PCMag 2008-07

INNOVATIONS
THAT WILL
CHANGE YOUR
LIFE
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Easy Steps to a Better Connection
AMAZING
GADGETS
FOR 2020
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The Best Storage
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JULY 2008
SPYWARE
IS THE
DISEASE.
WERE
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Unless you have McAfee. More than just anti-virus protection, McAfee offers continuous security from spyware, hackers, and other
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JULY 2008 PC MAGAZINE 5
PC
JULY 2008

25 Hardware
HP 2133 Mini-Note PC
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510
Falcon Northwest FragBox 8500
30 Business
Dell Vostro 1310
HP Ofcejet H470 Mobile Printer
Canon Pixma MX850
Toshiba Portg R500 (SSD)
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
37 Consumer Electronics
Westinghouse TX-52F480S
Canon PowerShot SD790 IS
Olympus E-3
Garmin nvi 880
Mio Moov 200
Razer Mako
Sony Walkman NWZ-S718F
44 Software
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1
Firefox 3 Beta 5
Opera 9.5 Beta 1
Adobe Photoshop Express (Beta)
Aperture 2.1
Cloudmark Desktop 5.3.3
avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition
52 The Best Stuff
VOL. 27 NO. 8
FIRST LOOKS
COVER STORY
Seven Technologies
Tat Will Touch
Your Life
58
The future will be a feast for the senses.
We visited leading research labs to
investigate new technologies poised
to enhance our ability to touch, see,
hear, and even smell. Come along for a
look at the material that may someday
revolutionize microprocessorsand
at what your laptop, phone, and digital
camera could look like in 2020.
Cover: Type by Joe Zeff Design, Inc. Illustrations by Mondolithic Studios. Wristphone illustration
courtesy of Nokia. Illustration (bottom) by David Plunkert.
BUYI NG GUI DE
Store It, Keep It
71
Storage is incredibly
cheap. Still, not enough
of us keep our data
backed up. We show you
the best devices for pro-
tecting your data and the
top apps and services for
automatic backup.
PC Magazine, ISSN 0888-8507, is published monthly at $24.97 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, New York NY 10016-7940. Periodicals postage paid at New York NY 10016-7940 and at
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40009221. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6, Canada. Printed in the U.S.A.
14 FEEDBACK
Letters from our readers.
FRONT SIDE
19 News
The promise (and reality) of cloud
computing; the fourth circuit
element becomes a reality.
21 At a Glance
Disney brings a movie robot to
life; adding realism to avatars.
21 Q&A
John Sosoka, co-creator of the
Pleo dinosaur.
22 Connected Traveler
Using your iPod as a travel agent.
OPINIONS
9 First Word: Lance Ulanoff
Microsoft fumes over Vista
upgrades.
54 John C. Dvorak
Why boxed software still beats
apps in the cloud.
55 Inside Track: John C. Dvorak
56 Sascha Segan
Do away with annoying
proprietary apps.
110 BACKSPACE
SOLUTIONS
81 Wi-Fi Home Improvements
Keep your network running at
peak performanceand choose
who reaps the benets.
84 Project
Shoot and edit better video.
87 Ask Neil
88 Ask Loyd
90 Business
92 Security
94 Linux
95 Tech Tips
Tis Month on PCMag.com
Find the perfect gadgets for all your summer activi-
ties, whether youre hanging out on the beach, embark-
ing on a road trip, or just grilling in the back yard. Weve
got the right tech accessories in our Top Ten Summer
Tech Toys story at go.pcmag.com/summertech and, as
always, in our complete Product Guides at go.pcmag
.com/productguides.
Editor-in-Chief Lance
Ulanoff offers his unique
perspective on tech in his
Whats New Now news letter.
And check out our Whats
New Now video show at
www.whatsnewnow.com.
The ifrogz
Audio-
wrapz iPod
speaker
case.
Get tips on the hottest soft-
ware, utilities, and Web sites
in our AppScout.com blog. Join
us as we scour the Web looking
for any tools that can boost
your productivityor quirky
sites to kill some downtime.
Want to save the world
while youre geeking out?
Then GoodCleanTech is the
blog for you. GCT has energy-
saving tips, eco-friendly tech
products, and news updates at
www.goodcleantech.com.
6 PC MAGAZINE JULY 2008
RECENT BUZZ
Most Popular Stories
Dvorak: Vistas 11 Pillars
of Failure
go.pcmag.com/vistafailure
12 Tech Tools to Clear Your
Clutter
go.pcmag.com/techclutter
Hands-On with Windows
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go.pcmag.com/
windowsxpsp3
Most E-Mailed Stories
The 10 Coolest Futuristic
Vehicles
go.pcmag.com/futurecars
Home Networking 101
go.pcmag.com/
networking101
11 Critical Security Apps
go.pcmag.com/
topsecuritytools
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An upgrade is an upgrade. Apparently
some people are easily confused.
Great line, huh? Its not mine, though.
This is actually the start of a slightly over-
heated blog post by Eric Ligman, Micro-
softs main liaison between Microsoft
Partners (value-added resellers for the
small business set) and Microsoft at large.
Apparently, hed had enough of people
trying to convince Microsoft customers
that installing an upgrade of Vista is just
as good as installing the full version of it.
Whats the problem? Well, an upgrade is
usually targeted to customers who, pre-
sumably, already have purchased a license
for the full-blown product. The confusion:
Most upgrades are, in effect, replicas of the
standard version of the software.
Heres a direct quote from the post, so
you get the full avor of his attitude:
So if you see anyone stating, or writ-
ing, that buying an upgrade by itself (Win-
dows Vista Upgrade, for instance) without
having a full license rst gets you the rights
to run the software, just realize that what
the person is actually stating is, I clearly
have no clue what I am talking about and
so I am writing a bunch of gibberish that
proves this, hoping people will think I have
a clue, even though I obviously dont.
Ouch. He even added a graphic to illus-
trate his point. I didnt know art could be
so sarcastic. Not surprisingly, some of
Ligmans own readers took exception to
his tone and began arguing about how he
should stop whining about licenses and
piracy and gure out how to x Vista.
Ligman has gone on to defend his note
and to insist that his intention was not to
be condescending to his readers or Micro-
softs customers. He was targeting some
other, unnamed third party who is leading
customers down the garden path, telling
them to use the upgrade loophole.
The obvious attraction here is the cost
savings. Windows Vista upgrade packs
are roughly half the price of full-blown
versions. Small businesses can save quite
a bit if they use the loophole. Butheres
Ligmans pointthats illegal. If you have
a license and use the upgrade, youre ne.
If you dont have anything installed (or are
gamely trying to upgrade from Windows
98), you have a problem.
This is obvious, right? So whats every-
one so steamed about? Why did Ligman
feel the need to unload on his readers?
Heres another tidbit of Ligmans venom:
. . . try calling 888-NO-PIRACY and
letting them know that you are running
pirated software throughout your com-
pany. Explain to them that you feel it is
legal to do so because you got it to physi-
cally install, so it must be legal and ask if
they would mind auditing your company
to verify the legality of this. Let me know
how that turns out for you.
Ligmans post is dripping with sarcasm.
Clearly, something set him off, though he
never points to one specic incident, blog
post, or article, beyond vague references to
a tech publication that he believes is still
giving out erroneous upgrade informa-
tion. I guess he could be talking about any
number of tech sites or blogs. Or he could
be talking directly to people who misinter-
pret upgrade as new and improved.
Early last year a number of sites and
blogs reported that Microsoft at rst tried
to close this loophole and then, apparently,
let it go. Little information was available on
how end users could take advantage of the
loophole, though Im guessing integrators
have no trouble showing their custom-
ers the way. And the only comments from
Microsoft were terse statements. Instead of
sounding as if the company was giving any-
one a free pass, a Microsofts spokesperson
said these people were violating the terms
of use. Thats scary and quite clear.
But heres a better question: Whats set-
ting off Microsoft partners? What sort of
feedback are their customers giving them
thats forcing them to suggest this illegal
activity? Could it be that customers think
Vista is still too expensive? In tough eco-
nomic times, shelling out $209 each for 50
licenses is daunting.
The responses to Ligmans blog posts
make it clear that Microsofts partners are
dealing with a wave of rejection. Its not all
about price, either. They cant seem to get
current customers to upgrade to Micro-
softs latest OS, and some of them do not
have much faith in Vista, anyway. Heres
one of the blog comments:
I think the real issue is why bother
installing Vista at all? What does it give
me over XP? You stripped most of the fea-
tures out that we were looking forward to
before RTM, so this isnt much more than a
slower, prettier XP. Meh. Ill be waiting for
Windows 7. Hopefully Microsoft gets that
right. . . . This is from someone whos sup-
posed to be out in the field representing
Microsofts products.
Its often said that stress makes us do
bad things: eat too much, lose sleep, and
sometimes take out our anger and frustra-
tion on those closest to us.
Do you think Mr. Ligman needs a hug?
TALK TO THE CHIEF You can contact
Lance at Lance_Ulanoff@ziffdavis.com.
For more of his columns, go to go.pcmag
.com/ulanoff.
Are You Stealing Vista?
FIRST WORD LANCE ULANOFF
Could it be that customers think Vista is still too
expensive? In tough economic times, shelling out
$209 each for 50 licenses is daunting.
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idle resources. No more worrying about when I can schedule
defragmentation, no more worrying about if the defragmen-
tation will cause performance issues. InvisiTasking
has
worked great for us on everything from file and print servers
to SQL servers.
4. Defends Critical System Files from Fragmentation
I have been using Diskeeper at my office on the 63 work-
stations and 4 servers over the last year. The addition of Frag
Shield
2.0 eliminates the task of manually changing the MFT.

In the past most of my MFTs needed adjustment. Now that
this function is automatic, I dont
have to manually check it.
5. Saves Money and Time
Prior to installing Diskeeper,
we were manually defragment-
ing. Some of the drives would
take hours to defrag and within
a few days we would need to de-
frag again. Installing Diskeeper
basically paid for itself within
a month by reducing off-hour
salaries. Also the defragmented
drives perform better and last
longer. Its a no-brainer for pro-
duction machines.
6. Speed Up Virus
Scans and Boot Ups
Diskeeper saves time in doing
virus scans, backing up, indexing
and searching the files. There are
also faster download times for
users because of the lower load
on the defragmented RAID.
7. Extreme Condition
Defragmentation
One day our SQL Server came
to a halt. I did everything: ran
spyware software, deleted numerous .TMP files, ran Windows
update, etc. But nothing got the server to run. Then I installed
and ran Diskeeper; I found that the hard drive was horribly
fragmented. But after Diskeeper finished defragging the sys-
tem, the server came up.
8. Eliminate Costly Hardware Upgrades
We were looking at having to replace or upgrade some of the
servers because they were so slow. Since the Diskeeper install,
they are performing well enough that we are no longer looking
at the upgrades and replacements.
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Give Microsoft Its Due
As a frequent reader of PC Magazine, Ive
noticed that some of your columnists have
a bias against Microsoft. John Dvorak is one
of them, and Ive noticed this tendency in
others. I think this is really not fair; Micro-
soft has been making some improvements.
Service Pack 1 has been a big success, and
yet were still getting the same old Vista
doesnt work. Were still reading that many
applications are broken and performance
issues continue to plague the OS. Have
none of you checked out SP1? Ive used it to
patch both my machines, which run Win-
dows Vista Ultimate Edition and have been
running it since July 2007.
If you look at recent events, Microsoft
has been holding up well under scrutiny.
Granted, not everything in SP1 is awless.
But the overall picture has been very posi-
tive. At the CanSecWest security confer-
ence, a MacBook Air was successfully
hacked by a zero-day exploit in Safari.
Compare this with the two days a hacker
had to spend (with help) to compromise
Vista. And they could compromise SP1
only through tricks in VMware and Java,
which means they couldnt attack the OS
head-on. I really wish you would nd some
columnists who could present a more hon-
est view of Microsoft. Of course, there are
times when Redmond deserves criticism.
You guys were dead-on about the EULA
agreement needing a major overhaul. But
when it comes to Windows, Apple OS X,
and Linux, you are biased. I think you need
to look more closely and sing the positives
as much as the negatives.Jose Gomez
Good Timing, Sascha
I was looking for a good T-Mobile phone
to upgrade to when I came across the April
issue and read Sascha Segans great review
of the Motorola RAZR2 V8 (First Looks,
page 30). I was trying to nd the right one,
and the V8 lls the bill.Benjamin Winn
Vista Could Learn from Amiga
Why does PC Magazine think Windows
is so great? I feel other operating systems
would do a lot better if Microsoft and
Bill Gates didnt have a monopoly on the
entire world. I just about fell over when I
read the system requirements for install-
ing Vista. I couldnt believe you actually
needed a DVD drive to install the operat-
ing system.
In my opinion, the greatest operating
system ever created was AmigaOS. The
entire OS fit onto five 880KB low-den-
sity 3.5-inch oppy disks! Boot times are
amazing because the operating system is
so compact. It takes about 4 minutes to
boot Windows XP Home on my system. I
hate that Windows has so many directo-
ries that les easily get lost. The AmigaOS
has a number of le types that can go only
in certain places. Just think how fast a
Core Duo PC would go if it ran an OS like
Amigas!
Two months ago, I purchased a new
hard drive for my Sony VAIO and installed
the software that shipped with the com-
puter. The software assigned 6GB of hard
drive space to the C: directory. I now get
messages telling me that I am almost out
of virtual memory. But I still have 500MB
of hard drive space! This would be plenty
for the AmigaOS, which takes up about
10MByes, megabytesof hard drive
space. You can compare this to MP3 play-
ers, which contain only the software they
need to play and store those music and
data les.Frederick Altland
Some Observations on PC Mags
Revamp
Lance Ulanoff has done a number of good
things since becoming editor of PC Maga-
zine (not the least of which is rescuing it
from becoming Just-about-anything-that-
has-a-microprocessor-in-it Magazine).
Besides getting the book back on mes-
sage, he has cleaned out the worst graph-
ics excesses, restored John Dvorak to his
rightful place in prime time, and improved
the back-of-the-book sections. I also agree
with the decision to go monthly; besides
reducing clutter, its more in keeping with
the reality of the industry.
That said, I notice that despite reducing
output from 22 to 12 issues, the subscrip-
tion has remained the same (an effective
price increase of around 80 percent). Its
still a decent deal, I guess, but you are sav-
ing a bundle on production and mailing
costs, so it would have been nice to see that
reected in the sub.
Otherwise, best of good fortune from
here on. The green issue was a good
example of engaging current concerns,
but you might include a harder look at
what a given product actually does in that
regard. In its Sunday magazine recently,
the Boston Globe ran a piece that made a
useful distinction between what seems
green and what is actually green. For
example, a so-called biodegradable bot-
tle for designer water versus just getting
your water from the tap. Seems to me
electronics can do with the same scrutiny.
J.M. Graetz
Thanks for writing. Were glad you like the
changes weve made to the magazine, and
were constantly looking for readers to
give us their feedback as PC Mag evolves.
As for your comment on scrutinizing the
electronics industry, we have our anti-
spin glasses on at all times. Our testing is
put in place to ensure companies deliver
the products and performance they prom-
ise. Our new green benchmarks are an-
other tool we use to evaluate whether a
product is truly green. Among other fac-
tors, it evaluates energy usage, materials
used, and a companys takeback and/or
recycling program to measure its com-
mitment to responsible stewardship. Also,
we regularly monitor and report devel-
opments, news, and innovations in green
technology at our blog GoodCleanTech.
com.Erik Rhey, Senior Editor
Of course there are times when Redmond deserves
criticism. But when it comes to Windows, I think you
need to look more closely and sing the positives as
much as the negatives.
Feed
HOW TO CONTACT US We welcome your com-
ments and suggestions. When sending e-mail to
Feedback, please state in the subject line of your
message which arti cle or column prompted your
response. E-mail pcmag@ziffdavis.com.
All letters become the property of PC Magazine
and are subject to edit ing. We regret that we
cannot answer letters individually.
The laptop expert
cut down on size, not features.
innovation is
thin withan
optical
drive.
Portg is a registered trademark of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., and/or Toshiba Corporation. Windows
Vista is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. While Toshiba has
made every efort at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifcations,
confgurations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date
product information about your computer, or to stay current with the various computer software or hardware options, visit
Toshibas Web site at pcsupport.toshiba.com. 2008 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Toshiba recommends
Windows Vista Business
Sure, there are companies out there yelling thin this and
portable that. But what good is a lightweight laptop if it
doesnt do what you want? Thats why the featherlight
Portg R500 is the worlds first laptop with a 7mm DVD
SuperMulti drive. So you can still watch movies, play music
and prepare for presentations. Plus its transreflective
screen uses natural light to help you see better outdoors.
Discover all of the innovative worlds firsts inside the
Portg R500 at Explore.Toshiba.com/PCMag.
U.S. Patents: #6,687,584, #6,941,203, #6,947,816, other patents pending. 2008 CarMD.com Corp. All rights reserved
Road Trip
readiness
Tis little gadget paid for itself on the frst use. Dave S., Tustin, CA
ADVERTI SEMENT
H
ow many times have you seen the Check Engine
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access CarMDs unprecedented online database (they add new
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icing on the cake is that you can print out the report and bring
it to your mechanic to keep him honest.
The convergence between personal computing and auto-
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Road Trip ReadinessMake
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CarMDs diagnostic tool will keep you out of the repair shop
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Ill highly recommend
CarMD. Any tech
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Living in the Cloud
Everyones talking about cloud computing. But what is it, whos competing for it,
and what will it mean for everyday users?
Front
Illustration by QuickHoney
Cloud computing is set to take over the
world, or at least possibly replace Micro-
soft Outlook. The cloud concept is simple:
Its a way to access your data and apps
from anywhere, via the Internet (or the
cloud). Yet everyone from Gartner Group
to Google has a slightly different take on
cloud computing: It can be anything from
storing and sharing documents on Google
Docs to running your entire company
operations using a remote, third-party
data center. Some envision it as a way to
compute without operating systems, or
pesky local client programs, and with
minimal hardware needs (just a basic cli-
ent machine).
The most important single character-
istic of a cloud is abstraction of the hard-
ware from the service, says John Willis, a
noted cloud-computing expert and blog-
ger, explaining that the location of the
servers is not as important as easy access
to the data. However you dene it, I think
cloud technology will have a footprint in
every business that does IT within the next
ve years.
The particular type of cloud comput-
ing that the business world could take
advantage of requires massive server
cluster farms and superfast network
Whats New from the World of Tech
Image Courtesy of HP Labs 20 PC MAGAZINE JULY 2008
FRONTSIDE
bandwidth. It also requires that compa-
nies be ready to hand over their data to a
third party. A few small companies, among
them Zoho.com (which offers business
apps, such as word processing and task
lists) and Box.net (which supplies online
le storage) have established themselves
as SaaS (software as a service) providers,
with varying degrees of success. But SaaS
is primarily a race between Google and
Microsoft to provide advertiser-supported
cloud applications to customers.
Security is one critical issue that both
companies must address. Depending on
the SaaS provider, data can be encrypted
from point to point, and since services
are Web-based, theyre very easy to patch.
Google, for example, can respond to a new
security threat without customers even
being aware of the problemor the x. But
end users essentially would have to entrust
their data to an outside entity, which is a big
leap of faith. Dave Girouard, a VP and gen-
eral manager at Google, says that the com-
pany is working to allay the fears that make
trust difcult to achieve.
Google is investing enormous amounts
of capital and sweat equity to ensure that
we can protect your data better than you
can do yourself, he says. Cloud comput-
ing will be additive. Usage patterns will
change, and users will look primarily to the
cloud for most of the things they turn to
their PCs for today.
Yet others arent as optimistic about
cloud computing. Forrester Research
analyst Frank Gillett cautions that its not
quite ready for prime time. He says that the
framework is in an early phase of develop-
mentits almost experimental, rather
than a reliable and trusted computing
paradigm.
Ironically, even though Google is bat-
tling to dominate the cloud, some of its
apps, such as Google Earth, still cache
a tremendous amount of data locally to
speed up operations. Add to that the pri-
vacy, network bandwidth, and political
hurdles yet to address, and it looks as if
cloud computing will have to drop down to
earth a bit more before it can enjoy wide-
spread adoption by both consumers and
businesses.John Brandon
It has taken 40 years, but research-
ers have finally unlocked a key
mystery in processor technology.
In late April, computer scientists at
HP Labs found a fourth fundamen-
tal circuit element, which has so far
existed only in theory. This circuit
could act as the ultimate virtual
bookmark, remembering your set-
tings and exact place even when you
power off.
The technology breakthrough
is based on a concept developed in
the 1970s by Leon Chua, a researcher
at the University of California at
Berkeley. Chua reasoned that along
with the three existing circuit ele-
mentsresistor, capacitor, and
inductorthere could be a fourth
type called a memory resistor.
Chuas theory was published in an
academic paper and ever since has been a lofty-yet-elusive goal for
computer science engineers.
Until now. HP Labs Information and Quantum Systems Lab
team published an article in the journal Nature that presented
a mathematical model and physical example of its version of a
memory resistor, which the team dubbed a memristor. Accord-
ing to HP Labs team leader R. Stanley Williams, the memristor
will be able to retain a complete history of the information it
has acquiredan exciting prospect,
he says.
To nd something new and yet
so fundamental in the mature field
of electrical engineering is a big sur-
prise, and one that has significant
implications for the future of com-
puter science, Williams said in a
statement released by HP.
Currently, computers use DRAM
(dynamic random access memory)
to recompile settings when you
boot up. A processor with memris-
tor technology could have a hand
in jump-starting the trend of cloud computing (see Living in
the Cloud, page 19). To make cloud computing a reality requires
Web servers with signicantly increased processing power and
storage capacity to retain, deliver, and protect user data. A mem-
ristor processor could greatly improve the ability of servers to
perform cloud-computing functions because they would require
no reboots to pick up where users left off at their previous com-
puting session.Erik Rhey
Computings Fourth Dimension
HP researchers fnd the missing link of processor technology.
A NEW PLATEAU An atomic force
microscope image shows a simple
circuit with 17 memristors lined up
in a row. The wires in this image are
50 nm wide, or about 150 atoms in
total width.
Security is one critical issue that cloud-computing
providers must address, because end users will be
entrusting their data to an outside entity.
Q: How did you get involved
with creating the Pleo robot
dinosaur?
A: My fri end and Ugobe
cofounder, Caleb Chung, was
working on how to do emo-
tive motion very quickly and
exploring human-machine
i nteract i on. The AI had
become more complicated,
and I was helping him more and more. I
joined the company because it was taking
up all my time anyway! This job is sort of
academic crack!
Q: What was it like in the early days devel-
oping the robot?
A: Its a typical start-up thingworking
away trying to get a design you can manu-
facture, yet creating enough of a story to
keep the investments we needed coming
in. The Pleo had to be autonomous and be
able to do all these wonderful things, but
as soon as you pulled it out people would
say Where is the remote control? We
had to show what it would be like to have
a little pet that could wander around on
its own.
Q: How have people who have purchased
the Pleo customized it so far?
One thing that is interesting to me is how
much they use this as a character to do
things in the physical world.
They will set up Pleo in a mar-
riage ceremony using tools
to script things out. Another
thing is Pleo as a watchdog,
which happened internally. Its
really fun seeing people write
scripts so Pleo is an announcer
for people coming in the door.
Q: Have they done anything
that is really unusual with Pleo?
A: One area were seeing people develop
is emergent swarmish behavior, such as
a little application where one Pleo would
decide he would start honking in one min-
ute and through IR sends it off to another
Pleo, and then all of the sudden they
would all howl in unison. Its the simplest
little app, but they are organizing like the
raptors in Jurassic Park.
Q: What are some of the new projects you
are working on?
A: We are working to add capabilities to
the rmware so people can have the tools
they need to develop new programs. We
are also working on new products, tak-
ing what we have learned and making the
next life form that will be more capable
of fulfilling the dream we have of these
creations being much closer to a lifelike
companion.John Brandon
Q&A: JOHN SOSOKO
Making the Pleo Dinosaur
John Sosoko, CTO of Ugobe, talks about the creation and
future of the high-tech reptile.
GEARLOG
Disneys New Robot
For a while, people have been speculat-
ing about when and how robots would
nally enter into mainstream lives. The
answer may be as toys. Disney Con-
sumer Products is rolling out a new line
of robotic toys in partnership with Pixar
Animation Studios, Thinkway Toys, and
WowWee. The rst to appear is WALL-E,
star of Disney-Pixars upcoming movie of
the same name. Hell have ten motors for
lots of movement possibilities; a remote
control, for programming myriad move-
ments and behaviors; and sensors thatll
allow him to respond to his environment
in numerous ways. The Ultimate WALL-E
robot ($189.99 list) will hit store shelves
this summer.Carol Mangis
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FRONTSIDE
Perusing the travel section at your local
bookstore can be daunting. Guide books
are hit or miss, with some being out-of-
date, and others failing to address your
specic travel needs. Fortunately, several
online resources can save you time and
money. Travel podcasts and videocasts
are an easy way to learn about your des-
tination both before you go and while
youre there. And listening to a podcast
on your trip is a lot more discreet than
walking around Paris with your nose in a
Frommers.
You can find a good combination of
videos from professional travel rms (like
Concierge.com) and individuals at Travel-
istic (www.travelistic.com). Travelistic has
a simple YouTube-like interface with over
5,800 user videos from around the world.
For travel to a big city, TurnHere (www
.turnhere.com) has an easily searchable
city index.
A variety of podcasts and videocasts
that you can organize by interest and des-
tination is available in Lonely Planets
Travel Stories section (www.lonelyplanet
.com/travelstories/podcast). For the
intrepid traveler, theres the Indie Travel
Podcast (www.indietravelpodcast.com),
which features the travels of a New Zealand
couple and includes subjects like Accom-
modations, Reviews, and Equipment.
Another good site is Chris Christensens
Amateur Traveler (amateurtraveler
.com), which has over 130 podcast epi-
sodes featuring travel stories, news, tips,
and interviews.
Unseasoned travelers will enjoy
the comprehensive travel advice of
Gary Bembridge on his Tips for Trav-
el l er s podcast (myt ravel revi ews
.blogspot.com). And before loading the
minivan, take a listen to Jamie Jensens
Road Trip USA (www.roadtripusa.com).
Eight podcasts are built around themes
and take the listener across the country on
virtual road trips.
Besides a sturdy backpack, a beret,
and your Eurail Pass, dont go to Europe
without first visiting Ri ck Steves
Europe Through the Back Door (www
.ricksteves.com), which features podcasts
and audio tours through Italy and France
as well as video clips and Ricks Pub-
lic Radio show, Travel with Rick Steves.
Brittany Petersen
CONNECTED TRAVELER
Your iPod Tour Guide
Podcasts and videocasts can maximize your knowledge and
fun on your next vacation.
FUTURE WATCH
Your Game Face
Video-game characters used to be
cartoons with pixelated bodies who were
devoid of personality. Todays high-tech
games, however, are attempting to tap
into a players emotional responses using
his avatar. Advanced motion-capture
processes and better, faster graphics
enginesthough obviously essential to
creating a realistic-looking facecannot
by themselves create a lifelike avatar.
Enter Lionhead Studios, maker of
the games Black & White and Fable.
Lionheads team is using motion-cap-
ture techniques on live actors, similar to
those used in 3D animation. But instead
of placing sensors only on the actors
bodies, the team is also applying them
to actors faces to map their expressions
onto game characters; thus, they can
express not just fear, joy, and anger, but
also more subtle emotionslike smug-
ness, unease, and wistfulness. The team
has also discovered other qualities that
appeal to human players, such as slight
facial asymmetries and having an avatar
whose direct gaze is slightly off-center,
instead of a dead-on stare. Armed with
these techniques, Lionhead Studios is
looking to elicit a subtle emotion in us
humansempathy.Frank Washburn
PC Magazine Gives
Norton Internet
Security
TM
2008
Editors Choice
Award
Learn more about Nortons
improved performance at the
Norton Protection Center
Here you will be able to:
Join a free webcast on how
to defend against drive-by
downloads
Learn how to ght back
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Watch videos on how to
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Download free tools
To learn more, go to
go.pcmag.com/Norton
A GRIZZLY BEAR CAN
OUTRUN A RACEHORSE.
FAST FACTS:
Same great protection. Re-engineered for speed.
* Scanning time and memory usage for Norton Internet Security 2008 compared to the average of nine competitive Internet security applications. PassMark Software, Antivirus & Internet
Security Performance Benchmark Report, November 2007. PC Magazine Editors Choice Award Logo is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. Used under license.
2008 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved. Symantec, the Symantec Logo, Norton, and Norton Internet Security are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation
or its afliates in the U.S. and other countries.
Norton Internet Security
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PAGE DOWN flip to next page
PAGE UP flip to prior page
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First
OUR RATINGS KEY:
l l l l l
EXCELLENT l
l l l l m
VERY GOOD l
l l l m m
GOOD l
l l m m m
FAIR l
l m m m m
POOR
INSIDE
25 Hardware
30 Business
37 Consumer
Electronics
44 Software
52 The Best
Stuff
It didnt take long for PC makers to realize the gold
mine ASUS struck with its ultralight, inexpensive
Eee PC 4G. The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC has come
closest to matching its success. This stylish, 3-pound
notebook comes in a variety of congurations and
should appeal to everyone from business travelers
to schoolchildren.
With its anodized aluminum exterior and glossy
8.9-inch screen, the Mini-Note looks like a much
more expensive system. The 92 percent keyboard
is surprisingly comfortable to use. Alas, the designs
strengths are offset by the awkward touchpad setup.
The left and right clicks are separated, making it
nearly impossible to navigate with one hand.
Features are fairly generous for a system of
this size. Though the Mini-Note has only two USB
ports, it offers an ExpressCard slot, an SD slot, and
a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam. A Wi-Fi on/off
switch on the bezel controls both Bluetooth and
802.11a/b/g. Theres no optical drive, but given the
HP 2133 MINI-NOTE PC
A Noteworthy Mini PC
HP 2133 Mini-Note PC
$749 direct
l l l l m
PROS Apple-like design. Comfortable
keyboard. Spacious and sexy screen
design. ExpressCard slot for 3G. SD
slot. More than one USB port. Wide
selection of operating systems. 2GB
RAM. Wide choice of mass-storage
options. Extended batteries available.
Very travel-friendly.
CONS Runs uncomfortably warm with
the 7,200-rpm hard drive. Mouse but-
tons are awkwardly positioned.
For more: go.pcmag.com/hpmini
storage options, most users can probably manage
without it.
Nearly everything else in the system is congu-
rable, and units start as low as $499. For local stor-
age, you can choose between spinning (120GB or
160GB) or solid-state drives (4GB or 64GB). Though
spacious, my congurations 7,200-rpm hard drive
heated the base uncomfortably, as hot as 103 F.
The system did run the Windows Media En coder
test, but its scores lagged those of similar machines
with Intel processors. It nished the Adobe Photo-
shop CS3 test in an unattering 4 minutes 6 seconds.
Though the Mini-Note is not quite the ASUS Eee
PC killer, its certainly a force to be reckoned with in
the ultra-mobile space.Cisco Cheng
Specs: 1.6-GHz VIA C7-M processor; 2GB DDR2
SDRAM; 120GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive; 256MB VIA
Chrome 9 HC IGP graphics; 8.9-inch, 1,280-by-768
screen; 3.2-pound system weight, 3.9-pound travel
weight; Windows Vista Business.
FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE
ALSO REVIEWED
AT PCMAG.COM
Apple MacBook Pro
15-inch (LED)
$1,999 direct
l l l l h
Dell XPS M1530
$2,174 direct
l l l l m
Fujitsu LifeBook
A6120
$1,369 direct, as tested
l l l h m
HP Pavilion 6500T
$899 direct
l l l l m
RED denotes Editors Choice.
LENOVO IDEAPAD Y510
A Good Idea for Consumers
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510
$899 list
l l l h m
PROS Good-looking,
textured design. Frameless
widescreen is sleek. Key-
board isnt like a ThinkPads,
but its nice. Five speakers
and Dolby surround sound.
Budget price.
CONS Available through
online retailers and Ofce
Depot only. Limited congu-
rations. No extended battery
option.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/y510
How does an icon of sensible business comput-
ing transition to the world of consumer laptops?
If youre Lenovo, you debut a notebook that features
an intriguing design, amazing sound quality, and
cool bundled software. With the Y510, Lenovo gives
its IdeaPad line an auspicious debut.
The Y510s exterior is designed to look like fabric,
but its actually a textured plastic layer over a plas-
tic frame. The real treat, however, is the frameless
15.4-inch widescreen within. The glossy coating over
the screen extends to the edge of the laptop, creat-
ing a unied look. The typing experience is pleasant,
though it doesnt measure up to the ThinkPads, and
Lenovos signature pointing stick is notably absent.
But Lenovo has made other tweaks to liven up the
Y510, including touch-sensitive multimedia keys.
Sound quality is impressive. Four speakers are
visible from the top, and theres a subwoofer in the
base pumping out sound. The Y510 boasts a Dolby
Home Theater audio chipset as well. Other features
are fairly typical, including a dual-layer DVD drive,
three USB ports, a FireWire port, and a six-in-one
card reader (though no HDMI port).
Performance is nothing stellar, but thats not sur-
prising at this price point. Unfortunately, because
the Y510 is not available through Lenovos Web
site, congurations are limited to what you can nd
online or in stores. While it would be nice to order
more powerful performance parts, the system will
work just fine for the average user. Its also envi-
ronmentally friendly, meeting Energy Star 4.0 and
RoHS standards and consuming just 17 watts during
idle mode.
Average users who arent interested in pushing
performance to the brink will love the look and fea-
tures of the Y510.Cisco Cheng
Specs: 1.67-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor; 2GB
DDR2 SDRAM; 250GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive; Intel Media
Accelerator X3100 graphics; 15.4-inch, 1,280-by-800 dis-
play; 6.2-pound system weight, 7.0-pound travel weight;
Windows Vista Home Premium.
PERFORMANCE TESTS
L High scores are best.
M Low scores are best.
Bold type denotes rst place.
MOBILE-
MARK
2007 L
hr:min
SYSMARK
2007
PREVIEW:
OVERALL L
MULTIMEDIA TESTS
WINDOWS
MEDIA
ENCODER M
min:sec
CINEBENCH
R10 L
PHOTOSHOP
CS3 ACTION
SET M
min:sec
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 2:55 86 1:46 3,166 0:51
Dell Inspiron 1420* 3:28 73 1:46 N/A N/A
* Editors Choice, reported for comparison. N/ANot applicable: The product could not complete the test.
SyncMaster 53-Series
2253BW/LW, 2053BW & 953BW
2008 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All product and brand names are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Screen images simulated. *DisplaySearch Q407 Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment & Forecast Report.
give style to the word substance
The Samsung 53-Series is loaded with an outstanding 8000:1 dynamic
contrast ratio, coupled with a fast 2ms (G to G) response time. But looks
count too, so we wrapped all that technology up in an immaculate
glossy nish and a minimalist bezel design to complement any home or
ofce. Its all the style that substance could ever ask for. And vice-versa.
For more information from the #1 selling monitor brand in the
world,* call 1-800-SAMSUNG or visit www.samsung.com/monitor
2ms GTG Response Time
8000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
DVI with HDCP
Exclusive Magic Technologies
FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE
ALSO REVIEWED
AT PCMAG.COM
Dell XPS 630
$1,269 direct
l l l l m
Gateway FX7020
$1,100 direct
l l l h m
Polywell Poly X3800
$3,975 direct
l l l l m
Velocity Micro
Edge M40
$2,980 direct
l l m m m
PERFORMANCE TESTS
SYSMARK
2007
PREVIEW:
OVERALL L
MULTIMEDIA M GAMING (fps) L
WINDOWS
MEDIA
ENCODER
min:sec
PHOTOSHOP
CS3
ACTION SET
min:sec
CRYSIS
1,280 x 1,024**
WORLD IN
CONFLICT
1,280 x 1,024**
Falcon NW FragBox 8500 174 0:51 0:24 71 66
Dell XPS 630* 132 1:08 0:32 58 57
* Editors Choice, reported for comparison. ** Anti-aliasing/anisotropic ltering was set to off.
FALCON NORTHWEST FRAGBOX 8500
Fragadelic Desktop Gaming Bargain
Falcon Northwest
FragBox 8500
$1,895 direct
l l l l m
PROS Compact
gaming box. Full-
blown DX10 graphics.
Can play Crysis.
Offers even more
performance for less.
CONS Still a little heavy at
20 pounds. No SLI support.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/frag8500
Screaming fast yet affordable gaming machines
are almost unheard ofyou usually pay through
the nose for performance. The Falcon Northwest
FragBox 8500 dees this by selling for less than two
grand, yet it can kick the butts of some much pric-
ier systems. It has the distinction of being the rst
gaming rig I can recommend without reservation
for playing Crysis at 1,280-by-1,024 resolution.
To keep its price within reason, the FragBox
8500 loads a Wolfdale-based Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
processor plus an EVGA-branded nVidia GeForce
8800 GTS graphics card clocked at 670 MHz, up
from its standard 650 MHz. These are solid, current-
generation components, and neither choice seems
to have hurt the FragBox 8500s ability to put up
a respectable showing against its increasingly quad-
core and dual-card competition. Its performance
was helped by 4GB of RAM and a 750GB, 7,200-rpm
SATA hard drive. And although youd buy it for its
gaming, it can zip through multimedia tasks as well.
Our DX10-based Crysis and World in Conflict
gaming tests are the reefs on which many a promis-
ing recent gaming rig has run aground. Like every
other machine Ive tested, the FragBox couldnt
handle Crysis at 1,920-by-1,200 resolutionicker-
ing along at a mere 5 frames per second (fps)but it
rocked at the lower (1,280-by-1,024) res to the tune
of a smoothly playable 71 fps. It nearly matched that
rate on World in Conict, scoring 66 fps at the same
12-by-10 resolution.
Falcon hand-builds its rigs, and the FragBox chas-
sis design has remained nearly unchanged through-
out the lines history. The FragBox 8500 is compact,
and although its barely portable at 20 pounds,
a built-in handle makes it easier to carry.
The Falcon Northwest FragBox 8500 is one of
those rare bargains that are worth their salt in the
gaming desktop world, and it deserves our Editors
Choice.Joel Santo Domingo
Specs: 3.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8500; 4GB 800-MHz
DDR2 SDRAM; 750GB, 7,200-rpm SATA hard drive;
512MB EVGA nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS graphics card;
Windows Vista Home Premium.
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FIRST LOOKS BUSINESS
Dell Vostro 1310
$1,258 direct
l l l l m
PROS Affordable machine for
a small-biz start-up. Lightweight.
New industrial design. Inexpen-
sive. Multiple processor options.
Discrete graphics option. Multiple
battery options. No trialware
option.
CONS Single speaker, and sounds
tinny. Lacks options for a cellular
modem.
For more: go.pcmag.com/dell1310
DELL VOSTRO 1310
A Chic PC for Small Biz
Dells Vostro line, launched in 2007, includes very
capable yet bland and rather bulky laptops tailored
to small-business users. With the Vostro 1310,
Dell adds design sense and improved portability
to the lines top-notch setup and support resources,
a decent feature set, and a no trialware option.
Design-wise, the 1310 balances business and
consumer sensibilities. Its glossy black lid sparkles
with silver specks; while not as conservative as
a ThinkPads, it lacks the ashy colors of the latest
Inspirons. Its 13-inch antiglare widescreen comes in
1,280-by-800 or 1,440-by-900 resolution and works
well for photo viewing. The 1310 is travel friendly at
4.8 pounds; its standard (six-cell) battery tested at
3 hours 39 minutes, and theres an optional extended
battery. The one big feature Dell omitted was provi-
sion for an internal cellular modem.
You can choose from a variety of CPU options,
among them Intels Merom and new-generation
Penryn processors. (Dell sent us a Merom-based
1310, which lagged in comparison with recent Pen-
ryn laptops.) My unit came with discrete graphics
on an nVidia GeForce 8400M GS card. But if 3D
gaming or rendering dont matter to you, you can
save $75and some battery lifeby going with
integrated graphics. A webcam, a ngerprint reader
with TPM module, a 160GB hard drive, and 2GB
of RAM round out the feature set. Hard drive and
memory are upgradable.
The 1310s keyboard, touchpad, and mouse but-
tons all worked well. The LED-backlit media buttons
should appeal to a consumer audience, as will its
slot-loaded DVD drive. The single, tinny-sounding
speaker will not.
The Vostro 1310 spruces up Dells small-biz
laptop line with a hip and highly portable machine.
Its looks and features almost erase the line between
the business and consumer arenas, but at heart the
1310 is still a business laptop.Cisco Cheng
Specs: 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250; 2GB DDR2
SDRAM; 160GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive; 128MB nVidia
GeForce 8400M GS graphics; 13.3-inch, 1,280-by-800 dis-
play; 4.8-pound system weight, 5.6-pound travel weight;
Windows Vista Business.
PERFORMANCE TESTS
MOBILE-
MARK
2007 L
hr:min
SYSMARK
2007
PREVIEW:
OVERALL L
MULTIMEDIA TESTS
WINDOWS
MEDIA
ENCODER M
min:sec
CINEBENCH
R10 L
PHOTOSHOP
CS3 ACTION
SET M
min:sec
Dell Vostro 1310 3:39 94 1:22 3,849 0:39
Lenovo ThinkPad T61
Widescreen*
1:57 109 1:21 N/A N/A
* Editors Choice, reported for comparison. N/ANot applicable: The product could not complete the test.
ALSO REVIEWED
AT PCMAG.COM
Dell Latitude D630
$1,531 direct
l l l l m
Lenovo ThinkPad T61
Widescreen
$2,510 direct
l l l l h
Touch-sensitive
media buttons
Slot-loading
DVD drive

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When you need to print out presentations, contracts,
or the like while on the road, taking a USB drive to
the local copy shop can waste precious timepar-
ticularly when quality mobile printers such as the
HP Ofcejet H470 are available. The HP H470 is the
best weve seen, thanks to adequate speed and print
quality, good paper capacity and cartridge yield, and
a choice of wireless and battery options.
The H470 weighs 4.5 pounds (5.3 with an AC
adapter) and measures 3.3 by 13.4 by 6.5 inches
(HWD). Its 50-sheet input capacity and claimed
yields of 330 pages for its color cartridge and 440
pages for black are better than those of rivals like
the Canon Pixma iP90. Its speed on our business
applications suite (19 minutes 2 seconds), though
no better than so-so for an ink jet, was much faster
than the iP90s.
HP Ofcejet H470
Mobile Printer
$249.99 direct
l l l l m
PROS Portable. Optional
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and
rechargeable battery.
CONS Subpar text for
an ink jet. Heavier than
some notebooks (4.5
pounds for the printer
itself).
For more:
go.pcmag.com/h470
HP OFFICEJET H470 MOBILE PRINTER
Tis Printer Is
Going Places
Canon Pixma MX850
$279.99 direct
l l l l m
PROS Fast. Auto-
matic document
feeder. Network
connector.
Standalone
copier, fax.
CONS Unusual network
setup. Graphics tend to
make plain paper curl.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/mx850
CANON PIXMA MX850
An All-in-One for All
Canon has taken more Editors Choice awards for
ink jet all-in-ones (AIOs) than any other brand. The
Pixma MX850, which the company considers its
agship business AIO, is another feather in Canons
cap. The MX850 would be good as a personal AIO in
a larger ofce, or as a shared printer in a home ofce
or small ofce. In addition, the caliber of its photo
printing makes it a good choice for a home printer
or a dual home/home-ofce AIO.
The MX850 offers an attractive mix of features,
speed, output quality, and price. It prints, scans, and
works as a standalone copier and fax machine. It
also faxes from your PC and scans to e-mail through
your PCs e-mail program. The scanner has a 35-
page automatic document feeder (ADF), which also
duplexes that is, prints two-sided copy. It comes
with two 150-sheet paper trays.
Network setup is distinctly unusual. Most net-
work installation programs can nd the printer on
the network and set everything up automatically.
With the MX850, you have to connect the printer
to a PC by both USB cable and network cable. Only
after the installation nishes can you disconnect the
USB cable and use the AIO over the network.
At 12 minutes 34 seconds on our business appli-
cations suite, the MX850 effectively tied for first
place among the AIOs Ive tested (the Canon Pixma
MP610 took 12:18). Photo print speed (0:54 for 4-by-
6s, 1:45 for 8-by-10s) was among the fastest yet for an
ink jet AIO. Although graphics tended to make paper
curl, text quality was better than with most ink jets,
and photos looked ne. With speed, output quality,
and features like these, whats not to like?MDS
The H470 is designed to print over a USB connec-
tion, from memory cards, and from PictBridge cam-
eras; it offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and battery options
as well. Print quality is a tad subpar for an ink jet, but
is good enough unless you need really small fonts.
If youre looking for a mobile printer, the HP
Ofcejet H470 denitely belongs on your short list.
M. David Stone
www.avg.com
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Toshiba Portg R500 (SSD)
$2,699 direct
l l l h m
PROS 1.7-pound laptop. Full-size
keyboard. Options for a built-in
optical drive and extended
batteries. GreenTech approved.
CONS Must handle with care.
Screen exes too much and
needs brightening. 3G wireless
needs to come to the United
States. SSD drives are expensive.
Performance is unspectacular.
For more: go.pcmag.com/r500ssd
TOSHIBA PORTG R500 (SSD)
An Astoundingly Light Laptop
While Apples MacBook Air has set the bar for lap-
top thinness, Toshiba has broken the lightness bar-
rier. The Portg R500 (SSD) weighs just 1.7 pounds,
yet packs a 12-inch screen and a full-size keyboard.
These should make it a hit among business travelers.
The hollow magnesium frame (11.2 by 8.5 by 0.8
inches) and superthin screen (prone to exing) feel
delicate. To slim the R500 down from last years 2.4-
pound version, Toshiba ditched the DVD burner,
swapped the 2.5-inch hard drive for an SSD (solid-
state hard drive), and replaced the six-cell battery
with a three-cell unit. Even so, the R500 scored over
3 hours on MobileMark 2007 battery tests. The R500
(SSD) lacks a webcam and a 3G modem, however.
With a plodding 1. 2-GHz Core 2 Duo CPU
and only 1GB of RAM under Windows XP Pro, the
R500 (SSD) tied the MacBook Airs SYSmark 2007
Preview Overall score but lagged on the Cine-
Bench R10 and Windows Media Encoder tests.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X300 beat the R500 (SSD)s
SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score by more than
25 percent.
Green cred includes Energy Star 4.0, EPEAT
Gold and RoHS certification, plus our GreenTech
seal. The R500 drew 12 watts in idle state, less than
the Lenovo X300, the Air, and the Fujitsu P8010.
It consumed 21 watts at full load.
The Portg R500 (SSD) weighs barely half as
much as the MacBook Air or the Lenovo X300. Its
extreme portability is a design coup for Toshiba, and
it should keep road warriors happy, even in close
quarters.Cisco Cheng
Specs: 1.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600; 1GB DDR2
SDRAM; 64GB SSD; 224MB Intel Graphics Media Accel-
erator 950; 12.1-inch, 1,024-by-800 widescreen; 1.7-pound
system weight, 2.4-pound travel weight; 31-Wh, 2.9-Ah
lithium ion battery; Windows XP Professional.
PERFORMANCE TESTS
MOBILEMARK
2007 L
hr:min
SYSMARK
2007
PREVIEW:
OVERALL L
MULTIMEDIA TESTS M
WINDOWS MEDIA
ENCODER
min:sec
PHOTOSHOP CS3
ACTION SET
min:sec
Toshiba Portg R500 (SSD) 3:12 66 2:41 1:25
Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N* 3:49 100 1:10 0:30
*Editors Choice, reported for comparison.
GREENTECH
APPROVED
Energy Star 4.0,
EPEAT Gold,
and RoHS cer-
tications, low power
consumption, and the
use of a solid state drive,
earned the R500 (SSD)
our seal of approval.
Just
1.7 pounds!
MICROSOFT WINDOWS SERVER 2008 ENTERPRISE
A Faster, Safer Network OS
Microsoft Windows
Server 2008
Enterprise
Enterprise Edition,
$3,999 direct;
Standard, $999;
Datacenter, Itanium
editions, $2,999 per CPU;
Web server, $469
l l l h m
PROS Faster perfor-
mance. Stripped-down
Server Core role for
headless operation.
Improved Terminal Ser-
vices. Read-Only Domain
Controllers for better
remote site security.
CONS No Hyper-V until
after summer 08. Pricey.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/
winserver08
From the CPU layer on up, the latest release of
Microsofts server OS improves on its predecessor.
Besides incorporating Vista security, which vastly
strengthens the OSs defenses, Microsoft Windows
Server 2008 has the new Vista networking stack,
boosting overall performance and letting clients see
servers more easily. Getting comfortable with the
OS will require signicant effort, but new features
ease management. I tried the 64-bit Enterprise ver-
sion: You can get 32- or 64-bit editions, but Micro-
soft says it will produce no further 32-bit releases.
In Server 2008, Active Directory Domain Ser-
vices, or ADDS (formerly Active Directory), has
Read Only Domain Controllers (RODC), making
remote Exchange services easier to manage and safer.
I wish, though, that remote Exchange servers could
use RODCs as Global Catalogs for holding ADDS
object data in a multidomain forest. Since they cant,
deploying a local RODC and Exchange server at
a remote site still requires the sites Exchange server
to access the home DC for catalog information.
A key new feature, Server Core, lets you run many
Windows Server 2008 functions on less powerful
machines. You get just the OS kernel and a command
lineonly interface, but GUI addicts can still access
and manage the machine from a box running the full
Server Manager or System Center GUIs. An upgrade
to Terminal Services lets remote users log into
Terminal Services Gateway directly, then choose
the server or remote desktop to accessno VPN
hassles, no rewall worries. And with Remote appli-
cation deployment, for a program that runs on the
TS server, admins can drop an application icon on
desktops, giving users what seems like local access.
Still, theres room for improvement. Server Man-
ager is a fact of life for IT staffers and consultants
with direct server access, so Id like to see more of
three items: intelligence, wizards for configuring
advanced features, and diagnostic tools. Thats a
relatively small complaint, though. Hyper-V, when
released, may be more of a problem: From the early
betas Ive tried, Im concerned that it may come up
a little short on features and cross-platform compat-
ibility relative to VMwares ESX Server.
Overall, however, Windows Server 2008 is a
marked improvement over Windows Server 2003.
Id say its a must-have for businesses with Windows-
centric networks, but Microsofts 64-bit push makes
the upgrade decision harder for shops dependent on
32-bit server software. Additionally, Small Business
Server 2008 and Essentials Business Server 2008,
which target 75- and 250-user networks, respectively,
wont be available until much later this year. Many
small and midsize businesses may want to wait
to decide about a server OS upgrade until these
products are revealed more fully.Oliver Rist
IIS7 gets a new
management interface
Installation is entirely
wizard driven
FIRST LOOKS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Westinghouse has a reputation for making affordable
and full-featured HDTVs. The companys largest
1080p LCD TV, the $2,000 52-inch TX-52F480S, is
a prime example. Equipped with a generous selec-
tion of 1080p-compatible video inputs, it has picture
controls that help its more than two million pixels
deliver crisp and detailed images. Held back by only
a few relatively minor usability quirks, this massive
set amounts to a terrific value for a large-screen
1080p HDTV.
Featuring a native 1080p60 (60-Hz) display, the
TV has a handy picture-scaling option that elimi-
nates overscan when 720p and 1080i/p HD video are
displayed. Scaling can be achieved over component
video input as well as through HDMI. Standard-
definition (SD) images were overscanned by an
acceptable 6 percent.
Selecting the movie preset produced picture
quality closest to the spec used in cinema and tele-
vision production. Even so, the grayscale represen-
tation was tinged with a bit of green that was most
prominent in the mid-to-low levels. The calibration
menu includes a basic white-balance adjustment,
and I was able to tame the TVs greens.
The adjustable backlight (providing ten levels
of intensity) is useful for quickly and easily opti-
mizing the pictures overall brightness according
Westinghouse
TX-52F480S
$2,000 street
l l l l m
PROS Inexpen-
sive for a 52-inch
1080p set. No
image overscan
with HD sources.
High contrast ratio.
CONS Default picture
settings yield slightly
green images. No pic-
ture-in-picture (PiP).
For more:
go.pcmag.com/
tx52f480s
to varying room lighting conditions. For tests in a
darkened room, I lowered the backlight control to
its third-lowest level. This setting maintained ade-
quate peak while lowering the video black levels to
the darkest Ive measured from an LCD TV to date.
In this scenario, dark video black levels coupled
with a correctly calibrated picture produced an
average contrast ratio of 1,186:1, a new record for
LCDs viewed in a dark room.
Unfortunately, jagged-edge artifacts appeared
on SD video tests. Performance with fast-moving
imagery was just average. For instance, I noticed that
Indys hat left a subtle trail across the screen in the
Well of Souls scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Despite some stumbles on the HD HQV Benchmark
test, performance with HD material was respectable.
As with the SD version, the HD benchmark test high-
lighted the sets inability to eliminate jagged edges.
Still, the TV properly deinterlaced 1080i video and
lm-sourced material into a solid 1080p image.
With its wide selection of HD-compatible video
ports and useful picture controls, the Westing-
house TX-52F480S is an admirable set, especially
for a value-priced 52-inch 1080p LCD television.
And this TVs ability to deliver an exceptionally
well-contrasted picture further sweetens the deal.
Robert Heron
WESTINGHOUSE TX-52F480S
A Huge HDTV Value
PORTS INCLUDED
HDMI 4
Component 3
Composite 1
DVI 0
FireWire 0
RF 1
S-Video 1
VGA 1
CableCARD 0
USB 0
Ethernet 0
New control wheel physically turns
CANON POWERSHOT SD790 IS
Te Greatest Elph of All
This high-end pocket shooter takes its place among
Canons ever-expanding arsenal of excellent Digi-
tal Elphs. The 10-megapixel SD790 IS incorporates
the companys signature slick design, a new control
wheel, and a wealth of featuresand it also pumps
out outstanding images.
Sporting the simple, silvery, box-like design that
we love on other Elphs, the SD790 ISs brushed
stainless-steel body feels sturdy and solid. Theres
also a big 3-inch LCD and a new, improved control
wheel, which takes some getting used to but helps
you to zip through menus quickly.
One very minor gripe: I would have liked a wider-
angle lens: The SD790s lens has a 6.2mm-to-18.6mm
range (35mm lm equivalent: 35mm to 105mm) with
maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/4.9.
The SD790 IS features motion-detection tech-
nology; it automatically detects motion and adjusts
ISO and exposure settings to compensate. This
feature worked well on my tests. Canon has also
improved the automatic white-balance mode in this
model. Rather than reading the background or the
entire scene, the camera focuses on the subjects
Canon PowerShot
SD790 IS
$349.99 list
l l l l h
PROS 3-inch
LCD. New click-
wheel is fast
and effective.
Excellent images
at high ISO settings.
CONS Flash shots were
slightly underexposed.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/sd790is
face and thus produces higher-quality images,
avoiding a washed-out look.
Although ash shots were a bit dark, overall the
SD790 IS produced superb images. Daylight shots
were outstanding, with near-perfect contrast and
vivid color, and even at an ISO as high as 800, images
showed very little noise.
At about $350, the SD790 IS is priced on the high
side for a pocket point-and-shooter, but consider-
ing its features and top-notch image quality, its well
worth the money.David Gussman
Olympus E-3
Body only, $1,700 street;
with Zuiko Digital ED
12mm60mm f/2.8f/4.0
SWD lens, $2,500
l l l l m
PROS Excellent image
quality in nearly all
environments. Fast
autofocus. Mechanical
image stabilization.
CONS Large body. Small
LCD. Unintuitive menu
system. Flash shots
underexposed at times.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/e_3
Articulating LCD
OLYMPUS E-3
Oversize D-SLR
Doesnt Disappoint
The 10.1-megapixel Olympus E-3 is one big, bad
shooter. Even for a D-SLR, its pretty huge. But
with girth comes stellar image quality and a hearty
assortment of features. Although it cant quite
best the Editors Choicewinning Nikon D300, its
a worthy competitor.
For such a large camera (3.3 pounds with lens),
the 2.5-inch LCD seems quite small. The display is
hinged, however, so it can be tilted back and forth
as well as swung out from the body of the camera,
which is useful when shooting in live mode.
Olympus offers a feature in the E-3 that Nikon
and Canon dont: in-camera mechanical image
stabilization. Both IS modescontinuous and pan-
ningworked well for me. Panning is used to follow
and focus on an object or person in motion, while
intentionally creating a blurred background. Contin-
uous, of course, is always on, compensating for shaky
hands when you are shooting without a tripod.
The E-3 shot outstanding images and was par-
ticularly impressive in low-light environments, with
an extremely speedy autofocus system. In the labs,
simulated daylight shots were exceptional, with
accurate color and nice consistency. Outdoors, color
was again accurate and vivid.
The high-end camera market has been domi-
nated by Canon and Nikon for a long time, but
with the E-3 Olympus shows that it can play in this
space as well. This camera is a terric alternative to
pricier D-SLRs.DG
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MIO MOOV 200
Get Mooving for Less with
Tis Afordable GPS
Higher-end features not usually found in an entry-level GPS
navigatorlike text-to-speech functionality and multisegment
routingmake the Mio Moov 200 an attractive device. We just
wish it handled points of interest (POIs) better.
The no-frills Moov 200 features a smallish 3.5-inch, 320-by-
240-pixel, antiglare touch-screen LCD. You also get a sensitive,
20-channel SiRFstarIII receiver for fast satellite acquisition.
Powered by Tele Atlas map data, the device includes maps for
the 50 states and Puerto Rico, but not Canada.
On the road, I found that the directions generated by the Moov
200 were good, though slightly different from ones suggested by
the Garmin StreetPilot 2720. Instructions with street names were
given at appropriate intervals, and route recalculation times for
a missed turn were acceptable.
The way the Moov 200 handled POIs, however, was disap-
pointing. When I searched by name, it presented results alpha-
betically by city name rather than by distance from my current
location, which isnt as useful. And there arent any POI sub-
categories, so although I could search for nearby restaurants,
I couldnt nd any by specialty, such as Italian or Chinese.
At $180, the Mio Moov 200 is certainly affordable, and while it
isnt awless, its denitely worth considering if youre traveling
on a tight budget.CE
Mio Moov 200
$179.95 list
l l l h m
PROS Inexpensive. 20-channel
SiRFstarIII receiver. Multisegment
routing. Text-to-speech conver-
sion. Strong language support.
CONS Lacks vehicle proles.
Slow and limited POI search
capabilities.
For more: go.pcmag.com/moov
Remote activates
microphone
GARMIN NVI 880
Tis Navigator Really Listens
Say hello to the 880, the newest member of Garmins nvi fam-
ily. And when I tell you to say hello, I mean it: The nvi 880 is
the rst portable GPS device to boast full speech recognition
capabilities. You can access almost all of its functions using your
voicein fact, only a few tasks require the touch screen. I found
it a truly amazing (albeit expensive) experience that works
surprisingly well.
With a list price of $999.99, the Garmin nvi 880 is positioned
at the very top end of the GPS market. But it has nearly every
feature Ive come to expect in a luxury navigator, including text-
to-speech conversion, multisegment routing, an excellent Blue-
tooth phone interface, and even integrated media players and
travel tools. Theres built-in support for Microsofts MSN Direct
service, too, providing useful information such as live trafc,
weather, movie times, and even local gas prices.
The real showstopper here, though, is the amazing speech
recognition functionality. On my tests, the unit comprehended
my voice commands with astonishing accuracy, despite the
acoustically challenging environment of a noisy car.
Frankly, Im hooked. With its outstanding combination
of features, the nvi 880 easily merits our Editors Choice. This
is the GPS device I want on my windshield.Craig Ellison
Garmin nvi 880
$999.99 list
l l l l h
PROS Accurate speech
recognition. Voice com-
mands control virtually
all menu functions. Text-
to-speech conversion.
Multisegment routing. Bluetooth
phone interface.
CONS Expensive.
For more: go.pcmag.com/nuvi880
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Prices and promotions are subject to change without notice. Supply is limited. Visit our site or call for the latest deals. All offers available from HP Direct and participating resellers. Prices shown are HP Direct
prices, are subject to change, and do not include applicable state and local sales tax or shipping to recipients destination. Simulated screen. Photography may not accurately represent exact congurations priced.
Associated values represent HP published list price. *Windows Vista Business disk also included for future upgrade if desired. To qualify for this downgrade an end user must be a business (including governmental
or educational institutions) and is expected to order annually at least 25 customer systems with the same custom image.Certain Windows Vista product features require advanced or additional hardware. See
www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/hardwarereqs.mspx and www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx for details. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine which
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capabilities of the AMD 64 processor. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system will vary. 3. AMDs numbering is not a measurement
of clock speed. Copyright 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set
forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein shall be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors
or omissions contained herein. Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Windows Vista is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United
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Handy inputs
on controller
RAZER MAKO
Sweet and Powerful PC Sound
Razer Mako
$399 list
l l l l m
PROS Intriguing design.
Excellent clarity with-
out distortion at high
volumes. Very powerful
output. Booming low
end. Multiple inputs.
CONS Very expensive. Controller
isnt wireless and can be slow
and unresponsive. Limited listen-
ing sweet spot.
For more: go.pcmag.com/mako
This unique and pricey 2.1-channel speaker set features
THX-developed technology that employs down-ring driv-
ers and uses desktop surfaces to disperse sound. The result
is impressive power and clear, thunderous audio.
The Razer Makos satellite speakers (3.5 inches high by
5.3 inches in diameter) look a bit like black mushroom caps,
as does the much larger 8.5-by-12.3-inch, 16.5-pound sub-
wooferall in all, its an attractive set. The speakers, as well
as the wired controller, all plug into the subwoofer, which has
two line-in connectors (both 3.5mm) plus a stereo RCA input.
One of the most powerful 2.1 PC speaker sets Ive ever
tested, the Razor Mako produced almost zero distortion at
very high volumes, and the rumble from the subwoofer was
clean and intense. Whats more, the set has a delicate touch
with gentler music, and acoustic songs have a bright, pleasant
presence. Despite that, it has a limited sweet spot (the ideal
spot for balanced sound). But audio quality is enjoyable even
when youre not close by, making the Mako an ideal speaker
system for parties.
If youre a gamer, if you watch movies on your PC, or if
your computer is your primary music source, the Razer Mako
is a solid choice thats worth its high price.Tim Gideon
Sage Software helps Bill Baldwin, Vice President of Administration at Hobie Cat, to see his operation from every possible
angle. With a full complement of integrated modules, his Sage ERP solution manages everything from Hobie Cats financials
to operations to boat manufacturing. And its just one of our many software and service solutions for small and medium-sized
FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT
CUSTOMER
MANAGEMENT
PEOPLE
MANAGEMENT
2007 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage Software, the Sage Software logo and Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its afliated entities.
KEEPI NG THE BOATS I N THE WATER AND THE
Headphone jack
accepts standard
3.5mm headphones
SONY WALKMAN NWZ-S718F
Sounds Great, Dampens Din
Sony takes a commendable stab at noise cancellation with this
compact 8GB PMP. While its not a masterpiece of design, theres
nothing to dislike about the Sony Walkman NWZ-S718F. Its
a solid performer with better-than-average earphones, and it has
the unique ability to reduce ambient noise.
The tiny devicea viable competitor to the iPod nanohas
a 1.8-inch, 320-by-240-pixel display thats bright and sharp. File
support is not a strong suit; the unit handles AAC, MP3, WMA,
and WAV for audio, MPEG-4 SP for video, and JPEG for photos.
Sound quality is excellent. This Walkman produces some of
the roundest bass Ive heard on a player, thanks to its excellent,
customizable EQ.
Noise cancellationthis players claim to fameisnt bad,
but its nowhere near as strong what you get with, say, Boses
QuietComfort 3 headphones. The player manages to block out
some low-frequency ambient noise, but it also creates a higher-
frequency hiss. That said, the NWZ-S718F is ideal for airplanes
and subways, where most of the noise exists in the lower ranges.
If noise cancellation isnt a must, you could save a couple of
bucks on players from Creative or SanDisk and get better file
support. But for $200, the Sony Walkman NWZ-S718F sounds
terric and comes with decent earphones.TG
Sony Walkman
NWZ-S718F
$200 list
l l l h m
PROS Built-in noise cancel-
lation. Compact design.
Excellent sound quality.
Customizable EQ. Earphones
are better than the bundled
earbuds of most players.
CONS User interface is dull.
Cluttered with buttons.
Mediocre video le support.
Noise reduction works only
with the included earphones.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/nwzs718f
businesses, from entry-level accounting and contact management software to end-to-end solutions
encompassing accounting, CRM and HR. All of which come with expert advice, installation, training,
plus ongoing service and support. For a fresh perspective on your business, visit sage360.com/erp
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SERVICES
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SOLUTIONS
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SOLUTIONS
Your business in mind.
FINANCES ON SOLID GROUND. THATS SAGE 360.
FIRST LOOKS SOFTWARE
Te Next Browser War
New betas sketch out the battle lines. By Edward Mendelson
Microsoft may dominate the Windows browser
battleeld, but the ght is far from over. Right now,
the major contenders are eld-testing prototypes of
their upcoming weapons: Betas of Firefox 3, Micro-
soft Internet Explorer 8, and Opera 9.5 have been
released. All three seem to be trying variations on
the same tacticadhering more closely to open
Web standards used everywhere on the Web, while
introducing unique features you cant get from any
other browser. Thats a tall orderthose two goals
can be at odds with each otherbut these products
manage it. Each claims to do better on compatibility
tests like Acid3, but what matters most is compat-
ibility with JavaScript and other dynamic content
in real-world Web pages, and in that department all
three have made real progress.
Beta versions arent as stable as shipping ver-
sions, of course, so I wouldnt recommend running
any of these on a system you care about. One of the
best ways to test questionable software is by set-
ting up a virtual machine using VMware or the free
Microsoft Virtual PC so that your main machine
cant get bitten by the inevitable bugs. If youre a die-
hard partisan of a particular browser, the new betas
of the others probably wont tempt you to switch,
but youll certainly get an idea of the enemys battle
plans. Andwho knows?you might even decide
that the enemy is worth getting friendly with.
Firefox 3
The most mature of the three rival betas is Firefox
3 beta 5, which packs in hundreds of new features,
such as native Windows icons and interface wid-
gets. Most are minor, but some signicantly improve
usability. For example, enhanced address-bar auto
complete will display matching URLs even if you
type a few letters from the middle, rather than just
the beginning, of a Web address.
Downloading is another of the many frequent
tasks the designers have made easierthe down-
load window has a new pause button among its
enhancements. Another new feature lets you set the
browser so that clicking on an e-mail address opens
a Web-based mail app like Gmail instead of a mail
program like Outlook Express. You can also resize
the search box in the upper right-hand corner.
The window for organizing your bookmarks,
history, and searches has been augmented with full
backup capability, and bookmark management is
a bit easier, too. When a page is already bookmarked,
a gold star appears in the address bar. Clicking on it
lets you change some of the bookmark properties.
But items available on that menu are different from
those in the Properties menu that appears when you
right-click on the bookmark itself. As a result, you
have to manage bookmarks with two interfaces that
have different sets of options. Also, you still cant
rename a bookmark from its right-click menuyou
have to go to the full Properties menu instead. All in
all, though, this Firefox beta gives me most of what
Ive wanted from Firefox for a long time.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8
The three betas all manage to display content from
Web pages in ways that are unique but keep within
public standards. Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 beta
1 offers a feature called WebSlicesspecial areas
of Web pages that can provide you with periodi-
Microsoft Internet
Explorer 8 Beta 1
Free
PROS Better standards
compliance. Good
security features. New
browsing conveniences.
IE7 mode renders ex-
actly the way the current
browser does.
CONS Plenty of crash-
causing beta bugs. Very
slow at times. Seems
to use vast quantities of
system resources.
Firefox 3 Beta 5
Free
PROS Enhanced ad-
dress-bar auto complete.
Easier downloading.
Can resize search box.
CONS Two different
bookmark interfaces.
Opera 9.5 Beta 1
Home Edition, free;
Professional, $39.95
direct
PROS Fast. Mostly
standards compliant.
Full-text search of his-
tory pages and lots of
convenient features.
CONS Beta bugs in page
rendering. Mail module
is weak on features and
wont work with some
servers.
cally updated information. Hover over one of these
areasa Seattle weather report, for instanceand
an icon appears. Click on it, and the WebSlice
becomes a button on your Favorites bar. The button
text turns bold when theres an update, and hover-
ing over the button lets you see the new info. Web
developers create slices simply by adding some
standard Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) markup to
a page, using identifying tags that other browsers
will ignore until they build in support.
A new Activities feature lets you add capabili-
ties to IE by installing applets that Web developers
create. When you highlight information on a Web
page, such as a postal address, an Activities but-
ton appears. Clicking on it produces a menu of the
applets youve installed. One of those might, for
example, open a mapping site and automatically
show you the location of the highlighted address.
Competing browsers have similar capabilities
(Firefox, in particular, has spawned a huge number
of add-ons), but Microsofts system is impressively
easy to use and provides a simple mechanism that
will make similar features more widespread. Of
course, opening the right-click Activities menu
supplied with the beta offers me a chance to blog
on Windows Live Spaces, translate with Windows
Live, send with Windows Live Hotmail. . . . When the
address is Redmond, some things never change.
Opera 9.5
The only one of the three thats moving toward a
minor, point-ve release instead of a whole-number
release is Opera. Still, the new Opera offers a notable
usability enhancement: free bookmark syncing. This
feature gives you an account on Operas site that you
can use to store bookmarks. When youre on some-
one elses machineor using Opera Mini version on
a mobile phoneyou can then download your book-
marks. A similar third-party Firefox add-on exists,
but Operas solution is more elegant .
One of the best new capabilities lets you search
the full text of all pages in the browsers history list.
Now you can enjoy the convenience of nding pages
youve visited without having to remember exactly
where they were. The browser also matches the sup-
port in IE7, IE8, and Firefox 3 for Extended Valida-
tion (EV) certicates (an additional level of security
for banking and other such sites). The implementa-
tion was a bit flaky, but it may be improved by the
time you read this. The Opera beta renders pages
about as well as those of IE8 and Firefox 3.
Now if only the browser would provide a less
cluttered and more logical interfacewith, for
example, mail accounts on the Mail menu and not
on the Tools menu. Still, Opera 9.5 Beta 1 is a promis-
ing release that loyalists will appreciate.
For more: go.pcmag.com/browserwar08
Aperture 2.1
$199 direct
l l l l m
PROS Intuitive. Excellent RAW
processing. Speedy navigation,
searching. Cheaper than Photo-
shop Lightroom.
CONS No Curves tool. No
magnied view of full images.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/aperture2_1
APERTURE 2.1
Powerful Photo Workfow
Management for Macs
This release transforms Apples professional/prosumer photo
editor and manager into what it should have been all along.
Aperture 2.1 eliminates the serious problems that afflicted its
predecessor. In the Apple universe, this Mac-only product now
rivals the cross-platform Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
The new, far more intuitive interface frees more screen
real estate for images. General navigation and image searches
are now fast, as is the new Quick Previewindispensable when
sorting through a shoot. The new open architecture lets third
parties write plug-ins, and the program comes with a handy
Dodge and Burn plug-in. Apertures photo-export options, which
were already strong, have gotten better: The process now works in
the background, for example. Image quality shows vast improve-
ment. Results from the overhauled RAW processing engine stack
up against those of any rival, and new enhancement tools coax
the most out of images. I especially like the Retouch brush, which
toggles between Photoshop-style healing and cloning to repair
and touch up details with seamless results.
Some quibbles: You still cant zoom in and view the entire
image at more than 100 percent, and theres still no Curves tool.
If youve got a lot invested in the PC platform, stick with Light-
room, but for those starting from scratch on a Mac, Aperture has
a tiny edge.Galen Fott
Create Web
galleries to post
to .Mac accounts
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS (BETA)
Free Online Photo
Editing and Sharing
Adobe Photoshop Express
(Beta)
Free
l l l h m
PROS Intuitive editing tools
work well, generally. Excellent
Facebook integration. Free.
CONS Latency in opening and
closing les. Some editing tools
are missing. Cant print images.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/psexpressbeta
Unlike its namesake, this free Web site doesnt provide profes-
sional-level image-editing capabilities. But it does offer a strong
mix of intuitive, highly effective editing toolsall well within
reach of even total novices. It also supplies 2GB of storage for
images and rudimentary facilities for sharing them.
The controls for adjusting color, brightness, and so on illus-
trate the emphasis on simplicity. Click on the saturation tool, for
example, and youll see six thumbnails of your photo at varying
saturation levelsjust pick one. Actually, the excellent Auto
Correct lter may be all you need. For editing images uploaded to
partners like Facebook, Picasa, and Photobucket, the site excels.
But features other photo sites offer are missingthe ability to
print images or create photo books, for example. And though you
can add information to photos, the capability is limited. You cant
associate photos with people, places, or events, and unlike ickr
and Picasa, this site doesnt let you comment on photos. Also, the
upload process is a bit cumbersome and restrictive.
As configured, the site best suits the Facebook crowd, as
well as users who dont need fancy image-editing capabilities.
Though Adobe Photoshop Express is a few features and partner-
ships away from broad appeal, the site is well implemented and
rapidly evolving.Jan Ozer
The secret to
successful
spam blocking
CLOUDMARK DESKTOP 5.3.3 FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK
Te Silence of the Spams
Junk e-mail beware: Cloudmark Desktop 5.3.3 for Microsoft
Outlook is the Hannibal Lecter of spam killers. Guided by the
community-based ltering Cloudmark pioneered, the product
ensnares most junk mail while marking virtually no valid mes-
sages as spamand the program can lter any e-mail account
the client can handle. You can even get separate versions that
support Outlook Express and Thunderbird.
When any user marks a message as spam, the program sends
a unique ngerprint of it to a central database Cloudmark keeps.
If enough community members (there are now over a million
total) mark the same message, the program blocks it for all other
members. The more your ratings match those of the community,
the higher your trust level rises and the more weight your ratings
haveits a self-reinforcing system.
Theoretically, because blocking requires multiple reports
from other members, unique messages from individuals will
never be screened out, and valid newsletters will be blocked
only if members mistakenly mark them as spam. Real-world
testing showed exactly that. The product didnt ag a single per-
sonal e-mail as spam and mismarked only one newsletter out of
hundreds. It let just 2 percent of spam into the Inbox better
than most competitorsand it did all this without slowing the
process of downloading mail. Neil J. Rubenking
Cloudmark Desktop 5.3.3
for Microsoft Outlook
$39.95 yearly
l l l l h
PROS Extremely accurate
lter. Handles POP3, webmail-
via-POP3, IMAP, Exchange.
CONS Cant lter webmail
inaccessible via POP3. Pricier
than near-identical iHateSpam 5.0.
For more:
go.pcmag.com/cloudmarkdesk
avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition
Home Edition, free;
Professional, $39.95 direct
l l l l m
PROS Free! Certied by independent
labs for virus detection (but not cleanup).
Blocks spyware installs very well. Decent
at removing existing malware. Simple,
skinnable user interface.
CONS No scheduled scan. Leaves many
Registry traces and nonexecutable les
when cleaning up malware.
For more: go.pcmag.com/avast4_8home
AVAST! ANTIVIRUS 4.8 HOME EDITION
Tough, Free Virus Killer
Though its version number is just 0.1 higher than the last
releases, avast! antivirus 4.8 Home Edition adds signifi-
cant versatility: It now protects against spyware, rootkits,
and other nonvirus malicious software. Best of all, its
free for personal use. For commercial use you must buy
Professional Edition, which has more features, but both
versions offer the same powerful protection against viruses
and spyware.
The attractive and simple user interface lets you choose
from dozens of skins to change its appearance. On detecting
a threat in memory, avast! 4.8 offers to perform a boot-time
scan. This runs before Windows starts, so theres no chance
for malware to interfere. The utility also builds a Virus
Recovery Database in the background to help with repair
in case a virus gets loose on the system.
Independent labs rate avast! 4.8 as excellent at virus
detection but not quite so good at cleaning up what it nds.
In my testing against nonvirus malware threats, it scored
almost as high as the top antispyware products. Its cleanup
left behind the vast majority of nonexecutable files and
Registry traces, but the utility did a rst-rate job of keep-
ing malware from installing on a clean system. Im really
pleased to find a free antivirus and antispyware product
that I can recommend.NJR
An option lets
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I
n the first centuries after Christ, there was
no New Testament. However, books of
Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypses
were widely read, and were fervently followed
by groups of early Christians. But they would
not be among the books that formed the New
Testament.
From the many different scriptures then
available, Christians held beliefs that today
would be considered bizarre: that there were
two, 12, or as many as 30 gods; that a mali-
cious deity, rather than one true God, created
the world; that Christs death and resurrec-
tion had nothing to do with salvationothers
insisted that Christ never really died at all.
What did these other scriptures say? Do
they exist today? How could such outlandish
ideas ever be considered Chris tian? If such
beliefs were once common, why do they
no longer exist? These are just a few of the
many provocative questions that arise in Lost
Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the
Battles over Authentication.
A Good Mystery Story
This 24-lecture series is a richly re ward ing
learning opportunity for anyone in ter ested
in religion, history, or a good mystery story.
Professor Bart D. Ehrman lends his expert
guidance as you follow scholars efforts to
recover knowledge of early Christian groups
who lost the struggle for converts and subse-
quently disappeared.
A major theme of this course is the struggle
for orthodoxyor right beliefamong the
various early Christian groups. You will wit-
ness the process by which certain Christian
beliefs gained legitimacy, while others were
relegated to the status of footnotes to history.
You will see how Christianity developed
through its early and lost writings. The
struggle for orthodoxy can be seen in both
the New Testament and in central Christian
creeds. You will explore the development of
the New Testament into an approved canon
of scripture.
How did the process of forming the ortho-
dox canon take place? Who decided which
books should be included? On what grounds?
If so many scriptures exist ed, how do we know
that those who selected the final books got it
right? If many of these writings were forger-
ies, how can we be sure that forgeries werent
included in the New Testament?
In these lectures you will also hear about a
remarkable archaeological event: the discovery
in 1945 of a treasure trove of missing Gnostic
scriptures at Nag Hammadi, an Egyptian vil-
lage near the city of Luxor.
Consisting of 13 leather-bound volumes
unearthed in an ancient grave by Bedouin
camel drivers (the full story, which you will
hear, resembles the plot of a bestsellingad-
venture novel), the Nag Hammadi Library
was a watershed event in the search for lost
Christianities.
About Your Professor
Dr. Bart D. Ehrman is the James A.
Gray Professor and Chair of the De part ment
of Religious Studies at The Uni versity of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received
his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from
Princeton Theological Sem inary. He has
won several teaching awards, including the
Students Un der graduate Teaching Award
and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Award
for Ex cellence in Teaching. Professor Ehrman
has written or edited more than 15 books,
in cluding The New York Times bestseller,
Misquoting Jesus, and Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet
of the New Millennium.
About The Teaching Company
We review hundreds of top-rated profes-
sors from Americas best colleges and uni-
versities each year. From this extraordinary
group we choose only those rated highest by
panels of our customers. Fewer than 10% of
these world-class scholar-teachers are selected
to make The Great Courses.
Weve been doing this since 1990, pro-
ducing more than 3,000 hours of material
in modern and ancient his tory, philosophy,
literature, fine arts, the sci ences, and math-
ematics for intelligent, en gaged, adult lifelong
learners. If a course is ever less than complete-
ly satisfying, you may ex change it for another,
or we will refund your money promptly.
Lecture Titles
1. The Diversity of Early Christianity
2. Christians Who Would Be Jews
3. Christians Who Refuse To Be Jews
4. Early Gnostic ChristianityOur Sources
5. Early Christian GnosticismAn
Overview
6. The Gnostic Gospel of Truth
7. Gnostics Explain Themselves
8. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas
9. Thomas Gnostic Teachings
10. Infancy Gospels
11. The Gospel of Peter
12. The Secret Gospel of Mark
13. The Acts of John
14. The Acts of Thomas
15. The Acts of Paul and Thecla
16. Forgeries in the Name of Paul
17. The Epistle of Barnabas
18. The Apocalypse of Peter
19. The Rise of Early Christian Orthodoxy
20. Beginnings of the Canon
21. Formation of the New Testament Canon
22. Interpretation of Scripture
23. Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
24. Early Christian Creeds
About Our Sale Price Policy
Why is the sale price for this course so
much lower than its standard price? Every
course we make goes on sale at least once a
year. Producing large quantities of only the
sale courses keeps costs down and allows us to
pass the savings on to you. This also enables
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While Microsoft and other companies are
eyeballing the latest marketing gimmicks,
they could just as easily be cementing
more prots by pushing morenot less
shrink-wrapped software. Online mavens,
thin-client psychos, and Web 2.0 pundits
have been promoting the death of shrink
wrap and the success of its replacement,
known by its various buzzwords: software
as a service (SaaS), software on demand,
and subscription-based software. Add to
that all the old-fashioned downloadable
software thats available, and the newer
software in the cloud, and you must con-
clude that shrink wrap is dead.
I beg to differ. Shrink wrap has many
advantages compared with online apps
of any sort, which are rife with problems.
Here are some of them.
1. THE NETWORK SUCKS. First of all,
apps running over any network are sub-
ject to network congestion and outages. I
would have a eld day doing commercials
highlighting the frustrations you can expe-
rience running apps over the Internet.
I have to have this report done! Whats
wrong with the network!? Fred is using
BitTorrent, and its killing the network.
2. THERES NO PROTECTION FROM
GOVERNMENT SPOOKS. This is the real
killer of online apps. Who wants the U.S.
government ltering everything you do?
3. INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE IS EASY.
Forget snooping by the U.S. government.
Whats to stop a smart multinational cor-
poration from spying on its competition?
A scandal is now brewing over Rupert
Murdochowned companies allegedly
involved in something like this.
JOHN C. DVORAK
Ode to Shrink Wrap
Do you really think that sofware on demand is an
efort by the sofware companies to make less money
from you? Of course not. Its a marketing scam.
DVORAK LIVE ON THE WEB Johns
Internet TV show airs every Wednesday
at 3:30 ET on CrankyGeeks.com. You can
download back episodes whenever you like.
4. ITS TOO EXPENSIVE. Does anyone
really think that software on demand and
use only what you need are efforts by the
software companies to make less money
from you? Of course not. Theyre market-
ing scams to make more money from you.
5. ITS NOT MERCHANDISABLE. Call
me old-fashioned, but I still subscribe to the
notion that people like to buy pretty things.
Oh, a shiny pen! A box on a shelf with a
sales pitch will sell more copies than a neb-
ulous Web site renting you something.
6. USERS HAVE NO SENSE OF OWN-
ERSHIP. People like to own things such
as books and boxes with discs in them.
People have bookcases full of books they
will never read again because they like
the comfort of having possessions. Online
schemes deliver none of this comfort.
7. WHEN ONLINE SOFTWARE COMPA-
NIES GO UNDER, SO DOES YOUR SOFT-
WARE. While people hate to talk about
this, there is always the likelihood that the
company selling you software as a service
in the cloud will go out of business and
youll have nothing but your backup data
files (if you havent moved them into the
cloud, too). I have numerous discs from
companies that went out of business, and
the software still works.
8. USERS ARE SUBSERVIENT TO
TERMS-OF-SERVICE AGREEMENTS.
There are far too many instances of peo-
ple who have been cut off from services
for some perceived infraction. Because
of onerous terms-of-service agreements,
users have little recourse without a lot
of work. If your company is dependent
on online software, youll probably be
out of business before any legal issue is
resolved.
9. USERS HAVE NO CONTROL OVER
VERSIONING. Online apps get upgraded
at the remote site, so you are stuck with
changes whether you like them or not.
10. POTENTIAL FOR GOUGING. This
is perhaps the worst aspect of online soft-
ware. With shrink-wrapped software, you
buy the product, own it, and maybe even
get your updates free. With SaaS, you pay
as you go. Imagine becoming dependent
on one of your online apps and then watch-
ing the price quadruple just because the
company knows you have no other choice.
The temptation to do this is extreme.
These are the kinds of arguments
Microsoft and others should make to
those people inclined to dismiss shrink
wrap in favor of online software. So why
dont they? Look at items 4 and 10 for the
answer.
No matter how sophisticated online
initiatives sound, they are part of a pre
personal-computing model in which a cen-
tralized mainframe ran all the programs
and users sat at terminals. The whole
notion of online software is a throwback.
Powerful workstation/desktop com-
puting is still the most efcient way to do
things. I never even bothered to put per-
formance on the list above. Can you imag-
ine editing a document online and tracking
the changes from ten people? Cripes!
Using the Internet to return to the old
model of mainframe computing is a mis-
use of resources and a dead end. Its only
real appeal is the idea that there is a com-
munity on the Internet with you. Seri-
ously, ask yourself why you would want
to do word processing on the Web. For my
money, I want a box with a disc and docu-
mentation. I can deal with the rest myself.
Inside
Just as the market was beginning to make a shift to EV-DO and
other wireless technologies for the cellular phone network,
reports emerged that any sort of real load degrades service to
an extreme. And these are expensive services to begin with.
So now it seems that 802.11 is more important than ever, and
that engineers may nally get the wireless broadband technol-
ogy WiMAX to work correctly.
How long will it take to deploy WiMAX in any meaningful
way? Intel, the big proponent of the technology, is now drop-
ping a whopping $500 million into the Japanese market in
an effort to push WiMAX there. It would sure solve a lot of
problems if it took hold.
Meanwhile, since the iPhone invasion, people are doing
more and more surfing on their phones. I
cannot imagine how anyone can justify the
monthly charges, but I guess people actually
do believe that AT&T needs more money.
Ive noticed that if you are with a group of
people there is always the one guy (or more
in California) who will pull out the iPhone
and surf the Net to nd some obscure bit of
information.
Why arent we hearing more about
next-generation WiFi? Its as if everyone
suddenly lost interest once the mobile
phone providers began to confuse matters
for everyone.
Oh, and as a side note, a reader recently
wrote to me after I complained bitterly about how I was pay-
ing Comcast $80 a month and getting a crummy 4 Mbps. It
seems as if the various Wi-Fi routers cannot deliver the same
speed as one another. I guess nobody has been testing for
this anomaly.
Passing the Torch Dept.: By this time next year, I do not
expect eBay to own Skype. eBays expensive experiment in
using Skype as a way for buyers and sellers to communicate
free went nowhere. Most of the smart money thinks Google
will eventually end up with Skype and all its users. You can
be sure Google will figure out a way to make money from
such a captive audience. Itll probably dump Google Talk in
the process.
Podcasting Is Out Dept.: It seems as if everyone began to
hate the term podcasting about a year ago. Normal people
were just confused by the term. Unfortunately, its a term like
blogging. Actually, blogging is worse. Its an ugly word in
every way, but there is no other way of describing the activ-
ity. The problem with trying to eliminate podcasting is that
there is nothing else to call it. So I expect it to linger until it
becomes part of the public lexicon.
Disaster Waiting to Happen Dept.: I do not want to say
that the American public is any more ignorant than any other
society, so I wont. The point is that we are not a nation of
techies. With this in mind, how does anyone expect the 2009
switch from analog TV to digital TV to be anything but a
disaster? Its crazy. Id bet even money that right now less than
half the public knows anything about the switch, despite how
many messages have been thrown in our faces. Heck, I suspect
that less than half the public can name the current president of
the United States! I can guarantee you that the average person
on the street who just bought a new TV with a digital clock
thinks its a digital TV. So what is going to happen when the
TV signals are turned off overnight? Chaos and complaining,
thats what. Riots maybe?
The switch should never have been planned this way.
Analog and digital should coexist and transition with a slow
pullback of analog over a couple of years.
When color TV was introduced in the 1950s,
the public took a long time to make the tran-
sition. Originally, the analog-to-digital shift
was to take place a few years ago. If the tran-
sition process had begun seriously in 2006,
wed have had a better chance of making
this work.
Funniest Thing I Heard All Month
Dept.: So out of the blue Dell says it is going
to sell Windows XP until 2010. Thats when
the company hopes to move customers to
Windows 7, which just might be ready by
then. (I doubt it, unless Windows 7 is just
Vista repackaged.) Meanwhile, Microsoft
says no to any XP sales after June of this year. Dell thinks it can
preload XP on the machines its currently selling with Vista.
The kicker is that the package is going to be called Vista
Bonus. I guess the bonus is that it wont run Vista. (Drum roll,
maestro!)
Microsoft Live Core Dept.: A rumor continues to circu-
late about a new Microsoft online operating system called
Live Core. Ever since there were rumors oating around out
there that Google and then Yahoo! were developing some sort
of online OS, Microsoft got interested in the idea. If any com-
pany is going to do something like this, it will be Apple, which
is already looking at the iPhone as the next great comput-
ing platform. Ironically, I talked up the pocket computer at
least a decade ago and envisioned it as something similar to
the iPhone, except that it would sync in a cradle and connect
to a keyboard and big screen when not in portable mode. I
imagine that such a device is not too far away. The iPhone
is the closest Ive seen so far to the ideal pocket computer.
Curiously, I am not too interested in owning one myself. At
least not yet.
WANT MORE DVORAK? John writes a weekly column for our
Web site, too. Log on to go.pcmag.com/dvorak. Or you can e-mail
him at pcmag@dvorak.org.
SASCHA SEGAN
Sometimes theres such a thing as too much
competition. You see this in media formats.
Usually for ego-driven reasons, people
keep reinventing the wheel and end up just
making life annoying for people peacefully
trying to play or convert audio and video.
I run into this problem all the time.
I capture video with a camera phone or
camcorder, download video through the
Internet, or rip it from DVDs. Then after
any editing or remixing, I try to put it out to
a DVD, an iPhone, or my AppleTV. Most of
the time, Nero or one of the Videora con-
version programs does the trick, but peri-
odically I run into trouble.
In a perfect fantasy world, there would
be three media formats and one container.
MP3 covers lossy music, FLAC covers
lossless music, and MPEG-4 covers video.
Wrap your video in an MP4 container,
and youre good to go. Each of those for-
mats has many options, so this combina-
tion gives you much more exibility than
it seems at first glance. H.264 and AAC+,
for instance, are both part of the MPEG-4
standard. The key here is standard
something that has been agreed on across
the industry.
Most stupid media formats are pushed
by some group with an agenda, and the
groups agenda is what keeps these annoy-
ing formats existing, brain-munching
zombielike, into the future. Sure, they all
make claims about being higher quality, but
thats not whats really driving them. In my
mind they fall into three categories.
Stupid Elitist Media Formats
Ogg Vorbis, Theora, and the entire
Matroska container system. You might
see these as OGG or MKV files. The sole
purpose of these formats seems to be to
show what an antiestablishment hacker
you are. They were created by groups that
are politically horried that corporations
are involved in the technology industry. To
think! Corporations! Yet they have special-
ized features that maximize enjoyment of
animated tentacle porn. (I am not lying.)
I wouldnt be so against them if their
zealots had done any work at making them
easy to use. Instead, they require hard-
to-nd, buggy open-source programs for
encoding and decoding. Often the com-
mand line is involved. They will break
most commercial video software because,
you know, commercial video software is
controlled by the Manfight the power!
Fortunately, you are likely to run into this
stuff only when downloading ripped TV
programs off BitTorrent. At that point, the
pain and annoyance you are experiencing
is merely karma, you evil, evil pirate.
Stupid Proprietary Media Formats
Microsoft is the leader in creating entirely
pointless proprietary media formats.
WMA and WMV must die, immediately.
They exist solely to concentrate control in
Microsofts hands, and as such, they are as
stupid as Sonys now-dead ATRAC3. AAC
does everything WMA does, but whereas
AAC is a widely accepted standard, WMA
is entirely controlled by Microsoft.
Apple, shockingly, has been pretty
good about avoiding stupid media formats
recently, with one exception. Its been mov-
ing from stupid MOV video containers
to standardized MPEG-4, and iTunes has
always used relatively standard AAC for
audio. Apple has one weak spot: lossless.
Rather than using the perfectly acceptable
FLAC, Apple has created its own lossless
codec, ALC, which basically isnt playable
by anything other than iTunes. Ugh.
Streaming media is another bastion of
annoying proprietary formats. Whats the
advantage of Flash and Real over stream-
ing MP3 and MPEG-4? Oh yeah, its that
they come with obnoxious proprietary
players. Im willing to give Adobes Flash
a partial pass because Adobe has offered
free players to everyone, but Real is a per-
fect case of using a proprietary format to
force people to install obnoxiousware.
Stupid DRM Media Formats
Its time for media copy protection to end.
Pretty much everyone understands this,
and its dying a slow and graceful death as
folks come around. I have faith that Apple
will shift away from DRM soon enough.
But a few formats floating on the fringe
really have to go. Sprint mobile phones, for
instance, use an abomination called KOZ
that exists only to prevent other players
from reading the juicy AAC+ le within.
The combination of vile DRM and
stupid WMA brings out the worst in com-
panies; Microsoft has announced that cus-
tomers of the former MSN Music store
will never be able to move their songs to
new PCs because its closing the DRM ser-
vice. DRM is part of the entertainment and
software industry campaigns to eradicate
purchasing in favor of licensing, so
consumers end up owning nothing.
But theres a big difference between
a format with any intellectual property
involved and the hideousness that is you-
dont-own-it DRM. Face it, Ogg Vorbis
zealots, youre going to have to compro-
miseand that compromise is MP3/AAC.
GET MORE SASCHA For more of his views,
visit go.pcmag.com/segan.
Microsof is the leader in creating entirely pointless
proprietary media formats. WMA and WMV must
die, immediately. Teyre as stupid as Sonys ATRAC3.
Kill Stupid Media Formats
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Illustration by Mondolithic Studios
Each year when we talk to the leading research labs for our future tech
story, we learn new things, some stunning and some almost heart-
breaking, because often the coolest technology is going to take a long,
long time to reach perfection.
This year was no different. We saw a pattern early on, nding tech-
nology projects under way at the big companies and university labs
that mimic or enhance the human senses. They include an innovative
touchpad that will let you control your future mobile device from the
back, a vision system for your car that will help you see through thick
fog, and an electronic nose that will sniff out rotten food for you. Per-
haps most amazing, to both science-ction acionados and the ever-
growing numbers of war victims, are new articial limbs controlled by
existing nerve endings and, eventually, by direct input from the brain.
Its not all about the senses, of course. Researchers are trying to nd
the next great material for microprocessors, without which many of
these technologies could die on the vine in a few years. Naturally, we
are thinking about our gadgetry-lled future as well, and we present
a look at the possibilities for what tech toys such as laptops, phones,
and cameras may become by 2020. Turn the page and prepare to enter
the future.
The future will be a feast for the senses, with breakthroughs
that enhance computers ability to hear, see, and even smell
for us. By Eric Grifth
Seven
Technologies
That Will
Touch Your Life
JOHNS HOPKINS & DEKA
Robotic Prosthetic Arm 60
UC BERKELEY
E-Nose 60
MICROSOFT RESEARCH
LucidTouch 64
MIT MEDIA LAB
Graspables 64
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
Computer Vision Systems 66
GEORGIA TECH
Machine Hearing 67
Silicons Successor 68
FUTURE FIRST LOOKS
256-Processor Laptop 61
Morphing Mobile Gadget 65
Dynamic Digital Camera 67
FUTURE TECH
E-NOSE
Its been two years since the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) sought out ideas for creating
upper-extremity prosthetics for a new
generation of amputeesespecially those
returning from combat in Iraq and Afghan-
istan. DEKA Research, run by inventor
Dean Kamen (famed as
the creator of the Segway
Personal Transporter),
came up with one. The
Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity Applied Physics
Laboratory (APL), man-
aging a team of over 30
contracted organizations
like a virtual corporation,
has another.
The two groups have
had a friendly compe-
tition during the first
two-year phase. The new
limb prototypes, already
in clinical trials, are mod-
ular marvels of engineer-
ing that offer far more
movementdegrees of
freedom in engineer-
speakthan today s
artificial limbs, which
typically have only three
possible movements.
The goal is an artificial
limb with the same size,
weight, and dexterity as a
real arm. That means as many as 25 degrees
of freedom working in conjunction, so the
patient doesnt have to choose between
bending an elbow and manipulating fin-
gers but can actually do both at once.
Perhaps more miraculously, as both
DEKA and APL enter the next phase of
DARPAs Revolutionizing Prosthetics
2009 (RP 2009) program, the limbs can
interface directly with an amputees nerve
endings through targeted muscle reinner-
vation. Its a method developed at North-
western University and the Rehabilitation
Institute of Chicago to let nerve signals
actuate unused muscles to control an arti-
cial hand and ngers.
For someone who lost his arm closer
to the wrist, there are more options for
controlling an artificial hand, says Stu-
art Harshbarger, systems integrator and
team leader with the APL group. If you
dont have muscles available, you go to the
peripheral nerve itself.
APL places injectable myoelectric sen-
sors (IMES) into the flesh to look for the
electrical activity in a muscle contraction
and uses it to control the prosthetic arm
wirelessly. IMES should go to the FDA for
approval soon. I think
well see a highly dexter-
ous limb system in the
manufacturing transition
process in two years,
Harshbarger says.
Eventually, these new
limbs could interface
with the brain itself, a
goal that both DEKA and
APL are working toward.
It is, after all, what every-
one envisions going back
to The Six Million Dollar
Man. Getting direction
from the motor cortex
of the brain could be the
only option for an ampu-
tee who also has a spinal
injury. The initial goal,
though, is a neural inter-
face strategy, such as
IMES, thats minimally
invasive.
DEKAs project man-
ager, Rick Needham,
calls complete, intui-
tive brain control the
researchers holy grail. He says theres even
the potential for permanently attaching a
prosthesis to the patients skeletal system.
Much like APLs, DEKAs prototype was
also created with a team of organizations
and is designed to handle multiple meth-
ods of control. DEKA calls its articial limb
design the Luke Arm,
after Luke Skywalker,
who gets a fully func-
tional artificial hand in
The Empire Strikes Back.
Patient comfort is
a major design goal for
DEKA. The researchers
found that a number of
amputees dont even use
their prosthetics because
the limbs hurt to wear.
They create constant
pressure because theyre
attached so tightly. The Luke Arm has a
dynamic socket that can adjust, becoming
tighter when the user is lifting something
and extra support is needed, but looser if
the person isnt using the limb.
Needham gives a lot of credit to DARPA
and Colonel Geoffrey Ling, the manager of
RP 2009, for creating this project, which
will benet not only soldiers but also any-
one with a missing arm. DARPA stepped
up and made resources available to make
this happen. We appreciate them having
the vision to do that, Needham says.
Harshbarger says APLs goal for its
artificial limb is to have it settle into a
manufacturing cycle similar to those of
digital cameras or phones. Every couple
of years, a new generation comes out with
new capabilities, more pixels, more bells
and whistles, but the price stays about the
same. He wants these new limbs to cost no
more when manufactured and tted than
an artificial limb costs today. Thats not
small potatoes: $75,000 to $100,000 by the
time a clinician ts the prosthesis. But the
much higher level of performance brought
about by the new technologies will at last
make it feel like money well spent.
Someday soon, your refrigerator or even
the bottles in your wine collection may
inform you when its contents have gone
bad. Its the preferable method when
youre dealing with food or pharmaceu-
ticals, rather than tossing everything out
based on an arbitrary best-if-ingested-by
date. The packaging will know whats rot-
ten the same way you do: by taking a whiff
to see if it stinks.
Hard to believe, but
such electronic-nose
(e-nose) technol ogy
has been around for
several years, and the
general idea goes back
decades. Commercial
e-noses today check
for dangerous gases
we cant sense. Theyre
used by hospitals, the
military, and NASA. So
what big breakthrough
is the next generation
MAJOR INNOVATION Direct
neural controland eventu-
ally brain controlof articial
limbs.
WHY IT MATTERS Will
provide limb replacements
for injured soldiers and others
with missing limbs.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL Clini-
cal trials by 2009, with manu-
facturing in 2010.
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY & DEKA RESEARCH
Robotic Prosthetic Arm
MAJOR INNOVATION Cheap
printed polymers will detect
food spoilage and dangerous
odors.
WHY IT MATTERS Snifng
out true rot could eliminate
product waste.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL
Minimum of ve years for
consumer and pharmaceuti-
cal packaging, maybe earlier
for expensive, single-use
products.
UC BERKELEY
E-nose
ROBOTIC ARM
of digital sniffers poised to make? First,
theyre going to use printed organic poly-
mers made with modified ink jet print-
ers. Second, those polymers are going to
make e-noses incredibly cheap compared
to todays, which cost several hundred or
even thousands of dollars.
Vivek Subramanian, associate professor
in the Department of Electrical Engineer-
ing and Computer Sciences at Univer-
sity of California, Berkeley, says his team
of Ph.D. candidatesmost of whom are
involved in interdisciplinary studies across
fields of chemistry, material science, and
electrical engineeringbuild the polymer
printers themselves and print with them
all the time.
Just dont expect to buy an e-nose that
can smell all 10,000 odors the human nose
can sense any time soon. The trick is to
teach it what to detect. I know what I want
to smell. I want to smell spoilage. So I have
a specific e-nose for that spoilage, says
Subramanian. Its all about recognizing a
rotten-smelling pattern. He cautions that
were a long way off from e-noses snifng
out specifics, like drugsor worse. For
bomb sniffing, he says, you need parts-
per-trillion detection. Thats really hard.
So Homeland Security should probably
FUTURE FIRST LOOKS
The 256-Processor Laptop
In 2020, only techies will care about the technology in their laptops. Most users will
never even think about it, because laptops will have so much processing power and the
Internet cloud will offer so much storage. What will matter is style. Heres the vision of
Lenovos Howard Locker, Master Inventor and Chief of Strategic Technology.
Illustrations by Mondolithic Studios
Bendable, thin slate folds up to slip into
pocket.
Screen usable outdoors.
6G, always-on, wireless connectivity
reaches 550 Mbps.
Thin, light battery lasts 5 to 7 days.
256-core processor is essentially
a data center cluster on your lap.
Touch screen and voice recognition;
virtual keyboard with tactile feedback
for serious content creation.
Thin, light, 300-pixel-per-inch OLED
screen rolls out to any size you want.
Very light, strong material, even better
than titanium. Entire system weighs half
a pound.
T
he world is going high defnition and PC Magazine
readers are no exception. More readers are
playing HD movies, accessing online videos and
creating the story of their lives to post on blogs
and share with family and friends. Are they doing
this locked to their desk by their high-performance desktop?
Not anymore. With processors getting more powerful all
the time, notebooks are proving to their desktop brethrens
that they have the chops too. Better processors, enhanced
graphics technology and longer battery life are enabling
today's notebooks to deliver a powerful multimedia punch
and ntel technology is leading the way.
f you want to fnd that perfect notebook to enjoy high defnition
video, 3D gaming, and video editing, there are three key
factors to consider:
Processing Power
Pay attention to the processor you choose for the job. Pick a
powerhouse processor that can render and encode multimedia
content with speed. ntel Centrino processor technology
is a media enthusiast's dream featuring a powerful dual core
processor for multitasking effciency. For example, enjoy an
HD movie while photos are being encoded in the background.
Designed for High Denition
You want stunning visual detail in your movies and increased
realism in your games? Make sure you have enhanced graphics
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keep training dogs.
Subramanian guesses that a large
amount of food is tossed every day that is
not even close to bad, because expiration
dates are, by necessity, very conservative.
That kind of waste could go away for good
with the right e-noses in place.
His vision for a commercial e-nose is
a piece of plastic made of a low-cost poly-
mer with circuits printed on it. It would
connect to a little signal processor, prob-
ably running off a printable battery, on the
outside of the food container. The output
signal indicating whether the food inside is
spoiled could be sent via radio frequency.
Naturally, e-noses used in warehouses
would have RFID tags. A change of color
in the plastic polymer would indicate the
contents status.
Other researchers are working on using
nanoparticles to print even more sensitive
polymers. Subramanian thinks the best
e-noses will someday combine several dif-
ferent methods to make individual sensors
that respond to different smells by mix-
ing and matching different types of scent
pattern recognition. Those sensors will
eclipse whats available today.
The e-nose is a wonderful match for
printing, he says. You print multiple
materials everyday at home to get colors in
photos. Now well just replace colors with
sensors.
Microsoft researchers are closely exam-
ining what they consider a staggering
amount of wasted space on handheld
devices. Where? On the ipside. Imagine
a game or phone that lets you use your n-
gers for input on a gesture pad behind the
screen. Even with your ngers hidden, you
know what youre doing because theyre
silhouetted on the front screenas if the
device itself were transparent.
Patrick Baudisch hatched the idea for
LucidTouch after nding his nger blocked
the view of his touch screen. Luckily, hes
in a position to do something about it; hes
one of four researchers in the Adaptive
Systems and Interaction research group at
Microsoft Research (MSR). His focus for
the last few years has been mobile device
interaction, specically how to overcome
screen-size limitations. We always want
devices smaller, but smaller touch screens
are inherently less useful. Since 2006, Bau-
disch has worked closely with Mitsubishi
Electric Research Labs (MERL) on Lucid-
Touchso closely that at least one MERL
researcher has recently joined MSR.
Since a transparent nger is out of the
question until Microsoft develops invis-
ibility, Baudisch decided that the back
of the device is the perfect location for a
touch interface. Yet the user still needs to
see his ngers to stay in control. Baudisch
calls the digital silhouette that makes a
LucidTouch appear see-through pseudo-
transparency.
By interacting with the back side, we
get fingers out of the way. You touch the
back side, you see the document on screen,
you see a nger where your ngers are. Its
like touching the front, he says. Controls
on the back means a users nger size is out
of the equation. Even the fattest ngers can
work without blocking the screen.
Users instantly understand what it
means, says Baudisch, adding that pseudo-
transparency is so intuitive that theres no
need to explain whats going on to a new
user. A colored dot on the screen indicates
the exact interaction point for each nger.
Its like having eight mouse cursors under
your control, all at once. The dot could be
as small as a pixel, and would change color
to indicate the finger is touching the pad
on the back.
How does LucidTouch deliver this
pseudo-transparency to the screen on
a handheld? The prototypes use a cum-
bersome camera-boom attachment that
points at the users ngers, which are then
rendered on screen. Ultimately, a set of
capacitor sensors or optical sensors could
do the trick. The secret is to get just enough
data from the sensor to indicate locations
of the ngertips.
Exactly what a user will do with all
those fingers is still up in the air. The
research team has tried LucidTouch with
an on-screen keyboard worked by just the
index fingers, plus a standard QWERTY
interface with the layout rotated, so the A
key is still under the left pinky. It remains
to be seen what works best for users.
Baudischs dream for LucidTouch goes
beyond text-entry on mobile devices.
Imagine using backside controls on a
PlayStation Portable for a real-time strat-
egy game. And with the addition of lters
and smoothing technology, multi-finger
controls could be useful for the disabled,
especially those with motor disabilities
such as Parkinsons disease. LucidTouch
could even become the foundation for a
keyboard/mouse interface to use with any
device, from the tiniest phone to the most
powerful PC.
Imagine a handheld gadget thats a phone
when you put it to your ear, a camera when
you hold it to your eye, and a game device
when you grasp it on either side. A single
gadget that changes function on the fly
based on how you hold it is the idea behind
the Bar of Soap, a prototype handheld built
by Brandon Taylor. Taylor is a graduate
student in the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) Media Lab, under the
direction of Professor V. Michael Bove, Jr.,
the director of the MIT Consumer Elec-
tronics Laboratory.
The Bar of Soap is an example of what
Bove calls graspables: things that could
be handhelda steering wheel, a baseball,
whateverthat knows how youre grasp-
ing it. He foresees a future where objects
all around us are aware of how theyre
MAJOR INNOVATION Turns useless
space on the back of handhelds into input
surfaces.
WHY IT MATTERS Multi-nger touch con-
trol could drastically alter interaction with
phones, portable games, and other mobile
devices.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL 2009
MICROSOFT RESEARCH
LucidTouch
MIT MEDIA LAB
Graspables
LUCIDTOUCH
being used. For example, an object youre
holding could recognize when its aggravat-
ing a medical condition, like carpal tunnel
syndrome, and adjust itself to compensate.
Or when you pick up a mug, your Second
Life avatar also picks up a mug.
Taylor calls the initial Bar of Soap a
mode-sensing, multi-function device.
Inside the rudimentary prototype, an accel-
erometer measures how the device moves.
Outside it has a touch screen and is cov-
ered with 72 capacitive sensors that detect
the hands holding it. We trained users to
hold it in different ways, says Taylor, and
saw what orientation it was in for different
modes of use.
Naturally, not everyone holds a product
the same way, not even a phone. The Bar of
Soap records how it is used to determine
how a population holds the unit in phone
(or camera, or gaming) mode. It can dis-
tinguish when its used as a phone rather
than, say, a remote control (another func-
tion built into the Bar of Soap prototype,
along with a PDA and some games). It has
fairly sophisticated pattern recognition for
a cheap device, says Bove.
Obviously, you would want such a
device to adapt to the particular way you
hold it. Thatll be easier when the hardware
FUTURE FIRST LOOKS
The Morphing Mobile Gadget
Your mobile phone of the future will be a constant companion, serving not only as
your communicator but also as your environmental sensor. Naturally, it will harness
solar energy and be self-cleaning (thanks to integrated nanotechnology). But thats
just skimming the surface. To see the full-blown vision of engineers at Nokia and
the University of Cambridge Nanoscience Center, watch the video at go.pcmag
.com/nokiavideo.
Nanotech-based ber mesh is exible,
stretchable, transparent, and strong.
Elasticity lets it change shape.
Can be worn on wrist.
Folds up to t in pocket; unfolds to
reveal keyboard, display, touchpad.
Nano-structured surface is self-
cleaning.
Repels water, dirt, ngerprints.
Small, thin, quick-charge battery.
Built-in solar absorption charges
the device.
Integrated sensors inform user of
pollution and chemicals.
Transparent electronics offer new
aesthetic dimension.
Made of biodegradable materials.
Illustrations courtesy of Nokia JULY 2008 PC MAGAZINE 65
is seeded with a large data set of varia-
tions of how it can be used. Taylor points
out, however, that users who didnt get the
function they wanted with the prototype
adapted the ways they held it to bring up
different functions. We wanted to see
how people hold things and how it car-
ried across different users. Most people
dont want to do much to change from one
function to another. With this device, you
dont have to go to a camera menu. It just
knows. Or it knows youre making a phone
call. It doesnt bother you with irrelevant
other stuff, he says.
Taylor will have graduated by the
time this sees print, having completed his
thesis onwhat else?graspables and
usage pattern recognition. He thinks the
Bar of Soap is just the rst step. The next
jump will be the graspables idea in differ-
ent geometries, not just a multifunction
handheld.
The MIT Media Lab has shown lots of
industry sponsors this rst graspable and
discussed its possibilities, but no products
are on the horizon yet. This is almost inex-
cusable, because the Bar of Soap proto-
type doesnt involve any new or special
technologyjust the smarts to utilize
it. The algorithms and components are
available now, says Bove. You dont need
ve pounds of Unobtainium to build this.
It uses principles feasible for products
right now. This is potentially quite close
to market.
That screen on your Toyota Prius may
someday do more than show your mileage
in a fancy graph. It could show you whats
hiding ahead in the mist.
There was a time before Xbox 360s and
quad-core gaming systems when adding
fog-like visual effects to video games was
considered a big deal. Removing fog might
not seem as intriguing,
but what if you could
remove fog from a real-
life scenario, such as
driving on a foggy (or
snowy, or rainy) road?
We re not tal ki ng
about weather modifi-
cation. You dont take
the fog away for real,
says Srinivasa Narasim-
han, an assistant profes-
sor at Carnegie Mellon
University, where he
teaches computer vision
and graphics systems.
You take the fog from
the images. He read-
ily admits that the two
problems [adding fog to
computer images and
removing fog from real-
world images] are not of
equal complexity. Add-
ing fog is easier, but he
is already taking cloudy,
obscured images and
making them clear.
The key i s i n t he
illumination. Light up
a foggy scene with a
flood light. Thats the
worst thi ng you can
do because its back-
scattered [reflected]
and all contrast is lost,
says Narasimhan. Fog,
mist, and water are considered scatter-
ing mediums for visual purposes. He
explains that you have to scan light across
a scene instead, to minimize backscatter-
ing. A camera can then take the results to
make a clear image.
In a car, for example, you cant drive
in deep fog with your high beams on; the
light just saturates the fog, obscuring
everything. Thats why fog lights are usu-
ally low and close to the road, somewhat
below the fog level. The journal Nature
reported a decade ago that drivers tend
to speed up while driving in fog, because
the lack of visual cues makes them per-
ceive their movement as slower than it is.
Visibility naturally makes a difference in
driver safety, but its not as if drivers can
always wait out fog or rain.
Narasimhan has made
intelligent transporta-
tion systems in more
than just cars a primary
focus of his research.
Exploration and safety
will be enhanced both in
ight and under the sea.
Pilots of jets and subma-
rines will get a visual leg
up thats far more useful
than sonar. And hand-
held vision systems for
firefighters and miners
(or anyone entering an
area obscured by more
than just darkness) are
possible. The technol-
ogy could also be useful
for lmmakers who nd
their location shoots
plagued by inclement
weather. The professors
Web site (www.cs.cmu
.edu/~srinivas) includes
a scene from Forrest
Gump in which a rain-
storm is removed from
the footage.
Narasimhans group
is working on the pro-
gramming to make this
happen. For lights, they
currently use projectors,
which they can easily
program to show differ-
ent patterns. In the real
world, a specialized LED would be the
simplest light to use, but a laser could work
as well.
One of the offshoots of Narasimhans
research is scene reconstruction. Rather
than just providing a glimpse of whats
ahead, the scanning lights and cameras can
capture a full 3D representation of what is
obscured. Another spin-off is turning the
camera into a weather meter. In the same
way a person can glance at a street lamp
MAJOR INNOVATION A devices func-
tioncamera, phone, PDA, gameis
determined by the way its held.
WHY IT MATTERS With enough informa-
tion, a device can learn to conform to the
users needs instead of the user adapting
to the device.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL With corporate
interest, within a year or two.
MAJOR INNOVATION
Real-time display of
obscured objects.
WHY IT MATTERS Could
help car drivers and airplane
pilots see through fog, and
submarines explore under
the sea. Could provide safety
features for future intelligent
transportation systems.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL Under-
water in a year or two; in
buses, trains, and planes in
ve years; much later for the
car companies.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
Computer Vision Systems
VISION SYSTEMS
GRASPABLES
in the rain and know its raining outside
based on the halo around the light, a vision
system could immediately determine the
exact amount of precipitation.
Commercialization of the technology
is limited not by the technology but by the
marketing, says Narasimhan. For example,
car headlights that work with an intelligent
transportation system may be ready in ve
years, but that doesnt mean the car com-
panieswhich have fog lamps to sellwill
jump on it. Fog lamps help psychologi-
cally, but theyre not as safe, he says.
With sponsors like DARPA, the Ofce of
Naval Research, and the National Science
Foundation, however, hes safe in knowing
his research is in the clear for the foresee-
able future.
If youve ever worked with speech recog-
nition programs, youve learned that they
dont work well in a noisy environment.
Say the same thing to a person in the same
environment, and he or she understands
you just fine. Distorted speech, dropped
words all of that is relatively simple for a
human to decipher. Not so for a computer.
I realized, if were going to really try
to mimic human performance in certain
tasks, we need more computing power,
says David Anderson, associate professor
for Digital Signal Processing and Com-
puter Engineering at the Georgia Institute
of Technology. Hearing doesnt require as
much power as listening, however.
Working with colleague Paul Hasler,
Anderson has been experimenting with
ultra-low-power processors with analog
audio inputs to handle machine hearing.
Using just 5 to 30 microwatts of power,
the team has managed to perform signal
analysis on a variety of sounds, including
human speech. While the technology isnt
as exible as the human ear, its been good
enough to differentiate background noise
GEORGIA TECH
Machine Hearing
Illustrations by Mondolithic Studios
FUTURE FIRST LOOKS
The Dynamic Digital Camera
In a dozen years, camera design will have changed radically to appeal to a young
generation weaned on tech toys. The designergonomic and colorfulwill give
little hint of the smarts inside. Replacing the glass lens, a exible acrylic lens will
change shape to focus images, and wireless links will transform how we view pho-
tos. Heres what John Knaur, senior product manager at Olympus, has in mind.
Carbon ber for a very light yet
extremely rugged body.
Designed like an ergonomic game
device.
High-resolution, hooded LCD shows
the picture directly.
Optical viewnder is eliminated,
reducing camera size signicantly.
LCD ips out and rotates 360
degrees.
Display resolution is above 900,000
pixels.
Flexible acrylic lens changes shape
to focus images.
Advanced on-board photo-editing
software.
Connects wirelessly to PC or Internet
cloud for upgrades and to HDTV and
photo frame for photo transfer.
Advanced, low-power CMOS sensor
for less noise, better color and con-
trast, and expanded dynamic range.
Battery delivers 1,200 shots per
charge.
from what should be heard. Because the
input uses so little power, Anderson claims
such a sensor could run on an AA battery
for a year or two. A small solar cell might
keep it going indenitely.
Using eld-programmable analog arrays
(FPAAs), he and his team
have created prototypes
of advanced digital sig-
nal processors that work
with analog input. [Digi-
tal is] predictable and
easy to program, says
Anderson. But you pay a
price of power.
Surveillance listening
equipment thats little
more than a microphone and a machine
hearing chip can listen for specic events:
breaking glass, gun shots, or passers-by
murmuring in the corridors. All those
noises can be differentiated. Once a specic
sound is detected, the chip alerts a security
program.
One of the integrated circuits is a noise-
suppression chip that can extract speech
signals out of background noise using front-
end processing. Its been very effective to
reduce noise without distorting speech,
says Anderson. The actual recognition of
whats said, however, is another matter.
Machine hearing isnt the same as speech
recognition, but the two
go together like puzzle
pieces. Today, doing full
signal analysis of speech
a computer hears in real
time is difficult. Most
analysis is done using all
the resources of a single
PC, yet it still sometimes
takes hours to get results.
Anderson says theres a
better way: We always try to emulate the
brain. The more the team emulates the
gray matter with the computer, the bet-
ter the results get. Anderson considers the
teams efforts akin to those of a painter who
copies the masters to understand the artis-
tic techniques used.
A brain can understand a word or sen-
tence even if a signal or sound is partially
obliterated, because the brain doesnt have
just one way of understanding whats going
on. Getting a traditional speech recogni-
tion program to handle multiple features
and methods of analysis is difcultif not
impossiblewith todays software and
hardware.
Still, the goal remains to gure out how
to teach a computer to analyze audio in the
same way a human brain does. It could take
thousands or millions of hours to train a
system with enough samples for that kind
of recognition. Anderson hopes that tech-
niques similar to those used in enhancing
computer images will help, providing a
signal boost based upon small, recognized
parts of a signal with output weighted and
combined to make what the computer
hears far more accurate.
While some simple applications of the
machine hearing chip are already up and
running, the more far-out applications
such as the Star Trekesque computer
voice recognition we all craveare still
years away. The machine needs to hear us
before it can understand.
Its no secret to chipmakers that a big change is coming.
Georgia Tech physics professor Walter de Heer describes it
this way: Moores Law is coming to an end in a decade or
so. Chip technology wont grow every 18 months as it has
for 20 years. You wont see constant processor improve-
ment within the next 10 years. . . . Silicon cant keep up.
Of course, the chip industry isnt doomed. All it needs is
a new material, something smaller than silicon that can still
handle all the hard work it takes to be
a modern transistor.
For years, carbon nanotubes were
heralded as the solution. Nanotubes
are made from rolled up sheets of
carbon, only a single atom thick. The
problem is, nanotubes are difcult to
turn into chips. After ten years work-
ing with nanotubes, no one has g-
ured it out, says de Heer, who worked
with nanotubes in the 1990s.
De Heer took another look at the
at carbon sheetcalled graphene
and calculated that instead of rolling
it into tubes, he could cut it into narrow strips with the same
properties. He estimates that graphene can be 100 times
faster than silicon and may one day hit terahertz range. It
may even be suitable for quantum electronics.
Making graphene is more complicated than simply scrib-
bling with a pencil lead on paper. A silicon carbide crystal is
heated in a vacuum furnace until the surface is converted to
epitaxial graphene. A molecule-thick layer is peeled off with
tape. Then the fun begins.
With graphene strips, the problem of connecting
nanotubes and putting them where we want is eliminated,
says de Heer. You can tailor any shape. The secret is in the
cutting. You cant just take scissors to a two-dimensional
sheet of graphene. Its done with microelectronic lithogra-
phy techniques, like those already used in current silicon
fabrication labs (fabs). His team at the
schools own microelectronic fab has
developed a way to do just that.
Is de Heer bullish on graphene?
He is when he says it overcomes a
lot of show-stopping problems found
with silicon. More current can go
through it, it doesnt heat up as much,
and you can go down to nanometers
or smallerand it still works. Work
continues in other labs on carbon
nanotubes and other potential silicon
replacements. Every year, theres a
new scheme, says de Heer, but he
says graphene is the horse to bet on.
At the same time, his enthusiasm is tempered by a desire
to avoid hype. Graphene isnt an instant panacea. Theres no
question in my mind that itll take ten years to develop these
technologies, to get the lithography to the point of making
devices that are comparable to silicon devices, he says. Itll
be really hard.
Finding Silicons Successor in a Pencil Tip
MAJOR INNOVATION Mixing
low-power analog input with
analysis of sound.
WHY IT MATTERS Security
and voice recognition will be
the rst apps to benet.
ESTIMATED ARRIVAL Star
Trekesque voice recognition
is ve to eight years out.
Photo: Gary Meek
MACHINE HEARING
BEYOND NONTUBES Georgia Techs
Walter de Heer with a graphene chip.
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Tose 1s and 0s you spend all your time creating are fragile. Teyre just one keystroke,
one dropped drive, one tiny surge of electricity away from annihilation. Fortunately, the
right combination of hardware and sofware can protect them. By Michael Muchmore
BUYING GUIDE STORAGE
Its like exercising. Or ossing. You know
you should do it, but you put it off. Yes,
Im talking about backing up your impor-
tant documents, digital photos, and music
collection. A recent Harris Interactive
poll found that 35 percent of consumers
neglect to make backup copies of digital
content stored on their computers, even
though 50 percent have lost important data
in the past.
Why? Because if you mention backup
to most people, the rst thing that comes
to mind (after I really ought to do that)
is probably burning data to CDs or DVDs.
Optical media was the logical follow-on
to oppy disks for personal data backups.
If you dont have many files to back up,
burning DVDs is economical and handy;
most modern computers have optical
burners. If you keep the discs off-site, its
Illustration by David Plunkert
Keep Your Data Safe
INSIDE 72 External Hard Drives 74 Home NASs 76 File and Folder Backup 77 Online Backup 78 Drive Imaging
a fairly safe method, too.
But are you really going to go through
the disc-swapping motions every time you
modify a le? The answer, given the statis-
tics mentioned above, is a resounding no.
Why not implement a system that keeps
your data backed up all the time? Youll
have to spend a little bit of money, but less
than you might think. Itll take a little bit of
setup time, too, but far less than it would
SimpleTech SimpleDrive Desktop
take you to retype even a single important
documentsay, that painstakingly per-
fected rsum. If youre willing to commit
the cash and time, however, you can have
a bulletproof system that will reduce the
chance of your data being destroyed to
nearly nil.
The Hardware Youll Need
First of all, look beyond the disc burner
youll need some additional hardware. The
basic solution is an external drive, one that
connects to your PC via USB or FireWire.
A good one will cost several times the price
of a spindle of DVDs (our least-expensive
Editors Choice runs $120), but it also will
give you several times the exibility, while
eliminating the hassle of labeling, filing,
and keeping track of media.
If you want to secure your whole net-
work, youll need to lay out a little more
cash for a network-attached storage (NAS)
box that everyone on your local network
can back up to. Multidisk NAS boxes also
offer RAID functionality that lets you back
up your backups, so if one drive bites the
dust, you can reconstruct your backup
from those that remain.
The Software That Makes It Work
Once youve chosen your storage gear, you
need a good app to make it work. You could
just trust yourself to remember to drag
a copy of important docs to the backup
every time you create or modify them, but,
as they say, The road to data-loss hell is
paved with good intentions. Or, maybe,
He who chooses to act as his own backup
software has a fool for a client. The point
is, sooner or later youll forget, and thats
when the Big Crash will occur.
Your OS may already have some help
built in: both Windows Vista and Mac
OS X 10.5 (Leopard) include backup utili-
ties. Mac OS X has Time Machine, which
backs up everything on your internal hard
drive to external storage automatically. Just
plug in a drive and, as long as its format-
ted in the Macs native HFS+ format, Time
Machine will ask if you want it to be a Time
Machine backup drive. You then use the
Macs interface to recover lost les or use
your OS X DVD as a disaster-recovery tool
if your internal hard drive stops working.
On the Vista side, its a little more
complicated. Vista Home Basic and Pre-
mium include only a simple document-
backup utility; Vista Business, Enterprise,
and Ultimate include disaster-recovery
backup, which lets you recover everything
on a devastated drive, including the appli-
cations, OS, and data.
What we recommend, however, are
third-party appsthere are plenty of great
ones for backing up selected les and fold-
ers, or even all files of a particular type,
wherever they might be. These start at
a mere $20. If you want complete protec-
tion, consider also occasionally enlisting
a drive-imaging app. These programs use a
lot of space, but they can restore your entire
system from the ground upthe data, your
OS and applications, and the countless set-
tings youve made to each product so that
it functions the way you want. Youll find
drive-imaging software for as little as $0.
Finally, the best safety strategy is to
keep a backup of your data off-site, in case
a more widespread disaster strikes. You
can, of course, keep a hard drive in a safety
deposit box, but youre not going to do daily
updates. Instead, try an online backup ser-
vice. If youve got the bandwidth, for about
$50 a year you can keep your important
les on someone elses server farm and not
worry about the hardware.
Youve got plenty of options when it
comes to storage hardware, software, and
services. Weve rounded up 33 of them
here. Expanding waistlines and incipient
gingivitis might be problems insoluble by
modern technology, but keeping your data
safe isnt.
Did your internal drive get fried? No problemif your data is backed up to an
external drive thats stashed somewhere safe. By Joel Santo Domingo
External Hard Drives
In the ancient days of personal computing,
the only economical way to back up your
data was on oppy discs, and later, CD-Rs
or DVD-Rs. Hard drives were simply too
expensiveand on a cost-per-GB basis,
DVDs and CDs still win out. But do you
really want to be sitting in front of your PC
for two days straight trying to t the con-
tents of your desktops 250GB drive onto
400 CDs? Yeah, me neither.
And why should you? These days, some
external hard drives cost as little as $60.
Youll nd reasonable deals in all the cat-
egories of external unitsportable, desk-
top, and multidrivesuited to the backup
needs of consumers and users in small or
midsize businesses. If you have a lot of
data to protect, does using slower, more
cumbersome methods make sense?
Portable Hard Drives
Of course, any drive is, to some extent,
portable, but drives in the class we call
portable can be defined by two features:
First, theyre compact, using the same
2.5-inch mechanisms found in most note-
book PCshence the other moniker
theyre sometimes known by: notebook-
class drives. Second, theyre bus-pow-
eredthey get their current through the
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus
Western Digital My Passport Elite
USB or FireWire cable. Notebook-class
drives will usually have USB 2.0 or FireWire
400 ports.
The capacity of these devices has
always lagged that of desktop-class units
for example, 2.5-inch drives were at 60GB
when the norm was 200GB for 3.5-inch
devices. But the introduction of 320GB
and 500GB 2.5-inch mechanisms means
that these external driveseven models
with the lower of the two capacities (such
as the Buffalo MiniStation HD-PS320U2,
the Toshiba HDDR320E3X, and the West-
ern Digital My Passport Elite) now prob-
ably store considerably more than the
hard drive humming away inside your
hulking mainstream desktop.
Desktop Drives
Desktop-class external drives are, as youd
guess, usually based on desktop-computer
drive mechanisms. At 3.5 inches, these are
larger than their portable counterparts, so
they require more power. Most come with
a wall wart AC adapter. Some products,
such as the Kanguru Eco Drive, employ
power-saving technologies.
Desktop-class external drives have
a couple of major advantages over portable
drives: larger capacities (up to 1 terabyte
these days) and platters that spin faster
7,200 rpm is common, whereas portables
run at 5,400 rpm. These units can also use
more than one interface: Some drives, like
the Seagate FreeAgent Pro, come with
FireWire and eSATA connectors in addi-
tion to the usual USB 2.0.
Using eSATA, an emerging standard,
does away with the inefficiencies caused
by having to bridge from SATA in the drive
to a USB or FireWire connection, then
back again in the PC. With eSATA, the data
encounters little overheadas if the exter-
nal drive were connected internally to your
PCs motherboardand that means speed.
If youve got massive les that need regular
backup, this can save you a lot of time.
Multiple Hard Drives (Multidrives)
The third external drive categorywhich
includes products like the CMS Velocity2
RAID Backup System and the Drobouse
multiple hard drives to give you more
space than a single-drive device. For
example, the Velocity2 can hold a pair of
1TB drives for a total of 2TB in a RAID 0
configuration or 1TB of RAID 1 storage,
which protects your data by duplicating it.
If one of the drives fails, the other still has
all your information.
An interesting RAID hybrid, the La Cie
Little Big Disk Quadra, uses two 2.5-inch
hard drives that are internally connected
to get you 500GB of speedy RAID 0 stor-
age. Both the Velocity 2 and Little Big Disk
have a good complement of I/O ports: USB
and eSATA. The Little Big Disk also has
FireWire 400 and 800 ports.
The Drobo takes the RAID idea to
a different level: You can install up to four
SATA drives to get protected storage, in
any combination of capacities, and the
device takes care of its own configura-
tion. The ability to combine capacities lets
you easily use leftover drives from previ-
ous systems. A pair of 250GB drives and
a 160GB, for example, would give you
about 380GB of protected storage.
If one of the three fails, your data
remains safe, and when you replace the
bad drive, the Drobo rebuilds itself auto-
matically. You can also add a fourth drive.
The flexibility of being able to pop in a
drive lets the Drobo grow with you: Just
keep replacing the smallest drive with
a larger one until you have four 1TB drives
(for about 3TB of protected storage).
Note that even though these RAID
drive systems may sound like network-
attached storage (NAS) devices, which also
typically feature multiple RAID-striped
drives, theyre not. The difference is that
the Drobo and its kin connect directly to
your PC via USB, eSATA, or FireWire. As
CMS Velocity2 RAID Backup System Drobo
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES: HOW THEY COMPARE
RED denotes Editors Choice. RATING PRICE* CAPACITY (GB) DRIVES SPEED (RPM) INTERFACES
PORTABLE
Buffalo MiniStation HD-PS320U2 l l l l m $180 street 320 1 5,400 USB 2.0
Fujitsu RE25U300J l l l m m $200 street 300 1 4,200 USB 2.0
Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini l l l l m $119.99 160 1 5,400 USB 2.0
Toshiba HDDR320E03X l l l h m $170 street 320 1 5,400 USB 2.0
Western Digital My Passport Elite l l l l m $199.99 320 1 5,400 USB 2.0
DESKTOP
Kanguru Eco Drive l l h m m $94.95 80 1 7,200 USB 2.0
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus l l l l m $159.99 500 1 7,200 USB 2.0, FireWire 400
Seagate FreeAgent Pro l l l h m $209.99 750 1 7,200 USB 2.0, FireWire 400, eSATA
SimpleTech SimpleDrive Desktop l l l l m $130 street 500 1 7,200 USB 2.0
MULTIDRIVE
CMS Velocity2 RAID Backup System l l l l m $711 1,000 2 Up to 10,000 USB 2.0, eSATA
Drobo l l l l m $500** Up to 3,000 Up to 4 Up to 10,000 USB 2.0
LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra l l l h m $450 500 2 7,200 USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, eSATA
* Direct price unless noted as street. ** Does not include hard drives.
their name suggests, NAS devices connect
to your system via a router; they can back
up les from any authorized system thats
connected to your network.
Making Them Work
You can do rudimentary backups to any
of these devices simply by copying files
manually using the capabilities of your
OS, but the drives often come with backup
software of varying sophistication. At one
end of the spectrum, youll find simple
sync utilities, such as the WD Sync app
that comes with the Western Digital My
Passport Elite. Programs like this auto-
matically back up folders you designate,
can usually lter by le type (music, Word
documents, pictures, and so on), and,
as youd expect, ensure that files on two
computerssuch as your desktop and
your laptopmatch.
Drives like the Maxtor OneTouch 4
mini and SimpleTech SimpleDrive Desk-
top come with file-and-folder backup
software, and youll nd disaster-recovery
utilities, which provide the most safety for
your data, on drives like the Maxtor One
Touch 4 Plus and CMS Velocity2 RAID
Backup System. Some units will come
boxed with a combination of the three
backup strategies, possibly in one inte-
grated utility. Of course, you may want to
choose a third-party applicationif so,
read about this software in the section on
le-and-folder backup apps (page TK).
Te average household has a handful of PCs. NAS devices can backstop every hard
drive on your networkand they ofer impressive redundancy, too. By Oliver Rist
Home NASs
Network-attached storage (NAS) devices
for the home come in a variety of avors
the sweet spot is still something of a mys-
tery to vendors. The main point, however,
is that your system reaches these devices
over the network; you dont have to con-
nect directly, say via USB or FireWire.
Instead, you simply plug the NAS box
into your router and any system on the
network can reach it.
At the low end of the NAS spectrum
are networked hard drives. These are very
similar to the external USB hard drives
we have just looked at, but they have an
Ethernet cable in place of the USB con-
nector, and an installation disc that youll
probably have to run on every PC that
needs access.
Four-drive NAS enclosures occupy
the high end; these combine the four hard
drives in a redundant array. Products of
this type, such as the Netgear ReadyNAS
NV+, usually run RAID 5, though other
popular options include RAID 0, RAID
1, and even RAID 6 (depending on the
vendor and the number of drives in the
system). Typically, RAID 5 means youll
give up one hard drives storage space. So if
your NAS carries four 250GB drives, youll
get only about 750GB of usable space, but
if any one drive fails the rest will have
enough index data striped across them for
Apple Time Capsule
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FOR A FREE
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Only eWEEK provides news,
analysis and real world reviews to
help senior IT decision-makers
reach the right decisions in building
their enterprise infrastructure.
NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE DEVICES: HOW THEY COMPARE
RED denotes Editors Choice. RATING PRICE* AVG. READ (MBPS) AVG. WRITE (MBPS) OPERATING SYSTEM TESTED CAPACITY (TB)
Apple Time Capsule l l l h m $499 14.5 11.4 Proprietary 1
Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo l l h m m $399 list 14.7 9.2 Linux 1
HP MediaSmart Server EX470 l l l l m $599.99 56.0 123.0 Windows Home Server 1
LaCie Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition l l l m m $199.99 18.1 14.1 Axentra 0.5
Linksys NAS200 l l l m m $140 street** 4.7 3.8 Proprietary 1
Netgear ReadyNAS Duo l l l l m $679.99 24.6 17.5 Linux 1
Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ l l l l h $2,199 30.1 19.8 Linux 3
* Prices are direct unless otherwise noted. ** Price does not include drives.
you not to lose any files. Simply swap in
a new drive of the same kind and the array
will rebuild itselfno fuss, no muss.
So Whats Windows Home Server?
Also at the higher end are features ven-
dors have begun adding that target home
users. Usually, these involve media serv-
ing, photo sharing, and Web access. Ven-
dors like Axentra and Microsoft have gone
so far as to build entire server platforms
devoted to these features. Many higher-
end NAS systems run some sort of OS, but
theyre often rather minimal home-brewed
Linux affairs. Axentras and Microsofts
solutions offer more. These apps run on
partner hardware, Axentras on LaCie and
Microsofts on HP, though both compa-
nies will be partnering with more hard-
ware companies over the coming months.
If youve been reading about Windows
Home Server boxes and wondering how
theyre different from NAS boxes, youre
not alone. The short answer is that a WHS
box is a NAS running a damned good OS.
Netgear ReadyNAS NV+
Windows Home Server provides a
good sample of the basic features you
should look for in any home NAS unit.
Its primarily a storage-oriented product,
with automatic le and disk-image back-
ups and user-specic network folders (so
the kids cant accidentally delete all your
tax history, for example), combined with
Web access (so you can get to your home
files or your home computers desktop
from anywhere on the Internet). Another
important feature is that Windows Home
Server is expandable. It can support addi-
tional, external USB hard drives and share
USB printers.
Thats a good basic feature set, but
competition breeds innovation, which is
where Microsoft got smart. The company
opened up a plug-in architecture to third-
party developers, which other companies
have used to build such things as iTunes
servers, photo sharers, download manag-
ers, and even TiVo-style features on top
of Windows Home Server. HP has done
a lot of this with the MediaSmart EX470.
These are the same features other home
NAS vendors are experimenting with,
so Microsofts plug-in move enables it to
wait and see what sticks before commit-
ting with software of its own.
Other NAS vendors must develop such
features themselves, with companies such
as Axentra, Buffalo, and Netgear adding
media servers on top of their proprietary
(usually Linux-based) NAS operating sys-
tems. To be sure, you can play media les
(music and movies) from any NAS across
a network simply by clicking on the file
from your Windows desktop and activat-
ing Windows Media Player.
But this typically means that your
media is flowing the same as any other
data le. This is a situation thats not usu-
ally optimal to smooth playback. A media
server streams this data smoothly across
thinner pipes, making for a better playback
experience. It also organizes and backs up
your media libraries and can even convert
formats as necessary. The Netgear Ready-
NAS Duo sports a good media server, and
HP MediaSmart Server EX470 Netgear ReadyNAS Duo
For convenient, day-to-day backupsthe
kind that lets you quickly access a single
deleted le, for exampleor just to safe-
guard certain essential files, traditional
file-and-folder backup software gets the
job done. This was the only kind of backup
anyone needed back in the 20th century;
here in the 21st, with its endishly complex
operating systems, you also really ought to
consider image backup, which will back
up your entire driveOS and settings
included. But if youve got limited storage
space (and dont mind the idea of rebuild-
ing your entire system from the ground up
once in a while), a le-and-folder backup
solution is the way to go.
These utilities save only the files and
folders you specify, and typically give
you the option of preserving one or more
older versions every time they do another
backup. If you make many revisions of
documents, that can be a lifesaver. Tell
the program you use to keep multiple ver-
sions of MyNovel.doc and youll be able to
retrieve yesterdays draft if you decide you
dont like todays. With these programs, I
typically back up the entire My Documents
folder and its subfolders, as well as a clutch
of other folders in which I keep les such
as spreadsheets and research notes.
The best of these programs work
quietly in the background, copying files
on a regular schedule or whenever a new
version gets saved. All the apps mentioned
in this story can back up files to a differ-
ent folder on the same drive or, for greater
safety (since hard drives can fail), to a USB
memory stick or a network location. Some
can stuff backed-up les into ZIP archives
automatically, encrypt backups so users on
a network cant read them, or save to writ-
able CDs, DVDs, or even remote FTP sites.
All file-and-folder backup programs
let you select any folder or set of folders
as a backup source. I especially like the
products that offer me additional prebuilt
backup strategies, letting me easily insure
the safety of my Windows desktop, my Out-
look Express or Windows Mail accounts
and messages, and my Internet Explorer
favorites. One such product, Genie Backup
Manager Pro 8.0, can even merge backed-
up Windows Mail messages into my
current mail store. Better yet, it comes
with plug-ins that let me save and restore
all my settings for common programs!
Genie Backup Manager Pro can also
store a backed-up le or folder as an exe-
cutable program. That lets you retrieve
the contents even if you dont have a copy
of the backup software. The executable,
when copied to and run on the destina-
tion computer, does the restore. All in all,
Genie Backup Manager Pro is a powerful,
exible, exceptionally well-designed and
reliable backup powerhouse, for which
it receives our Editors Choice.
Unfortunately, though, not even Genie
knows how to back up all of my Micro-
soft Ofce settings, and thats one reason
When youve got data you absolutely cant lose and a safe drive to keep it on,
fle-and-folder backup sofware is the best place to start. By Edward Mendelson
File-and-Folder Backup Utilities
Genie Backup
Manager Pro 8.0
the Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo looks set
to have one shortly, as well.
More features are emerging all the
time. Instead of simply offering Web
access to shared data folders across the
Web, for example, the newest boxes,
like the Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, are
also delivering dedicated photo-sharing
templates. All you have to do is sign up
with Netgear for a URL, and you can serve
your vacation photos to your friends and
family right from your home NAStheres
no need for Phanfare, MySpace, or any
other Internet middleman.
Wireless connectivity is becoming
popular, with Apple dropping a hard drive
into an Airport Extreme router and calling
the combination the Apple Time Capsule,
and several vendorsincluding those
using Windows Home Server as well as
those with proprietary offerings, like Net-
gear with its ReadyNAS lineenabling
wireless access via a USB Wi-Fi adapter.
How to Choose?
What are the gotchas? First, media serv-
ers arent all equal, so its best to see yours
in action before you buy. No matter what,
make sure it supports the UPnP A/V
standard so you can attach your NAS to
third-party media hardware.
Additionally, if youre planning on
using Windows Media Center with one of
the many new hardware media extenders
coming out this year, then a media server
on your NAS is superuous, so factor that
into your thinking.
Redundant drives are better for reli-
ability, but they are also more expensive.
Decide how much redundancy you really
need, since a single Ethernet hard drive
can cost as little as a third of what a four-
drive NAS can cost. Finally, remember
to install and use backup software. Set it
to back up on a schedule; that NAS wont
do you much good if you havent got
the latest draft of your novel on it when
disaster strikes your laptop.
Microsoft and Apple both have built-
in backup utilities, but NASs also often
come with ve or more licenses of a third-
party backup productmany of which are
reviewed in the next section of this story.
If youre choosing a third-party app,
make sure it works with all your hardware,
including the NASit has to be backed
up too if its the only place youre archiving
several years of taxes or family photos
and movies.
FILE AND FOLDER BACKUP APPS: HOW THEY COMPARE
RED denotes Editors Choice. RATING
DIRECT
PRICE
SAVES TO
REMOTE FTP
SITE
E-MAIL
NOTIFICATION
OF BACKUPS
ENCRYPTED
BACKUPS
INCREMENTAL
BACKUPS
PREBUILT
BACKUP
CATEGORIES
EMERGENCY
RESTORE
DISC OPTION
SAVES TO
DVD
Genie Backup Manager Pro 8.0 l l l l h $69.95
Memeo AutoBackup Premium l h m m m $49.95
NTI Shadow 3.7.1 l l h m m $19.99
Second Copy 7 l l l l m $29.95*
* Four licenses.
that, given enough storage space, I prefer
a drive-imaging program to even the best
file-and-folder backup ones. The latter
back up only the les and folders I select,
but Windows systems store lots of set-
tings in obscure placesand those places
change, depending on the OS version, too.
Another reason I prefer drive imaging
is that I may not know in advance which
les I will need someday. When everything
gets copied, I dont have to know.
I also tested Second Copy 7, a long-
established, deservedly popular backup
system that emphasizes simplicity but has
an impressive range of optionsenough
to keep tech-savvy users happy. Once
I got used to its few puzzling quirks,
I liked almost everything I tried. The util-
ity doesnt quite match Genie Pro, but its
certainly a worthy competitor.
I was less impressed with the other
competitors I tried. Though Memeo Auto-
Backup Premium saves multiple versions
of les on its own and lets you easily select
both standard file categories to back up
and locations for storing backup sets,
I hit too many glitches and excessive built-
in marketing. NTI Shadow 3.7.1 is some-
what better: Its inexpensive, backing up is
straightforward, setup couldnt be easier,
and you can save multiple file versions.
Unfortunately, it offers limited options.
Roxio BackOnTrack 3 Suite worked on
an old test system but failed disastrously
on a brand-new one with advanced hard-
ware. The company pulled the app as
a result. In other ways, however, it had the
makings of a solid program, so Im eager to
review the retooled version when its avail-
ablelook for my report online.
If you think you dont need absolutely
every byte on your drive backed up or dont
have enough space to store all those bytes,
then a le-and-folder-backup program is
enough to save the data you need.
Local backup to external or optical drives
is an excellent practice but cant always
protect your data. If you store your data
and backups in the same location, both can
be wiped out by a disaster. Online backup
services offer one solution.
The services are inexpensive (typi-
cally about $5 a month), the best wont
noticeably slow your browsing or PC use
(after the initial large upload, at least), and
theres no media to mess with. They also
encrypt your data before, during, and after
transmission to their industrial-strength
servers. You can have le processing and
uploading run in the background when
enough CPU cycles are free, or schedule
them to run automatically.
While all these services keep your data
in secure, remote locations, there are real
differences among them. The biggest is
in how easily you can set them up, choose
les and folders for backup, and, especially,
get files back. The best services, such as
HP Upline and our Editors Choice, SOS
Online Backup, offer wizards to stream-
line the processes. Others, such as IDrive,
are plagued with confusing interfaces or
use programmer-centric lingo (I found
MozyHomes talk of reticulated splines
particularly bafing).
There are also differences in security.
SOS Online Backup, for example, encrypts
your data locally, using SSL2 to encrypt
during transfer, and then encrypts it again
on the serverit can even scatter your
data among several servers. Some, such as
Carbonite Online PCBackup and SOS, go
so far as to give you the option of being the
only keeper of the decryption key. But be
careful if you choose that option: Should
you forget your password, no force on
earth can restore your data.
Wheres the best place to keep your backed-up data? Somewhere far, far away.
By Michael Muchmore
Online Backup
SOS Online Backup
How They Work
Most of these services suggest backing up
the likely suspectsMy Documents, My
Pictures, My Music, My Video. Some even
can back up open files (see table). Thats
important with Outlook e-mail, since the
le is open much of the time.
Some services mark your les in Win-
dows Explorer to show which have been
backed up and which are waiting to be.
Carbonite is particularly strong here.
A services client may also insert choices in
Windows Explorers right-click menufor
example, to let you add a le to the group
of les being backed up. MozyHome and
IDrive add Back up immediately or Back up
as soon as possible.
Scheduling options vary among these
services. Upline works only in the back-
ground, so you cant tell it, for example,
Upload the backup set every night at
3 a.m. Others back up only at scheduled
times. The best, such as SOS and Mozy-
Home, can back up either on a schedule or
in the background. Also, unless you have
vast amounts of bandwidth, its best to
upload the smallest quantities of data that
will provide adequate safety. SOS backs up
the full set of les once and thereafter does
incremental backups. There are two lev-
els of incremental backup: uploading only
changed les and uploading only changed
portions of changed files, as SOS does,
to save even more bandwidth. Another
bandwidth-friendly technique is com-
pressing les before uploadthis method,
however, will eat up some local cycles.
Getting Your Data Back
Restoring data to a PC other than the one
it originally came from, the task youd be
faced with if you were to lose your entire
machine, really separates the men from
the boys. Carbonite, for one, fell down in
this regard. It did eventually get the job
done, but not nearly as easily as Id like.
Security comes into play here, too. Car-
bonite has an airtight security policy of
requiring a download of the software in
order to restore, so that decryption takes
place only on your premises, not theirs.
MozyHome, on the other hand, allowed
me to download an unencrypted ZIP le
of my entire backupwithout even using
SSL. Once again, SOS leads the pack in
restoration, making the process both sim-
ple and secure.
File versioning (keeping historical cop-
ies of les) is handy if youve accidentally
backed up a corrupted version. Many ser-
vices do this, but the best show you each
version of each le, numbered and dated
in a right-click menu or in the interface.
Whichever service you pick, I suggest
that you not use it to back up programs
and operating systemsstick to data you
cant replace in any other way. Uploading
large amounts of informationeven over
high-speed linescan take a very, very
long time. If you have massive amounts of
data to back up, an online service isnt the
way to go.
For me, hard drive failures arent fun, but
theyre not disasters, because I regularly
run image backups. Unlike ordinary backup
programs, which do file-by-file copying,
this type duplicates a full hard drive (or one
or more partitions) byte for byte, maintain-
ing the identical data structureincluding
the low-level software Windows requires.
Should your drive fail or PC become
unstable, you can restore your system to
the exact state it was in when you made
the image. If your PC becomes unbootable,
you bring it up using an emergency CD,
then restore from the image on an external,
network, or DVD drive, or even from one
stored on another drive partition.
These products also can clone one
system to many and copy partitions to
physically separate hard drives. Some can
transfer your complete current Windows
system to a new computer that uses differ-
ent kinds of disk-storage hardwaresome-
thing thats normally almost impossible.
The current products will work in the
background and can create incremental
backups, saving time by storing just the
changes made since the last full backup.
You can also dig into a backup to copy an
older version of any file, using a feature
that makes the image appear as a drive
letter in Windows Explorer.
All the utilities here can save to the
same physical hard drive youre backing
up, and can even save a copy of your Win-
dows system partition to that very same
partitionnot a tack I recommend. You
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Your drive just crashed. Youve lost 50GB of research data, not to mention your PCs
confguration. No big dealif you have an image backup. By Edward Mendelson
Drive Imaging
IMAGE BACKUP APPS: HOW THEY COMPARE
RED denotes Editors Choice. RATING PRICE
WINDOWS-
BASED
EMERGENCY
CD
SAVES TO
NETWORKS
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DVD
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FILES
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BACKUPS
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Acronis True Image 11 Home l l l h m $49.99
DriveImage XML l l l m m Free
Norton Ghost 12.0 l l l h m $69.99
Paragon Drive Backup 8.5 Personal Edition l l l l m $29.95
ShadowProtect Desktop 3.1 l l l l h $79.95
Paragon Drive Backup 8.5 Personal
Edition has advanced backup and restore
features, but the help file can be opaque
and the interface may daunt casual users.
Symantecs Norton Ghost 12.0 is powerful
drive-imaging and file-backup software
with an exceptionally clear interface and
lots of scheduling options. Unfortunately,
a networking problem with its emergency
CD keeps it from an Editors Choice.
Windows users short on funds might
try DriveImage XML. Though it has lim-
ited features and, as I found, requires some
expertise, its solid and, best of all, free. Of
the commercial products I tried, Acronis
True Image 11 Home is the most flexible.
It performs drive imaging and also lets
you back up and restore specific folders
and settings. Users with complex systems,
however, should watch out for potential
problems with the emergency restore CD.
Ive used quite a few of these programs
on my home-ofce system, and theyve res-
cued it many times. If your backup strategy
doesnt use imaging software, dont wait
until the sun goes down to start.
want your backup on a separate physical
drive in case your current one fails. You
can also store to removable media if you
dont mind feeding discs into the burner. In
any case, if youre serious about preserving
data, use a medium you can store off-site.
The four commercial products I tested
let you use Windows Explorer to browse a
backed-up image just as you would a real
drive. The freeware DriveImage XML has
a custom file browser that works almost
as well. In the commercial products, the
image acts as a virtual drive, getting its own
drive letter. You can view backed-up les
by double-clicking on them in Explorer,
or you can copy les from the virtual drive
to your real one. The le manager in Drive-
Image XML lets you do the same. A unique
and valuable feature in ShadowProtect
Desktop 3.1 lets you write back to a virtual
drive so you can, for example, run a virus-
removal program on an image if you find
that malware has infected your backups.
One important word of warning:
Never have more than one such program
installed on your system at a time. These
utilities use low-level disk-access features
built into Windows, and if you have two
simultaneously installedeven if only one
is runningone or both wont work. If you
decide to try out more than one, make sure
to completely uninstall the rst and restart
your system before installing the next.
If you use OS X 10.5 (Leopard), youve
already got drive-backup software. Just
plug in a USB or FireWire external drive
and the OS will offer to back up all your
files with the built-in Time Machine. OS
X 10.4 Tiger users must turn to third-party
products, though. I use the freeware Car-
bon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper! ($27.95
direct). Both support automatic scheduled
backups, are blissfully worry-free, and have
restored my Mac to perfect condition.
ShadowProtect Desktop 3.1 software
provides the fastest and smoothest back-
ups and restores of any drive-image utility
on the market, and a Vista-based emer-
gency disc guarantees compatibility with
the widest range of backup hardware. Its
the best image-backup utility around and
earns our Editors Choice.
ShadowProtect Desktop 3.1 Paragon Drive Backup 8.5 Personal Edition
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PROBLEMS SOLVED THIS ISSUE
84 Shoot and edit better videos
86 Vista icons missing labels
87 Cant group images in Word 2007
88 Capturing onscreen video
88 Decoding CPU, FSB, and RAM
speeds
90 Performing a security audit
91 Keeping up with your e-mail inbox
94 Inside Linuxs user accounts
95 Modem doesnt understand
foreign dial tones
Theres one almighty reason to have a
Wi-Fi network: freedom to roam where
you want, laptop or handheld in hand.
Everything elsenot having to punch
holes in your walls for Ethernet cables or
hide the cables, for exampleis icing. Wi-
Fi is not perfect out of the box, however.
Well reveal how to maximize the network
range from your access point, trouble-
shoot problems, and prevent strangers
from usurping your bandwidthor share
it with all comers while keeping your data
and computers safe.
Improve Signal Strength and Range
Ground zero for any home network is
the router, which manages your Internet
trafc. These days, most routers have an
integrated access point (AP) for the wire-
less side. The rst step to a solid wireless
connection is placing that router where
the signal can best reach your wireless
devices. That means up high in a central
area of the home; theres a reason some
APs have brackets for wall mounting. Just
make sure the antennas are pointed the
way the manual indicates; dont assume
that horizontal when wall-mounted is the
same as vertical when the unit is sitting
on a desk. A router in the basement will
workjust dont stick it under a desk or
too close to a ling cabinet.
Wi-Fi signal strength depends on sev-
eral factors. Some (but not all) routers can
be set to increase the transmit power of
Wi-Fi Home Improvements
Guarantee your wireless home network is up to snuf. By Eric Grif th
the signal. Upgrading a router with free,
third-party rmware like DD-WRT (www
.dd-wrt.com) can add this feature, but such
rmware doesnt work on all routers, and
installing it voids any warranty.
Whats more, though you may think
you have little to lose with an older router
now out of warranty, installing rmware
incorrectly could brick the router, con-
verting it into an inert piece of plastic.
DD-WRTs wiki has some tips for recov-
ery. One note: If you use DD-WRT, dont
PROCEED WITH
CAUTION Third-party
rmware like DD-WRT
can improve your
routers transmit sig-
nal, but its extremely
unsupported.
set the transmit power (called Xmit Power
in the Web-based interface) much above
70mW. Set it too high and the router can
double as a hot plate; it wont survive that
kind of heat for long.
Unsurprisingly, there are those who
arent brave (or foolhardy) enough to
muck with rmware. In their case, getting
a stronger signal requires spending some
money. Purchasing a router from the latest
generation of 802.11n Wi-Fi products to get
better range and speed is always an option,
SOLUTIONS SOFTWARE
but even thats not foolproof. Your other
options include:
BUYING NEW ANTENNAS. Check rst
for a removable antenna or a jack for a new
antenna on the current router. Its smart
to buy antennas from your routers manu-
facturer, unless youre very sure of the
connector type. Antennas can be omni-
directional, but directional units, which
serve just a certain section of your prop-
erty, can provide a stronger signal.
ADDING A SECOND AP. Put it in a dif-
ferent area of the house, then connect it to
the main router via Ethernet. When mov-
ing from the main router/AP to the second
AP, a PC will take some time to reassociate
to the network. This may take only sec-
onds, but to avoid noticeable interruption,
dont do it in the middle of a download or a
Skype call. If you secure your wireless net-
work with WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)
encryption, the re-association may take a
little longer. Set each AP for different chan-
nels, especially if their signals overlap.
REPEATING THE SIGNAL. Repeaters
have gone out of fashion in the past few
years as new technology such as 802.11ns
MIMO (multiple input multiple output)
has increased signal range and through-
put. You can still find them, though. For
example, the $99 Apple Airport Express
(go.pcmag.com/airport_express) is a Wi-
Fi router in and of itself, but it can also
serve as a range extender when connected
back to the main router, using a technol-
ogy called wireless distribution system.
DD-WRT can also convert an old router
into a repeater.
Diagnose Problems
Setting up a Wi-Fi network should, by this
stage, be brain-dead simple. Youll feel like
the brain-dead one, though, when things
just dont work, whether out of the box or
with an existing network. You can retype
your passkey only so many times, after all.
Knowing how to identify problems on a
network is half the battle.
If theres a specic PC that cant con-
nect, make sure to turn off any software
rewalls (such as Comodo or ZoneAlarm)
rsta rewall is a big thorn when youre
trying to set up sharing between PCs or
printers, and this goes for wired and wire-
less networks. Temporarily deactivate the
wireless encryption (WEP or WPA) at the
router for a while, as well. If everything
syncs after these steps, then your problem
is a bad security setting. With encryption,
for example, some routers might let you
create stronger keys than an older device
(like an 802.11b Wi-Fi card) can support.
And software firewalls sometimes need
specic IP addresses listed to allow com-
munication.
Every device on a home networkthe
router, the PCs and handhelds, even the
game consolesgets an IP address. The
router typically uses 192.168.1.1. Other
devices generally get an address from the
router, which has a built-in DHCP server
just for doling them out. Addressing might
range from 192.168.1.101 to .110, for example.
If a PC on your network has intermit-
tent connection problems, the rst thing to
try is ping. You can send a ping command
to another PC using its IP address. If the
ping goes through, the computers can com-
municate. You can also ping your router
and even Web sites to see if the computer
is able to communicate with the Internet.
To ping with Windows, open a command
line window and type ping 192.168.1.1 (or
whatever IP address you want to check).
A reply means it worked; a Request time
out means the devices cant see each
other. Sending a ping to 4.2.2.2, a valid (and
easy to type) external IP address, will tell
you if youre on the Internet at all. Some
devices, however, including Xbox 360,
wont reply to pings.
Each computer or device can be set
to use the IP address from the DHCP
servera dynamic IP addressor use one
of its own that will never change, called
a static IP. The address will still have to
match the format used by the routera
router at 192.168.1.1 cant talk to a computer
using 192.168.2.101. Only the last set of
numbers (called the fourth octet) can vary.
When the rst three octets match, all the
devices are on the same subnet for the
WHOS THERE? Check the DHCP table in your router settings to view every PC
or other device attached to your network.
PING The good old command prompt
can provide important diagnostic infor-
mation when a PC on your network has
trouble connecting.
network. If you use a static IP anywhere, be
sure to type it correctly.
If you think theres a speed problem on
your networkor just want to determine
how much throughput you can get at dif-
ferent distancesuse the free Qcheck tool
from Ixia (www.ixiacom.com/products/
display?skey=qcheck). Install it on more
than one Windows computer to run vari-
ous data tests over the networkits like
ping on steroids.
Prevent Poachers
When it comes to sharing your broadband
connection with strangers, there are two
schools of thought: If you dont mind shar-
ing, the people you share with are piggy-
backers. If you do mind, theyre poachers.
The cheap way to find poachers is to
check the DHCP table in your router set-
tings. This table indicates the devices
on the network that have received an IP
address. If theres one listed that you dont
recognize, you could have a problem. It
could also be a device youve forgotten,
like a Wi-Fi phone or game device.
A more advanced method is to use soft-
ware such as Network Magic (go.pcmag
.com/network_magic_solution). Install this
on your Windows and Mac PCs ($64.99
covers a mix of eight computers) to facili-
tate easier sharing. It will also alert you
to wireless newcomers the instant they
arrive.
Keeping poachers away boils down to
the basics of Wi-Fi security:
1. Change the default router
password.
2. Change the default SSID.
3. Turn off SSID broadcasting.
4. Limit the number of users who can
get an IP address via DHCP.
5. Use static IP addresses instead of
using DHCP at all.
6. Filter by MAC address, the unique
identier on every network node.
7. Turn on encryption, preferably
using automatic Wi-Fi Protected
Setup (WPS) or at least manual Wi-
Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2).
For specifics and more, see go.pcmag
.com/networksolutions.
There isnt any one step above thats
completely foolproof, but combined they
provide strong securityanyone poach-
ing your connection when youre using
WPA2 and a strong password is probably
some kind of futuristic super-cyborg. Or
else youve got something really worth
hacking.
For total assurance, though, you
will need to pay for extra security, such
as hosted RADIUS service. RADIUS
(Remote Authentication Dial-In User Ser-
vice) allows access only to those with an
account. Big businesses usually have their
own RADIUS servers, but anyone willing
to pay, and with the right router hardware,
can get RADIUS via WiTopia.nets Secure-
MyWiFi service. Its fully administered
through the Web site and costs $99 a year
(plus a $99 activation fee).
Encourage Piggybackers
What if you do want to open up your Wi-
Fi to all? Thats easy enough. Just leave the
network unsecured and broadcasting its
name (the SSID) and they will come. Users
who connect that way also get an open pipe
to your computers, especially if youve got
le and printer sharing activated.
The preferred setup is a public subnet
for your piggybackers and a private sub-
net for your PCs. Both subnets will use the
same Internet connection, but the traffic
wont cross over. The private subnet stays
safe, but you look like a saint for sharing
your Wi-Fi.
Dividing your network, public and pri-
vate, is next to impossible without ponying
up cash. Hooking up a second AP to your
router but with a different subnet wont
work; the two wont communicate. Even
if one AP is encrypted and the other isnt,
theyre on the same subnet, potentially
accessible to a stranger.
A deluge of Wi-Fi sharing services have
appeared in the last couple of years. Fon
(www.fon.com) is probably the best known.
Its $36 La Fonera router supports multiple
SSIDs so you can start sharing immediately.
Meraki (meraki.com) sells mesh network
hardwareit could blanket your house or
a whole neighborhood with Wi-Fi. Both
are controlled through a Web interface to
offer public and private access, and both
give you the choice of charging people for
access or not.
Software-based WeFi (www.we.com)
lets you use your own hardware. Just reg-
ister your location with WeFi and anyone
with the software, which includes maps,
can nd your hot spot. In return, you can
nd new locations to log on to as well.
Finally, you could pay through the
nose for a new access point that supports
multiple SSIDs. D-Link has a couple: The
AirPremier DWL-2200AP is $199.99 direct,
and the more advanced DWL-2700AP for
businesses is $1,059.99.
OPEN UP Want to
share your connec-
tion? You can register
with WeFi and let
other users nd your
hot spot.
BE ALERTED Network Magic jumps in
and tells you when a new device joins
your network.
Millions of words and photographs have been devoted to telling
amateur cinematographers how to shoot videos, but in my experi-
ence this advice can be broken down into two rules. These rules
apply across all editing platforms, not just Pinnacle Studio (which
I use here), and if you abide by them you will save yourself a lot of
time and effort.Jan Ozer
Shooting and Editing Better Videos
SOLUTIONS PROJECT
EDITING RULE 1: BREAK LONG VIDEOS INTO SHORT SCENES.
You already know to keep your video as short as possible. When
Im producing a family video, I also like to break it into individual
scenes, each different, which makes the video more interesting
for the viewer. Once I determine the scenes, I use titles to inform
the viewer that scenes are changing, and editing tools like special
effects and background music to differentiate them. Try to distin-
guish each segment visually; I do this in several ways.
For example, I can change the editing style, using longer clips
with smooth transitions in some scenes or shorter clips with ashy
transitions in others. I can also base some scenes on still images
and turn others into music videos.
Remember: Its not a 20-minute video, its six discrete scenes,
each a work of art to be savored by your viewers.
EDITING RULE 2: SPEND THE TIME TO FIX YOUR VIDEOS.
After Ive trimmed away the nonessentials, my next step is to make
the video look as good as possible. Most consumer programs, Pin-
nacle Studio included, provide lters that can automatically color-
correct your video. Even when the color of my video looks good, I
usually try the lter anyway; sometimes applying the lter makes
the color even better.
If your video is too darka very frequent problemlook for a
brightness control to lighten it up. If necessary, then use the con-
trast adjustment to eliminate fading.
Underexposure due to backlighting is another frequent prob-
lem; it occurs when you shoot with a bright light like the sun or a
window behind your subject. Like many other programs, Studio
offers a lighting lter that lets you adjust this. Most programs also
offer image stabilization lters that can work wonders with hand-
held shots, so give this a try as well.
Even the best editor in the world cant pro-
duce something watchable without good
source video, which has two dening char-
acteristics. The rst involves quality, and
most camera owners know of these rules.
Foremost, no one likes watching shaky
video. Since a tripod is a pain to lug around,
consider a monopod; they are about 5
feet tall when fully extended, but collapse
down to an easily portable 18 inches or so,
and they cost under $20. Otherwise, lean
against a wall or tree when shooting, and try
to rest your arms against your chest to maintain a stable image.
Ease up on the zoom controls alsokeep it slow and steady.
If youre shooting indoors, you probably dont have
enough light for your camcorder. Turn on every light that you
can without totally spoiling the mood, and if your camera has
a sunset or other low-light mode, give it a
try. Dont worry about washing out your
subjectyou probably dont have that
many lights.
The second hallmark of good source
video involves coverage, or shooting
the footage youll need to support your
later editing. Every time you enter a new
location, shoot the entry sign so you can
clue in your viewer as to where you are,
and a big-picture establishing shot to help
your viewer get the scene. From there,
shoot away, remembering to get a good balance of location
and family. In ve years youre going to care more about how
your kids enjoyed Manhattan or Mount Rushmore than you will
about the location itself (and certainly your kids want to see
themselves in the video, not George, Tom, Abe, and Teddy).
LOCATION! Theres no doubt where
we went on this vacation, eh?
SHOOTING TIPS
Five Easy Steps for Making a Great Home Movie
5
POST AT LEAST ONE SCENE ONLINE.
For years, producing DVDs was the only easy way to
share your videos; now you can share them online,
or carry them with you on your cell phone or iPod.
Like most editors, Studio has presets for devices
like iPods and can directly upload your projects to
Yahoo! Video. If you prefer YouTube, try the iPod
preset, which will generally produce a high-quality
video that wont take forever to upload. Remember
that most sites wont let you upload videos longer
than 10 minutes or larger than 100MB. Some editors
like Adobe Premiere Elements even have features
that allow you to upload directly to YouTube.
1
CREATE A MUSIC VIDEO OUT OF THE TOUGH PARTS.
Some video is just plain hard to edit, like random shots
from the beach, or garden scenes from Monticello. Rather
than spending hours trying to shape these scenes into a
watchable video, convert them to a music video.
For example, with Studios music feature, you choose
the video scenes and the background music. Studio will
then analyze the video footage, cut the best shots into
short clips that it matches to the beat of the music, and
adds effects.
Our favorite tool for this is muvee Technologies
autoProducer 6 ($109.95 direct, www.muvee .com), which
gives you many styles and options.
2
CREATE SLIDE SHOWS WITH YOUR DIGITAL IMAGES.
Even if you have a camcorder, you probably have digital
photos of your vacation as well as video. All video editors
let you import photos into the timeline that you can dress
up with pan-and-zoom effects, transitions, and background
music. Its a great way to present a completely different
picture of your vacation.
3
ADD MUSIC TO THE VIDEO. MUSIC IS YOUR FRIEND.
As MTV learned long ago, great music can enhance
any video. So I use music liberally in my projects. Like
most video editors, Studio lets you add both narration
and background music, which can either supplement or
replace the audio captured with the video. Background
audio can be MP3 les or music ripped from a CD, or
you can use Studios new Scoretter feature to choose
and customize different styles of music.
4
PAIR EFFECTS WITH THE TONE OF THE VIDEO.
Using different types of special effects is a great way to
differentiate scenes in your video, especially when you pair
effect usage with the tone of the action. For example, with
slow, thoughtful scenes, like one reviewing Monticellos
timeless architecture, I used slow dissolves. In my garden
tour, which I converted to a fast-paced music video, I used
much more noticeable effects, like wipes, pushes, and others.
When we moved between Charlottesville and Monticello, I
used this compass transition to let the viewer know we were
changing scenes. One of Studios best features is libraries of
event-specic effects which really add a touch of polish.
SOLUTIONS SOFTWARE
Vista Icons Lose Their Filenames
Q
I have a question for you concern-
ing something odd thats happened
on my Windows Vista Home Pre-
mium computer. My account is
Administrator type. I have an Administrator
account and a Family account, but as far as I
know, this has happened only in the Admin-
istrator account. I dont know if someone
used the computer and accidentally changed
a setting somewhere or not, but Ive never
seen this before, not even in XP. The problem
occurred in my Documents folder (the one
labeled with the account username) and
also in the Control Panel folder: All the icons
are still there, but they dont have names.
The icon labels are simply gone!
I tried changing the icon size, but same
thing, there are no names for the icons. In the
Details and Tiles views, the names appear as
they should, but in the medium-to-large Icon
views, they are missing.Quentin Waldner
A
Both Windows Vista and Win-
dows XP have a well-hidden abil-
ity to display thumbnail images
with no labels. This feature is probably
most useful in a folder containing just pic-
tures. When you invoke it by accident, it
can denitely make life difcult.
To display the contents of a folder as
thumbnails with no filenames, simply
hold down a Shift key while switching the
folder from Details view to Thumbnails
view in XP or to one of the several Icons
views in Vista. In my experience, this
action is a bit less responsive in Vista
you may have to try several times. But
clearly it wouldnt be hard to invoke this
feature accidentally.
So how do you get back the lenames?
First, make sure the problem folder is
currently set to display in one of the le-
name-free thumbnail views. Now click on
some other folder, hold down a Shift key,
and click back on the folder whose file-
names you want to recover. Here again I
found that in Vista I sometimes had to try
several times. Now that you know how to
turn this feature on and off at will, per-
haps youll nd its actually useful.
Repeat this for the other mapped net-
work drives. Now youre going to test
using the same command to reestablish
those connections. For a mapped drive
that doesnt require a password, this syn-
tax should work:
NET USE M: \\sharename /PERSISTENT:NO
If a password is needed, the command
will look like this:
NET USE M: \\sharename password /USER:
domain\username /PERSISTENT:NO
The /PERSISTENT:NO at the end of the
command tells Windows that it shouldnt
try to reestablish the drive mapping at
boot. When youve veried you have the
proper commands to establish all your
network mappings, use Notepad to create
a simple text le with all those commands
in it, one per line. Save the file with the
extension .BAT.
Time for one more test! Just as you did
at the beginning, use the NET command
to delete all the drive mappings. Then
launch your .BAT file and verify that it
does indeed reestablish them all. When
you come into the shop in the morning,
you should find that printer warmed up
and ready. Then just launch the batch le
to regain your mappings. And, of course,
you can also make a copy of the batch le,
strip it down to the password-style line,
Drive-Mapping Problems
Q
At my workplace I have several
PCs that are networked and using
Windows le sharing. One of these
PCs needs to boot up in the morn-
ing before our arrival. It is attached to a large
photographic printer, and when it does not
boot up, the printer is not ready in the morn-
ing when we arrive. This PC fails to boot
when it cannot reestablish connections with
its mapped network drives. When we arrive
it displays an error on the screen. Is there a
way to disable errors without disabling the
restoring of network connections? We enjoy
the convenience of the mapped drives and
the printer does not need les from mapped
drives until we arrive anyway.
Also, is there a way to use Windows
sharing to make one PC log in with user
name and password? Perhaps a password
list or something similar? I have one PC on
the network that, owing to the software it
contains (its a kiosk), needs to have a user-
name and password. Thank you.Tracy
Goodemote
A
Both problems should be solvable
using the command-line utility
NET.EXE. Launch a command
prompt and use the NET command to delete
all the current drive mappings. To delete a
mapped network drive that has the letter
M: youd use this command:
NET USE M: /DELETE
Ask
ICONS NOT ENOUGH
If you accidentally
invoke the feature that
lets Vista or XP display
thumbnails with no
lenames, the result
can be a seriously
confusing display.
and use it to help other computers con-
nect to the kiosk.
One word of warning: When you cre-
ate a batch le that logs in to a password-
protected system, youre committing a
grave sin, security-wise. Anybody with
access to the computer could read the
batch files text and learn the username
and password required for log-in. But
since you asked to automate the log-in
process, I assume youve already consid-
ered this.
Cant Group Images in Word 2007
Q
I have just purchased a new Dell
computer that runs Windows
Vista Ultimate and Microsoft
Office with Word 2007. I teach
computer classes for a senior citizens group
here. To illustrate the lesson, I often like
to paste in a screenshot captured with the
Print Screen button and add Shapes. Using
Word 2002 I could group the image and the
shapes and move them around as a group.
I have not been able to figure out how to
do this in Word 2007. Only one item can be
selected at a time. It is a real pain to move
each item individually.
I also like to group photos and have not
been able to do this in Word 2007. I can
select more than one photo at a time, but
the Group option is not active. Am I miss-
ing something? Is there some way to group
several items, several photos, and so on? If
there is no way to do this, I sure would like
to find out how to complain to Microsoft.
Barbara Meek
A
In Microsoft Word 2003 and pre-
vious versions, you could place a
number of graphical elements on
a page and manipulate them in various
ways. For one thing, you could select sev-
eral items, right-click, and choose Group-
ing | Group. That melded the separate
graphical elements into a single whole
that you could move, size, or even rotate
together. You could also adjust which
overlapping images would display on top
of others. But, indeed, with Word 2007 you
cant even select two graphical elements
at once, so you cant group them. The
Bring to front and Send to back options are
also unavailable. What gives?
It turns out theres one very simple
but important difference in the way Word
2007 treats these graphical elements. In
Word 2003, if you just dropped a graphi-
cal element into the document, Word
would automatically create a drawing
canvas to hold the object. Word 2007 will
let you insert a graphical object without
the drawing canvas, which may be ne for
a single object. But if you want full power
to manipulate multiple images, you need
to insert the drawing canvas yourself.
Its easy enough: Click the Insert rib-
bon, click the Shape button, and select
New Drawing Canvas at the very bot-
tom. Now place your pictures and shapes
into the canvas. Youll be able to move
them freely within the canvas, group or
ungroup them, and so on.
NEED ANSWERS? PC Magazines software
expert, Neil J. Rubenking, tackles your
toughest software and Internet problems.
Send questions to askneil@ziffdavis.com.
Legal Notice
If you purchased a Fujitsu Mobile Hard Disk Drive you could be entitled to benefits under a class action settlement.
A settlement of a class action lawsuit affects you if you purchased, in the
United States, a new Fujitsu-branded Mobile hard disk drive (HDD) initially
sold in the United States by Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc.
(FCPA) for your own use and not for resale, from December 28, 2002 through
April 11, 2008. The settlement will provide for a discount on the purchase of
ny new Fujitsu-branded Mobile HDD. a
If you qualify, you may send in a Claim Form to obtain the settlement
benefit. You can also exclude yourself from the settlement, or object. The
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara, authorized this
Notice. The Court will have a hearing to consider whether to approve the
lement so that the benefits may be paid. sett
WHOS AFFECTED?
Purchasers of a Fujitsu-branded Mobile HDD. Youre a Class Member if
you are a United States resident who purchased a new aftermarket Fujitsu-
branded Mobile HDD from December 28, 2002 through April 11, 2008, from an
entity in the United States that regularly sells or sold Mobile HDDs, for your
n use and not for resale. ow
WHATS THIS ABOUT?
The lawsuit claimed that FCPA made misrepresentations and/or omissions in
the packaging, advertising, and/or sale of Fujitsu-branded HDDs with respect to
the HDDs storage capacity. FCPA denies all allegations and has asserted many
defenses. FCPA is entering into this settlement to avoid burdensome and costly
litigation. The settlement is not an admission of wrong-doing or an indication
t any law was violated. tha
WHAT CAN YOU GET FROM THE SETTLEMENT?
FCPA has agreed to provide discounts to Class Members who purchased a
Fujitsu-branded Mobile HDD within a defined time period and who send in a
valid Claim Form. Under the settlement, Class Members may choose either a
20% discount on the purchase of any new Fujitsu-branded Mobile HDD from
www.buyFCPA.com; or a 15% discount on the purchase of any new Fujitsu-
randed Mobile HDD from any other online seller or retail store of their choice. b
HOW DO YOU GET A PAYMENT?
A detailed Notice and Claim Form package contains everything you need.
Just go to www.MobileHDDSettlement.com to get one. You will be required to
provide the serial number and capacity of the previously-purchased Fujitsu-
branded Mobile HDD, the name and location of the online seller or retail store
from which you previously purchased it, and a proof of purchase, which may
take the form of a receipt or invoice. If you do not have a proof of purchase,
you may still make a claim by submitting all of the other information, including
the serial number, and by signing a declaration under penalty of perjury attesting
t you are the original purchaser, and the amount you paid. tha
IMPORTANT DEADLINES
The Claim Form to receive a discount must be postmarked on or before
eptember 2, 2008 and received no later than 21 days thereafter. S
WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?
If you fit within the definition of the Settlement Class and you agree with the
settlement, you need do nothing at all to indicate your consent. You will be a
member of the Settlement Class and will be deemed to have agreed to the terms
of the settlement, including the terms of the waiver and release of the claims. If
you dont want a discount on a future mobile HDD purchase, and you dont
want to be legally bound by the settlement, you must postmark your request to
exclude yourself by July 7, 2008 or you wont be able to sue, or continue to sue,
FCPA about the legal claims in this case. If you exclude yourself, you cant get
a benefit from this settlement. Any requests for exclusion from the settlement
must be sent by mail to Class Counsel, Jordan L. Lurie, Weiss & Lurie,
10940 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2300, Los Angeles, CA 90024 and Defendants
counsel, Penelope A. Preovolos, Morrison & Foerster LLP, 425 Market Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105. If you stay in the class, you may object to the
settlement. Objections must be in writing and mailed or hand-delivered to the
Clerk of the Court, Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, Old
Courthouse, 191 N. First Street, San Jose CA 95113, must identify the case as
Moisan v. Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., Case No. 1-06-CV-
077316 (Santa Clara Superior Court) and must be received by the Court no later
than July 7, 2008. You must also mail copies of your written objections to the counsel
listed above postmarked no later than July 7, 2008. The detailed Notice describes how
o exclude yourself or object. t
The Court will hold a hearing in this case on August 1, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. in
Department 17C, located at 161 N. First Street, San Jose, CA to consider
whether to approve the settlement and attorneys fees and expenses totaling no
more than $293,000, and an incentive payment to the named plaintiff of $2,000.
You may appear at the hearing, but you dont have to. To obtain a full Notice
and Claim Form and more details, go to www.MobileHDDSettlement.com or
by contacting Class Counsel at 1-800-437-7918 or (310) 208-2800 or by calling
oll-free 1-800-207-0343. Questions should not be directed to the Court. t
Dated: April 11, 2008. /s/ Jack Komar
Honorable Jack Komar
Judge of the Superior Court of California
County of Santa Clara
SOLUTIONS HARDWARE
Video Screen Capture
Q
In the Q&A titled Quadra-Screen
(go.pcmag.com/quadrascreen),
you said that to pipe a TV signal
to an NTSC monitor, you need a
video capture card to route the TV signal
into the PC and out to a monitor.
I need to do the opposite. I want to cap-
ture what is on my computer screen and
record to VCR, DVD, or hard drive. I cannot
gure this out after spending a lot of time on
the problem. I bought a video card with a
TV-out feature but cannot get it to record on
a VCR.Gerald Erikson
A
The problem here is trying to cap-
ture whats going on on-screen
while simultaneously recording it
to hardware via the video output on your
video card. One approach is to use a stan-
dard PC monitor and set your graphics
card for dual-display mode, with the other
display being the video recorder. The
problem with this is that your graphics
card may not recognize the recorder.
What you want to do takes a combina-
tion of hardware and software.
On the software side, you need an
application that will capture the screen
activity as it occurs, then write it out to a
video le. I pinged Neil Rubenking (Ask
Neil), who suggested either SnagIt or
Camtasia, both from TechSmith (www
.techsmith.com). Ive also used HyperCam
from Hyperionics (www.hyperionics.com)
with some success.
Once you get the video file created,
you can either burn a DVD using your
PC, record it on an external consumer-
recordable DVD drive, or record out to a
VCR. If you want to burn a DVD on your
system, youll need a DVD burner in your
PC, or you can use a USB-connected DVD
burner. A PC DVD recorder should come
bundled with the right software to enable
you to create basic DVDs that can play in
a consumer DVD player. If youre using
Vista, you can burn the DVD using Vistas
own Windows DVD Maker utility.
Most video outputs built into graph-
ics cards are ill suited for outputting high-
fusing by the fact that the memory clock
and the I/O clock in memory are different.
For example, DDR2-800 actually runs at
200 MHz, with an I/O clock of 400 MHz.
Each I/O clock cycle can carry two data
items, which is where we get DDR2-800
from. You may see DDR2-800 also referred
to as PC6400which is the maximum
throughput, in megabytes per second.
You have to separate this idea a bit from
the memory controller. In the case of Intel
CPUs, the memory controller is part of
the motherboard chipset. The CPU com-
municates with the memory controller via
the front-side bus (FSB), and it can run at
very high data rates. Current Intel FSBs
can move four data items per clock cycle.
So when you see an Intel CPU rated as a
1,333-MHz FSB, the actual clock rate is 333
MHz. Sometimes the throughput number
is called the effective clock speed.
AMD CPUs, starting with the Athlon
64 and moving forward through the quad-
core Phenom CPUs, are different, since the
memory controller is built into the CPU
die itselfthere is no front-side bus. The
memory controller may run at the same
speed as the CPU, but it often runs more
slowly. Theres also a bus clock, which is
how the CPU communicates with the out-
side world. Most current AMD processors
communicate at either 200 or 266 MHz.
Now on to your main question. Ide-
ally, you want a balanced system. In other
words, your CPU shouldnt have to wait for
memory, and your graphics card shouldnt
have to wait for the CPU to finish some
task. Thats a tall order. Perhaps the easiest
way to accomplish it is to have the memory
clock match or be an even multiple of the
FSB clock; for example, if you have a sys-
tem that uses DDR3 memory and a CPU
with a 1,333-MHz FSB, match the CPU up
with 1,333-MHz FSB DDR3 memory. In
some cases, a balanced system will actually
outperform a system with faster memory.
quality video to a VCR or a consumer
DVD recorder. If youre really set on out-
putting the resulting video to a VCR, Id
suggest investing in an external converter
box that will take a VGA signal from the
graphics card and convert it to NTSC
video. These can range from under $100
to many thousands of dollars. But burning
a DVD on your PC is much easier.
The Right Speed
Q
When building or upgrading a sys-
tem, one is confronted with speed
parameters for various compo-
nentschipset, memory, FSB,
CPU, and more. How do you use these mea-
surements (or their multiples) in concert for
the best efciency and compatibility? Also,
why are memory module speeds expressed
as both MHz and PC XXXX? Being aware
that the MHz multiplied by 8 yields the PC
XXXX value, Im wondering whether this
redundancy is necessary. Is there 333-MHz
memory that is not PC2700, or PC5300
memory that isnt 667 MHz?toothmaven
A
Keeping up with all the jargon sur-
rounding PC specications seems
to get harder and harder every day.
Just as you start to gure out the old specs,
manufacturers throw new ones at you! But
I digress. Youre asking a bunch of ques-
tions. Let me try to tackle them for you.
First of all, memory speeds are sort of
redundant. There is no PC2700 memory
that doesnt run at 333 MHz. Thats because
the 2700 in PC2700 is the rated maxi-
mum bandwidth that 333-MHz memory
can deliver. And as you point out, multiply
the memory speed by 8 and youll get its
bandwidth. Thats a maximum rating, how-
ever; the front-side bus (FSB) in your CPU
dictates the real speed of your RAM.
For a long time, the FSB speed equaled
the RAM speed, but recent innovations
let the FSB pass memory data at a much
faster rate. Memory designers were then
able to squeeze more than one data item
into a clock cycle. So DDR (double-data-
rate) memory can move two data items per
clock cycle. This is made even more con-
Ask
NEED ANSWERS? ExtremeTech.coms
editor, Loyd Case, tackles readers hard-
ware problems in each issue. Send your
toughest to askloyd@ziffdavis.com.
SOLUTIONS BUSINESS
In my experience, security isnt foremost
on the mind of most small-business owners
until it is violated. Proactive network secu-
rity measures hardly ever get the atten-
tion and commitment they deserve, yet in
almost every case an ounce of prevention
is worth a poundor moreof cure. But
prevention isnt nearly as exciting as xing
a problem once it happens. I say its time to
make prevention sexy again.
Proactive network security should be
the norm rather than the exception, and
to understand why, think about the risks:
What would happen if your network or
PCs went down for hours? Days? The
answer could range from inaccessible les
to near-complete business standstill. But
downtime is peanuts; try assigning a dol-
lar gure to a proprietary business secret
thats leaked to the competition.
Not everyone can be, or wants to be, a
security expert. Many network security
consultants will conduct an initial vulner-
ability assessment gratis in the hopes that
youll hire them to fix the problems they
report. A helpful consultant will work
with you to understand your business and
then provide a prioritized list of recom-
mendations for securing your network and
computers. Each vulnerability should be
listed individually along with an explana-
tion of potential consequences if its not
addressed. With this information, you can
make educated decisions about the steps
to be taken to secure your business.
Attack Yourself
A network security audit follows nearly the
same methodology as an attack. First, the
attacker scans the network to determine
IP addressing of networks and hosts. An
attacker would start from the outside and
work his way in by uncovering IP addresses
from DNS queries. Youve got a head start
because you already know your IP address-
ing scheme; its just a matter of conducting
a quick scan (also called a sweep) to deter-
mine which IP addresses are in use.
Second, the attacker probes your
devices and hosts to identify potentially
vulnerable services. You can use bulk
TCP, UDP and ICMP network scans to
determine which network servicesfor
example HTTP, FTP, SMTPare running
and may be open to attack. These scans tell
you which services are running on which
machine, as well as how firewalls and
security solutions are congured to allow
trafc. This step typically yields a list of IP
addresses, device names, and open ports.
Here, attackers investigate more deeply
any potential vulnerabilities they have
identified. So if your auditor finds, for
example, a workstation running a Web
server, he might suggest shutting it down
as a precaution. If there is a legitimate use
for the server, you need to research known
vulnerabilities. This can be a time-consum-
ing task; new vulnerabilities are uncovered
and patched almost daily. Fortunately, most
vulnerability assessment solutions these
days automate this process and will provide
links to information and patch downloads.
At this point, an attacker would exploit
any vulnerabilities and directly circum-
vent your security mechanisms. In the case
of an audit, there is no necessary analog.
If steps one, two, and three yield positive
results, you can assume that a determined
attacker could execute a successful attack.
SMB BOOT CAMP
How Secure Is Your Company?
To protect your business, think like a thief. By Matthew D. Sarrel
Vulnerabilities should be patched, or ser-
vices disabled, before an attack can occur.
For the purposes of an audit, go back
and assign a business value and priority to
each vulnerability. This helps sharpen your
focus, and can also help you explain the sig-
nicance of your security tasks to staff.
Tools of the Trade
There are many ways to go through the
audit. I like to use a combination of free
and commercial tools. Most of the free
tools are Linux-only. The best-known free
network scanning tools are Nmap (nmap
.org) and Nessus (www.nessus.org). Of those
two, Nmap is easier to install and use, but
Nessus has better reporting. A good Win-
dows network scanning tool is Found-
stones SuperScan (www.foundstone.com).
Commercial tools I like include GFI LAN-
guard (review forthcoming at go.pcmag
.com/languard) and the eEye Digital
Security REM Security Management
Appliance 1505 (go.pcmag.com/eeye1505).
If youre willing to spend the money, youll
get in return more information about each
vulnerability and its remediationnot to
mention more polished interfaces, more
capabilities, and better reporting.
Infographic by David Foster 90 PC MAGAZINE JULY 2008
PORTS UNDER FIRE
The Internet Storm Center maps TCP port numbers and the frequency with which they
are used in attacks. It also compares daily values to 30-day moving averages to look for
any unusual increases. This shows attacks that are on the riseuseful info for develop-
ing network security defenses. For the latest gures, you can check isc.sans.org/trends
.html; shown below are results from March 24, 2008. The port trends can vary wildly
from week to week, and will highlight ports you may want to close or at least log.
PORT PERCENTAGE INCREASE ASSOCIATED PROTOCOL TYPICALLY USED BY
6081 22.56 None Various
553 21.09 PIRP* None
808 13.67 WinHole WinHole Trojan
3124 13.23 None None
5908 6.75 None VNC Display 8
1910 6.72 Ultrabac Ultrabac backup software
8888 6.67 ddi-tcp-1 NewsEDGE server
7510 5.37 ovhpas HP OpenView Application Server
* Public Information Retrieval Protocol
In the early days of the World Wide Web, pundits and academ-
ics spilled a fair bit of ink about getting lost in cyberspace. Much
less ink was devoted to a topic that continues to haunt most of us:
getting lost in our e-mail inboxes. Forget spam; the frequency of
incoming messages and the ability of our ISPs and hard drives to
store gigabytes of them means that we need some serious tools to
navigate the vast e-mail sea.
Efciency experts may tell you to follow up on messages within
5 minutes, but some of us live in the real world. We need ags for
reminders and categories to help organize.Neil Randall
Organize and Follow Up on E-Mail
SOLUTIONS OFFICE
1
FLAGS: SETTING BASIC REMINDERS
On the far right side of each message header in Outlook
2007s Message pane is a small ag symbol. To help you keep
track of which messages need a follow-up, set their ags. By
default, clicking the ag icon changes the ag color to red
and causes Outlook to place a Follow up note just below
the senders name and e-mail address in the header.
There are more ag shadesToday, Tomorrow, This Week,
or Next Week; right-click to chooseand options to set. For
a better selection of labels, choose Custom and click the
down arrow to reveal a menu of options ranging from For
Your Information to Reply to All. If you want Outlook to place
a reminder for this follow-up action in the To-Do Bar, check
the Reminder box and choose the date and time.
2
CREATING CATEGORIES
Immediately to the left of the ag icon for each message
header in the Message pane is a (usually) grayed-out box.
This is the Categories box, and you can change its color
to provide a visual clue about the message, the sender, or
something else entirely. Right-clicking the box reveals your
choices, which are a list of colored icons with labels. You can
assign multiple categories to each message, and you can use
categories as simple visual cues or, more helpfully, to sort
your messages according to their categories.
3
CUSTOMIZING CATEGORIES
By default, category labels include such useful but obvious
choices as Crucial, Urgent, Semi-Urgent, and Important
(raising fun questions about the gradations of meaning
among these terms), but unlike the ag labels, category
labels are customizable. Right-click the Category icon and
choose All Categories to get the Color Categories dialog.
Here you can rename the existing categories, reassign
the icon colors to different categories, and create new
categories. If you use a category regularly, you can also
assign it a shortcut key.
4
FINDING WHAT YOU NEED
One of the best reasons to assign ags and categories to
your e-mail messages is that Outlook lets you use them
as search criteria. You can use these in standard searches,
or you can create a Search folder for classes of mail you
need to nd regularly. Right-click the Category icon and
choose Create Category Search Folder. Scroll to the bottom
of the resulting dialog box and highlight Categorized Mail,
then press the Choose button beside the Category eld to
select which category you want to base your search on.
The context menu for ags contains no such search option,
but the New Search Folder dialog box, available from the
Category icon, does in fact let you perform a search among
agged messages. Go gure.
Outsmart Calendar Spam
Spam has a tricky new mode of entry. By Larry Seltzer
SOLUTIONS SECURITY WATCH
Think youve beat the spammers by dis-
abling previews and never opening a mes-
sage selling v1agrA? Think again: Clever
spammers are now using the calendar
features of Google Calendar and Microsoft
Outlook to assist their efforts.
Generally, the pathology of this method
is: You receive a meeting request with a
spammy subject header, so you delete it
because its spam. Its simplepractically
automatic by nowbut wait, the stupid
meeting shows up in your calendar any-
way! The problem is that calendar soft-
ware defaults to reserving the meeting, or
at least blocking out the time for it.
Google has responded by explaining
how to recongure the calendar to prevent
this from happening. If youve enabled
notifications for New invitations, you
can congure your Google Calendar set-
tings to show only events youve created
or accepted. Click on Settings at the top
of any Google Calendar page, select the
General tab, and in the Automatically add
invitations to my calendar section, select
No, only show invitations to which I have
responded.
To stop Microsoft Outlook from auto-
matically accepting meeting requests,
Ofce Online directs: In Outlook, on the
Tools menu, click Options, and then Cal-
endar Options. Under Advanced options,
click Resource Scheduling, then clear the
Automatically accept meeting requests and
process cancellations check box.
Outlook Express users need not worry;
Microsofts free mail client still lacks a cal-
endar feature. Yesterdays annoyance is
todays security feature!
STAY SAFE! Find the latest tech security
news at PC Magazines Security Blog, at
blogs.pcmag.com/securitywatch.
SPAM MEETING Here is a typical 419 message, easy to catch in the inbox, but this one
was automatically saved as a calendar entry.
USE ANTIVIRUS OR YOUR PLANET
WILL DIE!!! The more you use
your computer, the more power
it consumes. Simple enough. A
recent McAfee Avert Labs blog
cites a conference presentation that
claimed the average PC consumes
approximately 76 watts of energy
under normal load, and approxi-
mately 114 watts of energy under
full load (for example, 100 percent
CPU utilization).
Combine this with the fact that
malware increases the load on your
systemindeed, the Storm worm is
infamous for pegging the CPU up
toward 100 percentand you may
agree with McAfees conclusion,
which is that malware is increasing
the energy costs of computing and
therefore magnifying the carbon
footprint of infected users. The
blogger comes up with an off-the-
cuff estimate of 32 megawatts for a
big outbreak.
The moral, McAfee concludes,
is that you should run a good
anti-malware solution. The logic is
reasonable, even if it comes from a
company that sells that very same
software.LJS
Hacked Trough the Heart
Researchers have demonstrated that implantable debrillators and pacemakers can be
hacked from the outside, leading to all manner of undesirable outcomes.
Its not surprising that implantable devices are programmable through a wireless
interface. This capability lets a physician adjust a devices settings without opening the
patient up. But its also not surprising that the wireless interfaces and programming pro-
tocols were not sufciently hardened against deliberate attack. Such attacks could cause
the device to shock or mistime, but could also deplete the battery.
In addition, the researchers investigated potential defenses against such attacks,
and their report is encouraging (www.secure-medicine.org/icd-study/icd-study.pdf).
They stress repeatedly that these attacks are, so far, only theoretical, and that patients
with such devices should not be concerned at this point.
The authors of this study did the hard research, but the basic approach to body
hacking was suggested by Gadi Evron in a 2007 talk entitled Hacking the Bionic Man.
As Evron speculated, devices like pacemakers could be just a foot in the door of our
bodies. By 2040 we may be much more bionic, and well need to know that our elec-
tronic parts are secure.LJS
INVITE A GUEST
Ubuntu lets you create unprivileged user accounts, which are
strictly limited in function, similar to Windows guest accounts.
The differences between a normal desktop account and an
unprivileged account are shown above, in the User Privileges tab
of the Account Properties dialog. The unprivileged account isnt
powerlessit can still access the Internet and run any programs
that have been set to unrestricted use. But all other potentially
risky activities, such as accessing external drives, are deactivated.
TOTAL CONTROL
The number of items accessible from the
Administration menu of the default user
account (left) clearly exceeds that of any
other account. The account shown on the
right is a typical desktop account, but
the same menu options appear with the
third account type, unprivileged.
CREATING ACCOUNTS
Only the default user or another
administrator can create accounts in
Ubuntu. To do so, choose Users and
Groups from the System | Administration
menu. This box displays all the accounts
on the system, including each users full
name (as youve set it), log-in name, and
home directory. To create a new account,
click Add User and ll in the New user
account screen. If you want, Ubuntu will
generate a very hard-to-crack password
(click Generate random password)be
sure to write it down somewhere.
To change the specics of any
account, select that account in the User
Settings dialog and click the Properties
button. Here you can set the password
for the account and assign it privileges.
Note that one of the listed accounts is
in fact the root account (also known as
superuser). If you want to work inside
that account, you mayjust give it a
passwordbut, as with Windows, its
always a bad idea to work from the root
account. In non-root accounts, Ubuntu is
congured to stop you from doing things
that will render the system unusable, but
not in the root; and besides, you already
have access to all conguration tools via
your default account.
Like Windows, Linux allows multiple user accounts on the same
installation. Each account limits its user in specic waysfolder
and hardware access, settings control, and so on.
Ubuntus installation process asks you to create a user account
for yourself. This account, called the default account, differs from
all other user accounts. Essentially, the default account functions as
a doorway to the administrator account, known as the root account
in Linux. Because the root account has unlimited access to every-
thing on the system, Ubuntu locks it, but allows access to its vari-
ous functions via the default account. Only the default account, for
example, lets you create or change existing user accounts, but to do
so you must provide a password. Ubuntu prompts you for a pass-
word whenever you attempt to access an administrator function,
although strangely enough it requires the password for the default
account, but never for the root account. Other user accounts cant
get into the administrator functions at all.Neil Randall
Inside Users and Accounts
SOLUTIONS LINUX
Tips
hand edge of any of the selected columns
and theyll all automatically adjust to the
perfect width.Neil J. Rubenking
CAMERAS
Speed Up Boot-Up
Most digital cameras have some sort of
start-up screen that displays when you
turn on the camera. For quicker boot-ups,
disable the start-up screen. This will also
cut down on the time youll have to wait
before you can shoot an imageexcruci-
atingly long moments for those of us who
forget to turn on our cameras until we
notice the shot. Although not every cam-
era will allow you to disable the splash
screenhey, another chance to ash the
companys logomost do, and you should
nd the option under general settings in
the main menu.David Gussman
WORD 2007
Mysterious Graphical Handling
Microsoft Word has a handy feature for
manipulating shapes and graphics in
documents. When youve placed mul-
tiple graphical elements, you can group
them so they stay together when you
move them and remain the same relative
size when you resize them. But in Word
2007 this feature seems not to work. You
cant select multiple graphical items, so
theres no way to group them or deter-
mine which overlapping objects are in
front of which others. What happened?
It turns out that in Word 2007, theres an
extra step. Before you start adding graphics
you have to dene a canvas to hold them.
Click the Insert ribbon, click Shapes, and
select New Drawing Canvas at the very bot-
tom. Add your pictures and shapes to the
drawing canvas. Now you can group them,
ungroup them, put one behind another, and
so onall the actions that you were accus-
tomed to in Word 2003.NJR
GREAT IDEA! Got a tip to share? Find a cool
new trick in your favorite gadget or app?
Send it to tips@pcmag.com. Well run it
through the PC Labs wringer and print our
favorites on this page.
does, but I also made this an Old value
and re-created it with my own 0xe10
(3600) value.
Im not sure which of these keys is
the right one (I suspect its SpecialPoll
Interval), but with both of them set to
3600, Im happy.Steve Nelson, reader
[Editors note: Yep, youre right, its
the SpecialPollInterval. According to
Microsofts TechNet, UpdateInterval
specif ies the number of clock ticks
between phase-correction adjustments.
Whats that mean? We dont know.]
EXCEL
Cell Couture
Dont spend time trying to jimmy the width
of columns in Excel so theyll fit the wid-
est text. Excel will take care of that task for
you! Position the mouse at the right-hand
edge of the column header. Youll know
youve hit the right spot when the cursor
changes to a left-right arrow. Now double-
click in that exact spot. Presto! The col-
umn is just big enough for its widest text.
You can do multiple columns at once, too.
Select a contiguous group of columns by
clicking one column header and dragging
sideways until theyre all selected. Or select
a mix-and-match group by clicking one col-
umn header and then Ctrl-clicking the rest.
Now double-click the divider at the right-
SOLUTIONS
Useful tidbits from PC Magazine editorial staff, Labs analysts, and readers
CONNECTIVITY
Im in London, Im in France
If you need to use a dial-up modem
abroad, youll have to disable Windows
dial-tone detection to cope with the weird
foreign dial tones. If youre using XP, go
into Control Panel, then Phone and Modem
Properties, and the Modems tab. Select
your modem, and click Properties. Click
the Modems tab on the new window and
uncheck the box Wait for dial tone before
dialing.Sascha Segan

MEDIA CENTER
Worse than the Blinking 12:00
Ive used Windows Media Center Edition
for a couple of years now, and one of my pet
peeves was that the clock on the PC wasnt
accurate enough to be trusted to start
recording a show at the actual startId
have to start recording early to make sure
I caught the beginning. For a while I used
Dimension 4 for XP, which I set to pick up
the time server and update time to once an
hour (instead of the default once a week).
Then I upgraded to Vista. Vista and Dimen-
sion 4 didnt get along. Now, in a week my
clock would slip by 10 to 15 secondsnot a
lot, but I dont want to miss the rst 15 sec-
onds of a show.
I looked for a freeware or shareware
clock-setting utility; no luck, so I tried
the system Registry. Under <HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\
W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient I found
the key SpecialPollInterval. The default
setting was 0x93a80 or 604800. This is the
number of seconds in a week; Id found the
setting! I renamed that key to SpecialPoll-
IntervalOld (in case I had to get it back)
and recreated it with a value of 0xe10 or
3600 seconds (if you dont speak hexadeci-
mal, move the radio button to Decimal and
then enter the value in seconds). Now, my
clock updates itself once an hour, and Im
back to my normal recordings.
Theres another Registry setting,
called UpdateInterval, under HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\
W32Time\Con g, with a value of 0x57e40 or
360000. Im not exactly sure what this one
HELP YOUR MODEM COPE Switch off
tone recognition so your modem doesnt
wait for that familiar American drone.
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Enter to WIN a C2 Power Conditioner valued at $99.99 ERP.
Call 888-289-APCC x4920 Visit www.apc.com/promo Enter Key Code b797w
You just bought a flat screen TV...
now protect it with APC.
How many paychecks have gone into your state-of-the-art
AV setup? Two? Three? Dont want to think about it? Youve
spent time and money, and you need to protect your investment.
The truth is, power fluctuations are a leading cause of AV
equipment malfunction.
Unfortunately, the demands on the antiquated power grid increase daily
and the threat of damage from bad power is just getting worse. Heres
your solution: APC AV Power Solutions. By filtering out noise and regulating
voltage, APC AV Power Solutions takes out bad power as a source of
AV signal degradation. Some advanced models even offer battery
backup power so you can stay in the game, regardless of grid malfunctions.
Turbo-charge your home theater experience with our unbeatable
engineering expertise while protecting it from the dangers of bad power.
Over 30 million customers already trust us to protect their PCs from
power problems. You can trust us to protect your home theater.
Go to www.apc.com for more information.
" I cannot recommend APC enough...
...they live up to their promises."
Robert Archer CE Pro magazine
Engineered for high-performance AV systems by
APC power experts, APC AV Power Solutions will:
Protect your equipment and presets from
harmful power fluctuations
Eliminate bad power as a source of signal
degradation or equipment failure
Prevent missed DVR recordings and corrupted
multimedia server data
Allow equipment to perform to maximum capabilities
Prevent damage to costly projector and display lightbulbs
APC AV products are available in black or silver
2008 American Power Conversion Corporation. All rights reserved. All registered marks and trademarks are property of American Power Conversion Corporation.
e-mail: esupport@apc.com 132 Fairgrounds Road, West Kingston, RI 02892 USA 998-0841
Audio, Video, & Appliance Specialists
APC AV products are available at:
APC Solutions for Every Level of Protection
AV Power Conditioners
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Premium surge protection,
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automatic voltage regulation
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AV Power Conditioners
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Premium surge protection,
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voltage regulation, and battery backup
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AV Power Filters
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Premium surge protection
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J Type
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Less than
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low-profile C2 fits
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Available exclusively online:
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www.frontpane|express.com
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Customized front pane|s can be easi|y
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www.bitdefender.com 800.388.8062 Ext. 244
Imagine securing your IT infrastructure, managing your security
worldwide, and still having time for lunch. Sound impossible? Not
anymore! Introducing BitDefenders Security Suite for Business.
BitDefenders Proactive Management is both intelligent and
automatedjumping into action based upon common threat
scenarios customized for your companys needs. BitDefenders
Proactive Security leads the industry in stopping zero-day threats,
in their tracks.
imagine your job Easier.
Jim Curtis just stopped a vicious malware attack... between bites.
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Are you seeking an extra income? Would you like to set
your own work schedule? Work the hours you choose. We
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Are Your Most Important Assets Secure?
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ARF NEEDS YOU! If your entry is used, well send you a PC Magazine T-shirt. Submit your entries via e-mail to arf@ziffdavis.com. Ziff Davis Media Inc. shall own
all property rights in the entries. This months winners: Nicholas Dunn, H. S. Overman, Bruce Shellenbaum, Rob Verderame, Dave Wells.
Not sure if
this will y,
but we like
the GPU.
Sooo should I buy one or not?
Nothing is
sexier than a
USB thumb
drive.
An ad you have to see to believe.
We especially like the free-range
search engines. (Maui)
Why June Will Be the Greatest Month Ever
Red Bull Cola
You might ask, Dan, how can I keep up with all of Junes awesome-
ness? Like any good gamer, youll need high doses of stimulants.
Luckily Red Bull is launching a new drink this month. Red Bull
Cola is an all-natural beverage that has 45 milligrams of caffeine per
12-ounce canmuch more than Coke or Pepsi. Its good to see the
coca leaf return to ingredient lists after decades of negative PR.
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
The Bad Boys from Boston
are the stars of the latest
chapter in Activisions faux-
rock franchise. Grab your
plastic ax and follow the
bands evolution from drug-
addled dreamers to sea-
soned veterans. The game
begins with their first gig
at a high school dance in
Massachusetts and thrashes
its way up past Maxs Kan-
sas City and through the
Alicia Silverstone era. Gui-
tarist Joe Perry selected
each guitar personally so it
correctly corresponds with
the right Aerosmith song,
and after each level you get a short Behind The Musicstyle video.
Even if you dont walk the Aerosmith way, it wont fail to entertain;
the games music is actually a 60/40 split of the bands hits and
songs by other rockers that the band selected.
Dungeons and
Dragons 4th Edition
The ancient canon led a
whole generation of boys
down the path toward an
ostracized adolescence of
fantasy novels, question-
able fashion choices, and
girl-free Saturday nights,
and now its back in a major
way. This version brings the
classic game to the Internet
with the D&D Insider com-
munity. Players can create
characters, miniatures,
and incredibly detailed
dungeons online. You can
game with your friends around the world with the included
voice-over-IP connection. That cacophony you hear? The sound
of a million 12-sided dice rolling at once. Minions of the hooded
suburban elves unite!
Some may call this month June. We prefer to call it by a new name:
Dorkageddon. June will go down as one of the greatest months in the
history of basement-dwelling Wii-ogres, as three unrelated releases
rock our insular universes. Yes, my fellow pioneers of the Great
Indoors, we may not see the non-pixelated sun again until August.
Abort, Retry, Fail
Back
EDITED BY DAN EVANS
DEFENDING AGAINST
VIRUSES, MALWARE,
AND HACKERS?
ILL BE YOUR EYES.
Today, 15,000 new internet threats will be created to attack your computer system. Predicting
and intercepting future threats is what we do. In fact, ESET
Smart Security, with its patented

ThreatSense
technology, provides faster, more precise, proactive protection against viral threats
in one fully integrated solution. For a free 30-day trial, visit www.eset.com.
Antivirus + Antispyware + Antispam + Personal Firewall
A NewWay To Think Smart
ESET
2008 ESET. All rights reserved. Trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of ESET. Ad code: PCM
we protect your digital worlds
With the Network,

you can work in more spots than just hotspots.
With Wi-Fi, youre trapped. Confined to hotspots. Get BroadbandAccess for your Mac or PC from Verizon Wireless
and work in more spots than just hotspots. Simply click to connect and start working on the go, all on Americas
most reliable wireless broadband network.
Activation fee/line: $35.
IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Subject to Customer Agmt, Calling Plan, rebate form and credit approval. Up to $175 early termination fee, and other charges. BroadbandAccess is available to more than 240 million people in 248 major metropolitan areas.
Offers and coverage, varying by service, not available everywhere. See verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork for details. 2008 Verizon Wireless.
Call 1.800.VZW.4BIZ Click verizonwireless.com/bba Visit your local Verizon Wireless Store
UM 150 USB wireless modem
for your Mac or PC
To learn more about our mobile broadband solutions, get in touch with a dedicated business representative.

PCMag 2008-07

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INNOVATIONS

and the Fujitsu ScanSnap

2007 Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

. We were receiving hun-

2.0 eliminates the task of manually changing the MFT.

the worlds leading language-

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Norton Internet Security

2 Duo Processor (1.60GHz)

13.3" widescreen display

23" digital, widescreen LCD with 400:1

Ultra-at keyboard with built-in palm rest and

Longer battery life provides up to six months

Meet CyberS1ren. This self-described hacker

power supplies. They run

Processors designed to deliver a

is a registered mark owned by the U.S. government.

processor Model 1212

XP Professional 32-bit installed*

use power very wisely, they also boast a

Runtimes may vary depending on load.

ES 750G! (a $99.99 Value)

THE TEACHING COMPANY

4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100

The test was performed by Anti-Malware Test Lab in January 2008

Complete Access Control in Every Lock Cylinder

Smart Security, with its patented

With the Network,

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