PC Magazine - 20 March 2007

Language: English

Paperback: 100 pages
Format: PDF
Size: 18 Mb

PC Magazine, the most important technology publication in the world, delivers authoritative, labs-based comparative reviews of computing and Internet products to more than 6.6 million highly engaged technology buyers. PC Magazine defines technology for e-business and is the only magazine with in-depth reviews and accurate, repeatable testing from PC Magazine Labs placed in the unique context of today's business technology landscape. To meet its readers needs for buying information that is as current as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and continuously on the Web.

CONTENT:

First Looks
Samsung HL-S5679W
Word 2007 Map Editor for Mindjet MindManager
ViaMichelin X-930
OpenMind Business Edition v2.0
FastTrack Schedule 9.1
Norcent Vion LT-2090WBK
WordPress.com
AIM 6.0
Chestnut Hill Sound George
ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7
LG VX8600
Navman N60i
HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7690n PC
Motorola KRZR K1m (Sprint)
Epson Stylus Photo 1400
Dell E207WFP
Alienware Area-51 7500
HP Photosmart C7180 All-In-One
Plustek MobileOffice D28 Corporate
Nikon Coolpix S7c
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2
Nero 7 Ultra Edition Enhanced
LG 50PC1DRA
Access Smart Power LogOn Password Manager-USB Card Reader
Buying Guide: Hands On with the New VoIP
Toshiba Portégé R400-S4931
OQO model 02
HP Pavilion tx1000
Buying Guide: Business Laptops

Snow Tires: Hot Laps Around a Cold Rink. What are half a dozen BMWs and Porsches doing inside a hockey rink in South Bend, Indiana? They're trying to convince a group of editors and writers that snow tires make a difference. And it's true: The technology in snow tires is simply dazzling. The indoor course, set up with simulated glare conditions, allowed drivers to show what the tires could do on ice with acceleration runs (brief ones), quick slowdowns, and turns.

Wired for Speed?. If you have multiple PCs connected via Wi-Fi to the Internet, then the total bandwidth of the router is shared. Because the WRT54GS is an 802.11g router, it supports a maximum of 54 megabits per second. If you have six PCs connected, then your router's bandwidth is split, with each PC getting only 9 megabits under the most ideal circumstances.But other factors also affect bandwidth, so you'll never see best-case throughput. The distance and intervening walls between a PC or Xbox and the router all conspire to weaken the signal. That 54 Mb may end up being a paltry 2 Mb, or even less, if the Xbox is too far away.

In a typical home that has only one or two PCs connected, however, you shouldn't have any issues with bandwidth, provided that the signal strength is good. Try connecting your laptop via Wi-Fi to the router from the Xbox 360's location. If your laptop's wireless utility shows a good, strong signal, you're probably fine using a wireless connection for the Xbox, too.

Dual Link for High Res. Actually, it's not that the video card needs "dual DVI" capability to drive a 2,560-by-1,600 display. What it needs is a dual-link DVI port. A single-link DVI connector maxes out at 165 MHz, or about 3.7 gigabits per second. About the best you can do with that bandwidth is 1,920- by 1,200-pixel resolution.

A dual-link DVI connection doubles the bandwidth, and it actually has more pins. That extra bandwidth is needed for resolutions above 1,920-by-1,200, such as the 2,560-by-1,600 used by the Dell 3007WFP. But not all graphics cards support dual-link DVI. Future standards for display connections, such as DisplayPort and UDI, will support even higher bandwidth, potentially enabling higher--resolution displays.

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