Potential of AI (Generative AI) in Business: Learnings and Insights
PC_Magazine_2010-03
1. 3d hdtv: ready for primetime? MARCH 2010
nexus one
Hands on with Google’s
First Phone
The next Generation
of netbooks
our essential Tips for
new Mac Converts
Tablets 2.0
Why 2010 Could (Finally) Be Their Year
2. MARCH 2010 vol. 29 no. 3
44 CovER SToRY
ThE yEAr Of ThE TAbLET
Though the tablet concept has been around for years, it never really
took off—until now. Check out our in-depth report on why 2010’s
tablets are going to transform laptop computing.
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
3. 12
18 25
FIRST looKS TECH nEwS
2 CONSUMEr ELECTrONICS 5 frONT SIDE
Google nexus one (T-Mobile) Tech companies offering help
in Haiti; inside Intel and Micron’s
Canon EoS 7D
flash memory plant; the new
Aliph Jawbone Icon
breed of netbooks.
Plus Quick looks
8 hArDWArE oPInIonS
Sony vAIo vPC-l117FX/B 2 fIrST WOrD:
Polywell MiniBox P5500C LANCE ULANOff
Toshiba Satellite T115-S1105 38 JOhN C. DvOrAk
ASUS G51J-1B 3D 40 SASChA SEGAN
Epson Artisan 810 42 DAN COSTA
Plus Quick looks
28 bUSINESS
SolUTIonS
54 GOING MAC
lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
How to make a seamless switch
vMware Fusion 3.0
from PC to Mac.
MailChimp
62 kILL yOUr PhONE
32 SOfTWArE How to deactivate your phone
Mobile web browsers remotely if it is lost or stolen.
norton online Backup 2.0 64 CUSTOMIZE WINDOWS 7
SafeCentral 2.6 13 fun tricks to make win 7
Plus Quick looks your own.
68 ThE bEST STUff
PC Magazine Digital Edition, ISSn 0888-8507, is published monthly at $24.97 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 East 28th Street, new York nY 10016-7940.
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION
4. FIRST WORD LANCE ULANOFF
The iPad: A Must-Have?
A
“magical” device. That’s what I tried to look at the iPad in the context
Apple chief executive Steve of all the questions I received on Twitter, as
Jobs called the new iPad. well as the general confusion I still see swirl-
And Apple execs said it so ing around this tablet. It’s not a replacement
often that I began to imag- for the iPhone or iPod touch, nor will it sup-
ine pixie-dust falling from the ceiling of the plant your go-to laptop. Steve Jobs wants it
Yerba Buena Art Center, landing gently on to sit in the middle. I can see that. The device
our throbbing skulls, slowly but surely lull- feels like middleware.
ing us into the belief that Jobs and company It’s really not for phone calls, has no physi-
had introduced something otherworldly. cal keyboard (you can buy one as an acces-
Even hours later, I’m having trouble sort- sory) or a mouse. And once you handle the
ing out my feelings. I saw the demos, heard iPad, you quickly realize that it’s way too big
the words and even had some hands-on for any pocket. The iPad’s size alone ensures
time with the iPad. It is gorgeous. But I’d say that this won’t enjoy iPhone-like ubiquity. At
it is more practical than “magical.” about 9 inches and 1.5 pounds, you’ll take
it out when you’re on the couch, riding the
Smoke and Mirrors? train, and probably on the airplane.
Steve Jobs’ assertion that the existing 75
million iPhone and iPod touch custom- This Reader Won’t Save Publishing
ers already know how to use this device I tried reading The New York Times on the
runs counter to the idea of magical. Magic iPad, complete with embedded video. It
is something we don’t understand and can was nice, but not revolutionary. This device
scarcely believe. Like Jobs said, we know has zero chance of saving the publishing
this product. industry. Like any digital platform, it offers
When I tried it out, I spent zero time figur- an evolutionary possibility to beleaguered
ing out how to use it. The iPad works exactly print publications, but I saw nothing that
like an iPhone, for heaven’s sake. Nothing made me say, “This is it!”
enchanted about that. As expected, the iPad is a reading device.
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
5. The iPad works exactly like an iPhone, for
heaven’s sake. Nothing enchanted about that.
I have to say that the execution of the entire the only audience groan of the whole event.
e-book experience, from the flipstand cover (For more on this, see Sascha Segan’s col-
to the iBook store, looks great. As I “flipped” umn on page 40.) But the biggest disap-
through a book on the iPad, I kept com- pointment for me is the lack of a stylus.
paring it to my Kindle, which is not as easy Apple did show off an updated “Brushes”
to do as you might think. In a nutshell, the app, which lets you use your fingers to paint
iPad’s gesture-based page-turning is simply and draw professional-level art. That’s nice,
awesome. but the artist in me wants a drawing imple-
ment. Other things the iPad is missing, such
Other Nice Features as a camera, will eventually be added.
The nearly-full-size virtual keyboard was a
pleasant surprise, not only because Apple Reaching a Verdict
included it, but because it seems to work My perspective may change once we put
so well. Forget thumb-typing; this device is the iPad through the ringer. Gaming looked
too big for that, but when I set it down on a good in the demo, but what kind of restric-
table, I was able to type quite nicely. tions will Apple be putting on these apps?
The biggest story here may not have been And the rated battery life is only under
what you can do on the iPad or even the optimal situations (and how will that rated
excellent $499 entry-level price. For me it life hold up a year or two from now?). As
was Apple’s under-the-hood innovation. As for durability, I’d say it’s about as durable as
I predicted, Apple introduced its own chip, any other Apple product, but if you drop it
probably using its internal PA Semi team face down on concrete—well, that could be
to build the do-it-all A4. In my brief hands- a different story.
on, I typed, browsed the Web, checked out Bottom line: If you feel like there’s a hole in
photos, read books and watched full-screen your life and you’ve identified it as the space
video. It never hiccuped. between your smartphone and your lap-
top, the iPad is the product for you. For the
What’s Missing rest of us, who have done things like invest
Apple didn’t deliver on every wish. There’s in an Amazon Kindle and more traditional
no camera, a surprising omission for some- netbooks, the decision may be much, much
thing I still think is aimed at people who like tougher.
to create. Something else Apple left out of
Follow Me oN TwiTTer! Catch the chief’s
the iPad: Verizon! Apple has doggedly stuck comments on the latest tech developments at
with ATT, an announcement that produced twitter.com/LanceUlanoff.
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION
7. Front
What’s New from the World of Tech
Technology’s
Helping Hand
The tech industry is stepping up to aid Haiti relief.
When a disastrous earthquake struck Haiti those who needed it most, either stuck on a
on January 12, many Americans felt help- tarmac or stranded outside Port Au Prince.
less, watching as relief and rescue efforts But the technology industry is mobilizing
were stymied by Haiti’s crumbling infra- to change that. Some are providing forums
structure, lack of organization, and other to keep us informed and abreast of ways to
logistical challenges. Food, medicine, and donate, as well as making equipment and
manpower were just beyond the reach of financial donations of their own.
Photo: AFP/Getty Images MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION
8. frONTsIDE
Stone pointed to a num-
ber of organizations taking
donations and urged mem-
bers to follow groups like
the Red Cross (@redcross)
and Oxfam (@oxfam). Along
with donating $1 million to
aid organizations, Google has
also let users donate directly
to UNICEF or CARE using
Google Checkout.
AD-HOC NETWOrk TSF’s emergency telecom center in Haiti. Making Connections
Major mobile providers are
Mobilizing the Web also getting into the game by accepting
For example, Facebook has launched a text-based donations. For example, you can
“Global Relief” page designed to spotlight donate $10 to the Red Cross International
efforts to help respond to natural disasters. Relief Fund by texting “HAITI” to 90999.
The Help Earthquake Survivors in Haiti effort In addition, the ATT Foundation donated
from Oxfam America had already raised $50,000 to Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF),
$33,000 via Facebook Causes. Members a humanitarian organization specializing in
can also purchase an Oxfam-sponsored emergency telecommunications.
“Water for Haiti” charity gift on Facebook Speaking of which, Telecoms San Fron-
for 70 credits, which will provide one clean tieres has deployed two emergency
jug of water to survivors. The American Red response teams to Haiti to establish emer-
Cross and Partner in Health have also raised gency telecom centers for response work-
thousands through Facebook Causes. ers and calling centers to provide free,
“The devastating earthquake in Haiti has two-minute calls to anywhere in the world
underscored the Internet’s critical role in for residents displaced by the disaster.
connecting the world’s population in times Another group called NetHope went to
of tragedy,” wrote Facebook spokesman Haiti to set up a VSAT satellite using WiMAX
Andrew Noyes in an e-mail. that will restore Internet connectivity to relief
And Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote organizations there. According to a piece
in a blog post that “the atmosphere at Twit- written by NetHope CEO William Brindley
ter HQ is heavy and based on the Trending for The Huffington Post, “With connectivity
Topics an overwhelming number of Twitter restored, agencies will have the tools they
users feel the same.” need to speed the delivery of much needed
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
9. relief. It will also help speed the recovery and Inmarsat is also providing its Broadband
rebuilding efforts, the next critical step after Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals to
the emergency aid phase.” TSF, and DBSD Satellite Services is provid-
To help keep relief efforts running through ing the U.S. government with its S-band
the night, the Florida-based solar lighting satellite capacity for two-way mobile com-
company Sol Inc. has provided $300,000 munications or broadcast video services
in solar lights to the shaken country. Sol Inc. throughout Puerto Rico. In a public state-
also sent a ground team to make sure the ment, Kerry says that while the initial out-
lights were installed and used properly. pouring of aid is appreciated, a sustained
For its part, the U.S. government has also effort from the tech industry and others is
lent a high-tech hand. According to Mas- what’s needed to truly help the people of
sachusetts Senator John Kerry, CapRock Haiti.
Communications, a satellite services pro- “We will need to help tomorrow, and the
vider, gave satellite communications sup- day after,” Kerry says. “Next month and the
port and connectivity to the U.S. Marines month after. And far into next year.”—Chloe
Corps in Haiti. Mobile satellite company Albanesius, Troy Dreier, and Erik Rhey
go with it.
PC Magazine for iPhone
Zinio’s iPhone App
Have fun reading your favorite
magazines (and get access to
them on your pc and mac too).
Zinio.com/GoWithIt
10. frONTsIDE
ExtremeTech
Behind the Scenes:
IM Flash
ExtremeTech gets exclusive
photos inside Intel and Micron’s
flash memory plant.
quALITy CONTrOL A worker performs real-
time defect analysis on a semiconductor wafer.
THE MIDWAy At the plant’s “50-yard line” hall-
way, materials are moved along tracks overhead.
WAfEr bATH These front-opening unified pods CONDuCTOr CLOsE-uP Here a 300-mm wafer
(FOUPs) take wafers through a “wet process.” is shown in detail inside a FOUP.
TO vIEW THE ENTIrE sLIDEsHOW ONLINE, CLICk HErE.
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
11. BEST of our BlogS
GOODCLEANTECH
Honda Unveils Solar
Hydrogen Station
Honda has announced a strik-
ing solar hydrogen station
prototype that will let fuel-cell
electric-vehicle owners fill
up at home overnight. The
integrated unit is designed
to fit in a common household
GEArLOG garage, and can produce
A Gamer’s Keyboard enough hydrogen (0.5kg) via
PC gamers, especially those who have trouble with multi-button key an eight-hour overnight fill to
presses, perk up your ears. Microsoft has unleashed the SideWinder power daily commuting of up
X4 keyboard ($59.95 list). With some keyboards, pressing multiple to 10,000 miles per year for
keys simultaneously (to execute a special move, perhaps) causes a the Honda FCX Clarity and
problem where not all the key presses are recorded. The unreported other fuel-cell vehicles. Honda
key presses are called “ghosts,” since the computer doesn’t see them. hopes the new Solar Hydro-
The SideWinder is built differently, so that gamers can press up to gen Station will combine with
26 keys at once and the computer will recognize each key. Besides upcoming “Smart Grid” energy
anti-ghosting, this SideWinder lets players manually toggle from systems to let users fill up with-
standard mode into one of two gaming modes, automatically switch out storing hydrogen and with
profiles, program macro keys, and record macros during a game. It lower CO2 emissions, thanks to
also offers backlit keys and quick-access media keys.—Troy Dreier off-peak electrical power. No
word yet on a price or release
date.—Jamie Lendino
sECurITy WATCH
New Chrome Security Features
Google has announced a number of security enhancements that are
being implemented in Chrome. One such feature is Strict-Transport-
Security, an HTTP response header that a site can send to a browser
to tell it only to communicate with the site via HTTPS. This should
provide extra security against snooping, although it’s not bullet-
proof. Another is the postMessage API, a method of embedding gad-
gets in Web pages with rich communications capabilities to other
page code, but retaining better security than previous methods
allowed. All the major browsers implement it.—Larry Seltzer
BEST of ThE InTErnET
ANTENNA CADMus vIDZbIGGEr
Antenna is a free Adobe AIR Cadmus is a Web service that VidzBigger is a Chrome app
application that you can aggregates Twitter or Friend- that rearranges YouTube’s
download and use to browse Feed updates and organizes layout so the video plays at its
stations around the globe them into trends and topics. largest size (without going full-
that are streaming on the You can also add and follow screen). Video information is
Web. You can even save your RSS feeds.—AH on the left, and comments are
favorites.—Alan Henry on the right.—AH
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION
12. frONTsIDE
Connected Traveler
Rethinking the Netb
If you thought a netbook’s
not for your travel bag, take
another look.
There may be a number of reasons why,
as a traveler, you chose not to buy a
netbook. Maybe you were under-
whelmed by the low-power Intel
Atom processors. Or your hands
felt like cloven hooves on those
tiny keyboards. Or maybe it was the
puny screen or lack of advanced fea-
tures that kept you away from these lit-
tle laptops. Well, a lot has changed since
netbooks first hit the scene. The next gen-
eration of netbooks boasts features such as
1
full-size keyboards, faster processors, and
amazing battery life. Here are a few exam-
ples of new netbooks we’ve tested in PC
Labs. Nb30-N410 ($400 direct, l l l l h ). Here
Given the latest tech craze for touch you get many of the features and power of
screens, it seems only natural that netbooks a standard laptop, including a full-size key-
would follow suit. Enter the [1] HP Mini board, 3G option, and great battery life.
102 ($400 direct, l l l l m ), a 10-inch And tree-hugging travelers will feel better
touch-screen netbook with a sleek exterior, knowing that this model earned our Green-
fast hard drive, and the option to upgrade Tech Approved seal for energy efficiency,
to a 6-cell battery, giving you a whopping advanced green certifications, and Toshi-
11 hours of juice. It also comes loaded with ba’s great recycling program.
Windows 7. If speed is what you need on the road,
Arguably the best bang-for-your-buck then look no further than the [3] Asus
netbook out there is the [2] Toshiba Mini EeePC 1201N ($485 street, l l l l m ). This
10 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010 Product name in rED indicates Editors’ Choice.
13. book
4
3
2
little powerhouse packs a dual-core Intel 1032R also has great battery life (8 hours
Atom processor, Nvidia Ion graphics, and 35 minutes) and some handy included soft-
2GB of RAM. To sweeten the deal, this sys- ware in HP’s QuickWeb and CloudDrive.
tem also comes with a big 12-inch screen. And for travelers on a budget, the [] Acer
The tradeoff for speed, however, is battery Aspire One (AO32h-22) ($300 street,
life (this system clocked only 4 hours on our l l l l m ) is priced lower than most of its
tests). competitors and offers awesome battery
Many travelers like to watch movies or do life (over 9 hours) as well as a wide touch-
multimedia work on the road. In that case, pad, a two-year warranty, and Intel’s latest
the [4] HP Mini 210-1032Nr ($349.99 list, “Pine Trail” components. Though it doesn’t
l l l h m ) is worth a look. Along with good quite measure up to others in performance,
multimedia performance, the Mini 210- it is good for basic computing.—Erik Rhey
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 11
16. 12
18
28
32
INSIDE
CONsuMEr ELECTrONICs
HArDWArE
BusINEss
sOFTWArE First
Google Nexus One
Google’s G
Not Great—
T
he worst thing about the
Google Nexus One is Google.
The most powerful and sleek-
est Android phone so far, the
Nexus One gives techies an
awesome springboard to make their Linux-
phone dreams come true. The hardware is
almost heartbreakingly beautiful. But with
an emotionless interface and an abysmal
retail and support experience, it’s just not
the right choice for the average smart-
phone buyer—and it’s no threat to either the
iPhone or the Motorola Droid.
This 4.7- by 2.3- by 0.4-inch (HWD)
Google Nexus One
$179.99 to $529.99 list beauty weighs 4.6 ounces and feels unusu-
Ll l h m ally slim and solid. Most of the phone
PrOs Fastest Android phone yet. Beautiful consists of a 3.7-inch touch screen with
hardware. Super-bright screen.
excellent graphics performance. The phone
CONs No phone or in-person support. Confus-
ing pricing and service options. No voice dial- comes with 180MB of onboard memory
ing or transcription over Bluetooth. and a 4GB card, expandable to 32GB. Even
12 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
17. Our ratINGS kEy:
l l l l l EXCELLENT
l l l l m VErY GOOD
l l l m m GOOD
l l m m m FAIr
l m m m m POOr
Good—But
—First Phone
though the Nexus One has the fastest pro- model, I found none in my testing experi-
cessor of any phone in the U.S., its touch ence. The Nexus One’s 1-GHz Snapdragon
buttons are occasionally sluggish, and the processor burned through our benchmarks,
lack of multitouch is an unfortunate missing proving to be much faster than the pro-
piece on the phone’s otherwise decent soft- cessors found on other Android phones,
ware keyboard. Google has also spruced up including the Motorola Droid. Graphics per-
Android’s interface a bit with the new Ver- formance is also kicked up a notch, with the
sion 2.1, which features “live” animated wall- Nexus One scoring 26.7 frames per second
papers and an animated, better-looking (fps), compared with the Droid’s 20.8 fps.
photo gallery. As for multimedia, this phone And battery life for the Nexus One is very
played MP3, AAC, WAV, and OGG audio good for a 3G phone, turning in a score of
fine, and played MPEG4 Simple Profile vid- 6 hours, 25 minutes.
eos well, but H.264 videos suffered from If the Google Nexus One was sold and
blockiness and dropped frames. Also, the supported by T-Mobile and dressed up with
5-megapixel camera took unusually sharp HTC’s Sense UI, I’d be madly in love with this
photos. phone. As is, the Nexus One shouts “beta” in
In testing, the Nexus One showed accept- all the areas Google has control over: soft-
able voice quality, especially with its fancy ware, sales, service, and support.
noise-cancellation feature. Although prob- —Sascha Segan
lems with 3G have been reported with this CLICK HErE FOr MOrE
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 13
18. FIRST LOOKS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
Canon EOS 7D
$1,699 list (body only)
Ll l l m
PROS Excellent still-image and HD-video
quality. Fast performance. Various HD video
recording options.
CONS Pricey. Video recording is not as
simple as with a dedicated camcorder.
Canon EOS 7D
A D-SLR That
Focuses on Video
T
he 18-megapixel Canon EOS on’s intuitive menus
7D takes beautiful pictures When shooting through the viewfinder,
in a wide variety of lighting the shutter lag was only 0.47 second—a
situations. But the true lure very good score that drops to 2.17 seconds
of the 7D is that it’s the only when shooting in Live View mode. Also, the
sub-$2,000 D-SLR that offers a multitude shot-to-shot time was a lightning-fast 8
of high-definition video-capture options. frames per second (fps). And using Imatest
If versatile HD video isn’t a priority for you, to evaluate image quality, I found that the
there’s still a lot to like in this camera. 7D produced spectacular, virtually noise-
Though its body is slightly smaller than free images.
those of higher-end Canon D-SLRs (which There’s no denying that the 7D is a tal-
use larger sensors), the 7D’s build and feel ented D-SLR—but at $1,700 without a lens,
are appealing. The camera weighs 2.06 it’s not cheap. Unless you need the versa-
pounds without a lens and is comfortable tile HD video options, 18 megapixels, or
to hold. The 7D features a large 3-inch, the speedy still-image capture that the 7D
Live View LCD, and the viewfinder offers 19 provides, you can get similar image quality
autofocus points. The controls are also easy from lower-priced Canon and Nikon D-SLRs.
to use: Buttons are well-placed and a large —PJ Jacobowitz
scroll wheel helps you cruise through Can- CLICK HERE FOR MORE
14 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
19. FIRsT LOOKs CONsUMER ELECTRONICs
Aliph Jawbone Icon
$99 list
Ll l l m
PROs First Bluetooth head-
set with mobile apps. Excel-
lent sound quality. Improved
controls. Many design options.
Costs less than prior versions.
CONs Short battery life. Fussy
ear hook.
Aliph Jawbone Icon
Aliph’s Iconic Headset
We have a new leader in Blue- tooth headset with apps, including those
tooth headsets. The Aliph Jaw- that provide one of six voices in languages
bone Icon is the best-designed like Spanish, French, and German. You can
and potentially the most flexible also program speed dial numbers, update
Bluetooth headset on the market, the firmware, or even add new dialing apps
thanks to its new application platform. The for voice-enabled 411 search.
Icon is smaller and lighter than our other On our tests, voice quality was good, but
top-ranked headsets, with numerous new not perfect: a little nasal and trebly sound-
features and a streamlined control scheme. ing, but smooth and not harsh. The Icon
Combined with stellar all-around perfor- evens out the volume of incoming calls,
mance, its plusses are enough to unseat the including between multiple speakers in a
larger Plantronics Voyager Pro as our new conference call. Noise cancellation was stel-
Editors’ Choice. lar and the range for Bluetooth was also
The Icon comes in six different designs, good at more than 15 feet from the handset.
each with distinctive textures and finishes. Battery life, however, is short at just 3 hours
It measures 0.7 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and 32 minutes of talk time. Overall, the
and weighs just 0.3 ounces. There’s a dedi- Icon is a winner, but just by a hair. There are
cated power switch on the back, which other worthy headsets out there if the Icon
can avoid accidental power-ups in a jacket doesn’t appeal.—Jamie Lendino
pocket or bag. The Icon is also the first Blue- CLICK HERE FOR MORE
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 15
20. QuICk LOOks CONsuMEr ELECTrONICs
SMARTPHONES
BlackBerry Bold 9700 Palm Pre Plus LG Chocolate LG Shine II
$99.99 to $449.99 direct With two-year contract, Touch VX8575 $119.99 to $269.99 direct
$249.99 list $79.99 to $259.99 list
Ll l l m Ll l h m Ll l l m Ll l h m
• Near-perfect design • Palm’s webOS is really • Sublime voice quality • Sleek brushed aluminum
• Beautiful display user-friendly • Solid music and video design
• Great voice quality • Works as a Wi-Fi hotspot playback • Very good voice quality
PROS
• Robust media sync • Snappy performance • Sharp camera
options
• Excellent battery life
• Middling browser • Muddy voice quality • Messaging options • Short battery life
• Buggy video player • No voice dialing remain thin, and most • Stiff controls
• Lacks the T-Mobile • Fewer apps than most cost extra • Proprietary headphone
CONS
version’s unlimited Wi-Fi other platforms jack
calling
The Bold 9700 is a smart, The Palm Pre Plus is an The Chocolate Touch is a LG plays it safe with the
shrewd update to the wildly e-mail, music, and calen- top-notch voice phone with Shine II, an incremental
BOTTOM LINE
popular Bold 9000—and dar-oriented smartphone stellar media capabilities, upgrade that retains the
proof that there’s still a with a twist: it’ll get your but heavy e-mailers should original’s beautiful alu-
place for QWERTY key- laptop online (at a price). stick with a phone with a minum slider design and
boards. hardware keyboard. excellent call quality.
ATT; 2.4-inch, 480-by-360 Verizon Wireless; 3.7-inch, Verizon Wireless; 3.0-inch, ATT; 2.2-inch, 240-by-
screen; 3.2MP camera; 320-by-480 color touch 240-by-400 screen; 3.2MP 320 screen; 2MP camera;
Bluetooth; 4.3 by 2.4 by 0.6 screen; Bluetooth; 3MP camera; Bluetooth; 4.3 by Bluetooth; 4.2 by 2.0 by 0.5
inches (HWD); 4.3 ounces. camera. 2.2 by 0.5 inches (HWD); inches; 4.4 ounces.
SPECS
4.2 ounces.
Product name in RED indicates Editors’ Choice.
16 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
21. SPEAKERS HDTVS GPS
Bowers Wilkins Insignia NS-L42X-10A TomTom XL 340-S LIVE Insignia NS-CNV43
Zeppelin Mini $749.99 direct $239.95 list $199.99 list
$399.95 list
Ll l h m Ll l m m Ll l h m Ll l m m
• One of the best sound- • Inexpensive • Real-time traffic • Good value
ing iPod docks in its price • Five HDMI ports • Integrates Web-based • Touch scree features hap-
range • Two-year warranty services tic feedback
• Compact, elegant design • No ads • Real-time traffic reports
• Connects to PC via USB • Accurate routing
• Only for iPhone, iPod • Uninspired design • Expensive monthly fees • Sluggish
touch, and recent iPods • Oversaturated colors • Automatic rerouting needs • Small POI database with
• Remote lacks full iPod • Some de-interlacing and a re-think some search limitations
navigation motion-error issues • Monthly fees kick in after
• No video output • Lacks a USB port and Web three months
connectivity
For a $400 iPod speaker If you can get past its lack- The XL 340-S LIVE is a Best Buy’s NS-CNV43 is a
dock, the Zeppelin Mini luster design and somewhat solid navigator and a good solid GPS device thanks to
lacks some features that antiquated feature set, the example of what’s pos- its always-on Google con-
an expensive unit should NS-L42X-10A is a solid deal sible with connected GPS nectivity and bargain price,
have—but it looks and for a 42-inch LCD HDTV. devices, but there’s room for but it’s not a particularly
sounds amazing. improvement. great navigator otherwise.
iPod speaker dock; 2-chan- 42 inches; 1,920 by 1,080 Automobile GPS; 3D view; Bluetooth receiver; 4.3-inch
nel audio; remote; 6.8 by native resolution; 1080p; 4.3-inch touch screen; 3.2 by touch screen; 3D view; 3.2
12.6 by 4 inches (HWD). 120-Hz refresh rate; 16:9 4.8 by 1.1 inches (HWD). by 4.8 by 0.7 inches (HWD).
aspect ratio.
Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and other consumer electronics products.
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 17
22. FIRST LOOKS HARDwARE
Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B
Sony’s Top-Notch
All-in-One
A
mong all-in-one desktop On our tests, the VPC-L117FX/B showed
PCs, the VAIO VPC-L117FX/ very good performance numbers, with top
B is certainly one of the best scores on our Photoshop CS4 test (1 minute
looking. It resembles a 24- 39 seconds) and Windows Media Encoder
inch HDTV, but inside that test (43 seconds), making it a great choice
sexy shell is the heart of a power user’s PC: for multimedia buffs and competitive in
quad-core Intel processor, 6GB of memory, the field of all-in-one desktops, including
1TB hard drive, Blu-ray burner, and a decent the dual-core powered Apple iMac 27-inch
Nvidia graphics card. Placement in the (Core 2 Duo) and the HP TouchSmart 600-
kitchen, den, home office, and living room 1055. For gaming, it played World in Conflict
come to mind, but it could also work as a TV at a smooth 39 frames per second (fps) but
replacement in your bedroom. was a little too slow on Crysis (30 fps), prov-
This VAIO’s touch screen (1,920 by 1,080 ing it is acceptable for light gaming.
resolution, which is true 1080p HD) has an As a high-end all-in-one desktop PC, the
ATSC tuner, HDMI-in ports, and viewing Blu- VPC-L117FX/B is a little pricey, but you can
ray videos give you that “view through a win- rationalize the added expense if you con-
dow” effect. There’s a slot built into the base sider the system has one of the best screens
of the unit, so you can stow the wireless key- out there, as well as high-quality compo-
board when not in use. The touch screen is nents. The HP TouchSmart 600-1055 still
responsive, though there’s a bit of a learning holds on to our Editors’ Choice for a more
curve. There’s very little in the way of bloat- polished implementation of touch tech-
ware on this system, and the included VAIO nology in Windows 7, along with the best
Media Gallery and Movie Story are some of bang for the buck, but this VAIO is defi-
the most intuitive and easiest-to-use multi- nitely worth a look.—Joel Santo Domingo
media apps outside of Apple’s iLife suite. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I
SPECS 2.66-GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S processor; 6GB SDRAM; 1TB SATA hard drive; Nvidia GeForce GT
240M graphics; Blu-ray (BD-RE) drive; integrated 24-inch widescreen; integrated stereo speakers; Windows 7
Home Premium 64-bit.
18 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
23. Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B
$2,000 list
ll l l m
PROS Quad Core power. Touch screen. Full CONS Quite expensive. Only 30-day trial sub-
1080p display. HDMI input. Blu-ray burner (not scription to Norton Internet Security. Media
just a reader). Minimized bloatware. Unified software not connected to social networking.
media app for photos, music, and videos. Wire-
less keyboard and mouse. Sexy design.
PERFORMANCE TESTS WinDoWs
MeDia PHotosHoP
L High scores are best. M Low scores are best. PCMark 3DMark Van- WorLD in enCoDer M Cs4 M
Bold type denotes first place. Vantage* L tage* L Crysis** L ConfLiCt ** L min:sec min:sec
Sony VAIO VPC-L117FX/B 4,462 10,813 30 39 0:43 1:39
Apple iMac (27-inch Core 2 Duo) 4,862 10,167 48 53 0:59 1:46
HP TouchSmart 600-1055 PC 4,318 6,006 18 22 1:05 2:18
Product name in RED indicates editors’ Choice. n/a—not applicable: the product could not complete the test, or the test was not compatible. * this test was run at 1,024 by 768
resolution. **this test was run at 1,280 by 1,024 resolution.
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 19
24. FIRST LOOKS HARDwARE
Polywell MiniBox P5500C
Price: $1,850 direct, $2,099 with a 23-inch
widescreen monitor
Ll l l m
PROS Compact form factor. Long 5-year service
warranty. Very good 3D scores. CrossFire and SLI
(2-card) compatible motherboard.
CONS Some fan noise. Larger than other small
form factor gaming rigs.
Polywell MiniBox P5500C
Polywell’s
Spacious-Yet-Small PC
T
he MiniBox P5500C isn’t as easier to move. The build quality is decent
sleek as the Falcon Northwest though unremarkable, and the system’s fan
FragBox or AVADirect GT3 noise is clearly audible. Like other small sys-
gaming systems, but it does tem builders, Polywell keeps the included
have a lot of internal space software load light.
for components, while keeping the spirit of The MiniBox’s processor and graphics
a small-form-factor gaming rig intact. This card helped it achieve top-notch gaming
system comes with Intel Core i7-870 power performance, such as 95 frames per second
and a single ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics (fps) on Crysis and 124 fps on World in Con-
card, so it has the power to smack around flict. It also excelled on multimedia tests: 28
your opponents on the game grid. Or, with seconds for Windows Media Encoder and
a Blu-ray player and over 3TB of drive space 1:18 on Photoshop CS4. Compared with
(spread over three drives), it can serve as a the competition, the MiniBox is good, but
video workstation. a bit overpriced. But I’d still recommend it
The MiniBox sits in a reasonably compact for semi-nomadic multimedia mavens who
case—9.5 by 11.5 by 14 inches (HWD). It won’t need blazing performance and a lot of drive
win any beauty contests, but it does have a space in a semi-portable package.
windowed side panel showing off the graph- —Joel Santo Domingo
ics card. There’s a handle on the front so it’s CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I
SPECS 2.93-GHz Intel Core i7-870 processor; 4GB SDRAM; 1.5TB SATA hard drive and two 1TB SATA hard drives
in a RAID 0 array; ATI Radeon HD 4890 graphics card; Blu-ray combo drive; Creative Inspire T6100 5.1 speakers;
Windows 7 Ultimate.
20 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
26. FIRST LOOKS HaRdwaRE
Toshiba Satellite T115-S1105
Toshiba’s Speedy
Netbook
Electing not to use an Intel Atom
processor doesn’t exempt you
from being called a netbook. Case
in point: The Toshiba Satellite
T115-S1105 comes with Windows
7 (most netbooks have Windows XP) and
uses an Intel Consumer Ultra Low Voltage
(CULV) processor. Not to mention its price,
11.6-inch widescreen, and 7 hours of battery
life makes it competitive with some of the
best netbooks in the business. But the typ- Toshiba Satellite T115-S1105
$480 street
ing and navigating experiences still need Ll l h m
some work. pROS Best processor on a netbook. 1080p vid-
Thanks to the low-powered processor, the eos played back beautifully. Good resolution.
Lightweight. Runs on DDR3 memory. HDMI-Out
T115-S1105 is razor-thin, with Toshiba’s sig- included. Excellent battery life. Speedy net-
nature “Fusion” design. The lid and palm rest book. Affordable.
areas are made of a combination of plastics COnS Poorly designed mouse buttons. Subpar
keyboard. Poor speaker placement.
and infused patterns similar to a laminate
process. The 11.6-inch widescreen is bigger
and has a higher maximum resolution than outscored every netbook we’ve tested. And
those of most netbooks. It also has a full-size you don’t need an Nvidia Ion–based plat-
keyboard, something most netbooks lack. form to play back 1080p videos; the T115’s
However, the keys feel a little flimsy and gen- ULV processors and memory configuration
erate a bit of noise when typing. Also, the handled them beautifully. So although there
chrome-plated mouse buttons are stiff. is a lot to love about this netbook, I suggest
Its CULV processor gave the T115-S1105 you try out the keyboard and mouse before
an advantage over most netbooks on our taking the plunge.—Cisco Cheng
benchmarks. On SYSMark 2007 Preview, it CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I SpECS 1.3-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU2700; 2GB SDRAM; 250GB hard drive; Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics; 11.6-inch
display; Realtek 802.11n Wi-Fi; 3.3 pounds; 61-Wh battery; Windows 7 Home Premium.
22 pC MaGaZInE dIGITaL EdITIOn MARCH 2010
27. Recharge Anywhere.
Protective case with built-in battery
Finally a power solution for
your life on the go.
Portable Chargers
for all your mobile electronics.
28. FIRST LOOKS HARDwARE
Asus G51J-1B 3D
$1,700 street
Ll l h m
PROS 3D game play done right. 3D glasses
work and fit well. Fast Core i7 processor. Good
graphics card. Back-lit keyboard. Comfortable
palm rests. Dual hard drives. Exceptional sound
system.
CONS Screen resolution is low for
a gaming laptop. 3D effects limited
to games only. Expensive.
Asus G51J-1B 3D
Asus’s 3D Laptop
S
tereoscopic 3D technology, pad. And, of course, there’s the 15.6-inch
which typically involves put- 3D widescreen, which uses an active shut-
ting on a pair of 3D glasses and ter method to display left and right images
watching images leap out at in alternating frames, optimized by a very
you, is already a big hit in mov- fast refresh rate (120 Hz). The display, of
ies. Now laptop makers are hoping to cash course, isn’t the only requirement in order
in. The Aspire 5738DG-6165 earned the to be immersed into a 3D environment. The
distinction of being the first 3D laptop, but bundled Nvidia GeForce 3D Vision Kit con-
Asus is right behind with the G51J-1B 3D. sists of a pair of wireless, stereoscopic 3D
If this were strictly a review about the 3D glasses and an infrared base station.
experience, this system would be the vic- On test games that support 3D, the game
tor. And integrating speedy parts made the play was very convincing, even though the
gaming experience that much more worth- resolution is low compared with other gam-
while. But just like the Acer 5738DG, the 3D ing systems. And don’t expect much porta-
technology benefits gamers only. bility, with just 1 hour 25 minutes of battery
The G51J-1B is bulky and heavy, tipping the life. So while its 3D performance is strong,
scales at 7.5 pounds. The system features a the G51J-1B 3D is still a niche product most
full size, island-style keyboard (underlit with can probably live without.—Cisco Cheng
white LEDs) and a half-size numeric key- CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I SPECS 1.6-GHz Intel Core i7-720QM processor; 4GB SDRAM; two 320GB hard drives; Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M
graphics; 15.6-inch 3D display; Intel Wi-Fi Link 1000; 7.5 pounds; 53-Wh battery; Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit).
24 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
29. FIRsT LOOKs HARDwARE
Epson Artisan 810
$299.99 direct
Ll l l m
PROs Fast. Ethernet and Wi-
Fi. Prints, scans, and faxes
over a network. Duplexer. Au-
tomatic document feeder.
CONs Sub-par text quality.
Low paper capacity.
Epson Artisan 810
A Feature-Rich
Home MFP
W
hether you’re looking Bridge cameras, memory cards, and USB
for a home all-in-one keys; and a 3.5-inch color LCD for preview-
(AIO) with high-qual- ing photos before printing. You also get the
ity photo output or a 810’s 7.8-inch touch screen front panel.
home-office AIO with On our business applications suite, the
fast speed and office features, the Epson 810’s score was 7 minutes 59 seconds, mak-
Artisan 810 should be on your short list. ing it one of the fastest ink jet AIOs in its
Following in the footsteps of the Artisan price range. Photo print speed is also rea-
800, the 810 leans towards home use while sonably fast, averaging 59 seconds for a
retaining office-friendly features. 4-by-6 and 2:04 for an 8-by-10 print. As for
The 810 offers both Ethernet and Wi- output quality, text was mediocre, show-
Fi support, making it easy to share. It can ing a grayish look that would make long
print, scan, and fax over a network; work documents hard to read, and graphics were
as a standalone copier and fax machine; typical for an ink jet. So overall, the 810’s
and scan to e-mail over a network. In addi- combination of speed, quality, and features
tion to faxing and e-mailing, the AIO’s most makes it a highly attractive choice for home
notable office-centric feature is a 30-page and light-duty home office use, as long as
automatic document feeder (ADF). Its you’re comfortable with the relatively low
photocentric features include high-quality text quality.—M. David Stone
output; the ability to print directly from Pict- CLICK HERE FOR MORE
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 25
30. QuICk LOOks HARDWARE
DESKTOPS NETBOOKS LAPTOPS
HP Pavilion p6347c-b Apple Mac mini LG X120 Fujitsu LifeBook P3010
$800 list (Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz) $400 street $549 direct
$599 list
ll l h m Ll l m m Ll l m m Ll l m m
• Quad Core power • GreenTech-approved • Clean design • Fast Intel Neo processor
• Lots of memory • Compact • Comfy mouse buttons • 2GB of memory
• Ample hard-drive space • Quiet • Embedded 3G wireless • Full-size keyboard
PROS
• Included 23-inch HD • Dual-core performance card • 11-inch widescreen
monitor • Windows compatible • Priced competitively— • Large hard drive
• Two-year warranty • FireWire 800 without a contract
• Weak integrated graphics • No Blu-ray option • Small keyboard • Small touchpad
• Only 60-day Norton • No keyboard or mouse • Not many stand-out • No HDMI-Out
subscription • 30-inch LCD support netbook features • Below-average battery
CONS
• No HDMI port on desktop requires optional • Small battery life
• Lots of bloatware DVI adapter • Only available at • Too expensive
RadioShack
The HP Pavilion p6347c-b is The Mac mini is the entry The X120 is LG’s first The LifeBook P3010 is a
a good power user system point for the Apple faith- netbook attempt in the latecomer to the oversized
BOTTOM LINE
for bargain hunters prowl- ful and is a small, cheap United States, and it has netbook space, and it
ing their local warehouse computer, but a number of embedded 3G—provided doesn’t have enough good
store. low-cost nettops offer more you commit to a 2-year, to outweigh the bad.
bang for the buck. $60-per-month contract.
2.8-GHz AMD Athlon 630 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 1.6-GHz AMD Athlon Neo
processor; 6GB SDRAM; P7550 processor; 2GB processor; 1GB SDRAM; MV-40 processor; 2GB
640GB SATA hard drive; ATI SDRAM; 160GB SATA hard 160GB, hard drive; Intel SDRAM; 320GB hard
Radeon HD 4200 graphics; drive; nVidia GeForce GMA 950 graphics; 10.1- drive; ATI Radeon HD 3200
SPECS
DVD±RW drive; 23-inch 9400M graphics; DVD±RW inch display; Realtek graphics; 11.6-inch display;
widescreen; Windows 7 drive; Mac OS X 10.6. 802.11g Wi-Fi; 2.8 pounds; Atheros 802.11g Wi-Fi; 3.5
Home Premium (64-bit). 46-Wh battery; Windows pounds; 54-Wh battery;
XP Home. Windows 7 Home Premium.
Product name in RED indicates Editors’ Choice.
26 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
31. PRINTERS
HP Pavilion dv7-2273cl Lexmark Platinum HP Photosmart A646 Lexmark Interpret S405
$999 list Pro905 Compact Printer $129 direct
$399.99 direct $149.99 direct
Ll l h m Ll l h m Ll l h m Ll l h m
• Attractive design • Fast photos • Touch screen with gener- • Fast for both business
• Beautiful 17.3-inch screen • Two-sided printing ally well-designed menus applications and photos
• Blu-ray drive included • Automatic document • Prints 5-by-7s, 4-by-6s, • Reasonably high-quality
• Slick MediaSmart feeder and panoramas up to 4 by output
software • Works as standalone 12 inches • Standalone fax and copier
e-mail sender
• Lots of bloatware • Slow for business • Speed is acceptable • Low paper capacity
• Lacks full HD display applications but slow • Relatively high cost
• Several features don’t • Messages on the LCD per page
work quite they way they can be confusing
should
A head-turning desktop Aimed primarily at a busy The A646 is a worthy The S405 offers surprisingly
replacement, the Pavilion micro or home office, the successor to the Editors’ fast speed, good-quality
dv7-2273cl has a gorgeous Pro905 is packed with Choice A636 in many ways, output, and AIO features for
display and packs a Blu-ray office-centric features plus but it falters badly on ease both home and home office.
drive for under a grand. the ability to download mini- of use.
apps from the Web.
2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo AIO ink-jet; 1-pass color; Ink-jet; 1-pass color; direct AIO ink-jet; 1-pass color;
T6600 processor; 4GB LCD preview screen; 8-in-1 printing from cameras; LCD direct printing from camer-
SDRAM; 320GB hard drive; media card reader; duplex- preview screen; 20-sheet as; 8-in-1 media card reader;
ATI Mobility Radeon HD ing; 12.1 by 18.3 by 15.4 input capacity; 5.3 by 9.9 flatbed scanner; 8 by 18.8 by
4650 graphics; 17.3-inch inches (HWD). by 4.6 inches (HWD); 2.4 13.3 inches (HWD).
display; 6.7 pounds; 73-Wh pounds.
battery; Windows 7 Home
Premium.
Visit pcmag.com for the full reviews of these and scores of other hardware products.
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 27
32. FIRsT LOOKs busINEss
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
A ThinkPad
Makeover
L
enovo’s ThinkPad series has high enough so that the ThinkPad “feeling”
clung to the same corporate is still there. The transition is made even eas-
look longer than any other in ier by retaining the original ThinkPad navi-
the business. But the Think- gation. Otherwise, the Edge 13’s feature set
Pad line could only go so long isn’t better or worse than any other CULV or
before customers got the impression that small business laptop.
they’re buying the same thing over and The Edge 13 is one of the few laptops that
over. So how do you redesign something are not launching with Intel’s latest “Arran-
that’s considered blasphemy to redesign? dale” platform. Instead, it uses a slightly
The answer: baby steps. The ThinkPad Edge slower, previous-generation CULV platform.
13 is a compelling makeover that still bears The Edge 13 fared badly among its competi-
the sacred ThinkPad seal. tion in PCMark Vantage, but video encod-
The Edge 13 weighs 3.9 pounds and ing and Cinebench R10 scores were in line
measures less than an inch thick. The lid is with those of the Asus UL30A-A1 (though
trimmed with silver and it’s glossy, destined they trailed the Acer Aspire AS3810T by a
to be laden with finger prints and smudges. significant margin). Although the Edge 13’s
A matte black and a red version are also 6-cell battery scored almost 7 hours (6:58)
available, paring down on the unsightly in MobileMark 2007 tests, it came up well
marks. short against the Asus and Acer compari-
Its 13-inch widescreen is generic at best in son systems.
that its resolution tops out at 1,366-by-768. Overall, the Edge 13 is a solid buy for busi-
The keyboard is perhaps the most surpris- nesses if you can snag it for less than its
ing change, adopting an island-style layout listed price ($899). Otherwise, the HP Pro-
made popular by the Apple MacBook Pro Book 5310m or Asus UL30A-A1 offer more
13-inch, and used in other CULV laptops. bang for the buck.—Cisco Cheng
However, each key cap is curved and raised CLICK HERE FOR MORE
I sPECs 1.3-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor; 4GB SDRAM; 320GB hard drive; Intel GMA 4500MHD graph-
ics; 13.3-inch display; Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6250 Wi-Fi; 3.9 pounds; 63-Wh battery; Windows 7 Professional.
28 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
33. Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13
$899 direct
Ll l h m
PROs Best Island-style key-
board yet. Dual pointing
devices. Superb navigating ex-
perience. Lightweight. Afford-
able. Embedded 3G option.
CONs New shiny lid is a
smudge magnet. Not the
speediest CULV laptop.
PERFORMANCE TEsTs
MoBiLeMark WindoWs Media PHotosHoP
L High scores are best. M Low scores are best. PcMark 2007 L encoder M cs4 M
Bold type denotes first place. Vantage* L hr: min min:sec cineBencH r10 L min:sec
Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 2,338 6:58 1:42 2,700 1:06
Acer Aspire Timeline AS3810T (6415) 2,800 8:40 1:48 3,304 0:48
Asus UL30A-A1 2,462 10:27 3:11 1,595 1:04
HP ProBook 5310m n/a 5:18 1:07 4,732 0:44
Product name in RED indicates editors’ choice. n/a—not applicable: the system could not complete this test. *this test was run at the default resolution (1,024 by 768).
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 29
34. FIRsT LOOKs busINEss
VMware Fusion 3
$79.99 direct
Ll l l m
PROs Fast, reliable, effective virtu-
alization software. Tight integration
between Windows applications and
Mac OS. Highly configurable.
CONs Some migration issues.
VMware Fusion 3
Marry Mac and Windows
V
Mware Fusion 3 brings the to install a fresh Windows system, you’ll
vast range of Linux and Win- need a full installation disc. If you already
dows software to your Mac. have a separate Windows system installed
Like its closest rival, Parallels under Boot Camp, you can run that system
Desktop 5 for the Mac, Fusion in a Fusion window, and you’ll still be able to
creates a “virtual machine” that transforms boot directly into Boot Camp.
any Mac into an all-purpose system that’s In my tests, I ran Windows machines four
not limited by its own OS. different ways under Fusion: accessing my
You can run non-Mac apps in individual existing Boot Camp Windows XP partition,
windows or full-screen. You can even make creating a Windows XP virtual machine
them the default applications for opening using Fusion’s installation assistant, run-
specific Mac file types. If you don’t want to ning a virtual Linux system, and finally, using
be confined to just programs, you can run a VMware’s Migration Assistant to import
complete Windows system from your Mac, existing Windows 7 and Vista systems into
with the OS X desktop always a keystroke or Fusion over my network. Aside from some
mouse click away—and drag files between minor bumps, my apps ran perfectly. This
the systems whenever you want. leads me to conclude that Fusion is well-
To set up a Windows system in Fusion, designed, quick, and effective. Any Mac user
you can use an included utility to import who needs to run Windows software should
a copy of your existing Windows system have a copy.—Edward Mendelson
across a network connection. Or, if you want CLICK HERE FOR MORE
30 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
35. FIRsT LOOKs busINEss
MailChimp
Free with 500 subscriber limit and 3,000 sends; of help resources. Several tools to customize
$30 per month for more than 500 subscribers marketing e-mail campaigns.
Ll l h m
CONs Built-in reporting lacks intuitive work-
PROs Low cost e-mail lists. Integrates with flow. Reports do not give real-time data. Slow
Google Analytics for real business insight. Lots to refresh.
MailChimp
Tame E-mail Marketing
D
espite an odd mascot that of the other bundled CRM components, and
looks like an anime take on just want a service for e-mail campaigns.
Curious George, MailChimp Using MailChimp involves three steps:
means serious business, not creating an e-mail list and importing or add-
monkey business, for market- ing contacts, creating a campaign using
ing. It’s a cloud service that manages e-mail one of four styles (HTML e-mail, plain text,
marketing campaigns and aids users in not “split,” and RSS-driven), and finally, review-
crossing that fine line between spammers ing campaign reports. In testing, I found a
and successful e-mail marketers. few glitches and annoyances, but nothing
With MailChimp, you can create e-mail that was a dealbreaker. There needs to be
lists, track who’s viewed your message, and some honing of the workflow within the
integrate your marketing data with third- interface, but it is nonetheless a nice service
party apps like Google Docs and Zoho. to handle an always-growing need of busi-
MailChimp provides the same type of ser- nesses, grassroots organizations, and poli-
vice that some CRM systems (like Sales- ticians: getting the message out via e-mail.
force) provide. However, it is ideal for the —Samara Lynn
small-business owner who may not need all CLICK HERE FOR MORE
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 31
36. fIrST LOOkS SOfTWArE
Mobile Web Browsers
Surf on the Go
Y
our Web-surfing experience York Times home page loaded completely in
on a smartphone is only as 54 seconds, which was reduced to 50 sec-
good as its browser. From onds after turning on Turbo. While scrolling
their rudimentary beginnings, speeds are improved, and the kinetic scroll-
mobile Web browsers have ing is welcome, it can still feel sluggish, even
come a long way in speed, sophistication, over a 3G connection. Despite those qualms,
and features. Here we review three of the Opera Mobile 10 remains a slick browser.
top contenders for the Windows Mobile
and BlackBerry platforms. Skyfire 1.5
The new Skyfire 1.5 is a significant upgrade
Opera Mobile 10 (Beta 2) that remedies nearly all of the original ver-
Opera’s various mobile browsers have been sion’s flaws. It’s a godsend for Windows
go-to upgrades for years. But several newer Mobile users and even superior to Opera
competitors—including the excellent Sky- Mobile 9.7 Turbo.
fire 1.5 and the Java-based BOLT 1.6—have New features here include VGA (640-
moved the bar forward. The public beta by-480) and WVGA (800-by-480) screen
of Opera Mobile 10 contains a refreshed support, a revamped user interface, more
interface, simple zoom controls, and faster finger-friendly buttons, a full-screen mode,
performance. Though it still lacks Flash com- and the ability to pan or flick the screen
patibility, it is nonetheless a worthy down- to move in multiple directions. On our
load that embarrasses the stock Microsoft tests, Skyfire 1.5 simply flattened Internet
and Nokia browsers. Explorer 6 Mobile, Windows Mobile 6.5’s
The main user interface here looks sharp, stock browser. Skyfire Labs optimized Sky-
with a revamped icon strip, a Safari 4–like fire 1.5’s server connections to speed up
Speed Dial launch page, and an auto-com- page rendering and overall response times,
plete feature in the address bar. In testing, and it shows. Over a Wi-Fi connection, Sky-
most desktop pages looked sharp. With fire loaded the desktop USA Today home
USA Today’s home page, the browser had page in 10 seconds and The New York Times
enough data over Wi-Fi to return control home page in 16 seconds. Skyfire’s down-
within 9 seconds, though the browser took sides are that it’s dependent on access to
51 seconds to deliver the full page. The New Skyfire’s own servers. And there’s also still
32 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
37. BOLT 1.6
Free
Ll l l m
PrOS Speedy. Supports
streaming video. Maximizes
how much you see.
CONS Default font is really
Opera Mobile 10 (Beta 2) Skyfire 1.5 tiny. Only supports one win-
dow at a time. Works on fewer
Free Free
phones than Opera Mini. Stalls
Ll l l m Ll l l m
if it can’t contact proxy server.
PrOS Accurate page render- PrOS Transparent interface.
CLICk HErE fOr MOrE
ing. Transparent, full-featured Supports AJAX, Flash, and
user interface. Nifty Speed Silverlight content. Fast load
Dial feature. Robust bookmark times. Accurate page render-
and password management. ing. Smooth video streaming.
Not dependent on Opera’s CONS No tabbed browsing
servers in order to work. or multiple window support.
CONS No Flash support. Slug- Doesn’t work if it can’t see
gish to complete page loads. Skyfire’s servers.
CLICk HErE fOr MOrE CLICk HErE fOr MOrE
no tabbed browsing or multiple window ity aren’t up to Opera’s standards.
support. But we’re willing to accept those Like Opera Mini and Skyfire 1.5, BOLT is a
flaws in exchange for its excellent page ren- proxy browser, which means you can experi-
dering and streaming media skills. If you ence slowdowns if there’s a stall in contacting
have a Windows Mobile device, you need Bitstream’s servers, which we encountered
this browser. in testing. When it didn’t glitch, BOLT was
really fast. It rendered most pages slightly
BOLT 1.6 faster than Opera Mini did. Pages look good,
Bitstream’s BOLT browser for BlackBerrys and you see more of a page at once than you
and feature phones has come a long way do in Opera. It can also stream media from
since our last review six months ago. This ver- various Web sites. BOLT’s overall UI isn’t as
sion offers fast rendering of desktop-quality slick as Opera Mini’s but if speed is what you
pages and a few tricks that Opera Mini can’t need, BOLT is your browser.
match, though its interface and compatibil- —Jamie Lendino and Sascha Segan
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 33
38. FIRsT LOOKs sOFTwARE
Norton Online Backup 2.0
$49.99 direct per year
Ll l h m
PROs Simple, Web-based,
tabbed interface. Up to five
computers can share one
account. Works with Macs.
Shares stored files via e-mail.
Backs up open files. Lets you
search backed-up content.
CONs No on-demand backup
for a single file or folder. No
“live” file watching for instant
backup. No Windows Explorer
right-click integration.
Norton Online Backup 2.0
Revved-Up Backup
S
ymantec’s first attempt at Nor- est interest is that the service will now let
ton Online Backup earlier this you share access to specified files or folders
year lacked many capabili- backed up online. Since the data’s already in
ties we expect from an online the cloud, why not let users securely share it
backup service. Norton did from any Internet connection?
have a slick Web-based interface and let In testing, I could easily share a file from
you back up files from up to five PCs, how- my online storage from the Home screen.
ever. In addition to addressing many of the I just had to click on the File Actions but-
deficits in this newest release, Symantec has ton for the PC I wanted to share from, and
also added tabs to the interface, simplified choose “Email File Links.” This let me enter
setup, and added some key improvements. multiple recipients’ e-mail addresses and
Among the new features in Version 2.0 specify a download password (if I wanted
are a Mac OS version, file-version saving one), and offered the same search or direc-
for up to 90 days (in case you mistakenly tory tree navigation to find the files I wanted
change a backed-up file), search, open-file to share. Overall, this version represents
backup, and storage management (with the some major strides, and addresses the most
ability to purge files from your backup list). important of my concerns with the original
The service can also now handle mapped version—making it a welcome addition to
network and local drives, including tempo- the Norton line.—Michael Muchmore
rary USB key drives. But perhaps of great- CLICK HERE FOR MORE
34 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION MARCH 2010
39. FIRST LOOKS SOFTwARE
SafeCentral 2.6
$39.95 direct per year
Ll l l m
PROS Isolates Web browsing
from other processes. Blocks
malware and keyloggers. Can
automatically secure browsing
for known sensitive sites or
user-selected sites. Bypasses
Windows DNS.
CONS Prevents use of most
browser add-ons such as
password managers (other
than RoboForm). Expensive.
SafeCentral 2.6
Boost Browser Security
S
ince the previous version (2.0) on add-ins can be a problem if you rely on a
of SafeCentral, maker Authen- password manager. Add-ins are still blocked
tium has added features and in general, but the new edition specifically
fixed a few gripes I had. Version makes an exception for RoboForm. And a
2.6 retains all the protective new “Add to Secure Favorites” toolbar but-
features of its predecessor, adds flexibility, ton marks any Web site to open automati-
and works with 32-bit and 64-bit editions cally in the SafeBrowser.
of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. SafeCentral 2.0 displayed status for the
In version 2.0, the SafeBrowser always anti-malware and secure DNS features using
used a specific SafeCentral Web page as its a pair of indicators on the safe desktop’s
home page. The default home page in Ver- taskbar. The current version vastly expands
sion 2.6 is Microsoft Bing, but SafeBrowser the available status information with a new
lets you add any site you like as an addi- “My Protection” panel and “More info” link.
tional home page. The hardened browser SafeCentral doesn’t replace your existing
still maintains its own list of favorites sepa- security solutions. Rather, it adds layers
rately from your main browser, but there’s of protection in case the other tools fail. It
now an option to import existing browser definitely does the job it’s designed for. The
favorites. Also, helpful videos explain just only question is whether you’re ready to pay
how safe browsing works. for its added protection.—Neil Rubenking
I noted in my earlier review that the ban CLICK HERE FOR MORE
MARCH 2010 PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION 35
