ADAPTEC MYDVD VIDEO SUITE
Creating your own custom DVDs and VideoCDs becomes fairly simple with Adaptec's MyDVD Video Suite 4.0 from Sonic Solutions.
BOSE 3-2-1
Bose-s 3-2-1 is a 2.1 speaker DVD, CD and MP3 CD player whose claim to fame is the ability to produce accurate surround sound from just three speakers. Each satellite contains two discreet drivers that redirect audio in specific directions to mimic 5.1.
BVG DIGITAL IMAGING TRAINING
BVG's Learning Digital Imaging Training is a collection of four tutorial CD-ROMs including Using Digital Cameras, Using Scanners, Learning Adobe Acrobat and Learning Photoshop 6.0.
Canon MV500i
Canon MV530i
Like the others in Canon’s MV500 series, the MV530i is about twice the size of Canon’s MVX2i mini cam, but is still comfortable to hold and use.
CANON MV550i
While $200 doesn't seem much in the overall scheme of things it can make a big difference for the consumer. The extras you get for it – higher optical zoom and a colour light up button – are not enough to make this your first choice ahead of the 530i. However, the performance of the two cameras is almost identical and that says a lot for the quality of the 550i.
CANON MV5i
A nice little camera that uses a 0.8-megapixel CCD compared to the 1.3-megapixel of the MVX2i. As a result, it does not offer the same near-broadcast image quality. Having said that, there is little wrong with the images it produces.
The MV5i has eight shooting modes; records still images; and comes with a comprehensive range of software.
Canon MVX2i
This is a top of the range DV camera that packs a ton of features into a camera half the size of many of its competitors without compromising on quality at all.
CREATIVE NOMAD JUKEBOX ZEN
The Nomad Jukebox Zen is Creative-s go at aping the Apple iPod (November 2002, page 40), an MP3 player built around a notebook hard drive, and has done a remarkable job of it.
CRYSTAL REPORTS 9
Crystal Reports creates structured reports from databases by selecting fields from source data and grouping them appropriately.
Dell Axim x5
Dell has waited several years to release its own PDA, and now committed to Pocket PC, Dell's main weapon is aggressive pricing that's on the verge of insane.
DELL INSPIRON 8200 2GHz P4-M
This 8200 is almost identical to the model we reviewed in (September 2002, page 39), but it now packs ATI's new RADEON Mobility 9000, the first full-featured DirectX 8.1 compliant mobile video chip to market.
DV Cameras : Centre stage DV
Buying a digital video camera is a tough task, but you’ll be well prepared with our comprehensive guide.
Evoluent Verticalmouse
The Vertical-Mouse is a silly looking thing.
Fujifilm FinePix F700 Zoom
With its slim dimensions, the FinePix F700 is almost the odd one out in this test. It’s certainly no IXUS, but the F700 will still fit into your pocket and the brushed metal casing looks the part. But the main reason the F700 costs more than the bigger S5000 is because of the new Super CCD SR. Instead of one photodiode per pixel, this fourth-generation CCD has two: a high-sensitivity one for shadows and mid-tones, and a low-sensitivity one for highlights. Fujifilm claims this gives a greater dynamic range, aiding tricky lighting situations by capturing shadow detail without bleaching out highlights.
GIGABYTE GN-BTD01
Last month we reviewed Microsoft's Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and mouse (January 2002, page 52), and at $399 we deemed it more worthy as a Bluetooth starter kit than a wireless keyboard and mouse kit.
Hands On: Brain Surgery
To kick-start the series we're going to begin, as it were, at the top – with the fine art of motherboard and CPU installation. Whether you're building your machine anew, or upgrading your current one with more powerful components, the following guide will help make installing these two key components a breeze.
Hands On: Mail Merge Made Easy
Mail merge is a very powerful feature that allows you to produce individual letters, emails, envelopes and address labels without having to type out the details one letter at a time.
Hi-Grade Ultinote M6600
Hi-Grade's new high-end notebook offers unparalleled performance. Packing a 2.2GHz Pentium 4 and 512MB DDR, it's one tough cookie, and contains a whole herd of ponies under the hood.
HITACHI DZ-MV208E
HITACHI DZ-MV208E
HITACHI DZ-MV238E
Despite the $600 price gap there are only a few small but important differences between the 238E and the 270E. For example, the 238E has a smaller LCD display; a black and white viewfinder; and no S-connector input.
Apart from that, the technology is essentially identical: both have the same 1.16-megapixel CCD as well as 12x optical zoom. As a result, the quality of the images is similar.
Hitachi DZ-MV270E
DVD is said to be to movies what CD was to music. Well-filmed DVD movies are better in all respects than those recorded on VHS, so the idea of a digital video camera recording direct to DVD disc would appear sound.
JVC GR-DVL520
The JVC cameras all rely solely on digital zoom – and as long as we didn't use the zoom, the 520 performed well enough. However, as soon as you want anything more than 2x or 3x magnification, the quality deteriorates quite rapidly. It uses a 0.8-megapixel CCD and records stills to the memory card. While the specs are similar to Canon's MV530i, the performance was not.
JVC GR-DVL820
Despite having a 1.02-megapixel CCD, the 820 still suffered similar poor optical zoom performance of its little brother, with image pixelation at high zoom. The image stabilisation was only average and that put you off seeking any sort of magnification while filming moving objects. The improved CCD does provide better stills, and the 820 can use MPEG-4 to compress video clips.
JVC GR-DVX 707
JVC's handycam-shaped 707 comes with a good LCD and handles changes in light well – particularly when shooting from shade into sunlight. The general image quality is good, although the camera suffers the JVC plague of poor zoom. It's fine to about 5x but falls away from there. It offers a selection of three resolutions for still photos with the highest being 1,280 x 960.
LEGO SPYBOTICS
Spybotics isn't the general-purpose robotics kit of Mindstorms, but it offers similar fun.
Linux: The Fax of Life
These days, when I need to send someone a document, I use email. Just save it as a Word.
MANDRAKE LINUX 9
Mandrake Linux is a popular and user-friendly distribution and it offers a choice of window managers.
Matrox RT.X10810
Not content with dominating the semi-professional end of video editing, Matrox has reworked its 'Power of X' technology for a more humble audience.
Microsoft Works Suite 2003
Don't confuse Microsoft Works with a slimmed-down version of Office, because Works is for the home productivity market.
NIP-2000 NOTEBOOK ICE PAD
The NIP-2000 is effectively a massive heatsink designed to siphon thermal energy from the bottom of hot-running notebooks and keep them performing optimally.
Palm Tungsten T
It's been a long time between Palm releases, but the Tungsten T makes the wait worthwhile.
PANASONIC NV-GX7A
The GX7A uses a 1.23-megapixel CCD and records stills to memory card. While general image quality was good, the optical zoom was only fair and the electronic image stabiliser was not as good as on some cheaper cameras. The optical zoom produced grainy images before reaching maximum magnification and the sound track was affected by wind noise more than some of the lower priced cameras.
PANASONIC NV-MX500A
At just on $4,400, the 500A cannot really be considered a consumer DV camera, however, it is no doubt a camera a lot of consumers would like to own. However, the price and some annoying little problems stopped this camera from being the Labs Winner this month.
Powerquest Partition Magic 8
This new version of PartitionMagic sees the main interface with XP styling, but at the top of the new features list is the File Browser, which allows you to view the contents of hidden and visible partitions and rename, delete or copy files.
POWERQUEST PARTITIONMAGIC 8
This new version of PartitionMagic sees the main interface with XP styling, but at the top of the new features list is the File Browser, which allows you to view the contents of hidden and visible partitions and rename, delete or copy files.
SAMSUNG DVD-H40A
Although similar products have been available (with much controversy) in the US for a few years, the Samsung DVD-H40A is the first Personal Video Recorder (PVR) to reach our sunny shores.
SAMSUNG VP-D190MSi
It was a hard choice not to include this camera in the short list, especially considering the price. The 190MSi is a well-appointed handycam that uses a 0.8-megapixel CCD, 12x optical zoom and records still pictures. While the images weren't as good as those from the higher priced cameras, it performed well, and would make a great purchase.
SERIAL ATA SEAGATE 120GB BARRACUDA IV
Just over four months on from our massive hard drive roundup (October 2002, page 74), and Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks have finally arrived. Phew.
SIPIX STYLECAM BLINK
The SiPix StyleCam Blink is an amazingly small digital camera, quite possibly the smallest we've reviewed at PC Authority.
It's thinner than the BenQ DC1300 and Sony DSC-U10 (October 2002, page 53), but has a square form factor.
SONY DCR-IP55E
The problem with making a camera too small is that they can become difficult to handle; the DCR-IP55e overcomes this by swinging the battery holder down to form a pistol grip.
SONY DCR-PC101E
Sony has done a good job of packaging a top quality camera into such a compact size. While it's not the smallest of the Sony range, it'll appeal to those who don't want anything too bulky.
SONY DCR-TRV18e
At just under $1,800, the TRV18e is well priced for what it offers. Like others in its price range it uses a 0.8-megapixel CCD, which produces surprisingly good quality images. It handles low light and water reflection well and has one of the better LCDs, making it a good all round DV camera at a reasonable price.
Sony DCR-TRV50
A smart mini-DV cam with more features than most
SONY MDR-NC11
Bundled headphones may not be up to your exacting standards and certainly none cater for listening on planes or trains, so why not consider upgrading to noise-cancelling headphones?
SWANN PENCAM
If you've ever fancied kitting yourself out for a bit of illicit spying, you might want to try the PenCam.
SYMANTEC NORTON GHOST 2003
Ghost 2003 now offers a similar level of features to that of Drive Image 2002 (August 2002, page 72).
TWINHEAD EFIO 2617
If the Efio 2617 looks familiar, it-s because it is almost identical to the Hi-Grade Notino R5400 (December 2002, page 49).
WESTERN DIGITAL WD2000JB CAVIAR & IBM DESKSTAR 180GXP
While the storage community eagerly awaits Serial ATA disks (see page 39), the latest generations of Ultra ATA disks have emerged, boasting huge capacities and searing performance.