PC Magazine 2010-11

google’s self-driving car november 2010
How Secure
Is Your Wi-Fi
Network?
Why Your Best Photo
Living Room Software
Needs Apple TV For You
Top 10 Secrets
of Windows 7 The Hidden Features
That Will Help You ...
• Keep Your System Stable
• Troubleshoot PC Pain
• Maximize System Power
• Organize Your Folders
... Plus Much More!

NOVEMBER 2010vol. 29 no. 11
36

COVER STORY
the top 10 hidden features in Windows 7
If you’re a Windows 7 user, you know about its terrific new taskbar, user interface,
and home networking capabilities. What you may not know is that it is filled with
hidden features that can help keep your system stable and organized. Here are our
top 10 secret treasures of Windows 7.
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION NOVEMBER 2010
True PDF release: storemags & fantamag

storemags & fantamag - magazines for all
17 22
FIRST LOOKS tech newS
8 consumer electronics 5 Front Side
Apple TV (2010) Google takes to the road; hack-
Samsung PN58C8000 ers prey on users of gaming sites;
green tech in L.A.; barcode mania.
Cisco Flip UltraHD 8GB 2 Hours
(2010)
OPINIONS
BlackBerry Curve 3G (T-Mobile)
2 First Word:
Microsoft LifeCam Studio Lance Ulanoff
14 hardware 30 John C. Dvorak

Asus U45Jc-A1 32 Sascha Segan
Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350 34 dan costa
Acer Aspire Predator AG7750-U2222
SOLUTIONS
18 BUSINESS 42 cast out wi-fi intruders
HP Mini 5103 Are you sure you’re the only one
Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p USFF enjoying your home network?
Livescribe Echo Smartpen Here’s how to detect trespassers
and block them from pilfering your
22 SOFTWARE bandwidth.
Internet Explorer 9 (Beta)
QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011 46 photo-editing toolkit
The right software can transform
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
your digital photos into master-
50 the best stuff pieces, no matter what camera you
use. Here are our picks for the best
photo-editing programs.
PC Magazine Digital Edition, ISSN 0888-8507, is published monthly at $12 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York NY 10016-7940.
NOVEMBER 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 1

FIRST WORD LANCE ULANOFF
7 Deadly Twitter Sins
W
e’ve talked about Twit- is like a boomerang—you get it back right
ter tips before. Every- away”? Blech.
one knows not to use I also regularly see tweets with advice
all caps (really, you and aphorisms from all sorts of people. Peo-
shouldn’t do that any- ple have the Twitter soapbox, so they figure
where), but there are worse Twitter sins. they can hand out guidance. Unfortunately,
Seven, to be exact. These are things you it almost always comes off sounding con-
should never do or, if you have, stop doing descending. Take this one from Confucius,
them immediately on Twitter. “To know is to know that you know nothing.
That is the meaning of true knowledge.”
1. Location Bulletins
I’m on Foursquare but barely use it because, 3. Endless ReTweets
surprise, I don’t like having everyone know Please, do everyone a favor and don’t try
where I am all the time. With Twitter, I used to include everyone who ever started the
to have to announce my location, but now I tweet or ended up in the Twitter thread in
can turn on the geo-location feature or use your retweet. It makes the tweet unread-
the Foursquare integration and have Twitter able, and you have virtually no characters
do the work for me. Why would I ever want left. I know, everyone wants to give credit.
to do this? We’ve all seen the stories about I try and do it, too, but I also limit the RT list
people whose homes have been robbed to two people, max. And sometimes, if I’m
because, ostensibly, they announced on pressed for characters, I’ll simply credit the
Twitter that they were going on vacation. most recent Tweeter. Your followers will
Why turn yourself into a headline? appreciate this kind of discretion.
2. Quotes and Useless Advice 4. Nasty Comments

What is this Twitter fascination with post- I’m no Twitter star, but I now have enough
ing random quotes? Do we need someone followers to attract random people say-
telling us that Bill Keane believes “A hug ing particularly nasty or even just pointed
2 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION NOVEMBER 2010

Cowards operate like the Enola Gay:

They fly over my Twitter stream, drop a bomb,
and then quickly move on.
things to me. I like, whenever possible, to one using the private—and somewhat
respond to them directly. Now, as is my privileged—Direct Message channel to try
habit, I do not respond in the public stream, and get me to help them sell some random
because I think those random conversa- piece of marketing or product garbage.
tions only tend to confuse everyone else Please, I’m busy, my followers are busy, and
who is following you. The problem I run none of us has time for this.
into, though, is that these cowards operate
like the Enola Gay: They fly over my Twit- 7. Ignoring People
ter stream, drop a bomb, and then quickly There are celebrities with over a million fol-
move on. If they’re not following me, I can’t lowers, and I think they can be forgiven for
direct-message them and engage. To put it “ignoring people.” I follow a bunch myself,
simply: Don’t say something nasty if you’re and if you’re watching their Twitter men-
too afraid to follow. tion streams, you’ll notice how often they’re
hammered by people simply begging them
5. Out-of-Context Blather to notice, mention or follow them. I’m not
The other day, someone starting tweeting talking about these people. For most every-
responses to a couple of my tweets, but one else with a few hundred or even a few
insisted on calling me Matt. The comments thousand followers, though, when people
were actually interesting, but since I’m not ask you a question, you should do your best
Matt, I couldn’t figure out if I should respond to respond. This is good practice not just for
or not. Other times, I get tweets sent to healthy Twitter relations, but it’s an almost
me that have no relationship to anything I guaranteed way to get even more followers.
cover or am remotely interested in. There’s Those you respond to will usually recom-
no rhyme or reason to the tweet and usu- mend you elsewhere.
ally the Tweeter doesn’t respond when I ask Never do these seven things on Twitter—
what they meant. Stay on message, people. except when you have to. Truth is, there are
exceptions to almost every rule here, but as
6. Direct-Message Spamming the saying goes, “Better safe than sorry.”
I don’t know if these are Twitter robots or And, no, I won’t be posting that on Twitter.
multi-level-marketers (MLMs) trying to
Follow me on Twitter! Catch the chief’s
hook another unsuspecting victim, but comments on the latest tech developments at
there’s nothing more annoying than some- twitter.com/LanceUlanoff.

Editor-in-Chief, pc magazine network Lance Ulanoff ®
Editor Stephanie Chang

DIRECTOR OF ONLINE CONTENT, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Vicki B. Jacobson
Executive Editor Dan Costa
managing editors Sean Carroll (software, security, Internet, business), www.pcmag.com
Wendy Sheehan Donnell (consumer electronics) Laarni Almendrala Ragaza
(hardware)
fEatures editoR Eric Griffith
SENIOR editoR Brian Heater
pc labs Lead Analysts Cisco Cheng (laptops), Tim Gideon (consumer electronics),
Samara Lynn (business, networking), Michael Muchmore (software),
Neil J. Rubenking (security), Joel Santo Domingo (desktops), Sascha Segan (mobile),
M. David Stone (printers, scanners)
Analysts Tony Hoffman (printers, scanners), PJ Jacobowitz (consumer electronics),
Matthew Murray (DIY, components)
junior analysts David Pierce (consumer electronics), Natalie Shoemaker (hardware),
Jeffrey Wilson (software, security, Internet)
inventory Control Coordinator Nicole Graham
Staff PhotographeR Scott Schedivy
pcmag.com manager, online production Yun-San Tsai
Producers Mark Lamorgese, Whitney A. Reynolds
west coast news editor Mark Hachman
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Front
What’s New from the World of Tech
Google’s Self-Driving Car

The tech giant hopes to cut the number of auto accidents in half.
Google is developing—and has extensively Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific
tested—technology to build an autono- Coast Highway, and even made it all the way
mously self-driving car . around Lake Tahoe.”
Moreover, Google engineers have already Described as being in the “experimental
driven a fleet of them around the San Fran- stage,” Google said it hoped that its technol-
cisco Bay Area, to the tune of over 140,000 ogy would be used to develop the self-driv-
miles, Google said in a blog post. ing cars of tomorrow, cutting the number of
The cars “just drove from our Mountain lives lost in auto accidents—1.2 million annu-
View campus to our Santa Monica office ally, according to the World Health Organi-
and on to Hollywood Boulevard,” Sebas- zation—by as much as half.
tian Thrun, a distinguished Google software The cars themselves leverage technology
engineer, said in the blog post. “They’ve used in tests sponsored by DARPA, which
driven down Lombard Street, crossed the has sponsored competitions to develop

frontside
an autonomous car that can self-navigate driving car, Google said that the cars were
off roads and on city streets. In 2006, the always manned, and could be taken over
agency tested city driving, and, in 2007, in an instant by a driver. Google did not say
involved negotiating a “city” on an aban- how many times this had occurred.
doned airbase. Google said that it had hired “We always have a trained safety driver
several members of those teams, including: behind the wheel who can take over as eas-
Chris Urmson, the technical team leader of ily as one disengages cruise control,” Thrun
the CMU team that won the 2007 Urban wrote. “And we also have a trained software
Challenge; Mike Montemerlo, the software operator in the passenger seat to monitor
lead for the Stanford team that won the the software. Any test begins by sending
2005 Grand Challenge; and Anthony Levan- out a driver in a conventionally driven car to
dowski, who built the world’s first autono- map the route and road conditions. By map-
mous motorcycle that participated in a ping features like lane markers and traffic
DARPA Grand Challenge. signs, the software in the car becomes famil-
To reassure Bay Area drivers suddenly iar with the environment and its characteris-
nervous about sharing the road with a self- tics in advance.”—Mark Hachman
BEST of our blogs

uted and released into the ous phone OSes will scan a
streets through a process of barcode and immediately
evaporation and condensation provide you with product
triggering a transformation information. ScanBuy, a 2D
into a network of lush, culti- barcode technology pro-
vated landscapes,” explained vider, conducted a consumer
the Norwegian creators of adoption survey on its own
the project, which has been platform data. Among its
GEARLOG dubbed UMBRELLA. “The findings:
One Tiny Drive central urban plazas become • Health and beauty prod-
Los Angeles recently hosted focal points for a gradual pro- ucts are the most popular
the Cleantech Corridor and cess of transformation that will items among 1D (UPC) scans,
Green District Competition, affect the way people will see, followed by groceries, books,
in which entrants came up use, and experience their city.” and kitchen items
with new ideas to add a touch — Andrew Webster • Half of barcode users are
of green to the city. The win- ages 35 to 45 and skew male.
ner of the competition was a App scout • Android is the most popu-
giant mushroom, called a solar Barcode Behavior lar smartphone platform, with
evaporator, which can tap into Barcodes and QR codes are 45 percent of barcode users.
the city’s sewage to collect all the rage these days in • Americans scan barcodes
and clean the black water. the world of mobile phones. more than citizens of any other
“The clear water is distrib- A slew of apps for vari- country. —Jennifer Bergen

Gaming
New Danger
In Online
Gaming
Hackers are circling gaming keep out Galacticflashgames.com is consid-
ered one of the riskiest game sites to visit.
sites, ready to infect.
Online gaming is huge. It’s also dangerous. about infected sites, publishing a monthly
According to a June 2010 Nielsen NetView Most Wanted List to highlight the worst sites
survey on Internet usage, online gaming in a given portion of the Web. For October,
has overtaken e-mail in terms of the total Avast sliced its data to reveal the riskiest
percentage of time Americans spend gaming sites on the Web, to warn custom-
online (10.2 percent versus 8.3 percent). ers and raise awareness of the threat. Avast’s
Only social networking scores higher, with worst offenders, as of October 6:
a whopping 22.7 percent. Online gaming • Gamesfactoryinteractive.com
now consumes a staggering 407 million • Games-digest.com
hours of U.S. citizens’ time per year, accord- • Mariogamesplay.com
ing to Nielsen. • Anywhere-games.com
Nielsen’s not the only one that has noticed • Galacticflashgames.com
this trend; cybercriminals have taken note • Towerofdefense.com
and are taking advantage of it, too, infecting To safely game online, Avast recommends
games sites—from legitimate forums and a few simple precautions:
tutorial sites to shadier download sites—to • Keep all your apps, and especially your
attack the unwary. antivirus, updated.
“As the gaming industry continues to • Don’t turn off your antivirus while you’re
grow, hackers will inevitably develop more playing games.
ways to target this massive group,” said • Instead, use your antivirus’ gaming func-
Ondrej Vlcek, chief technical officer of tion if you want to game uninterrupted.
Czech security company Avast, makers of • Beware of downloading games via
avast! Internet Security 5.0 and avast! Free warez sites, which are a known avenue for
Antivirus. Avast continually gathers data spreading malware.—Sean Carroll

INSIDE
8 Consumer Electronics
14 HARDWARE
18 BUSINESS
22 SOFTWARE
Apple TV (2010)
First
TV Watching Just
Got A Lot Better
After two years of radio silence, you’ve rented after some minimal set-up.
Apple has completely rede- The new rental system is also notable. For
signed its “hobby” product; the 99 cents, you get a TV show for a 48-hour
result is a more feature-driven, period. You can buy or rent a show on iTunes
streamlined Apple TV. It costs via your computer or iOS 4.2 device, start
only $99, offers 99-cent TV-show rentals, watching it on that device, and finish watch-
and streams content from your computer, ing it by streaming to your Apple TV. How-
your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. ever, you can’t rent something on Apple TV
The latest Apple TV lacks a hard drive, so and watch it on your iPod touch later, or pur-
it is 75 percent than its predecessor. Mea- chase any content on the Apple TV—rentals
suring 0.9 by 3.9 by 3.9 inches (HWD) and only. It’s best to purchase or rent all of your
weighing less-than 10 ounces, it’s basically content via your computer or iOS 4.2 device,
a tiny black box that can stream over any so that the content can be watched back
802.11b, g, or n Wi-Fi signal. It requires iTunes and forth between all of your devices.
10 or later to stream from a computer. The new, miniature Apple TV costs less
Apple has hit a home run with AirPlay, than most iPods. Sure, the rental limitations
which enables streaming from iOS devices can be irksome, but, particularly for iOS
to Apple TV. Downloading a video to your device owners, the new features dramati-
iPad, iPhone 4, or iPod touch and streaming cally outweigh the letdowns. Because of its
it on your Apple TV will be a reality with the affordability, ease-of-use, and impressive
iOS 4.2 update, due out this month. As long capabilities, the Apple TV gets our Editors’
as your devices are all on the same Wi-Fi net- Choice award.—Tim Gideon
work, your Apple TV can access whatever >> Click here for more
8 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION november 2010

our ratings key:

l l l l l EXCELLENT
l l l l m VERY GOOD
l l l m m GOOD
l l m m m FAIR
l m m m m POOR
Apple TV (2010)
$99 direct
l l l l m
PROS Compact design. Intuitive user interface.

Streams video, music, and photos from your computer,
iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. 99-cent TV-show rentals.
Streams Netflix Watch Instantly content, YouTube,
and content from iOS 4.2 devices to Apple TV.
CONS No hard drive. Can’t purchase content-streaming
only. Can’t rent a show on Apple TV and watch it on
other devices or your computer. Limited rental content
available. Connects via HDMI—not compatible with
older televisions without purchasing an adapter.
Doesn’t ship with an HDMI cable.
november 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 9

first looks consumer electronics
Samsung PN58C8000
Top-notch,
3D-ready
Plasma
Samsung’s PN58C8000 is one of
three plasma HDTV models rep-
resenting the company’s top-tier, Samsung PN58C8000
3D-ready 8000 series. With its $2,999.99 list
l l l l h
ultra-thin profile and brushed-
PROS Excellent 2D- and 3D-image quality. Very
metal finish, this 58-inch TV is beautiful. And deep blacks. Unique, sleek design. A wide vari-
its top-notch performance and broad fea- ety of Web apps.
ture set justify its price tag. CONS Not very energy efficient when com-
pared with LCD-based HDTVs. Uncomfortable
With its 1.4-inch-deep cabinet, the 8000 3D glasses.
is the thinnest plasma set we’ve seen. The
two down-firing, 10-watt speakers under est blacks we’ve seen in a plasma. Shadow
the bottom bezel are loud and provide good detail on our 2012 Blu-ray test disc was
mid- and high-range output, but could use a excellent, as was the overall HD-detail qual-
bit more bass response. The PN58C8000’s ity. On top of all that, the PN58C8000 does
most frequently used connections are eas- a very good job of displaying 3D content.
ily accessible on the left side of the cabinet, It does produce a degree of crosstalk (a
and include four HDMI ports, two USB ports, double-image effect) but it was not as pro-
two audio outputs, and a PC audio input. nounced as what I observed with the Sony
Additional ports are located in the rear. Bravia KDL-55HX800 and LG 47LX9500.
The Samsung Apps suite is extensive; At $3,000, the Samsung PN58C8000
its streaming video lineup includes Netflix, may cost more than other like-sized plasma
Vudu, You Tube, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow, HDTVs, but you do get 3D support, which at
Explore 3D, and DailyMotion. this point, you’ll still pay a premium for. It is
Performancewise, the 8000 series uses well-designed, rich in features and an out-
Samsung’s proprietary Real Black Filter standing performer, making it a shoo-in for
technology, an advanced anti-glare fea- our Editors’ Choice award.
ture that truly delivered some of the dark- >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Cisco Flip UltraHD 8GB 2 Hours (2010)
Terrific
HD Video
To Go
T
he latest iPod touch may Cisco Flip UltraHD 8GB 2 Hours (2010)
include HD video recording, $199.99 direct
l l l h m
but it doesn’t produce video
PROS Very good HD video quality. Simple to
as good-looking as this latest- operate. Easy-to-use video-management soft-
gen Flip pocket video camera. ware. Integrated FlipPort for optional accesso-
If you want a killer MP3 player, get an iPod ries like microphones, projectors. Micro-HDMI
port.
touch, but if your focus is firmly on video
CONS Bulky. Small 2-inch LCD. 8GB storage is
capture and ease of use, the Flip UltraHD is not expandable. No analog microphone input
probably a better choice. jack. No macro mode or still image.
The 4.5-ounce Flip UltraHD 8GB is an

improvement over its predecessor in three side of the camera, there’s a pop-out USB
ways, starting with image quality. Instead of connector, so you never have to worry about
capturing 720p HD video at 30 frames per carrying a battery charger or a USB cable.
second, the Flip has doubled it to 60fps, As for the video, make no mistake: You
so video motion looks smoother. Second, won’t get the same caliber of video quality
the UltraHD no longer requires AA batter- that comes with a pricey full-blown cam-
ies; it includes a removable, rechargeable corder. But in my real-world tests, I found
lithium-ion battery. The last improvement is video captured by the UltraHD looked
the FlipPort accessories port; you can use it fantastic, much better than the 720p30
now to plug in Cisco’s optional microphone, footage from an iPod touch or even the
or in the future, other accessories like bat- 1080p30 recordings captured by Kodak’s
tery chargers and projector attachments. Playtouch Video Camera.
The controls on this version of the UltraHD With the Cisco Flip UltraHD, you get sim-
remain dead simple: a big, red button in the plicity and great image quality for $200.
center of the front face starts recording and You can pull it out of the box and start
a bright red light next to the lens indicates shooting immediately.—PJ Jacobowitz
that a recording is in progress. On the left >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
NOVEMBEr 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 11

BlackBerry Curve 3G (T-Mobile)
A Familiar,
Powerful
Phone
T
he BlackBerry Curve 3G isn’t
a revolutionary upgrade, but
its powerful combination of BlackBerry Curve 3G (T-Mobile)
push e-mail, Wi-Fi calling, $79.99 direct
l l l l m
and 3G data speeds make it
PROS 3G speeds on T-Mobile’s network. Awe-
a natural choice for voice and messaging- some Wi-Fi calling feature. Stellar battery life.
focused buyers. Loud speakerphone.
Taking the now-familiar Curve 8520 CONS Third-party app catalog still lags. Low-
res camera.
design, the Curve 3G measures 4.3 by
2.4 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.7
ounces. The screen is the same 320-by- As is proper for a BlackBerry, you can
240-pixel, 2.4-inch panel as ever. The four- receive push e-mail for up to 11 accounts,
row, sculpted QWERTY keyboard is just including Microsoft Exchange and Lotus
about perfect given the phone’s svelte Notes. Corporate IT departments can
design. password-protect the phones, wipe them
The Curve 3G is a quad-band EDGE and remotely in the case of loss or theft, and
dual-band HSDPA device, and its Wi-Fi provision them from a central location.
radio now connects to faster 802.11n net- At this point, the BlackBerry Curve is a
works. It supports UMA service for clear known quantity, and the UMA-enhanced
Wi-Fi calls, which is a sadly undersold fea- T-Mobile versions are better than most. But
ture. Like prior UMA-compatible BlackBer- if you’re sticking with T-Mobile, you should
rys, the Curve 3G gives you clear calls in consider the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which
cellular dead zones as long as you can con- is also UMA-compatible and delivers more
nect over Wi-Fi. Voice calls sounded clear screen resolution and a better camera for
and crisp all around, but hand-offs between just $20 more, although it’s a little heavier
Wi-Fi and cellular weren’t as seamless as and bulkier.—Jamie Lendino
the last UMA BlackBerry I tested. >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Microsoft LifeCam Studio
High-Def
Webcam
Microsoft’s latest webcam offers
quality video recording and
Internet video chats at a reason-
able price. A Best Buy exclusive,
the LifeCam Studio features a
1080p-capable sensor, an improved design, Microsoft LifeCam Studio
a flexible mount, and a steady picture that $99.99 list
l l l l m
looks natural in a variety of environments.
PROS Sharp, crisp images and video recording.
The LifeCam Studio brings in more light Most natural color balance we’ve seen from a
than its predecessor, the LifeCam Cinema, webcam. Built-in TrueColor and automatic light
correction works well in less-than-optimal
and works well in lower-light environments. environments. Warm vocal reproduction. Flex-
Microsoft said the goal was for users to avoid ible 360-degree mount includes tripod thread.
having to crank the lights for video chats. In CONS Mono mic lacks noise suppression.
Video recording maxes out at 720p and 15
addition, a small cap extends out from over frames per second without extra software.
the sensor; this way straight overhead light Buggy live effects.
doesn’t hit the sensor and compromise the
image. A larger, higher-fidelity microphone what you’d expect from a camcorder like the
has also been added. Flip UltraHD (click here for the review), and
As before, the flexible, rubberized mount less like the typical over-exposed, flat-look-
can sit atop a desktop or laptop lid without ing images from a webcam.
marring the frame. But now it includes a The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 may
separate 360-degree joint for rotating the still be better for some buyers, thanks to its
camera, and a new tripod thread lets you stereo mics and built-in noise cancellation.
position the unit on a portable stand. But the LifeCam Studio’s recorded video
The webcam’s TrueColor feature tracks looks sharper at an identical 1280-by-720-
your facial movements; this way the unit can pixel setting, and also lacks the C910’s com-
change the exposure to compensate for a pression artifacts when recording video.
bright spotlight near the seating position. In All told, the LifeCam Studio is an excellent
practice, this worked really well. Live images buy.—Jamie Lendino
from the LifeCam Studio looked closer to >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

first looks HARDWARE
Asus U45Jc-A1
A Sleek,
Powerful Laptop
Asus makes outstanding laptops, Asus U45Jc-A1
as it proved with the U30Jc-A1 $867 street
l l l l h
($899 street, l l l l h ). Its latest
PROS High-quality design. Big battery. Out-
offering bumps the screen size standing battery life. Switchable graphics by
to a 14-inch widescreen, while Optimus. Lightweight. HDMI and eSATA. Good
performance.
retaining all the goodies that made its
CONS Mouse buttons are too resistant.
smaller sibling so successful. A sleek metal-
lic frame, Nvidia-switchable graphics, and
over 9 hours of battery life are among the siasts can reap the benefits of a discrete
reasons it earns our Editors’ Choice award. Nvidia Geforce 310M graphics chip.
The U45Jc-A1’s 14-inch widescreen is one A powerful mainstream laptop wouldn’t
size bigger than the ones found in the Mac- be complete without good battery life. With
Book Pro 13-inch and U30Jc-A1—roughly an a huge 84WH battery, the U45Jc-A1 top-
extra two columns’ worth in Microsoft Office pled its competitors in MobileMark 2007
Excel. The full-size keyboard is responsive tests with a score of 9 hours 27 minutes.
and comfortable. Awards aren’t won by besting the com-
Asus is a component powerhouse, and it’s petition in one or two areas; a laptop has
in this department that the U45Jc-A1 really to excel at everything and look good while
shines. Its 2.4-GHz Intel Core i3-370M pro- doing it. The Asus U45Jc-A1 literally puts
cessor is a notch above the one found in the the pedal to the metal. Overall performance
Asus U30Jc-A1 (Core i3-350M) and Dell 14R is where it truly shines, thanks to Nvid-
(Core i3-350M). It may not have the fast- ia’s switchable graphics technology and
est processor among all of its competitors, unprecedented battery scores in the main-
but it offers plenty of graphics power. Video stream category.—Cisco Cheng
editors, casual gamers, and avid HD enthu- >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I
Specs 2.4-GHz Intel Core i3-370M processor; 4GB RAM; 500GB hard drive; Intel GMA HD and nVidia Geforce 310M
graphics; 14-inch widescreen; 4.7 pounds; 802.11n wireless; Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW drive; Microsoft Windows
7 Home Premium.

PERFORMANCE TESTS
MOBILEMark CineBnech Photoshop
L High scores are best. M Low scores are best. pcMark 2007 3dMark Crysis* handbrake R11.5 (XCPU) CS5
Bold type denotes first place. vantage* L (hr:min) L 06* L (fps) L (min:sec) M L (min:sec) M
Asus U45Jc-A1 5,361 9:27 3799 20.8 3:02 2.14 5:46
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch

4,121 5:05 5,246 27 NA NA NA
(Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz)
Asus U30Jc-A1 5,068 8:00 4082 21.5 NA NA NA
Dell Inspiron 14R 4,849 3:31 4,511 24 NA NA NA
RED denotes Editors’ Choice. N/A—Not applicable: The product could not complete the test, or the test was not compatible.
* This test was run at 1,024 by 768 resolution.

first looks HARDWARE
Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350
A Hearty
CULV at a
Great Price
Just as the consumer ultra-low
voltage (CULV) laptop category
started losing steam, due to the
high prices of the latest CULV
processors, in walked the Toshiba Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350
Satellite T235-S1350. Its dual-core Pentium $630 direct
l l l l m
CULV processor may not be as powerful as
PROS Very aggressively priced. Exquisitely thin
the latest crop of Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs, and lightweight. White design is vibrant. Ex-
but it shines brightly on the road, amassing cellent battery life. HDMI and eSATA included.
Excellent keyboard. Wide touchpad.
over 8 hours of battery life. And its $630
CONS Pentium processor is not best of breed.
price tag is a head-turner.
To keep that price low, Toshiba naturally
had to cut a few corners, like using plastic to that of desktop keyboards.
on the chassis instead of the fancier, alumi- Most of the cost-cutting comes from the
num metal found in the Asus UL80Vt-A1 processor side. The 1.2-GHz Intel Pentium
and Acer Aspire 1830T-3721. To make up U5400 is at the low-end of the CULV totem
for that, the T235-S1350 is nice and slim, pole, but it’s more advanced than the aging
measuring just 0.75 inches in depth. It also Intel Core 2 Duos found in the MSI X420 and
weighs a mere 3.8 pounds. UL80Vt-A1.
The T235-S1350 has a 13.3-inch wide- Though it’s neither the fastest nor lon-
screen, which is the median in CULV lap- gest-lasting CULV laptop, the T235-S1350
tops. The full-size chiclet keyboard is offers an aggressive price and delivers all
borrowed from Toshiba’s award-winning the key essentials of a successful thin and
mini netbook line, as the keys are perfectly light laptop.—Cisco Cheng
sized and raised so that the depth is similar >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I Specs 1.2-GHz Intel Pentium U5400 processor; 4GB RAM; 320GB hard drive; Intel GMA HD graphics; 13.3-inch
widescreen; 3.8 pounds; Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.

first looks hardware
Acer Aspire Predator AG7750-U2222
A Novice
Gamer’s
Dream Box
Whether you love or hate its
design, you’ll have a tremen-
dous gaming experience with the Acer Aspire Predator AG7750-U2222
AG7750-U2222. It’s the ideal sys- $1999.99 list
l l l l m
tem for the talented, novice gamer
PROS Lots of connectivity ports, including two
who wants to train for the big leagues, with Ethernet ports. Easy drive expansion. Large
plenty of expandability options. hard drive, lots of memory. 3D and multimedia
prowess. SLI-capable.
The Predator is not a subtle computer—
CONS Massive amount of bloatware.
not many gaming towers are. Its ribbed
exterior, garish paint job, and overladen
tack-ons are entirely the point of this sys- For gaming systems, performance is
tem. Its well-thought-out interior offers everything. The Predator played Crysis (74
space for up to three Nvidia GeForce fps) and Lost Planet 2 (109 fps) smoothly at
GTX 470 graphics cards (one is already medium/middle settings, and impressed us
included), and a 750-watt power supply to with its 3D gaming performance.
support all three. There’s also a PCI card slot Compared with other midrange gaming
and PCIe x1 card slot, but those will be cov- boxes, the Acer Aspire Predator AG7750-
ered up if you add two more GTX 470 cards. U2222 is a class leader. It’s the fastest over-
The Predator comes with 12GB of mem- all compared with other multi-core systems
ory, which should be enough for gaming with a single mid-range enthusiast graph-
and most high-end multimedia use. It offers ics card. For its performance, expand-
plenty of hard drive space thanks to its hot- ability, and features, it is our new Editors’
swappable drive bays. There are three free Choice for midrange gaming desktops.
drive bays in the front of the system, with —Joel Santo Domingo
three sleds you can pop in and out easily. >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I Specs 2.8-GHz Intel Core i7 processor; 12GB RAM; 1,500GB hard drive; nVidia GeForce GTX 470 graphics; dual-
layer DVD+/-RW drive; Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.

first looks business
HP Mini 5103
A Fully Loaded,
Pricey Biz Laptop
T
he HP Mini 5103 is an elite HP Mini 5103
netbook player, offering $650 direct
l l l l m
touchscreen capability, a
PROS Dual-core Atom. Sweet 1,366-by-768
higher-resolution screen, resolution. Speedy hard drive. Touchscreen is
HD-friendly decoder card, finger-friendly. Sleek aesthetic. Big battery.
2GB of RAM.
and, now, Intel’s latest dual-core Atom. But
CONS Expensive once you pile on all these fea-
all of its bells and whistles bump the price tures. No HDMI port with HD decoder card.
up to $650, far higher than its competitors,
and its addition of the dual-core processor
doesn’t deliver much of a speed bump. over single-core Atom-equipped netbooks
With its 6-cell battery, the HP 5103 weighs like the Toshiba NB305-N410 and Samsung
3 pounds, which is in line with the Toshiba N210. On MobileMark 2007 tests, the Mini
mini NB305-N410 (2.9 lbs) and Samsung 5103 drained its 6-cell battery in 8 hours 40
N210 (2.9 lbs). Unlike most netbooks, the minutes, which pales in comparison to its
5103 has an option for a high-resolution predecessor’s score of 10:52. Still, almost 9
screen (1,366 by 768), or you can choose one hours of battery life is quite nice.
with capacitive touch (think Apple iPhone); The HP Mini 5103 is loaded with terrific
mine came with both. The screen is appro- features, but they all add up to a price tag
priately lit and has wide viewing angles, and that’s no longer within the netbook range.
navigating it with your fingers is as respon- In fact, you can buy a full-size laptop with
sive as doing it with the touchpad. this kind of money. There are a few sophis-
Intel’s latest dual-core Atom—the 1.5GHz ticated netbook users who can benefit
N550—is new to the HP Mini line. That would greatly from these features. For all others,
be exciting news except for the fact that the Toshiba mini NB305-N410 probably
speed improvements are only marginal. makes more sense.—Cisco Cheng
There are some slight speed advantages >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I Specs: 1.5-GHz Intel Atom N550; 2GB DDR3 RAM; 160GB hard drive; Intel GMA 3150 graphics; 10.1-inch wide-
screen; 3 pounds; Microsoft Windows 7 Professional.

PERFORMANCE TESTS SYSmark 2007 Preview L

Windows
L High scores are best. M Low scores are best. mobile Mark electronic video office overall Media encoder
Bold type denotes first place. 2007 L learning creation productivity score (min:sec) M
HP Mini 5103 8:40 32 53 39 39 3:21
Asus EeePC 1215N 5:40 49 48 48 53 2:53
Dell Inspiron Mini 10s (HD) 7:42 34 40 50 39 4:35
Toshiba mini NB305-N410 8:59 34 39 50 38 4:48
RED denotes Editors’ Choice. N/A—Not applicable: The product could not complete the test, or the test was not compatible.
* This test was run at 1,024 by 768 resolution. ** Test was run at 1,024 by 768 resolution. Test was run at 1,280 by 1,024 resolution.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p USFF
Small PC,
Hefty Price
T
he Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p
USFF (Ultra Small Form Fac-
tor) is a Core i5-powered PC
that is built and priced for the
medium- to enterprise-class
business. Smaller businesses that won’t Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p USFF
take advantage of its IT management and $1,158 direct
l l l h m
serviceability features probably won’t find it
PROS Compact form factor. Quiet. Well-
worth the price ($1,158 direct). designed stand. Core i5 power in a USFF desk-
Like most USFF PCs, the M90p has little top. Eight USB ports. Intel vPro.
expansion room. There’s space for a sin- CONS Hardly any expansion room. Uses exter-
nal power brick. No DVI port (without adapter).
gle PCI card inside. If you need specialized Only 30 days of Norton Internet Security up-
graphics or other peripherals that don’t work dates. No eSATA.
with USB, then you’ll need to go for a mid-
tower desktop. One plus is that the M90p marginally better than that of the Editors’
has disk-image parity with larger desktops, Choice, the iMac (Core i3) (39 seconds).
so IT will only need to build one base hard- However, the M90p’s Photoshop CS4 (1
drive setup/image, and build upon that for minute 40 seconds) score fell behind the
distribution to different groups. iMac (1:22), but was on a par with the Dell
The system has a whopping 8 USB 2.0 Optiplex 780 (1:41). The system won’t be
ports. There’s also a DisplayPort in addition able to run tasks that require large amounts
to the usual VGA port, meaning the M90p is of memory and a 64-bit operating system.
ready for newer monitors with DisplayPort If all of your company’s workers need
cables, but you can’t use a more common Core i5 power, the M90p USFF is a good fit;
DVI-equipped monitor without an adapter. otherwise, there are less expensive choices,
On our standard benchmark tests, the such as our Editors’ Choice winner, the Dell
M90p performed decently. Its Windows Optiplex 780 USFF.—Joel Santo Domingo
Media Encoder score (37 seconds) was >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I Specs Intel Core i5-660 processor; 3 GB DDR3 RAM; 500GB hard drive; Intel GMA HD graphics; dual-layer DVD+/-
RW drive; Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition.

Livescribe Echo Smartpen
A Pen That Digitizes

and Records
I
n the curious product category of
connected, voice-recording, pen
input devices, Livescribe pretty
much dominates. Its latest, the
Livescribe Echo Smartpen, has a
slimmed-down design and a host of new
collaborative applications on the horizon.
Still, like its predecessor, the Pulse, the
Echo’s greatest strengths are its ability to Livescribe Echo Smartpen
record written notes, sync them with live $169.95 direct (4GB)
l l l l m
audio recordings, and provide an easy way
PROS Digitally captures handwritten and audio
to manage digital copies of both. notes. Sensitive microphone. Pencasts can be
Despite being a bit slimmer than the shared online. Growing app library.
Pulse, the 0.5-by-6.2-by-0.8-inch Echo is CONS Bulky. Actual pen tip is just a basic ball-
point. Requires specially printed notepaper.
still a bit unwieldy. The rubberized tip helps
your grip, but the 1.3-ounce device feels
more like a big magic marker than a pen. a spot on the paper and click Play, and you’ll
Nestled inside the tip of the Echo pen is a hear exactly—and clearly—what he was say-
high-speed, infrared camera that captures ing as you wrote in that spot. You can play
70 frames per second. This camera cap- back the audio on the pen or export it to
tures anything you write, as long as it’s on your Mac or PC, where every stroke of your
the specially imprinted, not-quite-white Echo pen is shown as the audio plays back.
note paper the company supplies. Connect The Echo comes in 4GB ($169.95) and 8GB
the pen to your PC, and you can download ($199.95) models, which can store 400 or
digital copies of your handwritten notes. 800 hours of audio respectively.
Pretty cool already, but there is more. The Livescribe Echo is a high-tech bridge
The Echo also has a built-in microphone between analog, handwritten notes and the
that records audio as you write. Want to digital world. This is a writing instrument
find out what the professor was saying any gadget geek will love.—Dan Costa
when you were taking your notes? Just tap >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

first looks software
Internet Explorer 9 Beta
A Barebones,
Browsing Beauty
W
hen Internet Explorer
9’s interface was finally
revealed at a recent
event dubbed “Beauty
of the Web,” analysts
noted the barebones aspect of the four pre-
vious IE9 Platform Previews. But who would
have guessed the leanness was a harbinger
of the browser’s actual user interface?
IE has become the most pared-down
browser—but that’s not the whole story.
Web pages take the center role, with new
options like pinned sites. And IE9 joins the Internet Explorer 9 Beta
Free
JavaScript speed team, revving up perfor- Unrated
mance in other ways with graphics hard- PROS Minimalist design leaves the most room
ware acceleration. Finally, IE9 has become for the Web page content. Pinned tabs make
sites like apps in Windows 7. New JavaScript
a “modern” browser (to use competitors’ engine and hardware acceleration makes it
term), by supporting new Web coding tech- significantly faster than previous versions of IE.
Download manager with malware protection.
niques like HTML5, CSS3, Canvas, and SVG.
Improved tab function. Ample security features.
With its new user interface, IE9 innovates CONS Still not as fast as Chrome in JavaScript.
in ways that give pre-eminence to sites Still behind in support for HTML5 code. Some
and the OS rather than the browser itself. sites do not render correctly.
Its pinned-tabs feature gives sites parity

with apps, and when you drag tabs out, the The default configuration of IE9’s top UI
resulting window behaves like a standard border actually takes up the least screen
Windows 7 window, including Aero Snap real estate of any major browser, leaving
functionality. This emphasis on Windows 7 the most space for Web pages. To achieve
behavior is exactly why XP users get left in this, everything is in one row below the win-
the dust; IE9 works only on Win 7 and Vista. dow border—the back and forward buttons,

nice options to keep track of your installers.

When it comes to performance, IE is no
longer a second-class citizen. JavaScript
performance is a key speed benchmark,
one that gets a lot of ink thanks to Chrome’s
still-astounding lead in this area. Previ-
ous versions of IE have lagged behind just
pinning sites When you pin a site to the task-

bar, the browser icon and button color changes
to match the site.
tabs, control buttons, and the combined

address/search bar, or OneBox. IE9 has
taken Chrome’s lead on combining these
two functions, but IE claims its version is
more protective of your privacy, by letting add-ons The add-on manager tells you how
much time each add-on will add to startup.
you turn on and off the autosuggest feature
of your search engine at will. about all competitors, but IE9’s new Chakra
Internet Explorer now has a download JavaScript engine brings it right in the midst
manager, finally, and it’s nonintrusive. Its of the pack. Also, other aspects of page ren-
window shows you the percent complete, dering have been accelerated using Graph-
lets you go to the download folder, run, or ics hardware directly accessed through
view all downloads. You can choose to Run, DirectX’s Direct2D API. Only Firefox was
Save, or Save and Run when you download— able to match IE9 Beta’s performance on
Microsoft’s (and Firefox’s) demos.
Competition has been good for IE. With
the Internet Explorer 9 beta, Microsoft has
made great strides on three fronts, speed,
standards and simplicity. After over a
week’s use, I found the vast majority of sites
worked flawlessly. Still, it’s a beta at this
point, so we’ll wait before making a decision
about our next browser Editors’ Choice.—
border comparisons IE9’s window border
(right) takes up less space than Chrome’s (left) Michael Muchmore
and Firefox’s (center). >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011
Small-Business
Accounting At Its Best
Intuit’s QuickBooks remains the QuickBooks Premier Edition 2011
best small-business account- $399.95 list
l l l l h
ing product available today. The
PROS Intuitive interface. Thorough setup.
upgrades to the new Premier Edi- Multi-graph Snapshots. Multiple email options.
tion 2011 will help you stay on Informational pane in transactions. Intuit
Payment Network. Numerous payroll options.
top of your company’s financial standing,
CONS Weak inventory tools. Little attention to
improve the speed of your collections, save Preferences.
time completing transactions, and access
your data remotely.
QuickBooks 2011 facilitates sales and pur- to screens that help you view your Chart
chases, payroll, inventory, and banking. You of Accounts, peruse your items and ser-
can create databases of people, products, vices, and work with your inventory. Ven-
and services; process numerous types of dors’ icons represent purchase orders, bills,
transactions; and get constant, real-time and inventory. Customer links take you to
views of your business through reports and forms like sales orders and invoices, related
interactive snapshots. charges, and payments. The Employee
These tools can be accessed through group, of course, helps you manage your
icons on the program’s opening page. payroll. And links in the Banking group
They’re divided into related groups. The trigger processes like check-writing and
Company group, for example, offers links account-reconciliation.
EMPLOYEE CENTER Quickbooks’ Centers consolidate access to records and transaction data.

EASY SETUP
New in 2011 is this
set of wizards,
designed to help
you begin building
your data layers.
snapshots
Quickbooks’ Com-
pany Snapshots,
including the Cus-
tomer Snapshot,
display what you
need to know fast.
Standards menus and a customizable small-business accounting space. Both

toolbar also lead you to your destinations, Peachtree by Sage Premium Accounting
offering a more comprehensive guide to the 2010 ($349 direct, l l l l m ) and Account-
program’s features. Edge 2010 for Windows ($299 direct,
A window containing a list view of your l l l h m ) would serve many small busi-
items and services lets you open records nesses well, particularly those that need
and also use menus to work with individ- maximum inventory-tracking capabilities
ual entries. These menus offer voluminous and flexibility. Still, QuickBooks continues
options for activities like editing and delet- to lead the pack with its skillful blend of
ing items, creating forms and receiving accounting acumen, simplicity, and extensi-
items, running reports, and interacting with bility, and that is why it is our Editors’ Choice
Excel. pick.—Kathy Yakal
QuickBooks is in good company in the >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
A Superb Suite
for Mac Users, Finally
M
icrosoft finally got it right. Microsoft Office for Mac 2011
After a string of disap- Home and Student Version, $119, single user;
$149, three users
pointing releases, the new Home and Business Version, $199, single user;
Mac version of the world’s $279, licensed for two machines
l l l l h
most widely used office
PROS Fast, flexible office-application suite.
suite is innovative, better designed, star- Most powerful Mac office software. Highly
tlingly faster, vastly more powerful, and far compatible with Office for Windows. Well-
integrated with OS X. Visual Basic for Applica-
more compatible with Office for Windows.
tions recorded and programmed macros fully
It even includes a few features that outclass supported. Newly designed Outlook replaces
anything in its Windows-based counterpart, Entourage as mail/calendar/contact app.
Microsoft Office 2010. CONS No calendar synching with iCal.

Office for the Mac comes in two versions, Outlook won’t synch with or retrieve mail
from Exchange Server 2003 or earlier.
a Home and Student Version (single user,
$119; three users, $149) and a Home and
Business Version (single user, $199; licensed made the previous version almost unusable.
for two machines, $279). Both versions I also like the new ribbon interface. It’s simi-
include Word 2011, Excel 2011, and Power- lar to the ribbon on the Windows version,
Point 2011, but the Home and Business with a few changes that reflect the graphics-
version also includes Outlook 2011, which oriented world of the Mac.
replaces the Entourage mail, calendar, and I’m delighted to see the return to the Mac
contact-manager app in recent versions. version of the Visual Basic for Applications
The most newsworthy changes in the automation language. This means I can
suite include the shiny new Outlook and the finally record and edit Word macros in OS
collaboration feature that lets multiple users X, and, better still, use all the macros I’ve
edit a document simultaneously when the recorded or written over the years for use in
document is stored on Microsoft’s free Sky- the Windows version.
Drive cloud-based storage or on a Share-
Point server. But the best thing about the Word for the Mac Grows Up
new suite for most real-world users will be its Word for the Mac finally has virtually all the
jackrabbit speed—unlike the pokiness that dazzling power and flexibility of Word for

dynamic
reordering
One of the most
dazzling new
features in Office,
dynamic-reordering
view lets you
rearrange layers
by dragging them
to the correct
position.
Windows, and adds a few special tricks of its publishing mode is the dynamic reordering
own. When you edit a document in the new feature, which is also included in the Mac
full-screen view, nothing is visible except version of PowerPoint. To move a graphic
the current page and a background image— image or text box toward the front or back
by default flat black, but you can choose in a multi-layer layout, you used to have to
among different textures. When you move select each object in turn and select Move
the mouse to the top of the screen a format- to Back or Move to Front, often a complex
ting toolbar appears; it’s less distracting operation if the object you wanted to move
than the full OS X menu bar that appears was hidden behind another object. Now,
in iWork’s Pages app when you move the you can choose Reorder Objects from the
mouse to the top of Pages’ full-screen ribbon, and Word (or PowerPoint) displays
view. Word 2011’s full-screen view lets you all the objects on the page in a 3-D horizon-
switch between editing mode and a read- tal stack of layers. Or you can choose Reor-
only mode that uses a Time-Machine-style der Overlapping Objects, and then the 3-D
sheaf of pages behind the current page, to display shows only the overlapping objects,
give you an idea of how many more pages not the other ones on the same page. It’s
remain beyond the one you’re reading. a brilliant and even beautiful solution, and
Like the previous version, Word can oper- there’s nothing like it in any other software.
ate in two modes, one for normal word-pro-
cessing documents, the other a “publishing” New Graphic Features in Excel
mode used mostly for graphics-rich layouts. Excel 2011 gets the new ribbon interface
The big news in the latest version of Word’s and some of the same nifty graphic features

in Excel 2010 for Windows, such as “spar- Goodbye Entourage, Hello Outlook
klines” (single-cell charts for graphic display I liked the Entourage mail, calendar, and con-
of data in a row or column) and flexible and tacts app in the last few versions of Office for
eye-catching conditional formatting. Mac, but the new Outlook is both faster and
Almost everything else that’s new in the far more powerful. It looks and acts like an
app counts as an improvement on exist- almost feature-complete match to Outlook
ing features. The Find feature can search for Windows, but with features that make it
across multiple workbooks, and can search especially suitable to the Mac environment.
for wildcards. The Formula Bar is moved One such feature will be invisible to most
immediately above the column headers users: instead of storing all your mail and
and never overlaps the data, no matter how other data in a huge single file, as in previ-
complex the formula it displays. Pivot Tables ous Mac versions and all Windows versions,
are vastly easier to use, through a new dia- each message, contact, and task is stored
log box and with conditional formatting to as a separate file. So Apple’s Time Machine
make the resulting display easier to inter- backup system needs only to save newly
pret. VBA support means that automated created message files whenever a new mes-
worksheets finally work again in Excel for sage arrives, and not a huge data file. And
the Mac, and macros can be recorded with a OS X’s Spotlight search tool can find Out-
couple of clicks on the ribbon. look messages in a faster, more efficient way.
Outlook for the Mac, like Outlook for Win-
A Sections Feature in PowerPoint dows, finally gets a Conversations view that
PowerPoint for the Mac also gets a make- groups messages and replies. It also gets
over that brings it mostly into line with the superb Windows feature that displays
the Windows version. Windows-version your calendar when you get a meeting invi-
features newly added to the Mac version tation, so you can see whether you can fit
include “sections” that manage groups of the meeting into your plans.
slides as a single unit, recorded and pro-
grammable VBA macros, built-in picture- An Exciting, Robust Upgrade
editing tools such as a surprisingly effective I can’t think of a more impressive software
automatic background remover, the ability upgrade than Microsoft Office for Mac 2011.
to embed movies into slides, and the option It combines terrific new features with faster
to use a Microsoft-provided Web server to performance. It’s more Mac-like than ever,
broadcast your presentations over the Web. more closely integrated with OS X, and
As in Word, the Mac version of PowerPoint offers a smooth transition from the Win-
improves on the Windows version with its dows version for anyone switching to the
“dynamic reordering” feature that the Win- Mac.—Ed Mendelson
dows version can’t match. >> CLICK HERE FOR MORE

excel charts
Excel with its ribbon looks a lot
like the Windows version, and
supports almost all the features
of its Windows counterpart.
powerpoint sections
PowerPoint makes it possible
to divide a presentation into
chapter-like sections, making
it easy to use or omit whole
blocks of slides for different
audiences.
outlook mail
Outlook’s mail interface looks
like the Windows version,
complete with the optional
conversation view.

john c. dvorak
Texting: Hazardous
To Your Health
O
ne of my friends is the ultimate Sean Hannity, a national talk show host,
modern geek. He says he and was on the radio one day lamenting the fact
his wife often sit at the same that years of using headphones, which are
table with mobile devices and far safer than ear buds for the ears, has hurt
text each other while at the his hearing. He noted that this is a common
same table! Even more weird than this is ailment among people working in radio.
that it doesn’t actually surprise me. Still, it does not hold a candle to earbud
The more I think about this situation, the damage. Curiously there are all sorts of fed-
more I consider the unintended conse- eral standards for dangerous noise, but not
quences, none of which has to do with com- of these standards seem to be enforced.
puting. They have to do with your health. So the unintended consequences of the
It’s already been shown that the iPod, iPod and other MP3 devices is hearing loss
which has ruined the market for high-quality among the youth of America. What about
stereo speakers, is making kids deaf. You’ve the iPhone and other mobile devices?
been around this yourself. You are sitting Well, I don’t know about you, but squint-
next to someone and their iPod is turned ing at what amounts to 3 or 4-point type on
up so high you can hear the song yourself. I an itsy-bitsy screen for hours on end cannot
have had this happen on noisy airplanes. be a positive thing for your vision, can it?
In California any bar with music play- There seems to be some evidence that
ing has to have ear protection behind the people are getting more and more near-
counter for people who ask for it. Nobody sighted as they hunch over a desk and stare
seems to ask for it , unaware that listening to at a computer screen 12-inches away all day
100dB-plus noise for hours on end is awful long. Book worms have always turned near-
for your hearing. The same apparently holds sighted too. And while some of this may be
true for earbud wearers. genetic, much of this may have to do with
30 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION November 2010

Real-life zombies are weaving in and out of

traffic with one hand to their ear and one hand
on the wheel, working and driving on reflex only.
the muscles in the eye and its general ability corporations. I’ve never seen so many peo-
to optimize for what it needs to do the most. ple totally disconnected from those around
Does anyone think it is healthy to stare at them in my life. A friend of mine, who
4-point type on a dinky screen all day? Is it notes the same phenomenon, claims that
somehow good for your vision? the recent explosion of referential mate-
I’d like to see the stats on vision anoma- rial about zombies is the direct result of
lies a decade from now. Investors take note: this genuine zombiefication of the masses
optics companies and hearing-aid compa- because of these devices.
nies are going to be hot tickets! These real-life zombies are driving their
car-like robots as they chat on the cell
The Zombie Frame of Mind phone incessantly. They weave in and out
Besides these physical afflictions that prey of traffic with one hand to their ear and one
upon the true believers of the iPod/iPhone, hand on the wheel, working and driving on
there is also a quality of life issue. Does any- reflex only. Not really driving at all. Zombies.
one find it peculiar how users of these small The brain is not in gear. This is a little more
devices have managed to isolate them- than distressing.
selves from the cool things that exist in real And then there are those who text mes-
life? I watch people zone out over some sage while driving a car. I always thought
music while failing to see things around someone shaving in the mirror or putting on
them. People are yakking on the phone make-up in the mirror while driving was a bit
while walking down the street almost oblivi- scary. This is worse. And it is not improving.
ous to their surroundings. They are texting This trend toward being connected is
or chatting with friends who must also be in actually a trend toward being isolated.
this state of isolation. Yeah, you are connected to a limited num-
Does anyone think that this self-imposed ber of people who you constantly commu-
isolation from immediate surroundings nicate with, but you are isolated from the
might actually be harmful somehow to the world at large. Get rid of these devices.
psyche or the whole person? NOW!
This could account for a number of weird
Dvorak Live on the Web John’s Internet TV
social anomalies that everyone complains
show airs every Wednesday at 3:30 ET on Cranky-
about, such as waning customer service Geeks.com. You can download back episodes
and dissociated zombie-like people within whenever you like.
November 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 31

SASCHA SEGAN
Samsung to Apple:
The Battle Is On
S
amsung is taking its battle get to pick their device and their carrier
for marketshare to the next independently of each other, rather than
level. The company recently being locked into exclusive arrangements.
announced that its Android- Notice that I’m not drawing any differ-
powered Galaxy Tab tablet ence between phones and tablets here. If
would appear on all four major U.S. carriers, the gadget requires 3G service, it’s bought
just like its Galaxy S phone line (which, in fact and sold the same way, at least for now.
has six carriers.) This stands in stark contrast Samsung’s strategy seems to have
to Apple’s one-carrier solution—choose any resulted in lower device prices, at least up
carrier you like, as long as it’s AT&T. front. Both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile
By targeting all four carriers with simi- are offering Galaxy S phones on a buy-one-
lar devices, Samsung acknowledges that get-one-free basis. This is a tactic typically
we’re still a country where people choose used for slow-selling or older phones, but
their carrier before their hardware. AT&T, the Galaxy S hasn’t been a disappointment;
Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have very dif- Samsung said that it anticipates selling 5 mil-
ferent rates, customer service policies, net- lion Galaxy S phones in the U.S. by the end of
work speeds and coverage maps. Samsung the year. T-Mobile and Verizon are using Gal-
wants to make sure that no matter which axy S phones as bait to get more consumers
one you prefer, you can get a top-of-the- to sign up for monthly data plans.
line Samsung Android device.
The Dark Side Of Being Friendly
Following Europe’s Lead Samsung’s approach has a dark side, too.
To some extent, that’s like Google’s origi- The company is a friend of the carriers. It
nal dream for the Nexus One, and it’s how really likes the carriers. It likes them so
phone buyers shop in Europe. Consumers much, in fact, that it actually let the carri-

To compete with the iPhone and the iPad,

Samsung will have to make sure that its software
is easy and fun to use, and that its hardware
is reasonably priced.
ers interfere with the software in the Gal- role in the Galaxy Tab’s success or failure.
axy S in ways that Apple would never allow The user-interface differences between
, and that Google would not allow with the Android and iOS alone could also define
Nexus One. Samsung let Verizon set Bing whether the Galaxy Tab succeeds.
as the default search engine on the Galaxy Apple could change the balance of power
S, for instance, and it also let AT&T bar non- by releasing the iPhone on a different U.S.
Market apps. It looks like the carrier models carrier, like it has in other countries. We’ve
of the Galaxy Tab may end up having simi- been hearing plenty of rumors of Apple
lar customizations. going with this carrier or that carrier, but
that’s been nonstop since 2007.
Marketing Wi-Fi-Only Versions
Both Samsung and Apple are selling non- The Competition: It’s a Good Thing
3G, Wi-Fi-only versions of at least some of I’m hoping that Samsung and Apple can
their products There’s going to be a Wi-Fi- seriously goose each other, and that con-
only Galaxy Tab, and the iPod touch and sumers benefit from the competition. To
Wi-Fi-only iPad are arguably even more compete with the iPhone and the iPad,
successful than the iPhone and 3G iPad. Samsung will have to make sure its software
It will be interesting to see how hard is easy and fun to use, and that its hardware
Samsung markets the Wi-Fi-only Gal- is reasonably priced. To compete with the
axy Tab. Apple pushes the iPod touch and Galaxy Tab—if the Galaxy Tab succeeds—
Wi-Fi iPad hard, in part because there’s no Apple may finally have to break its exclusiv-
love lost between Apple and wireless car- ity arrangement with AT&T.
riers in general. Will Samsung relegate its At least for now, though, it will be very
Wi-Fi model to the back of a Best Buy, so interesting to watch: Will Americans prefer
the company’s carrier buddies can get the to choose their carrier, or will they be will-
spotlight? ing to put up with AT&T’s network for a pure
There are other big differences between Apple experience?
Samsung’s and Apple’s products. Pricing,
STAY PHONE-SMART Keep up with the latest
both in terms of the Galaxy Tab device itself on smartphones by reading Sascha’s column at
and in terms of service plans, will play a big go.pcmag.com/segan.

DAN COSTA
Internet Wiretaps:
What You Should Know
T
he Obama administration is ing be active, or can a warrant allow for the
“preparing to seek sweeping unfettered data mining of everything you
new regulations for the Inter- have stored in the cloud, from your Face-
net” in order to make wiretap- book photos to your Gmail in perpetuity?
ping easier, according to The Without details, it is hard to see how anyone
New York Times. These rules would almost can take a hard line for or against new regu-
certainly require communication providers lations.
to create backdoors the government could
use to intercept communications, presum- The Internet is Already Bugged
ably those of international terrorists, drug Bill Clinton is known for a lot of things, but
smugglers, and other assorted criminals. not a lot of people know he signed a 1994
And just like that, the Crypto Wars of the law called the Communications Assistance
late 1990s have resumed. What’s clear now to Law Enforcement Act. The law was
is that the issues are complex, the stakes are designed to help the government extend
high, and the parties involved are wholly wiretapping capabilities to the digital age.
incapable of common-sense compromise. At the time, this meant AOL, Prodigy, and
Here’s what we know. other telecommunications providers had to
install equipment that gave the government
Those “Sweeping” Regulations Just Don’t access to their data centers. Today this
Exist Yet same functionality exists in Google, Micro-
It is impossible to evaluate any proposal soft, and Verizon’s datacenters.
without details, and at this point we don’t
have any. Will users still be able to utilize All Monitoring Requires a Warrant
services like PGP and TOR to secure their Here in the States, any Internet monitoring
communication channels? Will monitor- will require a warrant, just like conventional

The government can read your e-mails, but still

needs a judge’s signature to do so. Presumably,
new regulations would also require a judge’s OK.
wiretapping does now. The government senior police and defense department offi-
can read your e-mails, but it still needs a cials. Adding interception points makes
judge’s signature to do so. Presumably any communications systems less secure. That’s
new regulations would also require an OK a simple fact.
by a judge. That may be small comfort, but So despite the dire warnings of the
no one is talking about eliminating consti- national security infrastructure and the des-
tutional protections here. Not yet, anyway. perate cries of privacy promoters, no one
knows the specifics of the administration’s
Criminals Don’t Seek Warrants to Spy proposal. Those who have come out against
The real risks when creating backdoors are the hypothetical rules usually present some
the folks who won’t ask a judge for a war- form of Ben Franklin’s maxim: “those who
rant—identity thieves, malware creators, give up liberty for security deserve neither.”
and the occasional teenage hacker. Identity The problem is, this is a misquote, or at least
theft alone costed consumers $54 billion a gross simplification.
last year. And that figure doesn’t include Franklin’s actual words, written in A His-
the countless losses to keyloggers, viruses, torical Review of the Constitution and
trojans, and worms that don’t get reported. Government of Pennsylvania in 1759 were,
Our best protection against these threats “Those who would give up essential lib-
is solid encryption and secure communica- erty to purchase a little temporary safety
tion channels, but those are precisely the deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
tools that are coming under attack. Note the qualifications, “essential” liberty
and “temporary” safety. Franklin acknowl-
Anyone Can Walk Through a Backdoor edges the two are connected, a balance
Some existing backdoors have already been must be struck, and that neither should be
compromised. Indeed, the government of considered an absolute. It is this kind of
Greece bought some Vodaphone telecom- thoughtfulness that has so far been absent
munication equipment with built-in inter- in this latest round of the crypto wars, but it
ception technology just a few years ago. In is exactly what we will need if there are to be
2006, unknown parties were able exploit any real winners.
those access points and spy on its citizens.
The perpetrators used it to eavesdrop on TALK back to Dan E-mail your thoughts to
more than 100 phones, including those of dan_costa@pcmag.com.

Top 10 Hidden
Features in
Windows 7
By Joseph Moran
E
veryone likes to find hidden stuff, whether it’s loose change
in the couch cushions or an Easter egg in your favorite video
game. Windows 7 has its own hidden treasures. Yes, there
are features and goodies to be uncovered—some obvious, some not. And
you can access all of those listed here without downloading anything
extra (well, mostly). Read on for 10 handy and largely undocumented
items in Windows 7 that you probably weren’t aware of...and soon won’t
be able to live without.

1. God Mode and name it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-

It may be hyperbolically named, but Win- 465E-825C-99712043E01C}. Don’t include
dows 7’s God Mode is indeed omnipresent. the final period. The resulting folder will
It conveniently puts hundreds of settings contain 270 items, representing virtually
from all around the operating system all in every configurable option in Windows 7.
one place.
To turn on God Mode, create a new folder 2. Enhanced Calculator
on your desktop, or anywhere you’d like, Windows’ built-in calculator hasn’t really
changed much over the years, but Win-
dows 7’s calculator has a few extra tricks up
its sleeve, which you’ll find under the View

menu. It can do myriad unit conversions 4. Reliability Monitor
(temperature, weight, area), and even mort- When your system is acting flaky and you’re
gage payment or car mileage calculations. It trying to figure out what’s going on, the
maintains a history of your previous calcula- Reliability Monitor may help. Search for
tions as long as the program is open. “reliability” from the Start menu, and run
View Reliability History. You’ll get a graph
3. WordPad’s File Support of your system’s “stability index” over a
The built-in WordPad word processor in
Vista is of limited usefulness because it only
supports RTF (Rich Text Format) and plain
text (TXT) files. In Windows 7, on the other
hand, WordPad isn’t quite as restricted.
Although Windows 7’s WordPad still
doesn’t work with .doc files from Micro-
soft Word 2003 and earlier versions, it can
open and save ODT (OpenDocument Text)
files used by the free OpenOffice.org word
processor as well as .docx files created in period of days and weeks (rated on a scale
Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010. Although of 1 to 10). It displays which programs, Win-
dows components, or miscellaneous items
crashed on a given day, helping you identify
problem items.
5. Problem Steps Recorder

When you need outside PC help, it’s much
better to let them see for themselves what’s
happening on your system. But if remote
access isn’t an option, the Problem Steps
Recorder may be the next best thing.
Search for and run psr from the Start
menu. Click Start Record, and the utility will
WordPad can’t understand all the complex record your activities through a series of
formatting (it will warn you of this upon screen shots, automatically including cap-
opening or saving a file), it will still let you
read the documents without having the
native programs installed.

tions that show exactly where you clicked. the menu and choose Run as administra-
You can also use the Add Comment but- tor). From the command prompt, type pow-
ton to highlight specific areas of the screen ercfg -ENERGY (include the space) to scan
and insert custom annotations. When you your system, and after about a minute, you’ll
stop recording, everything will be stitched find a file called energy-report.html in your
together and saved as a Web browser-com- \windows\system32 folder. Copy the report
patible MHTML (MIME HTML) file, conve- to another location and open it (you’ll get a
niently pre-ZIPped and ready for e-mailing file-not-found error if you try to open it from
to your geek of choice. the system32 folder) for detailed informa-
tion about what system devices or settings
6. Power Efficiency Report are throwing a monkey wrench into your
If your Windows 7 laptop isn’t getting the power management.
battery life you expect, or it experiences
power-related issues, such as the inability 7. Pin Folders to the Taskbar
You know you can right-click your favorite
programs and pin them to the Windows 7
Taskbar for easy access. There’s no such
option for folders, but you can still keep
them close at hand on the Taskbar. Right-
click any folder, drag it to an empty space
on the Taskbar (or to the Windows Explorer

button), and let go when Pin to Windows
to go into standby or hibernate mode, the Explorer appears. Now when you right-click
problem usually lies with incorrectly config- the Windows Explorer button, your folders
ured power-management settings. will be accessible via the Jump List.
Windows 7’s Power Efficiency Report can
help you sniff out potential problems. Type 8. Wipe Free Disk Space
search for CMD from the Start menu, run it It’s no secret that when you delete files or
as an administrator (right-click cmd.exe on folders in Windows, they’re not actually

erased; the space they took up is simply
marked as “available for use,” which allows
the files to be recoverable until they’re
overwritten with new data. 10. hOTkEy A WINDOW bETWEEN MONITOrS
There is a utility built into Windows (even Want an easy and mouse-free way to move
XP Pro and vista) that will overwrite all the windows around a display or, better yet,
free space on a hard drive, insuring any files between multiple monitors? When you
you’ve deleted stay dead. Launch a com- press the Windows key along with the left or
mand prompt and type cipher /w:X (X is right arrow key, the active window will move
the letter of the drive or partition you want from its original position and anchor itself
to wipe). be patient; the process can take a to the edge of the screen in the direction
long time if you have a lot of free space. of the arrow, and it will do so across every
monitor you have. Similarly, if you press the
9. “VIrTuAL” WI-FI
If you check out the network connections of
most Wi-Fi-equipped Windows 7 systems
(except those with Starter edition), you’ll
notice an adapter called microsoft virtual
WiFi miniport adapter. This adapter acts as a
software-based access point, taking a wired
or wireless network connection and making
it available via a separate wireless network.
This lets you create your own hotspot from
whatever network you’re connected to—
handy when, say, you want to connect multi- Windows, SHIFT, and the left or right arrow
ple devices to a Wi-Fi network that charges keys at the same time, the active window
for access. To do this, you’ll need a copy of will jump over to the same position on the
the free Connectify software.) adjacent monitor. ■

To the person reading over my shoulder:
Yes, I am reading PC Magazine. Digitally.

And yes, it is awesome.
Now stop ogling and

get Zinio for yourself.
zinio.com/ipad
Solutions
How to Cast Out
Wi-Fi Intruders
Are you sure you’re the only one enjoying your home network?
Here’s how to detect trespassers and block them from pilfering
your bandwidth. By Eric Griffith
Y
ou love the convenience of as their own, and how you can block them
your home Wi-Fi network, and out for good.
guess what? You may not be (Note: Every model of wireless router has
the only one. If you haven’t ade- a different interface; even those from the
quately secured your network, same company are different. However, all
it’s possible that others—your neighbors have similar tools. I discuss them generically
and various other passers-by, for example— here, but if you poke around in the settings,
are happily gobbling up the bandwidth you you’ll find what you need.)
pay for.
Now, to be honest, you’re probably not
using it all, and sharing is the neighborly
thing to do. In fact, many routers will help
you do just that (share, not be neighborly).
Of course, it would be equally considerate
if that guy down the hall offered you some
cash to use your network.
That said, you may have some very good
reasons for keeping your network locked.
go stealth You can set your wireless router’s
So, we’ve gathered some tips for finding out settings to “invisible,” so that others perusing
if people are using your 802.11-based signals local networks won’t see yours.

you can do
magic Cisco
Network Magic
is one of our
favorite programs
for keeping an
eye on every
aspect of your
network.
Stop Broadcasting Your Name They’ll go for the lower-hanging fruit (e.g.
Most Wi-Fi routers broadcast the SSID, or another open network).
Service Set Identifier, by default. This is the If users do have your current network
name of your wireless network, and broad- name and you’d rather they didn’t, change
casting it is how Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the SSID. That will keep the crooks con-
such as laptops and phones, find networks. fused, at least for a while. Name it some-
You can, however, turn off broadcasting. It’s thing like “LocalPrecinct212” and maybe
as simple as that. This is not foolproof (and they’ll be extra nervous about connecting.
it won’t prevent anyone who already knows Change it frequently to keep them guess-
your network’s name from getting online), ing. (This is usually a moot point if encryp-
but it helps keep casual Wi-Fi stealers away. tion is activated.) Keep in mind, if you do

solutions security
reigning in dhcp settings You can control

the number of IP addresses your router assigns
to the number of devices on your network.
mac address control Setting your router

to allow only the MAC addresses of your own
turn off broadcasting of your SSID, you
devices is a solid way to keep intruders out.
make it a giant pain for yourself to add new
devices to the network. It may not be worth
the hassle. Finally, most new routers will do a DHCP
reservation. This ensures that every time a
Limit the IP Addresses device connects to the network, it gets the
Networks use IP addresses to “talk.” A exact same IP address. Without reserva-
temporary IP address is assigned to each tions, the address could change. Keeping
connected device by the router, using the them the same makes it easier to commu-
Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP). nicate over the network, especially if you’re
This can be a real time saver. However, if using a PC as a server for video to an Xbox
you want to take total control of your net- or PS3, for example.
work, assign static IP addresses of your own
to each network device—that means every Block the MAC
laptop, phone, game system, and stray gee- You can check the MAC addresses listed for
gaw that uses Wi-Fi to get online. Unless each device that is talking to your router
you’re a total control freak, this can be more against the MAC addresses physically
hassle than it’s worth. stamped on the hardware you own. If you
The next option: Limit the number of IP see a MAC listed that doesn’t match your
addresses the DHCP will dole out. If you equipment, then you may have a trespasser.
know you have six products connected Next, find the MAC Address Filters in your
to your network, then only let it assign six router settings. Tell the router to allow only
addresses. Remember that IP addresses the MAC addresses you want. This requires
cover wired and wireless products, so you entering a new MAC address every time
have to include all of your Ethernet-based you introduce a new Wi-Fi-based product
hardware in that list, which could include to your network. Also, this isn’t foolproof,
desktop PCs, TVs, game consoles, and more. as MAC addresses can be spoofed with the

right tools, but that’s usually something seri-

ous hackers, not casual wireless crooks, do.
Conversely, your filter may be set to
deny access to the MAC addresses you list,
like those you know are not your own but
appear on your DHCP list.
Encrypt Those Airwaves

Naturally, the best method for preventing
people from accessing your network while
making it easily accessible to you and your network control Cisco Network Magic
friends is to encrypt it using the well-estab- Pro 5.5 makes it easy to detect intruders, set up
sharing, and add devices to your network.
lished Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which
comes in all modern network hardware.
However, you may have some old-school nerable password that even you don’t know.
products lying around that only support the You’ll just need a master password on the
old and notoriously crackable WEP. You can router. Not all Wi-Fi hardware supports this,
use that, too, but it will leave your network so you may be better off picking your own
a bit more vulnerable. It’s still better than super-strong password.
nothing. Consider it a closed door with a
broken lock; it’s better than no door at all. Perform Some Magic
You may also have products that use Cisco Network Magic Pro 5.5 ($39.99 direct)
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). This works remains our Editors’ Choice for home-net-
with WPA. Push a button on the router, then work activity tracking and more, including
a corresponding button on a Wi-Fi product, intrusion detection. It works with just about
and the two will auto-generate a nigh-invul- any home network (especially those with
Cisco and Linksys routers) to help you get
stronger and more secure connections. Plus,
it gives you a glimpse of who shouldn’t be
there in the on-screen network map.
In fact, the latest version uses a home net-
work administration protocol (HNAP) to
control security settings on most routers.
When it works, it’s a quick way to fix secu-
rity problems. Some other tools that could
set up WPA IF your router offers WPA encryp-
tion, by all means, set it up. Or, if you have an help you include Who’s On My WiFi and
older router, set up WEP encryption. AirSnare. ■

solutions software
Make Your Photos

Come to Life
The right software can transform your digital photos into
masterpieces, no matter what type of camera you use. Here are
our picks for the best programs. By Michael Muchmore
W
e all enjoy taking pho- identify the faces of the people in your pho-
tos, whether they’re tos. But its biggest perk may be the simple
the occasional camera- uploading to the Picasa Web Albums site,
phone snapshot or pro- where you can share your memories with
fessional-quality shots friends and family. And if that’s not enough,
from high-end DSLR equipment. Regard- its geo-tagging offers maps showing
less, we want our pictures to look their best, exactly where a photo was taken.
and the best way to do that is to use a solid Also in this free download category is
photo-editing program. It should not only Microsoft’s Windows Live Photo Gallery,
address the basics, like rotating and crop- which has recently stepped up its game,
ping, but also let you tweak and embellish adding face recognition. Photo Gallery
your photographs until they literally gleam. also offers impressive red-eye correction,
Here’s a look at a variety of solutions that geo-tagging, panorama stitching, blemish
cost anywhere from $0 to more than $1,000. removal, a clear user interface, and excellent
organization tools.
Free Photo Software
The good news is that unless you demand Online Photo Editing
lots of image-editing power, you can do a lot If you want quick photo editing but can’t
with your pics for absolutely no cost. One or don’t want to install any software, there
of the best tools in this category is Google’s are a couple places online that will serve
downloadable Picasa (free, l l l h m , Edi- your needs handsomely. The first is Pic-
tors’ Choice) for both Windows PCs and nik (free, l l l l m ), now also part of the
Macs. Not only does it perform straighten- Google family of sites and services. And
ing, contrast, color, fill-light, and red-eye it may be the fastest way to start editing a
correction, but it can actually detect and photo—you don’t even have to sign up for

Picasa
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Picnik
an online account. Notable among Picnik’s

many impressive image enhancers is the
ability not only to fix human eyes, but those Adobe Photoshop Express
of animals as well. It also lets you make
slideshows, collages, and gifts like mugs,
greeting cards, and posters. with its editing tools without creating an
The newer Adobe Photoshop Express account, but to save anything you’ll need to
(free, l l l h m ) comes from the ultimate sign up.
authority on image editing, Adobe, and as
such, it offers a solid batch of editing tools Consumer Photo-Editing Software
in a polished, rich Web application. It’s On the Mac side, you’ll get features compa-
also simple enough for novices, and plays rable to the free Picasa and Windows Live
nice with Facebook. You can start playing Photo Gallery in the iPhoto app (Free to

solutions software
Shop Photo Pro X3 ($99.99 list, l l l h m ).

This software actually lets you do many of
the higher-end actions you’ll find in the top-
end Photoshop app, and much more sim-
ply. Its interface is somewhat less elegant
than Adobe’s products, though, and it’s
not as stable. Its one-step photo optimizer
works well, and it even accepts Photoshop
plugins and can output to professional
CMYK specs. But PaintShop was much
iiPhoto slower at handling large image files than
the pro tools below.
$79 direct, l l l l h ) , which comes as part An import from across the pond in Eng-
of the iLife suite that ships with new Macs or land, Serif PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio
is available as a $79 upgrade for earlier Mac ($79.99 direct, l l l h m ) also offers a nice
purchasers. Notable for Apple’s trademark blend of ease-of-use and power. To this
slick design, iPhoto takes a little more get- it throws in such ambitious tools as High
ting used to than Picasa, but offers a good Dynamic Range merging, for combining
photo-book printing option. It also does multiple poorly exposed shots into one
face recognition and geo-tagging, and adds with perfect lighting; a Raw Photo Studio,
direct uploading to Flickr, Facebook, or for processing and editing images straight
MobileMe ($99 per year direct, l l l l m ). from digital cameras; and support for
A step up from this is Adobe Photoshop 48-bit-color. Its photo-organizing prow-
Elements 8 ($79.99 list, l l l l h , Editors’ ess, however, is somewhat lacking, and the
Choice) , available for both Mac and PC. It interface doesn’t have quite the panache of
lets you do fancy things like content-aware Adobe products.
scaling, high-dynamic range merging (for
combining multiple poorly exposed shots Professional Tools
into one with perfect lighting), and pan- To do pretty much anything with a photo—
orama stitching. And DSLR shooters can or any other image for that matter—there’s
use their raw camera file formats with the nothing that can equal Adobe’s flag-
same converter its big brother, Photoshop ship Photoshop CS5 Extended program
proper, uses. Finally, it offers tight integra- ($579.99-$1,087.26 street, l l l l l , Edi-
tion with its companion video-editing soft- tors’ Choice). It really stands alone as the
ware, Adobe Premier Elements, and with ultimate professional image-manipulation
online services. software, with history brushes to repeat-
Another option at this price level is the edly apply custom enhancements to spe-
very capable and help-laden Corel Paint- cific parts of an image, Content-Aware Fill,

easily roundtrips with Photoshop CS5 for

more tinkering, and uploads seamlessly to
online image hosting.
Lightroom is certainly the professional
photographer’s best friend, if said pho-
tographer uses Windows, but for those on
Macs, Apple’s Aperture 3 ($156.97-$199
Photoshop CS5 Extended
and lens-correction filters. It also offers the

most in terms of output formats, and now
offers 3D design tools. It’s a must-have for
print and Web content professionals.
But one thing that Photoshop itself isn’t
so great at is organizing your images: for
that, look to its little brother, Adobe Pho- Apple Aperture 3
toshop Lightroom 3 ($319.99 direct,
l l l l m ). This program offers a multitude street, l l l l h ; Editors’ Choice) does
of tagging and other metadata tools, as well it one better in a couple ways. Aperture
as photographer-specific workflow, from includes face recognition and geotagging,
import to develop to output. It, too offers and offers excellent photo book output
precise image-lighting, color, and detail options not found in Lightroom. And its
adjustments and can even correct specific user interface, while offering all the tagging
lens geometry and color aberrations. It also and organizational tools of Lightroom, is
simpler and more elegant.
Both products use an underlying data-
base to keep track of your image edits and
preserve the original. They also do a good
job of making the manipulation of huge
image files snappy, as does ACDSee Pro 3
($136.99-$147.79 street, l l l l m ) , a low-
cost alternative that also can fix image
geometry and accept Photoshop plugins.
It, too, offers powerful workflow and image-
adjustment tools, but its interface isn’t quite
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 as slick as Apple and Adobe’s products. ■

Bes
Editors’ Choices
in Key Categories
For the complete
reviews of these
products and more
Editors’ Choices check out
go.pcmag.com/editorschoice
Desktops business projectors

Dell Latitude E5510
mainstream Canon Realis X700
$884 direct
Gateway DX4840-02e $2,500 list
$799.99 list budget
NEW Sony VAIO VPC-EB33FM/BJ SCANNERS
Budget/Value
$629.99 list
Dell Inspiron 545 $899 list Epson Perfection V300 Photo
tablet $99.99 direct
entry-level Apple iPad (Wi-Fi) 64GB
document scanner
NEWAsus Essentio CM1630-05 $699 direct
$479.99 list Canon imageFormula DR-
2020U $645 list
gaming/Multimedia sTORAGE
Maingear Shift $6,399 direct Portable networking
Falcon Northwest Mach V Lenovo ThinkPad USB
Portable Secure Drive $319 list 8x8 Virtual Office Pro $50 direct
(Core i7-975) $8,240 direct
desktop Cisco Valet Plus $129.99 list
NEWAcer Aspire Predator
AG7750-U2222 $1999 list Western Digital MyBook SMC SMCGS8P $300 street
Studio Edition II $430 list
NEW Cyberpower Gamer Dragon Spiceworks 4.5 Free
network-attached storage
$1,099 direct Cisco Network Magic
Western Digital WD
ALL-In-one ShareSpace 4TB, $799.99 list Pro 5.5 $39.99 direct
Apple iMac 21.5-inch
(Core 2 Duo) $1,199 direct LCD Monitors HDTVs
Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 Asus VW266H plasma
$1,399 direct $309 list NEW Samsung PN58C8000
$2,999.99 list
business HP LP2275w $349 direct
Dell Optiplex 780 USFF LCD
Dell Ultrasharp U2711 Sharp Aquos LC-52D85U
$1,484 direct
$1,099 direct $2,099.99 direct
nettop
Apple Mac mini (HDMI) $699 list Printers Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR8
$3,999.99 list
monochrome laser
Laptops & netbooks Samsung LN52A750 $3,999 list
Konica Minolta magicolor
mainstream 1600W $180 street OLED
NEW Asus U45Jc-A1 $867 street Sony XEL-1 OLED Digital TV
color laser
CONSUMER ULTRA-LOW VOLTAGE Xerox Phaser 7500/DN $2,499.99 list
Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350 $3,299.99 direct
$630 direct Blu-ray Players
standard inkjet
gaming Epson Stylus NX515 Samsung BD-C6500 $249.99 list
NEW Toshiba Portege R705-P35 $149 direct
$899.99 list Digital Cameras
Photo Printer
Multimedia Epson Stylus Photo R2880 compact
Dell Studio 17 (Multitouch) $799.99 direct Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2
$1,411 direct $399.95 list
all-in-one
Kodak EasyShare M580
Desktop Replacement Canon Pixma MG8120
HP Pavilion dv7-4083cl $199.95 direct
Wireless Photo All-In-One
$999.99 list $299.99 direct D-SLR
netbook NEW HP Officejet 6500A Nikon D300
Toshiba mini NB205 $400 street Plus e-All-in-One $199 direct $1,800 street
50 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION NOVEMber 2010

est
Canon EOS Rebel T1i $899.99 list GPS Devices iWork for iPad $9.99 direct
superzoom Garmin nüvi 1390T $269.99 list QuickBase $250 direct per month
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V
E-BOOK readers ACT! by Sage 2010 $299 list
$349.99 direct
Amazon Kindle (3G+WiFi) Citrix GoToAssist Express
Digital Video Cameras $69 direct per month
$189 direct
Kodak Playsport Video Camera
headphones iphone apps
$149.95 list
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Mobile TomTom 1.3 $69.99 direct
Sony HDR-SR11 $1,099.99 direct
Hi-Fi Headphones $299.95 list Navigon MobileNavigator 1.4.0
Digital Photo & Video $79.99 direct
bluetooth headsets
Multimedia suite Aliph Jawbone Icon $99 list Air Sharing $6.99 direct
Adobe CS 3 $999 direct Photogene $2.99 direct
VIDEO-Editing SOFTWARE
Cell phones
Rhapsody 2.0 Free
CyberLink DVD Suite 7 Ultra Alltel
$129.95 direct RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 games
photo editing
From $229.99 with contract
Halo: Reach $59.99 list
Adobe Photoshop CS5 AT&T
God of War III $59.99 list
Extended $699 to $899 list Samsung Rugby II SGH-A847
From $249.99 with contract Alan Wake $59.99 list
Aperture 3 $199 direct
Samsung Mythic SGH-A897 multimedia
digital photo frame
From $199.99 with contract
Kodak Pulse Digital Photo NEW Adobe Photoshop
Frame $129.95 direct Apple iPhone 4 $199 list Elements 9 $99.99 list
Sprint CyberLink Media Suite 8 Ultra
portable media Players Samsung Epic 4G $349.99 list $129.95 list
Microsoft Zune 120GB $249 list HTC Evo 4G $299.99 list Rhapsody From $12.99 per month
Apple iPod touch (4th LG Rumor Touch NEW GIMP 2.6.1 Free
generation with Camera) 8GB, $79.99–$279.99 list
$229 direct Apple iLife ’09 $79 direct
T-Mobile
Apple iPod nano NEWT-Mobile G2 $229 list iTunes 10 Free
(5th generation) 16GB, Samsung Vibrant $199 list
$179 direct
security
Verizon Wireless antimalware
Speakers/Docks Motorola Droid X $299.99 list Prevx 3.0 $29.95 direct per year
Logitech Speaker System Z623 metropcs antivirus
$149.99 direct LG Imprint $49 direct Webroot AntiVirus with Spy
Hercules XPS 2.1 Lounge BlackBerry Curve 8530 Sweeper 2011 $39.99 direct
$60 street $229.99 list Norton AntiVirus 2011 $39.95
direct
media extenders Office & productivity
Suite
Sonos Bundle 150 $999 direct NEWQuickBooks Premier Edition Norton Internet Security 2011
2011 $399.95 list $69.99 yearly
Slingbox PRO-HD $299 list
NEWMicrosoft Office for Mac Norton 360 version 3.0
Gaming consoles 2011 $119 list $69.99 yearly
Sony PlayStation 3 120GB Office 2010 Professional Spyware Doctor with Antivirus
(PS3 Slim) $299.99 direct $499 direct 2010 $39.95 yearly
NOVEMber 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 51


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google’s self-driving car november 2010

... Plus Much More!

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION NOVEMBER 2010

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