In the tradition of the Dummies series, spends the first part of the book familiarising readers with hardware terminology

Is software or hardware you installed on your PC causing your system to crash? Perhaps you are having rouble with a USB connection or your computer takes a long time to switch between programs?

Dell Dimension XPS B733r

Those readers who are familiar with the culture of the hard-core gamer/overclocker, will know exactly the meaning behind the name of this card.

As regular readers are already aware, Im not too keen on books that supposedly teach complex and technical subjects in a short period of time. The reason is simple - 99 per cent of the time it isnt feasible for the average punter.

When we ran four tablet PCs in December 2002 (Issue 61, page 36) we got plenty of response from readers looking to find out more about them. Over a year on now and tablets have increased dramatically in spec and design although pricing hasn’t reduced as much as we’d expected - possibly since they still haven’t made mass market appeal and sales.

Designed for the curious enthusiast or habitual tinkerer looking to push the boundaries of knowledge, PC Toys has projects to suit the interests and skills of readers from all walks of life.

A decent compromise between OCR value and features – especially as you can upgrade from the Sprint version.

Networking Essentials Plus

The system as a whole looks great and we can't find a weak spot.

It's a phone! It's an MP3 player! It's convergence!

A new interface and extra web-protection capabilities make AVG our top free antivirus choice

Disappointing ergonomics, but the blend of power and battery life makes it very good value.

The Hi-Grade Xperian can simply be described as a bundle of essential technology ingeniously put together in one desirable package.

Joining the current popularity of book titles on all things Internet is The Internet Companion: The EASY Australian Guide. Both authors have been writing about computers for several years.

A light and well-built business choice, but despite the low-voltage CPU the battery life disappoints

Juiced pays tribute to EA’s Need for Speed: Underground, as much as NFS: Underground pays tribute to the film 2 Fast 2 Furious.

There's no denying the appeal of broadband internet access and yet for a smart country Australia has been falling way behind our international counterparts.

Great design and build quality are coupled with a stunning nine-hour battery life, and it’s affordable too

Video support isn’t the best, but the PS3 remains a superb piece of kit