16. PC Magazine Sep 21 04
MAKE YOUR PC A HOME THEATER
THE NEW MONEY MANAGERS:
MONEY vs. QUICKEN
Host a Great LAN Party
BETTER DIGITAL MUSIC:
Next-Gen iPod & Musicmatch
www.pcmag.com
THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE TO TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 21, 2004
>>YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO
THE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
MUSIC•MOVIES
SPORTS•PHONE SERVICE
ONLINE GAMING AND MORE...
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Microsoft ® Windows® XP.
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Portégé M200 Tablet
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Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology
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1. Mail-in rebate offer is valid only with new purchases between August 1, 2004 and September 30, 2004 of the Satellite A60-S1662 (Part # PSA60U-01V01E) by an end user customer (“End User”). Visit www.toshibadirect.com/pcmag921 for complete rebate detail terms and conditions. 2. Central Processing Unit (“CPU
lines or low-speed network connections; e. use of complex modeling software, such as high-end computer-aided design applications; f. use of several applications or functionalities simultaneously; g. use of computer in areas with low air pressure (high altitude >1,000 meters or >3,280 feet above sea level); h. use of co
due to design configurations. Under some conditions, your computer product may automatically shut down. This is a normal protective feature designed to reduce the risk of lost data or damage to the product when used outside recommended conditions. To avoid risk of lost data, always make back-up copies of dat
system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 GB = 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bytes, and therefore may show less storage capacity. Available storage capacity will also be less if the product includes one or more pre-installed operating systems, such as Microsoft Opera
bright dots that may appear on your display are an intrinsic characteristic of the TFT manufacturing technology. Over a period of time, and depending on the usage of the computer, the brightness of the LCD Screen will deteriorate. This is an intrinsic characteristic of LCD technology. 5. Wireless connectivity and some
point design and configuration, and client design and software/hardware configurations. The actual transmission speed will be lower than the theoretical maximum speed. 6. Due to FCC limitations, speeds of 53Kbps are the maximum permissible transmission rates during download. Actual data transmission speeds w
BEFORE THREE MONTH PROMOTIONAL PERIOD ENDS. Premium services carry surcharges, and communication surcharges may apply, including in Alaska, even during promotional period. Members may incur telephone charges on their phone bill, depending on their location and calling plan, even during promotio
orders via phone. Taxes still apply. Offer valid from August 3, 2004 through September 30, 2004. 10. 30-month lease offer with fair market value end-of-term purchase option available through Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. to qualified commercial business customers only. Each lease subject to credit appro
notice or obligation. Other terms and conditions apply. For full description of terms and conditions call 1-800-207-8362 or go to www.septemberzerolease.toshiba.com. 11. Valid in the U.S. only! You must cancel your Access Plan before the end of the trial period to avoid being charged the $39.95 monthly Access Service
of Columbia within the MyConnect service area for 30 day continuous service periods. Use of optional 800 telephone number dial-up usage will incur additional fees even during the trial period. Other terms and conditions apply. Offer expires October 31, 2004. Information, prices and availability subject to change without
Portégé, Satellite, Tecra and SystemGuard are registered trademarks and ConfigFree and MyConnect are trademarks of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. and/or Toshiba Corporation. Intel, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Centrino, Intel Celeron logo, Celeron and Pentium are trademarks or registered tradema
owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Toshiba is under license. NVIDIA and GeForce are registered trademarks or trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications, configura
Reseller/Retailer pricing may vary. © 2004 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Long-lasting performance
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The business workhorse
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Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2
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Microsoft Windows XP Professional
512MB, 768MB, 1,024MB or 1,536MB
DDR SDRAM
40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM/CD-RW or SuperMulti optical drive
15.4" diagonal WXGA TFT display4
ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP
integrated graphics chipset with 64MB
shared video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
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Limited warranty:7 1-year parts and labor,
1-year battery
Three months AOL membership8
Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology or
Intel Celeron M Processor 2
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB or 1,024MB DDR SDRAM
30GB, 40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
15" diagonal XGA or SXGA+ TFT display4
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 with 64MB
shared dynamic video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
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Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB, 1,024MB or 2,048MB
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30GB, 40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
14.1" diagonal TFT display4
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 with 64MB
shared dynamic video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
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1-year battery
Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB, 1,024MB or 2,048MB
DDR SDRAM
40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
14.1" diagonal XGA or SXGA+ TFT display4
NVIDIA GeForce™ FX Go 5200 with up to
64MB dedicated video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
Special bundled performance package
options with 64MB video memory.
Gigabit Ethernet, Firewire port and
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Limited warranty:7 3-year parts and labor,
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notebook: Integrated wireless • Proprietary ConfigFree™ networking software • FREE Microsoft Office OneNoteTM 2003 (a $99 value) • Quick-return UPS repair service
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ba)
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Toshiba 12-Cell High-Capacity Li-lon Battery Pack $169,
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Toshiba 12-Cell High-Capacity Li-lon Battery Pack $169,
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Toshiba Leather Carrying Case $99
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U”) Performance Disclaimer: CPU performance in your computer product may vary from specifications under the following conditions: a. use of certain external peripheral products; b. use of battery power instead of AC power; c. use of certain multimedia, computer generated graphics or video applications; d. use of standard telephone
omputer at temperatures outside the range of 5°C to 30°C (41°F to 86°F) or >25°C (77°F) at high altitude (all temperature references are approximate and may vary depending on the specific computer model - please visit the Toshiba website at www.pcsupport.toshiba.com for details). CPU performance may also vary from specifications
a by periodically storing it on an external storage medium. For optimum performance, use your computer product only under recommended conditions. Contact Toshiba Technical Service and Support for more information. 3. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. The computer operating
ting System and/or pre-installed software applications, or media content. Actual formatted capacity may vary. 4. Small bright dots may appear on your TFT display when you turn on your PC. Your display contains an extremely large number of thin-film transistors (TFT) and is manufactured using high-precision technology. Any small
e features may require you to purchase additional software, services or external hardware. Availability of public wireless LAN access points is limited. The transmission speed over the wireless LAN and the distance over which wireless LAN can reach may vary depending on surrounding electromagnetic environment, obstacles, access
will vary depending on line conditions. 7. Limited warranty terms are available at www.warranty.toshiba.com. 8. Three months of AOL membership included with the purchase of a Toshiba Satellite PC. Availability may be limited, especially during peak times. TO AVOID BEING CHARGED A MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP FEE, SIMPLY CANCEL
onal period. Available to new AOL members in the United States, age 18 or older; a major credit card or checking account is required. 9. Free ground shipping on new notebook orders of $999 or more via toshibadirect.com or by calling 877-266-7274. Enter code MADK during online checkout or mention code MADK when placing
oval, acceptable documentation, 10% soft cost limit and order of Toshiba computer products of $1,500 up to $100,000 (exclusive of taxes, fees and shipping). Rates quoted do not include taxes or shipping. Offer available in the United States only, valid only until September 30, 2004 and may be withdrawn or changed at any time without
fee for the initial 30 day commitment period. Monthly automatic renewal feature after end of commitment period. Available to new members in the U.S., age 18 or older, and a major credit card for billing is required. Offer is for unlimited dial-up, wired broadband, or Wi-Fi remote access connection time in the 50 United States and the District
notice. 12. 10% instant rebate on Customized Systems is only available direct from Toshiba on Toshiba notebooks that offer customization (build-to-order) options. Visit www.toshibadirect.com/pcmag921 or call 877-266-7274 for eligible products. Configuring (customization) of your system takes an additional 5 to 10 workings days.
arks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks and OneNote is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Wi-Fi is a registered certification mark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are
ations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. Rebates may not be combined, and are not valid in conjunction with other Toshiba offers or rebates for the same products, unless specified otherwise by Toshiba. Toshiba reserves the right to modify or withdraw these promotions at any time.
“I save so much on eBay, I recommend it to my clients.
As an accountant, it’s my job to help clients make sound business decisions.
I know eBay helps save money because I’ve used it myself. In fact, I’ve purchased
more than $40,000 worth of new and used equipment on eBay—name-brand
printers, laptops and ten identical desktops—for less than $19,000. Now I send
Bill Golden, CPA—eBay user ID: bluskybill (81)
Chief Manager, Wm. R. Golden & Co., LLC
(www.wrgandco.com), an accounting firm
located in Roswell, New Mexico.
www.ebaybusiness.com
© 2004 eBay Inc. All rights reserved. eBay and the eBay logo are registered trademarks of eBay Inc. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. All items subject to availability.
all my clients to eBay, and they can’t stop thanking me.”
MICHAEL J. MILLER
Forward Thinking
Welcome to the Broadband World
This is an excellent time to have broadband. As we
report in our cover story, starting on page 104, the
amount of content designed specifically for broadband has never been greater. Your choices now include just about everything—video highlights of
news and sports, quick downloads of software applications, legal downloads of music and movies, Internet phone call services, and games you can play
against friends across the street or around the world.
Our surveys indicate that most of our readers have
had broadband for some time now, and it’s quickly
becoming the mainstream method of connecting to
the Internet for large numbers of Americans.
All is not wonderful, though. Readers continue to
complain that the cost of broadband is going up, even
though service is not getting any faster. I find that
surprising, especially given improvements in the
Apple is not amused,
technology. This is proof that the phone
company/cable company duopoly isn’t working, and
explains the interest in solutions like broadband over
power lines (BPL) and WiMAX.
Many phone companies have started offering DSL
for less than the cost of cable modems. And some of
the cable companies are beginning to roll out somewhat faster services at 4 or 6 Mbps. Still, compared
with speeds of 20 Mbps available in some countries,
U.S. systems are downright poky.
I love having an always-on connection on all my machines, so I can instantly access information wherever
I am. But such access does have its downsides: Internet worms, tracking software, and zombie machines all
take advantage of always-on connections.
Nevertheless, broadband’s pros greatly outweigh its
cons. Now if only we could get it faster and cheaper.
and has accused
Real of employing
hacker tactics—
reverse engineering
the way Apple
stores files on
the iPod.
Wi-Fi Phones: A Natural Duo
Many of us use Wi-Fi networks for our portable computers, but Wi-Fi coverage isn’t ubiquitous. That’s where wide-area services
(data over phone networks) come into
play. These services are significantly
slower than Wi-Fi, so I’m glad to see
a couple of devices that combine WiFi and phone-network support.
One cool device is the HP iPAQ
h6315, a Pocket PC and phone combo
with an attachable keyboard for data
(see our review in the handheld section of pcmag.com). It’s a great way
to get total coverage. It doesn’t yet support
VoIP, so voice calls must be placed over the T-Mobile
network. It’s not quite as elegant as the palmOne Treo
600, but then the Treo doesn’t use Wi-Fi. HP and
T-Mobile are the first to enter the converged market,
but others are following suit. Motorola has announced
a new line of phones that adds a Wi-Fi feature, and
Nokia is moving in that direction as well.
Getting your data on the fastest, least expensive
network makes a lot of sense, but there’s still a lot of
work to be done. Transfer between networks needs
to be more seamless, roaming agreements need to get
better, and the devices may need to act differently on
different networks. But the iPAQ h6315 is a step in the
right direction.
More Choices in Music Players...
It’s always great to see more choices in legal digital
music. I recently had the chance to play with the latest Apple iPod (see First Looks, page 36) and am very
impressed. It’s a little smaller, with better battery life,
lower pricing, a slightly improved user interface, and
the wonderful new dial from the iPod Mini. Each of
these may be a relatively minor improvement, but the
combination makes the new iPod very cool. Once
again, Apple has set a standard that others will
try to match.
But Apple is no longer the only game in town.
In our August 17 issue, we reviewed a number of
new hard drive players (First Looks, page 34). Personally, I’m also impressed by the Samsung Yepp
YP-T5 flash player. Slightly larger than a double-A
battery, it’s one of the smallest players I’ve seen. While K
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
5
Forward Thinking
MICHAEL J. MILLER
its interface isn’t quite as intuitive as the iPod’s and
the screen is small, the sound quality is amazing.
I haven’t had a chance to see the Sony Network
Walkman yet, but it looks smaller, lighter—and
maybe cooler—than the iPod. The big drawback,
though, is that it requires all music to be converted
to Sony’s proprietary ATRAC format. Even the Apple
player works with unprotected MP3 files—presumably those you have converted from CDs you’ve
bought.
...And in Music Services
Music formats have become a complex case study. Other than Sony’s,
just about every music player supports MP3 format. That’s a major advantage for MP3, and it’s why I still
use MP3 for most of my music, even
though the sound quality is probably
not the best available for the space
these days.
I know I could get more capacity
and better quality with ATRAC, with the AAC format
that Apple uses for iPods and iTunes, or with Microsoft’s WMA. But when I want to buy music online,
I have to pick one of the protected formats. The iPod
and iTunes use AAC encoding and Apple’s proprietary FairPlay digital rights management (DRM)
wrapper; most of the other services use WMA. All of
these are smaller, but have DRM functions.
Lately, I’ve been quite impressed by the Musicmatch online service. Like Napster and Real, Musicmatch offers an on-demand subscription service that
lets you listen to whatever music you like on your
connected machine. And it has a few neat additions,
like the ability to mail a playlist to a friend, who can
then play the music a few times. I still think all the
services have a ways to go in providing all the content I want and better support for multiple devices.
One big issue is that some of the more popular devices, like the iPod, work only with their proprietary
services. It’s hard to mix and match content from
multiple online shopping sites. In many ways, I like
what Real has done with the Harmony version of its
music service. When you buy a song, you can put it
on up to five portable devices, players that support
(as of this writing) either WMA or AAC formats.
Apple is not amused, and has accused Real of using
hacker tactics—reverse engineering the way Apple
stores protected files on the iPod. Real insists it is just
providing another source of legal, protected music.
I’m no lawyer, but this will be interesting to watch.
Being able to buy music from multiple sources and
play it on multiple devices sounds like the future to me.
Time to Back Up
What’s the most expensive part of your computer
setup? If you said the processor, the flat-screen monitor, or even the system itself, think again.
For most of us, it’s all the data that resides on our
hard disks. If you’re in business, it’s the contact
records, messages, and documents you’ve created. If
you’re at home, you probably have an address book
that would take a long time to replace, not to mention
digital photos that simply can’t be replaced. If you’re
in a big business, odds are great that your most important corporate data—account and financial information—resides in an SQL database that is backed up
appropriately. But you also likely have all the little
things—documents, contacts, etc.—that may not be
backed up so well.
That’s why a regular backup plan is essential for
every computer user. But I’m continually amazed by
the number of people I meet who don’t back up. I get
all sorts of letters from people who lost their files to
a hardware failure or just to the latest Internet worm
or spyware.
A basic backup is very easy, and it’s getting easier.
Personally, I don’t worry about backing up my whole
machine very often. I have an emergency recovery
6
P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
disk for each of my main systems, but in general I figure I can always reinstall the OS and my applications. It’s the data I worry about. For a long
time now, I’ve been backing up to optical disks monthly, using CDs for my
laptop documents and writable DVDs
for my home data (which has a lot of
digital images and a large database).
But in between, I use an external
hard disk, like the ones reviewed in
our story on page 131. I went with an
optical drive because I can move it
from one machine to another easily—
and that also makes it easy to move
data among machines.
I’ve got myself into a habit so that a basic backup
takes me only a few minutes a month (and I usually
do this on the first of each month). Given all the junk
that’s out there, it just seems to be common sense.
MORE ON THE WEB: Join us online and make your voice
heard. Talk back to Michael J. Miller in our opinions
section, www.pcmag.com/miller.
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䊛
www.pcmag.com
29 Editors’ Choices
A comprehensive list of our current
picks in nearly 100 categories.
CONTENTS
SEP TEMBER 21 , 2004 • VOL. 23 NO. 16
C OV E R STO RY
104
32 First Looks
32 Microsoft Money 2005
33 Intuit Quicken 2005
34 Musicmatch
Jukebox 9.0
34 Doom 3
36 Apple iPod K
36 Apple AirPort
Express
38 eVGA nVidia
Personal Cinema
FX5700 (128MB)
38 ATI All-in-Wonder
9600 XT
40 Motorola A630
TH E
Broadband
Lifestyle
40 Nokia 6620 K
45 Canon PowerShot
S60 M
45 Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FX5
46 Dell Inspiron XPS
46 Velocity Micro Gamer’s Edge FX M
48 Apple DVD Studio Pro 3
48 WinDVD 6 Platinum
50 Agilix GoBinder 2005
50 Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 SP1
52 Apple
Xserve G5
52 Apple
Xserve
RAID
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY JEAN-FRANCOIS PODEVIN
54 Microsoft Internet Security
and Acceleration
Server 2004
Standard Edition
54 Sun Java Studio
Creator 2004Q2
Don’t waste your broadband
connection by just browsing
the Web and checking
e-mail. You can use it to
download Hollywood
blockbusters and hit games,
or even to make phone calls
(read: no more longdistance bills). We look at all
the cool ways you can make
use of broadband.
ON THE COVER
54 WebTrends 7
Enterprise
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
73 Feedback
182 Backspace
106
107
108
110
112
112
113
116
117
118
118
122
122
124
124
126
Streaming Audio
Music Downloads
Movies on Demand
Video Streaming
Media Server
File Sharing
Photo and Video Sharing
Gaming on Demand
Multiplayer Gaming
VoIP Phones
Videoconferencing
Remote Control
Home Security
Shopping
Online Learning
Premium Content
Make Your PC a Home
Theater page 38
The New Money Managers
page 32
Get More from
Broadband
page 104
Host a Great LAN Party
page 178
Better Digital Music
pages 34, 36
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
11
Online
www.pcmag.com
E X T E R N A L STO R AG E
131 Little Big
Drives
Storage and backup are no
longer the realm of the IT
administrator alone;
with drive prices falling
and capacities rising,
the personal storage
space is exploding. We
take a look at 15 new
drives terrific for
storing your photos,
music, video, data, and more.
BUYING GUIDE
NETWORKING
145 The Wireless
Office: Getting It Right
Home wireless networks have become a
breeze to set up. But business wireless
networks? Not so much. With a solid plan in
place, though, you can design just the right
network for your office. Here’s how.
23 Pipeline
High-definition televisions are here, and
you’ll need our primer to get a leg up on
the overeager salespeople.
(http://www.pcmag.com/hdtv)
ONLINE EXTRAS
WLAN solutions: Want to extend the
enterprise with switch-based
technology? Read our reviews of two
leading products.
(www.pcmag.com/onlineextras)
Product photo parade: Every day,
PCMag.com adds dozens of product
photos to the newest product reviews so
that you get the full story.
(www.pcmag.com/reviews)
FIRST LOOKS
23 The digital music debate—open or proprietary?
23 Health care to get a tech makeover.
23 New copyright protection bill gets a rewrite.
23 Online gaming: going strong.
New reviews every week!
Coming soon:
•Dell OptiPlex SX280 K
•Musicmatch 9.0
•Doom 3
(www.pcmag.com/firstlooks)
24 Dual core chips: the future for AMD and Intel.
TO O L S YO U C A N U S E
24 LCDs spread out at retail.
26 COMING ATTRACTIONS: Disney Dream Desk PC, Alienware DHD Media Center PC,
Sharp LL-151-3D display, ADS Dual Link Drive Kit, Norton Ghost 9.0, and more.
88 Solutions
88 Two Connections Are Better than One:
If your small or home office needs
Internet access all the time, you
probably need a backup connection.
A second connection prevents downtime and helps you manage online
traffic more efficiently.
90 Office: Share tasks, a calendar, and
more with your family in Microsoft
Outlook, while maintaining separate
e-mail accounts. We show you how.
92 Security Watch: Think your home
router can take the place of a real
firewall? Think again—it can’t.
94 Enterprise: A mesh network keeps the
bus system in Portsmouth, England,
ahead of the technology curve.
99 User to User: How to sort nouns (and
not articles) in Word, generate a list of
randomly shuffled numbers in Excel,
and more.
12
P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
Opinions
5 Michael J. Miller: Forward
Thinking
75 Bill Machrone
77 John C. Dvorak
79 John C. Dvorak’s Inside Track
81 Bill Howard
176 After Hours
176 Collectors’ Items: Maintaining a
large collection of coins, comic
books—and everything in
between—can be tedious
business. Here are five of our
favorite programs for organizing
your precious treasures.
178 Gear & Games: Host your own
LAN party; Doom 3 and other
LAN games; Terk HDTVi indoor
antenna, BMW iPod Adapter,
SCOTTeVEST Gadget Tie.
Discussions: Log on and participate!
(http://discuss.pcmag.com/pcmag)
Downloads: Check out our indexed list
of utilities from A to Z.
(www.pcmag.com/utilities)
E XC L U S I V E C O L U M N S
DVORAK ONLINE
K Each Monday,
John C. Dvorak
gives you his take on
what’s happening in
high tech today. Visit
www.pcmag.com/dvorak.
ULANOFF ONLINE
K And each Wednesday,
Lance Ulanoff puts his
own unique spin on
technology. Visit
www.pcmag.com/ulanoff.
Coming up:
• Your PC’s RAM: Helping or hurting?
• Small-form-factor PC roundup
• Best bang for your DIY buck
(www.extremetech.com)
䊛
go digital
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P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
Lifesaver.
Firefighter. Educator. Presenter.
He takes no chances with his equipment. Neither
do you. You require reliability, ease of use and
innovative features. So when it comes to projectors,
you demand InFocus.
InFocus innovation makes your job easy. You buy
from the worldwide leader in digital projection
technology. Users get ultimate dependability, the
most intuitive interfaces — and incredibly powerful
tools for sharing their ideas with impact.
That means less maintenance. Fewer emergency
calls. Perhaps even the occasional thank-you call.
And more time to focus on what really matters.
People rely on you. You rely on InFocus.
The Big Picture™
The InFocus® LP ®540™
$1599
Designed by a breakthrough engineer: you.
• Best-in-class capabilities
• Intuitive controls
• Brightness that lasts
The InFocus®
X2™
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All work. All play. All affordable.
• 3000-hour long-life lamp
• 1600 lumens for incredible brightness
• Outstanding digital video
To find out more about
InFocus or where to buy:
call 1-888-InFocus or
visit www.InFocus.com
©2004 InFocus Corporation. All rights reserved. InFocus® LP®540 and InFocus® X2™ are registered trademarks of InFocus Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners in this and any other country.
www.pcmag.com/pipeline
PIPELINE
T E C H N O L O G Y T R E N D S & N E W S A N A LY S I S
Digital Music Discord
Will proprietary or open music distribution schemes win out?
THERE IS dissonance on the digital music
front. RealNetworks and Apple Computer—
both on the front lines of the rapidly growing
market for online tunes—are in a heated dispute over open versus proprietary
music distribution schemes,
causing observers to herald
changes ahead.
At issue is RealNetworks’ Harmony software technology, which
allows people who buy songs
from the company’s online sites to
play the tunes on Apple’s hugely
popular iPod players. Apple’s FairPlay digital rights management
(DRM) technology has helped protect the dominance of the iPod and
of the company’s online song sales,
where it has more than 70 percent
of the market share.
“We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and
ethics of a hacker to break into the
iPod,” said a response from Apple, “and we are
investigating the implications of their actions
under the DMCA and other laws. We strongly
caution Real and their customers that when we
update our iPod software from time to time, it is
highly likely that Real’s Harmony technology will
cease to work with current and future iPods.”
RealNetworks officials say nothing was
hacked. “We used publicly available information
and had smart engineers take a
look at that,” says Matt Graves, a
RealNetworks spokesperson.
“I think Apple can do a
firmware update to get around
this,” says Dennis Mudd, CEO
of Musicmatch, “but I don’t
think there’s anything illegal
about what Real has done.
Apple’s proprietary, closed
strategy is going to hurt it,
and it will start losing market
share this year. There are
some very exciting other
portable products coming,
and I think they’re going to
take significant share from
the iPod.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft is preparing its MSN music service, due out later this
year, and Forrester Research predicts that the
market for music downloads and subscriptions will grow from under $500 million in
2004 to over $4.5 billion by 2008. Tunes play
amid bigger and bigger stakes these days.
—Sebastian Rupley
MINI MUSCLE Toshiba has upped the ante on the micro hard drive
front by introducing a family of 1.8-inch, 30GB (single platter) and
60GB (double platter) hard drives. They’re slated to arrive in digital
music players, handhelds, and notebook PCs by year’s end.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANIEL BAXTER
Health Care: Tech Renaissance
A FAR-REACHING EFFORT to bring technology and health care
closer together is underway. The Bush administration has
announced a ten-year plan to move from paper to electronic medical records. Estimates peg the savings at $140
billion a year and cite expected reductions
in health-care errors.
Bringing tech to private practices is
the biggest hurdle. “They’re the weak
link,” says John Sarich, insurance
industry manager at FileNet. Sarich
suggests hospitals encourage doctors
to manage records electronically.—SR
Say Again?
In a controversial move,
Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
and Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
have introduced a bill, called
the Inducing Infringements
of Copyrights Act of 2004.
The bill is aimed at P2P file
sharers. It seeks to make
illegal the technology that
“intentionally aids, abets,
induces, or procures [infringement of copyright].”
Analysts say the language
of the bill is broad enough
that it could take legal aim at
everything from digital music
players to tape recorders to
the Internet. “Almost any
product or service that can be
used to make an infringement
can be accused of inducing
copyright infringements,”
says Jason Schultz, a staff
attorney at the Electronic
Frontier Foundation.
Senator Hatch has called
for revisions to the bill’s
language by early September.
Stay tuned.—SR
Online Gaming:
Going Like Gangbusters
Citing greater global use of broadband as their reason,
researchers at DFC Intelligence are forecasting that the
market for online gaming will increase 415 percent
from the end of 2003 to the end of 2009. Asia, the
largest broadband market, was responsible for 50
percent of online game revenues last year.
Online Game Revenues Worldwide (in billions)
$1.9
2003
$5.2
2006*
$9.8
2009*
*Projected
Source: DFC Intelligence, July 2004.
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
23
P I P E L I N E • www.pcmag.com/pipeline
The Next Bright Idea?
If two heads are better
than one, then two processor
cores must be better than
one. That’s the plan, at least,
from both AMD and Intel, who
are pinning their next-generation CPU hopes on dual-core
processor designs.
Currently, Intel and AMD
chips use a single processor
core to handle tasks. Advances
in chip fabrication and new
materials, however, have
made it more practical to
cram two processor cores
into a single design.
“Of course, you really don’t
need dual-core processors
to look at your e-mail,” notes
Dean McCarron, president of
Mercury Research. “But you
will see a significant perfor-
home televisions; they are starting
to change the operations of retail
and business organizations far and
wide. Digital signage is a hot new
growth industry, allowing companies to put eye-catching information in front of customers.
Consider the “SALE” posters in a
typical store. They are expensive
to produce and convey static messages.
Digital signage replaces these
posters with large screens—LCD,
plasma, or rear-projection—t
THE NEW MONEY MANAGERS:
MONEY vs. QUICKEN
Host a Great LAN Party
BETTER DIGITAL MUSIC:
Next-Gen iPod & Musicmatch
www.pcmag.com
THE INDEPENDENT GUIDE TO TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER 21, 2004
>>YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO
THE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET
MUSIC•MOVIES
SPORTS•PHONE SERVICE
ONLINE GAMING AND MORE...
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1. Mail-in rebate offer is valid only with new purchases between August 1, 2004 and September 30, 2004 of the Satellite A60-S1662 (Part # PSA60U-01V01E) by an end user customer (“End User”). Visit www.toshibadirect.com/pcmag921 for complete rebate detail terms and conditions. 2. Central Processing Unit (“CPU
lines or low-speed network connections; e. use of complex modeling software, such as high-end computer-aided design applications; f. use of several applications or functionalities simultaneously; g. use of computer in areas with low air pressure (high altitude >1,000 meters or >3,280 feet above sea level); h. use of co
due to design configurations. Under some conditions, your computer product may automatically shut down. This is a normal protective feature designed to reduce the risk of lost data or damage to the product when used outside recommended conditions. To avoid risk of lost data, always make back-up copies of dat
system, however, reports storage capacity using powers of 2 for the definition of 1 GB = 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bytes, and therefore may show less storage capacity. Available storage capacity will also be less if the product includes one or more pre-installed operating systems, such as Microsoft Opera
bright dots that may appear on your display are an intrinsic characteristic of the TFT manufacturing technology. Over a period of time, and depending on the usage of the computer, the brightness of the LCD Screen will deteriorate. This is an intrinsic characteristic of LCD technology. 5. Wireless connectivity and some
point design and configuration, and client design and software/hardware configurations. The actual transmission speed will be lower than the theoretical maximum speed. 6. Due to FCC limitations, speeds of 53Kbps are the maximum permissible transmission rates during download. Actual data transmission speeds w
BEFORE THREE MONTH PROMOTIONAL PERIOD ENDS. Premium services carry surcharges, and communication surcharges may apply, including in Alaska, even during promotional period. Members may incur telephone charges on their phone bill, depending on their location and calling plan, even during promotio
orders via phone. Taxes still apply. Offer valid from August 3, 2004 through September 30, 2004. 10. 30-month lease offer with fair market value end-of-term purchase option available through Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. to qualified commercial business customers only. Each lease subject to credit appro
notice or obligation. Other terms and conditions apply. For full description of terms and conditions call 1-800-207-8362 or go to www.septemberzerolease.toshiba.com. 11. Valid in the U.S. only! You must cancel your Access Plan before the end of the trial period to avoid being charged the $39.95 monthly Access Service
of Columbia within the MyConnect service area for 30 day continuous service periods. Use of optional 800 telephone number dial-up usage will incur additional fees even during the trial period. Other terms and conditions apply. Offer expires October 31, 2004. Information, prices and availability subject to change without
Portégé, Satellite, Tecra and SystemGuard are registered trademarks and ConfigFree and MyConnect are trademarks of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. and/or Toshiba Corporation. Intel, Intel Inside, Intel Inside logo, Centrino, Intel Celeron logo, Celeron and Pentium are trademarks or registered tradema
owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Toshiba is under license. NVIDIA and GeForce are registered trademarks or trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications, configura
Reseller/Retailer pricing may vary. © 2004 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
10% off all customized notebooks.
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Tecra A2
Tecra M2V
Tecra M2
See more, do more with a
wide screen.
Performance and adaptability
for business.
Long-lasting performance
for road warriors.
The business workhorse
engineered for longevity.
Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 2
supporting Hyper-Threading Technology or
Intel Celeron D Processor 2
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
512MB, 768MB, 1,024MB or 1,536MB
DDR SDRAM
40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM/CD-RW or SuperMulti optical drive
15.4" diagonal WXGA TFT display4
ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON™ 9000 IGP
integrated graphics chipset with 64MB
shared video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
Limited warranty:7 1-year parts and labor,
1-year battery
Three months AOL membership8
Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology or
Intel Celeron M Processor 2
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB or 1,024MB DDR SDRAM
30GB, 40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
15" diagonal XGA or SXGA+ TFT display4
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 with 64MB
shared dynamic video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
Limited warranty:7 3-year parts and labor,
1-year battery
Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB, 1,024MB or 2,048MB
DDR SDRAM
30GB, 40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
14.1" diagonal TFT display4
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 with 64MB
shared dynamic video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
Limited warranty:7 3-year parts and labor,
1-year battery
Intel Centrino™ Mobile Technology
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
256MB, 512MB, 1,024MB or 2,048MB
DDR SDRAM
40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive3
DVD-ROM, DVD-ROM/CD-RW or
SuperMulti optical drive
14.1" diagonal XGA or SXGA+ TFT display4
NVIDIA GeForce™ FX Go 5200 with up to
64MB dedicated video memory
Integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g or 802.11a/b/g),5
10/100 Ethernet and V.92/56K modem6
Special bundled performance package
options with 64MB video memory.
Gigabit Ethernet, Firewire port and
Bluetooth wireless technology
Limited warranty:7 3-year parts and labor,
1-year battery
notebook: Integrated wireless • Proprietary ConfigFree™ networking software • FREE Microsoft Office OneNoteTM 2003 (a $99 value) • Quick-return UPS repair service
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(valid thru 9/30/04 when you order direct from Toshiba)
Toshiba 12-Cell High-Capacity Li-lon Battery Pack $169,
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U”) Performance Disclaimer: CPU performance in your computer product may vary from specifications under the following conditions: a. use of certain external peripheral products; b. use of battery power instead of AC power; c. use of certain multimedia, computer generated graphics or video applications; d. use of standard telephone
omputer at temperatures outside the range of 5°C to 30°C (41°F to 86°F) or >25°C (77°F) at high altitude (all temperature references are approximate and may vary depending on the specific computer model - please visit the Toshiba website at www.pcsupport.toshiba.com for details). CPU performance may also vary from specifications
a by periodically storing it on an external storage medium. For optimum performance, use your computer product only under recommended conditions. Contact Toshiba Technical Service and Support for more information. 3. 1 Gigabyte (GB) means 1000 x 1000 x 1000 = 1,000,000,000 bytes using powers of 10. The computer operating
ting System and/or pre-installed software applications, or media content. Actual formatted capacity may vary. 4. Small bright dots may appear on your TFT display when you turn on your PC. Your display contains an extremely large number of thin-film transistors (TFT) and is manufactured using high-precision technology. Any small
e features may require you to purchase additional software, services or external hardware. Availability of public wireless LAN access points is limited. The transmission speed over the wireless LAN and the distance over which wireless LAN can reach may vary depending on surrounding electromagnetic environment, obstacles, access
will vary depending on line conditions. 7. Limited warranty terms are available at www.warranty.toshiba.com. 8. Three months of AOL membership included with the purchase of a Toshiba Satellite PC. Availability may be limited, especially during peak times. TO AVOID BEING CHARGED A MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP FEE, SIMPLY CANCEL
onal period. Available to new AOL members in the United States, age 18 or older; a major credit card or checking account is required. 9. Free ground shipping on new notebook orders of $999 or more via toshibadirect.com or by calling 877-266-7274. Enter code MADK during online checkout or mention code MADK when placing
oval, acceptable documentation, 10% soft cost limit and order of Toshiba computer products of $1,500 up to $100,000 (exclusive of taxes, fees and shipping). Rates quoted do not include taxes or shipping. Offer available in the United States only, valid only until September 30, 2004 and may be withdrawn or changed at any time without
fee for the initial 30 day commitment period. Monthly automatic renewal feature after end of commitment period. Available to new members in the U.S., age 18 or older, and a major credit card for billing is required. Offer is for unlimited dial-up, wired broadband, or Wi-Fi remote access connection time in the 50 United States and the District
notice. 12. 10% instant rebate on Customized Systems is only available direct from Toshiba on Toshiba notebooks that offer customization (build-to-order) options. Visit www.toshibadirect.com/pcmag921 or call 877-266-7274 for eligible products. Configuring (customization) of your system takes an additional 5 to 10 workings days.
arks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks and OneNote is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Wi-Fi is a registered certification mark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are
ations, prices, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice. Rebates may not be combined, and are not valid in conjunction with other Toshiba offers or rebates for the same products, unless specified otherwise by Toshiba. Toshiba reserves the right to modify or withdraw these promotions at any time.
“I save so much on eBay, I recommend it to my clients.
As an accountant, it’s my job to help clients make sound business decisions.
I know eBay helps save money because I’ve used it myself. In fact, I’ve purchased
more than $40,000 worth of new and used equipment on eBay—name-brand
printers, laptops and ten identical desktops—for less than $19,000. Now I send
Bill Golden, CPA—eBay user ID: bluskybill (81)
Chief Manager, Wm. R. Golden & Co., LLC
(www.wrgandco.com), an accounting firm
located in Roswell, New Mexico.
www.ebaybusiness.com
© 2004 eBay Inc. All rights reserved. eBay and the eBay logo are registered trademarks of eBay Inc. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. All items subject to availability.
all my clients to eBay, and they can’t stop thanking me.”
MICHAEL J. MILLER
Forward Thinking
Welcome to the Broadband World
This is an excellent time to have broadband. As we
report in our cover story, starting on page 104, the
amount of content designed specifically for broadband has never been greater. Your choices now include just about everything—video highlights of
news and sports, quick downloads of software applications, legal downloads of music and movies, Internet phone call services, and games you can play
against friends across the street or around the world.
Our surveys indicate that most of our readers have
had broadband for some time now, and it’s quickly
becoming the mainstream method of connecting to
the Internet for large numbers of Americans.
All is not wonderful, though. Readers continue to
complain that the cost of broadband is going up, even
though service is not getting any faster. I find that
surprising, especially given improvements in the
Apple is not amused,
technology. This is proof that the phone
company/cable company duopoly isn’t working, and
explains the interest in solutions like broadband over
power lines (BPL) and WiMAX.
Many phone companies have started offering DSL
for less than the cost of cable modems. And some of
the cable companies are beginning to roll out somewhat faster services at 4 or 6 Mbps. Still, compared
with speeds of 20 Mbps available in some countries,
U.S. systems are downright poky.
I love having an always-on connection on all my machines, so I can instantly access information wherever
I am. But such access does have its downsides: Internet worms, tracking software, and zombie machines all
take advantage of always-on connections.
Nevertheless, broadband’s pros greatly outweigh its
cons. Now if only we could get it faster and cheaper.
and has accused
Real of employing
hacker tactics—
reverse engineering
the way Apple
stores files on
the iPod.
Wi-Fi Phones: A Natural Duo
Many of us use Wi-Fi networks for our portable computers, but Wi-Fi coverage isn’t ubiquitous. That’s where wide-area services
(data over phone networks) come into
play. These services are significantly
slower than Wi-Fi, so I’m glad to see
a couple of devices that combine WiFi and phone-network support.
One cool device is the HP iPAQ
h6315, a Pocket PC and phone combo
with an attachable keyboard for data
(see our review in the handheld section of pcmag.com). It’s a great way
to get total coverage. It doesn’t yet support
VoIP, so voice calls must be placed over the T-Mobile
network. It’s not quite as elegant as the palmOne Treo
600, but then the Treo doesn’t use Wi-Fi. HP and
T-Mobile are the first to enter the converged market,
but others are following suit. Motorola has announced
a new line of phones that adds a Wi-Fi feature, and
Nokia is moving in that direction as well.
Getting your data on the fastest, least expensive
network makes a lot of sense, but there’s still a lot of
work to be done. Transfer between networks needs
to be more seamless, roaming agreements need to get
better, and the devices may need to act differently on
different networks. But the iPAQ h6315 is a step in the
right direction.
More Choices in Music Players...
It’s always great to see more choices in legal digital
music. I recently had the chance to play with the latest Apple iPod (see First Looks, page 36) and am very
impressed. It’s a little smaller, with better battery life,
lower pricing, a slightly improved user interface, and
the wonderful new dial from the iPod Mini. Each of
these may be a relatively minor improvement, but the
combination makes the new iPod very cool. Once
again, Apple has set a standard that others will
try to match.
But Apple is no longer the only game in town.
In our August 17 issue, we reviewed a number of
new hard drive players (First Looks, page 34). Personally, I’m also impressed by the Samsung Yepp
YP-T5 flash player. Slightly larger than a double-A
battery, it’s one of the smallest players I’ve seen. While K
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
5
Forward Thinking
MICHAEL J. MILLER
its interface isn’t quite as intuitive as the iPod’s and
the screen is small, the sound quality is amazing.
I haven’t had a chance to see the Sony Network
Walkman yet, but it looks smaller, lighter—and
maybe cooler—than the iPod. The big drawback,
though, is that it requires all music to be converted
to Sony’s proprietary ATRAC format. Even the Apple
player works with unprotected MP3 files—presumably those you have converted from CDs you’ve
bought.
...And in Music Services
Music formats have become a complex case study. Other than Sony’s,
just about every music player supports MP3 format. That’s a major advantage for MP3, and it’s why I still
use MP3 for most of my music, even
though the sound quality is probably
not the best available for the space
these days.
I know I could get more capacity
and better quality with ATRAC, with the AAC format
that Apple uses for iPods and iTunes, or with Microsoft’s WMA. But when I want to buy music online,
I have to pick one of the protected formats. The iPod
and iTunes use AAC encoding and Apple’s proprietary FairPlay digital rights management (DRM)
wrapper; most of the other services use WMA. All of
these are smaller, but have DRM functions.
Lately, I’ve been quite impressed by the Musicmatch online service. Like Napster and Real, Musicmatch offers an on-demand subscription service that
lets you listen to whatever music you like on your
connected machine. And it has a few neat additions,
like the ability to mail a playlist to a friend, who can
then play the music a few times. I still think all the
services have a ways to go in providing all the content I want and better support for multiple devices.
One big issue is that some of the more popular devices, like the iPod, work only with their proprietary
services. It’s hard to mix and match content from
multiple online shopping sites. In many ways, I like
what Real has done with the Harmony version of its
music service. When you buy a song, you can put it
on up to five portable devices, players that support
(as of this writing) either WMA or AAC formats.
Apple is not amused, and has accused Real of using
hacker tactics—reverse engineering the way Apple
stores protected files on the iPod. Real insists it is just
providing another source of legal, protected music.
I’m no lawyer, but this will be interesting to watch.
Being able to buy music from multiple sources and
play it on multiple devices sounds like the future to me.
Time to Back Up
What’s the most expensive part of your computer
setup? If you said the processor, the flat-screen monitor, or even the system itself, think again.
For most of us, it’s all the data that resides on our
hard disks. If you’re in business, it’s the contact
records, messages, and documents you’ve created. If
you’re at home, you probably have an address book
that would take a long time to replace, not to mention
digital photos that simply can’t be replaced. If you’re
in a big business, odds are great that your most important corporate data—account and financial information—resides in an SQL database that is backed up
appropriately. But you also likely have all the little
things—documents, contacts, etc.—that may not be
backed up so well.
That’s why a regular backup plan is essential for
every computer user. But I’m continually amazed by
the number of people I meet who don’t back up. I get
all sorts of letters from people who lost their files to
a hardware failure or just to the latest Internet worm
or spyware.
A basic backup is very easy, and it’s getting easier.
Personally, I don’t worry about backing up my whole
machine very often. I have an emergency recovery
6
P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
disk for each of my main systems, but in general I figure I can always reinstall the OS and my applications. It’s the data I worry about. For a long
time now, I’ve been backing up to optical disks monthly, using CDs for my
laptop documents and writable DVDs
for my home data (which has a lot of
digital images and a large database).
But in between, I use an external
hard disk, like the ones reviewed in
our story on page 131. I went with an
optical drive because I can move it
from one machine to another easily—
and that also makes it easy to move
data among machines.
I’ve got myself into a habit so that a basic backup
takes me only a few minutes a month (and I usually
do this on the first of each month). Given all the junk
that’s out there, it just seems to be common sense.
MORE ON THE WEB: Join us online and make your voice
heard. Talk back to Michael J. Miller in our opinions
section, www.pcmag.com/miller.
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䊛
www.pcmag.com
29 Editors’ Choices
A comprehensive list of our current
picks in nearly 100 categories.
CONTENTS
SEP TEMBER 21 , 2004 • VOL. 23 NO. 16
C OV E R STO RY
104
32 First Looks
32 Microsoft Money 2005
33 Intuit Quicken 2005
34 Musicmatch
Jukebox 9.0
34 Doom 3
36 Apple iPod K
36 Apple AirPort
Express
38 eVGA nVidia
Personal Cinema
FX5700 (128MB)
38 ATI All-in-Wonder
9600 XT
40 Motorola A630
TH E
Broadband
Lifestyle
40 Nokia 6620 K
45 Canon PowerShot
S60 M
45 Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FX5
46 Dell Inspiron XPS
46 Velocity Micro Gamer’s Edge FX M
48 Apple DVD Studio Pro 3
48 WinDVD 6 Platinum
50 Agilix GoBinder 2005
50 Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 SP1
52 Apple
Xserve G5
52 Apple
Xserve
RAID
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY JEAN-FRANCOIS PODEVIN
54 Microsoft Internet Security
and Acceleration
Server 2004
Standard Edition
54 Sun Java Studio
Creator 2004Q2
Don’t waste your broadband
connection by just browsing
the Web and checking
e-mail. You can use it to
download Hollywood
blockbusters and hit games,
or even to make phone calls
(read: no more longdistance bills). We look at all
the cool ways you can make
use of broadband.
ON THE COVER
54 WebTrends 7
Enterprise
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
73 Feedback
182 Backspace
106
107
108
110
112
112
113
116
117
118
118
122
122
124
124
126
Streaming Audio
Music Downloads
Movies on Demand
Video Streaming
Media Server
File Sharing
Photo and Video Sharing
Gaming on Demand
Multiplayer Gaming
VoIP Phones
Videoconferencing
Remote Control
Home Security
Shopping
Online Learning
Premium Content
Make Your PC a Home
Theater page 38
The New Money Managers
page 32
Get More from
Broadband
page 104
Host a Great LAN Party
page 178
Better Digital Music
pages 34, 36
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
11
Online
www.pcmag.com
E X T E R N A L STO R AG E
131 Little Big
Drives
Storage and backup are no
longer the realm of the IT
administrator alone;
with drive prices falling
and capacities rising,
the personal storage
space is exploding. We
take a look at 15 new
drives terrific for
storing your photos,
music, video, data, and more.
BUYING GUIDE
NETWORKING
145 The Wireless
Office: Getting It Right
Home wireless networks have become a
breeze to set up. But business wireless
networks? Not so much. With a solid plan in
place, though, you can design just the right
network for your office. Here’s how.
23 Pipeline
High-definition televisions are here, and
you’ll need our primer to get a leg up on
the overeager salespeople.
(http://www.pcmag.com/hdtv)
ONLINE EXTRAS
WLAN solutions: Want to extend the
enterprise with switch-based
technology? Read our reviews of two
leading products.
(www.pcmag.com/onlineextras)
Product photo parade: Every day,
PCMag.com adds dozens of product
photos to the newest product reviews so
that you get the full story.
(www.pcmag.com/reviews)
FIRST LOOKS
23 The digital music debate—open or proprietary?
23 Health care to get a tech makeover.
23 New copyright protection bill gets a rewrite.
23 Online gaming: going strong.
New reviews every week!
Coming soon:
•Dell OptiPlex SX280 K
•Musicmatch 9.0
•Doom 3
(www.pcmag.com/firstlooks)
24 Dual core chips: the future for AMD and Intel.
TO O L S YO U C A N U S E
24 LCDs spread out at retail.
26 COMING ATTRACTIONS: Disney Dream Desk PC, Alienware DHD Media Center PC,
Sharp LL-151-3D display, ADS Dual Link Drive Kit, Norton Ghost 9.0, and more.
88 Solutions
88 Two Connections Are Better than One:
If your small or home office needs
Internet access all the time, you
probably need a backup connection.
A second connection prevents downtime and helps you manage online
traffic more efficiently.
90 Office: Share tasks, a calendar, and
more with your family in Microsoft
Outlook, while maintaining separate
e-mail accounts. We show you how.
92 Security Watch: Think your home
router can take the place of a real
firewall? Think again—it can’t.
94 Enterprise: A mesh network keeps the
bus system in Portsmouth, England,
ahead of the technology curve.
99 User to User: How to sort nouns (and
not articles) in Word, generate a list of
randomly shuffled numbers in Excel,
and more.
12
P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
Opinions
5 Michael J. Miller: Forward
Thinking
75 Bill Machrone
77 John C. Dvorak
79 John C. Dvorak’s Inside Track
81 Bill Howard
176 After Hours
176 Collectors’ Items: Maintaining a
large collection of coins, comic
books—and everything in
between—can be tedious
business. Here are five of our
favorite programs for organizing
your precious treasures.
178 Gear & Games: Host your own
LAN party; Doom 3 and other
LAN games; Terk HDTVi indoor
antenna, BMW iPod Adapter,
SCOTTeVEST Gadget Tie.
Discussions: Log on and participate!
(http://discuss.pcmag.com/pcmag)
Downloads: Check out our indexed list
of utilities from A to Z.
(www.pcmag.com/utilities)
E XC L U S I V E C O L U M N S
DVORAK ONLINE
K Each Monday,
John C. Dvorak
gives you his take on
what’s happening in
high tech today. Visit
www.pcmag.com/dvorak.
ULANOFF ONLINE
K And each Wednesday,
Lance Ulanoff puts his
own unique spin on
technology. Visit
www.pcmag.com/ulanoff.
Coming up:
• Your PC’s RAM: Helping or hurting?
• Small-form-factor PC roundup
• Best bang for your DIY buck
(www.extremetech.com)
䊛
go digital
www.pcmag.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael J. Miller
EXECUTIVE EDITORS Stephanie Chang, Ben Z. Gottesman, Carol Levin, Lance Ulanoff (Online)
ART DIRECTOR Richard J. Demler
DIRECTOR, PC MAGAZINE LABS Nick Stam
SENIOR EDITORS Jamie M. Bsales (First Looks), Vicki B. Jacobson (Online), Konstantinos Karagiannis (First Looks),
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P C M A G A Z I N E SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 www.pcmag.com
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www.pcmag.com/pipeline
PIPELINE
T E C H N O L O G Y T R E N D S & N E W S A N A LY S I S
Digital Music Discord
Will proprietary or open music distribution schemes win out?
THERE IS dissonance on the digital music
front. RealNetworks and Apple Computer—
both on the front lines of the rapidly growing
market for online tunes—are in a heated dispute over open versus proprietary
music distribution schemes,
causing observers to herald
changes ahead.
At issue is RealNetworks’ Harmony software technology, which
allows people who buy songs
from the company’s online sites to
play the tunes on Apple’s hugely
popular iPod players. Apple’s FairPlay digital rights management
(DRM) technology has helped protect the dominance of the iPod and
of the company’s online song sales,
where it has more than 70 percent
of the market share.
“We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and
ethics of a hacker to break into the
iPod,” said a response from Apple, “and we are
investigating the implications of their actions
under the DMCA and other laws. We strongly
caution Real and their customers that when we
update our iPod software from time to time, it is
highly likely that Real’s Harmony technology will
cease to work with current and future iPods.”
RealNetworks officials say nothing was
hacked. “We used publicly available information
and had smart engineers take a
look at that,” says Matt Graves, a
RealNetworks spokesperson.
“I think Apple can do a
firmware update to get around
this,” says Dennis Mudd, CEO
of Musicmatch, “but I don’t
think there’s anything illegal
about what Real has done.
Apple’s proprietary, closed
strategy is going to hurt it,
and it will start losing market
share this year. There are
some very exciting other
portable products coming,
and I think they’re going to
take significant share from
the iPod.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft is preparing its MSN music service, due out later this
year, and Forrester Research predicts that the
market for music downloads and subscriptions will grow from under $500 million in
2004 to over $4.5 billion by 2008. Tunes play
amid bigger and bigger stakes these days.
—Sebastian Rupley
MINI MUSCLE Toshiba has upped the ante on the micro hard drive
front by introducing a family of 1.8-inch, 30GB (single platter) and
60GB (double platter) hard drives. They’re slated to arrive in digital
music players, handhelds, and notebook PCs by year’s end.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANIEL BAXTER
Health Care: Tech Renaissance
A FAR-REACHING EFFORT to bring technology and health care
closer together is underway. The Bush administration has
announced a ten-year plan to move from paper to electronic medical records. Estimates peg the savings at $140
billion a year and cite expected reductions
in health-care errors.
Bringing tech to private practices is
the biggest hurdle. “They’re the weak
link,” says John Sarich, insurance
industry manager at FileNet. Sarich
suggests hospitals encourage doctors
to manage records electronically.—SR
Say Again?
In a controversial move,
Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
and Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
have introduced a bill, called
the Inducing Infringements
of Copyrights Act of 2004.
The bill is aimed at P2P file
sharers. It seeks to make
illegal the technology that
“intentionally aids, abets,
induces, or procures [infringement of copyright].”
Analysts say the language
of the bill is broad enough
that it could take legal aim at
everything from digital music
players to tape recorders to
the Internet. “Almost any
product or service that can be
used to make an infringement
can be accused of inducing
copyright infringements,”
says Jason Schultz, a staff
attorney at the Electronic
Frontier Foundation.
Senator Hatch has called
for revisions to the bill’s
language by early September.
Stay tuned.—SR
Online Gaming:
Going Like Gangbusters
Citing greater global use of broadband as their reason,
researchers at DFC Intelligence are forecasting that the
market for online gaming will increase 415 percent
from the end of 2003 to the end of 2009. Asia, the
largest broadband market, was responsible for 50
percent of online game revenues last year.
Online Game Revenues Worldwide (in billions)
$1.9
2003
$5.2
2006*
$9.8
2009*
*Projected
Source: DFC Intelligence, July 2004.
www.pcmag.com SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 P C M A G A Z I N E
23
P I P E L I N E • www.pcmag.com/pipeline
The Next Bright Idea?
If two heads are better
than one, then two processor
cores must be better than
one. That’s the plan, at least,
from both AMD and Intel, who
are pinning their next-generation CPU hopes on dual-core
processor designs.
Currently, Intel and AMD
chips use a single processor
core to handle tasks. Advances
in chip fabrication and new
materials, however, have
made it more practical to
cram two processor cores
into a single design.
“Of course, you really don’t
need dual-core processors
to look at your e-mail,” notes
Dean McCarron, president of
Mercury Research. “But you
will see a significant perfor-
home televisions; they are starting
to change the operations of retail
and business organizations far and
wide. Digital signage is a hot new
growth industry, allowing companies to put eye-catching information in front of customers.
Consider the “SALE” posters in a
typical store. They are expensive
to produce and convey static messages.
Digital signage replaces these
posters with large screens—LCD,
plasma, or rear-projection—t