. Net-
Web Promising more than PowerPoint and is suitable for (somewhat knowledgeable) SetMan takes over and creates profiles for
Keynote is bold, but this Web-only presen- consumers but also comes with all the soft- different networks you might connect with,
tation tool seems to deliver, with amazing ware you need to be productive. changing your need for static or dynamic
animations, support for embedded video, For our full review, click here. IPs, or hostnames or workgroups, on the
and 3D transitions between slides. fly. If you’ve got multiple network cards,
Networking NetSetMan is a huge help.
SoftMaker Office 2006
www.softmakeroffice.com AirSnare Network Notepad
Windows This free version is meant to home.comcast.net/~jay.deboer/airsnare www.networknotepad.com
entice you to upgrade to the 2008 version, Windows Turn your Wi-Fi–equipped laptop Windows It’s more than a notepad: This soft-
but if all you need is basic text editing and a into an info sniffer. AirSnare pulls down ware is specific to creating flowcharts of
spreadsheet, you’re set. info on computers and game consoles and your network layout. Put in the IP address
just about any device on the network, even for each device and you can use the inter-
Springnote www.springnote.com delivering devices’ MAC addresses. face to quickly ping devices to confirm
Web | MobileWhether you want a personal they’re online.
notebook or a shareable group notebook, AirRadar
this wiki-based note-taking site could give www.koingosw.com/products/airradar.php PrinterAnywhere
Microsoft’s OneNote a run for its money. Mac OS AirRadar goes beyond what the Wi- www.printeranywhere.com
Fi utility in Mac OS X can do by showing Windows | Mac OS | LinuxWhy print just
Widgenie www.widgenie.com extras like signal strength and the 802.11 to your printer? PrinterAnywhere lets
Web Sick of making meh-looking graphs network’s channel. you print to any printer on the Internet

36 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


video

(through another PC with PrinterAny-


where installed), or you can open your
printer to others.

RSS Readers

Google Reader reader.google.com


Web | Mobile After three years, Google’s RSS
feed reader is tops, not only mimicking the
best of what desktop readers can do but
also mashing up nicely with other Google
services, like the iGoogle home page.
For our full review, click here.

Netvibes www.netvibes.com
Web A personalized start page with an VLC media player www.videolan.org/vlc
emphasis on widgets and feed readers, Windows | Mac OS | Linux VideoLAN’s open-source software plays back­—well, just
Netvibes also aggregates podcasts for you. about everything. It can also serve up streaming video and music to other PCs on
For our full review, click here. your network.

FeedDemon www.newsgator.com/
Individuals/FeedDemon
Windows The preeminent desktop news- Windows Live Sync sync.live.com audio to go with it, into a movie, suitable
reader for Windows was recently over- The replacement for
Windows | Mac OS | Web for future demonstrations.
hauled to be faster and easier, while FolderShare continues to do one thing and
remaining extremely customizable to suit do it well: sync folders (up to 20) across HandBrake www.handbrake.fr
how you read feeds. multiple PCs over the Internet. Windows | Mac OS | Linux Want to back up all
For our full review, click here. those DVDs you own before they get
Windows Live Mesh www.mesh.com scratched? This open-source tool does full
NetNewsWire www.newsgator.com/ Windows | Mac OS | Mobile | Web Microsoft’s DVD-to-MPEG-4 conversion, which you
individuals/netnewswire latest method for syncing folders on dif- can play back later on media centers, even
Mac OS | Mobile FeedDemon’s sibling on the ferent PCs goes FolderShare one better the Apple TV.
Macintosh platform has updated its inter- by including 5GB of online storage acces-
face and more. It now integrates with sev- sible from any PC, plus the ability to mesh Miro www.getmiro.com
eral other Mac apps like iCal and iPhoto to special collaborative applications (like a Miro’s a video player
Windows | Mac OS | Linux
help you share as well as read. group crossword puzzle!). that promises to play back just about any
video media file, organize files in playlists,
RSS Bandit rssbandit.org Syncplicity www.syncplicity.com and incorporate BitTorrent downloading
Windows Directly sync this reader with your Windows | Mobile | Web Synchronize up to to become a de facto PC-based TiVo.
online feeds at Google Reader or News­ 10,000 files (or 2GB, whichever comes
Gator Online. You’ll get fast browsing on first) on up to two computers free. Sign up TipCam www.utipu.com/app
the desktop but still have access to your friends and you can add another 1GB per Windows Another cool tool for captur-
feeds over the Web using other PCs. new user recruited. ing videos of your desktop, TipCam lets
you take big, beautiful videos (up to 800
Snarfer www.snarfware.com Mozilla Weave services.mozilla.com by 600 pixels). You can even zoom in on
Windows It won’t win awards for visual Windows | Mac OS | Linux A product of Mozilla specifics and upload the videos directly
innovation, but Snarfer does provide sim- Labs, Weave is meant to synchronize any- to YouTube. Frequent users can get an
plicity. It’s arguably the best way to handle thing and everything related to Firefox account to store and display up to 250MB
straight-up RSS info gathering and read- among all the computers you use, plus of video.
ing, and it’s available in over 20 languages. extend some features to others for sharing.
Registration is closed as of this writing but Want More?
Synchronization should be back soon. The festival of free software doesn’t have
to end! Skim through last year’s compila-
Dropbox www.getdropbox.com Video tion of free software, or take a look at these
Windows | Mac OS | Linux | Web One of the other app collections for various other
few sync/backup tools to support Linux CamStudio www.camstudio.org platforms.
(Fedora and Ubuntu), Dropbox always Windows This open-source program for • The Best Free Software ’08
gets kudos for its design and simple setup. capturing videos of your screen turns • Free iPhone apps
Online backup space is free for up to 2GB. what you do on your desktop, as well as the • 16th Annual Utility Guide

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 37


TM
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SPECIFICATIONS: 17” or 19” display | Intel® CoreTM 2 Quad CPU | Up to 4GB DDR2/667MHz | Up to 750GB SATA HDD | 2x1Gb
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© 2008 Cybernet Manufacturing, Inc. All rights reserved. The Cybernet logo is a trademark of Cybernet Manufacturing, Inc. Intel and Intel Core 2 Quad are trademarks of Intel Corporation,
or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Windows Vista is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
The Fastest ISPs in America
We polled tens of thousands of PC Mag readers across the country to find out which ISPs
and connection types yield the blazingest speeds. By Jeremy A. Kaplan and Erik Rhey
Price is typically one of the biggest con- in your area are as fast, affordable, and as How We Tested
siderations in choosing an Internet ser- customer-friendly as ISPs in other parts In this story, our goal was to compile an
vice provider (ISP). And obviously you of your state and the rest of the country? accurate, three-dimensional picture of the
can choose only what’s available in your If you have only advertising to go on, then country’s ISPs, using two key metrics: cus-
area. For some, especially those living in you should believe that your provider is tomer feedback and speed numbers from
the boonies, there is the painful reality of super fast, super cheap, super friendly, and user testing. To achieve this goal, we relied
having only one option. But in order to be generally much better than the competi- on an app we created called SurfSpeed, a
an informed consumer, shouldn’t you at tion. Of course, we know that in the real utility that grabs pages (and page elements)
least know whether the choices available world, that’s not always the case. from several popular Web sites to measure

Illustration by Maria Rendon MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 39


your actual Internet surfing speed—not the page. Each connection takes time, and that addresses)—over 200,000 individual tests.
bandwidth allocation your ISP quotes you. becomes a part of the SurfSpeed equation. We also crunched the numbers for each
Most of the line tests the ISPs use mea- This gives a unique measurement that state, because fast overall service doesn’t
sure speed by sending you large files and more accurately reflects how you spend 90 translate into fast local service. In all, we
seeing how long it takes you to download percent of your time on the Web: surfing or had over 2 million data points. The results
them. Your ISP then cites numbers based waiting for a page to load. By default, the from each user are compared with those of
on abstract mathematics—the number of utility runs once per hour, “browsing” to others in the same ZIP code, state, country,
users divided by the theoretical line speed. top sites like AOL, eBay, Google, MySpace, and the world. You can also see how your
Our approach is different, and our results Yahoo, and more. Note that the data came ISP compares with other ISPs around the
will differ, in some cases dramatically, from from PC Mag readers, not the population country. And to complement our data, we
the number quoted by your ISP. Just like a as a whole. Over a period of two months, took population figures from the U.S. gov-
real browser, SurfSpeed initiates multiple we pored over data collected from more ernment’s 2007 census estimates (the most
connections to get all of the elements of a than 17,000 profiles (that is, unique IP recent data available).

40 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


No matter how fast your connection, application, which includes a five-item Comparing Connection Speeds
occasionally sites won’t be available, pages satisfaction index. We aggregated peo- Our conclusion regarding speed is prob-
won’t load properly, or downloads will take ple who rated themselves as “Extremely ably not surprising to many. We found
an inordinately long time to arrive. For that Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” under the that fiber-optic service is by far the fastest
reason, our research department helped us category of “satisfied” users. Dissatisfied type available, with an average speed of
to identify “outliers” and clean the data so users include those who rated themselves 921 Kbps. This was 152 percent faster than
we could proceed with our analysis. When as either “Somewhat Satisfied” or “Not satellite and over 20 percent faster than
analyzing within a state, we considered Satisfied.” cable. Clearly, if you can switch up, you
only those ISPs and connection types for To determine the penetration of broad- should. The fiber market will only grow,
which we had at least five users. band connections into households, and too, as companies install more and more
The other part of the evaluation—cus- the average cost of those connections, we lines. According to the Telecommunica-
tomer satisfaction—is based on user- turned to Centris, which collects such data tions Industry Association’s 2008 Market
reported information in the SurfSpeed as part of its typical research. Review and Forecast, “During the next four

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 41


years, more fiber will be deployed than of the country (making service available found Optimum Online (Cablevision) and
during the so-called overbuilding years where there previously was none), its Cox to be the fastest, at 839 and 774 Kbps,
of the late 1990s and early 2000s.” Some of customers nonetheless suffer the slow- respectively. For DSL, Connecticut-based
the major fiber-optic carriers include the est speeds. With an average speed of 145 FrontierNet (724 Kbps) and Louisiana’s
well-publicized Verizon FiOS and lesser- Kbps, satellite is still faster than dial-up CenturyTel (520 Kbps) topped the list.
known regional carriers like Utah’s Mstar but doesn’t come close to even the next-
and New Mexico’s CityLink Fiber. slowest, DSL. Who Puts Customers First?
At the other end of the spectrum is sat- As for the connection types most of us Just because a certain ISP is fast, doesn’t
ellite. Although satellite providers such as use—cable and DSL—there is no longer mean all of its customers are happy. Surf-
the industry leader HughesNet and com- any debate. Cable is clearly faster, with an Speed asked users to rate their feelings
petitors like WildBlue have been a god- average speed of 735 Kbps, compared with about their ISPs on a scale from “Extremely
send for those in the farthest-flung regions DSL’s 476. Among cable providers, our tests satisfied” to “Not satisfied.” ISPs could be

42 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


doing better in the eyes of customers. In ers rating themselves as satisfied with the The Regional Picture
only three states did more than 50 percent service. The satellite provider HughesNet Analyzing gigantic geographic regions is
of users say they were satisfied with their was at the bottom, with a lowly 6 percent a difficult way to identify the fastest ISPs
Internet provider. Interestingly, the results of users saying they are satisfied. Among with any degree of scientific certainty.
closely coincided with those of our annual the cable providers, Optimum Online and For example, states in the West get online
Reader Satisfaction Survey. WOW (Wide Open West) Internet topped faster than anywhere else in the country, at
Still, surfing speed is a major part of the list. Cable customers tended to be 565 Kbps, and the South proved the slow-
the user experience, so it makes sense that satisfied with their service, more or less; est part of the country, at 551 Kbps. But the
users gave some of the fastest ISPs the most approval ratings hovered around 50 difference between those numbers, just 14
highest customer satisfaction ratings. For percent. It’s a different story with DSL. In Kbps, isn’t very meaningful.
example, Verizon FiOS had the highest that market, AT&T was the winner, with Analyzing results at the state level
rating of all, with 71 percent of its custom- only 38 percent satisfied. proves more interesting. As a rule, met-

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 43


Ranking the ISPs
To rate an ISP’s performance accurately, we based our results on two criteria: speed and customer satisfaction. As you can see,
Verizon’s fiber service is the big winner on speed and customer satisfaction, with satellite ISP HughesNet the big loser on both.

SurfSpeed Percentage of
Internet Service Provider 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
(Kbps) satisfied users
CABLE
Optimum Online (Cablevision) 839 62%
Cox 774 48%
Comcast 750 33%
Bright House 736 45%
Road Runner (Time Warner) 733 45%
Insight Broadband 717 51%
RCN 698 41%
Charter 641 29%
WOW Internet (Wide Open West) 638 57%
Mediacom Online 631 38%
Other cable 618 43%
Cable ONE 602 52%
EarthLink 565 46%
Average cable 688 45%
DSL
FrontierNet 724 20%
CenturyTel 520 16%
AT&T (including SBC Yahoo!) 502 38%
Verizon 469 29%
Other DSL 442 31%
Qwest 423 32%
BellSouth 413 36%
EarthLink 369 12%
Alltel 357 24%
Average DSL 469 27%
FIBER OPTIC
Verizon 931 71%
Other fiber optic 582 61%
Average fiber optic 582 61%
SATELLITE
HughesNet 121 6%
Other satellite 145 13%
Average satellite 121 6%

ropolitan areas are better cared for by According to Centris, New Jersey has Overall Results
Internet service providers. More densely the highest percentage of broadband pen- The top five states for speed are Nevada,
populated areas across the country etration, with a whopping 80.2 percent, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
reported better and faster service on our and speedy Nevada comes in second with Connecticut. At the bottom are New
test. So determining the overall speed of a 75.3 percent. In fact, broadband penetra- Mexico, Hawaii, Wyoming, Vermont, and
state means balancing data on how quickly tion was over 50 percent in more than half Iowa. The West proved to be the fastest
city residents get online and how effec- the country. But cost tells a different story: region, followed by the Midwest, North-
tively more rural areas are served. Folks from New Jersey pay a very low $33 east, and South. Some 24 states were above
Speed is only half the picture, however. on average for monthly broadband access, the national average for speed, with the
If half a state’s residents can’t even get but Nevadans pay nearly $40. Northeast having the most states in the
broadband access, how well served is the Does a price bump represent more top 10. Although a Western state won, the
state as a whole? Availability of broadband options, or is it simply a regional thing? West had the most states in the bottom
services is a gigantic factor in how fast According to David Klein, executive vice 10. Despite a significant rural population,
you get online, and the cost of that service president at Centris, “These findings are Virginia was the fastest state below the
also determines what percentage of area consistent with our view that competi- Mason-Dixon. And in the Midwest, the
residents can afford it. If it’s too expensive tion and market dynamics are driven by Cornhusker state of Nebraska topped that
and available in only half a state, the state’s the ability to deploy the fastest technolo- region’s list, thanks to users reporting tre-
overall speed rating will drop. To get the gies at the local level. We will likely see mendous speeds with Cox cable service—
full picture of Internet access across the even higher penetration rates and more 909 Kbps.
country, we turned to Centris, a research market-share changes as service provid- If you want to test your Internet con-
firm that collects information on the use of ers locally deploy new faster technologies nection using SurfSpeed, you can down-
voice, video, data, and electronic products such as DOCSIS 3.0 and universal wireless load the utility at www.pcmag.com/utilities.
and services. broadband.” Registration is required.

44 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


Solutions
problems solved this issue

48 At Work 53 Tips
• Explore the benefits of accounting • Create meetings in Outlook easily • Keep camera lenses clean
software • Clear print jobs without rebooting • Learn Blackberry, iPhone typing
• Make earphones last longer tricks
50 Office
• Get the right antenna for DTV • Eliminate inkjet printout smears
• Create a TOC in Word 2007
• Get the right processor to play back • Find devices on your network easily
52 Security HD programs • Dress up your GPS icons
• Make console gaming safe

Make Something New with


Your Old Digital Camera
You’ve probably upgraded your digital camera once or twice over the past few years.
But what have you done with your old ones? By David Cardinal
Older cameras are often not worth sell- somewhere in the garage. No more! In this a fish-eye solution for less than $20. All
ing on eBay, and if you give one to a friend article we’ve put together some fun and it requires is a standard “peephole” door
you’re likely to be answering questions useful ideas for what you can do with your viewer from a home supply store and a
about it for the next year. Your kids may old digital camera. way to attach it to your camera. For best
well already have their own camera or a results, you want to use as wide a peep-
camera phone. And you can’t bring your- Inexpensive Fish-Eye Lens hole as possible. An ultrawide door viewer
self to just toss your old cameras in the I’ve always thought fish-eye photos were from a home supply store will cost you
trash. So if your household is anything like neat, but I was never willing to spend the about $15, although if you want to scrimp
my household, you have a couple of them $200 on a fish-eye adapter for my digital further you can get narrower ones for
in a closet, or in a box in the basement, or camera. Then I found a cool way to build even less.

Photograph: Thom O’Connor MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 45


solutions hardWARE

fish-eye view Attach a $15 door peephole from a home supply


store to an old camera, and presto, you have a fish-eye lens.

To attach the peephole you need some your subjects in focus. Experiment with an old point-and-shoot digital camera as
type of permanent mount on the camera. zooming in and with the macro mode, if a webcam. All you need is a camera with
This is where having an older camera can your camera has one. Remember to turn video output and a way to get the video
be better. If your camera doesn’t have a off your built-in flash, as it will be blocked into your computer. Your old point-and-
screw thread you’ll need to tape a piece of by the door viewer. shoot probably has an A/V-out port and a
PVC tubing or a bottle cap of some kind cable that lets you output to a TV. If your
onto your camera and then tape the peep- Do-It-Yourself Webcam computer already has a video input—many
hole onto it. My Nikon Coolpix 880 has a Are you jealous of your friends’ new lap- do, particularly ones marketed as media
screw thread, and for $5 I was able to buy a tops with built-in webcams but reluctant PCs—then you’re all set: You can just plug
threaded adapter that worked nicely with to invest the extra money in yours to add the camera into your computer and turn
my $15 ultrawide door viewer. one? The good news is that you can use on the camera.
Once the “fish-eye” is added, the cam-
era will have a huge field of view—much
wider than you can normally get with the
camera itself—and it gains that unmistak-
able fish-eye effect. I found I needed to
crop images a bit after taking them, as the
door viewer didn’t cover the entirety of
the 880’s lens.
The key to getting reasonable fish-eye
images is to buy as wide a door viewer as
you can find. The $15 version I bought cov-
ered most of the field of view of the lens on
my Coolpix 880. You need to keep the door
viewer out of the way of the lens when it
extends, either by using a screw-in tube
like the Nikon extender I purchased for
$5 or a short piece of PVC tubing attached
with tape. (Now you can probably see why
you’d want to use an older camera for this
project.)
You get a very wide field of view with
your home-built fish-eye, but you’ll need
to tinker with your camera’s settings to get a WEBCam in minutes An old Canon PowerShot serves as a more than able webcam.

46 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


If your computer doesn’t have a video
input, you can buy an inexpensive USB
capture device for $5 to $10 on eBay, or
a brand-new EasyCap Video Capture
Adapter for $15.
The same device can let you watch TV
on your computer, too, since the encod-
ing hardware is the same—look for a TV-
tuner-plus-video-capture USB adapter for
$30 to $50 instead. You’ll need to install
the driver that comes with the device, but
not the video-editing software. Simply
run your favorite IM client; with the cap-
ture device’s driver installed the IM client
should find your camera and let you use it
as your webcam for videoconferences.
I hooked up my old Canon PowerShot
to a desktop PC using a $15 video-capture
dongle and ran Microsoft Live Messenger,
selecting the video device as my input. I
was videoconferencing within minutes.
With some cameras the audio will be
sent along with the video. If that’s not the
case with yours, set your computer’s audio
input to its microphone. For convenience
I also used a GorillaPod screwed into
the base of my old PowerShot to let the
camera perch nicely on my LCD for con-
ferencing use. You’ll want to disable the
auto-shutoff so that your camera will stay
on during longer calls. The one I tested ran
for several hours on its battery, but if you
use it a lot, consider plugging your camera
in to its power adapter. instant Thrill cam You can easily capture video and stills of bike rides by attaching an
old camera (in this case, a Nikon Coolpix 880) to the handlebars.
Daredevil Bicycle Camera
Do you wish you could better impress your around. It can probably capture video, and end cap (with the bolt inserted) and then
friends with death-defying tales of careen- you won’t be as concerned about smash- screw the camera to the mount using its
ing down your favorite hill on your moun- ing it as you were before it was relegated tripod socket. I used two nuts so that one
tain bike or around those S-curves on your to your closet. All you need is a simple would hold the bolt to the bicycle while I
motorcycle? Sure, we all do. What if you handlebar mount, which you can make could use the other to tighten the camera
could illustrate your story with a video? with about $3 worth of parts from any facing forward. And if you have large tube
Creating a bike camera is a perfect use home supply store. handlebars, use 1-inch PVC pipe instead of
for that old digital camera you have lying The mount is built from a simple 3/4-inch.
T-shaped piece of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, cut in I mounted an old Nikon Coolpix 880
half and attached to your handlebars with to my daughter’s bicycle, and it hand-
BONUS l Time-Lapse “Spy” Cam a pair of hose clamps. I also used some ily captures video and stills of her rides.
One of the cool things about set- inexpensive compression fittings to help Make sure not to crimp your gear or brake
ting your digicam to operate as a cushion the mount and absorb shock. (All cables when you mount the camera on
webcam is the free software avail- can be found in the garden section of your your handle­bars. We had to trim our PVC
able online, which can turn it into
a remotely operated or time-lapse
home supply store.) The other piece of the T piece so that it would fit cleanly on the
camera to monitor any location mount is a PVC end cap with a hole drilled exposed area of the handlebar.
where you can put a computer. I through it and a lengthy quarter-inch bolt The simplest way to use the camera
used Yawcam and found it fully fastened pointing up through the hole. is to shoot video, so you can simply start
featured and simple to install. The You’ll want to make sure the bolt has 20 recording and riding. If you want to take
software even includes a motion- threads per inch to match the standard for still photos, you’ll need either to chance
detector capability that can trigger
recording whenever the camera’s
tripod sockets. a quick press with your finger or to use a
sensor detects motion. Once you have the T piece clamped remote release, which you can wire to your
to your handlebars, simply screw in the hand grip.

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 47


solutions at work

Does Your Business Need


Accounting Software?
If your bookkeeper spends Saturdays in the office trying to keep up with paychecks and taxes
and tax code updates and outstanding invoices, specialized software can come to the rescue.
By Kathy Yakal
Do you track purchase orders and client whom you’re buying from, and to whom Accounting software contains prebuilt
lists using Excel spreadsheets and Word you owe money. forms for documents like invoices, pur-
documents? Produce invoices using a Employees. Does your bookkeeper chase orders, and sales receipts. The forms
calculator, label printer, paper check- spend his or her Saturdays in the office, can usually be customized—you can add
book and envelopes? Use sticky notes on trying to keep up with tax tables, pay- your logo or other graphics and add or
your monitor to remind you that, say, an checks, and taxes? Take the time to enter delete fields. When you need to fill one out,
employee needs to change her income tax information about your employees and drop-down lists let you select data for fields
withholding? assorted taxes and deductions (and it will such as Customer and Item, data from the
If so, you’re not alone. Many small busi- take some time up front, like any other records you’ve already created. The soft-
nesses begin this way and, before they setup task). Then payroll processing will ware is designed so that everything works
know it, realize that the sticky notes and involve little more than entering the hours together.
spreadsheets just aren’t cutting it any- everyone worked and printing paychecks When you’ve completed invoices or
more. Setting up and using small-business (or authorizing direct deposit). When it’s purchase orders, you don’t need to waste
accounting software may be just what you time to make good on your government time printing, labeling, stamping, and
need, and believe it or not, it’s much easier payroll tax obligations, the software will mailing; you can simply e-mail the docu-
than it seems. make those calculations, too. ment. Saves time, and it may help you get
Inventory. What do you do when a paid faster. Some software will let you
A Place for Everything customer orders something? Does some- accept credit card payments or electronic
There are three major areas of benefit one have to go into the back room to see checks, a function that may also improve
in using accounting software if you have if you have any to sell? By keeping inven- your bottom line.
a small business, and lots of little ones. tory records, you’ll have detailed descrip- This integration saves not only time
Taken together, they mean you’re sure tions of everything you sell. When you sell but also embarrassment when a customer
to save time and even money—and gain something, your software will decrease the or vendor calls to check on something.
time to concentrate on growing your level you have on hand. Sell enough and it Instead of rifling through paper files or
business. will remind you that you’re running low, so promising to call back after you check with
Customers. That list of customers you won’t be caught short. someone else, you can use your software’s
you’re trying to maintain as a Word docu- search capabilities to pull up the appropri-
ment or in Outlook or a Rolodex or—say it Working Together ate documents or transaction.
ain’t so—on paper? That list needs to be in Financial transactions are the lifeblood of
a database designed for finances. Account- a business—they help you pay the people Instant Information
ing software contains record formats that you owe and get paid yourself. Accounting All of the work you do in your accounting
let you type in—or sometimes import— software uses all of those nicely organized software culminates in a benefit that you
relevant details, things like contact infor- records you’ve created and makes transac- would have to struggle to replicate in any
mation, credit terms and limits, credit card tion processing a snap. Built-in integration other way, if you could manage it at all:
numbers, and price levels. You can usually means that, unless you need to enter a new reports.
set up custom fields to track any additional vendor or item, or update other informa- Yes, an Excel spreadsheet can track
information you’d like to. And sometimes tion (and you can do this easily, on the fly, your income and expenses. But Excel
customer records can also contain descrip- anytime), all the data you need is right doesn’t provide a view from which you can
tions of jobs you’re working on for that there in one program. select from among dozens of customizable
company; they may even display a history How are you creating invoices now? reports that can tell you, for example:
of your transactions with them. Typing them up in Word, or, worse, using • Your gross profit from each customer
Try doing that on an index card. Now a typewriter on preprinted stock? That • How your net worth has changed over
try keeping it updated. And add all your probably means you have to look up things a specific period of time
vendor records to that to-do list. Account- like addresses, item numbers, and so on—a • Your company’s value, with the total
ing software keeps you in the know about major time waster. balance for each type of account

48 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


Four Solid Accounting Packages
Convinced that your small business needs accounting software? Here are four packages to consider.—Gary Berline

Microsoft Office MYOB Premier Peachtree by Sage


Accounting Accounting 2008 Complete Accounting
Professional 2008 From $299 direct 2009 QuickBooks Accounting
From $199.95 direct lllhm From $269.99 direct Pro Edition 2009
ll l l m llllm From $199.95 direct
If you don’t need extensive
l lllh
An Outlook-like interface, online services, MYOB Pre- This software offers excep-
robust integration with mier Accounting 2008 will tionally thorough modules, Small businesses will
other Microsoft Office suit you well. It has a clean, good overview tools, and find an excellent sta-
apps, and a good help exceptionally navigable three payroll levels. The ble of features here.
system make this one of the interface and a solid set of application deals with You get good man-
easiest-to-use accounting accounting tools, including accounting issues capa- agement overviews,
products you’ll find. The a very capable inventory- bly, excelling especially at expansive payroll options,
package is a good choice tracking system. inventory. With an interface marketing tools, and more.
for small businesses that overhaul and enhanced QuickBooks Accounting
need integrated online-sales Click here for more. usability, Peachtree by Sage Pro Edition 2009 may not
capabilities, want a familiar, Complete Accounting 2008 be the strongest package
Microsoft Office look and could become a star. in every area, but of all the
feel, and have simple inven- small-business accounting
tory-tracking needs. Click here for more. programs available today, it
offers the best combination
Click here for more. of usability and accounting
features.

Click here for more.

• Your company’s total expenses, per tions and changes made to the system, and • Accountant access. If you’re working
transaction, for each vendor who made them. This is a critical security with an accountant who blesses your books
• What wage and withholding informa- feature. periodically, you can give him or her access
tion you need for state taxes • Multiuser access. Most accounting to your system—and keep working ahead
• Which transactions have affected the software can be set up on a network, which while your past work is being checked.
value of your inventory means you’re not constantly running back
Of course, you can set up Excel spread- and forth to other offices to get the infor- Yes, You Can
sheets to tell you just about anything, but mation you should all have. There are probably as many objections to
that’s the point: You have to set them up— • Roles and permissions. If you’re on a accounting software as there are reasons
and update them constantly. Account- network, you probably don’t want every- to use it. It’s expensive (it’s not). I’ll need to
ing software simply builds on the work one to have access to everything. Account- have an accounting professional on my staff
you’ve already done, the transactions ing software lets you assign roles to users (nope; these programs are built for non-
you’ve already entered, to give you a real- and define exactly where they can go and pros). I can track my finances just as well on
time, bird’s-eye view of your company’s what they can do on the system. my own (you can’t). I’ll lose all of my data
finances. • Online banking. Most accounting (this is 2009, and there are many reliable
That’s a time-saver, but it can be more: software gives you easy access to your backup options). My business is too small
a business-saver, if you stay on top of your bank accounts online (if your financial (do you spend money? make money?).
reports and catch problems early. institution allows it). This capability can If you need to know how much money
save a lot of time, provide real-time bank- you’re spending and taking in, where it’s
Auditing, Banking Benefits ing information, and eliminate some dupli- going and coming from, what’s in stock
There are still other reasons why most cate data entry. and on time and what’s not, and you want
businesses need accounting software: • Dashboards. With so much going on to treat your employees, customers, and
• Audit trail. If you have multiple in your financial system, how do you get vendors as professionally as possible, you
employees working on a paper system, a handle on what needs to be done each need accounting software.
you may have a hard time knowing who’s day? Accounting software can remind you
done what to your records, and when. when, for example, invoices are due or full reviews at pcmag.com For a full
Most accounting software offers an audit past due, payroll or other taxes must be roundup of accounting software programs,
trail, a lengthy list chronicling any addi- paid, inventory is running low, and more. check out go.pcmag.com/accounting

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 49


solutions office

Create a Word 2007


Table of Contents
When your Word documents approach novel—or even novella—length, it may be time
to give readers a table of contents. By Neil Randall
pick a style The
Styles gallery gives
easy access to the
styles you can use or
modify for your TOC.

Sometimes the ideas for my Solutions TOC feature more usable than earlier TOC Level One
pieces come from readers; other times versions is the inclusion of the Styles gal- TOC Level Two
they’re the result of problems I’ve encoun- lery—that big thing that takes up the right TOC Level Three
tered and managed to solve on my own. half of the Home ribbon. TOC Level One
Then there are those occasions when The trick with Word TOCs is recogniz- TOC Level Two
I decide a solution is needed simply ing that they rely (for the most part) on TOC Level Three
because people around me keep asking styles. A basic TOC is essentially nothing
for help on a certain point. I figure if a more than Word grabbing text that has And so on. The hierarchy here is, obvi-
bunch of people I know are uncertain, it’s been assigned a specific style and plac- ously, that Level One reflects the main
a good bet others some readers are as well. ing it in a hierarchically arranged list. You TOC headings, Level Two reflects sec-
This solution, creating a table of contents tell Word which style you want to make ondary TOC headings, and Level Three
(TOC) in Word, is a request that never up each step on the hierarchy, and Word reflects tertiary TOC headings. Many
seems to go away. formats it for you as a TOC. As you might TOCs stop at only two levels, of course,
As with many things in Microsoft Word expect, you can modify this arrangement but more are possible.
2007, such as indexing, the Table of Con- (and we’ll get to that), but a quick-and- To create a TOC in Word, first deter-
tents feature comes almost unchanged out dirty TOC is pretty easy to create. mine which textual elements (we’ll call
of earlier versions of the software. One First, have a look at the following orga- them “TOC headings” here) you want to
thing, though, that makes Word 2007’s nization—it’s the standard one for TOCs. appear in it. Often these are the same as
the titles and subtitles in your document.
Then assign a unique style to all instances
of each TOC level. For example, assign one
particular style to all the main TOC head-
ings and another to all the secondary TOC
headings. Make sure these styles aren’t
used for anything else in the document (or
else Word will think it’s part of the TOC).
To assign a style to a text element, simply
highlight the text and, in the Style gallery,
automated options click on the style you want it to have.
The TOC drop-down
By default, Word assumes you want
menu offers two auto­
mated TOCs along with to use the “Heading” styles for your TOC
other options. entries: Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3,
and so forth. (The first two are visible on
the Styles gallery, as long as you haven’t
modified it.)
You may use whatever styles you want,
however, including any you create your-
self. But you might want to stick with the
defaults, at least while you experiment
with TOC creation: Word’s automatic TOC
generator uses these by default.

50 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


choose the number of levels Among other things, the style each level The TOC level fields dictate which Word
TOC dialog box lets you choose how many levels of headings style occupies which TOC heading level in the generated TOC.
you want to show in the table of contents. Headings 1, 2, and 3 are the defaults.

Once you’ve assigned styles to the called Title, and level 2 to the style called click on a hyperlink to be taken to the rel-
headings that will be listed on your TOC, Subtitle. To delete the level number from evant page.
place the cursor where you want the TOC existing styles, highlight the number in While the TOC’s generation depends
to appear in your document (typically at the field and press the Delete key. When on your document’s styles, the formatting
the very top, or right after a title page), and you’ve made your choices, click OK and of the TOC itself (that is, how it looks in
click References on the menu bar. Next, Word will generate the TOC at the cur- your document) does not. Adjusting the
click the Table of Contents button at the rent cursor location. TOC format is easy: Just click the Modify
far left of the References ribbon. The top Note that there’s an option in the dia- button from the main TOC dialog. In the
two options in the resulting drop-down log box to use hyperlinks instead of page resulting Style dialog, select the TOC
menu give you nearly identical automatic numbers. It’s selected by default, and it level you want to change (TOC 1 is head-
TOC options (the only difference being will, as you might guess, link the text in ing level 1, and so on) and click Modify.
the title). A third option, the manual TOC, the TOC to the places in the document This reveals Word’s standard Modify Style
simply generates a set of placeholder text; where the headings indicated appear. So dialog, where you can specify precisely
you then change the headings and the anyone reading your document in Word what you want each TOC level heading to
page numbers yourself. It’s useful only in rather than on a printout can simply Ctrl- look like.
helping a bit with formatting.
The important point to note here is
that the automatic TOC options use stan-
dard Styles as the basis for TOC headings:
Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, and so
on. To assign other styles as TOC head-
ings, first create those styles, and then
choose Insert Table of Contents from the
Table of Contents drop-down menu. After preview styles The
specifics for the style of
adjusting any items on this dialog that you
each TOC heading level
want to change (Formats gives some basic are displayed below the
layout themes, for example), click the small Preview area.
Options button.
Most of the Table of Contents Options
dialog consists of the Styles section. Here
you choose which styles represent which
elements of the TOC. By default (and
not shown in the graphic here), Heading
1 is given TOC level 1, Heading 2 is given
TOC level 2, and so on. In the graphic,
TOC level 1 has been assigned to the style

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 51


solutions security watch

Making Console Gaming Safer for Kids


Many of us are aware of the trouble a child can get into while using a PC. But have you consid-
ered how to make the console gaming experience safer? By Matthew D. Sarrel
Now that you’ve unwrapped your kid’s their children to have only games with a •E arly Childhood (“EC”): Ages 3 and
brand new Wii, Xbox, or PlayStation, there certain rating, such as “E” or lower, but it’s older
are several things you should know about also sensible to understand why a game •Everyone (“E”): Ages 6 and older
keeping the tyke safe. The best advice is carries a particular rating. Study these rat- •Everyone 10 Plus (“E10+”): Ages 10 and
that you should participate in their gam- ings so you’ll know whether a game is age- older
ing activities. There’s no substitute for appropriate. •Teen (“T”): Ages 13 and older
the watchful eye of a parent, someone In addition to the ratings, 30 content •Mature (“M”): Ages 17 and older
who knows the different safety and con- descriptors—such as alcohol references, •Adults Only (Adults Only): Ages 18 and
tent issues of gaming and can explain how violence, sexual themes, and even simu- older only
to handle them as they come up. Just like lated gambling—provide further context The Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony Play-
physical games (you know, sports), video for your decisions. Some content may be Station 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP)
games can be fun and rewarding—as long fine with you, even if it causes a game’s rat- all offer parental controls you can use to
as children play them in a safe arena. ing to bump up a level. set restrictions on factors such as game
The right content makes for a positive The ESRB provides a full explanation type or interactions with other players.
gaming experience. Many parents allow of its ratings and descriptors. Below are some settings to consider.

Nintendo Wii if you forget the PIN number.


The Wii is the safest platform Once done, select OK.
for children; that’s because Nin- 4. Select Game Settings and
tendo designed features that let PIN, then Highest Game Rating
parents totally lock down the Allowed. Once selected, press
console. OK, Confirm, and Settings Com-
Microsoft Xbox 360 1. From the Wii Menu, select plete.
To control the type of games—by ESRB rat- Wii Options followed by Wii You can also use the Other
ing—your child will play, go to the System Settings. Click on the blue arrow Settings menu under Parental
tab in the Xbox dashboard, then choose to the right until you reach the Wii System Controls to:
Family Settings, then Console Controls. Settings 2 menu options. • Prevent the use of Wii Points in the
Select Game Ratings. Select the maxi- 2. Select Parental Controls, then select Wii Shop Channel
mum ESRB rating appropriate for your Yes. • Restrict online communication
children. 3. Create a four-digit PIN and select OK. • Prevent use of the Internet Channel
Go to Set Pass Code and enter a four- Then select a secret question to be used and the News Channel.
button pass code and a question and
answer in case you forget your code or
want to reset it. Sony PlayStation 3 and the Security Settings menu, then
Select Done on both the Set Pass Code PlayStation Portable (PSP) selecting Change Password.
and the Console Controls screens to save You can restrict games using the Enter the default password, and
your settings. Parental Control menu. In the then enter a new one.
Select Yes, Save Changes to enable the main menu, navigate to Settings, From this menu, you can
settings. then Security Settings. In the also block access to movies by
You can also use Console Controls to: Parental Control menu, a num- MPAA rating.
• Activate the Family Timer to limit ber indicates the level of restriction: The Here are also some tips about using the
the total amount of time the console can lower the number, the tighter the restric- PlayStation Network.
be used tions. • The default settings block content
• Restrict use of Microsoft's Xbox Live In Security Settings, select Internet and restrict chat with other players based
online service Browser Start Control and choose On to on the age of the registered user.
• Restrict access to movies by MPAA block access to the Internet. • Create accounts for each child such
rating Like those on the other consoles, the that each account can be administered
• Prevent the display of restricted con- PlayStation 3’s and PSP’s parental controls separately.
tent (for example, downloadable games, are enforced by a four-digit password. Dur-
trailers, and demos) in the Xbox Live ing installation, you can reset the default are you game? For full reviews of game
Market­place and Inside Xbox. password, which is 0000, by navigating to boxes visit gopcmag.com/gamingconsoles.

52 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


solutions

Tips
Useful tidbits from PCMag editorial staff, Labs analysts, and readers

MICROSOFT OFFICE
Create Meetings in Outlook the
Easy Way
Most times when you need to set up a
meeting in Outlook, the process starts
with an e-mail you receive. I used to switch
to the Calendar and add a new entry, with
the date and time, and then paste the
e-mail into the new appointment. But
there’s an easier way: Simply right-click
on the original e-mail and choose Move to
Folder, select Calendar, and hit OK. This
actually creates a new appointment entry,
complete with the e-mail inserted in the
main window. You still have to enter the
date, time, and participants, but you get to
that point faster.—Michael Muchmore

WINDOWS
Clear a Print Job Without
Rebooting
If you’ve ever had a print job hang, you’re
probably familiar with the Windows compose appointments via e-mail You can create appointments in Outlook directly
Print Spooler window. You get to this from an e-mail. The appointment will even include the e-mail text in the main window.
window simply by selecting the relevant
printer from the Control Panel’s Print- files, use Notepad to save the four com- designed primarily to home in on VHF
ers and Faxes applet (simply Printers in mands above as a batch file. I’ve named channels (2 to 13), while virtually every
Vista). In the somewhat unusual event of a mine Killqueue.bat.—Craig Ellison digital broadcast now resides on UHF
printer queue jam, you can go to the Print channels (14 to 69). The solution is buying
Spooler and simply delete the job. Some- MULTIMEDIA an indoor/outdoor HDTV antenna. They
times, though, the system won’t let you Make Your Earphones Last start at around ten bucks, and since they’re
cut off print jobs that way: It marks the job Are your earphones always breaking? If designed to focus on digital UHF broad-
“Deleting…” but never quite gets there, you wad them up and throw them in your casts, they should improve your digital
and you end up rebooting. Here’s a better bag every morning—or worse, play with reception dramatically. After the transi-
way to do it. them while you’re listening to music— tion, “high VHF” channels (7 to 13) will go
Open a command prompt (go to Start | stop! The best way to store earphone or digital, too—and this kind of antenna will
Run, then type cmd) and enter the follow- earbuds is to wrap the cable—gently— receive them as well.—TG
ing: around your fingers, then withdraw your
hand, keeping the loop intact. Put the High-Def Video Capture
net stop spooler coiled-up earphones inside a small car- I’ve fielded a couple of questions about
del c:\windows\system32\spool\print- rying case (not around your iPod), where what kind of processor power is required
ers\*.shd the lack of tension on the earpieces and the for capturing HD programs. Actually, the
del c:\windows\system32\spool\print- protective outer layer will keep them in issue isn’t capturing shows as much as it is
ers\*.spl tip-top shape.—Tim Gideon playing them back. Most TV tuner cards
net start spooler have integrated MPEG encoders that
The Right Antenna for DTV can offload that job from the CPU. But in
In Vista you’ll need to open an elevated Our government implies that plain old playback, the MPEG decryption is usually
command prompt by right-clicking on cmd rabbit-ear antennas should work with performed by software, and that requires a
.exe and selecting Run as Administrator. your DTV converter box, but usually this fairly serious processor—a minimum of a
For those of you who remember batch will not be the case. Your rabbit ears are 2.2-GHz P4 or so.—Jeremy A. Kaplan

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 53


solutions

Simplify Typing URLs on the iPhone


When you’re keying in Web addresses,
the iPhone gives you a very useful .com
button that lets you add the four charac-
ters in one press. But as with the desk-
top version of Safari, you can even leave
that out: Safari will automatically add it
for you. Bonus tip: hold down the .com
button; you’ll be presented with a list of
alternate domain endings, such as .net,
.edu, and .org.

Keep Safari’s Address Bar Handy on


the iPhone
Ever scroll pretty far down a Web page,
only to find that the address bar has dis-
appeared? No need to scroll back up—
instead, tap the top part of the screen. The
address bar will reappear, regardless of
where you are on the actual Web page.

PRINTERS
type urls in a flash No need to type Eliminate Smeared Printouts get the bar back Tap the top of your
“.com” when entering a URL on your If you use an inkjet printer and see smear- iPhone screen to access your address bar.
iPhone; Safari will fill that in for you. ing on a page, that’s typically because
something is sticking to the printhead. table shows all devices connected (physi-
CAMERAS If you have a printer that includes the cally or wirelessly) through the router. If a
Clean Your Lens! nozzles in the cartridges—as do most HP device doesn’t appear, make sure it’s pow-
This may seem obvious, but many people printers—and you see smearing immedi- ered on. Not sure about your router’s IP
forget to keep their camera lenses clean. ately after changing a cartridge, remove address? At the command prompt (Start |
A fat smudge on your lens will make all of the cartridge and check to make sure that Run | cmd) type ipconfig and hit Enter. Note
your pictures come out blurry. Depending the protective tape over the nozzles is the router’s address on the line that reads
on how dirty the lens is, there are many completely removed. If some of the tape is Default Gateway.—Mario Morejon
different options out there for cleaning it still attached, remove it, but be careful not
(brushes, fluid, and tissues being the most to touch the nozzle plate.—M. David Stone Gps
popular). At the very least, get something Dress Up Your Garmin Icons
that’s quick and easy—say, a pack of lens NETWORKING Most GPS automotive devices use some
tissue that can fit in your camera case—so Find a Device on Your Network variation of a triangle to represent the
you’ll always have something on hand. There are a few reasons to know your con- current position of your vehicle. With the
—PJ Jacobowitz nected devices’ IP addresses. For one, it’s introduction of the nüvis, Garmin started
invaluable in troubleshooting. After mak- providing additional vehicle icons that
MOBILITY ing sure your unresponsive device is actu- you can use instead of the triangle. But did
BlackBerry Typing Tricks ally plugged in, the next step will nearly you know that you can expand your library
Here are a few of my favorite tips for using always be to point your PC’s browser at of vehicle icons, free? Garmin provides a
a BlackBerry keyboard: its IP address and make sure that some- library of vehicle bundles on its site . Once
1. To capitalize letters, don’t bother thing having to do with the device appears, you’ve downloaded and unzipped the files,
with the Shift key; instead, hold down the such as a configuration page, or at least the simply copy them into the Garmin vehicle
key for the letter you want to capitalize for device name. This leads to another reason: folder on your device (you’ll need to con-
one second. Often, a device’s “home page”—what you nect your nüvi to your computer with a
2. While Web browsing, press K to see in your browser when you type in the USB cable). You can also customize vehicle
bring up your bookmarks list at any time; device’s IP address—will give you easier icons on Garmin’s zumo motorcycle GPSs
press A to add a new one. access to device options, and in some as well as the StreetPilot c500 series of
3. Scroll down a message or Web page cases, more settings and extras. devices.—CE
quickly by pressing the spacebar. Scroll How can you find the IP addresses
back up by pressing Shift-Spacebar. of your devices? Through your router’s GREAT IDEA! Got a tip to share? Find a cool
4. Dial a phone number that contains configuration screens. In your browser, new trick in your favorite gadget or app?
letters (1-800-PICK-UPS) by pressing Alt type in your router’s IP address, then find Send it to tips@pcmag.com. We’ll run it
and then typing the correct letter using the the DHCP client table among the config through the PCMag Labs wringer and print
QWERTY keyboard.—Jamie Lendino screens (which vary by router brand). This our favorites on this page.

54 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2009


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NEW Sony HDR-SR11 Free
$129.99 direct n
desktop $1,099.99 direct security
NEW Western Digital My
n
antivirus
Book Studio Edition II
$430 list Webroot AntiVirus with
AntiSpyware 6.0 $39.95 direct
Shop wisely. Print this page and bring it with you.

network-attached storage
HP StorageWorks AiO400t Suite
$3,799 list Norton Internet Security
2009 $69.99 yearly
LCD Monitors parental control
Lenovo ThinkVision L200x Net Nanny 6.0 $39.99 yearly
$499.99 list
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP Backup
$689 direct SOS Online Backup (beta)
$19.95 direct
Projectors
high-end XGA Financial
Canon Realis X700 $2,500 list blasting QuickBooks Accounting
Consumer/Business XGA on a budget The Pro Edition 2009 $199.95 list
NEC VT800 $1,000 street Gateway FX6800-01e nNEW TurboTax Premier
portable offers big gaming perfor- 2008 Premier, $89.95 direct;
Dell M109S $499 direct mance for a small price. Deluxe, $59.95

MARCH 2009 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 55

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