Gyration Air Mouse with MotionSense Review By Vangie Beal -
Published December 29, 2008
When is a PC like a Wii? When it's paired with Gyration's 3D-motion mouse, a pointing device that keeps working when you lift it off your desk and wave, shake, or swipe it in the air. Vangie Beal finds the $100 high-flyer a little clunky when earthbound, but as addictive as, well, a Wii for PowerPoint and other presentation and media-center power users. [more Peripherals]
Epson WorkForce 600 Review By Eric Grevstad -
Published December 23, 2008
A year ago, we were marveling at the speed and output quality of $250 and $300 inkjet all-in-ones. Today, we're marveling at one with a street price of $150: Epson's handsome black printer/copier/scanner/fax has features ranging from an automatic document feeder to Ethernet, WiFi, and auto-enhanced photo printing, and it's fast. Seriously. We mean it's fast. [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: AMD's Phenom-enal New Athlon By Vince Freeman -
Published December 19, 2008
You've got to draw the line somewhere, and AMD has drawn it between dual- and triple-core processors: While its newest dual-core has the same DNA as the chipmaker's Phenom X3 and X4, it carries the older Athlon name instead of the prestigious Phenom moniker -- but, while it's the new top of the Athlon line, it isn't the fastest. In other words, what gives? [more Chips & Upgrades]
Dell Studio Hybrid Review By Eric Grevstad -
Published December 16, 2008
Every vendor makes a living-room PC these days, but Dell tops them with a bookshelf PC -- smaller (if thicker) than most notebooks and available in a parade of colors, this diminutive Core 2 Duo desktop is as fashionable as they come. The only worry is whether consumers will buy without realizing its lack of expansion room and productivity- rather than gaming-oriented performance. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: Breeding Like ... Netbooks By Vince Freeman -
Published December 8, 2008
Do you have your netbook yet? The compact, low-priced laptops have jolted the mobile PC market to the tune of 14 million sales in their first full year; brought Linux to a new audience; and struck sparks for online applications and storage. But should you opt for an 9-inch, 10-inch, or 12-inch screen? How small is too small when it comes to keyboards? And will the sleek but no-frills minis help or hurt the traditional notebook segment? [more Computers]
Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology Review By Vangie Beal -
Published December 1, 2008
Microsoft says its new flagship mouse's glowing blue bottom is the key to better tracking and higher precision than any optical or laser mouse has offered to date. Vangie Beal throws her mouse pad away to test the company's claim that BlueTrack works on virtually any surface: Denim? Tile? Skin? Carpet? Kleenex? Lego? [more Peripherals]
HP Compaq 2230s Review By Jamie Bsales -
Published November 24, 2008
Getting a nice notebook for under $1,000 hasn't been newsworthy for years, but getting a four-pound slimline -- with a built-in instead of plug-in optical drive and best-in-class security features -- for $999 is very nice indeed. Jamie Bsales checks out a 12.1-inch affordable ultraportable with ample productivity power and an available secret ingredient: Windows XP. [more Computers]
Platform Trends: Intel's Core i7: Quad-Core of Solace By Vince Freeman -
Published November 21, 2008
It's not true that every new Intel processor brings a different new motherboard socket to dash upgrade hopes: The Core i7 brings two. Even so, Vince Freeman says, the new CPU shows such a combination of brute force and flair it might be called the i007. Here's a look under the hood, with some thoughts about why the Core i7 needs more than one chipset and why AMD might be more competitive than you think. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Save Us, Windows 7! By Eric Grevstad -
Published November 17, 2008
Retail sales are falling like a skydiver without a parachute. The fearsome R-word -- recession -- has become the E-word, said by everyone every day. Is there any good news for the PC industry amid the doom and gloom? Yes, from some unlikely sources (let's hear it for hardcore gamers) and from users and IT managers suddenly looking favorably on that favorite bugaboo, Microsoft. [more Opinions]
Lexmark X6650 Wireless 4-in-1 Review By Eric Grevstad -
Published November 10, 2008
Wanna buy a printer, copier, fax, and scanner for $32.50 each? Lexmark's latest entry in the multifunction market is a $130 inkjet all-in-one with a few handy extras (wireless network printing and an automatic document feeder, for instance) and some of the nicest utility software we've seen. But do its print quality and speed hold up their end of the bargain? [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: Taking the X58 Express to the Future By Vince Freeman -
Published November 7, 2008
Radical changes in Intel's Core i7 processor bring radical changes to the usually evolutionary, not revolutionary, desktop chipset sector. The X58 Express takes advantage of the i7's onboard memory controller to allow colossal bandwidth, with a new QuickPath Interface speeding communication between chipset and CPU. But when it comes to peripheral support, Intel's looking strictly forward, not back. [more Chips & Upgrades]
SimpleTech [re]Drive Review By Gerry Blackwell -
Published November 4, 2008
The USB 2.0 external hard drives you can plug into your PC range from square to cylindrical, from bulky to slim. A new 500GB model from Fabrik's SimpleTech brand stands out from the crowd with a case partly made of bamboo -- a renewable resource that highlights the drive's green and clean credentials, if not its mixed bag of backup options. [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: Nvidia and AMD Take Graphics in Different Directions By Vince Freeman -
Published October 28, 2008
No niche is too small for the PC graphics giants to cram in a new product, but AMD's ATI Radeon HD 4000 series has lacked an entry in the $100 to $150 price range preferred by avid but unwealthy gamers -- until now. Meanwhile, Nvidia targets even more frugal desktop shoppers with faster-than-Intel integrated graphics ... although both vendors have already done that with under-$60 dedicated cards. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Canon Pixma MX7600 Office All-in-One Review By Eric Grevstad -
Published October 21, 2008
Invisible ink? Isn't that just for spies? Canon doesn't think so -- its $400 flagship inkjet printer/copier/scanner uses a special clear ink to give output on cheap plain paper the laser-sharp, free-of-fuzzies quality that usually requires coated inkjet paper. And in-house printing will never be the same. [more Peripherals]
Platform Trends: AMD's Entry-Entry-Level Graphics Processor By Vince Freeman -
Published October 14, 2008
You've heard of sharing the wealth, but AMD is doing it with a vengeance: Even though its ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2, 4870, and 4670 graphics processing units now rule the high-end, mainstream, and entry-level segments, the company has added two more members to the HD 4000 family at a lower-than-low $55 and $39. Is there a market for deliberately limited-performance PC graphics? Vince Freeman says yes indeed. [more Chips & Upgrades]
Logitech V550 Nano Cordless Laser Mouse for Notebooks Review By Eric Grevstad -
Published October 13, 2008
After you pull your notebook out of your briefcase, do you have to reach back in and rummage around to find your portable mouse? Logitech's slightly offbeat solution: a mini-mouse that sticks to your laptop like a refrigerator magnet to travel with it like a kangaroo in its mother's pouch. Other attractions are smooth performance and 18 months of battery life. [more Peripherals]
Samsung CLP-315W Color Laser Printer Review By Gerry Blackwell -
Published October 7, 2008
Small on your desk (occupying less than 13 by 16 inches) and even smaller in your wallet (a street price as low as $200), Samsung's most compact color laser makes up for modest print speed with easy operation, high-quality output, and standard WiFi and Ethernet for office sharing as well as the usual USB interface for solo operators. [more Peripherals]
Images
