The most recent articles from PC Magazine

Antec notebook cooler

PC Magazine Team — 2004-03-23T11:15:36.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Tuesday 23 March 2004 at 11:15:36

Are you suffering from an overworked, overheated notebook? Then read on as Antec have a cure for you.

Are you using a notebook as a desktop? Does it keep crashing due to heat related problems? This can be a real problem if you have an older notebook powered by a desktop CPU, but Antec can help. Better known for its cases and power supplies, Antec has developed a notebook cooler.

The one we looked at was a stylish black and silver design, and there is also a pearl coloured version.

The cooler has two Antec double ball bearing fans with a quoted 25.9dB noise level, and uses power from a spare USB port on the notebook. The USB connector has a pass-through so you don't lose the use of the port and is slightly angled so it doesn't get in the way of any stacked USB ports below the one it is using.

We tested the cooler by measuring the CPU and hard disk temperatures before switching the unit on and then again after running PCMark 2004's CPU test. The cooler made a small but significant difference (see graph).

And in the real world, away from benchmarks, we know of one notebook that frequently crashed due to problems with heat. It has run without crashing since being used in conjunction with the Antec cooler.

Contact: Special Tech

www.specialtech.co.uk

IBM Thinkpad G40

Simon Crisp — 2004-03-01T12:56:50.000Z

Simon Crisp, PC Magazine, Monday 1 March 2004 at 12:56:50

ThinkPad G40 pulls its weight.

A new model launched to fill a gaping hole at the lower end of the ThinkPad price range, the ThinkPad G40 clearly belongs to the desktop replacement class of notebook. Big, chunky and using a desktop processor, it's ideal if you don't have much desk space and don't play games on your PC.

Powering the three-spindle beast is a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor with a 400MHz FSB, plus 256MB of PC2100 system memory, expandable to a maximum of 1GB via two SODIMM slots. Together with a 40GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive this should be enough power for even the most demanding mainstream applications.

The use of the desktop processor is one reason why the G40 is so big. You have to get rid of all that heat somehow, and the G40 uses a mighty big heatsink to help with this. The rear section of the chassis is raised up to allow unobstructed air flow from the cooling fan.

The G40 is chunky rather than stylish, weighing in at a hefty 3.8kg. Fortunately the keyboard, ThinkPoint and mouse buttons have the usual quality IBM feel about them and the keyboard is well placed to make typing comfortable.

As with notebooks, the Achilles heel of the G40 is the graphics. This is another notebook you won't be playing the latest games on, but this is no surprise in view of the market segment at which the G40 is aimed.

Powering the 15in XGA screen is Intel's Extreme Graphics integrated chipset, which uses up to 8MB of system memory as standard but can be expanded to a maximum of 64MB. The screen itself has a native resolution of 1,024x768 pixels.

One side of the chassis holds a floppy drive, two USB 2.0 and two audio ports, while the other side has a 24X/10X/24X/8X DVD-RW combo drive and two Type II PC card slots.

As with all the ThinkPad models, the most impressive features are the ones that aren't obvious. The Access IBM button launches the comprehensive IBM ThinkPad help and configuration utilities, including the indispensable Rapid Restore, which provides a one-button route to salvaging lost data files caused by system crashes.

In terms of connectivity the G40 is a little disappointing, with no wireless LAN or Bluetooth. But at least the basics are there, in the form of an integrated 10/100Base-T NIC and a V.92 modem.

The G40 may seem like a step backwards compared to recent top-of-the-range ThinkPad models, but there are plenty of users out there who need a fast, stable, no-nonsense notebook at a competitive price.

Contact: IBM UK (08705) 727 272

www.ibm.com/uk

Specifications:

Dimensions: (DxWxH) 28.2x30.3x5.8cm Weight: 3.88kg
CPU: 2.8GHz Intel Pentium 4
Memory: 256MB PC2100 (maximum 1GB)
Graphics: Intel Extreme Graphics (8-64MB shared memory)
Hard disk: 40GB Hitachi Travelstar Ultra ATA/100
Optical drive: TEAC-224E DVD-RW combo
Display: 15in TFT, 1,024x768 pixels
I/O ports: 10/100Base-T, modem, 2xUSB 2.0, VGA, parallel, 2xType II PC card, mic and headphone Warranty: One-year carry-in

NEC Versa M500

Simon Crisp — 2004-01-28T11:19:40.000Z

Simon Crisp, PC Magazine, Wednesday 28 January 2004 at 11:19:40

NEC Versa hits the right note.

NEC's latest addition to its Versa range of notebooks is the M500, a low-cost twin spindle Centrino model aimed at the "price conscious" segment of the business user market.

Powered by a 1.4GHz Intel Pentium M, backed by 256MB of PC2100 memory and Intel's 855 chipset, the M500 has sufficient performance to please most business users. As a Centrino model it features integrated wireless LAN and a reasonable battery life. It also comes with a multi-format card reader as standard. Its black and silver finish looks stylish, but it's a chunky beast that weighs 3kg, so it's not recommended for the frequent traveller.

It comes with an unusual choice of hard drive, a Seagate Momentus ST94011A. This 40GB Ultra ATA/100 drive has a spin speed of 5,400rpm and an 8MB buffer. The optical drive is a Matshita UJDA750, a 24X/24X/24X/8X DVD/CD-RW combo drive.

The keyboard is of a better quality than that found on many notebooks - it is well laid out and has a responsive typing action. The three-button trackpad is also a pleasure to use. At the front edge of the notebook there's a four-pin FireWire port, two audio ports and the 4-in-1 memory card reader. This useful device supports SmartMedia, SD, MMC and Memory Stick Flash cards.

The graphics may seem a little disappointing, but in order to achieve the low price point NEC has used the integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 solution, which shares up to 64MB of system memory, rather than a more powerful third-party solution such as one of ATI's Mobility Radeon family. Output from the graphics chip powers a 15in XGA+ TFT display that has a native resolution of 1,024 pixels by 768 pixels at 60Hz. The display casing is quite rigid, with only a limited amount of flexing. Combining Centrino technology with a 6000mAh battery gives the M500 an excellent life of 4hrs 32mins when tested using Bapco's MobileMark 2002 Productivity suite, rising to 4hrs 48min with the less demanding Reader suite.

Connectivity is quite good, with a 10/100BaseT Ethernet port as well as the integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi solution. There's also V.90 modem and a single Type II PC Card slot. You'll need two of the four USB ports for a keyboard and mouse as there are no PS/2 ports.

Overall, though, it's what you get for the price that makes this a great product for the budgetconscious buyer.

Contact: NEC (0870) 010 6329

www.nec-online.co.uk

Specifications:

Weight: 3.0kg
Dimensions: (DxWxH) 27.7x31.8x2.2cm
CPU: Intel Pentium-M 1.4GHz
Chipset: Intel 855
Memory: 256MB PC2100 (maximum 1GB)
Graphics: Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Display: 15in. SVGA TFT
Wireless: connectivity Integrated Intel Wireless Pro 802.11b
I/O ports: 4xUSB 2.0, 2 x audio, 1 x 4-pin FireWire, S-Video, modem, LAN, VGA
Hard drive: 40GB Seagate Ultra ATA/100
Warranty One-year collect and return

IBM gives laptop hard drives a soft landing

Kelvyn Taylor — 2003-10-07T10:15:45.000Z

Kelvyn Taylor, PC Magazine, Tuesday 7 October 2003 at 10:15:45

IBM introduces a novel new technology designed to protect hard drives in notebook PCs.

Simple ideas are often the best, and IBM's latest innovation for notebook PCs must rank as one of the simplest for many years.

Technologically it's not trivial, but the idea itself is wonderful - put an accelerometer inside a notebook PC and use it to monitor any sudden changes in motion - such as when the notebook's being dropped. Then use this information to instantly park the heads on the hard disk to prevent them bashing against the data areas on the platters.

As hard drive damage due to impact is a common cause of data loss in notebook PCS, this could be a godsend for companies with large numbers of mobile users. Until now, manufacturers have concentrated on physical protection such as shock-absorbing rubber pads or silicon gel padding to minimise shock damage.

Active Protection System is the name IBM's given to this technology, and it's being premiered in the new ThinkPad T41. The accelerometer used is similar to those used in car airbag sensors and is an example of nanotechnology, using tiny micromachined silicon levers and pivots.

Technically such chips are known as Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, or MEMs for short. Since their commercial introduction in the early 1990s, costs have come down until now some MEMs accelerometers are available for about $2-3 each.

Applications in IT hardware have so far been limited to motion-sensitive pointing devices such as 'free motion' game controllers.

The IBM ThinkPad T41 will go on sale in the UK priced from around £1,830 (ex. VAT) and includes Intel Centrino models.

Maxdata NB Pro 7000X Combo

Simon Crisp — 2003-09-17T11:29:48.000Z

Simon Crisp, PC Magazine, Wednesday 17 September 2003 at 11:29:48

Centrino technology hits the notebook PC.

Maxdata's latest notebook, the NB Pro 7000X Combo, is the company's first to use Intel's Centrino technology and combines reasonable performance and a long battery life with a host of connectivity features.

A slim, two-spindle chassis, finished in silver and grey, gives the 7000X a stylish appearance, although it's no lightweight, weighing in at a hefty 2.8kg.

Powering the 7000X is a 1.6GHz Pentium-M processor and 256MB of DDR-SDRAM memory. Centrino technology isn't all about pure performance - it's about giving the mobile user good performance for the longest possible time. In VNU Labs' tests, the 7000X achieved a battery life of just under four-and-a-half hours when tested with Ziff-Davis Media's BatteryMark v4.0.1, which is impressive from the 4400mAh battery.

On the downside, graphics performance is disappointing - instead of using a mobile ATI or nVidia GPU, Maxdata has opted for an Intel integrated solution that uses shared system memory for the video memory. While this isn't a problem for productivity applications, it's not suitable for modern games or other 3D applications. Although the generous 15in. TFT screen is commendably thin, it doesn't flex too much and only has a native resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels, which is unimpressive for a screen of this size.

The keyboard is well placed and set up. However, although the keys are responsive, the keyboard's overall build quality isn't that good - it flexes when you type. The mouse buttons and touchpad both work well.

Apart from the Intel PRO/Wireless LAN, there's also a Broadcom 10/100 Ethernet for standard network connections. In addition, a V.92 modem and an infrared port are fitted.

For storage, there's a Fujitsu MHT2040AT hard drive, which has a spin speed of 4,200rpm and a 40GB capacity. The front-mounted optical drive is a QDI CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo device and for extra storage there's a multimedia card slot, which accepts Memory Stick, Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards, enabling a wide range of external cards to be used. As with many notebook PCs, the CD player can used without actually having to boot the system.

The sides of the chassis are relatively uncluttered, with one just slot containing the Kensington Security slot and the other a Type II PC card slot, the speaker control and multimedia card slot. The rear panel contains the remaining I/O ports - single VGA, parallel, FireWire and S-Video, three USB 2.0 and two audio ports, but no PS/2 mouse/keyboard ports. Windows XP Pro is the preinstalled operating system, although copies of Nero Express and Vision Express, CyberLink PowerDVD 4 XP and anti-virus and personal firewall software were also bundled.

Graphics performance aside, though, the Maxdata NB Pro 7000X Combo is a well-featured notebook PC that has a decent battery life and connectivity options, which are ideal for the mobile business user.

Contact: Maxdata (01344) 788 900

www.maxdata.uk.com

Specifications:

OS: Windows XP Professional
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Pentium-M
Memory: 256MB of PC2100
Graphics: Integrated Intel 855
Hard disk: 40GB Fujitsu MHT2040AT Ultra ATA/100
Optical drive: QDI CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
Display: 15in. TFT, 1024 by 768 pixels
I/O: VGA, parallel, S-Video out, FireWire, Type II PC card, MMC slot, three x USB 2.0, line in and out, 10/100Base-T, V.90 modem, infrared

Humble pie

Guy Kewney — 2003-09-01T13:07:07.000Z

Guy Kewney, PC Magazine, Monday 1 September 2003 at 13:07:07

If you're a notebook PC owner you'll undoutedly be scepticalabout manufacturers' claims for battery life. IBM's ThinkPad X31using Centrino technology could be what you're looking for.

I think I may have some words to eat. Unlike some notebook users, I actually use mine on the move. It's not a desktop PC with a built-in UPS. It's genuinely mobile and it has to have a battery that works.When IBM read my comments about nine months ago, expressing some scepticism about the future of the Centrino and its abilities to double battery life, I was keen to expose them and their absurd claims.

They said: 'Would you like to test the ThinkPad X31?' I said: 'Yes!' and started sharpening my teeth and claws. The law of portable PCs has been known for ages. You get about two hours of battery life, and then it shuts down.When I'm out and about, I use a Wi-Fi card connected to the nearest hotspot, or plugged into GPRS data. I have IRC and instant messaging programs running, with people constantly popping up asking questions or providing answers. I run my own Web site and it involves frequent access to the site, FTP uploads and a Python script which chews up CPU cycles and disk access. On top of that, there's text editing, note taking, photo processing-my machine has to WORK.

My own machine is a ThinkPad X22. It's nice, but its standard battery is lucky to last two hours. The X31 looks and feels very like the X22, but costs nearly a thousand quid more. It has virtually the same hardware, plus a couple of extras like FireWire and a parallel port. But you do get a Pentium-M processor and the rest of the Centrino package. And the promise of Centrino was that it would extend battery life.

I?ve heard this all before, frankly.When the first Centrino leaks emerged a year or so ago, Intel played down the amount of difference it would make. Intel correctly pointed out that the processor and chipset couldn't account for more than 30 per cent of the battery drain on a notebook with a big display and a disk. So I warned my readers that they shouldn't get too excited about Centrino. It would reduce power consumption, yes; but not by that much.Then IBM sent the X31, and with it the large, high-capacity battery, so I took it with me to a seminar in Barcelona. It's a small machine with a small display-it's a nice, bright display, but it's not a rival to Apple's DVD cinema portable. I charged up the battery overnight and resolved to leave the power supply behind.

At 7:45 I switched it on, logged onto the wireless LAN and began work. I madeverbatim notes, posted items on my Weblog, discussed the presentation with other delegates over IRC, wrote news items and posted them to my Web site. I interviewed people during each and every break. At 16:30 the warning message appeared: 'You have only 10 per cent of your battery capacity remaining.'

That's the breakthrough. For me, it's the Holy Grail. IBM's marketing figuresclaim 11-13 hours battery life, which is piffle. But who cares if you can really get eight hours or more of solid work out of a portable PC? That's a day's work.

That's a trans-Atlantic flight with urgent deadlines. All without having to find a power outlet. OK, the battery is a lump, but the whole package is still a comfortable weight in your backpack or briefcase.

I've never, ever, written a PC review before that ended: 'They're going to haveto fight to get this machine back', and I'm not going to do it now. But this is the first notebook I?ve handed back with a genuine regret that my current one isn't due to be replaced for another year.

HP Jornado 928

Maggie Williams — 2002-10-02T11:42:35.000Z

Maggie Williams, PC Magazine, Wednesday 2 October 2002 at 11:42:35

A competent bundle for either consumers or businesses.

Hewlett Packard's (HP) first Wireless Digital Assistant (WDA) combines General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) phone features and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) functionality based on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition.

It's an impressive bundle, combining good quality telephony features with a wide range of software applications. However, the limitations of GPRS and battery life currently mean it won't satisfy all mobile users' needs.

Built around Texas Instruments' Omap 710 processor, which integrates data and voice capabilities onto a single chip, the Jornada offers 32MB of Flash Rom, plus 64MB of Ram.

A single CompactFlash Type 1 slot offers further memory expansion capabilities. It uses two Lithium Polymer batteries, one of which is integrated into the unit, the other being a removeable, rechargeable unit.

HP claims the batteries jointly provide 12 hours of PDA use, three hours talktime or 150 hours of standby time. However, during our tests, we found that 12 hours was an optimistic estimate.

A 240 x 320-pixel touch-sensitive 16bit colour reflective TFT display is included for PDA functions. An additional 132 x 32 pixels monochrome display on the top of the device shows phone call and status information.

The colour depth of the main PDA screen gives good definition but, overall, it could be sharper.

The smaller backlit phone display is still visible when the WDA's outer case is shut. This is a well thought out implementation of the phone features, as call information is still visible when the PDA features are turned off. It also displays incoming call details.

The phone software incorporated into the device's operating system enables you to place calls and send SMS messages. It also provides a call log and speed dial facility.

Most other elements of phone management are handled through your call service provider. An additional application, MicroChaiVM, also supports voice-activated dialling.

Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition includes the standard applications available with any Pocket PC 2002 PDA. Pocket Word, Excel and Outlook are included, as well as the useful Microsoft Transcriber feature. This recognises cursive handwriting and produces very good results at reasonable speed.

Other bundled software includes EzWap versions 2.1 and 2.5 for Wap browsing, as well as trial versions of software for Virtual Private Network connectivity and other wireless management tools. Links to online services for booking hotels and restaurants, as well as TomTom's maps of European cities, support both business and leisure use.

The PDA software's biggest shortcoming is its navigation. In general, Pocket PC 2002 has some odd features, particularly when it comes to locating applications and files. The addition of separate folders for the HP-specific applications confuses matters further, making it difficult to track down data files you've created on the device.

GPRS support means that with an appropriate Sim card you can use the product for web browsing or sending emails from anywhere in the world with a sufficiently strong signal. However, browsing is still a painfully slow and, therefore, expensive process at present.

Currently, the Jornada 928 is only available through Vodafone as part of a contract - there are no plans to sell it as a standalone PDA tool. This is a shame, as the product is also a solid handheld PC, independent of its phone features.

Although not included with the standard package, HP has released an additional Pocket Camera (£164.17 ex. VAT) to accompany the device. This plugs into the Compact Flash expansion slot on the top of the PDA and enables you to capture images at a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels.

Voice annotation can be added to individual photos, which are then saved in JPEG format. Such a low-resolution camera isn't exactly going to challenge the mainstream digital imaging market, but for a small add-on, the Pocket Camera does a good job.

There's a small range of digital effects - such as sepia toning - within the camera itself, and you can either control the unit manually or through software installed on the Jornada 928.

Battery life is still too short for it to act as a tool for heavy mobile users, but its general design makes it one of the few truly usable devices of its type currently on the market.

Fact file

OS Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition
Processor TI Omap 710
Weight 194g
Memory 32MB Flash Rom/64MB of Ram
Display 65,536 colours
Expansion slots CompactFlash Type 1
Claimed battery life 12 hours PDA or three hours talktime

Contact: HP (0870) 547 4747

www.hp.co.uk

Price: £390 (ex. VAT) with Vodafone contract

Toshiba Portege 2000

Henry Tucker — 2002-08-21T10:19:39.000Z

Henry Tucker, PC Magazine, Wednesday 21 August 2002 at 10:19:39

If you're looking for an ultra-portable notebook PC, this is the one to go for.

The Toshiba Portege 2000 is the slimmest (14.9mm) and lightest (1.2kg) notebook PC that we've seen. In a brushed aluminium and black case, it has a very stylish look as well as some interesting and highly useful features.

It's based around a 750MHz low-voltage Intel Pentium III-M processor. This has 512KB of Level 2 cache and is accompanied by 256MB of PC100 SDRam, which can be expanded to a maximum of 512MB.

The hard disk drive, a 1.8in Ultra ATA/100 20GB Toshiba unit that spins at 4,200rpm, is the only built-in drive, as there's no room for an optical or floppy disk drive.

This is an industry first, as the hard drives usually fitted into ultra-portable notebook PCs are generally 2.5in models. Smaller drives have until now offered reduced capacity, so the fact that Toshiba's new drives have capacities between 10GB and 20GB is a step forward.

Despite its diminutive size, the Portege 2000 still has room for many features often only found on larger notebook PCs. It has both an integrated 10/100Base-T network interface and built-in 802.11b wireless, via a pre-installed Toshiba wireless local area network mini-PCI card.

To turn the wireless connection on, all you need to do is flick the switch on the right-hand side of the chassis. There are a row of LEDs by the screen hinge, one of which lights up when the wireless connection is enabled.

Should you want to install any additional hardware, the Portege 2000 also has a Type II PC card slot, an SD card slot, two USB ports and an external VGA connector that will drive an external monitor up to 1,600 by 1,200 pixels.

Because of its reduced size the Portege 2000 only comes with a 12.1in. TFT that has a native resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. This is powered by a Trident CyberALADDiN-T graphics processor with 16MB of video memory. However, the screen isn't very bright, which could prove frustrating in brightly-lit environments.

Even though it has a compact chassis, it manages to provide a full-sized keyboard that's well laid out and easy to use. There's even room to rest your hands comfortably while typing.

Unlike most Toshiba notebook PCs, the Portege 2000 has a trackpad, rather than a trackpoint, for cursor control. This is a matching silver colour and is very responsive with left and right click buttons.

You might think that because of size restrictions, the size of its battery would result in poor battery life, but that isn't the case. When we tested it using BatteryMark 4.0.1, it recorded a time of exactly two hours, even with power-saving assistance turn off.

For those who require more battery power, Toshiba offers an additional clip-on battery for £169.99 (ex. VAT). Even with this attached, the Portege's weight is still only 1.5kg.

The clip-on battery also raises it up slightly so that it sits at a more comfortable height for typing as well as allowing air to circulate underneath for improved cooling. You can also replace the PC Card CD-Rom drive with a CD-RW drive for £319.99 (ex. VAT).

If you're looking for an ultra-portable notebook PC that's extremely thin and light, Toshiba's Portege 2000 is one of the most stylish models we've seen.

Price: £1,699 (ex. VAT)

Specifications:

OS: Windows XP Professional

Processor: 750MHz Intel Pentium III-M

Memory: 256MB of PC100 SDRam

Graphics chipset: 16MB Trident CyberALADDiN-T

Hard disk: 20GB

Optical drive: External CD-Rom drive

Display: 12in. XGA

I/O: Two x USB, 10/100Base-T, SD card slot, serial, infrared, 802.11b, Type II PC Card slot, VGA.

Contact: Toshiba 0870 444 9844

www.toshiba.co.uk

Hewlett Packard Photosmart 812

Paul Monckton — 2002-07-19T09:57:10.000Z

Paul Monckton, PC Magazine, Friday 19 July 2002 at 09:57:10

Simple to use, compact and yet powerful. Captures great pictures, too.

Hewlett Packard's Photosmart 812 is more than just smart with photos. As its name might fail to suggest, it also shares images quite easily.

A 4Megapixel sensor combined with a Pentax 3X optical zoom lens means it's got enough under the hood to play with the big boys. While it makes few compromises on quality, this camera is really all about ease of use.

After only a few moments spent with the Photosmart 812, you'll notice that HP has managed to make just about everything work as you'd want it to. One of the best touches is the fact you can browse through your photos after taking a picture without having to switch to playback mode.

Great emphasis has recently been placed on sharing digital images online. HP takes this one stage further with its innovative Instant Share feature. Just take a photo and select a destination, such as a printer.

The next time the camera is connected to your PC, the image will automatically be printed. Images are stored online, a small thumbnail and web link being sent to the email recipient.

This process is made even simpler if you use the optional Photosmart 8881 docking station (£49.99 inc. VAT).

If there's one small niggle, it's the noisy zooming of the lens when you switch the camera on. Other than that, it's cool and gadgety all the way, complete with funky icons that'll amaze your friends.

Far from being intrusive, these additions improve the Photosmart 812, making it simple and fun to use. HP manages to explain its functions in plain English on the LCD, while keeping the display clear and uncluttered.

The 812 delivers great quality and a host of easy-to-use and useful functions in an attractive, compact case.

Price: £399.99 (inc. VAT)

Contact: Hewlett Packard 08705 474 747

www.hp.com/uk/

Pinnacle Pro-ONE

Cliff Joseph — 2002-07-17T11:52:30.000Z

Cliff Joseph, PC Magazine, Wednesday 17 July 2002 at 11:52:30

An impressive editing system for the more experienced corporate user or independent film maker.

Pinnacle Systems has been very busy in the consumer market recently, releasing several low-cost video editing and DVD authoring products.

However, it's also been working on more sophisticated editing systems, such as the Pro-ONE, which is aimed at corporate users and professional or semi-professional video editors.

Pro-ONE is an impressive package, consisting of some powerful hardware and an extremely versatile software bundle. The system is based around the Pro-ONE video capture board: a full-length (30.48cm) PCI expansion card.

It has two IEEE 1394 ports for connecting digital video cameras and other peripherals such as a DVD rewriter. There's also a large connector that allows you to plug in an external module, which Pinnacle refers to as the Blue Box.

This provides input and output connectors for composite video, S-Video and stereo audio, so that you have a complete set of input and output options for both analogue and digital video equipment.

Just as important, though, are the board's real-time video processing capabilities. Normally, when adding transitions and special effects to your video editing projects, you have to rely on your PC's main processor to render the effects.

This can slow down even the most powerful processor, but the Pro-ONE's real-time editing capabilities allow you to render up to 10 different effects or transitions simultaneously.

Until now, Matrox's RT2500 video editing solution was one of the only products in the sub-£1,000 (ex. VAT) price range to offer this kind of real-time editing but, with the Pro-ONE, Pinnacle has given Matrox some real competition at last.

To complement this powerful piece of hardware, Pinnacle has included an impressive software bundle. The main editing features are provided by a copy of Adobe's Premiere 6.0.

This is a powerful video editing program in its own right, with sophisticated multi-track video editing and built-in audio controls. However, Pinnacle has included a number of extra software features that can be used in conjunction with Premiere.

In addition to the standard transition effects provided by Premiere, a number of complex new transitions are on hand to take advantage of the Pro-ONE's real-time rendering.

These include transitions such as wipes and peels, as well as picture-in-picture. You can even animate some of these transitions, perhaps to create a picture-in-picture effect that moves around the screen.

There are 400 different wipe effects available and Pinnacle has supplied a set of extra special effects called Hollywood FX, which includes a range of eye-catching 3D, lighting and animation effects.

For titling work, there's a bundled copy of Title Deko that allows you to create titles, logos and other text effects.

All of these extra features have been designed as plug-ins that work directly within Premiere itself, so you can use all of them without having to switch from program to program while you're working.

Once you've finished editing your work, you can export it in a number of formats for distribution on CDRom, the internet or across a corporate network.

And if you want to put your video work onto DVD, there's a program called Impressions that provides basic DVD authoring features.

There's little to fault in any of these features and the hardware's real-time rendering will be a valuable timesaver.

Pinnacle's documentation isn't what it could be, however, and reads as though it's been badly translated into English from another language.

Most of the effects and transitions are fairly easy to use, though, and experienced editors should have little difficulty getting to grips with Pro-ONE.

It's not cheap and you'll need plenty of free space in your system to accommodate the large PCI board, but the Pro-ONE is still competitively priced and will appeal to anyone who has outgrown low-end products such as Pinnacle's Studio range.

Price: £749.99 (ex. VAT)

Minimum requirements: Windows 98, SE, ME, XP; 700MHz Pentium II; 256Mb Ram; 300Mb free hard drive space.

Contact: Pinnacle Systems 01895 442 003

www.pinnaclesys.co.uk

Canon XL1S

Laurence Grayson — 2002-06-14T09:33:55.000Z

Laurence Grayson, PC Magazine, Friday 14 June 2002 at 09:33:55

An easy to use digital camera that's difficult to beat for professional video capture.

There's very little to visually distinguish this new model from its predecessor, the XL1. The camera shares the same modular design, with a magnesium alloy chassis and red plastic housing.

As before, the lens is interchangeable with other video lenses, or you can fit Canon's EOS-type lenses with an optional ring mount (£279.99 ex. VAT).

The lens that came with the XL1S reviewed here is Canon's 16X (5.5 to 88mm) fluorite zoom. It's an autofocus lens with an integrated neutral density filter that helps to reduce glare or overexposure in awkward lighting conditions. Other available lenses include a manual zoom lens (£1,154 ex. VAT) for those who prefer tighter control.

One key improvement is the CCD array. It's still a three-chip model, with separate CCDs for red, green and blue, but a new signal processor provides an improved signal/noise ratio and better low-light performance.

The CCD resolution of 270,000 pixels might not be as high as most single-chip camcorders, but pixel-shift is employed to increase this, which results in slightly smoother looking video than can be found on other products.

If you work with cinematography as well as broadcast video, the XL1S's progressive scan mode lets you capture complete frames. For filming without a tripod, the standard lens has an optical image stabilisation system to smooth out shake and the XL1S adds a digital stabiliser circuit for further compensation.

The camera's form factor and size suits a shoulder mount, but free or hip mounting is also possible, as thumb controls for record and zoom are replicated on the carrying handle. However, unlike Canon's XM1, or Sony's VX2000, there's no external LCD viewfinder.

Where the XL1S excels is in manual control, with accessible buttons and rollers for shutter speed, manual focus and iris, allowing adjustment without having to take your eyes off the subject.

New additions to this control set are colour balance, sharpness and gain controls. If you have specific configurations you use repeatedly, the XL1S can store them.

Canon has also listened to criticisms levelled at the XL1's menu access and the iris roller beneath the lens doubles as a control interface.

Audio capture is clean, with support for two external sources as standard and separate controls for balance and gain. Other new features include time lapse recording and external device control via IEEE 1394.

It might appear expensive compared to consumer digital video cameras, but Canon's XL1S is an easy choice for the video professional.

Price: £2,553 (ex. VAT)

Specifications:

Imaging device: 3X CCD

Optical zoom: 16X

Tape format: MiniDV

I/O: DV-in/out, Video-in/out, S-Video-in/out Audio-in/out, 3.5mm headphone, 2.5mm microphone.

Contact: Canon 0800 616 417

www.canon.co.uk

Sony Clie PEG T625C

David Poole — 2002-06-13T11:40:43.000Z

David Poole, PC Magazine, Thursday 13 June 2002 at 11:40:43

A great all-round PDA with loads of style and plenty of excellent software.

Sony's latest Clie is more evolution, than revolution in PDA technology, but contains enough new features and design improvements to make it attractive to committed PDA users.

The most noticeable improvement comes from the new screen. The transreflective 320 by 320-pixel TFT is back-lit, but also reflects ambient light levels to improve image sharpness, especially in high light environments.

Colours are excellent and the drain on its Li-ion battery doesn't seem too extreme, with 12 hours life for standard use.

At 72 by 118 by 99mm, this is also one of the slimmest PDAs on the market, which makes the Clie more comfortable to hold and use. At 138g, it's not too heavy, although the flappy leather screen cover is more of a hindrance than a help.

Internally, the PDA uses a 33MHz Dragonball VZ processor and comes with 16Mb of Ram and 4Mb of Flash memory. There's also a slot for a Memory Stick, and the Clie can be synchronised using infrared or USB connections. Palm OS 4.1 is loaded as standard.

The Clie's software bundle is excellent, with Documents To Go 4.0, gMovie and AvantGo 4.0 included as standard. Sony is also building world clock and improved alarm functions into the operating system, so this is the first PDA we've seen that includes an effective alarm clock.

On the down side, the stylus is tiny and can be difficult to get out of its storage socket, while the scrolling button is fiddly.

Overall, however, the Clie PEG T625C is an excellent and intuitive PDA.

Price: £279.99 (ex. VAT)

Specifications:OS: Palm 4.1

Processor: 33MHz Dragonball OS VZ

Weight: 138g

Memory: 16Mb

Display: 65,000 colours

Expansion slots: Memory Stick

Contact: Sony 01932 816 000

www.sony.com

AJP 5600P

Alex Cruickshank — 2002-06-10T15:51:19.000Z

Alex Cruickshank, PC Magazine, Monday 10 June 2002 at 15:51:19

A fully featured notebook PC ideal for the occasional traveller.

Intel's new mobile Pentium 4 was designed to fit into the cramped interior of the latest notebook PCs. However, AJP has used the desktop version of the 2.2GHz chip in the 5600P. Partly as a result, it's one of the largest notebooks we've seen in recent years.

Weighing in at 3.2kg and with dimensions of 329 x 290 x 44mm, you wouldn't want to carry it around for long. However, its design means there's little compromise with usability and features.

The styling of the mostly silver case might not be striking and the majority of it is made from plastic. However, the build quality is high. There's some flexing of the display surround, but this doesn't affect the 15.1in. TFT panel.

The screen has a native resolution of 1,400 by 1,050 pixels and is bright and sharp. It's driven by the ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 chipset with Triple-View, which lets you work on the LCD and an external monitor via the D-Sub VGA port or a TV screen via the S-Video port. The graphics chipset is also backed by a massive 64Mb of video memory.

The 5600P has 512Mb of DDR SDRam in its standard configuration, with space for expansion via a pair of 144-pin SO Dimm sockets. The comprehensive specification continues with an eight-speed DVDRom drive and a built-in floppy disk drive. Either can be exchanged for optional modules, such as a second battery pack (£140 ex. VAT) or a combo CD-RW/DVDRom drive (£99.99 ex. VAT).

It has an array of controls set into the front panel for playing audio CDs, and there's an LCD track number display. Audio output is enhanced by the use of a 5.1-channel controller, complete with optical S/PDIF output at the rear. A pair of speakers set into the panel below the display produce reasonably good quality sound.

Of similarly high specification is the hard disk drive, a 40Gb E-IDE unit supporting the Ultra ATA/100 interface. This can be removed and replaced, while connectivity is provided by a V.90 modem and 10/100Base-T network adapter.

A single Type II PC Card slot is provided for other uses, such as memory card data transfer, and there are four USB ports at the rear of the system. An IEEE 1394 port offers input for digital video and other high bandwidth applications.

The keyboard has translucent keys, which are mostly full-sized. In particular, the space bar, enter, backspace and right-shift keys are all the proper size, while the function and cursor keys and left-shift are smaller.

Set into the wrist rest is a track pad with two conventional buttons, plus a pair of scroll buttons, although you can plug in an external mouse via the PS/2 port should you prefer.

There are some limitations though. The essential twin cooling fans in the base make the unit rather noisy and mean that it's best used on a desk or table, rather than on your lap.

The battery life of around one hour isn't too impressive either, despite the smart Li-ion battery. This is mainly due to the desktop processor, graphics adapter and screen sucking up the power.

The unit comes with a similarly chunky mains power supply module, along with a printed user's guide and driver/backup CDRom. Fortunately, a carry case is included which is essential given the size and weight of this system. AJP offers a one-year, return-to-base warranty.

These drawbacks mean that the 5600P isn't a suitable machine for travelling professionals. Rather, it's aimed at people who spend most of their time in one office, but occasionally have to move and take their applications and data with them.

However, the size and weight are compensated for by its desktop PC-like performance and features. As a replacement desktop PC, it's not a bad choice.

Price: £1,699 (ex. VAT)

Specifications:

OS: Windows XP Professional
Processor: 2.2GHz Intel Pentium 4
Memory: 512Mb of DDR SDRam
Graphics chipset: 64Mb ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
Hard disk: 40Gb
Optical drive: DVDRom
Display: 15.1in. SXGA+
I/O: Four USB 1.1 ports, IEEE 1394, IrDA, V.90 modem, 10/100Base-T, S-Video, S/PDIF

Contact: AJP 020 8208 9777

www.ajp.co.uk

Palm m515

Sandra Vogel — 2002-05-28T16:12:40.000Z

Sandra Vogel, PC Magazine, Tuesday 28 May 2002 at 16:12:40

The m515 addresses some of the key weaknesses of its predecessor.

When Palm launched its m505 some criticised the low quality of the colour display, which was poorly lit.

One of the tasks of the m515 is putting that to rights and indeed the new display is brighter and more usable. However, even with the brightest of the three settings activated, the front lit LCD isn't as bright as the back lit screen of the new m130.

Palm hasn't done a great deal to turn the m505, which we expect to disappear from the product suite, into the m515.

This new device has 16Mb of Ram, instead of 8Mb as in the rest of the Palm range, as well as an SD slot to accommodate either the company's new Bluetooth card, which is Palm's forthcoming European foray into the connected device arena, or more data storage. Beyond that, little has changed.

The hardware build is the same stylish design as the m500 and m505, and the Palm OS is version 4.1. The same 33MHz Dragonball processor is used as in the rest of Palm's range, except for the slower m105. The lithium polymer battery should give around a week of average usage between recharges.

Software includes the same applications supplied with the m130, including Documents to Go, MGI Software's PhotoSuite, Palm Reader and a range of internet and connectivity tools.

Palm suggests a price of £369.99 (ex. VAT) for the m515 or £449.99 (ex. VAT) if it's bought in a bundle with the Bluetooth card. This is in line with pricing of the newer Pocket PC 2002 PDAs, but isn't competitive enough to make the m515 a better choice.

If you can live without the extra 8Mb of Ram, a slightly smaller (albeit brighter) screen and a less stylish hardware design, the m130 is a much more economical buy.

Price: £369.99 (ex. VAT)

Specifications:

OS: Palm 4.1

Processor: 33MHz Dragonball

Weight: 138.9g

Memory: 16Mb

Display: 65,000 colours

Expansion slots: MMC, SD card

Contact: Palm 020 7365 9802

www.palm.com

Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100

Henry Tucker — 2002-05-23T11:59:42.000Z

Henry Tucker, PC Magazine, Thursday 23 May 2002 at 11:59:42

An impressive Pentium 4-based notebook ideal for anyone looking to replace their desktop PC.

Toshiba's Satellite Pro 6100 is almost identical to the Satellite Pro 6000 we reviewed in the April 2002 issue of PC Magazine. There are two major reasons for an updated model so soon, however: the use of a 1.7GHz Pentium 4-M processor and nVidia's GeForce4 420 Go GPU.

Despite the enhanced hardware specifications, the dimensions of the Satellite Pro 6100 have barely changed and the system is just 1mm thicker to accommodate the Pentium 4's cooling needs.

Because of its high-end specification, the Satellite Pro 6100 is designed as more of a desktop replacement notebook PC. With that said, it only weighs 2.86kg, which is considerably less than some other desktop replacement models.

Unlike many systems of its size, the Satellite Pro 6100 is a two-spindle device with a modular Matshita 8/8/24/8-speed DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive alongside a Toshiba 40GB hard disk drive. A USB floppy disk drive is also supplied as standard.

The Pentium 4-M chip has an improved Level 2 cache of 512KB and uses the new 845MP chipset, which has been designed specifically for the CPU. This uses DDR SDRAM rather than SDRAM, and the Satellite Pro 6100 has 256MB of memory.

Unlike the Satellite 5100-501, the Satellite Pro 6100 doesn't have the top-of-the-range nVidia GeForce4 440 chip, but the slightly lower specified GeForce4 420 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM. This powers the 15in. TFT UXGA display, which has a native resolution of 1,600 by 1,200 pixels and can also run an external display with a resolution up to 2,048 by 1,536 pixels.

As with the Satellite Pro 6000, the Satellite Pro 6100 also has built-in wireless technology via a built-in 802.11b mini PCI wireless card Bluetooth antenna. This is in addition to the Intel 10/100Base-T NIC and Toshiba V.90 modem.

The Satellite Pro 6100 retains its legacy ports, nicely concealed at the back behind a flap alongside the RJ-11, RJ-45 and VGA ports. Two USB and one PS/2 port are also on the back, but not concealed. There's also a Kensington Security Slot, S-Video out, two Type II PC card slots and an SD card slot.

Usage time from the 3,600mAh battery is unimpressive at under two hours. However, the Satellite Pro 6100 is an impressive PC ideal for anyone looking to replace their desktop PC.

Price: £2,099 (ex. VAT)Specifications:OS: Windows XP Professional

Processor: Intel Pentium 4-M 1.7GHz

Memory: 256MB DDR SDRAM

Graphics chipset: 32MB nVidia GeForce4 420 Go

Hard disk: 40GB

Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW

Display: 15in. UXGA

I/O: 2 x USB, AMR modem, 10/100Base-TContact:Toshiba(01932) 828828