The most recent articles from PC Magazine

VisionPlus VisionDTV USB-Ter

Kelvyn Taylor — 2004-11-04T13:07:22.000Z

Kelvyn Taylor, PC Magazine, Thursday 4 November 2004 at 13:07:22

A good-value digital TV tuner

The VisionDTV USB-Ter from Visionplus claims to be the world's first external digital TV tuner with Windows Hardware Quality Labs certification. In theory this should ensure good XP compatibility, and we found that it worked flawlessly when a good aerial signal was present, but poor signal strength led to random application freezes when trying to change channels.

The VisionDTV is a tiny silver box that connects via USB1.1 or 2. Power is delivered down the USB cable so you don't need a separate adapter; at 100mA, its needs are well below the 500mA rating of a standard USB port. The aerial connection is a standard 75ohm coaxial plug, but there's no external audio or video input capability.

Channel setup was simple using the automatic scan menu; you just set it to your geographic location and it will do the rest. It will detect freeto-air and scrambled channels, but there's no support for subscribing to such content (for example, via Top Up TV services).

You can edit channel names and add channels to a Favourites list, which usefully separates them into TV and audio channels, and if your soundcard has an S/PDIF output you can route the audio to it.

VisionTV is the clunky but functional software application included with the device. The VCR-style panel gives you access to programme controls, personal video recorder (PVR) and electronic programme guide (EPG) functions. It's not a particularly elegant interface, but it does the job.

Channels can be viewed and recorded in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio and there's also a free-resize option. The one thing lacking is a title-free mode. You can hide the control and Favourites panels, but you can't get rid of the title bar in the video window.

A supplied infrared remote control replicates all program and navigation commands, usefully including the Enter and Tab keyboard buttons. It's also easy to control via a keyboard as all program functions have a shortcut key, but the listing for these is buried in the pdf manual.

Picture and audio quality were excellent, and the PVR system was a joy to use with easy scheduling; you can set schedules manually or via the EPG. You can also timeshift live TV. The record buffer defaults to five minutes but you can increase this, subject to available system resources.

Recordings are saved as multiplexed (.mpg) mpeg2 files, but the one downside of this product is that you can't adjust the recording quality settings. It's preset to record in a 'standard play' mpeg2 mode of about 3Mbytes/sec, which means that recordings aren't quite as high quality as the raw digital TV mpeg2 streams.

There's a 4GB file size limit (about two hours), and longer recordings are automatically spanned over multiple files in order to maintain compatibility with FAT32 file systems. Recorded content is saved in a list accessed from a button on the control panel, from where you can replay, rename or delete your recordings.

Despite this reservation, for the price it's an outstanding product. Cheaper than some rival USB Freeview TV tuners, it has as many, if not more, features.

Albatron PX915G Pro

PC Magazine Team — 2004-09-03T09:29:24.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Friday 3 September 2004 at 09:29:24

PC Magazine's first review of a board with the -G version of the Intel 915 chipset.

Albatron's PX915G Pro is the first board we've seen with the -G version of the Intel 915 chipset. This incorporates the updated version of Intel?s graphics core, known as the GMA 900 (Graphics Media Accelerator).

It's the equivalent of an entry-level graphics card such as an nVidia GeForce FX5200. If you want more than basic graphics performance , the board also has a 16X PCX graphics slot.

For the PX915G Pro Albatron has chosen the DDR1 memory option, and the four DIMM slots can take up to 4GB of either DDR333 or DDR400 memory in dual-channel mode.

For those without SATA hard drives, the two Ultra ATA/133 RAID ports can be configured to work as standard Ultra ATA/133 ports, leaving the single standard Ultra ATA/100 port free for optical drives. There are four SATA ports but as the board uses the basic version of the ICH6 Southbridge there's no SATA RAID support.

Aside from all the usual data cables in the box, there's a useful A3 colour installation poster. It's definitely an entry-level board, but it has some useful upgrade potential.

Contact: Discount Computer Supplies (01302) 364155

www.dcs-online.biz

Dell Axim X30 Wireless

Kelvyn Taylor — 2004-08-25T11:14:33.000Z

Kelvyn Taylor, PC Magazine, Wednesday 25 August 2004 at 11:14:33

Multimedia in your hand.

Dell's original Axim X5 PDA, launched almost 18 months ago, was notable for bringing the price of a Pocket PC down to an affordable level. The X3 improved the range by adding a slimline design, and the new Axim X30 maintains both benefits while adding all the latest technology.

Externally its slimline case is identical to the Axim X3, but the major difference that the Axim X30 Wireless is powered by Intel's latest X-Scale PXA270 processor. This is the first embedded CPU to incorporate the Wireless MMX (WMMX) instruction set, designed to improve multimedia, 3D and encryption/decryption performance.

Our top-of-the range review model featured a 624MHz PXA270 CPU. There are two other models in the range - an entry-level 400MHz non-WMMX PXA255 and a mid-range 312MHz PXA270.

In use the PDA feels extremely responsive, with little lag when using the on-screen character recognition, and video playback was smooth. The screen's commendably sharp and bright, and almost readable in bright sunlight.

The slim but uninspiring slab-like design offers no concessions for left-handed users - the asymmetric casing is uncomfortable to hold and the jog wheel is in an awkward position. Right-handers will find it's a comfortable shape, however.

The X30 Wireless comes with both a USB docking cradle (easy to slot the X30 into, but not quite as easy to remove it) and a USB sync cable. There's space in the dock for charging a spare battery.

Both Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth are built in. You can manage connections with either the Dell WLAN utility or the free Odyssey client - we found Odyssey slightly easier to use. There's a dedicated button on the front panel for disabling the wireless in addition to the usual four navigation buttons and four-way control paddle.

At this price and with this processor, the X30 Wireless is a welcome addition to Dell's competitive range of Pocket PCs.

Contact: Dell (0870) 152 4649

www.dell.co.uk

Specifications:

Dimensions 77.2x14.9x122.4mm
Weight: 139g
OS Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition
Processor Intel PXA270 624MHz
Memory 64MB RAM/64MB ROM
Screen 3.5in transflective TFT, 240x320 pixels, 65K colours
Card slots Single SD/SDIO/MMC slot
Extra ports Headphone, infrared
Software None
PC connection USB cradle or USB sync cable

Fluke Networks Optiview Series II INA

Alex Arias — 2004-08-24T12:24:37.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Tuesday 24 August 2004 at 12:24:37

Help for network managers.

Fluke recently released the latest version of the OptiView Integrated Network Analyser, adding new features to what was already a highly functional network troubleshooting tool aimed at professional users.

The unit itself has not changed in physical format - it uses the same tablet form factor with a touch sensitive display, although this now operates at a higher resolution. But its base operating system has been upgraded to run a customised and locked down version of Windows XP.

The real work is done using a custom network analysis board, which provides analyses at full wire speed, and is capable of coping with gigabit network speeds.

A wide range of testing tools are available including protocol analysis, SNMP discovery and mapping tools, RMON2 probe and a UTP cable tester. It's also possible to troubleshoot wireless LANs in tri-band - although this is an add-on option and requires a proprietary wireless card from Fluke costing £2,866 (all prices ex VAT).

The basic OptiView comes with a single 10/100Mbit/s wired interface. A 100Base-FX fibre connector is available on the OptiView Pro (£11,473), while the top of the range OptiView Pro Gigabit has a hot pluggable 1000Base-X interface card (£15,936).

Once connected to a network, automatic discovery is triggered and it instigates a search for manageable devices. There is now an estimated time for completion, which was previously lacking, again a minor but useful update. The summarised data is then presented.

Detailed analysis on WAN environments and on VLANs can be carried out, although some of this is dependant on the model of switch. and both are extra cost features (WAN £1,116, VLAN £1,909).

The usual cable testing facilities are included, and it's also possible to create different traffic loads to assist with stress-testing the network. Capturing and decoding network packets for troubleshooting is done using the Expert viewer application. This automatically decodes and categorises problems throughout the OSI layer.

Reports can be generated using the OptiView Reporter software in a variety of formats including HTML. It can be deployed as a semi-permanent monitoring station, accessible via a web browser.

The OptiView Series II is a rounded tool to help supervise and keep a network in optimum condition. Although it's portable, the limited internal battery life makes it more of a desktop than a handheld tool. Even though the pricing has dropped it's still really only an option for the enterprise market.

Contact: Fluke (01923) 281300

www.fluke-networks.com

Specifications:

Wireless standards supported 802.11b/g/a
Weight 2.1Kg without external battery
Battery life 1 hour (internal)
Interfaces 1xVGA 2 USB
Connectivity RJ-45 10/100Base-T Ethernet, 100Base-FX (OptiView Pro), 1000Base-X (OptiView Pro Gigabit)
Warranty 2 years RTB

HP Laserjet 4650 Series

Alex Arias — 2004-08-23T14:40:15.000Z

Alex Arias, PC Magazine, Monday 23 August 2004 at 14:40:15

Fast, heavy-duty HP printer.

The LaserJet 4650dtn from HP is the newest addition to the 4600 range of printers, featuring an increase in engine speed to 22ppm and a faster processor. Designed for high volume business printing, it produces good quality mono and colour output.

The 4650 family range comprises five A4 printers, starting with the non-networked LaserJet 4650 (£1,049 ex VAT) , with parallel and USB 2.0 connectivity as standard.

The next model up is the 4650n (£1,149 ex VAT), which adds 10/100Base-TX Ethernet connectivity and a JetDirect 620n print server. This allows you to manage the printer through a browser. Its interface is well designed and can be accessed securely over HTTPS. Wireless options for connecting to the interface include 802.11b and Bluetooth.

Although the printer is neither small nor light, its size is typical of its class. The four toner cartridges are conveniently accessed from the front, which makes maintenance easier and provides more flexibility in terms of location. The front LCD panel menus and buttons are intuitively labelled, making it easy to navigate and obtain the relevant information. You can quickly print out the status page and obtain the IP address for the printer if you're on a DHCP-enabled network. It also provides a quick indication of the toner levels.

The base resolution of 600 by 600 dpi is enhanced using HP's ImageREt 3600, a proprietary printing technology that aims to improve the quality of printed output. The sample prints we tested were impressive, with no complaints on the mono printing. The throughput speeds on a range of text and mono PDF files came in at around 21 pages per minute.

Colour prints were also impressive, with a good level of detail retained within the image. It took just 55 seconds to print our 18.5MB A4 test photo. The faster processor and its large memory capacity help to process the file rapidly.

As an option you can add a 20GB hard drive to allow you to store print jobs - this drive comes as standard only on the 4650hdn (£2,084 ex VAT).

Automatic duplex printing comes with the 4650dn at £1,275 (ex VAT), while the 4650dtn (£1,753 ex VAT) has extra paper trays to provide a maximum capacity of 1,600 sheets.

Overall, this is a fast laser workgroup printer with strong management capabilities. The print qualities are good for both colour and mono, although it is a little expensive and has a slightly lower page per month duty cycle (85,000 sheets) than its competitors.

Contact: HP (0845) 270 4222

www.hp.com/uk

Specifications:

Dimensions (DxWxH) 64.5x48x103.4cm
Print technology Single-pass laser
Claimed print speed 22ppm colour and mono
Processor speed 533MHz
Monthly duty cycle 85,000 pages
Print quality 600x600 dpi
Resolution technology HP ImageREt 3600
Input capacity Max 1,600 sheets
Duplex printing Optional on base models, standard on 4650dn upwards
Memory Max 544MB
Memory Slots 2 (DDR) SDRAM SO
DIMM slots, 3 flash memory card slots
Print languages HP PCL 6, HP PCL 5c (Web download), HP postscript level 3 emulation, native PDF printing
Warranty, std. One-year, next day, on-site limited hardware warranty
Price: £1,045?1,753 (ex VAT)

Everything has its price

Paul Monckton — 2004-08-11T16:00:50.000Z

Paul Monckton, PC Magazine, Wednesday 11 August 2004 at 16:00:50

Whatever you're trying to do at home, chances are you'll end up paying - either for hardware upgrades or customised software, or at the expense of your time and domestic harmony

Rory is a winner in the dating game and tonight he's training at altitude. Spying his prey, he approaches. "Hi," he smiles, Zaurus in hand. "I'm Rory. I'm a Linux user."

Don't try this at home. Rory's cool enough to pull using the Linux handicap system; you and I are not.

I recently had a bad idea. Now, it's not unusual to have a collection of MP3s, especially in something cool like an iPod. I confess that mine reside on a server on my home network. One day you'll all have one - it's compulsory, according to Microsoft, Intel and others.

All I want is to be able to play my MP3s wirelessly around the house. And while this announcement is enough to get many of the above manufacturers of 'stuff' rather excited, I'll calm them down immediately by saying I don't want to buy anything new to achieve this.

I could buy something that's almost what I want, plug it in and gasp as it almost fulfils my requirements in a rubbish way that doesn't quite work with all my other equipment, leaving me paddling in a shallow, tepid pool of disappointment, splashing my feet and trying to convince myself I'm having fun.

Still, my half-baked solution would now be in place. I'd be free to move on, go outside and get on with life. I suppose that's what most sane people would do, but this is a project that sits precariously on that wall between normality and geekdom, and I can already feel myself leaning over for that inevitable great fall.

My choices? Buy Windows XP, upgrade the hardware, listen to some music and then spend the evening out with my friends; or, install Linux, leave the hardware just as it is thank you very much and save some money.

My hardware? An old laptop with a Wi-Fi adaptor and an external USB soundcard, functional but of a specification modest enough to ensure that Windows XP would be hell. Anyway, I just want to listen to some MP3s - why should I buy something as complex and expensive as XP for that?

Entering the world of Linux should be a liberating experience. Having been trapped for years in a loveless, forced marriage to Windows, I found the thought of returning to Linux left me feeling positive, energised and with younger-looking skin.

Sadly, it turned out not to be quite the kind of freedom I had hoped for. Despite all my years of experience, I was unprepared for operating under the Linux handicap system. Here, the old rule that you don't get something for nothing still holds true.

Many late nights spent trying to get every piece of the jigsaw slotted in at once will attest to this. I tried one Linux distribution after another. This was no speed-dating event. A couple of hours spent with each found ever-changing incompatibilities: Wi-Fi not working, no support for my Extigy soundcard.

Finally, I found an answer. Xandros, a Linux distribution designed for people familiar with Windows, practically installed itself and everything just worked! I didn't have to configure anything.

But Xandros isn't free. All the hard work making it 'just work' comes at a cost, albeit rather less than that of Windows XP.

The adage is still true. You can pay for your stuff and buy your freedom or you can get it for free and pay for it with your life, or at least your love-life.

Smile, you're on webcam

Guy Kewney — 2004-08-11T14:51:32.000Z

Guy Kewney, PC Magazine, Wednesday 11 August 2004 at 14:51:32

Hard disks are getting bigger, and we need a use for all that extra capacity. So how about taking the webcam to the next monthly sales meeting?

It's hard being a hard disk maker. You make things bigger and bigger and bigger, and people say: 'Oh, 30GB is plenty.' So they search desperately for things to do with PCs; things that really, really chew up the disk space.

This has two effects. The obvious one is that people start creating video software. The less obvious one is that the makers of expensive disks start complaining. The expensive disk business isn't what it might seem.

You can still hear people proclaiming the glory of the 15,000rpm SCSI disk. Among these enthusiasts you will find HP, maker of the eye-wateringly costly Proliant range, not to mention the nut-tighteningly expensive Blade servers.

'It's all nonsense,' is what the mavericks say. And one of those mavericks is Jim Gray, one of Microsoft's senior researchers (and known as 'the father of transactional processing') from San Francisco.

"I'm getting into a lot of trouble," he confessed when I met him in Amsterdam at Microsoft's TechEd forum. "I keep saying that I don't need these disks. I also keep arguing that storage area networks are not a good thing."

It's not as if Jim is playing with small laptops. His project at the moment is the WorldWide Telescope, a globally distributed database with simply vast amounts of storage.

"We had a $2m system," he explained. "A lovely system from Compaq, now HP. We've replaced it with a no-name PC, which we mirror and, because we're paranoid, we mirror it again, so we have three systems, with petabytes of storage. It costs $120,000."

And it uses plain old 200GB 7,200rpm Seagate disks, of the sort that are only supposed to be used for digital video recorders, costing around $200 per disk.

"And people say to us: 'You have got to have good solid SCSI San systems with good solid reliable hardware.' And, in fact, we have not had a single failure since we built this no-name system," said Jim.

Back to video. I think I've found a way of forcing people like me to upgrade their disks. It's called OneNote and is designed for Tablet PCs. It works well with Tablets because it uses digital ink, but it works just as well on a notebook.

Here's the trick: say you're taking notes of a meeting for the minutes. You can probably keep up with some of it, until you have to start contributing. Five minutes of heated argument later, you realise that you haven't noted a word.

OneNote lets you record audio at the same time as you type. Well, any tape recorder can do that. What makes OneNote special is that if you click on your typed notes later, it starts playing back the audio that was recorded at that point.

So you can just type the name of who was speaking, and a two or three word summary. 'Jim: cats are fierce. Brenda: the garden needs digging. Tim: how to clean a duck.' And so on.

The thing is, nobody's interested in duck-cleaning. So when you transcribe the notes, you can ignore it without having to listen to the whole recording to see when the duck bit starts and finishes.

How many thousands of meetings could you minute on a 10GB disk? At full CD quality? 'Pah' (said the vicar), 'I could fit that on my iPod.' So Microsoft upgraded OneNote to record video. Take the webcam with you and you get lip-synch as well as voice-synch for your recordings.

Yes, of course it will chew up disk space. Buy a new 200GB Seagate for £150, stick it in a USB 2.0 enclosure, and what do you care?

IBM ThinkVision L180p

PC Magazine Team — 2004-07-26T14:38:23.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Monday 26 July 2004 at 14:38:23

An ergonomic monitor.

The latest addition to IBM?s high-end Performance range of monitors is the ThinkVision L180p, an 18in TFT display with a 0.28mm pixel pitch.

Finished in what IBM calls Business Black, the L180p is a well built panel with a 17mm thin bezel. It?s mounted on a sturdy ergonomic stand that allows a 135 degree swivel in either direction and has both tilt and height adjustments.

The monitor features dual VGA/DVI-I inputs, and has a Kensington Lock slot.

As well as the on-screen menu display there are buttons on the front for power, brightness, auto setup, control lock/unlock and switching between input signals.

The resolution limitations of panels of this size mean that you need to be sure you?ll be happy with the native 1,280 by 1,024 pixels. Graphics professionals may need to consider at least a 20in screen.

IBM?s three-year Rapid Replacement Service ensures that, in the case of failure a replacement is shipped the next working day.

Contact: IBM (0800) 169 1458

www.pc.ibm.com/uk

HEC PowerOP (PFC475W)

PC Magazine Team — 2004-07-02T09:30:54.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Friday 2 July 2004 at 09:30:54

A power supply in a glossy black case.

With a case full of drives, power hungry CPUs and greedy graphics cards, the need for big power supplies has never been greater, but big supplies usually need large cooling fans, which means noise. The ideal large PSU combines output with low noise. HEC may be a new name to some but it offers a wide range of power supplies.

HEC's PowerOP scores well on both points, with a 475-watt output and a quoted noise level of 27dBA at 80 per cent loading, which it achieves by using two small, twin ball bearing fans. It has over and under voltage protection, over power and short circuit protection.

The attention to detail is stunning for a power supply. The case is a smooth, glossy black and all cabling except for the 3-pin fan monitoring cable is wrapped in woven stainless steel covered with plastic tubing and neatly sealed at both ends with heat-shrunk tubing.

There are enough connectors to keep most people happy: 20-pin ATX, 4-pin 12V, 6-pin auxiliary, nine 4-pin Molex, two fan only 4-pin Molex, two floppy and two SATA power connectors.

Contact: pcnextday

www.pcnextday.co.uk

Nikon Coolpix 8700

Paul Monckton — 2004-04-02T12:10:36.000Z

Paul Monckton, PC Magazine, Friday 2 April 2004 at 12:10:36

A digital camera for the advanced photographer.

Nikon's latest flagship fixed-lens camera, the Coolpix 8700, joins a small group of new digital cameras straddling the now rather tiny gap between high-end 'prosumer' products and budget digital SLRs.

Very similar in appearance and function, the Coolpix 8700 picks up where the Coolpix 5700 left off, adding many enhancements as well as that all-important boost from five, to eight megapixels.

If you're familiar with the Coolpix 5700, you'll find its big brother almost identical in appearance and operation. Its magnesium-alloy body is one of the smallest in its class and, at 480g, it's certainly the lightest. Despite its diminutive dimensions, it packs an 8x optical zoom lens (35-280mm equivalent) and comes with a larger LCD screen than its predecessor. It also offers a useful AF-assist lamp and is generally faster in operation.

Picture quality is excellent. Most people won't need an eight megapixel camera, but those who appreciate image quality will immediately notice the improved clarity. It's not a subtle difference - it's really outstanding.

Advanced users (and you really should be, or want to be, an advanced user if you're considering buying this camera) will appreciate the new live histogram function as well as an enhanced 'best shot selector' system. There's also a great movie mode that'll shoot at 640 by 480 pixels at 30fps, although sadly only for a maximum duration of 35 seconds.

In best shot selector mode, the camera takes up to ten shots at once, automatically choosing the sharpest image and discarding the others. The Coolpix 8700 expands this capability with additional modes allowing the automatic selection of the best image based on different exposure preferences.

While a novice photographer will find the fully automatic mode allows them to take good pictures with ease, doing anything that requires changing settings can become a rather complex task. There's a bewildering array of customisable menus and a large number of buttons, many with multiple functions. These are arranged into three groups, one falling under each thumb and one beneath the right-forefinger for easy reach when taking pictures. Twelve scene modes are incorporated for easily setting up different types of shots such as portraits, night shots and landscapes but it's not obvious how to activate them by simply looking at the camera.

The Coolpix 8700 has so many functions that there is no choice but to bury many of them deep into the menu system. This is alleviated somewhat by the customisable 'My Menu' which lets you store commonly used items on the front page but if you have a sudden need to try out something new for the first time or change a little-used setting you may well find it far from obvious how to do it without consulting the manual.

Power comes from a proprietary rechargeable battery, supplied with charger, that's good for around 210 images. Images are stored on CompactFlash cards and interestingly there is no memory card included with the camera. You'll have to bear this in mind when working out your budget. When you consider that a high quality JPEG photograph will consume 4MB and an uncompressed TIFF, 23MB, it becomes clear that you'll need a CF card rather larger than the paltry 32-64MB often supplied in the box. Nikon is wise not increase the price of the camera for the sake of a tiny memory card you're never likely to use anyway.

The Coolpix 8700 is a big step up in quality, and price, from the 5700 and includes some significant functional enhancements. At this size and weight you'll find it very hard to beat.

Contact: Nikon (0870) 770 0233

www.nikon.co.uk

Specifications:

Dimensions (DxWxH) 78x113x105mm
Weight 480g (without battery)
Max resolution 3,264 x 2,448 pixels
Optical zoom (35mm equiv) 35-280mm (8x)
LCD screen size 1.8in

SeaSonic Super Silencer 460

PC Magazine Team — 2004-04-02T10:06:07.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Friday 2 April 2004 at 10:06:07

This power supply gives lots of power without lots of noise.

The most commonly overlooked - and one of the most critical - items in any PC is the power supply. With today's power hungry CPUs, graphics cards, optical drives, hard drives and the like, the need for a constant, reliable power source is more important than ever. With the growing popularity of quiet PCs, it has to keep the noise down, too.

The solution to the problem of providing lots of power without lots of noise could be SeaSonic's Super Silencer 460, a 460-watt power supply. The name may be new to you, but its Taiwanese parent has been around since the mid-1970s.

The rubber mounted cooling fan has a thermal controller built into it, so the fan speed rises only as the case's internal temperature increases. Even at its fastest, it measures a mere 25dBa, according to SeaSonic's datasheet.

The harness includes standard 20-pin ATX and auxiliary 12V connectors; nine four-pin Molex and two floppy power connectors; a single four-pin supplemental power connector; and a three-pin fan monitoring connector. There's also a Molex to SATA power converter cable.

Included with the PSU are the usual mounting screws, manual and two nice surprises - a SATA power cable and a cable management kit. The kit includes everything to keep cable runs tidy - a simple idea and a fantastic addition.

Contact: CTLDirect (0247) 645 5228

www.ctldirect.co.uk

Canon EOS 300D

Ken McMahon — 2004-03-12T11:52:42.000Z

Ken McMahon, PC Magazine, Friday 12 March 2004 at 11:52:42

Just what the photographer ordered.

The Canon EOS 300D is what the world's amateur photographers have been waiting for: a digital SLR that provides all the benefits and functions of a film SLR at an affordable price.

The 300D is an 'economy' version of Canon's EOS 10D Digital SLR, but if you've been hankering after a 10D the 300D's specification will come as no disappointment, because the economies have been made with few compromises on features and performance.

Most importantly, the 300D uses the same six megapixel CMOS sensor as the 10D. Canon has modified the sensor production process and switched manufacturing of the camera to Taiwan, enabling it to be produced more cheaply, but the images it produces are every bit as good as those from the 10D.

The major differences between the two models could be described as largely cosmetic. The substitution of plastic for the 10D's magnesium alloy body means the 300D will take more looking after, but it's less weight to carry around.

The other differences are as minor and likely to be inconsequential for those trading up from a prosumer fixed lens digital camera. The 300D takes Canon's EF mount lenses - significant for anyone currently using a Canon film SLR.

The 300D comes in two forms: a body only or, for an extra £90, the kit version, which includes the Canon EF-S 1855mm zoom lens. This lens has been designed for the 300D (it won't fit any other Canon film or digital SLR). It projects further back into the camera body than conventional 35mm SLR lenses and uses more compact, lighter lens elements to produce a smaller field of view for sensors which are smaller than a 35mm film frame. This lens produces great results and is such good value there seems little point in passing it up.

The 300D is comfortable, responsive and easy to manage, whether using one of the point-andshoot 'basic zone' exposure modes or the advanced 'creative zone' exposure modes.

Exposure modes are selected using the dial on the top right of the camera body. There are seven basic modes, including full auto, portrait, landscape, macro, sport and night flash.

The autofocus system uses seven AF points - rectangles with an LED at their centre - arranged in a cross pattern covering the field of view. When one or more of the AF points gets a lock, the LED flashes and an indicator LED turns on in the viewfinder.

The AF system is accurate and fast, working well in low light, though the built-in flash can be raised for AF assist - firing a rapid burst to illuminate the subject and aid auto focus.

Manual focus is achieved by sliding a small switch on the lens barrel and rotating the front section of the lens. While this isn't the same as focusing with a conventional lens - there are no distance markings, for one thing - just looking through the lens makes all the difference, and accurate manual focusing can be achieved easily.

The 300D uses a pentamirror, rather than the more usual pentaprism arrangement, to divert light entering the lens from the film plane to the viewfinder. Pentamirrors cost less to produce than pentaprisms and they also transmit less light, but the 300D's viewfinder isn't noticeably dimmer than the 10D's.

In addition to the usual Canon exposure mode line-up - program AE, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual - the D300 includes a fifth: A-DEP, or automatic depth of field. This cleverly uses the Autofocus system to identify the nearest and furthest objects from the camera and sets the aperture to provide sufficient depth of field to keep everything sharp. Storage is on CF (Compact Flash) cards or a Microdrive.

There are three image size settings up to 3,072 by 2,048, each offering two levels of JPEG compression and RAW, which produces 7MB files. Four post-processing parameters control contrast, saturation, sharpening and colour balance.

The 300D is the digital SLR that signals the turning point for serious photography enthusiasts. It will be interesting to see how manufacturers such as Nikon and Minolta respond to Canon's opening bid for dominance of this end of the market.

Contact: Canon (0800) 616417

www.canon.co.uk

Specifications:

Dimensions (DxWxH) 72.4 x 142 x 99mm
Weight 560g (body only)
750g with 18-55mm EF-S lens
Max resolution 3,072 x 2,048 pixels
Optical zoom 18-55mm (3x)
Focal length (35mm equiv) 18-55mm (29-88mm)
Flash modes E-TTL Auto flash (linked to AF points), night flash, no flash
LCD screen size 1.8in
Memory types supported
CF Type I, Type II, Microdrive (none supplied)
PC interface USB 1.1
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It's the display that matters

Guy Kewney — 2004-03-01T16:31:24.000Z

Guy Kewney, PC Magazine, Monday 1 March 2004 at 16:31:24

PC technology is developing rapidly, but its widespread use in the home will have to wait until monitors are lighter, look less out of place and deliver easier connectivity.

There's no doubt that the major bottleneck facing the PC community this year is display technology.

The PC would move rapidly out of the home office if it were designed as a domestic appliance.

Yes, products are being developed that aren't PCs, but which have them inside. They're of limited appeal, though - set-top boxes that receive TV or digital video recorders with hard disks.

And there are dozens of other concepts waiting for a big, lightweight, low-power screen. But if the PC goes into the TV room, then it has to look more like a TV.

Microsoft's Smart Display was a serious attempt to 'domesticate' the TV. But a year on, Microsoft has conceded that the concept was "ahead of its time".

The original idea was good. "The market is moving from bulky CRTs to smart, flat, thin LCD panels. They're small enough to move around - wouldn't it be great to add a wireless link and a pen, and use it in the kitchen?"

It was ahead of its time, in the sense that nobody would mind a portable display, but they weren't going to spend four times the price of a non-portable one to get it.

The problem is simple: weight, which is tied in to battery life. Even so, some people might have gone for the Smart Display if it had been a bit cheaper. And, if it had been good for anything on its own.

I used a ViewSonic airpanel Smart Display all the time at home. The trouble was that I found I was using the ViewSonic Tablet PC instead. The Tablet was the same size and pretty much the same weight, but it also worked if I took it to the pub.

You can see where the technology is going, can't you? It's getting further and further away from the point where the display and the PC are in any way related.

But clever display hardware isn't the crucial thing. What's needed is a way of carrying around your identity, not your hardware.

Inside five years, I reckon, your identity will be part of your phone. The Sim will identify you to the mobile networks and to other systems, and automatically 'patch you through' to your own data, wherever you are.

If the only display handy is your phone, that's where you'll see the data, but if you're near a PC or TV, you'll be able to divert it to that.

None of that is available today, although you could achieve a similar set-up with keyboards and mice, using USB, wireless or Bluetooth technology.

You could receive a text message on your phone, sit down at the nearest keyboard to reply and the keystrokes would be put straight into the network. You could do that now. But the display technology just isn't there.

Cheaper and lighter displays will be part of it, but far more crucial is a new way of designing software so that you can use the nearest input or output device.

In other words, the Smart Display idea will catch on when you don't have to buy one, but can use any available display. But for now, it's a dead duck, although LG and Viewsonic have made noises about carrying on without Microsoft's support.

There's no obvious reason why they can't. All the device needs to redeem it is some local intelligence, because the RDP software is available on any XP Pro-powered PC. It could be made to work - by a card-carrying nerd.

But until Microsoft starts designing RDP so that it can be used by the sort of person who wouldn't dream of painting matt vinyl on newspaper and sticking it on a wall for a projector display, all such efforts are futile.

Beantech BT-9023 Plus 7-in-1 Card Reader

PC Magazine Team — 2004-02-09T13:16:54.000Z

PC Magazine Team, PC Magazine, Monday 9 February 2004 at 13:16:54

A pocket sized internally mounted card reader.

Nearly every PC we've seen lately comes with some form of card reader built in. Beantech's BT-9023 internally-mounted reader has an advantage over all of these - it has a USB 2.0 interface and the card reader itself is removeable.

The reader part of the BT-9023 is pocket-sized and has a USB 2.0 port at the back, so with a USB cable you can use it on any system with a USB port.

It can accept Type 1 and II Compact Flash cards, IBM Microdrives, SmartMedia, SD, MMC and both Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards.[QQ] The kit comes with a 3.5in drive bay mount which also includes two USB 2.0 ports, fixing screws and a data cable to connect it to a motherboard header.

Contact: VGI Computers

www.vgicomputers.com

Xerox Phaser 6250DP

Paul Monckton — 2004-01-27T11:33:12.000Z

Paul Monckton, PC Magazine, Tuesday 27 January 2004 at 11:33:12

Workgroup printer adds an easy touch of colour.

The Phaser 6250DP from Xerox is a fast, single-pass workgroup colour laser printer. It has excellent network management facilities but is simple enough for anyone to install and use without the help of an IT support department.

The 6250 range comprises five A4 printers, starting with the non-networked Phaser 6250B. Using parallel and USB 2.0 connectivity, it boasts an impressive list of features, including True Adobe PostScript 3, a 600-sheet input capacity and a 100,000 page-per-month duty cycle. With a maximum print resolution of 2,400dpi, even the base model delivers excellent quality results.

The Phaser 6250N adds 10/100BaseTX Ethernet connectivity with automatic network installation - there's no need to assign IP addresses. The printer is discovered on your network and its model number and features are assessed for automatic driver installation.

Many network management tools are included, including an embedded web server, email alerts and job accounting facilities.

A 2,400dpi 'photo' mode is provided for even better quality output and with an additional 128MB of RAM (bringing the total up to 256MB) come performance-boosting features such as job pipelining and compression.

For automatic double-sided printing, step up to our review model, the 6250DP, and for higher volume printing, the DT and DX models offer an input capacity of 1,100 sheets and a full complement of 512MB of RAM.

The flagship DX model adds a 20GB internal hard disk (optional on all models from the 6250N upwards) that's loaded with printer drivers, help videos and manuals as well enabling job collation and secure printing - jobs are held internally until the designated recipient keys in a private PIN code on the printer's front panel. The front panel itself is as clear as it is helpful. There's full context-sensitive and graphical help - no cryptic abbreviations crammed into a tiny singleline display here.

From setup through to management and maintenance, Xerox has paid close attention to ease of use. Toner cartridges come pre-installed and the all-in-one imaging unit can be fitted and replaced from the front of the printer. You don't have to climb all over it to open flaps and doors to get at the components and you don't have to position in a location with access from all sides.

Two-way communication between the printer and the driver software ensures that the driver knows what type of paper is loaded in each print tray, automatically selecting the correct one based on application preferences. If the correct paper isn't loaded you'll get a message on your PC.

As we all know, there's more to printer performance than engine speed. If the interface and processor can't keep up you're not going to get anywhere near the rated ppm figure. In this case, the Phaser 6250's 700MHz is a perfect match - you can print at the full 2,400dpi resolution in the highest quality colour mode with no loss of speed. This, combined with a first page output time of only 12 seconds, means both long and short print jobs are ready incredibly quickly.

With sufficient speed and ease of use to satisfy the most demanding of users and excellent network manageability, the Phaser 6250 is ideal for those who will make no compromises when it comes to office colour printing.

Contact: Xerox

www.office.xerox.com

Specifications:

OS: Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP, Windows Server 2003, MacOS 9/X 10.1 and 10.2, NetWare .x/5.x/6.x, Unix
Engine technology: Single-pass colour A4 laser
Claimed print speed: 24ppm colour and mono
Maximum print resolution: 2,400dpi
Print processor: 700MHz PowerPC
Memory: 256MB (6250DP)
Duty cycle: 100,000 pages/month
Paper handling: 500-sheet input tray, 100-sheet multipurpose tray
Duplex unit: Integrated (not 6250B/N)