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PC Authority Issue: May, 2007

Australia's premier computer magazine, PC Authority gives you the facts, opinions and insight to make informed PC and tech purchasing decisions.

Issue: 114  |  May, 2007

What's in this issue

  • WIDESCREEN LCD SUPERTEST
    Widescreens are here, they’re affordable and probably the best kind of screen available today. We test twelve models and deliver the PC Authority verdict.

  • PHOTO EDITING ROUNDUP
    There’s a wide array of software on the market for editing your photos. The PC Authority labs dissect the leading brands and determine which one deserves your money.

  • RETRO COMPUTING
    We go back to the good old days, when IBM’s OS/2 fought a bitter war with Microsoft Windows.

  • BUSINESS STARTUP GUIDE
    PC Authority offers a guide to all facets of setting up a small office, with state of the art IT equipment.


    In this month’s magazine, revisit the gritty days of the PC operating system war between Microsoft Windows and IBM’s OS/2 in our fascinating Retro Computing feature. In hindsight, those were turbulent times! The present state of the industry has never looked so cushy. In the Labs, of course we’ve got our spectacular comparison of 16:9 ratio widescreen LCDs, which offer solid benefits over standard 4:3 (square) displays. The prices have really crashed down in a shocking fashion recently, so it may well be worth considering a display upgrade before 2008. Also see our vital photo-editing software group test and must-read coverage of the eight-cored Intel Xeon 5300 series. Finally, check out our Windows XP to Windows Vista primer, our guide to configuring Vista with the settings you used to access easily in Windows XP.

    Ed Dawson, Editor
    edawson@pcauthority.com.au


  • Articles in this issue

    Acer AL2216WD
    A reasonable quality display, but few extras for the price.

    Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
    Best-of-breed photo management, editing and sharing with great usability and value.

    Apple 20in Cinema Display
    A beautifully designed LCD, but at a big premium.

    ArmA Armed Assault
    The setting may be mythical, but the simulation is real. Military grade real.

    Asus MW221U
    Impressive speakers and sleek styling help to compensate for the average image quality.

    BenQ FP241W
    Not as stylish as the Dell, but the BenQ’s image quality and HDMI port make it our top 24in LCD.

    Communication revolution: Why go VoIP?
    Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can save you money and provide features you can’t get from your traditional phone setup. Here’s how to take advantage of it, and how to avoid the pitfalls.

    Corel PaintShop Pro Photo XI
    Moving in the right direction, but it isn’t easy teaching an old dog new tricks.

    Corel Snapfire
    For a new release, Snapfire already looks old-fashioned and unexciting, but at least the basic version is free.

    Dell E228WFP
    The best image quality of the 22in LCDs, plus it’s elegant and well featured.

    Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP
    Elegant, flexible and well designed, it only just loses out to the HDMI-equipped BenQ this month.

    DFI LanParty UT ICFX3200-T2RG
    A great choice for overclockers, but the vast majority of people should buy a cheaper motherboard and better CPU.

    Dopod P800W
    Fantastic hardware. The GPS software is mediocre, but you can buy your own.

    Eizo FlexScan S2410W
    It lacks HDCP and isn’t for general home use, but remains the best if you need accurate colours.

    External hard disks
    As prices continue to fall in a competitive market, we take a look at the latest crop of devices for backup and storage.

    Google Picasa 2.5
    Modern photo management software that offers surprising power, especially considering it’s free.

    HP LP2465
    With average image quality and a lack of up-to-date features, we can’t recommend the LP2465.

    HP Media Vault mv2020
    Easy to use, and with space for a second SATA disk, but it struggles with small files and is overpriced for the features.

    HP Scanjet G4050
    Superlative quality is let down by slow scan times and unintuitive driver software.

    HP TouchSmart IQ770 PC
    Flexible, beautifully designed and reasonably priced. An excellent attempt to attract the masses.

    Intel Xeon 5300 series
    Impressive technology, but increasing cores doesn’t necessarily increase performance.

    LG Flatron L204WT
    Image quality is average, but the price includes HDCP support.

    Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Suite Edition
    Efficient photo management and sharing, but let down by some surprisingly underpowered editing.

    Most Wanted: May
    Each month we put together a list of the technology and trends that have made us sit up and take notice.

    NEC MultiSync 20WGX2
    A perfect screen for gamers, but too expensive.

    NETGEAR EVA700 Digital Entertainer
    The appealing price and form factor can’t hide some serious usability issues, but there’s a good system underneath.

    NETGEAR HD Ethernet Adapters HDBX101
    Expensive but potentially very useful for those whose Wi-Fi has failed.

    Opinion: View from the labs
    The lure of technology doesn’t always translate to a perfect experience.

    Questions & Answers
    David Moss resolves an iTunes problem, looks into secret folders and Windows file sharing without a central server.

    Retro Computing
    PC Authority takes a trip down computer memory lane and discovers just how PC technology has evolved... and how Microsoft and IBM nearly destroyed each other.

    Samsung Q1-SSD
    Despite the improved specifications, the Q1-SSD is anything but mobile computing nirvana.

    Samsung SyncMaster 225BW
    An impressive stand, but quality remains average.

    Serif PhotoPlus 11
    Some reasonable hands-on editing power, but image management and sharing are disappointing.

    Small business security
    IT security threats are coming from all angles in the current business environment. New threats are discovered every day. What is the best way to fight them?

    Sony VAIO VGN-G118GNB
    Incredible design and amazing battery life makes the G118 a tempting mobile option.

    Sony VAIO VGN-UX27GN
    Speedy and adequately functional for light use, the UX27– though not perfect – is the best UMPC yet.

    Supreme Commander
    What could have been the perfect RTS game is marred by poor performance.

    The jump from console to PC
    Halo 2 is going to be an exclusive for Windows Vista, but won't use DirectX 10. Something's up.

    The right network
    A network is not a one-size-fits-all upgrade. Here’s an introduction to finding the best network to suit your needs.

    Thinking about printing
    Printing means more than just ink on paper. Find out how careful analysis can save you thousands of dollars.

    Ulead PhotoImpact 12
    A wide range of power, but too old-fashioned and confusing for most users.

    ViewSonic VG2030wm
    Decent speakers and design, but the LG is better value.

    Why go mobile?
    Once you go mobile, you won’t go back. We uncover the hardware, the plans and the services that’ll unshackle you from the office.

    Windows XP to Vista conversion guide
    Windows XP users may find themselves lost when it comes to Vista. PC Authority looks at the most useful configuration settings between them.

    Yahoo!7 versus Google
    Yahoo! was a dominant force in the heady days of the dot-com boom. But can they still challenge the rapidly growing Google corporation?

    ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 7
    A best-of-breed approach to Internet security pays off. This flexible and resource-friendly suite returns to the A-List.

    What's on the disc

    PC Authority Issue: 114
    On this month's DVD, take advantage of the full versions of Internet Cleanup 4, Shopkeeper 6 Light, Ashampoo Magical Optimizer and Ashampoo Magical Snap, as well as the ISO image of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, which you can use to install the Linux operating system.

    There's also solid entertainment in the form of playable demos of Command & Conquer III and Supreme Commander, both spiritual or literal sequels to world-class realtime strategy game series. Additionally, check out the sword-fighting action of the Determinance demo and Code of Honour: The French Foreign Legion demo.

    FULL CONTENTS
    Full Version Software

    Internet Cleanup 4
    Ashampoo Magical Optimizer
    Shopkeeper 6 Light
    Ashampoo Magical Snap

    Freeware
    AbiWord
    Ambient Design ArtRage
    Audacity
    DeepBurner Free 1.8
    GIMP help files
    GTK+ 2 Runtime Environment v2.10.6 (required for installation of the GIMP)
    Open Office 2.1
    PDFCreator 0.9.3
    The GIMP 2.2.13

    Games
    Command & Conquer 3
    Determinance Demo
    Supreme Commander Demo
    Trivial Pursuit Bring on the 90's Edition Demo
    Code of Honor: The French Foreign Legion Demo

    Music
    Tracks by Julia Michaels

    Editorial
    Real World Benchmarks
    Creating a burned CD-R from an ISO image with DeepBurner

    Updates - Windows
    Ad-aware SE Personal 1.06
    Adobe Reader 8
    AVG 7.5.432 Free Edition
    EditPad Pro 6.2.1
    ExplorerXP 1.07
    Google Desktop Search 4
    Google Earth 4 Beta
    Microsoft Windows Media Player 11
    Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4
    True Launch Bar 4.1
    Tweak UI
    WinRAR 3.62
    WinZip 11.0
    Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Firewall

    Updates - Internet
    AOL Instant Messenger 6.0
    Crazy Browser 3.0 Beta2
    CWShredder 2.19
    Diino 4 Trial Account
    FileZilla 2.2.30
    Google Toolbar 4.0
    LeechGet 2006 v201650
    Mozilla Firefox 2.0
    Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.7
    MSN Messenger 7.0 (98/ME)
    Portable Firefox 2.0
    Remote Administrator 2.2
    SpamBayes 1.0.4
    Trillian Basic 3.1
    Windows Live Messenger

    Updates - Patches
    ATI Catalyst 7.1 Control Center Package (XP)
    AVG Free Edition Updates
    DirectX 9.0c
    Norton AntiVirus definitions update
    NVIDIA Forceware drivers 81.98 (95/98/ME)
    NVIDIA Forceware drivers 93.71 (2000/XP)
    NVIDIA Forceware drivers for 8800 Version 97.92
    Spybot Search & Destroy Update
    VIA HyperionPro drivers 5.11A


    Dear readers,

    There is a known issue with PC Authority's recent cover discs involving Windows' Autorun feature on some systems. For those who have had difficulty using PC Authority's cover disc, please follow these instructions:

    1) Insert the cover disc in your DVD drive
    2) Hit cancel if Windows' Autorun dialog appears
    3) Open Windows Explorer
    4) Right-click the disc icon in Explorer and select 'Open' or 'Explore' -- do not double-click the icon
    5) Navigate to index.html and double-click to open it in your default Web browser

    We apologise for the inconvenience, and will have the problem rectified in the April 2007 issue of PC Authority. If you have sent us a damaged disc and have not received a reply, please contact us immediately at cd@pcauthority.com.au.

    Regards,
    The PC Authority Team

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    For editorial queries, please contact:
    William Maher
    Brand Editor, PC Authority
    wmaher@pcauthority.com.au

    Zara Baxter
    Deputy Editor, PC Authority
    zbaxter@pcauthority.com.au
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    Group Advertising Manager, Print and Events
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