PC Magazine - June 2010

First Looks: Dell Ultrasharp U2711
Photoshop: New and Improved

Top 10 Ways to Simplify Windows 7

TRAVEL TECH:

• Netbooks

• Notebooks ~

i • Media Players • GPS ~

! • Cameras • EBook Readers Ii + Your Guide to In-flight Wi-Fi

JUNE 2010

VOL. 29 NO.6

COVER STORY THE GEAR OF SUMMER

Hot weather doesn't mean your tech has to go into cold storage. Here you'll find the best laptops, netbooks, cameras, media players and GPS devices for your summer lifestyle.

l,t < PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

42 Ultraportables
44 Netbooks
45 E~Book
Readers
46 Cameras
48 GPS
49 Personal
Media Players
50 In-flight Wi-Fi 20

FIRST LOOKS

12 SOFTWARE

Microsoft Office 2010

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended iWork for iPad

Plus Quick Looks

20 H:ARDWARE

Apple MacBook Pro 15-.inch (Core i5) Asus U30JC-1A

Fusion Garage JooJoo Plus Quick Looks

26 BUSINESS NeatDesk LogMeln Central

HP LaserJet Pro P1606dn

30 CONSUMER ELECTRONICS HTC HD2 (T-Mobile)

Cisco Flip SlideHD

Samsung BD-C6500

Plus Quick Looks

68 THE BEST STUFF

30

TECH NEWS

5 FRONT SIDE

The Gizmodo iPhone affair; giving away private info online; controlling a robot with your mind; sleek laptop bags.

OPINIONS 2 FIRST WORD:

LANCE ULANOFF

36 JOHN C. DVORAK 38 SASCHA SEGAN 40 DAN COSTA

SOLUTIONS

S4 PRINT GREAT PHOTOS

Get the most out of your photo printer with our 12 tips for producing high-quality prints at home.

60 OFFICE: S;I,MPLIFY WINDOWS 7 Make Windows 7 even more userfriendly with our handy list of tips and tricks.

64 WORK: THE SMAlL-BI:Z CLOUD Find out which online sites and services are best for your business.

PC Magazine Digital Edition. ISSN 0888-8507, IS published monthly at $24,97 for one year, Ziff Davis Media Inc .. 28 East 28th Street, New York NY 10016-7940,

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 1

FIRST WORD LANCE ULANOFF

Ie

y

witter is about to become a much more robust platform for doing, well, whatever it is we do on Twitter every day. Most of the people I follow-meaning those whom I actually pay attention touse it in much the same way. Yes, there are the feeds, which deliver hard-news headlines, but the beauty of Twitter is what lies in between the news reports. In any case, I keep track of all things Twitter related with TweetDeck, a desktop Twitter management utility I've been using since 2008.

Inside TweetDeck

For those unfamlllar with the Adobe Airbased app, TweetDeck lets you customize your Twitter world in an organized, columnar view, with unfiltered tweets from those you foUow in the first column, tweets that mention you in the second column, and direct (private-line) tweets to you in the third, You can add columns based on keywords, specific Twitter members, other accounts, and so on.lt builds in a lot of the

2 PC MAGA.ZINE DIGITA.L EDITION JUNE 2010

,

ec

other third-party functions/apps, such as photo uploading to Twitpic, the bit.ly URL shortener, and even tweet translation services. It's a remarkably rich app.

All in all, TweetDeck is my one-stop desktop source for all things Twitter. I almost never visit the Twitter site. Its single-column view is way too linear for me, and I don't like Twitter's form of re-tweets, which don't let me edit before posting.

I'm not unaware, obviously, of all that Twitter's been doing: to incorporate more powerful functions into its site .. Twitter Lists, a feature that lets you organize or "group" people you follow, is nifty. The new locationbased service also sounds great, though I'm not a huge fan of telling people where I am all the time, Some of the on-page pop-up information you can get for people on Twitter is pretty nice, too.

Finally TWeeting fer Dollars

In Aoril, Twitter announced an ad platform, which company execs hope will help propel the rapidly growing social-networking ser-

kil

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a

vice into the financial black. I have my doubts about the plan, which, oddly, puns down underperforming ads. That sounds like a fundamental misUnderstanding of how marketing and advertising traditionally work. But perhaps it will be a huge success anyway, because all of the promoted tweets will be hyper-contextual, super real-time, and a lot more than simple brand-building messages ..

This is just phase one in what is clearly a plan to reinvent Twitter. One of the company's chi-ef investors, Fred Wi,lson, laid it all out in horrifyingly stark terms in a recent blog post.

In a nutshell, Wilson says that third-party companies like TweetDeck heed to stop "filling holes" in Twitter and start building some innovation that leverages Twitter. Why? The new Twitter will probably act a lot like TweetDeck and offer heavy amounts of information, customlzation, and utility all in one page. Another article I read counts all the third-party services likely headed to the scrap heap. To Wilson, this is all good. He likens the scenario to the way desktop publishing saved the M.ac in the 19805. I liken it to Windows 95 (and subsequent as releases), killing huge parts of the software and utility market in the mid-90s.

Learning from Windows

Back then, a vast army of third-party companies wer ea!l busy filling holes in Windows. They extended memory, compressed disks, managed your system's health, and

helped keep you productive,

When Windows 95 came alone, it incorporated many of these third-party utility functions inside the OS .. Those companies tried to put on a brave face and said Microsoft's entrance simply validated the market. That was right before they went out of business. In the word-processing market, it was a combination of Microsoft's partner connections,market strength, and product quality that did in virtually all of its competitors. Later, Microsoft would,inadvertently I hope, kill categories simply by upgrading the as. It has taken years for third-party companies to re-emerge in these categories, and most make it only by giving away their products.

Twitter is the new Microsoft. Its plans will kill a lot of third-party products, and there is no guarantee that what Twitter will provide will be any better than what's already out there. Based on my official Twitter for Blackberry and re-tweet experiences, I think it could be worse. But Twitter has the power. All it needs to do is make a few subtle tweaks to the Twitter API, and whichever third-party tool it wants to get rid of wi II stop working.

I don't know if there's anything I can do to stop Twitter, but I think the time is now to launch my "Save TweetDeck" campaign. Will you join me?

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER! Catch the chief's comments on the latest tech developments at tWitter.com/LanceUlan.off.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 3 ~

....... @ '; )1 • ~I=I

.,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PC MAGAZINE NETWORK Lance Ulanoff EDITOR Stephanie Chang

DIRECTOR OF ONL.INE CONTENT, EJ(ECUTIVE PRODUCER Vicki B. Jacobson EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dan Costa

pc LABS DIRECTOR, MAI'oIAGING EDITOR (LAPTOPS, DESKTOPS) t.aarnl Almandrale Ragaza ... "'w.pe .... g .• <om

MANAGING EDITORS Sean Carroll (software, security, Internet), Eric Griffith (business, networking). Tony Hoffman (printers. scanners), Matthew Murray (ExtremeTech).

Sascha Segan (mobile), Wendy Sheehan Donnell (consumer electronics)

SENIOR EDITORS Brian Heater (PCMagcom). Carol Mangis (blogs. community).

Erik Rhey (Digital Edition)

PC: lABS LEAD ANALYSTS Cisco Cheng (laptops) •. Tim Gideon (consumer electronics), Samara Lynn (business, networking), Michael Muchmore (software). Neil J. Rubenking (security), Joel Santo Domingo (desktops), M. DaVid Stone (printers, scanners) ANALYSTS Dan Evans (DIY, hardware), PJ Jacobowitz (consumer electronics)

INVENTORY CONTR.OI. COORDINATOR Nicole Graham STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Schedivy

PCMAG:COM MANAGE~ ONLH4t;; PRODUCTION Yurt-San Tsal PRODUCERS Mark Lamorgese, Whitney A. Reynolds NEWs EDITOR Mark Hachmah

NEWS REPORTER Chloe Albanesius

STAFF EDITORS Jennifer Ber.gen (blogs), Gregg Binder (printers, scanners), Zachary Honig (consumer electronics). Errol Pierre-Louis (software, security, lnternet)

ASSISTANT EDITORS Sea n Ludw ig (mobile). Natalie shoema ker (hardware)

COMMI;;RCI;; PROD\JCE~S lman Edwards, Arielle Rochette

UTILITY PROGRAM MANAGER n m Smith

CR~ATIVE DIRECTOR Chris Phillips PRODUcTiON AR.TIST Guyang Chen

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Helen Bradley. John R. Delaney. Richard V. Dragan. John C. Dvorak; Crai_g Ellison, Galen Fott, Bill Howard, Don Labriola, Jamie Lendino, Jim Louderback"

Bill Machrone, Edward Mendelson, Jan Ozer. Neil Randall., Matthew D. Sarrel, Larry Seltzer

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heCaseo

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9

one

Gizmodo's brush with the la.w in the infamousiPhone debacle.

Rarely is the technology world privy to intrigue equal. to the case of the missing iPhone.

This spring, next-gen iPhone speculation reached a fever pitch when technology blog: Gizmodo posted a hands-on analysis of what a ppeared to be a fou rth-ge nerati on iPhone prototype. Gizmodo dismantled the

device, finding real Apple components, providing more compelling evidence that the device was the real deal. The unit Gizmodo obtained had a front-facing video camera, a flash bulb next to a bigger camera, a larger battery, a slightly smaller screen, and a reworked industrial design that scraps the aluminum back for a ceramic one.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 5 ~ II

Gi . ost • I .. ft
m 0 I sa ss 1_
oty I"ce J 5 How Gizmodo obtained the iPhone prototype is what has the public, Apple, and police very interested. The device was found after reportedly being lost at a German barf restaurant in Redwood City, California, by a 27-year-old software engineer named Gray Powell. After Powe.llieft the phone, it was found by 21-year-old Brian J. Hogan. Hogan says that he tried multiple times to contact Apple tech support to return the phone. But after receiving no reply, he sold the phone to Gizmodo for $5,000 cash.

After Gizmodo posted photos and information on the ,Phone prototype, California police raided the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen. According to a note posted on the site by Gawker Media, which publishes Gizmodo: "'California'sRapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team entered editor Jason Chen's home without him present, seizing four computers and two servers. They did so usi n9 a wa rra nt by a judge of the Su peri or Court of San Mateo." Gawker maintains that the warrant used to remove Chen's comput-

ers was invalid. The investigation was put on hold to determine whether Gawker Media has the right to invoke California's shield law, which protects journalists.

According to the Business Journal, the police search was instigated by Apple. But so far no criminal charges have been announced against Hogan or Gizmodo.

"We're still not saying it's a crime," San Mateo County chief deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told Business Journal.

According to reports from Wired, Hogan's lawyer, Jeffrey Bornstein, says that Hogan "regrets his mistake in not doing more to return the phone. Even though he did obtain some compensation from Gizmodo, Brian thought that it was so that they could review the phone." Gizmodo has since returned the phone to Apple, and asked the company for clemency when dealing with Powell losing the phone. "I hope you take it easy on the kid who lost it," Chen wrote. "I don't think he loves anything more than Apple/'-PCMag Staff

BEST OF THE INTERNET

WIKIPEDI'.A COMPANION Wiklpedia Companion is an add-on that allows you to quickly search Wikipedia for any term you find, open the results in a new tab, or open them in a frame over your existing window,

SEPIATOWiN

SepiaTown is a Web service that ta kes th 0 u sa nd s of vi ntage photographs of cities around the world and matches them up with their modern-day locations on a map.

j ~ 6 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

CORRECTIONS

AND AMPLIFICATIONS

Our May Front Side story "Anatomy of a Hack" has

been revised online to correct an inaccuracy and sxplain further about SQL iniectlon. Click here to read the updated story.

A new' study' shows consumers are still giving away private information online.

Despite warnings from privacy advocates to protect your personal information while online, many adults are still engaging in risky behavior via social networking sites, according to a new study from Consumer Reports.

Of the 2,00'0' people surveyed by the magazine, about 52 percent of adult Internet users have posted data that could be dangerous, including home addresses, full date of birth, and information a bout thei r child ren ..

About 38 percent of people have posted their birth date to social networking sites like Facebook and MySpate, which could be used by identity thieves. the report said. Another 8 percent posted their street addresses. Combine that with an open profile and a status update that says you'll be vacationing in Europe for the next week, and it's the perfect storm for a home invasion. The report went on to state that 26 percent of Facebook users post their children's names and photos, which could potentially expose them to predators.

As for security measures on social media sites, some 23 percent of Facebook users surveyed are unaware that the site has privacy controls. And of the 18..4 million peo-

.n A ollldR·w pnYlCV 011' l'.KObGolI: . ._

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pie who have installed Facebook apps, 38 percent were confident that the apps were secure, even though 18 million cornputerswere infected by social networking apps in the past year.

Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks as it moves toward a more <copen graph" approach that links users all over the Web .. Facebook insists that users have complete control over what information is displayed online, but privacy groups and members of Congress have called for investigations into the security of the site,

Overa!l, Consumer Reports found that 1.7 million online households were victims of Web-related ID theft in the last year, 504 million online consumers submitted personal data via phishing e-mails, and that cybercrime has cost American consumers $4.5 billion over the past two years, trashinq an estimated 2.1 million computers.

Solving this problem doesn't require expensive technology, however, the report concluded "It requires the networks themselves to keep improving their privacy practices and better educating users." - Chloe Albanesius

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EOITION 7 >-J

FRONTSIDE

BEST 'OF OUR BLOGS

SECURITY WATCH

Un patched Vulnerability Exposed in Safari

Research firm Secunia released an advisory about an unpatched vulnerability in Apple's Safari 4.0 Web browser, The advisory doesn't specify a platform, meaning that it could affect all versions, including the iPhone. Secunia describes the flaw as an error in the handling of parent windows. A specially crafted Web page that opens and closes pop-up windows Can cause the browser to execute a function with an invalid function pointer. This pointer can be manipulated so as to transfer control to the attacker in the context of the Web browser. But so far there are no reports to indicate that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.-Larry Seltzer

j ~ 8 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

GEARLOG

A Windows 7 M,edia Player

Storage-solution provider Western Digital

has developed the first networkable, live HD media player that's compatible with Windows 7. The WD TV Live HD Media Player ($149.99 list) can stream multimedia files from pes, external drives, or the Web to a big-screen H DTV Incorporating the Windows 7 Play To feature, the WD TV Live, supports wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi connectivity and full HD lOBOp video playback. It also has two USB ports for media playback from multiple USB drives as well as an HDMI1.3

port and SPDIF digital output-Samara Lynn

GO'ODCLEANTECH Battizer Give"s New Power to Old Batteries

Battizer ($97 direct), a Singapore export, says it can give a 100-percent-full charge to your dead batteries, even exceeding the original capacity. This charger works only with double-A and triple-A zi nc ca rbon, al ka line, Ni M h, and NiCD batteries. It claims to be speedy, though, working in just one hour. -Troy Dreier

O"'fl'-. ~"''''l''Pk''-

AT WORK

Dropbox Adds Apple iPad and Android Support

There's a reason why we recommend Dropbox as one of our favorite cloud services for small businesses: it's a superbly implemented cloud-based a utom atic fi I e- sync hro n i za ti 0 n service. Now, courtesy of a new mobile API, you can access important files from even more locations, Dropbox's reach has expanded to include the Apple iPad and Android handsets. Dropbox's appearance on these platforms means that it'll be far easier to access important files from virtually any Web-connected device. - Jeffrey L. W;Json

Extreme Tech

ATho 9 -
Co ro e
0 ot What happens when you pair a robotic webcam with a futuristic headset?

A couple of months ago I examined First,ldecidedwhatlwantedtocontrolin the Ernotiv EPOC 14-,t2J~c;:tr9g~ ~~G hfrg_g- terms of the Ravia and its camera's move~~t which lets you control computers and ments. The Emotiv software can convert raw video games with your thoughts ratherthan data into four categories: Expressiv (facial your hands. But in the process of writing that gestures), Affectiv (passive measurements article, I learned that there wasn't a strong of a user's mental state), Cognitiv (training a ppl i cation that took adva ntage of its ca pa- the headset to recog n ize how you respond

bilities. So I decided to write one myself. to certain feelings or mood), and gyroscope.

I wanted to see if I could use the head- I chose Expressiv commands for piloting

set to co n tro I a Wo w We e R ov jam obi I e the robot, the gyroscope for qu ick left/rig ht turns and camera movements, and Cognitiv for moving the robot forward.

Is the Emotiv headset truly suitable as an a.lternative control device? The answer is a definite yes for those with a physical problemthat prevents using a mouse, but shakier for everyone else. The gyroscope does give you a comparable set of features, though button pressing still wins in immediacy and accuracy. Facial gestures and feelings require more effort and are less accurate. It takes some getting used to, but this method is definitely addictive.-Robert Oschler

Click here to watch a video of Roberts

webcam using my mind and facial gestures .. I started with a program j wrote called Robodance, which already works as a control program for the Rovio. This provided a baseline for comparing the efficacy of the mouse-

driven interface to the headset's,

experiment


Connected Traveler

Ca

a

FRONTSIDE

A cool, comfortable bag will keep your laptop safe and you looking good.

yYo Op -n 5 yle

Laptop owners face a quandary when looking for the perfect bag. After all, it's not just your laptop that you'll probably be toting around. There's also your wallet, keys, paperwork, reading material, and so on. Whether you prefer a tote, briefcase, or backpack, there's a bag out there tailored for you. We took some of the latest and greatest laptop bags on the m_arket out for a test drive.

First there are backpacks. We found many that offer a mix of comfort and casual style-and can "off-roading" adventures when the great outdoors calls. For exam-

pie, the Overtand Acadi~ ($100 direct, •••• 0) is a tough and roomy bag with a jaunty, casual style. It's big enough for loads of gear, and even for an overnight trip. The Boo_ Boa Flow L~gtop- BackRack ($199 direct, •••• () ) is a very comfortable bag that'll last for years, with lots of room to pack in extra gadgets. And the Os~re!l Fla~ Jill Pack ($89 list, •••• 0 ) is a cute- buttough bag designed with women in mind.

If you're more the messenger bag type, check out the BQ:o_g_r~i_pa!1 Sha~ow M_~s" senger Ba.g ($199 direct, •••• 0 ). It's

l~' 10 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

spacious enough to hold your laptop (up ($87.99 direct, •••• C) ), This light dayto 15-inches) and any other essential elec- bag has the look and feel of a sleeping bag tronlcs, and has an intriguing security tea- or down jacket. Stuff it with T-shirts and ture.lf it's lost or stolen, Booq will be able it could almost serve as portable pillow. to contact you and arrange for the bag's -Natalie Shoemaker

safe return. For something simpler, there's For more high-tech travel gear, read our

the Case laic Soft-sided Messen feature story in this issue by clicking here.

Microsoft Office 2010

er

As with many new iterations of popular applications, one vital question must be asked: Do you need the new version if you're already comfortable with the previous one? If you're a home or smallbusiness user, probably not. That said, Microsoft packs in enough new conveniences and performance tweaks that you'll actually want this upgrade-not true of every Office upgrade.

The Professional edition of Office includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, Access, and OneNote. Home and small-business users will be most interested in the Office Home and Business edition ($279.99, which omits Publisher and Access), and the Office Home and Student version ($149.99, which omits Publisher, Access, and Outlook). Other, higher-priced editions for corporate and enterprise include tools for working with SharePoint servers and other collaboration tools.

the Office logo that Office 2007 used to replace the "File" menu item. Instead, this new version introduces a "Backstage" view that puts all these functions and more on a spacious menu, complete with print preview. This time around, Office builds in PDF export from the start, though Word still doesn't supply a builtin redaction (content-hiding) tool. Also, you can easily turn the Ribbon on or off by clicking on a new arrow.

-

-

INTERFACE THROWBACK Office 2010 goes Interface Changes back to the File menu, but adds a Backstage

Office 2010 nixes the circular "pearl" with view with easy access to various file options.

12 pC MAGA.ZINE DIGITA.L EDmON JUNE 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Professional, $499.99 direct; Student Version $149.99; Home and Business Version $279.99 .... ()

PROS Ribbon interface in all apps enhances consistency

and usability. A new Backstage menu makes file-management and printing options easy to manage. Superb graphic tools include video editing and image enhancement.. 64-bit version allows huge data sets in Excel. Lightweight Office Web Apps will allow editing in a browser.

CONS The price may discourage upgraders.

Lots of Graphics Options

Apple seems to have gotten MIcrosoft's attention with its innovative iWork 09 suite of office applications, because in Office 2010, Microsoft plays catch-up with advanced photo-editing tools, PowerPoint gets a nifty video-editing tool that lets you drag a timeline to trim a video to an exact length, It also gets Microsoft's new equation editor, which provides some of the most elegant mathematical typography on the planet.

My favorite graphical improvement, however, is the background-removal tool, which saves the foreground object in a photo while removing everything else. It starts out by making a best guess at what parts of an

GRE.ATER GRAPHICS Office 2010 adds new graphics features, such as a backgroundremoval tool for editing photos.

image you want to keep, then displays the rest with garish purple shading .. In my tests, this initial guess never selected exactly the parts I wanted to save, but it took me only about ten seconds to figure out how to add or remove blocks of color from parts I wanted to preserve. Cropping and other image adjustments are now finally as easy as they are on a Mac, with simple mousedragging actions for zooming into an image. Microsoft also built in a full range of "artistic" effects like glow and bevel.


4 _ ~

FIRST LOOKS SOFTWARE

Outlook and Word

There's plenty of good news about Outlook. If you've been bothered for years by its slightly sluggish response, you'll notice some improvement (though it could still be a bit more responsive). The new Ribbon interface makes Outlook easier and

more consistent with the overall package. The new Quick Steps feature automatically performs multiple operations with a single click, and you can add to the supplied Quick Steps by creating your own. A powerful new

feature lets you search Outlook for your Excel and OneNote

GETT:ING AROUND Word's massively improved Navigation pane lets you reorganize a document by dragging elements up and down a list.

Word and Pu bl isher now su pport advanced OpenType typographic features such as "swash" and "linked letters," as well as different "stylistic sets" for subtly changing the look of a document-features only available on the Windows platform within Adobe's Creative Suite (Mac OS X has had these features built-in for years).

other socia! networking services (be aware that you have to download and install software from Linkedln to make it work).

Microsoft Word-surely the most complex and feature-rich application ever written-continues to be awesomely powerful. And it's slightly less annoying than previous editions, too. For example, a new version of the Find dialog appears in a separate pane, and optionally shows you all instances of the searched string at the same time. Other tabs on the Navigation pane include a new high-detail document navigation map that lets you move content around a document by dragging items up and down the map,

GE.T CONNECT'ED Outlook 2010 lets you search your contacts list for those you're connected to on the social-networking site Linkedln.

and a thumbnail preview screen. By combining the map, thumbnails, and Find functions; Word now provides a one-stop tool

for navigating a document.

contacts on Linkedln and-eventually- One of the two best innovations in Excel

14 PC MAGA.ZINE DIGITAL EDitiON JUNE 2010

2010 is very small; the other is very big. The small innovation is Sparklines, a miniature line or bar graph that occupies a single cell, and displays trends or totals from any

1-

SPARK YOUR DATA Those little column graphs in the second column are Excel's new Sparklines, showing miniature graphs of your data.

region of your worksheet. This is a brilliant feature that puts clear graphic information inside a table (typically next to the data that it represents) and makes it easy to visualize information quickly. The big new feature is an enhanced tool set for Pivot Tables, including a Slicer that lets you filter data in a Pivot Table simply by selecting an item in a list, a method that's faster and more intuitive than in previous versions of Excel.

OneNote is Microsoft's flexible and innovative note-taking app, which seems to divide users between those who think it's the greatest tool ever invented, and those who can't see the point. If you're a OneNote fan, you'll love the new version, which lets you create notes while working inside other Office apps and adds a dock-to-desktop feature that keeps the notebook open on

the desktop for easy access while you work in non-Office apps. OneNote also gets welcome improvements to text-formatting features, as well as the Ribbon interface of the rest of the suite.

The Verdict

Admittedly, Office 2010 still has one or two annoying faults, but far fewer than any other large-scale application suite .. In fact, I had to look very hard to find anything to complain about in Office 2010. Microsoft's latest version of its wildly successful productivity suite offers a potent combination of innovation and ease of use, and it adds new features with the shallowest possible learning curve.

t :'t

'1

BETTER MULTIITASKING OneNote now attaches itself to the taskbar tray so that you can add a quick note while working in another application.

If you're a casual user or are on a tight budget, you can probably manage without this upgrade. But if you can afford it, Office 2010 is money wei! spent-and a suite deserving of an Editors' Choice. -Edward Mendelson

«CLICK HERE FOR MORE



Adobe Photoshop CSS E.xtended

Adobe Photoshop CSS Extend,ed Standard Edition, $699 list

•••••

PROS Lots of helpful upgrades to major

tools. Many smaller but useful enhancements. Content-Aware Fill is both mindblowing and astonishingly useful.

CONS Expensive.

otos

Photoshop just keeps getting better. This CS5 version implements features for selection, painting, and .-~- high dynamic range (HDR) pho........ ~. tography, as wei! as a new capability that's as dose to digital prestidigitation as we've seen. Photoshop CS5 may not be a must-have revision for every user, but it's an outstanding, easy-to-use release that shows Adobe isn't done changing the game.

The most eye-popping of the changes here is Content-Aware Fill. Sound familiar? It should-Photoshop CS4 added ContentAware Scaling, so you could resize images to reduce dead space, but preserve the content you cared about. Content-Aware Fill is that idea's logical extension, letting you excise certain elements while preserving the image's background. The results aren't 100 percent flawless, but they're so outstanding in genera! that they may leave you wondering whether you'll ever again send out an

16 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

imperfect image. Other new functions give you expanded ways to deal with images before or after importing, such as the Adobe Camera Raw 6 pluq-in, the Lens Correction filter, and the HDR Pro tool, which makes it easier to tweak over- and underexposed images. Also, the Mixer Brush lets you treat your mouse like a real paintbrush.

As has been true for the last few versions, the Extended version of Photoshop CS5 puts an extra emphasis on 3D. With Repouss8, you can easily convert twodimensional artwork into 3D objects with any extrusion qualities you choose. Shadow Catcher even lets you create no-fuss shadows to accompany your images. But Photoshop's price is definitely a barrier, especially for newcomers, The changes in Photoshop CS5 may not necessarily scream "update" for those with CS4, but for all others it's a must-buy.-Matthew Murray

»CLlCK HERE FOR MORE


Hf: BUTTERFLY 800KS

• I-:W

iWork for iPad

jiWork for j,Pad

$9,99 direct per application •••• 0

PROS Almost full-scale application suite. Ideal for building presentations. More than enough power and ease for working with basic documents and worksheets

CONS Advanced features missing in word processor and spreadsheet. iPad lacks ability to print directly.

·Pad Gets to Wo k

With Apple's iWork for iPad suite

• ,I:

• ~ : .... of office applications, you can do

• _ 'I. .

• - .. real work on your new iPad. The

i t{1'U· .

1'0:" , tablet-based version of Apple's

'.u~

_ililllliiiII suite offers only a basic subset of

features compared with the high-powered OS Xversion of iWork 09. And you probably won't be writing your screenplay or crunching corporate-level numbers on the iPad's cramped on-screen keyboard. But when you start creating documents in the iPad's no-fuss file system, you'll wonder why you ever put up with the complex, awkward way your PC does things.

For example, The iPad doesn't make you save and search for files-you simply open a document from a gallery of documents. You don't need to save files, because the app

saves them for you-continuously. However, this doesn't mean that the iPad is the best of all possible work environments. For example, you can't print directly from the iPad, and getting documents in and out of the iPad via e-mail.iTunes .. ortheiWork.com cloud-based storage is arcane ..

The iPad's Pages word processor works best if you're creating simple docs .. And Numbers packs a surprising amount of power into a tablet-scaled spreadsheet. Keynote feels most at home on the iPad, packing in terrific-looking multi-step transitions. In short. all three apps are bargains and may be enough to let you leave- the laptop behind on your next business trip. -Edward Mendelson



QUICK LOOKS SOFTWARE

SECURITY

Avira Pre.miu.m Security Suite 10

$53.95 direct per year

•• 1)00

• Effective at keeping malware out of a clean system

• Accurate spam filtering

V) • firewall blocks exploits

~ and detects them by

A.

name

• Failed to block real-world attack

• Spam filter slows e-maii

download

tn • Weak phishing protection ~ • Rudimentary parental

u

control and backup

This version corrects a coupie big problems from the last edition, and its spam protection is quite good.

~ But malware and firewall :::i :E

~

m

protection are mediocre.

I.Drive (Spring, 2010) $4.95 direct per month

••• ()O

• Easy setup interface

• Free 2GB account

• Up to five computers ln one account

• Good security options

• Web remote management interface

• Mac version

• No file sharing

• Mac and PC accounts separate

• No file management aop

IOrive has some great features, but there are still some rough edges, cornpared with the competition.

MOBILE BROWSER

Ope,ra Mini. S (for -Ph· . ),

I ... one

Free

••• vo

• Loads Web pages very fast on slow networks

• Great-looking graphical "speed dial" start screen

Product name in RED indicates Editors' choice.

• Doesn't support all the Web technologies that Safari does

• Some interface elements look "non-iPhoney"

Opera Mini doesn't offer as rich a Web experience as does Safari, but it works much better when AT&T's network slows down.

TOmTom L3 (iPhoneOS) Including U.S. and Canada maps, $69.99 direct

•••• 0

-Accurate navigation

• Very informative display - Smooth POI searches

• Dated map graphics

• Traffic module costs extra

TomTom 1.3 is a useful

GPS navigation app that, with each version upgrade, comes closer and closer to a standalone PNO.

< 18 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

-- --- -

- -- ------ - --

DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Print Sbop PtO 2.0 .$89.99 direct

• Thousands of ready-made project templates

• Image gallery with thousands of photos' and clip art

• Intuitive interface

• Helpful video tutorials

• Mail merge

• Difficult to set up layout or align elements beyond templates

• Not for those wanting to create projects from scratch

Print Shop Pro 2.0 is an easy-to-use desktop publishing app that puts scores of templates and images at your disposal.

Apert.ure3 $199 list

• slmple, clean interface

• Excellent photo-organization tools

• Excellent camera raw import

• Tethering

• Resource intensive

• No history window to see previous actions

• No geometry correction

• No Windows version

With face recognition, smart geo-tagging, a rich p.lug-in ecosystem, and all the adjustment and organizational tools of lightroom, Aperture is a serious contender.

VECTOR IMAGE EDITING

Adobe' Illustrato CS5 $599 list; upgrade, $199

•••• 1)

Adobe Dreamweaver CSs, $399 list; upgrade, $199

• Attractlve new tools for creating and refining images

• Extensive, useful artboard enhancements

• Not every user will benefit from all (or even most) of the new features

Although only a couple of its new capabilities are genuinely exciting, Illustrator: CS5 remains the gold standard for vector-image editing.

, •••• 0

• Enhancements to Live View now function with dynamic content

• Useful tools for fixing and interacting with cascading style sheets

• Few major changes from CS4 release

• Sketchy features for beginners

Dreamweaver digs deeper with its CS5 version-at least for advanced users. But beginners may need or want more help.

Vis1t pcrnag.oom for the fu II reviews of these and scores of other software products.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZI'NEDIGITAL EDmON 19 ~

FIRST LOOKS HARDWAR'E

Apple MacBook Pro 15 .. lnch (Core is)

A 0 e Power,ul acBoo

or those Macfans who have been waiting for the updated MacBook Pro line, the wait is over. The new Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Core is) has the same maqnificent-Iookinq aluminu.m chassis as the previous model, but what's inside has ch an ged. He re you get a fast I ntel Core i5 processor and the addition of' Apple's pro prieta ry-a nd sea m less-g ra phicsswitch i ng technology.

While every other laptop has already transitioned to 15.6- and 16-inch screens, Apple is staying true to its 15,.4-inch widescreen, this time with an option for a 1,680-by-1,050 screen resolution (for an added $150). The black, backlit Chidet keys, with backlights beneath them, remain untouched, and you'll enjoy the typing experience. Tneonly feature upgrade worth noting is the increase in storage capacity-320GB, up from 250GB. The midrange and hIgh-end MacBook Pro 15-inchers come standard with 500GB drives,

Since all of my tests are Windows-based, I tested the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Core is) running Boot Camp and Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64-bit. What I found is that

this MacBook is substantially faster than the prevIous-generation, realizing PCMark Vantage and Ci:neHench Rl0 gains of 76 percent and 59 percent, respectively. Against other laptops" however, this MacBook is on even ground. Its video encoding scores (0:46) were only 3 seconds faster than the Acer Aspire AS5740-6378 (0:49) and the Samsung .R580 (0:49). And Apple's, Automatic Switching Graphics (ASG) technology defers to Intel's integrated graphics for tasks like Web surfing, word processing, and listening to music, and switches the Nvidia GeForce 330M chip during 3D game play and pro-level tasks in Photashop, Aperture, and Lightroom. Along with better performance, this is supposed to boost battery life. Although Apple says you'll get 8 to 9 hours of life, MobjleMark2007 reported a score of only 3 hours 21 minutes.

So for folks who need a fast laptop to tin.sh projects on time (and are willing to pay for it) this new MacBook makes sense. But for everyone else, the Samsung R.580 is just as powerfu I and costs half the price.-Cisco Cheng


SPECS 2.4-GHz Intel Core is-520M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 320GB hard drive; 15.4-inch display; Broadcorn 802.11n _ Wi-Fl; 5.5 pounds; 77,5-Wh battery; Mat OS X 10.6.3 ..

20 PC MAGA.ZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

-- --- --

PERFORMANCE TESTS

A Hi g'h 5 cores are best. 'Y LOw 5 cores are best. Bold type denotes ~rst place.

Apple Macbook Pro lS~inch (Core is) ~BootCamp

Apple Macbook Pro IS-inch (SO Slot) -Boot Camp

Acer Aspire ASS740-6378

Samsung R580

Apple MacBook Pro 15 .. inch (Core is) $1,799 direct

•••• 0

PROS Superior design engineering. Seamless switching graphics technology. Fast Core is processor. Bigger battery. Illuminated keyboard. New motion scrolling multitouch gesture. Versatile touchpad. Higher resolutions with anti-glare available.

CONS Pricier than its predecessor.

MULTIMEDIA TESTS

WINDOWS r

MEDIA EN·

CODER CINEBENCH

'Y (mlnrsec) RIO A

PHOTOSHOP CS4

T (minsecl

PCMARK
MOBILEMARK I VANTAGE 3DMARK06
2007 .A (nr:min) or .A (hr:min) .A (hr:min)
5,677 3:21 7,.371
3,217 5:30 12,429
5,426 3:22 N/A
5,779 3:42 14,165 0:46 8,211
1:11 5,167
0:49 7,535
0:49 7,824 0:32

0:32

0:31 0:31

REO denotes Editors' Choice. NjA-Not applicable: The product could not complete the test, or the test was not compatible .• This test was run at 1.024 by 7&8 resolution.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 21 ~ 1

FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE

Asus U30JC .. 1A

AB eD-a 0 aptop

•• Three months after Intel launched ., .: its Core i3, Core is, and Core i 7 __ !ill processors, we still haven't seen liiiIi~iII modestly-priced lightweight and ultraportable laptops that don't sacrifice power for battery life. That's why the metal-clad Asus U30Jc-1A is a welcome addition to the 'market: It's 13 inches of pure muscle, running on a Core i3 processor and two GPUs-an Intel integrated chipset and an Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics card. And because it scored 8 hours of battery !'ife and does all of this for a delectable price, handing it the Editors' Choice in the mainstream laptop category is a no-brainer.

The U30Jc-1A uses attractive metals on the lid and allover the palm rests (the, rest of the body is made of plastics). Because of the standard-voltage Core i3 processor and a big battery (84-Wh), the U30Jc-1A weighs 4.7 pounds, Its 13 .. 3-inch widescreen has as much workspace as the MacBook Pro 13-inch, despite having different screen resolutions. The island-style keyboard means the U30Jc-1AJs square keys are non-interconnecting. Other fea-

Asus U30Jc-1A $899 list .... .,

Pros: Two GPUs. Nvidia Optimus can seamJessJy switch between the two GPUs. Excellent battery life. Full-size' keyboard. Metallic top. Big battery. Excellent battery life. Good performance scores.

'Cons: No ExpressCard slot

tures are standard for this category.

Running on the latest 2.27-GHz Intel Core i3-350M processor and paired with 4GB of DDR3 memory, the U30Jc-1A finished our video-encoding tests in 54 seconds, outperforming many of its competitors. And it took top honors in PCMark Vantage (5,068) and CineBench R1.0 (7,062) tests. But you'd expect that from a higher-clocked processor. Its switchable graphics resulted in both excellent battery Life and leading scores on 3DMark06,. Crysis, andWor!d in Conflict tests. Basically, it's as close to a complete package as you will get in the 13-inch space, without spending an arm and a .Ieg.-Cisco Cheng

»CLlCK HERE F,OR MORE

SPECS 2.27-GHz Intel Cora i3~350M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 320GB hard drive; Intel GMA HD (Core i3) and Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics; 13.3-inch display; Atheros 802,1111 Wi-Fi; 4.7 pounds; 84-Wh battery; Windows 7 Home Premium 64·bit.

pC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDrTlON .JUNE 2010

FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE

Fusion Garage JooJoo

ad

00

00

keptics balked when Apple announced that pricing for the iPad would start at $499 (for 16GB). That's a lot of coin for a riot-quite-computer. Now Fusion Garage's JooJoo is finally here, and it, too, starts at $499. But it offers only 4GB of storage, has no apps, and is Little more than a touch-screen-based Web browser. The inclusion of Flash support is one clear advantage over the iPad, but it is nevertheless a one-dimensional device.

Measuri ng 7.8 by 12.8 by 0.7inch,es (HWD) and weighing a portly 2.4 pounds, the JooJoo really needs a lap or a desktop to rest on. Its bright, good-looking 12.1- inch multitouch capacitive screen features 1,366-by-768-pixel resolution, It also has a webcam-something the iPad lacks. Inside, there's an accelerometer so the screen orientation shifts between portrait and landscape modes, and support for 802.11g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, but Bluetooth functionality is not yet enabled. (Like many of the .Joo.Joo's specs, actual functionality will be added via firmware update.)

In addition to the device getting very hot during operation, there are number of other gl'itches. Many of them are due to its browser-based operating system, Simply

Fusion GarageJ,ooJoo $499 list

.()OOO

PROS large 12.1-inch touch screen. Browser supports Flash. No productivity apps, but you can use GQogle Docs for word processing and spreadsheet functions.

CONS Crashes often. Heavy. Basic functionalIty requlres future firmware updates. Touchscreen is gesture-based; no multitouch (pinch and zoom) support. Aside from Web browsing, doesn't do much else. Can't use USB port

or camera yet.

put, the interface doesn't work very well. If you don't use your JooJoo for a bit, the screen 9.oes to sleep-but it's hard to wake up .. Many of the controls didn't work the first time and the touch screen was often unresponsive. And the JooJoo crashed on me more than once. Though the company promises fixes, the JooJoo is for now an illadvised investment-Tim Gideon

»CLICK HERE FOR MORE

SPECS l6-GHz Intel Atom processor; 4GB solid state drive; lntel Atorneraphics: hard drive; 12.l-inch display; 802.11n Wi·Fi; 2.4 pounds.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EOITION 23 > I

Velocity Micro Raptor Z90

$5,499 direct

•••• 0

QUICK LOOKS HARDWARE

I

LAPTOPS

• Dual-graphics-card

performance

U1 • Overclocked six-core

o

'" A.

processor

• No bloatware

• Some expansion room

r~

z

8

• Dated styling

• Still expensive

• Hard drive is a bit small

• Won't burn Blu-ray discs

Samsung RS80 $830 list

' •••• 0

• Blu-ray included

• Core .is processor

• Midrange Nvidia graphics card

• Speedy laptop

• Very nice design

The Z90 is a good "bang ~ for the buck" gaming PCs, :i but it still doesn't have all ::::E

o the bells and whistles of

15

m

• HO resolution, but only nop

The R580 desktop replacement has two things you won't typically find at this price: a Core i5 processor and a Blu-ray drive.

2.27-GHz tntel Core i5-430M processor; 4GB SDRAM; 500GB hard drive; Nvidia GeForce 310M graphics; IS.6-inch display; 5.5 pounds; 4S-Wh battery; Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

Toshiba Satellite PSOS .. 58010

$950 direct

• Gigantic widescreen

• Intel Core i3 processor

• Good gaming scores

• FireWire and 500GB hard drive

Dell Ultrasharp U2711. $1,099 direct

•••• 0

• Very good color and light grayscale performance

• lots of A/V ports and multimedia features

• Wide viewing angle

some competitors.

3.33-GHz Intel Core 17- 980X processor; 6GB ODR3 SDRAM; 64GB SSD drive and ITB SATA hard drive;

~ Two ATI Radeon HO 5970 A.

VI graphics cards; Bill-ray

drive: Windows 7 Home Premium (64~bit).

• Touch-sensitive buttons are too sensitive

• Gesture touchpad needs tweaking

• No Bill-ray drive

The Satellite P505-S8010 is a powerful, big-screen media center, but the user experience needs a lot of work.

2..13-GHz Intel Core. i3- 330M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM; 500GB hard drive;. nVidia GeForce 310M graphics; 18,4 display; 9.2 pounds; 44~Wh battery; Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).

• Pricey

• Some trouble displaying dark grays

• No pivot adjustment

The UltraSharp U2711lives up to its name and displays an excellent array of colors, though it had trouble with dark grays.

27 inches; 2,560 by 1,440 native resolution; 480i and 10S0p supported; 16.:9 aspect ratio; analog VGAI Dig.ital. (OVI-O), and HOM[ inputs.

Product name in RED indicates Editors' Choice.

pC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

NEe MultiSync PA241 W $1,049Iist

•••• 0

• Very good performance

• Excellent viewing angles

• Highly adjustable stand

• Four-year warranty

• Pricey

• No HOM] port

The MultiSync PA241 W is

a well-appointed display offering outstanding color, grayscale, and text qualitythough at a premium price,

24 inches; 1,920 by 1,200 native resolution: analog VGA" Digital (OVI-D) inputs.

ROUTERS

Cisco Valet Plus, $149.99 list

• Easy setup

• Good performance

• Perfect for a home/family network

• Throughput still not highest we have seen in this router class

• Confusing display icons

Ever wanted a router that's a fast performer but still easy enough for networking newbies? Meet the Cisco ValPlus.

802.nn; WPA security.

Visit p ema g.c.om for the fu II reviews of thes-e and scores of other hardware products.

SCANNERS

HP Lasedet Pro PI10Zw $149 direct

' ••• ()O

• Small

• Low cost

• Fast

• Wi-Fi included

• Reasonably high-quality output

• Low paper capacity

• High cost per page

• Manual duplex only

Small enough to sit on your desk as a personal monochrome laser, the Pl102w is faster than the model it replaces, adds Wi-FI, and costs less.

Monochrome laser; 19-ppm rated speed (mono); 7.7 by 13.7 by 9.4 inches (HWD); u.s pounds.

N eat Receipts $199.95 direct

••• ()O

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE O'IGITAL EDITION 25 ~

• Scans and manages receipts, business cards, and documents

• Scans to searchable PDFs

• Twain and WIA drivers

• Limited document management

NeatReceipts combines a portable scanner with software designed to scan and manage receipts, business cards, and documents.

GOO-pixel maximum optical resolution; 1.3 by 10.8 by 1.8 inches (HWD); 10.6 ounces.

FIRST L.OOKS BUSINESS

AH-g - Sea e

eatOesk is The Neat Company's other scanner package, with the same software as the original NeatReceipts but a different class of scanner. The software in both is focused on managing receipts, and, to a lesser extent, business cards and documents. The big difference is that instead of the portable. manual-fed scanner in NeatReceipts, NeatOesk includes a 24-page-pe.r-minute (ppm) desktop document scanner complete with a 50-page automatic document feeder (AOF). One other thing: it also costs twice as much.

The NeatOesk scanner is a typical size for a personal desktop scanner, with a 10.8- by 7.5-inch CWO) footprint. The overall design is fairly standard, with the input tray on the top back and the output tray on the bottom front. One unusual touch is that instead of adjustable edge guides for feeding paper, the input tray includes an insert that offers three slots with permanently set widths-8.5 inches for documents, 3.5 inches for receipts, and 2.25 inches for business cards. Each slot is designed to take a maximum of15 items at a time.

The scanner's also SUitably capable, With a

26 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 20.10

Doe

600-pixel-per-inch (ppi) optical resolution, which i~. typical for document scanners. It's rated at 24 ppm in simplex mode (scanning one side of a page at a time) and 48 images per minute (iorn) in duplex mode.

On PCMag performance tests, I timed the actual scan for our standard 25-sheet. double-sided text documentat 59 seconds in duplex mode, which works out to a touch faster than 25 ppm and 50 ipm. The total ti me for sea nni ng, recog n i zi ng the text, convertinq it to a searchable PDF file, and then launching Acrobat with the file loaded, was 5 minutes 35 seconds, which is a relatively long time for scanners in the NeatOesk's price range. NeatDesk did a particularly good job with business cards, however. One minor issue 1 ran into with the ADF wast'hat it tended to feed two and sometimes three receipts at a time and also tended to crumple-the receipts while-feeding them.

In the end, if the only features you need are receipt management and business-card management, the NeatOesk hardware may be more scanner than you need, and you might be better off with the less-expensive NeatReceipts.-M. David Stone


NeatDesk $399 .. 95 direct ••• ()O

PROS Scans and manages receipts, business cards, and documents. Scans to searchable PDFs. 50-page automatic document feeder.

CONS Included program is designed well but is highly limited.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 27 ~ II

FIRST L.OOKS BUSINESS

LogMeln Cent:ral

ass

ogMeln Central is a Webbased management solution for remotely accessing and monitoring mu ltiple machines called "hosts." The machine used to access hosts remotely is called the "client." Central is used to access and manage host machines running LogMeln Free or Log·Meln Pro. It eliminates a lot of the complexity of setup often found in older, more traditional remote-control solutions like pcAnywhere.

Within seconds of installing the software on three host machines, I could see all three fisted on the home page of LogMeln's management console. One of the three machines I tested was a Windows 7 Virtual Machine, not an actual physical PC, and working with it using LogMein Central was as smooth a process as working with actual computers. Cent ral's eye-pleasing console allows for full-screen view of remote desktops and the ability to zoom, Remote machines can be added to groups, and there is baked-in security which includes AES 2S6-bit encryption between host and Client, IP-address filtering, and Denial-ofService protection for host machines and for LogMeln.com. Charts and reports round

28 pC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

LogMeln Central $49.99 direct per month •••• 0

PROS One-stop shop for the diagnostics, reporting, inventory, and remote control of multiple computers, Easy. effic.ient management of machines running LogMeln Free or LogMeln Pro-D. Works with Ma,c and Windows.

CONS Pricey and not needed if basic remote access is required. No Unux support.

out the featu re set to provide in-depth information about managed machines, another feature that alternate solutions like VNC often lack.

Overall, LogMe!n Central is an easy, inexpensive, and powerful way to manage and troubleshoot multiple host machines running LogMeln Free or LogMe!n Pro; it is also ideal for small to mid-size IT support teams that would benefit from the diagnostic and management tools and the inventory feature. Even the free version on host pes is going to give a nascent IT person plenty of centralized control.-Samara Lynn


FIRST LOOKS BUSINESS

HP LaserJet Pro P160:6dn Pri,nter

Z· py, Eco-

F · end .y Laser

Whether you want a personal monochrome laser small enough to share you r desk with, or a shared printer suitable for a small office, the HP LaserJet Pro P1606dn is worth a close look. It's compact, strong on text quality, speedy, includes a network connector for easy sharing, and offers reasonably capable paper handling. It's a little weak on graphics and photo quality, however.

At 9,7 by 15.2 by 11.2 inches (HWD) and only 15 . .4 pounds, the P1606dn is both smaller and lighter than most ink jets. However, it's large enough to hold a 250-sheet paper tray as well as a built-in duplexer. In addition, the 10-sheet multipurpose tray is a useful extra that lets you print on special paper without having to swap out the paper in the tray.

The P1606dn stands out for its speed. HP rates the engine at a substantial 26 pages per minute (ppm), and on our tests, the printer delivered on the company's claim: I timed the P1606dn on our business applications suite at an impressively fast 5-m'inute 36-second total (notably faster than anything else in its price range). Text quality was also quite good. Graphics, however, were less impressive, with visible dither-

HP LaserJet Pro P1606dn Printer $229 direct

•••• 0

PROS Fast. High-quality text. Reasonably good paper capacity. Automatic duplexing. Ethernet connection.

CONS Photo quality is at the low end of the range for mono lasers.

ing,.a tendency to lose thin lines, and a streaking effect. This printer is also the first monochrome laser to earn our GreenTech Approved seal for being RoHS and REACH compliant, Energy Star 1..1 qualified, and Blue Ange! certified, and easily recycled, among other factors,

The P1606dn's limitations for graphics and photo quality are enough to keep it from being an Editors' Choice, but if those are not an issue, then this printer is a great choi·ce.-f\1. David Stone


JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE .DIGITAL EDITION 29

FIRST LOOKS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

HTC HD2 (T-Mobile)

W· dows as Sta

e's

o

--- clous glass of the finest lemon_ ..... ade you've ever had. Yes,

Microsoft is shifting its focus to Windows Phone 7 and leaving the non-upgradeable HD2 behind. But if you focus on what this phone can do, and ignore the HD2's creaky, older OS-easily done, given HTC's beautiful Sense UI-you'll find a gorgeous, spectacularly powerful smartphone for business and for pleasure.

The extra-slim HD2 measures 4.74 by 2.64 by 0.43 inches CHWO) and weighs 5.54 ounces, making it a bit longer, wider, and thinner than the iPhone 3GS. The HD2 features soft-touch sides, a brushed aluminum back panel, and a 4.3-inch glass capacitive touch screen with 480-by-800-plxel resolution. In addition to the g.orgeous screen, it packs a fast l-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor-the first we've seen in a U.S. Windows Mobile phone.

HTC Sense is a big step ahead of 2007's HTe TouchFLO UL It features plenty of home-screen animation, a slid.ing icon bar at the bottom, and beautifully designed

30 PC MAGA.ZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

apps for common tasks.

On our tests, I had no problem logging onto a WPA2-encrypted 802.119 network. Voice calls sounded clear and warm. Reception was average. Calls sounded f.ine through my Bluetooth headset, .and the speakerphone was loud and powerful. Battery lite was somewhat short but not a dealbreaker at 6 hours, 8 'minutes of talk time in EDGE mode, probably because af the drain from that vast screen.

As for Windows Mobilej it is basically a dead as with poor task management, crappy built-in apps, and uneven multimedia performance. HTC patched most of these problems on the HD2, but that still doesn't change the fact that the app market for Windows Mobile is dying, making the HD2 basically frozen in time. It feels strange to bestow the Editors' Choice award for T-Mobile smartphones on a device with an obsolete as and fading third-party app market. But if you're looking for an audio, video, and Web browsing multimedia powerhouse, this is the best smartphone in T-Mobile's lineup-bar none.-Jamie i.endino

«CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Are you all as e cited as I am

abo e klck-off meeting this

coming Th Jrsday. I can't wait to hear an the great ideas. I've already heard lit Ie previews In our conversations in he halt and rm really 100 ing forward to leaming abo he etail.

a so have a litt e surprise 0 share i h you.

S e you all on Thursday. Je nifer


Cisco Flip SlideHD

$279.99 direct ••• ()O

Pros Pivoting 3-inch LCD. Simple-to-use, touch-screen interface. 16GB of embedded storage. Loud speakers. HDMI out. Included FlipShare software simplifies video management and sharing.

Cons Very expensive. No still-image capture. No 1080p recording; limited to a single 720p30 resolution .. No microphone input. Only a portion of the LCD is usable while recording' video.

Cisco Flip SlideHD

A New Way to F

•

p

ntll now, Flip and many of its pocket camcorder competitors have concentrated solely on easy video recording and sharing. W,ith the Flip SlideHD, the focus shifts to include the video-viewing experience. With its tilting 3-inch LCD and loud speakers, this camera instantly transforms to a portable viewer. You also get 16GB of built-in storage, an easy-to-use touch-screen UI, and on-board software for video shartnq+but that's about it. !f you're looking for features like 1080p HD, stillimage capture, zoom, or a macro recording mode, you won't find them here,

Measuring 4.1 by 2.1 by 0.9 inches (HWD), the S.9-ounce SlideHD is thicker and more than an ounce heavier than the Flip MihoHD we reviewed back in 2008. On the bottom panel you'll find a headphone jack, miniHDMI port (for conhecting to an HDTV) a.nd


tripod connector. The SlideHD has only one physical button (for power) on the camera's right side, and a touch strip that's used for navigation during video playback For everything else, you'll need the SlideHD's banner (and namesake) feature: the sliding 3-inch (400-by-240-pixel) touch screen.

On our tests, video captured with the SlideHD looke.d good under a variety of lighting conditions. Uke most pocket HD camcorders, the SlIdeHD does not offer autofocus. And the FlipShare software on the camera offers a single, easy-to-use solution for managing your videos. So although the SlideHD is a well-designed! all-in-one device for HD video recording and viewing, its price and limited feature set mean that for many, the Sony and Kodak competitors are stronger! more versatile choices.-PJ Jacobowitz

»CUCK HERE, FOR MORE


Sam.5ung BO"C6500

A u eat 8,

-

red

-ray .ayer

-~ .. There's a lot to like about Samsung's BD-C6500, from its reasonable price to its wealth of Web '~!'.!Wl!Wi1 apps and widgets, not to mention

mil, excellent HD picture quality. Throw in integrated Wi-Fi, lots of A/V ports, 1GB of internal memory, and a cleverly designed remote, and you've got our latest Editors' Choice for rnid-ranqe Btu-ray players.

The BD~C6500's 1.7-by-16.9-by-8.8-inch (HWD) very compact piano-black cabinet sports a faux brushed-metal front panel with a mirrored display panel placed in the middle. The display uses big, bright LEDs to provide disc status, playing time, and Wi-Fi status. On the rear pane! you'll find a wealth of A/V connections, including HDMI, component, and composite ports, as well as a secondary USB port In addition to an optical digital audio output and stereo analog jacks, you get eight analog outputs for connecting to a 7.1 surround-sound system. This player can also connect to the Web via an 802.11n adapter or Ethernet port.

On our tests, the player took an average of 10 seconds to load my test Blu-ray discs;

Samsun.gBD-C6500 $249.99 list

••• ,.0

Pros Top-notch HD image quality. Robust selection of Web features including games. Includes 1GB of internal memory. Eight analog outputs for connecting to a 7.1 surround-sound system. Supports DlNA.

CONS Some SD-upconversion artifacts. limited front panel controls.

making it one of the fastest players we've seen. Btu-ray playback performance is also top-notcb=cr.sp and free of artifacts like jaggies and background noise. The player handled the HD HQV benchmarks without incident The BD~C6500 is also energy efficient, consuming an average of 13 watts while playing a Blu-ray disc, which works out to a monthly operating cost of about 17 cents.

Overall, the BD~C6500 is an excellent example of how Blu-ray players have evolved into multifunction home theater devices.-John R. Delaney

»CUCK HERE FOR MORE


~Ij

QUICK LOOKS CONSU,MER ELECTRONICS

SMARTPHONES

Sony Ericsson Naite $159 .. 99 direct

•••• 0

• Classy style

• Good voice quality '" • Well designed UI

.~ • Excellent music and video

A. playback

• Inexpensive for an unlocked world phone

• No GPS

• Proprietary headphone jack

V1 ~ • Weak speakerphone u

Sony Ericsson scores with LtoI the Naite. a powerful

z

::::i unlocked phone that works

~ on high-speed networks

IS here and overseas-all at a III tempting price.

AT&T, T -Mobile; 2.2-inch LCD; 2MP camera; Blue~ tooth; 4.3 by 1.9 by 0.5

LtoI

e; inches (HWD); 3 ounces,

LG Accolade VXS600 $9.99 to $199.99 direct

• Pleasant, compact design

• Big numeric keypad

• Good voice quality

• Excellent battery life

• No music player or video recorder

• Very little internal memory

The LG Accolade is the best basic phone on Verizon for simple voice-and-text use, but don't try to use it for more than that.

Verizon Wireless; 2-inch LCD; 1.3MP camera; Bluetooth: 3.6 by 1.8 by 0.7 inches (HWD): 3 ounces.

Product name in RED indicates Edjtor,s" Choice.

< 34 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

Motorola i890 $129.99 list

••• vo

• StYlish for a Nextel

• Solid build Quality

• Glear voice calls

• Booming speakerphone

• Poor multimedia prowess

• Blurry camer:a

The Motorola i890 is exactly as advertised: a quality push-to-talkflip phone with few extra frills.

Sprint; z.z-incn LCD; 2MP camera; Bluetooth; 3.9 by 2.0 PY 0.7 inches (HWD)j 4.2 ounces.

Sony Blog.gie MHS .. PM5 $169.99 direct

•••• 0

• tow price

• Sharp video and 5~mega~ pixel still images

• 2A-inch LCD

• lens swivels 270 degrees

• Only top half of display is viewable during video recording

• No HDMI out for playback on HDTVs

• No mi c input or macro

focusing feature

Silly name notwithstanding,. the slick Sony Bloggie is easy to use and delivers great image quality and features.

5MP resolution; still-image capture; digital image stabi.lization; 47-mm focal length: 4.4 by 2.2 by 0.7 inches (HWD); 4.5~ounce.

CAMERAS

N'ikon Coolpix STO $299.95Iist

•• voo

• Attractive. design

• High-contrast 3.5-inch OLEO screen

• Multi-touch screen offers vibrant colors

• Charges via USB

• Expensive

• Low-resolution display

• Oversensitive optical zoom

• Noticeable shutter lag

• Images suffer from color

fringing

N ikon's touch -screenOLEO-equipped Coolpix

570 has great potential, but its mediocre image quality, low-resolution display, and high price underwhelm.

compact; 12.1 meg,apixels; 5X opttcal zoom; 3.5-'inch LCO; HO video capture; 2.4 by 3.8 by 0.8 inches (HWO),

Garmin niivi 1390T $269.99 list

•••• 0

• Accurate navigation

• Smooth map animation

• Well-timed voice prompts

• Two lane-assist modes

• lifetime traffic comes with frequent ads, even if you turn the feature off

• No 3D landmarks or multisegment routing

Despite pesky ads that come with free lifetime traffic, the nuvi 1390 brings many high-end navigation features down to a budget price point.

Preloaded maps; Turn-byturn directions; 3D view; touch-screen displaYi

2.9 by 4 .. 8 by 0.6 inches (HWD).

SPEAKERS

Visit pcmag.£Om for the full reviews Qf these and other consumer electronics products.

Creative I!nspir~ S2 Wireless

$1:49.99 direct

••• {)O

• Quality audio performance

• Simple wireless set up

• Small desktop footprint

.' Bluetooth offers mediocre sound quality

• Not completely wireless; satellites connect to the subwoefar with wires

• No remote control

Sound snobs should steer clear, but the Inspire 52 manages to overcome many Bluetooth audio shortcomi ng5.

2.1-channel; subwoofer; 7 watts RMS per channel (speakers); 4.1 by 2.9 by 2.9 inches (HWO).

Apple iPad Keyboa'rd Dock

$69 direct

•• '.C)o

• Provides a physical keyboard for the iPad

• Slick design

• 'Doubles as a stand for photo or video viewing

• No way to dock the iPad horizon tally

• Can't adjust the amount of space between your eyes and the iPad's screen

If you want an iPad, but you're not ready to commit fully to an on-screen keyboard, the iPad Keyboard 'Dock is a solid solution.

0.5 by 11 by 4.5 inches CHWD).

JUNE 2010 PC MA'GAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 35 ~

JOHN C. DVORAK

he recent flap over a Pennsylvania school district's use of tracking software on schoolissued laptops, supposedly to locate those that were stolen, makes me wonder how much ilLegal snooping goes on everywhere, whether initially intended or not.

If you didn't follow this story from the outset, the school district, near Philadelpnia, provided students with free Apple laptops that had a theft-protection scheme in place; the laptop cameras could be turned on remotely for security purposes. So if a person st 0.1 e, the laptop, he or she could be identified on the camera. This was the basic justIfication for the program.

The case took an interesting turn when it turned out that the district had captured 56,000 photos from various laptops. Catching a high school kid naked in his or her room would constitute the collection of kiddie porn, another complication for these boneheads. The school district says none of the images caught anyone naked, though this seems hard to believe.

Unfortunately every sort of scheme like this one spirals out of control. Power cor-

36 pC MAoGAZI,NE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

.. urve~lIance

rupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So maybe the school officials or their minions or both decide that this ability to turn on cam is more than a tool; it's a fun toy! One kid captured in the images and his family are suing the school district, and the FB! is investigating the situation for illegal wiretapping, with possible criminal implications.

The Need for Ethics 101

Very few schools teach civics or ethics anymore, and apparently few school teachers or administrators know what these terms mean. I have not heard much in the way of outrage by any other schools regarding this practice, which began w.ith monitoring stolen goods and appears to have deteriorated into out-and-out spying and surveillance for fun. What does this tell you about American school systems? They're top heavy with administration and out of touch with reality. No wonder parents want to horne-school.

I honestly do not believe that at any point in the surveillance program did the school snoops think they were doing anything wrong or unethical. This is the real problem here. In fact I'm sure some of the folks beIng

f

II

rounded up are actually stunned by this investigation. "But we didn't know!"

I'm not sure how anyone can come to the conclusion that you can just turn on computer cameras inside private residences Orwellian-style, just to see what's going on out of curiosity. This is the kind of thinking you miqht have as a goofy 12-year-old before you Learn about legality, and ethlcs, But these are adults with serious responsibilities. And I think it is the tip of a very big iceberg-one that no one is talking about.

Does anyone seriously believe this is an isolated incident? If you watch TV cop dramas this sort of thing is out-and-out promoted as the way to catch the bad guys. And in the USA lately, the entire public is seen as a potential bad guy, no matter the reality or likelihood. Everyone is a suspect getting on an airplane. Everyone is a suspect walking down the street. And public cameras are everywhere.

So it is not a leap of faith to just spy on everyone; after all, someone is probably doing something wrong, and maybe we can catch them this way. And as expected, someone was doing something wrong: the person surreptitiously viewing the cameras.

I can assure you other schools around the country are erasing their 56,000 photos ASAP as this case unfolds. I can assure

you that whatever snooping program was used by the school district wasn't sold to just one customer. It surely wasn't coded in-house. Hopefully some irked supervisors will emerge and blow the whistle on other offenders.

Unless we want to just give up on freedoms and liberties in this country, this sort of Big Brother-is-watching-you nonsense has got to stop. If any leniency is shown toward the school district-any whatsoever-then the wrong message will be sent. The prosecutors have to throw the book at these jokers. For starters, a school is supposed to exemplify good, not evil. illegal activity cannot be tolerated within the American school structure,

Meanwhile, my advice to people using loaned computers like this is to always assume there is some sort of spyware planted. If you cannot find a way to ferret it out, at least tape over the camera and the microphone hole of these machines, and don't use it for any sort of computerto-computer chatting, Just assume you're being watched and heard. Because you probably are.

DVORAK UVE ON TH.E WEB John's Internet TV show airs every Wednesday at 3:30 ET on Cranky Geeks.com. You can download back episodes whenever you like.

JUNE 2010

SASCHA SEGAN

ha

d

I

lackBerry as 6 is coming, and it isn't enough.

RIM's new BlackBerry as has a lot of steps forward, and it addresses one of the BlackBerry platform's biggest failings, the lack of a decent Web browser .. But just like Windows Mobile 6.5 did, the BlackBerry as has deeper issues that require a major refresh if RIM is going to keep up with the pace. at which Android and Apple. are gainIng new customers.

The BlackBerry isn't doing poorly, It's by far the number-one smartphone model in the U.S., with over 40 percent of the market. Its enterprise base seems solid. But its recent consumer success owes a I ittle too much to buy-one-get-one-free BlackBerry Curve deals offered by major carriers rather than an offeri'ng of compelling consumer software.

BlackBerry's Core Problem

As with Windows Mobile 6.5, the BlackBerry's problem is at the basic core of its OS. The issue isn't with Blacklserry's unique client-and-server system .. RI.M's CEOs are obsessed with how the BlackBerry's system


optimizes data and puts less stress on carrier networks. That's great.

And I'm not one of the folks who believes that RIM needs to go whole-hog with touch screens and try to do everything Apple is doing, just because Apple is doing it. There's a huge market for phones with hardware keyboards, and RIM makes the best of them.

The company's biggest problem is that BlackBerry as isn't a great environment for creating truly cool third-party software. The as is a mess of Java APls that have encrusted over various years on top of an ancient RTOS (real-time operating system) core. In some ways, it's closer to programminq for an LG enV than programming for an iPhone. BlackBerry App World, meanwhile, has become known as an awkward way of buying software.

Substance Wiithout Pizazz

The resu It is that RIM is way beh i nd the cu rve in having a rich array of consumer-focused apps. Yes) the company has absolutely terrific enterprise solutions, and a few consumer standouts like Vtlgo. And RIM's chief executive Mike Lazaridis makes a good point when he says that BlackBerry apps often

ay

do a good job of connecting to different kinds of data. But there isn't the enthusiasm among developers for creating programs like great 3D games and augmented-reality experiences that there is for the iPhone, Android, or even Wjndows Phone 7.

You could argue that RIM's diversity of form factors-touch and non-touch, as well as different screen sizes-are part of the problem. Recently Lazaridis said that RIM is "working towards harmonizing the platform as best we can," which will h.elp.

But developers also want deep tools that let them access cuttnq-adqe hardware easllv. That's why the iPhone has 180,000 apps-it has by far the best API of any mobile platform, balancing ease of use with the ability to access the hardware.

At a recent analyst's conference,RIM touted its hug.e number of APls. That's not actually a plus, because it doesn't speak to the elegance of those APls. Developers are enthusiastic about writing for iPhone, and at least intrigued about writing for Android. Writing for BlackBerry is a chore.

Several times, M'icrosoft has suffered the same problem as RIM. Afraid of scaring off corporate customers, Microsoft kept Windows Mobile in aspic until the company realized the OS was unsalvageable. But its solution-making Windows Mobile 7 a consumer-focused 05_, and throwinq away many business-friendly sales points-isn't going to work for BlackBerry.

Cry

•

a

..

RIM's Way Out

RIM's two CEOs have hinted that they're aware they need a new core .os. RIM's acquisition of QNX, which makes a Unuxlike kernel mostly used in cars, points the way to a potential new start for the BlackBerry as.

The fact that existing RIM applications are written in Java is also a potentia! lifesaver. A new BlackBerry as could run existing BlackBerry applications in a virtualmachine compatibility layer, while offering deep new APls to allow programmers to create much better software in the future.

Yeah, sure, that OS should have big animated transitions that wow users, and a lot of bells, whistles, and chrome. That's the price of admission, and that's what gets folks initially excited,

RIM could also use some cutting-edge hardware. The company doesn't like to play the spec game, but having a hero product with a world-class screen, camera, or modem could help remind people that RIM is a leader in the field.

Primarily, though, we're entering a world where smartphone platforms live and die on the strength of their third-party app communities.lf RIM doesn't want to be reduced to selling messaging phones, it needs to gut and rebui!d its OS-pronto.

STAY PHON:E .. SMART Keep up with the latest onsmartphones by reading Sascha's.column at go.pc:mag.com/segan.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE D1GlTAl EDITION

DAN COSTA

Inves

•

I

eWe

o

end ors are fu ri 0 usly creating apps for the Apple iPad. However, they've also expressed a deep exasperation at the effort and cost required to build separate applications for every mobile platform. After all. the iPad is just the latest in a long line of mobile platforms that developers and content providers must support in order to reach new audiences. The list now includes the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows MobU.e, Badu, Symbian, and, if one feels charitable, Palm's webOS. Meanwhile, company reps I spoke to said that the future was really in mobile Wet,) sites based on open Internet standards. So what's the holdup?

Driving the Market

As much as the media is obsessed with smartphones, nationwide they represent less than 20 percent of mobile users. The vast majority of Americans still use "dumb" feature phones. That is a huge market, but the only way to get an applkation or pub-

40 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE2010

lication on a feature phone is to cut a deal with the carrier, which is difficult and rarely profitab le. PI us, sma rtphone customers use a lot m.ore data and drive many more page views than feature phone users. The commonly cited statistic is that application users are about 15 times more active than people who are browsing a mobile Web site.

That alone tells the story of why everyone is so focused on building mobile applications. The tunnel vision that comes when you are using a mobile app is fantastic. Unfortunately, with 150,000 apps in the iTunes Store, it can be darn difficult to get people to notice your new app, A mobile Web paqe, however, is universal and always accessible. And with the impending rollout of HTMLS, it can also be pretty sophisticated. The question is, when can we all stop chasing each new mobile platform and settle on acommon standard?

Getting Together

I moderated a panel at the Thlnkt-loblle conference in New York this spring; and I asked

•

e

st

.,

•

an important question to my guests, Robert Spier, NPRorg's director of content development, and John Waanders, head of mobile at Bloomberg Media: In 2012, will you be running from platform to platform developing apps, or will you be updating a single Webbased presence? Both said that the mobile Web is the futu reo "We're pou ri ng a lot of concrete that isn't easily rspurposed,' Spier said.

And yet, for now, we have to settle for mobile apps. Indeed, we may never get away from apps. As it is, app consumersare much more engaged than Web users. NPR's iPhone and Android users consume up to six time'S more page views as traditional NPR.org Web viewers. Using a mobile app focuses the user's attention; you don't have to let them out to the regular Web unless the app provider allows it-most don't.

Stuck With Multiple Platforms

Still, that tunnel vision comes at a price, and what is sacrificed is often ubiquity. Most PCMag readers have a smartphone; but as we have established, most people don't. And for the foreseeable future, even the mighty iPhone will be lirnlted to AT&T subscribers. That means the market will remain a mix of iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, and yes, even webOS, for years to come, to say nothing of the semi-silent majority of users who don't carry smartphones .. For these people, indeed for all of us, a vibrant, open mobile Web is the best

option for both sustainable content creation and maximum consumer choice.

That is part of the reason why, just before the iPad release, CNN chose to invest in a mobile Web upgrade, rather than a custom appltcation. Unlike many cash-strapped companies, CNN couldafford to build a custom app, but by investing in its mobile Web site, it could reach more people than just the rabid few who ran out and bought an iPad the day the device hit the streets. It could reach the entire 'mobile audience.

Better still, it can operate outside the walled gardens that have hindered the mobile industry for years. At first it was the carriers acting as gatekeepers for anyone who wanted to create content for devices on their networks. Now Apple is acti ng as a gatekeeper for applications that Will run on its iPhone. Now that every device has a browser, it is time to focus on our Web ..

This is undoubtedly the go.lden age of mobile application development, and to hear developers talk,each app holds the promise of limitless growth and monetization potential. 'Maybe so, but don't forget about the largest, most successful programm!ing environment ever created: the Internet. It is too big to own, too unruly to control, and a little slow to evolve. Still, I couldn't find a soul at ThinkMobile who was willing to bet against it.

TALK BACK TO DAN E-mail your thoughts to dan_costa@pcmag'.com .

. JUNE 2010 pC MAGAZINE DIGitAL EDITION 41 ~

Travel Tech:

e You

es S

Make sure to include these laptops and ga,dgets while you're packing. They'll make your trip more enjoyable.

ummer is upon us, and not a moment too soon. Time to escape from the daily routine and head to the mountains, the ocean, the woods-wherever you find it easiest to put work and worries on hold for just a little while. Whatever your summer trips will be, it's time to start planning, and by all means, don't forget to pack all your comfort gadgets (and their chargers). Our special travel story includes roundups of our favorite portable, vacation-friendly gear, to keep you computing, navigating, recording memories, reading, and happily humming along to your favorite tunes (or watching your favorite shows or movies) while on the road or in the air. Remember, you're trying to escape from the everyday-but let's not go overboard. Because a vacation without any tech isn't truly a vacation, is it?

I ~ 42 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

\

HP EUtebook 2 .. S40p $1,629 direct

•••• 0

Business ultraportables encompass a wide range of systems, the smallest of which have 12-inch widescreens; anything smaller than that and you're venturing into netbook territory. The HP EliteBook 2540p is certainly tiny, but it's also one of the most powerful, feature-packed ultraportables in the business. This one is configured with a long battery life in mind (8 hours' worth) by pairing a low-voltage Intel Core i7 processor with an extended battery.-Cisco Cheng

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

For 'acat·o

SonyVAIO VPC-116GXS

$1,800 direct •••• V

Our favorite ultraportable weighs . ~~_.

a m.ere 3 pounds and runs a powerful

Intel Core is CPU. Add to that sWitchable graphics and support for two solid state drives (our review unit came with only one 256GB SSD), and you've got one of the lightest and most powerful ultraportabJes around. Luxuries include a backlit keyboard, high-resolution screen, and support for multiple SSD drives-all

rarities for packages this small.-CC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Lenovo ThIn'kpa.d X201 $1,625 direct

•••• 0

To rule the ultraportable scene,

a laptop has to strike the perfect balance between performance and battery life, while staying at or less than 4 pounds. The ThinkPad X201 combines the power of an Intel Core is processor with outstanding battery Ufe (9 hours, 36 minutes). Like its rivals, the X201 doesn't come cheap (at $1,625), but if you have the cash to consider the splurge, do so.-CC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE


JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

NETBOOKS .

- ~- - ~ ~ -- - -

HPMini 5102 $400 direct

•••• 0

The HP Mini 5102 is a masterfully engineered netbook that small-business users, government officials, and students can carry around with pride, Everything about it is as impressively executed as the previous Mini 5101, from the metallic frame, the world-class keyboard and mouse buttons, to the ali-day battery life, This version comes with a variety of improvements, including a new Intel Atom processor (and platform), almost 11 hours of battery life (via the optional 6~cell battery, though), and new options for a carrying handle and touch screen,-CC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Toshiba mini NB305-N410 $400 direct

•••• l>

Greentech approved

Toshiba clearly knows what netbook users want: a great user experience, a bargain price, and outstanding battery life, Other netbooks come close to offering all these things, but the NB305 still sits at the top of the heap, It's welldesigned, offers a full-size keyboard, laptop-like touchpad and mouse buttons, and a USB port that can even charge peripherals while the system is turned off -CC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Asus EeePC 1201N $484 street

•••• 0

Netbook snobs and HD enthusiasts will. appreciate that the EeePC 1201N is the fastest netbook on the market, though the 4 hours of battery life is its one tradeoff. Using Nvidia's ION platform, which offers lOBOp video playback and light 3D gaming, the 1201N uses a variant of the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics chipset What makes the 1201N unique is that it's the first netbook to bundle

a dual-core Atom processor-the 1.66GHz Intel Atom N330,-CC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

l ~ 44 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

Apple iPad $699 direct •••• V

Many predicted it would be an expensive niche product that wasn't quite laptop or smartphone, but the iPad just makes sense. It combines basic-but-essential work tools with iWork, an improved browser, e-mail, iPod, and photo applications, and a well-executed e-Book platform with iBooks. Add to that thousands of downloadable apps and games, and package it all in

a gorgeous, slim slate with a beautiful 9.7-inch touch screen, and you have yourself a winner. -n"m Gideon

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Barnes & Noble

Nook E-Reader

$259 direct •••• 0

Already boasting some capabilities not available in its rival Kindle e-reader, the Nook now goes even further to widen the gap. Nook not only offers double the book selection (1 million versus Amazon's 500,000) and a color, touchscreen display, but it also supports the open EPUB format, Wi-Fi access (the Kindle only can use its own 3G network), and a Micro SD memory expansion slot. The new 1.3 firmware upgrade adds a Web browser, games, and much-needed faster page-turning to make the Nook an even more compelling e-book reader.-Dan Costa

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Amazon Kindle 2

$259 direct •••• V

With a new look, an enhanced screen, textto-speech capability, and a host of additional design improvements, the Kindle 2 offers everything that made the original Kindle a best-seller-and more. We'd love to see it offer a more open file format, but the Kindle 2 is still the best e-book reader you can buy. With an ever-increasing catalog of magazines and blogs porting content to the platform, the Kindle 2's appeal will extend far beyond the bookstore.-DC

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 45 ~ J

CAMERAS

D-SLR

Canon EOS Rebel T2i $899.99 list with 18-55mm IS kit lens

•••• V

Canon has done it again. The new EOS Rebel T2i is the company's update to the revolutionary T1i, and is currently the only sub-$l,OOO O-SLR to offer 1080p30, 1080p24 and 720p60 HO video capture ..

Its spectacular image qual-

ity, versatile video recording options, and relatively low price earn the T2i our Editors' Choice award.-PJ Jacobowitz

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

MICRO FOUR~TH!IRDS Panasonic Lum,ix DMC-GFl

$899.95 direct with lens option for either a 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 or 20mm f/l.7

•••• 0

With image quality that rivals capable O-SLRs and a body not much larger

than a super-zoom camera, the 12.l-megapixel Panasonic Lumix OMC-GFl is

the most compact model in Panasonic's line of Micro Four-Thirds cameras.

The GFl is more comparable in size to the $800 Olympus E-Pl, which fea-

tures great image quality but a painfully slow autofocus. The GFl doesn't

perform as well as D-SLR competitors in low-light conditions (ISO 1600 and

higher), but in brighter shooting situations, image quality is top-notch.-PJJ

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

l ~ 46 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDmON JUNE 2010

TINY CAMERA

Sony CyberShot DSC-WXl $299.99 list

•••• 0

Don't let its petite body fool you; this camera packs big features. Its lens includes a maximum wide-angle aperture of f/2.4, allowing the WX1 to capture more light than your average pointand-shoot. This results in crisp images, even in low light. The WX-l's fast image processor also helps reduce noise in low-light modes .. -PJJ

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

BUDGET CAMERA

Panasonic Lumix DMC .. ZRl $279 .. 95 direct

•••• 0

Thanks to Panasonic's new lens optics system, the 12.1-megapixel DMC-ZRl is the smallest, thinnest camera you'll find with an 8x optical zoom. And because of its upgraded image processor, it topped all point-and-shoot cameras on our shutter-!ag test. Add to that HD video capture and aneasy-to-navigate user interface .. -PJJ

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

COMPACT ZOOM (lOX) Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR

$279.95 list

•••• 0

Its 10-MP resolution may keep it from winning the megapixel war, but this camera focuses on details that really matter: excellent image quality and a powerful optical zoom lens. Packing

a wide 27mm lOx optical zoom lens in a body that's under an inch thick, the F70EXR delivers top-notch images, especially at lower ISO settings. Our only complaints: A lackluster interface and a lack of high-def video recording.-PJJ

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

WATERPROOF Canon PowerShotDl0

$329.99 list

•••• 0

Planning to spend lots of time on your trip underwater? The 12.1-megapixel D10 is Canon's first ruggedized point-and-shoot. It's a worthy companion for adventurers on water-, snow-, or sand-based excursions. It's neither sleek nor particularly pocketable, but the D10 pumps out beautiful images, and has a vibrant LCD.-PJJ

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION

'. ~GPS, .

Garmin nuvi 1390T $269.99 list

•••• 0

The market is flooded with personal navigation devices these days. But that doesn't mean new entrants can't stand out-particularly those with attractive price tags. The Garmin nuvi 1390T brings high-end features-such as smooth map animation, well-timed voice prompts, and twolane assist modes-down to a relatively low price point.-Jamie Lendino

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Motorola MotoNav TN765t $349.99 list ••• VO The MotoNav TN765t is a full-featured navigator with an extra-wide 5.Hnch touch screen and a killer interface. It also allows you to run Google Local searches, receive free lifetime traffic updates, and pull other Internet data over Bluetooth via your cell phone's voice connection. Motorola's setup doesn't require a cell phone data plan or a separate data plan, a big plus.

But we did experience some routing issues.-JL

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

~ 48 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010 I

Magellan RoadMate 1700 $299.99 list

••• VO

The RoadMate 1700 offers a bright, brilliant 7-inch screen for a very reasonable price. While it doesn't boast a ton of features, it's an excellent choice for anyone who feels the current crop of navigators simply aren't large enough. It's also a good pick if you're considering a stand-alone device in lieu of a much more expensive, built-in naVigation system.-JL

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

TomTom Ease

$119 street ••• 00 Bargain hunters looking for their first GPS device should consider the Ease. It offers all

the basics, including robust POI search, textto-speech for pronouncing street and highway exit names, and a switchabJe night mode. The Ease is definitely a no-frills device, and at $119, it's about $20 too expensive. But if you're looking for GPS navigation on the cheap, or want to replace an older device with outdated maps or one that lacks text-to-speech conversion, the Ease should do the trick.-JL

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Apple iPod nano

(5th Gen. With Video Recorder) $149 list for 8GB; $179 list for 16GB •••• v

This graceful, lightweight player packs so much into its small frame: a video camera, an FM tuner (a first for iPods), a pedometer for joggers, mic, speaker, and a larger screen. This nano is affordable, and it's more capable than similarly priced players, earning it our Editors' Choice. The user interface is excellent, and it includes cool Genius Mix and VoiceOver features. Needless to say, we love it.-Tim Gideon

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

SanDisk Sansa Clip+

$39.99 list for 2GB; $49.99 for 4GB; and $69.99 for 8GB

•••• 0

For the traveler on a budget who just wants some music for the trip, this is a sure bet. The Clip+ looks an awful lot like the previous Clip, though it includes a microSD slot, which can be used to load more of your own music or to play Sansa slotRadio cards-preloaded music cards that act like persona! DJs inside your player, creating "stations" by genre. The Clip+ is simply a terrific value, with extra features like an LCD and FM radio that you won't find on the moreexpensive iPod shuffle.-TG

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 $69.99 list

•••• 0

It's been through many iterations since it was introduced in the '80s, but the Sony Walkman is still true to Its mission: to offer a simple way for people to listen to tunes while jogging. The 2GB Walkman NWZ-W202 is an MP3· player/earphone combo that sounds good, stays in place, and is easy to use. The earphones produce substantial low end, and the player features a cool pre-

view mode, which auditions short, recognizable sections of songs so you can quickly surf your library. If you want a display, a radio, or the ability to use your own earphones, the NWZ-W202 isn't for you, but it's an elegant and inexpensive player that's ideal for the gym crowd.-TG

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

JUNE 2010 PC MAG.AZINE DIGITAL EDITION

FII

e

If you're boarding a plane to get to your vacation, you may very well be able to browse ·the Interne·t. By Rik Fairlie

If you're traveling this summer, you have a decent chance of plugging into the Internet in-flight. That's because airborne Internet access is finally going mainstream in the United States, with more than 1,.200 commercial aircraft scheduled to have WiFi onboard by year's end. What's more, prices start at just $5 a fUg ht, just a bit more than the cost of a pair of headphones ..

All major (and some minor) domestic carriers have plans to equip their fleets with in-flight Internet access. Same.of the smaller airlines-Virgin America and Air'Tran, for instance-have outfitted their entire fJeets with in-flight Internet access ..

Among the big domestic carriers; Delta Air Lines leads installations with more than 400 planes, and American Airlines places second with 166 aircraft Continental Airlines has been notably slow in equipping its fleet with Wi-Fi. The carrier currently has no planes in the air with Internet access but is beginning installation.

The lion's share of the in-flight service is provided by Aircetl, which in 2006 submitted the winning bid in the FCC auction of the ground-to-air broadband frequency. Alrcell has exclusive rights to this spectrum, which formed the foundation for Air-

,< so PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

cell's Gogo Inf!ight Internet service,

The company has created a network of roughly 100 ground-to-air cellular towers that beam an EVDO signa! upward to equipped aircraft, distributing throughput of 3.1 Mbps that is shared among passengers, said Niels Steenstrup, Aircell's vice p-resident of sales and marketIng..

To receive the signal, aircraft are equipped with three antennas, a router; and several wireless access points. depending on the size of the plane, Steenstrup said.

Aircell expects that its Gogo service will be installed in 1,200 domestic aircraft by year's end, he said.

A competin.9 technology from Row 44 distributes bandwidth to aircraft via the satellites of Huqhes Network Systems. Row 44 can deliver bandwidth of up to 30Mbps to an airliner, more than 10 times that of Airce!!.

So far; Row 44 has failed to gain traction in the United States-only Southwest Airlines has signed up for its service and just four planes have been equipped. !n part, that is because Row 44's solution costs more and takes longer to install, says Tim Farrar, president ot TMF Associates, a satel!ite, wireless, and broadband telecorn-

mu n lcations consu ltancy

"It costs about $80,000 to equip a plane for AirceH, compared wtth roughly $220,000 to $240,000 for Row 44," he said.

What's more, Row 44 suffered an embarrassinq setback when Alaska Airlines, which had been testinc Row 44 for its fleet, abandoned the testing and opted to go with Aircell instead. The airline explained that it sele-cted Aircell because it delivers a faster installation and less expensive equipment.

Row 44. for its part, says itaims to be a global provider and. in addition to Southwest, has signed on Norwegi:an Air Shuttle to instal! its system later this year, said Wendy Campanella, vice president of business development for Row 44.

Aircell, on the other hand, owns the spectrum to operate only in the United States (its signals extend 150 miles or so from U.S. borders), Steenstrup said. In tact, Gogo service is available on two Air Canada flights to the United States.

Aircell is in talks with telco companies in Canada and Mexico about partnerships, but Steenstrup could offer no definitive time frame for service north and south of the border,

Aircell's pricing extends across all carriers, although airlines sometim:es offer free service provided through sponsorships with corporations like Goog,le. Aircell recently announced a monthly pass that can be used across carriers and offers

unlfmited access for $39.95. Otherwise, pridng is typically set by length of flight, with discounts for users of mobile devices like smartphones. Service costs $4.95 to $12 .. 95 per flight for laptops, or $4.95 to $7.95 per flight for mobile devices.

Row 44 has not yet formalize-d priCing for its service, but Southwest said it has been experimenting with fees that range from $2 a flight to $12 a flight.

Maki ng Business Connections

Most users of in-flight Wi-Fi are business travelers, according to Aircell, and the service is more popular on long-haul flights because travelers have time to get significant work done. Also, ,!onger flig,hts make it ea.sier to justify the cost of the servlce.

Passenger usage has been uneven, Farrar said, because the number of people who travel with laptops hasn't increased that much in the past few years and users of mobile devices, so far, have been reluctant to PaY for access.

"People Who fly all the time on business need to get work done all the time on planes, and they can justify the price," he said, "Most people who use BlackBerrys or iPhones don't expect to pay to connect and it's difficult to get them to pay extra on planes."

According to Airce!l, the most-used applications are, Web browsing, e-mail, instant me.ssag!ng, VPN! and flash/video streaming. It said the most accessed Web

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE OIGITAL EDITION 51 >

sites on its system are Google, Facebook, Yahoo, MSN, and The New York Times.

Aircell said the user experience is on par with what you'd get in an on-ground Wi-Fi hotspot. But Farrar, a frequent Gogo user, said it isn't optimal for streaming video.

"I've tried watching Hulu video, and it's pretty unwatchable," he said. "The service is absolutely great for work, sending e-mail and surfing the Internet, but it's not a usable experience for streaming movies."

Despite the burgeoning availability of inflight broadband, its future is far from certain. A looming issue is bandwidth, which wil! become strained as more travelers take advantage of Aircell's service, said Farrar.

"Aircell has limited capacity and when it has more planes equipped it will run out," he said. "Row 44 you could offer a download speed of 30M bps, but the cost of running that network is hig,h. Aircell has paid for its license and the cost of running its network; Row 44 has to keep paying for satellite capacity forever."

Campanella described the limitations of ground-to-air signal transmission in terms every user can understand. liAs time moves on, the trajectory will be similar to what we experienced with bandwidth on the ground," she said. "We were all thrilled with our 56K modems in the beginning. but we're not so thrilled anymore." For now, though, you can geta good signa! in the air, so if you're planning to travel for business or pleasure this summer, here's an overview of domestic carrier's service offerings.

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

Wi-F~: W'hat Each Airline Offers

AirTran Airways

Planes equipped: 138 (entire fleet) Provider: Gogo

Pricing: Free May 10 May 23, 2010; thereafter, $4.95 to $12.95 per flight for laptops; $4,95 to $7.95 per flight for mobile devices; $29.95 and $39.95 monthly passes available

A.merican Airlines Planes equipped: 166

FtI'ture plans: Adding service to its fleet of 737 aircraft throughout 2010 and 2011

Provider: Gogo

Pricing: $4,95 to $12.95 per flight for laptops; $4.95 to $7.95 per flight for mobile devices; $29.95 and $39.95 monthly passes available

Availability on your flight: American offers a Wi-Fi widget at aawifiwidget. com

Conti;nental Airlines Planes equipped: 0

Future plans: 21 aircraft by the end of 2010

Provider: Gogo

Pricing: Starts at $4.95 per flight Availability oin your flight: Continental wiU provide information on its Flight Status and Information page

Delta Air Lines

Planes equipped: More than 400 Future plans: More than 500 aircraft by the end of 2010

Provider: Gogo

Pricing: $4.95 to $12.95 per flight for laptops; $4.95 to $7.95 per flight tor mobile devices; $29.95 and $39.95 monthly passes available

Fro,ntier Air:lines Planes equipped: 0

Future plans: 32 aircraft by the end of 2010

Provider: Gogo

Cost: $4.95 to $12.95 per fU,ght for laptops; $4.95 to $7.95 per flight for mobile devices; $29 .. 95 and $39.95 monthly passes available

JetBlue Airway.s Planes equipped: 1

Future plans: Not yet determined Provider: Live Tv; a subsidiary of JetBlue

Cost: Free

Availability on your flight: The plane is number N651JB. Look for the Yahoo and Blackberry logos on the fuselage

Southwest Airlines Planes equipped: 4

Future planst Entire fleet' by 2012 Service provider: R.ow 44

Pricing: Trial prices from $2 to $12, aepending on size of the device and

length of flight.

Avail.abflity on your flight: Availability is e-rnailed to passengers

Unit,edAirl i nes Planes equipped: 13

Future plans: To be determined Provider: Gog.o

Cost: $12.95 per flight

Availability on your flight: Available on premium service transcontinental flights from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles and San Francisco

US Airways

Planes equipped: 25

Future plans: 51 aircraft by end of 2010 Provider: Gogo

Pricing: $4.95 to $12,95 per flight for laptops; $4.95 to $7..95 per flight for mobile devices; $29.95 and $39,95 monthly passes available

Avail.ability on your flight: US Airways will add availability information to electronic reservations by late June

Virgin Americ,a

Planes equipped: 28 (entire fleet) Service provider: Gogo

Pricing: $4.95 to $12.95 per flight for laptops; $4.95 to $7.95 per flight for mobile devices; $29.95 and $39.95 monthly passes available

Availability on your flight: Reservations information displays Wi-Fi availability; AC power plugs available systemwide

,JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION S3 :::J

p

5

With a bit of knowledge and practice, you should be a.ble to print' great-looking photos at home. Here are 12' techniques that are sure to improve the quality of your prints. By M. David Stone

printer. The most important issue is the printer's technology. There are only two printing technologies today that can print at true photo quality: inkjet and therm.al dye (aka dye sublrnation, although that's a misnomer).

Laser technology is getting better at printing photos, but it is well behind inkjets on that score, and only a few color lasers today even come close to true photo quality. ZINK technology, which is relatively new and improving quickly, may soon join Inkjet and thermal dye as suitable for high-quality photos, but isn't quite there yet.

Most general-purpose inkjets, whether labeled by manufacturers as photo ink-

jets or not, can print photos at about the FIRST, WH,ICH PRI,NTER TO BUY? For a start, same level of quality as you'd expect from it helps to know what you can expect a typical drugstore photo or online site. If from your printer, which will also be worth that's more or less the quality of the phothinking about before you buy your next tos you're printing, you're probably getting

f you've tried your hand at printing your own photos and been disappointed in the results, you may be making some mistakes that are easy to correct. Most inkjet and thermal dye printers today can print photos at drugstore quality OF better with little or no work on your part. However, it sometimes helps to follow the 80-20 rule, although in this case it's more of a 90-10 rule: you can get 90 percent of the best p ossi ble photo for 10 percent of the effort it would take for the absolute best. Here's an overview of the most important thinqs you need to know to get to 90 percent.


the most you can out of your printer.

Two categories of lnkje ts usually do better than drugstore-level quality: dedicated photo printers and near-dedicated photo printers .. Dedicated photo printers, a category that also. includes thermal dye printers, are limited to small-format photos, which usually means a maximum 4- by 6-inch photo size, although some print panoramic sizes and some print photos as large as 5-by-7. Printers in this category generally focus on ease of use along WIth photo quality. Most can print betterlooking photos than you'd get from a typical drugstore, but if they're not printing at least at drugstore-quality level, you're probably doing something wrong.

Near-dedicated photo printers are aimed at serious photographers, both amateur and professional, and are among the most

expensive inkjets you can buy. They're neardedicated because they can typically print at sizes up to about 13 by 19 inches, which means they can print standard letter- and legal-size business documents. However, using them for such non-photo printing would be a waste of their talents (and ink).

Printers in this category almost always have a wide range of choices for photo paperincluding several fine art papers meant for professi·onals-instead of the one or two choices typical for most inkjets. Their output quality is a match for the kind of photo lab a professional photographer would go to for custom prints .. If you're not getting exceptional quality with this class of printer, odds are you're doing something wrong ..

Once you've decided on the printer you want, follow these 12 steps to get the most out of it.

PHOTO PRI:NTERSWEHAVE RECENTLY REVIEWED

Canon Selphy ES40

$149.99 direct ••• VO

This is one of the best small-format printers available, despite problems printing diagonal lines when printing from

a computer.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Epson PictureMate Charm

$149.99 direct .... ()

The Charm delivers fast speed and a low cost per photo,

but with even higherquality output than the previous generation.

CLICK HERE FOR iMORE

JUNE .2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITI·ON 5.5 ~

SOl.UTIONS PRINTING

1. Choose between direct printing cptlons. If your combination of printer and camera gives you a choice between printing directly from the camera and from memoty-which includes cards and USB keys in this context-be sure to experiment with both. The two choices can yield siqniflcantly different output quality for the same file, with noticeab ly different colors and retenti on of d eta i I based on shadi ng in da rk and fi g ht areas. It's well worth investing a little time and effort to. print several photos both ways to see how great the differences are and which one you like better.

2,. Get familiar with your printer's auto fix feature. Most dedicated photo printers. and some standard inkjets, include some variation of an automatic fix feature that analyzes the image and may adjust several settings at once. These may Include anything from contrast, brightness, and gamma (which changes contrast differently at different levels of brightness), to automatically deciding whether to apply red-eye reduction.

With most photos, these eutomattc fix features improve the final result, but in some-cases they do more harm than good, or even undo an effect that you were trying for. Here again. if your printer includes an automatic fix option, it's worth investing a little time and effort printing an assortment of photos both with and without the feature turned on to get a fee! for what it does and when you might want to turn it off.

3. Preview photos, for d,j,rect printing. If your printer can print directly from memory

56 PC MAGAZINE DIGI:rAL EDITION JUNE 2010

cards, it may limit you to previewinq photos by printing an index sheet or by lookmg at the images on a built-in preview screen. If it gives you both choices, however, keep in mind that there are ad va ntages to each, and that you may wa nt to use 0 ne or the other at any given time.

Using the preview screen is faster, since you don't have to print twlce+once for the index sheet and once for the final print-and it costs less, since you don't have to pay for ink or paper to print the index sheet.

On the other hand, if, say, you've taken several similar photos with minor variations in settings, an index sheet is the preferred approach for deciding which version to print at full size. The printed thumbnails will give you a better sense than the image of the preview screen of how colors will print in the f na I photo and how well detai Is based on relatively small differences in shading will show.

4. Get famUiar with your printer's edit .. ing features. Printers with preview screens often let you edit photos before printing. The editing choices may be limited to a few basics like cropping images or removing red-eye, or they may include options to adjust briqhtness and contrast, add graphics and frames that are stored in the printer, and more. The process is similar to using the kind of photo kiosk you can find in drugstores, end is almost always designed to be self-explanatory and easy to use, If your printer includes any editing. features, they are certainly worth exploring',

Epson Pict.u.reMate Show $299 .. 99 direct

•••• 0

The Epson PictureMate Show tests the waters for a combination dedicated photo printer and digital photo frame.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

HP Photosmart A646 Compact Printer $149.,99 direct

••• ()O

This a worthy successor to the Editors' Choice A636, though it falters 0:'; ease of use.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

5. Don1t fix photos before you see how they reaUy look. Keep in mind that the colors and shading that you see on screen (whether your computer screen or the printer's preview screen) will almost never be an exact match-send are often noteve.n close-to the printed version .. (This is true for all sorts of reasons that are way beyond the scope of this article). For photos you care enough about to want the best possible photo with minimal work, it's generally a good idea to do any cropping that you want first, print the photo, and then make any manual adjustments you like based on what the printed version looks like. If the printer or the program you're printing from has an automatic fix option, you might want to try printing the photo both with and without the fix feature before making any manual changes.

Pa,ndigital Portable Photo Printer

$130 street

•• 000

Pandigital's print quality beats first-generation ZINK printers, but not inkjetsor thermal dye printers.

CLICK HERE FOR 'MORE

6. Use paper that's appropriate for the task. Better-quality paper yields betterquality prints, but it costs more too. If you're printing a photo to frame and hang on a wall, by all means use the highest-quality paper available for the printer. If you're printing a photo to post on the office bulletin board or stick under a refrigerator magnet, however, consider using plain paper, inkjet paper, or a less expensive photo paper.

7. Experiment with different p.ape:rs. Papers from other manufacturers are another possibility, but be aware that output quality-and colors in particular-will vary with the paper you use, something you can prove easily enough by printing a photo on both photo paper and plain paper on almost any inkjet, Before you Invest in a lot of thlrd-party photo paper, thinking that it will save money,

JUNE 2010 pc MAGA.ZINE .DIGITA.L EDITION 57

SOLUTIONS PRINTING

experiment with a few sheets to compare the output with the same photos on the printer manufacturer's own paper.

8. Make sure the print.er is set for the paper you're using .. One printer setting deserves special attention. Make sure that the printer (for direct printing) or printer driver (for printinq from a co.mputer) 1s set for the type of paper you're actually printing .. More than one manufacturer has told me, based on calls to tech support, that the single most common mistake people make is not changing the paper type setting to match the paper.

Some rnanufe ctu re r s have tried to bypass the problem with sensors that automatically detect the paper type, but they don't always work reliably. Unless your printer uses symbols on the back of the paper that the printer can read like bar codes to confirm paper type, don't assume that an Automatic Paper Type setting will work. Get in the habit of setting the paper type manually.

9. Print frorn an editing prog~am. For the best-quality prints, move your photos to your computer and print from a photoediting program. Photo printers aimed at professionals generally don't offer direct printing, because professionals-and serious amateurs-know that they get much better control over basic features like cropping, resizing, and color management. as we!1 asfar rrrore sophlstlcated editing tools, with a photo-edltinq program. With some printers, a photo-editing program will also

sa PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDmON JUNE 2:010

let you print higher-resolution photos than you can when printinq directly from a camera or memory card.

You probably have One or more easy-touse editing programs that came with your printer, camera, or scanner. Don't underestimate these programs; they're well worth exploring. In addition you can download a free copy of Picasa from Google.

Even low-end program5 often include surprisingly capable,easy-to-use features for fixing common problems in photos, such as red eye, yellow eye (the equivalent problem to red eye forenirnel photos), backlighting (with a bright background, as with sun strearnlnq in a window behind someone and turning his or her face into a silhouette), and more. Even better, if your printer or scanner is aimed at a. relatively sophisticated audience, it may we!1 have come with a mid-range or high-end photo editor designed for that audience.

You may not want to spend the time and effort it takes to master even a moderately sophisticated photo-editing program, but if you already have one for free, it's worth taking a look at it. Even if you Use only some of its features, you may be surprised at how much you can do to improve your photos with very little effort.

10. Edit copies, not originals. Before you start editing a photo-which can mean anything from making minor tweaks, to applying special effects, to cropping the original to use only a part of it-create a copy first. That way you can return to the original if you need to. And don't plan on edifng and

I l:iooooIi

SPECIAL EFFECTS Many printer drivers include options for various effects, including setting for optimizing the image.

then saving under another name. It's safer to create copies before you open a file to avoid accidentally overwriting it, Once you have a copy to work with, you can feel free to experiment.

11. Avoid compression woes. Most ca meras default to-or are even limited to-saving pictures in a compressed JPG format. It's always a good idea to turn off compression (if you can) when you want the best possible photo quality, Even more important, however, is that you should never edit a compressed photo on your computer and then save it back to a compressed format, JPG is a lossy compression scheme, which means it loses information every time you save the file and recompress it. If you edit a compressed file, save it in the editor's native format or a format like TIF, without compression, to avoid degrading the image further.

12. Explo.re your printer driver. Virtually every printer's driver offers settings that affect picture quality. The choices may be limited to choosing between good, better, and best quality, or you may be able to adjust brightness; contrast; red, green, and blue levels; and more. If you want the best possible output, it's worth investing the time to explore your driver. At the very least, experiment with each of the quality settings to see the effect on the output quality and speed, so you can decide whether the

QUALITY AND COLOR Most printer drivers include options for adjusting printer quality and color.

improved output at high-quality modes is worth the extra time it takes to print.

There are other techniques for improving photo printing, but these are the most important. The more you experiment with them, the better your prints will become, and you'll have learned a range of methods you can apply to any given situation .•

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION S9

SOLUTIONS OFFICE/OS

1

Microsoft put a lot of work lntc making Windows 7 as user-frtendly as possible, but you can make it even more user-friendly .. Here are 10 ways to simplify your Windows 7 experience.

By Errol Pierre-Louis

indows 7 features loads of improvements to streamline workflow and avert many of the headaches found in Windows Vista. But you can make Windows 7 even easier to use by taking advantage of a few enhancements you might not have heard about. These 10 tips can save you time, make navigating your system easier, and give you quick access to commonly used programs and actions.

Tipl

HANDY KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Windows 7 includes many new keyboard shortcuts that put frequently used actions at your fingertips. Learn these keystroke combinations and you'll soon be saving a few seconds of mousinq time here and there throughout the day, It adds up. Note:

For those who don't know, "Windows Logo" refers to the key with the Windows flag on it. generally located between the Ctrl and


Alt keys, to the left of the space bar,

To display or hide the Explorer preview pane: Alt-P

To display gadgets in front of other windows: VVmdowsLogo-G

To zoom in: Windows Logo-+[plus sign]

To zoom out: Windows Logo- -[minus sign] To rnaxirnizea window: Windows Logo-Up Arrow

To minimize a window: Windows LogoDown Arrow

To snap to the left-hand side of the screen:

Windows Logo-Left Arrow

To snap to the right-hand side of the screen: Windows Logo-Right Arrow

Ti:p2

CREATE KEYBOARD SH.ORTCUTS FOR PROGRAMS

In addition to using Windows 7's default shortcuts, you can also create your own shortcuts to launch your favorite programs. First, r]ght-click on the program icon,

choose Properties to open the Properties dialog. Then dick on the dialog's Shortcut tab, click in the Shortcut key text box, and press the key you want to use for that program. Your shortcut will use Alt-Ctrl plus your key-you can't overrule standard system shortcuts. Also, you should know that you can't use the Esc, Enter, Tab, Spacebar, PrtScn, Shift, or Backspace keys for obvious reasons.

Ti:p3

JUMP liISTS

Windows 7's new Jump Lists appear in the Start menu and Taskbar buttons for programs that support the feature. They give you instant access to frequently used com-

SHORTCUTS. JUMP USTS You can launch your favorite programs in a snap by setting up custom keyboard settings for them (left). Also, jump lists give you quick access to commonly used commands and recent files (above).

mands such as opening recent files or performing program actions .. To access Jump Lists you can either click on the right arrow in the program's Start menu entry, or rightclick an icon in the task bar or left-click and drag the list open. If there's a document you want always accessible from the jump list, you can just click on the pushpin icon in the right of the document's entry.

Tip4

CLEAN UP YOUR SCREEN

Focusing on one window when you have multiple windows open can be distracting. But instead of having to minimize every window one-by-one, you can quickly unclutter your screen using Aero Shake. Simply click and hold the title bar of the window you want to leave open, give it a quick shake, and your screen will be cleared of all windows except the one you're workIng In.

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGitAL EDITION 61 ~

SOLUTIONS OFFICE/OS

T,ip6

SEARCH THE WEB FROM YOUR DESKTOP

You can use Windows 7's built-in search as an online search tool without having to launch a Web browser, by using search connectors. For instance, if you wanted to search YouTube videos from your desktop, just download and install the YouTube search connector .. This

adds a "YouTube Search" option to your TIDY YOUR TASKBAR Combine your taskSearches folder, which lets you browse bar icons to keep your taskbar organized,

DESKTOP PEEK Hover over the Aero Pe,ek button to turn all open windows transparent so you can view your desktop,

TipS

AERO PEEK

Another option for navigating a screen cluttered with windows is Aero Peek. Hover the mouse over the lower-right corner of the screen .. Click the button jf you want to keep this view; showing only the desktop. This takes the place of previous Windows versions' Show Desktop icon in the vanished Quick Launch toolbar.lfyou've moved your Taskbar to the top or sides of the screen, this button will be at the top right or bottom of the taskbar, respectively.

62 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDlTlON JUNE 2010

You Tube from your desktop.

Note the searches won't be added to the Start menu's search box. If you search on something in there first, and then click Enter, you'll get to an Explorer window that now includes, for example, a YouTube search entry under Favorites. Click on this to get results at YouTube right in the Explorer window. Drag the icon with the right mouse button to create a desktop icon for the search provider. You can find search connectors at sevenforums.com, which also teaches you how to create your own.

Tip7

MAKE IE 8 LOAD FASTER

You can make IE8 load faster by disabling add-ons that slow it down. To find which add-ons you need to e.l.iminate, go to

•

Tip9

TROUBLESHOOT AND DOCUMENT SYSTE;M PROBLEMS

Windows 1's new Problem Steps Recorder comes in handy when you're looking to troubleshoot and document problems with your system. Typing psr into the Instant

Search launches a recorder that can docu- through the list to see what would work for

ment what shows up on your screen as you you. Choosing Display as a Link puts a text

recreate the problem step by step. You can choice on the right side of the Start menu,

even add comments. When you're done, the and choosing Display as a menu will add a

recorder compiles the footage into a zip file flyout menu to the link with subchoices.

Tools> Manage Add-ons, check the load tim eli s te d her e for e a c h, and del e t e accordingly.

TipS

COMBINE TASKBAR ICONS

When you have a ton of windows or apps opened at once, it can be hard to navigate among them all. Fortunately, Windows 7 lets you combine icons to keep yourtaskbar neat and orqanrzed. To combine taskbar icons, right-click the Start button, go to Properties > Teskber, and under Taskbar Buttons choose FAlways Combine, Hide Labels" or "Combine when taskbar is full. 'I Alternatively, if you want to see everything with labels, you can choose Never combine.

PROBLEM STEPS R;ECORDER This tool lets you record any issues so a tech expert can clearly identify your problem,

you can then e-mail to a tech expert.

Tip 10

AD,D VIDEOS TO YOUR START MENU

You can make your video library easy to access by adding it to your Start Menu. To do so, simply right-click the Start button, go to Properties > Start Menu> Customize and set the Videos to Display as a link. There are also plenty of more options for what you want displayed in the Start menu here, so browse

VI,DEO ON DEMAND Add a video link to your Start Menu to instantly have access

to your video library.


__________ SOLUTIONS WORK.~ •

•

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I

er

•

S

ss

Cloud computing is one of the most hyped technology trends of 2010-and it should be. Here are a dozencloud-computma services that are perfect for SM,Bs. By Samara Lynn

or better or for worse, cloudcomputing is the tachnoloqy of the future. Just ask Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, who recently said that 70 percent of Microsoft employees are dolriq something at least related to Cloud computing; in a year, that figure will be 90 percent While some (such as PC Magazine's crankiest geek, John Dvorak) think Microsoft should abandon cloud computing, the rest of the industry is pushing' forward. And though cloud computing raises concerns about security, stabl lity, and 'data ownership, at its best it allows businesses to unshackle day-to-day operations from the local data center. Cloud computing is helping to shape today's truly mobile workforce.

For small businesses, cloud computing hits a particular sweet spot. It keeps them from having to deptoy physical infrastructure !ike file and e-mail servers, storage systems, or shrink-wrapped software. Plus, the


"anytime, anywhere" availability of these solutions means hassle-free collaboration between business partners and employees by simply using a browser. In fact, it's not a stretch to say that a lot of today's small business technology needs can be fulfilled almost completely by cloud-based offerings, a locally installed desktop operating system, and a browser.

What Is Cloud Computing, Exactly? Cloud-computing services require no software to install. This doesn't include a Java plug-in or some other kind of lightweight applet required to use the service.

Cloud-computing fees for businesses are typically subscription-based. The vendors usually charge you on a monthly or annual basis. The solutions we feature here are relatively affordable and follow the subscription model.

Another feature of cloud computing is that it's easily scalable. Many of these

solutions can work for a business with five employees or 5,000. Cloud-based service is nimble because it grows as your business grows.

Here are our 12 favorite cloud-computing services for small businesses.

CLOUD COMPUTING: STORAGE AND :BACKUP

Egnyte Hybrid Cloud Solution $19.98 - $69.98 Direct

•••• 0

One of the most pertinent concerns for a business of any size is storage and backup. Especially backup because, face it, your live business data is only as good as your last successful backup of it. For online backup and storage, it doesn't get much better for 5MBs than Egnyte. Egnyte's Hybrid Cloud Solution offers a "file server in the cloud" so there's

no need for a physical file server. Egnyte has inherent disaster recovery and backup. It's also a great way to get remote access to your files. You can opt to use Egnyte's local Cloud on NAS. which will synch files from your online file server to a local: NAS (not all NAS devices are supported, though).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Product name in REO indicates Editors' Choice.

"ro···p· ,

I :'_ __ ~ __

-

Dropbox

$4.99 -$49 direct •••• 0

Dropbox is a superbly implemented, cloudbased automatic file-synchronization service that lets users share and store files online.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTING: PRODUCTIVITY

........... ..,_'._. .... i

1ii!~"~"J!!!!Ii_ I

'_-

Google Docs Free

•••• l>

Of course, productivity is key for a successful business. Online office suite Google Docs is elegant, efficient, and provides document collaboration. Plus it's more compatible with ·Microsoft documents than other online services of its kind.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE


SOLUTIONS WORK

Google Apps

$50 per user per year direct ••• VO

:If you want to integrate Google Docs into a collaborative workspace, complete with e-mail and calendaring, Google Apps is the way to go.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

--

-

-

Microsoft Office Live SmaU Business Free

••• 00

Our Editors' Choice pick gives 5MBs the tools they need to conduct business onJine: 500 MB of storage, 1 year of domain registration, Website building tools, business apps, and more. 'It's a powerful toolkit for small businesses on a budget.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTING: FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING

Outright.com Free

••• 00

Keeping financial records and accounting are

a necessary evil of running a business. Outright .com is an online accounting service that fits light accounting needs, such as tracking income expenses and tax obligations ..

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

l ~ 66 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

Bill.com.

$25 direct, per month (1 user) •••• 0

BilLcom smoothly automates small-business accounting by reducing the time and paperwork normally required for accounts payable, thus saving money.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTI'NG CRM

Sa lesforce .. com

$65 to 250 Direct, per user per month •••• V

For dealing with customer accounts, Salesforce .com is a top-notch, cloud-based CRM service. It provides myriad features such as manag-

ing sales, marketing campaigns, and running reports.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTING: COMMUNICATION

Dimdim 5 .. 5 $0.00 - $75 direct •••• 0

Communications are vital. You can save money on business trips and installed phone-system costs with Dimdim. This affordable, featurepacked Webconferencing solution is clearly a labor of love for its developers, and it gets better with each version. It covers all of your Web and videoconferencing needs-plus, it's fun to use.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

Skype 4.0 Free •••• 0

Skype continues to improve its VolP qual-

ity. Skype's new interface makes video calls a priority and is the most intuitive out there. The new, efficient Silk audio codec produces classleading sound for video and voice, earning Skype our Editors' Choice for video calling.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTING: IT TOOLS

~-.wu wA $WIn". ",",_----...-...._.

-

M:eraki WiFi Stumbler Free

••• VO

Small businesses may not have the resources for an on-site IT staff. Meraki Wi-Fi Stumbler

is an online wireless network analyzer that's simple enough for anyone at your business to use. It provides information on nearby wireless access points, channels and signal strength allowing you to maximize your wireless networks efficiency.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE


LogMeln Central

$49.99 monthly, $299 yearly, direct •••• 0

LogMeln Central is a way to connect PCs via the Internet for tech support or for collaboration. It also gives a centralized snapshot of the health of PCs in your organization, and it's user-friendly enough for non-gurus.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

CLOUD COMPUTING: DATABASE

: • J J

II- .._ .. ~~ __ oM ..

,_ ._-

-

Quickbase $250 direct •••• 0

Uttra-customizable, fast, and ea.sy, Intuit's QuickBase is the only business-dassonline database to come from a long-established vendor that a cautious company can trust. This Editors' Choice winner from Intuit can house any type of data from invoices to inventory. It's fast, reliable, and has many native applications, so you can quickly get up and running.:.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 67 ~ 1

DESKTOPS

MAINSTREAM

HP Pavilion Elite m9400t $843 list

BUDGET!VALUE

HP Compa.q Presari:o CQ5110f

$699 list

Deilinspiron 545 $899 list GAMING/MULTIMEDIA Maingear Shift

$6,399 direct

Falcon Northwest Mach V (Core i7-975) $8,240 direct

HP Pavilion 6267c.-b $999.99 list

ALL-IN-ONE

Apple iM;ac 21.5-inch (Core 2 Duo) $1,199 direct

Lenovo Ideacentre A600 $799 direct

BUSINESS

Dell Inspiron i570-6939PBK $599.98 list

NEnop

Lenovo C300 $549 list

MAINSTREAM

Deilinspiron i1464-43820BK

$749.98 list

U L TRAPORTABLE

InmAsus U30Jc.;lA $.899 list

GAMING

Alienware M17x $4,850 direct

MUI.TIMiEDIA

Acer Aspire AS8940-6865

$1,400 street

DESKTOP REPLACEMENT mmSamsung R580 $830 list

NETBOOK

Toshiba mini NB20S $400 street

BUSINESS

Lenovo ThinkPad T410 $1.484 direct

PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION JUNE 2010

BUDGE.T

Asus UL80Vt-A 1 $823 street

TABl.ET

Apple jPad (Wi-Fi) 64GB, $699 direct

STORAGE

- -

POR.TABLE

Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Drive $319 list

DESKTOP

Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II $430 list

NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE Western Digital we Sha.reSpace 4TB, $799.99 list

Asus VW266H $309 list HP LP2275w $349 direct Inm Dell Ultrasharp U2711

$1,099 direct

PRINTERS

MONOCHROME LASER

Konica Minolta magicolor 1600W $180 street

COLOR LASER

Xerox Phaser 7500/DN

$3,299.99 direct

STANDARD INKJET

Epson Stylus NX515 $149 direct

PHOTO PRINTER

Epson PictureM'ate Charm $149.99 direct

ALL-IN-ONE

Canon ColorlmageClass MF8350Cdn $699 direct

Canon Realis X700 $2,500 list NEC VTSOO $1,000 street

Epson Perf·ection V300 Photo $99.99 direct

DOCUMENT SCANNER

Visioneer strobe 500 $399.99 direct

ETWORKING

ml!i!JCisco Valet. Plus $129.99 list Netgeaif XAVB101 $130 street SMC SMCGS8P $300 street Spiceworks 4S Free CloudEngines Pogoplug

$99 direct

Cisco Netwo.rk Magic Pro 5,5 $39.99 direct

HDTVS

PLASMA

Viz.io VPS05XVT $1,499.99 list

ten

Sharp Aquos LC-S2D85U $2,099.99 direct

Sony Bravia KDL-46XBRS

$3,999.99 list

Samsung LN52A7S0 $3,999 list oLED

Sony XEL-l OLEO Digital TV $2,499.99 list

BLU-RAV PLAYERS

1mG!J! Samsung BD-C6S00 $249.99 list

DIGITAL CAt-1ERAS

COMPACT

Samsung DualView TL225

$349.99 list

O-SLR

Nikon 0300 $1.800 street

Canon EOS Rebel T1i $899.99 list SUPERZOO'M

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 $399.95 list

DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS

Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera $299.99 direct

Sony HOR-SR111 $1,099.99 direct

MULTIMEDIA SUITE

Adobe CS 3 $999 direct

VIDEO-EDITING SOFTWARE CyberLink DVe Suite 7 Ultra

$129.95 direct

PHOTO EDITING

mEl Adobe Photoshop CS5

Extended $699 to $899 list

mm Aperture 3 $199 direct DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME

Toshiba DMF82XKU 8" Digital Media Frame $179.99 list

YECTOR.IMAGE EDITING mBAdobe 111:ustrator CS5 $599 direct

P(fRtABLEfMEOIA PLAYERS

Microsoft Zune 120GB $249 list Apple iPod touch (3rd generation) 8GB, $199 direct

Apple iPodnano

(5th generation) 16GB, $179 direct

, SP- K RS/DOCKS

Altec Lansing Mix iMT800 $299.95 direct

Hercules XPS 2.1 Lounge $60 street

Logitech Pure-Fi Dream $200 direct

Sonos Bundle 150 $999 direct Slingbox PRO-HD $299 llst

Sony PlayStation 3120GB CPS! Slim) $299.99 direct

GPS oeVICES

GIB. Garmin nuvi1390T $269.99 list

Amazon Kindle 2 $359 direct

Sennheiser ex 680 Sports $119.95 list

BLUETOOTH HEADSETS

Aliph Jawbone Icon $99 list

ALLTEL

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 From $229.99 with contract

AT&T

S'a,msungMythic SGH-A897

From $199,,99 with contract

Apple iPhone 3GS $199 list SPRINT

BlackBerry Tour 9630 $199.99 with contract

T-MOBILE

mm HTC HD2 From $199.99

direct with contract

VERIZON WIRELESS

Dro:id by Motorola $199.99 direct

METROPCS

Samsung Freeform SCH-r350 $79 direct

UNLOCKED

13m Sony Ericsson Na,ite $159.99 direct

SPRINT

Sierra Wireless 598U $249.99 list

ImmJ Office 2010 ProfeSSional, $499 direct

13m iWork for jPad $9.99 direct QuickBase

$250 direct per month

ACT! by Sage .2010 $299 list Citrix GoToAssist Expre.ss $69 direct per month

mEJTomTom 1.3 $69.99 direct Navigon MobileNavigator 1.4.0

$79.99 direct

Air Sharing $6.99 direct Photogene $2.99 direct Pandora (for iPhone) Free

God of War III $59.99 list MLB 09: The Show $59.99 list

CyberLink Media Suite 8 Ultra

$129.95 list

Rhapsody From $12.99 per month Slacker Free

Apple iUfe '09 $79 direct iTunes 9 Free

PASSWORD PROTECTION LastPass 1.5 Free

ANTIMALWARE

Prevx 3.0 $29.95 direct per year

ANTIVIRUS

Panda Cloud Ant.ivirus Free Edition 1.0 Free

SUITE

Norton 360 version 3.0 $69.99 yearly

Spyware Doctor with Antivirus 2010 $39.95 yearly

50S Online Backup (beta) $19.95 direct

Dropbox

2GB, free; 50GB, $9.95 monthly

FINANCIAl,;

QuickBooks 2.010 $399 list Mint.com Free

JUNE 2010 PC MAGAZ,INE DIGITAL EDITION 69 ~

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