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 Table of

[Link]
Contents Volume 4 • Issue 4 • April 2006

COVER STORY
Buzz
Mobile & Web News.............................6
The Palm Treo 700w smartphone has hit the
Portable Gear..............................8
streets, sporting the Palm hardware we know
Accessories That Go Anywhere
and love and running (for the first time ever)
Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system.
This month’s first two cover story articles
On The Road
Web Destinations...............................12
discuss what the Palm-Microsoft joint effort
Travel Blogs
means to Palm users.
Low-Profile Storage............................16
When Palm Meets Windows
36 Will The New Treo Measure Up?
Little Gizmos That Hold A Lot Of Data
Tech Transportation Options..................20
Windows Mobile Planes vs. Trains vs. Automobiles
40 An Introduction For Palm Addicts Portable DVD Players..........................22
Compare Features Before You Buy
One For The Road...............................24
Business Travel Accessories

Office Space
Scot’s Take.......................................26
Firefox Approaching Two
Your Next Notebook
44 How To Choose Wisely
Microsoft Office Tips & Tweaks...............28
Microsoft Excel 2003...........................30
Personal Digital Assistants
48 Why PDAs Aren’t Down For The Count
Basic Formulas & Functions
Microsoft PowerPoint 2003....................32
Push Technology Creating Dramatic Slide Backgrounds
51 Take Your Mobile Experience To The Next Level Microsoft Outlook 2003........................34
Manage The Send & Receive Functions

Copyright 2006 by Sandhills Publishing Company. PC Today is a registered trademark of Sandhills Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material appearing in PC Today is strictly prohibited without written permission. Printed in the U.S.A. GST #
123482788RT0001 (ISSN 1040-6484). PC Today USPS 022541 is published monthly for $29 per year by Sandhills Publishing Company, 131
West Grand Drive, P.O. Box 85380, Lincoln, NE 68501-5380. Subscriber Services: (800) 733-3809. Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, NE.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PC Today, P.O. Box 85380, Lincoln, NE 68501-5380.
 PC [Link]
Share The Wealth!..............................54
[Link] Puts A Wealth Of Computing
Audio

Without
8 WIRES
Information At Your Fingertips

Undocked
Windows Mobile Tips..........................56
Palm OS Tips....................................58
Treo Tips.........................................60
Extend Your iPod Into A PDA..................62
Manage Event & Contact Info While On The Road
Portable Keyboards.............................65
Useful Input Devices Come In Small Packages
A Gaggle Of USB Gadgets......................67
From The Useful To The Bizarre

BIG
22 PICTURE,
Small Player
Roaming
The Hot Spot.....................................70
Your Guide To Wi-Fi
Stay Connected..................................72
Walkie-Talkie Fever
Mobile Games...................................74
44 NOTEBOOKS
Hot For

Fun For Road Warriors

16 ToGo4GB Home Base

The Well-Tuned PC.............................76
Feedback Loop
The Latest Software............................78
How To Choose Security Software......82
Stacking Your Defensive Line

Go Light
The Delayed Traveler.........92
Admit It, This Is The First Page
You Turned To

Business
Travel 911
Network Connection Problems................84
Citrix GoToMyPC Problems....................86
Jet Lag & Other Sleep Difficulties............88
Crashed PDA.....................................90
 EDITOR’S NOTE Customer Service
Toll Free: (800) 733-3809
Fax: (402) 479-2193
SO WHAT CAN A NEW PDA (such as the Palm TX) do that a smartphone (such [Link]
as a BlackBerry or Treo) can’t? As it turns out, quite a lot. If you feel your For questions about your subscription, or
to place an order or change an address:
mobile device isn’t complete without a cell phone feature, today’s smart-
customer-service@[Link]
phones do indeed have it all. But there are drawbacks to these do-everything For questions about our Web site:
devices: They’re expensive, they’re tied to calling plans, and they actually webhelp@[Link]
lack the memory and some of the more powerful features that today’s PDAs PC Today
possess. In this month’s PC Today there are two sets of cover stories that dis- P.O. Box 85380
cuss hot new mobile technologies and what they mean to you. To find out Lincoln, NE 68501-5380
Hours
more about why the PDA can’t be ruled down for the count, jump ahead to Mon. - Fri.: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CST)
“Personal Digital Assistants” (page 48). Sat.: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (CST)
Online Customer Service & Subscription Center
Palm + Windows. In our first cover story, “When Palm Meets Windows” [Link]
(page 36), we examine recent developments in the Palm-Microsoft team-up Authorization For Reprints
REPRINT MANAGEMENT SERVICES
and the pairing’s first major product release, the Palm Treo 700w. In case Toll Free: 800-290-5460
you’ve been too busy working and using your Treo 650 or BlackBerry to Phone: 717-399-1900 ext. 100
take notice of the big news, the Treo 700w is the first Palm-made device to Fax: 717-399-8900
run a Microsoft mobile operating system—specifically, Windows Mobile Email: PCToday@[Link]
[Link]
5.0.2 Pocket PC Phone Edition. Read this article to find out whether the Treo
700w measures up to expectations, and how it compares to the Treo 650 and Editorial Staff
Email: editor@[Link]
other smartphones. Fax: (402) 479-2104
The next article, “Windows Mobile” (page 40), continues the introduction 131 W. Grand Drive
to the Treo 700w, but with an aim to introduce Windows Mobile to users fa- Lincoln, NE 68521
miliar mainly with the Palm operating system. In many ways you’re already Subscription Renewals
used to how Windows Mobile works simply by having used Windows on Toll Free: (800) 424-7900
Fax: (402) 479-2193
your notebook or desktop PC, so you probably won’t find navigating the Treo [Link]
700w much of a challenge. But when it comes to synchronizing and storing Advertising Staff
and retrieving files, you’ll have some adjustments to make compared to what Toll Free: (800) 848-1478
you’re used to with the Palm OS. Fax: (402) 479-2104
131 W. Grand Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521
What’s hot in mobile tech. Is the time coming when you’ll be trying to decide
on a new notebook? If your notebook is a few years old, you might not be Editorial Staff: Ronald D. Kobler / Calvin Clinchard
aware of some of the recent technologies (wireless and otherwise) that have / Raejean Brooks / Nate Hoppe / Corey Russman /
become standard in most notebooks. Read “Your Next Notebook” (page 44) to Rod Scher / Christopher Trumble / Katie Sommer /
Kimberly Fitzke / Katie Dolan / Blaine Flamig / Sally
find out what to look for in a new notebook, what you’re likely to get for your Curran / Michael Sweet / Trista Kunce / Sheila Allen
money, and which features are worth getting and which features aren’t. / Linné Ourada / Joy Martin / Brian Weed / Ashley
Have you ever wondered about the technology behind your wireless de- Finter / Marty Sems / Chad Denton / Nathan
Chandler / Kylee Dickey / Josh Gulick / Andrew
vice’s email service? Or have you questioned whether there are alternatives
Leibman / Vince Cogley / Sam Evans / Jennifer
and other applications that might better suit your needs? If so, check out Johnson
“Push Technology” (page 51), which introduces the technology, explains how Web Staff: Dorene Krausnick / Laura Curry /
it’s used, and includes a sidebar listing some useful communications applica- Kristen Miller
tions for mobile phones. Customer Service: Lindsay Albers
Subscription Renewals: Connie Beatty / Matt
Bolling / Patrick Kean / Charmaine Vondra / Miden
Keep in touch. Please keep sending your feed- Ebert / Kathy DeCoito / Stephanie Contreras /
back so we can continue to fine-tune PC Today. Nicole Buckendahl
Art & Design: Lesa Call / Ginger Falldorf / Carrie
We’re listening!
Benes / Aaron Weston / Fred Schneider / Sonja
Warner / Aaron D. Clark / Lori Garris / Jason Codr /
Until next month, Andria Schultz / Erin Rodriguez / Lindsay Anker
Newsstand: Garth Lienemann / Jeff Schnittker
Advertising Sales: Grant Ossenkop / Liz Kohout /
Cindy Pieper / Brooke Wolzen / Eric Cobb / Ryan
Donahue
Calvin Clinchard Marketing: Mark Peery / Marcy Gunn / Kelly
Richardson / Travis Brock / Jen Clausen / Scot
Publication Editor
Banks / Ashley Hannant / Luke Vavricek / Becky
cal-clinchard@[Link] Rezabek / Lana Matic / Jeff Ashelford
 Buzz

Mobile News
Compiled by Raejean Brooks

MacBook Pro

◗ The laptop computer market

got a little bigger in January
when Apple unveiled its
MacBook Pro. This portable
computer is the first laptop from
Apple to use the Intel Core Duo
processor and it can deliver up to
four times the performance of
the Apple PowerBook G4. The
MacBook Pro is available with a
1.67GHz or a 1.83GHZ Intel Core
Duo and features a 15.4-inch
screen, a PCI Express graphics
COURTESY OF APPLE

card, Bluetooth 2.0, and AirPort

Extreme 54Mbps (megabits per
second) 802.11g wireless.

iTunes Out, iRadio In

◗ Earlier this year Motorola adopted its

own iRadio Music Service for use on its
ROKR E2 phone. The iRadio service is a sub-
scription service that replaces Apple’s iTunes,
which Motorola included on the ROKR E2’s
predecessor phone, the E1. iRadio will include
435 commercial-free radio channels, putting
Motorola in competition with XM Satellite
Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Pricing may vary but is generally $7 monthly.

Cellular Notebook

◗ If you like the idea of having imme- Hotel Yahoo!

◗
diate high-speed Internet access, then
If you’re heading to a Sheraton hotel in Boston,
check out Cingular-enabled ThinkPad
New York, San Diego, or Stamford, look for a
notebook computers.
pilot project featuring Yahoo!-sponsored high-
Lenovo Group and
speed Internet access in special revamped lobby
Cingular Wireless re-
areas. Select locations also extend access to the
cently announced plans to
hotel guest rooms.
integrate WWAN (Wireless Wide
Area Network) technology into the
ThinkPad. The technology provides built-in
high-speed Internet access via Cingular’s BroadbandConnect and doesn’t
require you to use a separate PC Card or additional hardware.

6 April 2006 / [Link]

 Buzz

Web News

TV Online
◗ Imagine having the ability to search the
Internet and choose from hundreds or thou-
sands of programs to watch instead of catching
your favorite show when the broadcast network
airs the program. It’s called IPTV (Internet Proto-
col TV), and the concept isn’t that far off in the fu-
ture. Yahoo! and Google have considered dabbling
in Internet programming, and hardware compa-
nies are working on chips and platforms for the
purpose. IPTV could also be less expensive than
current cable television systems. It’s only a matter
of time before the idea really takes off.

Connexion By Boeing

◗ Connexion By
Boeing (www
.connexionbyboeing
.com) now offers ac-
cess to several chan-
nels of live global
television from your
laptop. The program-
ming presently consists of BBC World,
EuroNews, Eurosportnews, CNBC, and
MSNBC. There is no additional cost to cur-
rent Connexion By Boeing customers.

AOL In2TV MobiTV For Tungsten TX

◗ In2TV ([Link]/in2tv), an
AOL-Warner Bros. collaboration, is
poised to offer more than 100 TV series for
◗ Broadcast TV on
your PDA? It’s here.
Using the MobiTV service,
viewing, all of which will be available exclu- Tungsten TX users can
sively on AOL. And in order to ensure users receive television from
the best CNBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX
video search Google Video News, and NBC on their
features, PDAs via Wi-Fi networks.
AOL also
recently pur- ◗ Google Video is seeing updates. In
January Google launched its Google
VideoStore, which lets you buy and down-
Pricing information was
not available at press time.
chased the
video search load video content from CBS, the NBA, and
company other providers. Google also introduced the
Truveo Google Video Player, which lets you play the
([Link] videos as well as select content from Sony
.com). BMG Music Entertainment, Classic Media,
HDNet, and Independent Television News.

PC Today / April 2006 7

 Buzz

Portable
Gear a c c e s s o r i e s t h a t g o a n y w h e r e
Compiled by Carmen Carmack

A s this month’s collection of accessories shows, good things do come in small packages. Take a look at the following prod-
ucts that help you use, manage, organize, share, and carry your portable devices.

Belkin Carabiner Case

For iPod nano
Keeping track of your iPod nano
is easy with the new Carabiner Case
from Belkin ($24.99; [Link]
.com). Made of fine-grain leather
and featuring a lifetime warranty,
the case includes a convenient cara-
Logitech Wireless Headphones For iPod biner clip. This locking metal clip
Logitech recently introduced its new Bluetooth attaches to belt loops, backpacks,
Wireless Headphones for iPod ($119.99; [Link] coats, key chains, and other items
[Link]). The headphones feature Bluetooth 1.2 that have a sturdy loop.
wireless technology, which includes adaptive fre- The case design fits snugly over
quency hopping for interference-free digital audio. the iPod nano. It also provides acces-
They also include built-in controls that let you sibility to all of the player’s ports and
operate your iPod remotely. The built-in controls controls, and the openings are out-
include volume, select, play, and pause. lined by decorative top stitching.
The headphones work with any iPod or iPod mini The Carabiner Case for iPod nano
player that includes a stereo minijack and remote comes in four colors: white, black,
connector plugs. To provide Bluetooth capability blue, and pink.
within a range of as much as 30 feet, a wireless Blue-
tooth adapter attaches to the iPod. The headphones
come with rechargeable batteries that can provide
power for eight hours. Logitech also includes an AC
power adapter with the headphones.

8 April 2006 / [Link]

 Buzz

Palm Z22 Organizer

Designed to serve as a
replacement for paper
organizers, the Palm Z22 Addlogix UniXpress USB Port Replicator
Organizer ($99; [Link] Sure, you have a nifty docking station at
.com) features PIM (personal work, so you can just snap your notebook into
information manager) soft- place and start working on the network using a
ware for organizing tasks, full-size keyboard and monitor. But what about
contacts, notes, and appoint- when you’re at home? The UniXpress USB Port
ments. What’s more, the Replicator (around $175; [Link])
handheld can display digital from Addlogix (formerly CompuCable) lets you
photos on its bright color plug your notebook into a USB 2.0 port on the
touchscreen, which measures replicator and immediately use a peripheral
160 x 160. that’s also plugged into the replicator, such as a
In addition to PIM software, keyboard, mouse, monitor, or printer. The device
the Palm Z22 comes with games, also serves as a USB hub by letting you plug in
a calculator, an expense tracker, multiple USB devices and use them all via your
and a world clock. The Palm Z22 syn- connected notebook.
chronizes with Win2000/XP and Mac OS X 10.2.8 to 10.4 computers via a
USB port. Measuring 4.06 x 2.7 x 0.6 inches (HxWxD) and weighing 3.4
ounces, the device is small and lightweight. Palm ships the Z22 handheld
with a USB sync cable, a power adapter, and software on CD.
Matrox DualHead 2Go
If you want to expand your notebook computer’s
display capabilities, the Matrox DualHead 2Go
($169; [Link]/graphics) can help. The
device is a small external box that supports the
addition of two independent displays to your
Iomega ScreenPlay notebook. Compatible with Win2000/XP, you can
Multimedia Drive stretch the dual displays to a total resolution as
The ScreenPlay Multi- large as 2,560 x 1,024.
media Drive ($219.95; www
.[Link]) is a 60GB
external drive that stores
your digital video, audio,
and photo files. The feature
that sets it apart from other
external drives is its ability to play digital media on any TV or A/V
receiver. You don’t need a computer to play the files, and the drive
includes playback controls. The ScreenPlay’s S-Video (Super-Video),
composite video, and RCA connectors let you attach it directly to a TV
or A/V receiver.
With its USB 2.0 port, you can also connect the ScreenPlay to a The included Matrox PowerDesk utility software
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP or Mac OS X 10.2 or higher computer helps you manage window positioning. The Matrox
and use it as an external hard drive. Measuring 0.7 x 3.07 x 5.2 inches DualHead 2Go is compatible with most notebook
(HxWxD), the drive is portable, and it comes with a remote control for computers and some desktop PCs. A compatibility
navigating on-screen TV menus during playback. list is available on the Matrox Web site.

PC Today / April 2006 9

 On The Road

Web
Destinations
Travel Blogs

he world is a full of fascinating Searching for travel blogs in the area

T locations, and we’d love to visit

all of them. However, even the
most dedicated world traveler would
you’re thinking of visiting is remark-
ably simple at [Link].
Click the Best Sites tab at the top of the
find that goal to be nearly unreachable. home page. You are given options to
And so most of us find that we must Browse By World Region or Browse
carefully pick and choose the trips Within Countries. The Browse By World
we wish to take, be it an African safari, Region is divided into drop-down because the only searchable countries as
a tour of the Australian Outback, a ski menus for Africa, Antarctica, Asia, of press time were Australia, Canada,
trip in the Swiss Alps, or to Six Flags Australia & Pacific, Carribean, Central Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the
St. Louis. America, Europe, Middle East, North United States. Clicking the drop-down
Tourism guides and Web sites abound America, and South America. Just click menu for these countries will give you a
for pretty much every major location the menu for the region you want to choice of regions to search for each
you’d like to visit, but what about those check out and then select the country of country. (Under United Kingdom, for
off-the-beaten-path locales? To find out your choice. example, you’ll have the option to
where they are and what they offer, The Browse Within Countries search search blogs about Scotland, Wales,
you’re better off looking for personal sto- option is quite limited by comparison England, or Northern Ireland.)
ries from your fellow travelers. This is
where travel blogs (aka travelogues)
come in handy. A Google search for
“travel blogs” will present you with
about 81,100,000 results, but we’ve nar-
rowed down our list of favorites to four.

[Link]
Seasoned travelers Dan and Faye
Parlow laid the foundation for MyTrip-
[Link] ([Link])
originally as a blog for letting their
friends and family track their family’s
four-month tour of China and Thailand
in 2001. The Parlow China Trip project
drew a large following, and on Sep-
tember 11, 2001, proved to be an invalu-
able tool for the Parlows to reassure
their loved ones they were safe. Fellow
travelers took interest, and thus the
idea for [Link] was born—
a basic, user-friendly Web site that trav-
elers could use to document their [Link] provides a unique mapping service that lets you follow the travel routes
journeys as they saw fit. of its bloggers by following the green lines that connect stopping points.

12 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

After you select a location, a page not nearly as extensive as

displays listings for the six best My- the forums you’ll see at
[Link] travel blogs containing [Link], you’ll still
information about that area. Each listing find a great deal of useful
includes a picture (if available), a link to travel information. Click the
the blog, the number of map points vis- Travel Forums link at the
ited in that area, and the blog’s title. top of the page, and the site
Click the link to the blog that looks displays a list of forums for
the most interesting. To the right you’ll individual regions, general
find a list of links to the actual blog travel tips, discussion of
entries. By default the list of entries be- other travel Web sites, and
gins with the oldest entry listed first. To more. On the right side of
flip the list around so the most recent the page, you’ll also see the
entry is listed at the top, simply click Best Of The Travel Forum
the Reverse link. On the left side of the section, which provides links
page, a map of the area you selected to TravelBlog’s most popular
will display, complete with markings forum discussions.
indicating routes traveled and places Perhaps the most useful
visited. Clicking one of the marked feature of TravelBlog is its
points will take you to the blog entry Travel Guide. Click the Travel
for that day and location. Guide link at the top of the
If you wish to start your own travel- page to find a plethora of At [Link], you can search for specific members
ogue at [Link], you can travel topics, including Plan- of the site’s travel community, as well as “meet” the most
try out a 45-day travel journal at no ning, Health, How To Get popular travelers.
charge. After that you must choose a There, Travel Insurance, and
Standard membership, which starts at more. Although TravelBlog
$19, or a Premium membership, which states in its disclaimer that the Travel to view a list of the countries for the par-
starts at $29. Guide is by no means authoritative, it is ticular region you selected, and then
constantly updated with information click the country you want to visit. A
TravelBlog based on the extensive experiences of the Web page dedicated to that country will
Another free, highly interactive site author, Ali Watters, as well as valuable display, and it includes important infor-
you’ll want to check out is TravelBlog input from the forum posters. mation such as the country’s capital, cur-
([Link]). In addition to rency, and population. You’ll also find a
the numerous blog entries, photos, and [Link] sampling of pictures from that country
forums this site has to offer, you’ll also Founded in 1997, [Link] that [Link] members submitted,
find a continuously updated travel ([Link]) is the oldest travel- links to videos and MP3 podcasts (if
guide that is definitely worth exploring. ogue hosting site on the Web. Users of available), and a list of the most popular
Compared to [Link] this free service will find a variety of great travelogues for the area.
and [Link] (we’ll explore this features, including the option to network Some users may wish to network with
site next), you may find the search op- with members of [Link]’s enor- [Link] members. Click the Our
tions for [Link] a little more dif- mous travel community. Travelers link at the top of the page to
ficult to navigate. Aside from a Google- Searching the Web site is easy; if you find several methods for tracking down
powered search of the Web site, your already have a good idea about what members that would be of interest to
only other option for searching blogs is you’re looking for, just type your search you. In the Find A Traveler section, you
to click a link at the top of the page to criteria into the field at the top of the can either browse through an alphabet-
one of the world regions (Africa, Asia, page and click Search. You can modify ical listing of [Link] members
Australia, Central America, Caribbean, your search to include only blogs that or type in a search for a specific member
Europe, Middle East, North America, contain photos and/or video, and you in the Search By User ID field.
and South America), and then click a can also search for blogs belonging to If you’re not familiar with any cur-
country or state from the ensuing list of specific [Link] members. rent members, scroll down to the Top
links. Search results will include a sam- If you wish to search for blogs in a Travelers section of the Our Travelers
pling of 10 travel blogs per page. Click a specific region or country, click the page. Here you’ll find a list (updated
blog title to view its contents. Destinations link at the top of the page. daily) of the top members in four cate-
TravelBlog also provides forums for A world map displays along with a com- gories. The By Visitors list ranks the
its travel community. Although they’re plete listing of countries. Click the map top members by the number of times

PC Today / April 2006 13

 On The Road

Welcome Armchair Adventurers! thread

in the TravelTalk category. Here you
Share Your Travel Experiences can introduce yourself to the Travel-
[Link] community and make new
o you spent hours let you register free. Also keep in mind
S and hours reading
travelogues, and now
Unless a service offers op-
tions you feel are worth
who exactly you want
your audience to be. If
friends right away.

BootsnAll
your wanderlust cannot the cost (such as MyTrip- you’re hoping to build a
You may recall that we recently dis-
be contained. You’re [Link]’s unique large audience, you’ll
cussed BootsnAll ([Link]
ready to hit the road mapping feature), you want to consistently
.com) at some length (see “Web Desti-
in search of adventure. might as well choose a update your travelogue
nations: BootsnAll” in the March 2006
Why not start your own free site. with new material to
issue of PC Today), but its fun blog fea-
travel blog so your Be sure to consider keep your readers
tures ([Link]) still merit a
friends, family, and exactly how you plan to coming back for more.
quick mention.
fellow travelers can use your travel blog. It’s also a good idea to
The first thing you’ll want to check
share your experiences? Will you only make include a quick note
out are the Blog Tags on the left side
The first step is to short, quick entries so about the kind of
of the page. Here you’ll find an alpha-
register with a travelogue people know where you posting schedule you’ll
betical listing of hundreds of pop-
hosting Web service, such are and what you’ve be adhering to. If the
ular travel-related categories. Most
as the Web sites dis- been doing, or do you purpose of your blog is
of them pertain to specific regions
cussed in the main plan to make detailed to keep friends and
and areas, but you’ll also find useful
article. Some services, write-ups complete with family in the loop, be
topics about various events, such as
such as MyTripJournal pictures or video? Make sure that your blog
the 2005 World Series Of Poker, and
.com ([Link] sure that you select a service has privacy
travel advice, such as Hydration and
[Link]), will require service with a user- settings so only your
Resources For Writers.
a membership fee, but friendly interface so you intended readers can
Be sure to visit BootsnAll’s Top 10
many ad-supported can upload the necessary view your posts. ❙
Blogs on the far right side of the page.
travel blog Web sites will materials with ease.
This lists some of BootsnAll’s blogs
with the most posts to date. You’ll
other users have visited their blogs, the [Link] promotions and find enjoy the writing styles of each writer,
By # Of Photos list ranks members support for the Web site. as well as the amazing photos they’ve
by the number of pictures they posted If you recently decided to join the fo- posted, as they share stories about
on their blog, the By # Of Forum Posts rums, your first stop should be the their experiences in locations ranging
lists the most frequent con- from South America to the
tributors to the forums, Pacific Islands to the good
and the By # Of Entries ol’ U.S. of A.
ranks the users who have
made the most posts to Hit The Road
their travelogues. We’ve only just scratched
The extensive Travel- the surface in terms of the
[Link] forums provide an- travelogues you’ll find on
other great way to meet the Web, so explore them to
the Web site’s commu- you heart’s content. Who
nity of travelers. Click the knows . . . the next time you
Forums link and you will set out on a short trip to
find a listing of the topics Disney World (or a year-
divided into three cate- long, “Endless Summer”
gories: TravelTalk, for swap- surf safari) you may decide
ping stories, sharing ideas, to start up your very own
and general conversation; travel blog. (If so, see the
Destinations, for posts re- sidebar “Share Your Travel
lated to specific regions and Experiences.”) Happy trails
locations around the world; to you.
and Travelpod, where you You’ll definitely want to check out the travel blogs by some of the wild
can take part in special characters at BootsnAll, especially the Top 10. by Nate Hoppe

14 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

capacities. Our drive saved a 1.7GB

folder of mixed file types in 48:18 (min-
utes:seconds), or at about 0.6MBps
(megabytes per second), over a Hi-

Low-Profile Speed USB 2.0 connection on a Win-

dows XP SP2 system.
The Imation Micro works with Win-

Storage dows Me/2000/XP, Mac OS 9 and later

(Tiger support requires an update from
[Link]/support), and Linux
kernel 2.4 and higher. It comes with a
Little Gizmos That Hold A Lot Of Data two-year warranty. Imation chose not
to include its Security Manager Soft-
ware with the drive, but if you down-
ig storage can come in little load it, you’ll get 128-bit encryption,

B packages. Ranging in size from

a hockey puck to a fingernail,
none of the gadgets in this article
compression, and other utilities. There
are also backup and synchronization
features with support for up to six doc-
stores less than 1GB. Many full-sized ument versions.
hard drives a decade ago didn’t hold
that much. Seagate USB 2.0 Pocket Hard
Imation, Seagate, and Verbatim sent Drive 5.0GB
us a smattering of multimedia cards, $99.99 (online) • [Link]
flash drives, and tiny portable hard
drives to play with. Unfortunately, The Pocket Hard Drive is shaped
there were plenty of newly released more like a wheel of Bonbel cheese than
small storage devices that we couldn’t a hockey puck. Its rounded edges and
get before press time. We’ve stolen a perky look make you want to pick it
glance at a few of the coolest ones in up and fiddle with it. Give it a twist,
our “Sneak Peeks” sidebar. and the inner shell will rotate, reveal-
ing a retractable USB cable about 6
Imation Micro Hard Drive 2GB inches long. During use, a blue LED
$144 (online) • [Link] (light-emitting diode) lights up the
translucent bull’s-eye (reminiscent of
Imation’s Micro Hard Drive resem- Seagate’s concentric-track logo) in the
bles a padlock with a rubberized USB fall off unexpectedly. To unlock it center of the drive. The “funzy” design
cable that doubles as a belt loop. The you flick a release lever on the top of seems an intentional departure from the
cable’s connector locks into place, the drive. sleek, techy look of the Verbatim prod-
making it unlikely that the drive will The loop feature has its drawbacks, ucts we tried.
however. It makes the USB cable very Seagate fits the drive with a 1-inch,
stiff, so the drive hovers at a crazy angle 3,600rpm hard drive with a 2MB cache.
during use with some USB ports. A USB It’s fully powered by the USB bus and
extension cable (not included) will let protected against physical shocks, as
the drive lie flat on the desktop. In addi- you can expect from portable hard
tion, the loop’s rubber coating grabs drives of this size. There’s also a 2.5GB
fabrics, making it a little harder to get version, but it isn’t discounted much at
the drive out of a pocket $82 online. Seagate offers a one-year
On the inside is Toshiba’s 0.85- warranty on both drives. Hopefully the
inch, 3,600rpm hard drive, billed as company’s new 8GB and 4GB ST1 drives
the world’s smallest. Our unit had the will trickle down to the Pocket.
2GB version; Imation just announced a A Windows-only Toolkit utility lets
new 4GB edition ($189). Toshiba plans you resize partitions, make a secure
to up its 0.85-inch drive to 10GB using area with password access, and toggle
perpendicular recording technology write-protection on the drive. Note that
by next year, so stay tuned for larger the only uninstall link for the Toolkit

16 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

1.4GB each, or about 20 to 60 minutes client, browser, and other programs.

worth, of video depending on You can use these apps on any Win2000
quality setting. Verbatim SP4/XP computer into which you plug
protected the discs with the drive without having to install any-
the VideoGard scratch- thing. The U3 software saves all docu-
resistant coating. ments, cookies, and cached data on the
In January Verbatim flash drive, so you’ll theoretically leave
announced new 2.66GB no trace after you disconnect the drive.
DL (double-layer) Mini After our test PC recognized the U3
DVD+Rs. When used in Smart Drive, a new icon appeared
is in the System Tray upcoming DL-compatible in the System Tray. Clicking this led to
icon’s menu. camcorders, Verbatim says, U3 Launchpad, the nexus of the drive’s
This drive comes with a the Mini DVD+R DLs will be portable apps. Along with a U3 ver-
Windows 98 driver CD. Seagate able to hold about an hour of (pre- sion of McAfee Antivirus, U3 Launch-
says the drive supports Win98SE/Me/ sumably standard-quality) video. Like pad was the only app preinstalled
2000/XP and Mac OS 9.2.2 and higher, the DVD-RWs shown here, the Mini on our drive. We clicked Download
but it also mounted with SUSE Linux DVD+R DLs will come three to a pack. Programs, which took us to a site at
10.0 in our tests. Obviously, how fast discs such as which we grabbed the FireFox browser,
It took our Pocket Hard Drive nearly these can save data will vary, but we the [Link] office suite, and
three hours to save a 4GB folder on a decided to run some tests to give you some others.
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port, putting it in the a general idea. Using an
0.4MBps range. Deleting files takes NEC ND-3500AG 16X bur-
almost as long. That’s a slower rate ner and Nero 7 Ultra Edi-
than any other device here, including tion, we were able to write
Imation’s 3,600rpm contender. The 1.39GB of mixed files to a
Pocket didn’t get hot like Verbatim’s Mini DVD-R at 8X (twice as
faster 4,200rpm drive (we review this fast as the 4X indicated on
device later), but we expected better the label) in 4:37 (5MBps).
speed from Seagate. We also wrote the same
data to a Mini DVD-RW at
Verbatim DigitalMovie Mini the rated speed, 2X, in 10
DVD-R/RWs With VideoGard minutes (2.3MBps).
$6.99 4X DVD-Rs (5-pack), $8.99 2X Although they’re not as
DVD-RWs (3-pack) comfortable to carry in a pocket as the Choose a program, and U3 Launch-
[Link] flash and hard drives we reviewed in pad automates the download and
this article, these Mini DVDs certainly installation process. Other apps—free,
saved data much faster. That is to say, to try, or to buy—are available from
unless you count the minute spent U3 ([Link]) or Verbatim (www
launching a DVD burning applica- .[Link]/U3). There are file
tion and telling it which files to write. synchronization, security, and backup
At press time, WinXP doesn’t allow utilities available, in addition to more
easy cut-and-paste burning to DVD fun stuff such as Skype, Trillian, and
as it does to CD-R. Also, you still have WinAmp. The applications we selected
to use burning software to erase a worked pretty much like they did in
DVD±RW for reuse. their non-U3 incarnations, and all
data defaulted to saving on our Ver-
Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go U3 Smart batim drive.
Drive 1GB The U3 Smart Drive features sepa-
$71 (online) • [Link] rate drive letters for its U3 software
and regular storage partition. The drive
Mini DVDs are little optical discs The important thing about this also works as a common USB flash
that pack a lot of storage. These film USB flash drive (Verbatim part No. device under Linux 2.6 and Mac OS 9
reel-themed mini DVDs from Verba- 95229) is that it supports U3 Smart ap- and later, although the U3 software
tim are actually kind of cute. The plications, which means you can carry won’t run on these platforms. With
8cm (3.1-inch) discs can store about around your own office suite, email write-caching enabled, our U3 Smart

PC Today / April 2006 17

 On The Road

Sneak Peeks
ome neat new products weren’t might not be as well-known as Lexar,
S available for our review at press
time. Here’s a quick look at what’s
but it may just one-up the JumpDrive
Mercury with a flash drive that tells you
coming up. the names of the files stored on it. Its
Lexar JumpDrive Mercury. We’d two-line display is scrollable in all direc-
love to have a USB flash drive that tions, so you’ll even be able to read the
could tell us at a glance how much ends of those long file names. Capacities
room we have left on it. Lexar’s revolu- will range from 128MB ($49.99) to 1GB
tionary new JumpDrive Mercury does ($149.99). Royal also will offer an EZVue
just that ([Link]). A meter Vista SD Card Reader/Writer for $29.99.
SanDisk microSD. Flash memory
cards are getting crazy-small, like the
microSD card from SanDisk ($119.99
for 1GB; [Link]). About the
size of a fingernail, it’s still big enough
to store 1GB of data, music, or video.
made of E Ink electronic paper is inte- Obviously, you have to be careful not it took about 36:18 to save a 3GB folder,
grated into one side of the JumpDrive, to lose a card this dinky, but the format indicating a rate of about 1.4MBps.
showing you the remaining capacity formerly known as TransFlash is defi- That’s about three times as fast as the
with an easy-to-read bar. The kicker is nitely a boon to manufacturers design- 3,600 Seagate and Imation drives we
that the meter can do this even when ing ever-smaller phones compatible mentioned previously. We set the drive
the drive is unplugged. Lexar hasn’t with music download services. Slightly on two CD cases to allow airflow un-
finalized the Mercury’s pricing yet, but larger but doubly spacious is SanDisk’s derneath it during testing, but it still
it expects it to be around $99.99 for a new 2GB miniSD card grew very warm to the touch.
1GB JumpDrive and $169.99 for 2GB. at $199.99. ❙ Our drive came with a lanyard and
Royal EZVue Vista. Royal Consumer a soft, padded case. There’s also a USB
Information Products ([Link]) extension cable and a mini-CD with
Win98SE drivers. Our Store ‘n’ Go
worked just fine on our WinXP system
without installing any drivers, and
Verbatim says it can similarly go com-
mando on Mac OS 9 and later, Linux
2.4.0 and higher, WinMe/2000, and
Windows CE 3.0 and higher. There’s a
new 8GB edition of the Store ‘n’ Go,
Drive saved a 786MB folder in 14:36, or part No. 95129), the Store ‘n’ Go 4GB which looks a little different and sells
at about 0.9MBps. hard drive. Its shell is plastic with for $199.
Our evaluation unit held 1GB, but a shiny, brushed aluminum cover
Verbatim also announced new 2GB wrapped around one side of it. The Leave No Content Behind
($179) and 4GB ($349) U3 Smart Drives metal had a loose corner on our test Video is starting to strain the capac-
recently. If U3 becomes a part of your sample, but this would have been easy ity of yesterday’s low-profile storage
life, you’ll be glad you opted for one of to glue if it grew bothersome. devices, as are the monster image files
the larger models. A short USB cable tucks snugly away from today’s multimegapixel cameras.
in the top of the drive when not needed. Gigabyte-plus gadgets like these let
Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go USB HD The arrangement is uncomplicated. The you carry more content with you with-
Drive 4GB drive is bus-powered, like several of the out all those decisions about what to
$135 (online) • [Link] devices we tested. Its internal hard leave behind.
drive, recognized by Windows as a GS-
About the size, shape, and color Magic stor 1040A-SP, spins at 4,200rpm. by Marty Sems
of an upscale cigarette lighter is the When we optimized our drive for
Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go USB (HD Drive performance by enabling write caching,

18 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

approve any measures that allow in-flight

cell phone use.
Power ports. Most airlines offer power
ports for notebook computers and other

Tech electronics. They are often available only

in business-class and first-class seats.
Delta ([Link]), for example, of-

Transportation fers a BusinessElite option with no middle

seats, a large middle console, and 15-volt
battery-saving power ports. Note that the

Options
Planes vs. Trains vs. Automobiles

f you haven’t flown on a plane, trav-

I eled by rail, or rented a car lately, you

might be surprised at the technolog-
ical conveniences available now. Trav- Verizon Airfone ([Link]/airfone)
and United Airlines ([Link])
elers ranging from business commuters
to families on vacation are benefiting received approval from the FAA (Federal
from technologies that have found their Aviation Administration) to provide wireless
way into various modes of transporta- broadband Internet access to passengers. At
tion. Read on to learn more about what’s press time, implementation was pending an
available and where. FCC (Federal Communications Commission)
auction of air-to-ground telecommunications.
Planes
Airlines are using technology to in- power ports on some airlines may require
crease their passengers’ entertainment an adapter, which you can find at your
options, with some carriers now incorpo- local computer supply store. You can
rating satellite television and radio. check the airline’s Web site to confirm the
What’s more, airlines are offering such location and style of power ports for spe-
amenities as games, digital music, and cific airplanes.
movies on demand. But in-flight cell Internet access. Transatlantic and
phone use and wireless Internet access are transpacific flights from international car-
still waiting for final approval from fed- flights. However, the technology is less riers such as Scandinavian Airlines,
eral regulatory agencies. than stellar, with poor reception a com- Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and Singapore
Phones. In-flight phones have been mon problem. And, at a rate of about $4 Airlines offer wireless Internet access
available for some time on domestic per minute, in-flight phoning is too ex- through the Connexion by Boeing Inter-
pensive for most travelers. net service ([Link]
Song ([Link]), operated by Delta Air Lines,
The FCC (Federal Com- .com). The service costs $9.95 for one hour
offers high-tech entertainment including movies, video
munications Commission) of Internet access, $14.95 for two hours,
games, satellite TV, and MP3 music.
and the FAA (Federal Avia- and $17.95 for three hours of service. And
tion Administration) have for $26.95, you can purchase up to 24
banned cell phone use during hours of unlimited Internet access.
flights. The FAA is concerned Domestic carriers haven’t jumped on
that cell phones can interfere the bandwagon, due to the cost of outfit-
with airplane navigation and ting airplanes to offer the service and the
electrical systems. The FCC is lack of regulatory approval. However, the
considering lifting its ban, FAA has given United Airlines (www
however, pending a public .[Link]) and Verizon ([Link]
comment period and further .com) the go-ahead to offer wireless
study. Both agencies need to Internet access on United flights, pending

20 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

an FCC auction of the bandwidth neces- for Wayport, such as prepaid connection
sary for the service. cards and monthly memberships.
Not to be outdone, Avis offers its SBC
Trains FreedomLink service for public Internet
Train travel aboard Amtrak (www access at many of its airport locations and
.[Link]) offers some tech features Avis business centers. Similar to the
that you can’t get on an airplane, in- Wayport service, SBC FreedomLink is na-
cluding cell phone service. Most other tionwide and comes with a variety of
train-based transit systems, such as light payment methods.
rail and subways in larger U.S. cities, are The digEplayer entertainment device High-end cars. Most rental companies
designed for shorter commutes and don’t ([Link]) is available for rental include a selection of premium and
offer tech features for their riders. on some Amtrak ([Link]) routes. luxury cars in their fleets. For example,
Personal electronics. With Amtrak, The devices are preprogrammed with movies, the Hertz Prestige Collection includes the
you can bring and use personal electronic television shows, cartoons, videos, music, Audi A6 Quattro, HUMMER H2, Jaguar
devices such as PCs, DVD players, and destination information, and advertising. XJ8, and Cadillac Escalade. Budget (www
CD players. In most Amtrak trains, first- .[Link]) offers a Lincoln Towncar
class and business-class seats and sleepers or similar vehicle, Alamo features the
have standard 110V electrical power out- and a Yellow Pages feature that lists Cadillac DTS, and Dollar Rent A Car
lets available to supply power for elec- points of interest. It is available in most carries the Chrysler 300 Touring and
tronic devices. To make sure your devices U.S. locations at a cost of $9.95 per day. Limited models.
don’t disturb the people around you, If you rent a Hertz Prestige
Amtrak requires you to use earphones or Vehicle, the NeverLost system
headphones, keep the volume low, or is included in the price.
switch cell phones, pagers, and PCs to Avis ([Link]) rents
silent mode. GM cars with the OnStar ser-
Phones. Some Amtrak trains offer vice, which includes GPS-
Railfone, a fee-based onboard cell phone based navigation and safety
service. Because it’s rather expensive, features. National Car Rental
Railfone is useful primarily when you ([Link]) and
need to make an urgent call and your Alamo Rent A Car (www
cell phone is not working or you don’t .[Link]), which are owned Luxury cars, such as the Chrysler 300 series, come well
have one with you. Fortunately, you can by the same parent company, appointed with technological features. Most rental car
use your cell phone on most Amtrak let you rent a Motorola GPS companies feature high-end cars in their rental fleet.
routes that your service provider covers. device called the Navigation
However, Amtrak does not allow cell Station. The cost is $9.99 per day, and the For a comparison to a basic rental
phone use in Quiet Cars, and they may device is available at most rental locations. car, the extra features of a Chrysler 300
not work in tunnels. Dollar Rent A Car ([Link]) and include a 12V power supply in the center
Thrifty ([Link]) feature the console, an EVIC (electronic vehicle infor-
Automobiles Garmin C330 StreetPilot GPS device at a mation center) with driver display op-
Most rental car companies now offer cost of $9.95 per day. tions that include 120 screen displays,
some form of GPS (Global Positioning Avis offers free XM Satellite Radio dual-zone automatic climate control with
System) device as an add-on when you with its Prestige and Luxury car groups. infrared sensors, and heated front seats.
rent a car. Many companies are also Models in these high-end groups include These features underscore the technology
adding satellite radio to various service the Cadillac DeVille, Buick LeSabre, and built into today’s high-end vehicles.
locations and cars. And if you rent a high- Pontiac Bonneville. XM is also commer-
end car, you can check out the latest in au- cial free and offers more than 100 chan- Technology To Go
tomobile technology. nels of digital radio. Whether your next trip is by plane,
GPS/Satellite navigation. Hertz (www Internet access. Select airport Hertz lo- train, or automobile, try out the latest
.[Link]) offers rental customers the cations are part of the Wayport Wi-Fi technologies for entertainment, business,
Hertz NeverLost system ([Link] Internet access network. Wayport (www and leisure. These technologies should
[Link]), which is a device that .[Link]) is a Wi-Fi provider with make your travel more pleasurable and
uses the Magellan GPS system (www more than 11,000 locations worldwide, productive so that you’re relaxed when
.[Link]). The NeverLost sys- including hotels, airports, McDonald’s you arrive at your destination.
tem gives you your precise location, turn- restaurants, and Hertz rental centers.
by-turn directions verbally and on-screen, There are a variety of payment methods by Carmen Carmack

PC Today / April 2006 21

 On The Road

large-screen playback. However, high-

quality outputs (S-Video [Super-Video]
for video; Optical Out for audio), will
afford better playback quality.

Portable Screen orientation. The more screen

real estate, the better. (Not all players
have screens, some are designed for use

DVD Players with another system.) A 7-inch screen is

standard with many players, but a 10-inch
screen makes viewing more pleasurable.
If you’ll use the player in a group envi-
Compare Features Before You Buy ronment, a swivel screen will ensure that
everyone gets a view.
Sound control. You won’t always be
n long road trips (when you are using headphones, so check the sound

O not driving, of course) or airline

flights, having a portable DVD
player can make the miles zoom. You can
quality of the player’s built-in speakers.
(Stereo is a must.) Make sure you can add
external speakers, you may need a small
watch your favorite movie, listen to CDs, pair for business presentations. Dolby
or bone up on that client presentation— Digital support is a given; for optimal
all with a single device. quality, look for virtual surround sound,
Best of all the technology has matured as well.
to the point where you don’t need to Weight. If you travel light, check the
spend a fortune for a good unit. You can weight on any player you consider.
find a decent model with at a 7-inch or Anything heavier than 5 pounds can feel
larger display for around $200. However, like a brick after awhile. Don’t be fooled
the range of features on these players by size either. Some of the smallest
varies. Some are optimized for game players have overweight batteries.
playing, while others are for movie
viewing. Browse our list of suggested Picks Of The Pack
features and decide which ones are most We evaluated a number of portable
important to you before you purchase. players suitable for mobile professionals;
With care, you can end up with a portable these are four of our favorites. All include
player suited for business and pleasure. car and AC adapters, remote controls,
built-in stereo speakers with Dolby sup-
The Quest For Perfection port, plus dual headphone jacks (so two
As with most technologies, you get can listen quietly at once).
what you pay for, and that concept
applies to DVD players, as well. If you includes a car adapter or offers one as an Coby Electronics TF-DVD7705
find a feature-laden machine at a rock- add-on. For maximum convenience look $599; [Link]
bottom price, expect that discrepancy to for a tablet model with a mounting sys- This unit has a different form than the
show up somewhere. Consider all our tem that attaches the player to the back of other players we reviewed, using the
buying criteria (and ignore the media a vehicle’s seat. tablet style optimized for backseat view-
hype) before you make a selection. One Format support. Your player will sup- ing. Just slip the unit into the included
more thing: Always evaluate the video port standard DVDs running MPEG-2 car headrest mounting pouch, touch a
quality of any machine before you buy it. files, but look for added support; MPEG-4 button, and away you go. The tablet
Battery life. This is a big issue for road ASP (Advanced Simple Profile), WMV9 form looks cool but has the disadvan-
warriors but one many of us take for (Windows Media Video 9), DivX, and tage of leaving the screen exposed at
granted. Look for at least two hours of XviD formats are bonuses. Support for all times, so handle this portable DVD
battery life in video playback mode. Steer CDs and MP3s turns your video player player with care.
clear of the few portable players that do into a jukebox. If you burn CDs or DVDs, Otherwise, this model offers good
not have batteries, instead taking power make sure your player supports writeable video and audio playback, excellent bat-
from a wall outlet or car lighter. (CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD-R) formats. tery life (up to six hours, depending on
Car kit. If you plan to use your DVD Output jacks. Virtually all DVD usage), and an array of video features
player in the car, purchase a model that players can plug into a PC or TV for such as zoom and slow motion. The unit

22 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

units. Also, swiveling the display too far Sony Electronics DVP-FX705
can cause quality to suffer further. Sound $299.95; [Link]
through the built-in stereo speakers is If you want quality and portability at
excellent, though, and the FM tuner is a reasonable price, consider this Sony
a bonus. model. Users praise all Sony’s portable
players for their excellent picture and
Samsung DVD-L300A sound quality, and this entry-level
$799.99; [Link] model is no exception. The 7-inch screen
If you don’t mind toting a model could be larger, but at this size, Sony can
approaching the size of a small notebook
(1 x 10.5 x 7 inches and weighing 5.5
pounds), you can step up to a roomy 10-
inch display with this model. Thanks to
progressive scan technology and virtual
is compact, 1 x 8 x 6 inches (HxWxD), but surround sound, video and audio quality
it weighs in at a formidable 5.5 pounds. on this player is excellent. Display con-
Nevertheless, if you want in-car conve- trols are lacking (you can only select
nience this model fits the bill, and it even four preset options), but on the plus
includes a car cassette adapter. For those side the DVD-L300A includes features,
who travel overseas, this model also sup- such as Chapter Preview and Frame
ports PAL (Phase Alternate Line), the Advance, you find more often on full-
European color system, and includes a sized DVD players.
multivoltage adapter (100V to 240V).

Panasonic DVD-LS90
$399.95; [Link] keep the unit small (1 x 7.5 x 6 inches)
Sitting squarely in the middle of our and lightweight (less than 2 pounds).
group in terms of size and weight (1.5 x The brushed aluminum case is sturdy
9.25 x 7 inches and 2.75 pounds), the and impact resistant, the player handles
DVD-LS90 nonetheless offers a 9-inch road bumps well, and the virtual sur-
widescreen display. The real bonus here round sound delivers audio that is near
is that you can rotate the display for home-theater quality. An A/V switch lets
viewing at a variety of angles. Battery you use the screen as a monitor in a
time is excellent (up to six hours depend- pinch. The battery provides about
ing on the brightness settings you select), three hours of video playback with
and format support is very good (DVD- each charge. As a bonus the Sony
Video, DVD-RAM/±R/±RW plus CD- model has a nice range of output jacks
R/RW, WMA, MP3, and JPEG). and offers good format compatibility.
Picture quality is good, although not as The DVD-L300 comes with an array
vibrant as that of the Sony or Samsung of jacks that let you connect video Pick A Player
games, cable receivers, dig- The four players we discussed here
ital cameras, and other de- cover a range of styles and requirements,
vices and view their output but they only scratch the surface of avail-
on the screen. The DVD-L300 able units. If one of these models interests
is not optimized for car usage, you, don’t be put off by price. We found
but the device surmounts this all of them at online discounters for half
obstacle by letting you invert their list prices or less. If none suits your
the display and mount the unit needs, use our guide to conduct your own
upside down. At approxi- search. Just remember to watch and listen
mately three hours, battery to any model before you buy it. The bitter
life is good, and users report taste of poor quality lingers long after the
the case is nearly indestruc- sweet wine of low price is consumed.
tible. The unit supports basic
video formats plus CD and MP3 for by Jennifer Farwell
audio playback.

PC Today / April 2006 23

 On The Road

One For
The Road
b u s i n e s s t r a v e l a c c e s s o r i e s
Compiled by Linda Bird

ome people are born to travel. With mobility in their

S genes, these road warriors can go for days foraging

single-serving bags of honey roasted peanuts and hotel
room French roast coffee. Others are not as blessed. If you prefer
the comfort of your corner office to the comfort of a Comfort
Inn, these handy accessories might make your next business trip
a little more bearable.

Neon Travel Tags & Belts Wrinkle Free

You already know that it’s a good One quick-and-easy way to take care of mildly
idea to label your luggage with identifi- wrinkled travel clothes is to throw a small can of
cation tags, complete with your full Wrinkle Free spray in your suitcase. This tried-and-
contact information and email address. true fabric relaxant removes wrinkles from most fab-
But specifically using neon-colored travel rics, such as cotton, linen, wool, and rayon.
tags helps them stand out in a crowd To use Wrinkle Free, pull the fabric tight and spray
and makes it easy to locate your stuff. liberally in the area. Pull the fabric taunt a second
Best of all, these tags are inexpensive: time, and then smooth wrinkles out. While Wrinkle
You can purchase neon travel tags in a Free is easiest to use for minor wrinkles, you can also
variety of colors for $2 to $2.50. use it for overnight pressing and restoring a pleat. In
A similar product that helps you addition to pulling out wrinkles from your clothes,
quickly identify your luggage is a neon this spray is antistatic and helps remove odors.
travel belt. These straps also help pre- Finally, the 3-ounce can is small and lightweight
vent luggage from accidentally opening enough to easily pop it in your luggage, glove box, or
due to rough handling. Neon travel desk drawer. As an alternative, you can purchase the
belts retail for about $6. larger 9-ounce size. You can find Wrinkle Free at
You can find neon travel tags and belts at online retailers such as Howard Luggage ([Link]) or
[Link], AustinHouse ([Link]), and Going In Style Travel Accessories ([Link]
Lewis N. Clark ([Link]). [Link]) for about $5 to $10.

24 April 2006 / [Link]

 On The Road

Travel Roll-Up Organizer

It’s tough to stay organized when you
live out of a suitcase, but travel roll-up or-
ganizers can help. This organizer includes
four pockets that you can use to store per-
sonal care items or even office supplies.
After you zip up each pocket, you can roll
the entire organizer into a compact
cylinder and then use the hook and loop
fasteners to close it. Each padded, plastic-
coated, leak-proof pocket can accommo-
date several small items or a shampoo-sized bottle.
Besides the fact that the organizer is handy for keeping track of small
items, it also speeds up airport inspections if security personnel decide to
check inside your luggage. Instead of rummaging though through all
your clothes for small items, everything is accessible in one place.
The travel roll-up organizers and other similar products retail for about
$18 to $25 at online retailers such as [Link], [Link],
and Day-Timer ([Link]).

Plantastic! Automatic Plant Waterer

Have you ever taken a vacation or business
trip, only to return to plants that are either
dead or in need or extensive nursing? Or per-
haps you’re one of those people who enjoy
plants, but you’re so busy you regularly forget
to water them.
If so, consider buying a few Plantastic! ($6.95
to $7.95; [Link]) plant waterers.
These automatic waterers work by slowly re-
leasing water into your houseplants for up to
four weeks. Each Plantastic! waterer is com-
prised of three parts: a plastic bottle that holds
the water (and is also green so that it blends
better with plant foliage), a spike that you push
into the soil, and a small, replaceable disk
(called a Flo-Disk) that filters out impurities in
the water and regulates the rate at which water
is dispensed. The Flo-Disk is important because
it removes sediments in tap water that could
otherwise clog the waterer. It also ensures that
water is released at a rate that doesn’t flood the
Excalibur Electronics The New York Times QuizMaster plant or allow it to dry out. Each waterer comes
If you need to take a break from an intense business meeting or with three Flo-Disks, but you can also purchase
simply want to pass the time while traveling, Excalibur Electronics’ The additional Flo-Disks from the company.
New York Times QuizMaster ($29.95; [Link])
fits the bill. The game’s compact weight and size enable you to
easily take it along on your next trip. It’s also unlikely that
you’ll run out of questions, as the game includes more than Tell us about an accessory that you use to make
2,200 questions spanning 280 topics from The New York Times’ your life easier or more enjoyable on the road.
online challenge, Noodle Nudger, written by Ray Hamel. One Write to us at ontheroad@[Link]
to four players can compete.

PC Today / April 2006 25

 Office Space

Scot’s Take

Firefox
Approaching Two
f all goes according to true IE competitor was born. that try to install things on

I plan, Mozilla hopes

to deliver Firefox 2.0
sometime this summer. The
And it took off. When Firefox
debuted in December 2004, I
was among millions of people
your computer.
But let me be honest about
this: If IE and Firefox each had
Firefox browser is the most who were instant converts. 50% browser market share, all
successful competitor to I’m still using it today. other things being equal, my
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer expectation would be that
since Netscape. But even with Security Advantages Microsoft’s browser would be
Scot Finnie is editor of that success—a success Opera Much has been written the safer bet. Microsoft has
TechWeb’s Pipelines sites Software hasn’t been able to about whether Firefox offers more experience in fighting
([Link]) match—Firefox still repre- security advantages over IE. security vulnerabilities and
and author of sents only about 7-1/2% to Most of what’s been writ- more resources in general.
[Link]. He 10% (depending upon whose ten is correct, even though That doesn’t mean Mozilla
has served as managing editor numbers you believe) of the what you heard may have wouldn’t rise to the challenge.
for Windows Magazine and overall market for Web sounded contradictory. Here Another point about brows-
editor for several other browser usage. Microsoft has are two essential truths about er security that’s worth noting:
computing publications. a commanding lead with the security of Firefox: From The next version of IE, IE7,
Catch up with Scot at his more than 85%. a technical perspective, will have a range of antispy-
newsletter Web site So what’s all the fuss about Firefox is no more secure ware/antiphishing protec-
([Link]) or Mozilla’s upstart Firefox Web than IE; and using Firefox tions built in. IE7 will only be
send him feedback at browser? Just shy of 10 years to the exclusion of IE will available for Windows XP and
scot@[Link] ago, I switched from Netscape almost certainly expose you Windows Vista.
Navigator to IE. Microsoft to less spyware, phishing
launched IE 3.0 in August scams, browser-hijacking Firefox 1.5 Problems
1996, and that’s when the threats, and other browser- Most people have had
Netscape exodus began, albeit based malware. no trouble with Firefox 1.5,
abetted by some questionable Make no mistake: Phishing which is a minor but well-con-
business tactics on Microsoft’s scams aren’t pranks. They’re sidered upgrade to the orig-
part. But one thing Microsoft activities of criminals. Given inal version of Firefox. That
did right was emphasize a that IE has at least 85% market doesn’t mean Firefox is totally
smaller, lighter, more usable share, doesn’t it make sense problem free. I recently pub-
Web browser at the same time that if you’re writing code that lished a series of stories in
that Netscape was building a afflicts a browser that you Scot’s Newsletter, TechWeb,
bigger, more bloated, more would write it for the browser and InformationWeek about
enterprise-focused product. most people use? Firefox is serious issues with Firefox
Microsoft’s plans copied safer because it’s not the pri- 1.5 that a minority of its users
Opera, the originator of the mary target and it doesn’t are experiencing, which in-
less-is-more Web browser. But work like IE. It’s not inher- clude high-memory and CPU
it wasn’t until the early part of ently safer. usage and program freeze-
this decade (when a splinter On the other hand, it mat- ups. As a result of the stories, I
group within Mozilla organi- ters little to you why Firefox is received well over 700 emails
zation adopted the same de- safer, right? Firefox gives you from readers telling me their
sign approach for an off-shoot some protection, especially experiences with Firefox 1.5,
of the Mozilla browser) that a from spyware-laden Web sites and the result is that a small

26 April 2006 / [Link]

 Office Space

percentage of users are experi- because many people who enough for many of us. The
encing these same problems. wrote to me said they had in- product will run better if
Some of the problems people stalled Firefox 1.5 cleanly and Mozilla implements the most
wrote me about were evident, were not running any browser common extension customiza-
perhaps to a lesser degree, extensions and themes. tions. The trouble is, Mozilla
under Firefox 1.0, as well. But take Firefox tabbed is moving slowly on this
When I interviewed two browsing as an example. although it is targeting tabbed
Mozilla executives about this Tabbed browsing gives you browsing for the forthcoming
in December 2005, they were the ability to run a single in- 2.0 release.
only aware of and working on stance of the browser program
one of the problems I pre- window that can contain mul- What’s To Like?
sented: high memory usage. tiple Web windows identified Despite the concerns and
So many people have reported by tabs, much like the pro- constructive criticisms I’ve
other severe problems that gram buttons that appear on expressed, I still prefer Firefox
I’ve become concerned that the Windows Taskbar. In over any other Web browser
Mozilla may not be taking se- Firefox 1.5, Mozilla added the I’ve tried. Its simplistic inter-
riously enough the problems ability to drag-and-drop re- face; built-in tab browsing;
of some of its users; something order tabs, which means you and fast, lightweight feel
that doesn’t bode well for the can, for example, open your make it fun to tool around
long-term success of Firefox. seventh tab and move it next with on the Web. The WinXP
Mozilla needs to listen better. to your second tab. That elimi- SP2 IE 6 halts every few min-
It also needs to retool its beta nated one browser extension utes with a warning that you
processes to ensure it’s catch- for me. But I’m still install- have to click before proceed-
ing more bugs. Mozilla devel- ing four tabbed-browsing- ing. It’s clunky. It doesn’t offer
opment cycles have also related extensions to give tabbed browsing on its own.
tended to hustle the product Firefox the level of tabbed- And it’s about as fun to drive
out the door at the last minute, browsing usability I prefer, out onto the Web as a Ford
although this was less true of and that doesn’t include a ses- Pinto. Clear advantage: Fire-
version 1.5. Quality is more sion-saver tool (saves all your fox. I strongly recommend
important than anything else tabs if the browser crashes or Firefox to anyone who hasn’t
with this widely used product. your power goes out) because tried it yet. And, yes, you can
Just as much of a concern is I can’t find one I trust. have more than one browser
the fact that Mozilla’s rigid There are literally hun- installed on your computer.
adherence to its original de- dreds and hundreds of Firefox The only question that re-
sign principles of small foot- browser extensions out there, mains is: What happens when
print and slim feature set may and some people are running Microsoft releases IE7? In ad-
be goading many Firefox 20, 30, 40, or 50 extensions. dition to more security, it will
users into installing a raft of Mozilla can’t control the user have very good tabbed brows-
buggy browser extensions in experience in that type of en- ing built in. When IE7 is for-
order to extend the product to vironment. The point I’m mally unveiled later this year,
the level of usability they driving at is that Mozilla I’ll return to this topic and let
want. The problems I reported needs to add a higher level of you know what I think.
on could not be traced back to base features in Firefox. Its
browser extensions instability “just-enough” feature set isn’t by Scot Finnie

PC Today / April 2006 27

 Office Space

Microsoft Office
Tips & Tweaks
nless you’re kin to Rip Van Winkle, you prob- Find More Functions & Features (Excel)

U ably know that Microsoft Office 2003 is one of

the best productivity suites of all time. But it
doesn’t help to know that the suite’s programs are
Excel includes hundreds of worksheet func-
tions. However, you can access even more analyt-
ical tools and functions by loading the Analysis
chock-full of features if you don’t understand how to ToolPak. This add-in program comes with
use them. Microsoft Office but isn’t installed by default.
That’s where we can help. We’ve gleaned some To install the Analysis ToolPak, close out of Excel and then click Start
great tips for working with Office and are ready to and then Control Panel. Double-click Add Or Remove Programs. On the
share them. Here are a few of our favorites: list in the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box, click Microsoft Office
2003. Click Change to activate the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup dialog box.
by Linda Bird In the Setup dialog box, choose Add Or Remove Features and then click
Next. Make sure the box for Excel is selected on the next page; also check
the box for Choose Advanced Customization Of Applications. Click Next
Selecting A Range (Excel) and then click the plus symbol (+) next to Excel to display associated op-
If you’ve worked with Excel tions. Click the Add-Ins + to expand the list and then click the icon next to
for very long, you’re prob- Analysis ToolPak. Choose Run From My Computer and then click Update.
ably already familiar with When the installation is complete, close all dialog boxes.
the concept of a range: a At this point the Analysis ToolPak is installed on the computer but
single cell or group of cells isn’t in memory. To do this, choose Tools and then Add-Ins In Excel.
that you select so that you can format it or use it in a Check the box for Analysis ToolPak and then click OK.
formula. What you may not know is that there are a
variety of ways to select cells for a range.
Of course, you can always drag across the cells to Find Working Days (Excel)
select a contiguous range, but it’s often tricky to select Another useful DATE function is NET-
the exact cells you want with this technique. Instead, WORKDAYS, which calculates how many busi-
try this method: Click the first cell in the range (such ness days fall between two dates. This function,
as the upper-left cell), press and hold the SHIFT key, which you can only access if you’ve installed
and then click the last cell in the range (such as the the Analysis ToolPak, finds the difference be-
lower-right cell). On the other hand, if you want to se- tween two dates, excluding weekends. Optionally, you can have Excel ex-
lect multiple, nonadjacent cells (a noncontiguous clude holidays, as well. However, because Excel doesn’t have a clue which
range), press CTRL while clicking the cells. dates you consider holidays, you have to develop a list in your worksheet
You can also select an entire row or column by with this information.
clicking the appropriate row or column heading The basic syntax for the NETWORKDAYS function is: =NETWORK-
(the gray rectangular box with the column’s or DAYS(Start Date,End Date,Holidays). With that in mind, let’s imagine that
row’s title). If you prefer to use the keyboard, you you want to find how many business days there are in January. First, enter
can press CTRL-SPACEBAR to select a column or the dates for January holidays as a list in A2:A3. Next, enter the start
SHIFT-SPACEBAR to select a row. (1/1/2006) and ending (1/31/2006) dates in cells A9 and B9. Finally, click
To quickly select an entire worksheet, click the Select in the cell where you want to place the function (C9) and then type the
All button (the gray button located at the intersection function =NETWORKDAYS(A9,B9,A2:A3). If you set up the worksheet
of the column and row headings) or press CTRL-A. correctly, Excel should calculate 21 working days in January 2006.

28 April 2006 / [Link]

 Office Space

Easily Reorder Slides

NETWORKDAYS is a relatively little-known but useful
(PowerPoint)
Excel function. You can use this function to quickly calculate
If your experience the number of net working days between two dates.
with PowerPoint is
like most people’s, It’s easy to rearrange
you will probably slides in Slide Sorter view.
need to occasionally Just select the slides you
rearrange slides in want to move and then
your presentation. For example, you drag them to the new
may decide that a different sequence is location. PowerPoint even
more effective or that you need to in- renumbers all the slides.
clude additional information.
To rearrange slides in Normal view,
click the Slides tab (in the tabbed pane on
the left side of the application window)
and then drag a slide up or down to its
new position. When a horizontal line dis-
plays where you want to place the slide,
release the mouse. PowerPoint drops the
slide into its new position and automati-
cally renumbers all presentation slides to
reflect the new order.
You can also use the Slide Sorter
view to rearrange slides. To do so,
choose View and Slide Sorter. Drag a Get A Date
slide between two other slides; when a Excel includes a number of functions that can help you
vertical line displays between slides, run calculations related to dates. For example, you can use
release the mouse to drop the slide into the DATE function to determine the number of days you’ve
position. You can also select multiple been alive or how many days have elapsed since you began
slides by pressing CTRL while clicking your present job. Excel does this by assigning a sequential serial number to each
them. After you select the slides, you day, starting with 1900. The program can then use this underlying serial number in
can move them as a group by clicking calculations, even if Excel displays the serial number in a cell as a date. The DATE
and dragging any slide in the group. function’s syntax is =DATE(year,month,day).
Let’s look at an example. To calculate the number of days you’ve been alive, click cell
Getting A1 and then enter the current date, such as =DATE(2006,04,30). In A2 use the DATE
Around A function to enter the exact day you were born, such as =DATE(1965,03,25). Enter =A1-A2
Selected Range in cell A3. Finally, apply the General format to the data in cell A3. To do this, choose
You can speed Format and Cells and then click the Number tab. Click General on the Category list and
up data entry by then click OK. The number of days you’ve been around will display in cell A3.
preselecting a range
and then moving
within it. Unfortunately, it’s easy to acci- Get A Better View
dentally deselect a range as you move the (PowerPoint)
mouse pointer within it. To prevent this Sure you can use options on the
problem, try these techniques: Move the View menu to quickly switch be-
cell pointer downward through a selected tween PowerPoint’s Normal and
range by pressing ENTER; move the Slide Sorter views, but the program
pointer upward (or left) by pressing includes other methods, too. For ex-
SHIFT-ENTER. To move from left to ample, you can click the Normal
right within a range, press TAB; to move Excel offers several methods for selecting View or Slide Sorter View buttons in
from right to left, press SHIFT-TAB. ranges. After you select the cells, you can use a the lower-left corner of the applica-
Finally, to move from corner to corner variety of keyboard shortcuts to move around tion window. You can also double-
within a selected, contiguous range, press within the selection, speeding up data entry. click a slide in Slide Sorter view to
CTRL and the period (.) key. quickly switch to Normal view.

PC Today / April 2006 29

 Office Space

Microsoft
Excel 2003
Basic Formulas & Functions

ormulas make spreadsheets pow- click the cell and begin to edit the for- the selected cell. If you type = in a cell, this

F erful and flexible. Formulas per-

form calculations on the data in
your worksheet. However, they are not
mula, you will overwrite the formula.

Entering Formulas
drop-down list changes to most recently
used functions. Select a function from the
list, and it will be entered in your cell.
confined to the simple addition and sub- If you already know what to type to
traction of numbers. Formulas can per- create the formula you need, simply Manipulating Formulas
form calculations on numbers, dates and click and type. Sometimes, however, you Once you have the basic function in-
times, or even text. Figuring out which may know what you want to do but not serted, you can fine-tune its capabilities.
formula does what you need it to do can how to tell Excel to do it. That’s where Multiple cell ranges. To adjust mul-
be a challenge, but Excel’s vast array of the Insert Function dialog box comes in. tiple ranges of cells chosen for a formula,
functions (predefined formulas) makes The Insert Function dialog box. First, click the formula cell. The different ranges
finding and using the right formula easy. click the Insert Function button in the are color-coded both in the Formula Bar
Formula Bar. In this dialog box, you can and in borders around the cells in the
Formula Bar select a function from the list that ap- worksheet. You can adjust the borders to
The Formula Bar is the text box that pears. If you don’t know a function’s change the selected ranges by holding
runs the width of your Excel window name, you can search for it by descrip- your cursor over the border until it
just under your toolbars. It is labeled on tion or category. Select the appropriate changes to either the two- or four-arrow
the left with the Insert Function button, function and click OK. tool. Then simply click and drag to resize.
which bears the function symbol: f x . The Function Arguments dialog box, Your updated ranges will be reflected in
When you click in the Formula Bar or in which you choose the cells to include, the Formula Bar and in the total.
type an equal symbol (=) in a cell (the will now open. The middle of this box Relative cell names. When you type a
beginning of a formula), the Formula contains a brief description of the func- formula in a cell, the cell range you
Bar activates and its Cancel and Enter tion you have selected. In the top por- choose is relative to the cell in which
buttons appear. tion of the box, you can select your cell you are typing the formula. For ex-
To enter a formula in a cell, simply ranges. To select cells, either type them ample, select cell B2 and type =A2+B1.
click in a cell and type. For example, if by name in the text boxes or click the This adds the values to the left (A2) and
you wanted to add the values in cells button with the red arrow to select the top (B1) of the cell you selected (B2). If
A1 and B1, you could type =A1+B1. cells you want in your worksheet. (Click you copy that cell to another cell, the for-
However, you can also select the cells the button again to re-expand the text mula adjusts to be relative to the cell you
you want to include instead of typing box.) If you select multiple cell ranges, copied into. For example, copy cell B2
them in by name. The side effect of this they appear color-coded, with the cell and paste into cell D4. Look in the
convenient option is that once you have border matching the corresponding font Formula Bar, and you’ll see that the for-
begun to type a formula into a cell, you color in the Formula Bar. Results of each mula is still adding the values to the left
cannot click another cell to exit without text box display to the right, and a run- (C4) and top (D3) of the selected cell
including it in the formula. To exit a for- ning total of your function’s result dis- (D4). If you want to copy and paste the
mula, you must click the Cancel button plays at the bottom. Click OK, and the exact formula, you must copy it from the
on the Formula Bar. If you want to edit a final result of your function will appear Formula Bar, not the cell itself.
formula that has already been entered, in the cell you originally selected. Absolute cell names. You can also
click the cell and then click in the The Name Box. The Name Box at create an absolute function that is not
Formula Bar text box to edit. If you just upper left normally tells you the name of relative to the cell in which it resides. By

30 April 2006 / [Link]

 Office Space

inserting a dollar symbol ($) in front of the formula =A1:A10>B1:B10. If the sum
the column marker (A), the row marker
(1), or both, you keep those portions of the
of column A is greater than column B, this
formula will return: True. If column A is
Quick Tips
formula constant when you copy and less than column B, it will return: False.
paste the cell. For example, return to cell (The opposite results are returned if the • AutoCorrect Options
B2 from above (in the relative function formula is instead a less than formula: Using AutoCorrect in Microsoft
section). Click the Formula Bar to adjust “=A1:A10<B1:B10.”) Excel can help you save time, espe-
the formula. Whichever marker is directly cially if you have to enter a great deal
preceded by $ will remain static when the Dates & Times of redundant information.
cell is copied and pasted. If you change Adding dates. If you type 6/7/2006 in To change your AutoCorrect op-
the formula to =$A2+B1 and then copy cell A1 and you want to add 90 days to it tions, click the Tools pull-down
and paste the cell to D4 as you did above, (to remind yourself of a deadline, for ex- menu, and click AutoCorrect
all the markers will change as a relative ample), use the formula “=A1+90,” Options. In the dialog box that
formula except for the one held static with which will result in 9/5/2006. opens, the first tab, AutoCorrect, lists
the “$.” The formula will read “$A4+D3.” Countdown. The function “=TO a number of different formatting
DAY()” puts in today’s date. To keep functions Excel can automatically
Common Arithmetic Formulas track of how many days are left between perform. For example, Excel can fix
Add. Entering =A1+A4 adds the two today and the “6/7/2006” in cell A1, click accidental use of the CAPS LOCK key
cells listed. another cell and enter =A1-TODAY(). or capitalize the first letter of a sen-
Sum. Entering =SUM(A1:A4) adds all tence. Excel also has a vast bank of
four cells in the range. (The colon indi- Find Your Function commonly misspelled words along
cates “through.”) Harnessing the power of formulas with words it will use to replace
Average. Entering =AVERAGE(A1:A4) and functions is easier than you might them with, such as automatically re-
averages the four cell values in the range. think, even if you don’t already know placing “abscence” with “absence.”
Greater than/less than functions. This the right command to get the results you You can add your own words by
type of function can be used to quickly want. Microsoft Excel’s built-in func- typing a word in the Replace field
determine the greater of two sums. Say tions capabilities can help you find the and its correction in the With field
you want to know if the sum of the functions you need to make the software and clicking the Add button.
values in cells A1 through A10 is greater work for you.
than or less than the sum of the values in • Protect Workbooks
cells B1 through B10. Select a cell and type by Liz Stefaniak and Van T. Huett After spending hours entering
third quarter sales data in your
In the Insert Function dialog box, find the Excel workbook, it would be a
function you need by selecting a category from shame for someone to haphaz-
the list or entering a brief description of what ardly alter it. Adding a password
you want the function to do. to you Excel workbook is one of
the easiest ways to keep your data
Inserting a dollar symbol ($) before a column safe from unauthorized users. To
or row marker holds that portion of the formula set a password in Excel, click the
static even when you copy and paste to a Tools pull-down menu and
different cell. Options. In the Options dialog
box, click the Security tab. Type
your password in the field to the
The Functions Arguments dialog box right of Password To Open. If you
describes how your selected function click the Advanced button, you
works and lets you choose which cells can choose from a number of dif-
to use. ferent encryption methods,
making your password harder to
break. Click OK to set the pass-
word. Because the password is case
sensitive, Microsoft recommends
using a combination of numbers
and lowercase and uppercase let-
ters for your password.

PC Today / April 2006 31

 Office Space

Microsoft
PowerPoint 2003
Creating Dramatic Slide Backgrounds

t’s a presenter’s worst nightmare: The Background dialog box still dis- built-in textures to your slide. Next, click

I You’ve prepared meticulously for

weeks, but as soon as lights go out,
your audience checks out, too.
plays, however. Optionally, you can
choose Preview in this dialog box to see
how the color appears on your slide. If
the Rectangle tool on the Drawing toolbar
to activate it. Drag and draw a rectangle
that covers your entire slide. This will, of
But you can prevent this scenario from you’re satisfied with the look, choose course, hide the slide background, as well
happening to you. One way to do so is to Apply (to use the background for the cur- as any existing text or graphics. Addi-
use various slide backgrounds to increase rent slide) or Apply To All to use it for all tionally, the rectangular graphic is auto-
interest and emphasize your main points. presentation slides. matically selected, as shown by white,
For example, you can use solid colors, tex- circular handles. With the rectangular
tures, gradients, pictures, or other cus- Changing Textures graphic still selected, choose Draw,
tomizations for the background of your Instead of using a solid color as a slide Order, and then Send To Back. This will
slides. When tastefully chosen, these slide background, you can create interesting place the rectangular graphic directly on
backgrounds can significantly enhance a visual effects by using a textured slide top of the background—but beneath any
presentation’s content. background. For example, PowerPoint in- other slide objects or text—so that you
cludes background textures that look like can still access the objects (such as text in
Changing Slide Background Color stone, wood, cloth, or sand. a placeholder).
By default, the background used is dic- To create a textured slide background, Next, with the rectangular graphic still
tated by the presentation’s template. For open the Background dialog box and then selected, choose Format, AutoShape.
example, if you use the blank template, all click the drop-down arrow. On the menu, Click the Color And Lines tab. In the Fill
the slides employ a not-so-interesting choose Fill Effects. In the Fill Effects area, click the Color drop-down arrow
white background. dialog box, click the Texture tab. You can and choose a color. Drag the Trans-
But you can use a background different then scroll up and down on the Textured parency slider to reduce the opacity and
from the template’s. First, choose Format page to view the various textures. Click a increase the transparency (perhaps to 70%
and then Background to display the texture to view it in the Sample area of the or so). If you want to see how the new set-
Background dialog box. Click the drop- dialog box; double-click the texture to tings appear on your slide, click Preview.
down arrow and then select from the dis- choose it and close the Fill Effects dialog Optionally, you can leave the dialog box
played menu options. For example, you box. Finally, choose Apply or Apply To open and continue to experiment with
can use one of the eight colors shown on All in the Background dialog box. different colors and transparency settings
the first row (which correspond to the until you get the effect you want. When
template’s color scheme) as a slide back- Creating A Custom Texture you’re satisfied, choose OK.
ground. If you feel limited by the choices Although PowerPoint includes 32 tex-
in the color scheme, click More Colors. In tures, you may eventually feel that you Creating Gradient Fills
the Color dialog box, click a color on the want more choices. For example, you may Another way to create an interesting
Standard page and then choose OK. To like a particular texture but wish it used a slide background is to use a gradient fill,
view even more choices, redisplay the different color. which is simply a set of colors that fade
Colors dialog box, click the Custom tab, Luckily, you can create your own gradually from one color to another.
and then drag the pointer on the color custom texture by layering a semi- PowerPoint hands you a virtually endless
palette to mix your own color. When transparent rectangular graphic over a combination of gradient fills. For ex-
you’re finished, click OK to confirm your textured background. To create a custom ample, you can combine two colors to
choices and close the Color dialog box. texture, first apply one of PowerPoint’s make your own custom gradient (such as

32 April 2006 / [Link]

 Office Space

one using your corporate colors) or utilize

one of PowerPoint’s preset gradients. PowerPoint includes 32 textures that you can apply
To use a gradient fill as a background, to your slide backgrounds. If that seems too limiting,
choose Format, Background, and Fill you can also custom-create your own textures.
Effects, and then click Gradient. In the
Colors area, click Two Colors, and then You can create a wide variety of backgrounds by
use the drop-down arrows to specify laying a semi-transparent graphic over a textured
which colors you want. Alternatively, you slide background.
can choose one of PowerPoint’s preset
gradients on the Preset Colors list.
After you’ve chosen a basic gradient
pattern, you can modify the effect by
changing the options for Shading Styles
or Variants on the Gradient page. You can
even preview your choices in the Sample
area. When you’re happy with your
choice, click OK to close the Fill Effects di-
alog box. Finally, choose Apply or Apply
To All in the Background dialog box.

Customizing The Background

With A Photo
Another method for creating a custom
background is to use an existing graphic,
such as a digital photo. To access the
photo, open the Background dialog box
and then choose Fill Effects from the
drop-down list. In the Fill Effects dialog
box, click the Picture tab and then choose
the Select Picture button. Browse to the
folder where your photo is located and
then double-click it. Click OK in the Fill
Effects dialog box and Apply (or Apply
To All) in the Background dialog box.

Using A Semi-Transparent
Background
You can pull any digital photo into PowerPoint
Using a digital photo as a slide back-
through the Fill Effects dialog box and then use it as
ground has one potential limitation: The
a slide background.
photo may overwhelm or distract from
the slide’s content. For example, if the
photo is relatively dark, the slide’s text Image Control section. Choose Washout Picture, and then Select Picture. Locate
may not be very readable. To prevent and then OK. and then double-click your transparent
this situation, you can modify a photo Now you’re ready to save the modi- photo. Click OK in the Fill Effects dialog
into a semi-transparent graphic and then fied, semi-transparent version of your box and then choose Apply or Apply To
use it as the slide’s background. photo. Right-click the modified photo. On All in the Background dialog box. The
Here’s how: First, create a new, blank the shortcut menu, choose Save As semi-transparent graphic fills your slide
presentation. Next, choose Insert, Picture, Picture. Specify the location and name for background, yet you can still easily view
and From File to open the Insert Picture your photo and then click Save. the text or other objects on the slide.
dialog box. Browse to the location of your Close out of the working presentation Experiment with various types of slide
photo and then double-click it to insert it (without saving it) and then create or backgrounds. Soon you’ll appreciate how
on your slide. Next, double-click the in- open the presentation where you want to well they can reinforce your presentation’s
serted photo to open the Format Picture use the semi-transparent photo. Choose content—and strengthen its message.
dialog box. Click the Picture tab and then Format and Background and then click
click the Color drop-down arrow in the the drop-down arrow. Choose Fill Effects, by Linda Bird

PC Today / April 2006 33

 Office Space

Microsoft
Outlook 2003
Manage The Send & Receive Functions

n previous PC Today issues, we dis- automatically insert that email account button bar (do not click the button it-

I cussed organizing your email mes-

sages, establishing rules that
manage message storage, and sending
into the From field of every email mes-
sage you send, unless you change your
default email.
self), select Send/Receive Settings,
and then choose Define Send/Receive
Groups. By default, Outlook groups all
broadcast messages to large groups of This change does not require a re- your email accounts under a single
individuals. This month we’ll help you start of Outlook or your PC, so you can Send/Receive account called All Ac-
control the send and receive processes. change the default sender multiple times counts. To create a new Send/Receive
With Outlook 2003 (and usually with in one session if you are sending batches group, click New, and name the new
Outlook 2002, as well), you can define of emails first from one account and group, and click OK.
which of your email accounts you want then from another. In the Send/Receive Settings dialog
to be the default sender. You can also box that appears, under the Accounts
alter how and when Outlook checks Manage Send & Receive pane (left side), you’ll see a vertical
for messages and sends email from If you are familiar with Outlook listing of your email accounts with an
your various accounts. Managing your Express, you are likely familiar with inbox icon and a red check mark in front
send and receive options in this way the checkbox that lets you disable the of each. Click the icon or title of the ac-
can make your daily email sessions Send and Receive functions for a partic- count you want to include in the new
more productive. ular email account with a single click. group and then select the Include The
Although Outlook doesn’t have this Selected Account In This Group check-
Set Default Sender checkbox option, you can manage how it box. If you do not want the account to
When setting up your Outlook email, sends and receives messages by estab- send or receive email (ever), deselect
the first email account you configure be- lishing specific Send/Receive groups Send Mail Items or Receive Mail Items
comes the default account. Outlook and editing settings for that particular checkbox, respectively.
automatically inserts the default email group. (A group can consist of one, sev- From this dialog box you can also de-
account as the sender (the name that eral, or many of your accounts.) termine whether Outlook will down-
appears in the From field) unless you This feature is called the Send/ load the full content of each message for
manually change the default account. Receive Settings feature, and it can be that account or only the headers (basic
Unfortunately, there is no way in Out- quite powerful. With it, for example, information such as sender and subject)
look to establish rules that use one email you can establish profiles that instruct if the message is over a certain size.
account as the sender with some recipi- Outlook to check your work email Downloading headers only is the fast-
ents and a different account with others. accounts every 10 minutes but only est, most secure option, but Outlook
However, you can change the default ac- check your personal email accounts will have to return to the server to
count easily. For maximum efficiency every hour or so. You can also instruct download the content of any message
the default account should be the one Outlook to use an account only for you decide you want to read. If the ac-
you send messages from most often. sending or receiving (but not both) and count works with more than one inbox
To change the default sender, open have it send and receive everything (this will be rare), you can select dif-
the Tools menu, click E-mail Accounts, upon exit. ferent settings for each inbox. (You can
select the View Or Change Existing E- To create and manage Send/Receive also access the email settings for an ac-
mail Accounts radio button, and click groups, click Options on the Tools count, if necessary or desired, by click-
Next. Select the email account you want menu, select the Mail Setup tab, and ing the Account Properties button at the
to set as the default, click the Set As click the Send/Receive button. You top right of the dialog box.)
Default button, and click Finish. It’s that can also click the arrow on the Send/ Repeat the process in the preceding
simple. From this point on Outlook will Receive button on the main Outlook two paragraphs for each account you

34 April 2006 / [Link]

 Office Space

want to include in your new group. Outlook will check email for the group Down arrow on the Send/Receive
After you complete your group, click whenever you press the Send/Receive button and selecting an account.)
OK. When the main Send/Receive button or the F9 key. (If you exclude From this dialog box, you can also in-
Groups dialog box appears, establish any accounts from the standard Send/ struct Outlook to perform a send/re-
global settings for your new group Receive command, you can still estab- ceive for this group at specific intervals
using the options at the bottom of the lish settings that instruct Outlook to you establish, or perform a send/receive
dialog box. You can decide whether perform a send/receive on a desig- when you exit the program. If you have
Outlook should include the group in a nated basis. You can also perform a dial-up access or you must log on to
send/receive; if you select this option, send/receive manually by clicking the your broadband account each time you
use it, you can also instruct Outlook to
log on and perform a send/receive for
Default Account: Adjust your default the group periodically when you are
account, so Outlook automatically working offline.
sends from a particular account unless After you make your selections, click
you instruct it otherwise. Close, and you’ll exit to the Options di-
alog box with the Mail Setup tab se-
Default Account 2: When you lected. (Repeat the entire process to set
generate a new message, click the up another Send/Receive group.) If you
Accounts button in the message have a dial-up account, be sure to select
pane, and you’ll see a list of your the Automatically Dial During A Back-
accounts, with the default account ground Send/Receive option if you in-
listed at the top. structed Outlook to check your email
servers automatically. Under the Send/
Receive heading, select the Send Imme-
diately When Connected checkbox if
you want Outlook to automatically send
outgoing messages as soon as you log
on. (These last two options will apply to
all groups.)
Email accounts can belong to more
than one Send/Receive group. If you
Add-Remove Account: You have an account defined in two groups,
can individually select accounts Outlook will check it each time it sends
to add to a group and adjust or receives for either group. For this
how much of the message reason, if you want to restrict email
Outlook downloads. checking to specific timeframes, return
to the Send/Receive Groups dialog box
Send Receive Main: Review, after you create your new groups.
add, delete, or edit Send/Receive Either delete the All Accounts group
groups from the main Send/ (assuming you placed all accounts in a
Receive Settings display. new group) or edit it so it doesn’t in-
clude accounts you are now managing
Email Settings: From the Add-Remove Account
under other groups.
display, you can also adjust connection and other
settings for an email account. Mail Call
Users with multiple email accounts
can spend a lot of time changing their
From addresses and waiting for email
to download. With the tips we dis-
cussed in this article, you can corral
Outlook and make the process of
working with multiple email accounts
a little more efficient.

by Jennifer Farwell

PC Today / April 2006 35

 Palm + Windows

36 April 2006 / [Link]

 Palm + Windows

T
he Treo 600 and Treo 650 Compounding the issue is ACCESS’ market. PalmOne then acquired

T smartphones brought the con-

vergence of wireless mobile
phones and Palm OS-based
PDAs to the mass market.
With the launch of the Palm Treo 700w, a
shakeup is afoot as Microsoft Windows
Mobile 5.0 is powering the device.
recent acquisition of PalmSource, which
makes Palm OS. Rumblings on blogs, in
the media, and among tech industry ana-
lysts predict this acquisition will mark the
end of the Palm OS.
Spreading more doubt about the
operating system’s future was news in
Handspring in October 2003.

Windows Mobile 5.0

& Smartphones
Smartphone features became an
important part of the Microsoft Win-
dows Mobile 5.0 strategy during its
Verizon Wireless ([Link] a recent Palm corporate press release development. Windows Mobile 5.0
[Link]) was the first wireless phone announcing the company’s second includes a number of smartphone fea-
carrier to launch the Treo 700w, releas- quarter fiscal 2006 financial results. The tures like support for 3G wireless, Wi-Fi,
ing the smartphone in January. Verizon news: Palm mentioned that in addi- simultaneous voice calling/data trans-
Wireless has exclusive rights over the tion to launching the Treo 700w, it will fer, and support for telephone softkeys.
phone until approximately mid 2006. announce three other smartphones in Additionally, Windows Mobile 5.0 is
Sprint Nextel is expected to be the next 2006. However, there has yet to be any fully customizable by wireless phone
to launch the Treo 700w, with Cingular mention of what OS will power these carriers to meet the needs of their cus-
launching the phone soon after. new devices. tomers and device choices.
Smartphones appeal to many people The roots of the Palm OS on Treo Other Windows Mobile 5.0-based
because using one means not having to smartphones rests with smartphones include the Sprint
carry around a mobile phone and a PDA Jeff Hawkins and Donna PPC 6700 and the upcoming
at the same time. The ability to use Dubinsky. These two Motorola Q SmartPhone, a
smartphones to access Web-based email Palm executives were reputed Treo killer. As of this
accounts is also attractive to those in of- with the company dur- writing there are 42 mobile
fice settings, where increased network ing its early days. device makers and 93 mobile
security measures often prevent per- Hawkins and Dubinsky
sonal email access. later launched Hand-
spring, a startup PDA The Palm Treo 700w is going
The Palm OS In A company that produced to challenge the RIM (Research
Smartphone World and marketed Palm OS- In Motion) BlackBerry 8700c
Only time will tell how long the Micro- based PDAs and pro- for the hearts and minds of
soft-Palm marriage will last, but news of duced the Treo product corporate smartphone accounts,
the collaboration sparked speculation line in the days of the but it still carries the legacy of
about the future of the Palm OS platform. burgeoning smartphone RIM’s patent dispute with NTP.

PC Today / April 2006 37

 Palm + Windows

rebooting and crashes directly after

As smartphones become the product launched. The Treo 650 also
has a manual patching regimen requiring
more complex and serve as vessels owners to pay attention to recent updates
and patches from their service provider.
Additionally, wireless carriers and
for critical data and communications, Palm were unable to develop a cohesive
education campaign that would teach
they become a greater security issue. users proper maintenance techniques for
their Treo smartphones. If a Windows
Mobile 5.0-powered Treo is maintenance
friendly, then it could entice a new class
telephone carriers worldwide that sup- seem difficult; however, think of how of customers to the value of smartphones.
port Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphones. convenient it would be if you could read Windows Mobile 5.0 on the Treo could
As smartphones become more com- over Office documents while waiting win more converts if its product launch is
plex and serve as vessels for critical data for your flight. Windows Mobile 5.0 not peppered with issue reports similar
and communications, they become a includes PowerPoint Mobile, as well, for to those of its successor, the Treo 650.
greater security issue. reviewing your presentation prior to Unfortunately, early reports about the
Windows Mobile 5.0 includes pow- reaching your destination. Treo 700w attest to some issues with
erful security management tools for Mobile email is also a major driver of email service.
securing data on mobile devices such as smartphone popularity. With Office
the Treo 700w. Network administrators Mobile’s Pocket Outlook app, you can tie Windows Mobile 5.0
can remotely enforce IT policies on your mobile email into your company’s On The Treo 700w
Windows Mobile 5.0 devices from the email account or your personal email. The seeds of a Windows OS on the
Exchange Server 2003 management con- Treo date back to an early meeting be-
sole. These policies can set security mea- Treo 700w vs. Treo 650 tween Bill Gates and Hawkins. Although
sures, such as PINs, for smartphone Although the Treo 650 attracted a loyal both parties spoke of their mutual re-
security. A lost smartphone with critical fan base, the smartphone’s Palm OS did spect and potential projects, each went
corporate information strikes at the heart have some issues that made the device their own way until their companies
of mobile device security fears for users more appealing to early adopters than joined forces.
and administrators alike. average mobile phone and PDA users. Secrecy was imperative during the
Administrators of Windows Mobile Cingular Treo 650s, for example, suf- development and launch of the latest
5.0 devices, such as the Treo 700w, can fered from such issues as spontaneous Treo, so Microsoft and Palm required
wipe all data from the missing device
remotely and reset the device to its fac-
tory original state. This remote device Treo 700w Device Specifications
wipe can extend to wiping a mobile
device’s local memory, as well, if the erizon Wireless is the first major wireless phone
user password isn’t entered correctly
after a certain number of attempts. These
V carrier to offer the Palm Treo 700w to its cus-
tomers. The Verizon offering includes the following
security options offer you as a mobile specifications:
user some insurance over the security of • Verizon Wireless EVDO (Evolution Data
your corporate data while you are on the Optimized) network support
road if your company has made the nec- • Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0
essary investments in their email system. • Wireless email and Web access
Many mobile workers depend on pro- • Integrated organizer functionality
grams that are compatible with Microsoft • Supports Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Office to get their jobs done. Windows applications
Mobile 5.0 includes Microsoft Office • 128MB memory
Mobile, giving users better compatibility • 1.3MP (megapixel) digital camera
with their Microsoft Office documents. • Windows Media Player 10 for music and video
This new version of Microsoft Office • Built-in Bluetooth wireless technology
includes better support for tables, lists, • Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0 software
and embedded images. Creating docu- • Voice Command for voice dialing
ments on a Windows Mobile device may

38 April 2006 / [Link]

 Palm + Windows

own product development, often times

through lawsuits.
At the time of this writing, NTP and
RIM appeared to be reaching some kind
of a financial settlement of their long-
brewing legal battle. However, uncer-
tainty about the BlackBerry may still
linger in corporate accounts depending
on mobile productivity applications.
In many instances businesses that use
Microsoft Server 2003 tend to find the
Treo 700w appealing because Microsoft
Windows Mobile 2005 includes direct
integration with the popular email
server. The tight marriage of Windows
Mobile 5.0 OS and Microsoft Exchange
Server 2003 could change the tide of
smartphone adoption by corporate en-
terprises if it is seen as a more secure
and usable solution than BlackBerry’s
current wireless email offering.

Will The New Treo Measure Up?

The choice of Microsoft Windows
The Treo 650 and Treo 700w bear some resemblance to one another. Mobile 5.0 to power the next version of
the Treo is the perfect storm brewing for
the smartphone market. The Palm Treo
staff assigned to the project to sign tough mobile users (consider the term “Black- has built a loyal customer base, and
NDAs (nondisclosure agreements) to Berry thumb”), especially among execu- Microsoft has included a number of
keep the project under wraps. This also tives. However, while its wireless email smartphone-savvy features in Windows
meant that Palm and Microsoft staff features are its biggest draw, the devices’ Mobile 5.0 that put its mobile device oper-
assigned to the project focused solely on PDA features (calendar, contacts, and ating system into the contender’s corner.
the Treo 700w project. third-party software) trail behind Palm A Windows Mobile 5.0-powered Treo
According to Windows Mobile and OS and Microsoft PocketPC devices. will bring significant changes to the
Independent Devices group product Although BlackBerry has reached smartphone market if the OS can score
manager John Starkweather, during the cult-like levels in some markets, RIM’s wins on corporate and consumer levels.
course of the project the Microsoft and legal battles with NTP, a small patent Tight integration with Microsoft Ex-
Palm teams used fictitious company holding firm, has cast doubt about change Server 2003, Microsoft Office,
names when attending onsite meetings
at each others’ facilities throughout the
course of the Treo 700w’s development. The BlackBerry wireless device has an
Treo 700w vs. Other Smartphones
Although it’s obvious, it’s important to almost fanatical following with some
remember that the Treo 700w uses an
established, highly customizable OS.
Mobile operators such as Verizon Wire-
mobile users, especially among executives.
less can take advantage of the OS’ “hooks”
to add its own software and features to the the future of the BlackBerry in some and VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)
mix. The combined Palm-Windows corporate enterprises. As a patent will appeal to corporate users. Con-
Mobile track record also means Black- holding company NTP is not about new sumers will like the ease of use and the
Berry maker Research In Motion will face product development or innovation, out-of-the-box experience.
a new level of competition. rather they purchase patents and ex-
The BlackBerry wireless device has tract licensing fees from those wanting by Will Kelly
an almost fanatical following with some to use the intellectual property in their

PC Today / April 2006 39

 Palm + Windows

W
hen it comes to buying hard- is a matter of opinion. Like most things, it The Start menu user interface breaks

W ware and software, many of us

use the gravity system to make
a decision. The gravity system works by
has its good and bad points.
Multitasking delivers a further en-
hancement to productivity. You may
down when you need to access an eighth
application. You must tap the Start menu
and then tap Programs. At this point, you
pulling us toward a product we know wonder how the ability to multitask can would expect to see the Start menu dis-
and love, or at least already use. be helpful on a small device, or even how play a list of applications. Instead, the
Until recently, once you chose to go it can work at all. It may be difficult to view changes from a menu interface to a
with a Palm PDA, the hard part was imagine working simultaneously in folder. The folder view has limited space
over. Sure, you still had to settle on a Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for displaying icons, so you will probably
specific model, but at least you didn’t within the constraints of a small screen. In need to scroll to find the icon you want.
have to wrestle with making a decision this case, the benefit of multitasking is the That’s three taps, plus scrolling, plus a
about the operating system. But in late ability to run background applications different interface.
2005, Palm did the unthinkable: The while using another application. Palm A familiar method may not be the
company decided to bundle some of its users are familiar with task switching, but best way to be productive after all, par-
hardware with Windows Mobile 5.0. multitasking takes things a step further. ticularly when moving from a large
The first Windows Mobile offering, the Fonts management is simpler in screen to a small one. Fortunately,
Palm Treo 700w, hit the streets in Windows Mobile than in the Palm OS. Windows Mobile offers other, faster
January 2006. You can transfer any TrueType or ways to access applications.
If you’re a Palm aficionado in the ClearType font from your desktop PC
market for a new PDA or cell phone, to a Windows Mobile device. ClearType Today
you can stick with the status quo, or you fonts produce very smooth text on The Today screen is the starting point,
can mix it up by choosing familiar hard- small screens. much like the Palm’s Home screen. It lists
ware and an unfamiliar OS. To help the current date, the owner of the Pocket
make the decision a little easier, we’ll The Start Menu PC device, the status of email, and any
examine Windows Mobile from the The Start menu, located at the top left pending tasks and appointments. It also
viewpoint of a Palm OS user. of the screen, provides access to applica- provides one-tap access to Outlook email,
tions, settings, and help. It also includes your tasks, and your calendar.
Windows Mobile 5.0 space for up to seven applications. You can customize the Today screen
Introduced in May 2005, Windows Accessing any of the applications is a via third-party plug-ins. These plug-ins
Mobile 5.0 is geared toward multimedia simple matter of tapping the Start menu can add weather info, stock tickers,
and productivity. It attempts to jumpstart and then tapping the target application. phone tools, dialers, and a bevy of ap-
productivity by mimicking the desktop That’s a total of two taps, which is rea- plication launchers, so you may never
version of Windows, including the Start sonably comparable to accessing appli- need to leave the Today screen to access
menu. Whether this approach is successful cations in the Palm OS. an application.

40 April 2006 / [Link]

 versions of the most often used compo- page finishes loading, and a full-screen
Applications nents of Microsoft Office, including mode for dedicated browsing.
Windows Mobile comes with the appli- Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, If you are familiar with the Palm’s
cations typically found on mobile devices. Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player Blaze Web browser, you will find the
Palm users will feel right at home with the 10, and the one holdover from earlier ver- two browsers to be very similar with
core applications that make up the sions of Windows Mobile, Pocket MSN. many of the same features, including the
Outlook Mobile PIM (personal informa- The Mobile versions of the Office applica- ability to save a Web page or image.
tion manager) suite (Contacts, Calendar, tions offer superior integration with their Rendering times are similar, although
Tasks, Notes, Messaging, and ActiveSync). desktop counterparts. Blaze can be faster when you use it
Windows Mobile also includes Mobile Word Mobile supports more format- without support for CSS (cascading style
ting capabilities than Pocket Word, sheets) or images.
including tables. Anyone who has ever Outlook Mobile offers almost seam-
used a Palm or older Pocket PC device less integration with its desktop counter-
to work on a desktop Word file, only to part and the same folder setup. Syncing
discover after syncing that the tables Outlook Mobile and Outlook couldn’t be
were either corrupted or missing, will easier. The “gotcha” arises if you don’t
appreciate this capability. use Outlook or Exchange Server.
Excel Mobile lets you create or edit Outlook Mobile can only sync with the
charts as well as view them, which desktop version of Outlook or with an
is handy if you need to make last- Exchange Server. If you use Lotus Notes,
minute changes to data you’re using in Eudora, or Outlook Express, you’re
a presentation. pretty much stuck with looking for a
PowerPoint Mobile, however, is just a third-party sync solution or biting the
simple viewer application. It has no bullet and changing over to Outlook on
editing functions, although you can use your desktop.
it to give a presentation, provided you
have an adapter that allows you to con- Multimedia
nect your Pocket PC to a projector or All devices that use Windows Mobile
large-screen display. 5.0 include a basic picture and video
In its Windows Mobile 5.0 incarnation, viewer application. Additional software
Internet Explorer includes some handy applications may be present, depending
features for mobile users, including mul- on the device.
Outlook Mobile uses the familiar folder tiple layout options for viewing Web sites, Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, one
organization of its desktop counterpart. a progress bar that disappears once a of the optional applications, supports

PC Today / April 2006 41

 Palm + Windows

offers a similar system, called Block computer as you work, as long as the de-
Recognition. It also offers two additional vice is docked or networked to the
handwriting recognition systems: Letter desktop. This is uniquely different from
Recognizer, which can interpret printed Palm’s method, which requires you to
letters, and Transcriber, which attempts to initiate a sync. It also takes getting used
understand cursive writing. All three sys- to, although you can change the settings
tems work well, although you will need if you prefer. The ActiveSync options are
to practice your writing to match the soft- Continuously (the default), On Connec-
ware’s interpretation rules. tion, and Manually.
One benefit of all Pocket PC devices Continuous Sync might seem a bit un-
running Windows Mobile is the lack of a usual, if not downright dangerous, at first.
dedicated area for inputting text. Any If you change, delete, or add a task, note,
location on the screen can become a vir- or calendar entry in Outlook or make a
tual text input area. This offers more change to a directory on your PC that is
freedom and better use of screen real es- set as a directory to sync files to/from,
tate than the dedicated Graffiti area on ActiveSync may replace or delete the cor-
older Palm devices. responding entries or files on your
The Letter Recognizer and Transcriber docked mobile device, even if this wasn’t
systems are easy to use, and ultimately what you intended. If you’re used to ma-
more accurate than Graffiti, with less of a nipulating your desktop data until it’s just
requirement to learn specific stylus the way you want it and then syncing,
The Today screen is the place where you will strokes to create letters and numbers. If continuous syncing may be a problem.
spend most of your time when using you want keyboard input, many Pocket On the other hand, after a bit of working
Windows Mobile. It shows the status of the PC devices include small keyboards, sim- with the default syncing behavior, the
core applications; accessing them is as easy ilar to those found on Palm Treos. convenience of always having your
as a single tap. desktop and mobile device in harmony
That Syncing Feeling may overcome your initial uneasiness.
Windows Media Player’s built-in DRM Perhaps the biggest difference be- ActiveSync lets you set up the rules
(digital rights management) protection. tween Windows Mobile and the Palm OS that govern the way files and events
You can sync it with your desktop’s is the way each OS syncs data. Palm’s are synced, and what to do in case of a
music library and playlists. HotSync Manager lets you sync data
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is from a Palm device to Windows and
not available as a download. Whether or Macintosh desktops. If you want to sync
not it’s included with Windows Mobile a Pocket PC device with a Mac, you’ll
5.0 is up to a device manufacturer or ser- have to hunt down third-party software.
vice provider. There is no Windows Mobile equiva-
Microsoft Voice Command, another lent to Palm Desktop, which is a shame,
optional application, is a remarkably ac- because Palm Desktop can handle your
curate and easy to use voice recognition calendar, contacts, tasks, and memos, as
system. It is usually found on Pocket well as VersaMail accounts and applica-
PC phones and smartphones. Unlike tion installs. Palm Desktop is easy to
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, sync with a Palm device using the
Microsoft Voice Command is available HotSync Manager.
separately, if you want to add it to a Windows Mobile uses an application
Pocket PC device. called ActiveSync to perform all syncing
Other applications include Calculator, operations. Unlike HotSync Manager,
File Explorer, Terminal Services, and at which syncs your mobile device’s data
least two games: the ever-present Solitaire to Palm Desktop and other applications,
and Bubble Breaker (called Jaw Breaker in ActiveSync is tied to Microsoft applica-
earlier version of Windows Mobile). tions. The primary applications (cal-
endar, task lists, notes, email) sync only
Handwriting with Outlook or Exchange Server.
The Graffiti handwriting recognition As you might guess from its name, Windows Mobile attempts to mimic the look
system has been part of the Palm OS since ActiveSync automatically syncs your and feel of the Windows Desktop by using
the first Palm device. Windows Mobile mobile device and your desktop familiar color schemes and the Start menu.

42 April 2006 / [Link]

 Palm + Windows

conflict. The default setting is to always as you can with any other volume be easier. Both OSes can sync against
leave desktop data intact. That is, data mounted on your PC. Outlook. You can sync other data, such
on the desktop always trumps data on Palm users are accustomed to location as Office documents, to specific folders
the mobile device. This is where one of restrictions for storing information. on your PC and then move the data to
the danger points of continuous syncing Databases and applications go in RAM; the target device. Other Palm applica-
comes into play. If you take your user files, such as music, photos, and tions and their data may require you to
find equivalent applications that run
under Windows Mobile. Many applica-
Should you convert to the Dark Side, tions are available, and although
Windows Mobile 5.0 is relatively new,
most applications that ran under
as Palm users routinely call Windows Mobile 2003 edition will run
successfully under Windows Mobile 5.0.
Windows Mobile? Because of this ability to keep both
types of devices in sync, you can try out
a Windows Mobile device without
Windows Mobile device on a trip, up- documents, are stored on expansion making a commitment to making the
date some information, such as an email cards or other file storage devices. switch. Likewise, Windows Mobile users
address or telephone number while Essentially, the Palm OS has a split per- who want to take a Palm OS device for a
you’re gone, and then dock the device sonality when it comes to storing infor- test drive can easily sync their data be-
when you get back home, it’s possible mation. Because Windows Mobile uses a tween the two devices.
that your desktop data, while out of true file system, you can place files and
date, will wipe out the newer informa- applications anywhere, which gives you What To Do?
tion on your mobile device. The same greater freedom in organizing data. Should you convert to the Dark Side,
problem can occur if you restore your as Palm users routinely call Windows
mobile device’s data from a backup. The Palm & Windows Mobile Mobile? With Palm offering Windows
newly restored files may be out of sync Data Sharing Mobile on some of its devices, it’s a little
with the files on your desktop and may If you use Outlook or Exchange difficult to keep looking on the OS as
be overwritten when you dock the de- Server, transferring data between Palm something evil and a little easier to focus
vice. You can, of course, change the rules and Windows Mobile devices couldn’t on finding the tool that provides the best
for syncing. If you leave all sync options features and user experience for you. If
in their default state, you may be asking you use Outlook or work in an office
for trouble down the line. that uses Exchange Server, you may not
Like Palm’s HotSync Manager, Ac- be able to resist the siren call of the al-
tiveSync includes tools for performing most effortless integration between the
backups, restoring data, and adding or desktop and a Windows Mobile device.
removing applications. ActiveSync’s If you use a different email client, dif-
backup capabilities include the ability to ferent collaborative tools, or a Mac, then
create full backups, as well as incremental finding the third-party software neces-
backups, and to schedule backups to sary for making the connection between
occur whenever you dock the device. Windows Mobile and your desktop soft-
ware may not be worth the time, energy,
Docked Devices and money. This is one area where Palm
When you put your Windows Mobile still provides a better product. With the
device in its cradle and attach it to your HotSync conduit architecture, third par-
desktop PC, you not only have an ties can create conduits that allow
ActiveSync connection to your PC, but syncing with a multitude of applications.
also a persistent connection between And if you can’t find the conduit you
the two file systems. Your mobile need, you can always sync against the
device will show up on your PC as an- Palm Desktop, which is supplied with
other device entry, just like a hard drive every Palm device.
or DVD drive. You can use Windows
Explorer to browse through the mobile Windows Mobile supports several handwriting by Tom Nelson and
device’s file system. Even better, you recognition systems, including Transcriber, Mary O’Connor
can copy, delete, or move files, just which can recognize cursive writing.

PC Today / April 2006 43

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

A
A
s a notebook user, you’ve
no doubt come to appre-
ciate the freedom of mobile
computing. According to
the research firm IDC, note-
books are going to be the driving factor
in the double-digit growth for the per-
sonal computer market in 2006. If your
current notebook is more than two years
old, then now is a good time to consider
an upgrade.
Compared to your current notebook,
a new notebook will feature dramati-
notebook. If you can’t teach an old dog
new tricks, then maybe it’s time to get
a puppy.

Hello Centrino
In 2000 Intel unveiled its SpeedStep
technology, which lets the CPU increase
and decrease its voltage and frequency,
depending on the task at hand. In 2003
SpeedStep first appeared on notebooks in
the form of Intel’s Pentium M processor,
which was designed to work with the Intel
855 chipset and the Intel PRO/Wireless
cally better battery life, a higher perfor- network adapter to increase power effi-
mance-to-power ratio, improved display ciency and extend battery life. This trio of
and graphics capabilities, more media technologies was the earliest iteration of
options, faster and larger hard drives, and Intel’s Centrino platform.
more security options. And you’ll prob- By designing the three aspects of Cen-
ably spend less than you did for your old trino from the ground up based on how

44 April 2006 / [Link]

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

people use computers, The Centrino platform’s third gen- Napa-equipped notebooks to be readily
Intel was able to reduce the eration, code-named Napa, is on the available by the time you read this.
overall power necessary to run a horizon and represents a new leap in
notebook. Intel’s ultimate goal with mobile technology. Centrino Duo fea- Processors
Centrino is to develop a notebook that tures a lower-power Speaking of proces-
can run all day on a single charge. mobile processor with sors, AMD offers three
Although Intel hasn’t quite achieved that a 667MHz frontside mobile processors: the
goal, Centrino has become one of the bus. The new processor Mobile Sempron, Mo-
more well-known brands in the com- comes in dual-core and bile Athlon 64, and
puting industry. Intel may have aban- single-core configura- Turion 64 Mobile pro-
doned the “Intel Inside” logo, but its tions, called Core Duo cessors. The latter two
Centrino stuff is still inside. and Core Solo, respec- can handle the 32-bit
You may own a Centrino notebook, tively. If you’re the applications out now,
but if it’s two or more years old, then the multitasking type, look as well as the 64-bit
current version of Centrino has a few new for a notebook that applications of tomor-
tricks up its sleeve. Launched in early features Intel’s Core row. The newest Turion
2005 and formerly code-named Sonoma, Duo processor. 64 processors feature
If you’re looking for a Centrino
the updated platform features the 915 Other facets of Intel’s AMD PowerNow! tech-
notebook, keep an eye out for the
Express chipset, a revised Intel Pentium latest Centrino platform nology, which improves
new logo.
M processor with a faster 533MHz include a new inte- battery life and reduces
frontside bus, and the Intel PRO/Wireless grated graphics 945GM heat output. HP, Acer,
2915ABG network adapter, which sup- Express chipset; and the latest version of and Fujitsu currently offer Turion 64-
ports the latest wireless security and Intel’s wireless network adapters, the equipped notebooks starting at less
encryption protocols. PRO/Wireless 3945ABG. We expect than $1,000.
AMD and Intel have moved away
from selling processors primarily on

. . . the current version of Centrino clock speed, but you’ll still find that
clock speed is the determining factor
when it comes to price. AMD’s mobile
has a few new tricks up its sleeve processors feature clock speeds between

PC Today / April 2006 45

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

1.6GHz and 2.6GHz. WidowPC’s Sting Notebook hard drives have also
Intel’s mobile pro- 917 sports the improved in their ability to resist dam-
cessors currently fea- latest technology age. For instance, IBM’s Active Pro-
ture clock speeds of crammed into tection System, available on various
between 1.1GHz and a (relatively) ThinkPad models, halts the HDD (hard
2.26GHz. Each core of mobile form disk drive) when it senses the notebook
the Core Duo proces- factor. is tilted, dropped, or jolted. When the
sors runs at between motion is no longer detected, the hard
1.66GHz and 2.16GHz, drive resumes normal operation. Hitachi,
depending on the model. Seagate, and other hard drive manufac-
As of press time, Intel turers offer similar technologies that can
was only offering one reduce the chances of losing your
Core Solo processor, the data at the drop of a hat (or your
T1300, which features a notebook). Panasonic, HP, and
1.66GHz clock speed. Dell each offer select notebooks
To really see the benefits with shock-mounted hard drives
of the latest notebook technolo- capable of resisting motion damage.
gies, you’re somewhat restricted to
thin-and-light notebooks. But that’s Memory
not to say the desktop-replacement When it comes to system memory,
users are left in the new-technol- notebooks don’t lag far behind the
ogy lurch. WidowPC offers the Sting using single-sided DVD 9 media (that’s desktop market. The two varieties of
917 gaming notebook, which features about 12 times the capacity of a CD- memory you’ll see available include
your choice of high-end, desktop- ROM), are also available in notebooks. DDR-SDRAM and DDR2, the latter of
style processors from Intel (Pentium which is currently only available on Intel-
Processor Extreme Edition) or AMD Hard Drives based notebooks. AMD’s current genera-
(Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core) for $2,700 and Notebook hard drives haven’t changed tion of processors feature integrated
$3,450, respectively. fundamentally in the past few years, memory controllers, which means that
though capacities have increased sub- until AMD revises the CPU architecture,
Security stantially. Dell’s entry-level Inspiron Sempron-, Turion 64-, and Athlon 64-
With the emergence of new threats, notebooks, for example, feature 40GB and equipped notebooks are restricted to
the computing industry has had to 60GB hard drives, but you can upgrade DDR memory. Most new notebooks
come up with new security mea- most models with 80GB and even 100GB come with between 256MB and 512MB of
sures. Notebooks are especially vulner- varieties. Alienware offers notebooks system memory, while upgrading to 1GB
able due to their inherent portability. with hard drives as large as 160GB, and and even 2GB is possible for a premium.
Some notebook manufacturers have even two hard drives in RAID 0 and Most current notebooks feature two
begun to include biometrics (tech- RAID 1 configurations (desktop replace- memory slots, which, when filled with
nology that uses physical traits to rec- ment models only). With regard to speed, matching memory modules, can run in
ognize unique users) to secure your most current notebook hard drives spin dual-channel mode. Dual-channel mem-
precious data from would-be thieves. at 5,400rpm, but several notebook manu- ory can deliver effectively twice the
Fujitsu’s LifeBooks and Lenovo’s facturers let you configure systems with memory throughput, which can translate
ThinkPad Z Series notebooks come 7,400rpm hard drives. into big performance gains.
with fingerprint readers.

Optical Drives
ATI’s AXIOM modular
We have seen few advancements in
graphics adapter lets
optical drive technology in the past
notebook users upgrade
couple of years. Most major manufac-
without tossing
turers offer affordable notebooks with
out the notebook
combo drives that can write to CD-RWs
altogether.
and read DVDs. For a small fee, you can
get a notebook with a DVD±RW drive,
which lets you write up to 4.7GB of data
on a single-sided DVD. Dual layer
drives, which let you write up to 8.5GB

46 April 2006 / [Link]

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

deliver decent graph- notebooks currently

Displays ics capabilities with for sale (even budget
LCDs have been slow to approach the hardware DirectX models) offer 802.11
visual clarity of their bulky CRT (cath- support. These adapt- wireless adapters. In
ode-ray tube) cousins. Most new note- ers rely on the CPU fact, most notebooks
books feature one of several new display and onboard system aimed at business
technologies that consume less power, memory to handle users actually include
deliver better contrast ratios, and feature most 3D processing wireless adapters in
improved response times. A few of the tasks, so don’t expect the base price.
technologies include Dell’s UltraSharp, to play many graphi- But there’s more
Fujitsu’s Crystal View, Toshiba’s Tru- cally intensive games. than one way to con-
Brite, and Alienware’s ClearView, all of As we went to press, MXM is Nvidia’s modular graphics nect to the Internet
which look stunningly better than older Alienware was of- technology, and it is now available in these days. Wireless
LCDs, and even approach CRT-quality. fering the Area-51 select notebooks. phone providers have
If your current notebook’s LCD looks m5500 notebook with begun offering cel-
washed out or dim when you’re using it Intel’s GMA 900 adapter for $1,049. To lular-based high-speed Internet access
in areas with lots of ambient light, con- upgrade to Nvidia’s 128MB GeForce Go called 1xEVDO, or EVDO (Evolution
sider a notebook with a contrast ratio of 6600 (MXM) graphics adapter, it would Data Optimized). EVDO is a relatively
400:1 or higher, ideally at least 600:1. cost us an extra $150, while the 256MB new CDMA (Code-Division Multiple
Size always matters with regard to version would cost us an extra $200. Access) standard designed for wireless
notebooks, but current notebook dis- On the high end, graphics enthusiasts data transmissions over cellular net-
plays range in size from 12 inches to 17 are in for a treat. ATI and Nvidia an- works. In short, EVDO lets you con-
inches, with the sweet spot for most nounced plans to use their respec- nect to the Internet anywhere you can
mainstream notebooks hovering between tive dual graphics card technologies, get cellular service, which far outstrips
14.1 inches and 15.4 inches. Resolutions Crossfire and SLI (Scalable Link Inter- the reach of even the most ambitious
have also improved over the past couple face), to achieve stunning top-end Wi-Fi clouds. You can add EVDO to
of years; the average maximum resolu- graphics in a mobile form factor. But your notebook using an add-on PC Card
tion for new notebooks is 1,024 x 786 or don’t plan on getting much battery life or by purchasing a notebook that has
better. Widescreen notebooks display out of these notebooks. built-in EVDO capabilities, such as
widescreen DVDs in their native formats, Lenovo’s ThinkPad Z60m or Z60t. The
and you’ll appreciate the extra Desktop Networking cost of accessing an EVDO network
space to boot. For many of us, notebooks are worth varies by provider.
their weight in gold because they Another networking technology to hit
Graphics Processors let us communicate with anyone any- the notebook scene is Gigabit Ethernet,
It wasn’t long ago that PowerPoint where. Wi-Fi hotspots are popping which was initially created to meet the
was considered a graphically demanding up everywhere, and as a result, needs of bandwidth-hungry servers.
application for most notebooks. The note- Internet access is as close Gigabit Ethernet is theoretically capable
book graphics outlook has gotten quite a as your nearest coffee shop, of 10 times the throughput of traditional
bit sunnier as of late with Nvidia’s MXM airport, or laundromat. Most 10/100 Ethernet, though actual speeds
and ATI’s AXIOM technologies. These may vary.
technologies deliver high-end graphics
on par with a full-sized desktop com- Next For Notebooks
puter. In addition, notebooks that offer As you’re probably aware, a lot can
AXIOM or MXM graphics cards let users happen in very short amount of time in
upgrade when faster AXIOM and MXM the tech industry. If you find yourself
cards become available. contemplating a slew of add-on cards to
With regard to low-end note- benefit from the latest technology, save
book graphics, things look yourself some hassle and look into
better than ever. Integrat- buying new. You may be surprised at
ed graphics adapters, EVDO what the current generation of notebooks
such as Intel’s GMA (Evolution Data can do for your mobile lifestyle.
(Graphics Media Optimized) cards
Accelerator) 900 let you connect to by Andrew Leibman
and GMA 950 and the Internet over a
ATI’s RadeonXpress 200M, cellular network.

PC Today / April 2006 47

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

Y
ou may have seen them referred possibly be in buying a standalone PDA

Y to as “convergence devices,”
“ubiquitous devices,” and “PDA
/phones” (and sometimes even “new-
these days.
Well, despite the fact that many in-
dustry pundits have declared the PDA
fangled thingababobs” by the less tech- dead and buried by the smartphone,
nically astute among us). We call them many are either overlooking or are blind
smartphones. Regardless of what they to the benefits of carrying a PDA. They
are called, they’re here and they’re awe- cite its lack of combined functionality
some. These all-in-one technological when they dismiss it, asking why
marvels allow us to talk to business as- anyone would opt to carry multiple de-
sociates via wireless headset about a vices when they could simply combine
spreadsheet that we just edited and them all into one unified device.
emailed (complete with pictures taken
with the integrated camera) using the More Bang For Your Buck
device. The futuristic gadgets of our Well, for one reason, no currently
technological dreams are here. available smartphone can match the
You’ve probably been thinking about raw horsepower of the newest PDAs.
it yourself. Your friends, most of whom The new Pocket PC and Palm OS PDA
are new to the world of using personal devices coming to market these days
digital assistants to manage their are technological marvels, capable of
schedule and contacts, are buying di- eliminating the need for a bulky note-
rectly into smartphones and showing book computer while on the road for
them off with glee. For years, you’ve business. Spreadsheets, PDFs, Word
managed your schedule and contacts documents, and PowerPoint slides; all
with your trusty PDA using a separate of these are not only quickly readable
cell phone to communicate via text and on newer PDAs, but they can also be
voice with associates and friends. edited or created from the ground up
Or perhaps you’re a new buyer won- without sacrificing options in the soft-
dering what benefit, if any, there could ware (for instance, annotation in PDF

48 April 2006 / [Link]

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

documents or embedding clip art in a

Word document).
Part of the reason that PDAs carry so
much more under the hood than smart-
phones lies in the very fact that smart-
phones cram so many features into one
form factor. With cameras, keyboards, a
cell phone, cellular-based nationwide data
access, and all of the features of a PDA
put into one single device, cuts have to be
made to make room. One of the most im-
mediately noticeable shortages is in the
amount of onboard memory.
For example, the new PalmTX (which
Accidentally leave your PDA or your cell phone
runs on Palm OS) ships with 128MB of
in the cab? Bad. Accidentally leave your
onboard memory standard. That’s four
smartphone? Even worse.
times greater than the amount of memory
that comes on the absolute latest Palm
OS-based smartphone to hit the market, candidate for compact, on-the-road busi- tested lasted almost three days without
the Palm Treo 650. Consider that the OS ness computing use. being plugged into a charger, and that in-
itself requires up to 8MB of space to run, And as far as connectivity goes, no cluded talk time and using Bluetooth.
thanks to the phone application, which smartphone currently on the market of- The Treo 650 we tested fared a little
can take up to 3MB itself (depending on fers Wi-Fi access, a far superior connec- worse. OK, a lot worse: After a full day of
the size of your phone database). This tivity solution over cellular data access. regular usage, including talk time and a
means a practically mandatory external At 11Mbps (megabits per second), the little Internet surfing, the battery indicator
SD (secure digital) memory upgrade pur- 802.11b Wi-Fi access of the Palm TX ab- was nearing transparency. When left to sit
chase right off the bat if you plan to install solutely devastates the 1xRTT (single overnight, the battery had completely ex-
more than a few third-party applications carrier [1x] radio transmission tech- pired. If used as just a PDA without any
(or take a lot of pictures with the em- nology) of the Palm Treo 650, loading a radio or Internet activity whatsoever, the
bedded camera, the applications of which 200KB Web site (a rather average size for battery can be extended almost into a
take up another 500KB). most Web sites) in under two seconds third day, but that’s stretching it. With
You will also notice a sizable differ- vs. the 35 seconds it took the Treo to regular use, a Treo that isn’t charged
ence in the speed at which applications load the same page. Even the EDGE every single night will leave its user
run when you compare a standalone (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM [Global phone-less and PDA-less the next day.
PDA to a smartphone. For example, System for Mobile Communications] Add to this the fact that any extra de-
comparing the HP iPAQ HX2700 Pocket Evolution)-based Treo 650 from Cin- vice you might find on a smartphone
PC ($499.99; [Link]) to the brand gular, weighing in at a blazing 135Kbps can be purchased for use as an external
new Treo 700w Pocket PC ($619; www (kilobits per second), couldn’t even upgrade to most PDAs available today.
.[Link]), we were able to open a 2MB come close to the Palm TX with Wi-Fi, For example, those who wish to have a
PowerPoint presentation a full 10 sec- loading the page in 17 seconds. camera on their iPAQ can purchase an
onds faster on the iPAQ. external HP Photosmart 1.3MP (mega-
Now, 10 seconds for a single file may Battery Matters pixel) Camera module that will connect
not sound like a lot, and in reality, for a In regards to battery life, most PDAs to the device, giving them the ability to
one file download, it’s not. But imagine made within the past two years have a take pictures, and more importantly,
attempting to conduct business on an very clear edge on every smartphone that the ability to retain the full power of
airplane or remote office with a 10- has come to market. For example, the their PDA.
second differential for each and every Palm TX we tested lasted almost five days
document you open—and that’s not with regular usage before it needed a The Bottom Line
taking into consideration editing the recharge. When left on a desk to fend for From a practicality standpoint, you
document or opening multiple docu- itself, it was able to sit for nearly eight might think that smartphones are the
ments at once. A smartphone is usable, days without even a single “bar” of bat- clear and decisive winner. Naturally,
but clearly, a PDA is a much stronger tery life lost. The Motorola RAZR we having everything you could ever want

PC Today / April 2006 49

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

to use in one device seems like it’d be Motorola RAZR, for example, is a
the most practical application of today’s marvel. It sounds fantastic and has the
technology until you lose it. smallest footprint any phone has ever
Users who have relied on their PDAs had, seamlessly and invisibly slipping
and cell phones independently for any into a shirt pocket. Because the RAZR
amount of time can tell you the isn’t truly an organizer, most business
heartache they’ve experienced when one users will want to opt for a separate
or the other crashed or was left on a PDA to keep track of their schedules and
train. It’s as if their world was thrown documents. And one would be remiss if
into upheaval and they lost their best they failed to mention the fact that a
friend. Fortunately, they’ll say with a RAZR stacked on top of a PalmTX is still
sigh, they had the other device, which thinner than a Treo 650.
was still programmed with all of their There’s also the sticky little topic that
important contacts. even the most stalwart advocates of
Contrast this with a smartphone user having only the latest and greatest tech-
who accidentally leaves his technological nology can’t gloss over: price. Full-
marvel in a taxi. He doesn’t have a featured smartphones cost anywhere be-
backup system—everything is gone. Poof! tween $400 and $700, depending on when
Nothing can save you now. You have no you buy and what you get. If you are a
redundant backup from which to operate. user happy with your new Motorola You can surf the Internet and download files
You can’t go to a pay phone and dial a RAZR, why would you spend that much onto your smartphone, but even EDGE
contact from your PDA as you would if just to move into a PDA, when a brand (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM [Global System
you’d only lost your cell phone, and you new Palm TX—the powerhouse of Palm for Mobile Communications] Evolution)-based
can’t quickly look up someone from the OS-based PDAs at the time of this data networks can’t come close to matching
office to read off your schedule as you writing—will only set you back $299.99, the speed of a Wi-Fi-enabled PDA.
would if you’d only lost your PDA. Eek. and do so much more than a smartphone
There’s also the obvious drawback of can do, and so much faster? pretty difficult pill to swallow when you
losing out on using some of the greatest Of course, one could easily argue that hit the counter and ask to have your Treo
cellular technology that exists today. The signing up for an extended contract with moved to your new service because a
a wireless provider will drop the cost of Cingular Treo won’t work on Verizon’s
the smartphone considerably. For in- network. The $350 to $500 investment
stance, the new Palm Treo 700w retails you made just one year ago is now either
for $619.99 without a plan but can be holding you in a service you wish to
purchased through Verizon Wireless leave or has to be completely discarded.
(the only carrier that offers the phone at Of course, this problem can be some-
the time of this writing) with a two-year what mitigated if you purchase an un-
contract for just $499.99—and if you pur- locked, generic Treo 650 from Palm. This
chase an unlimited data plan, you can will allow you to move the device from
get an additional $100 off, making it carrier to carrier within the same type of
only $399.99. That’s quite a savings. network. However, you will be fore-
But here’s the bad news: You know going all carrier-initiated rebates and
how you can take your phone number discounts from contract signups, which
with you when switching wireless car- brings us back to our original problem.
riers, but frequently, you can’t take your
cell phone? Well, that’s often true with Give PDAs A Chance
smartphones, as well. For example: Don’t get us wrong; we love smart-
Suppose you buy a new Palm Treo 650 phones. We use them, support them,
from Cingular Wireless and sign a one- and fully believe that within the next
year contract for a voice/data plan. few years, they will overtake standalone
You’ll save around $50 by signing the PDAs in the arena of both hardware
In love with the Motorola RAZR like we are? one-year contract, and once it’s up, horsepower and connectivity speed. But
If so, why would you dump it just to move you’re free to move to a new carrier. for now, don’t count PDAs out just yet—
to a smartphone? Consider a separate (and Now, assume that you, for whatever they’re still in the fight.
considerably more powerful) PDA to go reason, decide you want to move to
with your RAZR. Verizon Wireless. You will be given a by Joe Peacock

50 April 2006 / [Link]

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

M
obile phones come with all automatic email checking and news

M kinds of features these days.

With email access, instant mes-
saging, Web browsing, games, and MP3
feeds on your desktop PC, but in a wire-
less context.

playback, sometimes it’s hard to re- Beginnings

member that you’re supposed to use your You might not be aware of it, but all
phone to call people. the times you’ve browsed the Web, you
The downside to all of these new fea- were using what is known as pull tech-
tures is that many of them are difficult to nology. This is the process of requesting
access using a standard mobile phone. new information from a source using
This is where push technology comes in. your browser, such as when you are
Push technology lets you automatically surfing Web pages or checking email.
receive email, news, and other updates In 1997, push technology was heralded
without you having to seek them out and as a new way to retrieve information via
download them manually. The technol- your desktop computer. Bloated software
ogy is already a big convenience on such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0
desktop PCs (the proliferation of RSS and PointCast allowed companies to push
[Really Simple Syndication] feeds and stock quotes, news items, and ads to
podcasts are examples), but on mobile desktop computers. Because most people
phones the benefits are even greater. had dial-up Internet connections at that
Unless you have a rather big and time and computers were only just begin-
unwieldy “communicator”-style phone ning to get fast enough to run multiple
with a large keyboard, navigating your applications simultaneously under Win-
phone’s menus to download new content dows, push technology didn’t take off im-
can be a clumsy affair at best. With push mediately even though the concepts
technology you don’t have to do any- behind it were solid. As a result, it faded
thing. For example, when you receive into the background for a period of time.
an email, it appears automatically on Push technology in its current form is
your phone. It’s the equivalent of having nothing like what it was years ago. With

PC Today / April 2006 51

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

the advent of widespread broadband The original BlackBerry was the first day. Current BlackBerry models act as
access and RSS feeds, anyone with the popular example of push technology in a sophisticated mobile phones in addition
right equipment can use push tech- wireless context. Introduced in 1998, the to email devices.
nology. Every time a person or company BlackBerry 950 looked like a glorified
updates their Web site or posts new data, pager. It had a tiny keyboard you could How To Get Push Technology
an RSS feed sends down a small two-line use to hammer out short email messages Having email pushed to your mobile
“summary” to your computer, describ- using your thumbs. Any email message phone, as opposed to manually retrieving
ing the new information. Anyone who directed to the BlackBerry user was auto- it completely changes the way you use
subscribes to the RSS feed will see the matically sent to the device the same way your phone. It seems like a small differ-
updated content and can access it for fur- a pager notified you of a phone number ence, but when you no longer have to
ther information. You no longer have to that you could call to reach someone manually receive your email, you’ll find
manually check all of the different links wanting to contact you. Some pagers from yourself using mobile email more often.
you follow on a regular basis or click the the late 1990s delivered quick breaking So how do you make this happen? If
“refresh” button in your browser. news and sports updates several times a you primarily use push technology on
your desktop or laptop computer, you can
experiment all you want. Most feeds
Applications For Mobile Phones and aggregators are free, and with the
advent of programs such as Google Desk-
f you have a smart- At the time of this handheld with a slick
I phone and are shop-
ping for software that
writing, Palm was offering
a free six-month sub-
foldout keyboard.
Finally, there are some
top 2.0, you barely have to do anything at
all. Google Desktop picks up feeds and
automatically subscribes to them based
will let you take advan- scription that gets you basic push technology on your Web surfing habits.
tage of push technology, an @[Link] email services available that, in With a mobile phone, however, things
then read on. address. It also includes lieu of checking email, get a bit tricky. After all, you’re buying a
[Link] is an 250MB of free storage act as straight informa- piece of hardware and signing up for a
email service provider and automatic antivirus tion delivery services. two-year contract with a provider, so you
that has a new push and spam protection. These include Cingular’s want to make sure you have enough
email service for smart- [Link]’s Chat- MEdia Net program, information before making a decision. As
phones such as the Treo terEmail can be a great which lets you get you may know, upgrading your plan to
600 and 650. Although solution if you already breaking news updates, include additional features can “start the
the Treo 650 has been have a Treo or if you’ve stock quotes, and more clock over” and reset your contract to a
around for more than a had your eye on one but without paying addi- new two-year span.
year, you can now get were unsure if a Black- tional WAP (Wireless To further complicate matters, some-
push email using Chat- Berry would be a better Application Protocol) thing as simple as getting email on your
terEmail, [Link]’s purchase. For more infor- site access charges mobile phone is not always trivial. The
third-party program. mation on how to sign (unless you decide to process varies from phone to phone and
ChatterEmail lets you get up, head over to www read the full story). It’s from carrier to carrier. Having access to
push-email from any .[Link]/chatteremail. tied to your billing ZIP push technology is also dependent on
account that supports A couple of new ser- code, so you only see both of these things, as well. It pays to
IMAP (Internet Message vices deserve mention, as weather or movie listings check your carrier’s Web site and read the
Access Protocol), such as well. Visto recently an- local to you. details of each plan it offers.
AOL or AIM. Best of all, nounced MyMail, a java- There’s also a new
ChatterEmail runs in the based push email client MEdia Net Live Ticker The T-Mobile Sidekick II
background; it doesn’t specifically designed for that delivers snippets With suitable warnings out of the way,
have to wake up your the popular Motorola of information to your a good consumer-oriented option is the
phone, turn on the dis- RAZR V3 GSM (Global phone without you T-Mobile Sidekick II. If you already
play, and check your System for Mobile Com- having to press a single locked into a contract with a different car-
email with a foreground munications) phone. The key. Prices range from rier, you’re out of luck for the moment.
application. Instead, the Symbian-based Sony $4.99 (for 1MB usage) to But if you already have T-Mobile or
program can check your Ericsson P910 lets you $19.99 (unlimited usage) you’re buying a phone with a new plan,
email while your phone is receive push email using per month. There’s also a the Sidekick II gives you push email, a
on but “asleep,” or even BlackBerry Connect, pay-as-you-go option good AOL Instant Messenger client, and
while you’re looking at which gives you secure that costs 1 cent per kilo- a Web browser, all with a full QWERTY
your calendar. email in a PDA-style byte delivered. ❙ keyboard. If you’re looking for a simple
way to access email and the Web without

52 April 2006 / [Link]

 HOT TECHNOLOGIES

paying too much money and you like the servers. Unless you’re working for a com- of push technology by constantly won-
form factor, the Sidekick II could be all pany that already has a BlackBerry server, dering whether or not it’s worth it to
the phone you need. you’ll need to sign up for BIS (BlackBerry respond to each email message. If you
The Sidekick II won’t blow you away Internet Service) for email. If you’re an in- have a company-issued phone, check
with its camera’s picture quality, and it dividual user or you run a small business, with your IT department to see what
looks a bit old and bulky next to today’s the BIS plan makes more sense. You’ll get kinds of plan upgrades are available.
fashionable feature phones. If you can get a specific BlackBerry email address as
past the relatively wide and flat design, it part of the plan, but you don’t have to use BlackBerry-Compatible Phones
works well as a regular phone, and it it. Instead you can choose to have your Recent BlackBerry phones look noth-
makes a stellar email and instant mes- current POP3 (Post Office Protocol ver- ing like the original pager-style models.
saging device. It uses older GPRS tech- sion three) email sent to your phone. Short of high-intensity gaming or high-
nology; Web browsing isn’t very fast, but The good news is that you can keep megapixel cameras, you can get every
it works well enough for text messages. your current wireless plan. Each of the feature you’d expect in a high-end fea-
four major carriers (Cingular, T-Mobile, ture phone or smartphone by choosing a
Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Spring, and Verizon Wireless) have BIS BlackBerry model.
If you’re thinking about going the plans available. One of the biggest buzz-generators is
BlackBerry route, you’ll need a new data We recommend you go for an unlim- the BlackBerry 8700c, the long awaited
plan in addition to a new phone. Black- ited data plan. If you choose one with a upgrade to RIM’s popular 7200 series.
Berry phones are traditionally used in a download cap, you’ll have to pay extra The 8700c uses Cingular’s faster EDGE
corporate context, meaning that they’re fees for any data over this amount. Also, (Enhanced Data For GSM [Global System
set up with their own specific email we think that you’ll negate any benefits for Mobile Communications] Evolution)
network, which gives you speeds that are
two to three times faster than the older
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)-
compatible models. Most importantly, it
comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, so
you can bang out longer email messages
without having to fiddle with a dual-
function numeric keypad to select each
letter. Like many current BlackBerry
phones, the 8700c also gives you a Web
browser, a calendar, address book, and
other smartphone-like features.
If you want to take advantage of push
technology for receiving email but don’t
plan on typing much on the go, the Black-
Berry 7130e is a good choice. It operates
on Verizon’s ultra-fast EVDO (Evolution
Data Optimized) network, which is con-
siderably faster than Cingular’s EDGE
network. Using BlackBerry’s SureType
technology, you’ll find it easier to type
messages than to send text messages with
a regular feature phone.
A slew of other models are available,
each with a slightly different focus. If
you’re buying for a small business, for
example, the 7520 is a good option. It
offers GPS (global positioning system)
support for location-based services, and
it also has a solid push-to-talk feature for
your employees to use on the go.

The Sony Ericsson P910 supports push email with its unique foldout by Jamie Lendino
keyboard that doubles as a numeric keypad.

PC Today / April 2006 53

 PC [Link]

Share The Wealth!

[Link] Puts A Wealth Of Computing Information At Your Fingertips

ou can access all past and

Y present PC Today articles at

[Link], but why
stop there? The Email This feature
makes it possible for you to send
entire articles to your friends, family,
or anyone else with a computing
problem or interest.
The Email This feature is easy to
use. Just click the Email This link
located at the top-right corner of any
article you’re viewing and then enter
the email address of the person you
want to receive the article. Type a
brief message to that person if you
want and click Send to send the full
article. The person receiving the
email doesn’t even need to be a PC
Today subscriber to access the entire
article you send. So start sharing the
treasure you have already found at
[Link].
Only paid subscribers to Smart
Computing, PC Today, or Computer
Power User receive full access
to [Link].

54 April 2006 / [Link]

 PC [Link]

Need Tech
Support?
he [Link] Tech Support
T Center has you covered. Browse or
search through more than a thousand
error messages, common problems, and
FAQs, all with translations and solutions
for each message. Read specially written
articles on troubleshooting pretty much
anything. Stay current on security issues
with the Security & Privacy Web log. All
of this and more are available at the
[Link] Tech Support Center.
If you are looking into adding or
upgrading a component on your PC,
network, or mobile device but want a
little guidance along the way, check out
the great selection of Articles On How
To Install . . . Just About Anything. From
microphones to modems, wireless net-
works to Windows XP, we have a vast
array of helpful how-to’s to keep you
going. It’s as easy as 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!

• Go to [Link] and click

the Tech Support Center link in the
blue left-side menu.

• Scroll down until you come to the

How To Install . . . Just About
Anything section and click the link.

• Click the component you are wishing

to install, and you will be taken to an
article that gives you a comprehen-
sive how-to on installing it yourself.

At Your Service
ant to know which airport to fly out of? Don’t know which hotel
W to stay at? [Link]’s Services feature is your guide to making
business travel easy and simple. This section offers numerous services to
the business traveler, including hotel information, a currency converter,
and links to airport and airline information. Log on to [Link] and
scroll down the blue left-side menu. Access these features and many
more today! ❙

PC Today / April 2006 55

 Undocked

Windows
Mobile Tips by Meryl K. Evans

Control Your PC With Your Handheld Device

Turn your Windows Mobile device into a remote
control. Not for the TV, but for connecting to your
office or other PC from anywhere. LogMeIn
([Link]) is a free application that lets
you open files, check email, and run programs from
your wireless handheld or any browser. The software
only needs to be installed on the PC you wish to access. Beam Contacts
The application comes with security features relying on authorization, encryption, You can beam contact information to
IP address filtering, and other features. The software is not a trial version and requires a colleague who has a Windows Mobile
Windows 98/2000/XP/Server 2003, as well as an Internet connection. device even if it’s an older or newer
version of the operating system. It
doesn’t work with Palm-based devices,
however. Tap the contact’s name once,
Give Your Device Voice Commands and then select Tools and Beam
Have you ever wished that your Pocket PC Contacts. Make sure your device is
would announce your appointments so that you close to the other device—the closer,
don’t have to worry about reading and driving? the better.
Look up contacts, events, appointments, and more
with Voice Command. The software retails for $39.99,
and you can try it before you buy. Read more about
the software and where to buy it at Microsoft’s Web site ([Link]
/windowsmobile/downloads/voicecommand).

Receive Files Via Infrared Beaming

Beaming lets you send and receive files from
other infrared-ready devices without emailing. You Change Start Menu & Program Items
can receive beamed files two ways: automatically or You can change the programs and
manually. Automatically requires having the beam re- items that appear when you tap Start.
ceive on all the time and for purposes of security and pri- Any item not selected appears in the
vacy, it’s not the recommended option. Also it drains the Programs menu instead. Tap Start,
battery because the device is always looking for an infrared port. Settings, and Menus from the Personal
To see whether or not your device is set to receive all incoming beams, tap Settings, tab. Select the items you want to appear in
the Connections tab, and then Beam. If the box is checked, then it’s set to receive all the menu and deselect those you don’t
beams. Tap the checkbox to turn this off, if you prefer to beam items manually. When want. You can select up to seven items.
you’re ready to receive the beam, tap Receive An Infrared Beam and the Beam Received When you’re done, tap OK. Next time
message will appear. Tap Close. All beamed files are saved in the My Documents folder. you tap Start, the selected items appear.

56 April 2006 / [Link]

 Undocked

Dump Large Files

Is the memory on your handheld starting to over-
flow? Free up some memory so that it can breathe, or
Copy Contacts rather compute, easy again. You might have files you no
Why would you need to duplicate a longer need, especially large ones. You can quickly find out
contact’s information? You might meet what files are over 64KB by tapping Start, Programs, and Find. Select Larger Than
several people who work in the same 64KB from the type list and tap Go.
company and the same location. When Once you identify the large files, exit out of Find and select File Explorer. Navigate
you copy the contact information, all to any unneeded file that you’ve identified, tap and hold it, and then tap Delete.
you need to change is the person’s
name, phone number, email address,
and office number. That’s a lot easier
than entering the complete address, and Changing Options For Tasks
you may only need to change part of the Do you want to be reminded of all new tasks
phone number. you enter? If not, you can stop the electronic nag-
To copy a contact, tap the contact you ging. Go to Tasks by pressing its button or tap-
want to copy and then tap Tools and ping Start, Programs, and Tasks. Tap Tools and
Copy Contacts. Now you should see two then Options. Deselect the box next to Set
entries of the contact’s information. Tap Reminders For New Items.
the copied contact information to change While you’re in Options, you can change the setting for
the information. Show Start And Due Dates. When this option is selected, Tasks shows the available
start and due dates for every task.

View Contacts By Company

You might prefer to sort your contacts by com-
pany name rather than their names. Any contact
that doesn’t have a company name falls under
the <None> category. While in Contacts, tap
View and By Company. Only the company name
appears unless the contact doesn’t have a company
Quickly Enter New Tasks name. In that case, the contact’s name appears.
You can quickly add a new task by Next to each company name is a () indicating how many con-
having the Entry Bar turned on. Enable tacts are listed in that company. Tap on the company and you get a list of names. To
the Entry Bar by tapping Tools and Entry sort by name, tap View and By Name.
Bar. With the Entry Bar, all you have to do
is tap Tasks and the Tap Here To Add A
New Task field and then enter your task.
You can also tap the exclamation point or Pocket PC Buying Tip
Down arrow icons to the left of the field to
hen you need to make notes quickly but can’t
indicate the priority as high or low.
If the Entry Bar is off, you need to tap W slide out your stylus or type on the built-in
keyboard, try using a built-in voice recorder. Sprint
New to open a new task. In this case, a
new window opens which displays all of PPC 6700 ([Link]) comes with a voice
the data fields: Subject, Priority, Status, recorder. It’s the first device to come with the
Starts, Due, Occurs, Reminder,Categories, Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. The phone
and Sensitivity. also includes a speakerphone.
Even with quick task entry, you can re-
turn to the task later and add more infor- Sprint PPC 6700 ([Link]) phone comes with a voice recorder
mation by editing it from within Outlook. and speakerphone. Its list price is $599 with a phone contract.
Just double-click the task to open it.

PC Today / April 2006 57

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Palm OS Tips by Meryl K. Evans

Put Your Palm To Sleep

With all the multitasking you do, some-
times you leave your device powered on as
your attention turns elsewhere. Setting
Auto-Off prevents the device from draining
the battery when it’s not in use for a set
amount of time. From the Home screen, tap
Prefs and then Power. Choose 30 seconds, one
minute, two minutes, or three minutes from the
Auto-Off After drop-down menu.
When the device sits in the cradle, it relies on the computer charge instead of its
own battery. You could let the Palm stay on the whole time it’s in the cradle, but it’s
Conserve Battery Life wise to turn it off when it’s not in use. Select Off next to the Stay On In Cradle option.
How long your Palm device lasts be- You can still turn it on while it’s on the cradle, but it’ll power off on its own based on
tween charges is not only affected by your Auto-Off specification.
the devices battery type, but also how
you use the device. Here are a few
steps you can take to preserve the bat-
tery’s energy. Quickly respond to
alerts, as the longer the device does its
alert dance—whether by vibration, Changing Calendar Views
sound or display—the more it drains The calendar has four different views
the battery. (Agenda, Day, Week, and Month), which
Stop or pause the music or video are indicated by the four buttons in the
when you aren’t using it. Media loves lower-left corner of the Calendar menu. You
and needs lots of battery power. Turn off can quickly cycle through the different views
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and beam when not in by repeatedly pressing the Calendar button.
use. Even though you’re not beaming You can also change the display options for each
anything to anyone, having the beam view by tapping Menu and Display Options. Here
turned on opens it to watch for signals, you can change the default view from Agenda to one
and that’s a battery drainer. of the others.
Lock the buttons on your handheld Agenda View is the default and displays the current day’s appointments,
so that it won’t activate when hitting events, and task items. If there’s room on the Agenda View, it displays the next sched-
objects in your pocket, purse, briefcase, uled event.
or wherever it lives. Keylock options Day View displays the day’s appointments and events. When the Note icon ap-
vary by device. You may find the pears next to an item, it means there are notes for that item. The Alarm Clock icon in-
Keylock option in the Preferences dicates the item has an alarm set. Repeating events have the icon with two boxes
menu. Select the Never, Automatic, or overlapping next to it. Tap the icons to view their details. The colored circles represent
Manual settings to adjust the condi- the event’s category.
tions under which Keylock will acti- The Week and Month Views give you a high-level view of your schedule. Tap the
vate. On other Palm devices, you can date to view that day. The colored boxes and diamonds represent the event categories.
manually lock the device by pushing A diamond is an event without an associated date or time. The dotted line that ap-
the power button toward the symbol pears in the Week View is a recurring event. The bar at the bottom of the Week View
resembling a padlock. indicates there are events later that day.

58 April 2006 / [Link]

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Your Partner In Games

Do you play games such as Scrabble or chess? Your handheld can help you get
better at the game and keep track of time. Lampwords ([Link]/lamp-
words) lets you enter letters, and it looks up words using those letters. This also
comes in handy with Boggle and other word games. You can also create study lists in
Memos or Documents To Go Word.
For time-based games, Ghronos ([Link]/projects/ghronos) comes in
handy. The free gaming clock application has different timing styles including
Scrabble, Boggle, and Standard.

Using Voice Memo

If your device comes with voice memo, you can play new text. Tap the speaker icon to change the volume. You can
and record voice messages even when you’re driving or trav- save the recordings to an expansion card by tapping the cate-
eling. Devices that come with voice memo usually have a gory pick list in the upper-right corner and selecting Card.
set button for recording. If yours doesn’t or you want to Tap Done.
change it, tap Home, Prefs, and Buttons. Change the button If you want to store all voice memos on the expansion card,
to your preference. tap the Menu icon from the Voice Memo list. Tap Options
When you push the Voice Memo button, it displays a list and Preferences. Select the checkbox next to Re-
of available voice memos, if any, along with the record cord Automatically To Expansion Card, If
and stop buttons. Tap New or the red Record button Present. Tap OK. While you’re on the
to start recording and tap the black Stop button Preferences screen, you can change the
to finish recording. To pause during the sorting order, select the Alarm Sound, and
recording, press the pause button that enable Confirm V Memo Deletion. When
appears in the place of the record you enable confirm voice memo deletion,
button once you start recording. you get a warning box when you’ve se-
Each voice memo is saved with the lected to delete a voice memo. When this fea-
time, date, and length of the recording. ture is disabled, the file is deleted without a
Tap the item to open and play it. Rename the warning box.
voice memo by tapping the time and entering

Power On When Opened

& Power Off When Closed Palm Buying Tip
If you have a Palm device that slides open to
reveal the Grafitti input area, you’ll want to use f you’re on the go and don’t get many chances
this handy tip. Tap Home, Prefs, and Power.
Selecting Power On When Opened automatically
I to charge up a device’s battery, you probably
want to look for one with a battery that lasts
activates the handheld when you slide the device longer. The Tungsten E2 ([Link]) relies
open. Selecting Power Off When Closed turns off on a rechargeable Li-Ion battery and comes
the device when you close the Graffiti area. with an AC power adapter, so you can charge
it out without the cradle. Actual battery life
depends on how you use the device.

Palm Tungsten E2 ($199; [Link]) has a long-life

battery, so you don’t have to charge as often.

PC Today / April 2006 59

 Undocked

Treo Tips by Joe Peacock

Treo Easter Egg • Select Power.

There is a hidden little • In the bottom right hand-corner of the screen, draw a
gem lurking on your Treo small, clockwise circle. Make sure that you start at the
that you probably don’t 12:00 position.
know about. It’s just waiting
for you to find it; luckily, we You might have to repeat the process several times, but
know the secret. once it’s activated, you’ll see a tiny colored Easter egg at the
To get the Taxi! Easter egg on your Treo, follow these steps: bottom right hand corner of the screen. For best results, try
drawing only one circle at a time, about a quarter inch in di-
For Treo 600: ameter. Eventually, the egg icon will appear. The icon means
• From the Applications screen, select Prefs. that the Easter Egg is active. We’ll let you discover on your
• Select General. own what the surprise is. (Be patient; it won’t happen right
• In the bottom right hand-corner of the screen, draw a small, away. In fact, it could take as long as two hours for the first
clockwise circle, starting at the 12:00 position. surprise to appear). To deactivate the Easter Egg, just follow
the steps again for your device. The icon will disappear, con-
For Treo 650: firming that it is deactivated.
• From the Applications screen, select Prefs.

Get Internet Radio

You’ve more than likely lis- stream you’d like to listen to from your Blazer browser to fire
tened to a streaming radio up PocketTunes), or you can manually input the URL of a
broadcast at least once over the stream by creating a new manual stream. To do this, follow
course of your Internet tenure. these steps:
These streams do wonders to • Select Open from the Actions menu.
alleviate boredom and facilitate • Ensure that you have Internet Audio selected in the upper-
productivity while working on right hand corner of the following screen.
menial tasks, such as spreadsheets • Select the New button at the bottom of the screen to enter the
and PowerPoint presentations. But what URL of the stream you want to hear.
happens when you have no notebook or desktop computer to
work from and you still have to edit those pesky spreadsheets? A few notes about bandwidth and streams: If you are on an
Well, there is now an application that allows you to listen to 1XRTT and EDGE data service, you can listen to almost any
streaming audio over your data connection on your Treo. available stream. Otherwise, you will probably want to use
Pocket Tunes (free trial; Basic $14.95; Deluxe $34.95; streams up to a maximum of 64Kbps (kilobits per second).
[Link]/[Link]) enables Treo users to (Use Mono streams when possible to conserve bandwidth.)
listen to streaming MP3 and Shoutcast broadcasts. We recom- Also, listening to audio streams will consume vast amounts of
mend the Deluxe version to get the full flexibility out of this bandwidth, as data will be downloaded continuously while
program—WMA support is a huge boost. you’re listening to the stream. You might want to upgrade
Once you have Pocket Tunes installed, you can browse your service to an unlimited plan before you make use of this
[Link] for available streams (simply click the link to the application to avoid hefty charges.

60 April 2006 / [Link]

 Undocked

Replace The Camera App resolution of the pictures taken with your Treo camera. With a
As you probably have discov- higher setting (90 or above), there will be a very drastic im-
ered already, the built-in camera provement in the quality of the pictures. Naturally, this utility
for the Treo 600 and 650 is very also increases the memory taken up by each picture you snap,
low quality. You can’t set the expo- so be sure to balance the two if you don’t have an external SD
sure time, there is no flash, and any (Secure Digital) memory card. (NOTE: Treo 650 users may experi-
picture taken in less than bright light ence difficulties in getting Qset to function properly on their device.)
conditions will come out grainy and unspectac- Pickem ([Link]/[Link]?t=49267)
ular. While there isn’t anything you can do about the actual is a replacement application for the built-in Camera utility on
camera included with the Treo, there are applications out there the Treo. Pickem adds some awesome new features and settings
to help you get the most out of it. to the Treo 600 camera (such as Zoom and blue-dot removal,
There is a free utility known as Qset ([Link]/down features already present on the 650 camera), but also allows you
loads/[Link]?Qset) that will allow you to adjust the to change the keys that you use to take pictures.

Quick Installation Guide compressed, you need to use a decompression utility such as
With all this discussion WinRAR on your computer before you install applications on
about downloading new appli- your Treo. Some Palm OS software uses an installer or wizard
cations for the Treo 600/650, it to guide you through the process. Simply run the installer,
might be helpful for new users and during the next HotSync your application will be in-
to step through the process of stalled. For further information, refer to the documentation
actually installing them. These that came with the software.
tips will cover installation of basic Installing applications via IR port. When you are on the
PRC (Palm OS application) and PDB road and meet a colleague who has an application you’d like to
(Palm OS database) files onto your Treo. have on your Treo, you can have them beam it to you in just a
Installing applications from your PC. These instructions as- few simple steps.
sume that the palm application you wish to install (PRC or PDB • Place the IR ports of the Treo devices so that they are facing
[Program Database] file) is already on your PC and that you one another. (The IR port is the black window at the very top
have already installed the Palm Desktop software. of your device.)
• Locate the PRC or PDB file you want to install on your Treo • On the host device, follow the appropriate procedures for
and double-click it. beaming an application.
• You will be asked to choose the user profile to which you • The target Treo will bring up a window asking if you would
wish to install the application. Select the appropriate profile. like the application to be installed. Click OK.
• The Install Tool window appears with the name of the appli- • Any beamed PRC files will automatically install immediately
cation you double-clicked. At this time, if you have addi- after reception.
tional applications or databases you’d like to install you can
click-and-drag them to this window, and they will be in- Installing applications directly from the Internet. You can
stalled at the next HotSync. install Palm OS applications directly from the Internet, using
• If you want to install an application to an expansion card, the Blazer web browser (also known as OTA [Over the Air] in-
click Change Destination, and then click the arrow icon to stallation). When you download an application, it automatically
move the application to the expansion card pane. Click OK. installs on your Treo.
• Click Done. • Launch the Blazer Web browser.
• Perform a HotSync operation to install the application(s) on • Input the URL of a page that contains the link to the applica-
your Treo. tion you want to install.
• Click on the link to initiate the download process. Once the
When you download an application to your computer, download process is complete, it will automatically install
it may be compressed as a ZIP or RAR file. If the file is onto your device.

PC Today / April 2006 61

 Undocked

Extend Your
iPod Into A PDA
Manage Event & Contact Info While On The Road

obile users are increasingly you purchased it, then your first step

M dependent on their PDAs

because they have forgone
their Day-Timers. The use of PDAs to
prior to extending your iPod into a PDA
is to explore your iPod’s Extras menu.
Scroll the Click Wheel to Extras and
track business schedules often times press the center button to open the
means that the PDA you have with you Extras menu. The menu includes options
on the road or at a client meeting is syn- for managing your iPod’s Clock, Con-
chronized with a PC back in your cubicle tacts, Calendar, Notes, and Games. We’ll
or home office. A critical failure of a PDA focus on the PDA information manage-
while traveling can be frustrating if you ment features of the iPod’s Extras menu
are dependent on it to maintain contacts throughout this article. present, your iPod will display instruc-
and other critical business information. tions for adding contacts along with a
The same Apple iPod you use to Store, Sync, Export sample entry.
listen to music or to watch a replay of & Import Contacts Ready your iPod for importing con-
“Lost” while waiting for your flight also Besides the latest Madonna album tacts. Your Windows XP-based machine
has some capabilities for storing infor- and other music tracks, your iPod can needs to see your iPod as a hard drive
mation including contacts, calendar store information (phone numbers, ad- before you can import your contacts.
information, and notes. Although the dresses, Web site URLs, and other perti- Plug your iPod into your PC as if you
data storage capabilities of an iPod can’t nent information) for as many as 1,000 of are synchronizing the iPod with iTunes.
compete with a full-blown PDA or your contacts. You can export the con- Your PC should now recognize your
smartphone, the iPod can serve as a tacts in vCard format from Microsoft iPod as a hard drive with the same
ready backup for contact and calendar Outlook, Outlook Express, Palm Desk- name as your iPod now visible under
data while you are traveling. top, or any other email applications that My Computer.
support vCard. Double-click the icon representing
Explore The Extras Menu To begin inputting contact infor- your iPod and you can view the phys-
If your iPod has been all about music, mation, navigate to the Extras menu ical folders of the device just like your
photo, and video entertainment since and select Contacts. If no contacts are PC’s internal hard drive or any other
external drive.
Synchronize contacts in Outlook
2003. If you are using Outlook 2003 or
Outlook Express and iTunes 6.0, you
can automatically sync your Outlook
contacts using iTunes and your iPod,
iPod nano, or iPod mini. Open the Edit
menu and select Preferences. Select the
iPod tab and the Contacts tab, and then
choose Outlook or Outlook Express
from the Synchronize Contracts From
drop-down menu. Next, choose whether
A Generation 4 iPod named “Will’s iPod” appears along with the external and internal hard you want to synchronize all of your
drives as seen in My Computer. Outlook contacts or only those contacts

62 April 2006 / [Link]

 Undocked

you are ready to import them to your

iPod. Select the vCards you want to ex-
port to your iPod by highlighting them
in the subfolder you set up as a tempo-
rary staging area. After you have your
contacts’ vCards staged in a subfolder
on your computer, you are
ready to move the information.
At this stage you have two op-
tions for importing this infor-
mation to your iPod.
You have two options for
Double-click the iPod’s drive letter, and you exporting the vCards. The first
get access to all of your iPod’s directories. is to right-click the vCard and
choose Send To. Select your
iPod from the Send To drop-
from selected groups or distribution down menu. Because your PC
lists. Click OK to confirm your choices is reading your iPod as an ex-
for synchronizing contacts. ternal drive, you can copy
Synchronize contacts from previous vCards to your iPod just like
versions of Outlook. The process for you manipulate any other files
exporting contacts into vCards varies on your PC.
from application to application. (Check The second option involves
out the “Automate Data Transfers From selecting specific vCards and
Older Versions Of Outlook” sidebar for The iPod Contacts tab includes options for dragging and dropping them into your
third-party applications that let you synchronizing your iPod with contacts and iPod’s Contacts folder.
sync iPod data.) Open the Outlook con- calendar data in Outlook 2003. After you export your contacts’
tact you want to export to a vCard and vCards to your iPod, you should double-
select Export To A vCard File from the vCards from other applications that sup- check the success of the export by going
File menu. The vCard File dialog box port vCards simply by dragging and to your iPod and select Extras. From the
appears. By default Outlook saves dropping them into your iPod’s Extras menu, choose Contacts. The
vCards in the Signatures folder because Contacts folder. names of your exported contacts should
Outlook typically uses vCards for trans- Import contacts. If you have your appear on your iPod screen. Choose a
mitting contact information along with contacts’ vCards staged in a subfolder, contact to view their contact information.
emails. We recommend setting up a
subfolder under your computer’s My
Documents directory as a temporary Automate Data Transfers From Older Versions
staging area for your contacts that are Of Microsoft Office
on their way to your iPod.
Export contacts from Palm Desktop. ou shouldn’t let all the manual Notes with an iPod. iPodSync does not
If you aren’t an Outlook person and you
would rather export contacts as vCards
Y steps in the main article turn
you off from synchronizing your iPod
work with Outlook Express.

from your Palm Desktop, the process is with an older version of Microsoft PocketMac iPod for Windows
just as easy. Open your Palm Desktop Outlook. It didn’t stop third-party $23.41
and choose Contact. Select a contact to developers from releasing synchro- IAA/[Link]
export and select Export As vCard from nization software to do the job for (866) 762-5622
the File menu. The Export As dialog box you. Here are two popular iPod syn- [Link]/products/pmipo
appears. The same rule of thumb for chronization applications: dwin/[Link]
exporting vCards from Outlook and Exports Microsoft Outlook
Outlook Express applies to the Palm ICC iPodSync Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Notes,
Desktop, so setup is similar. $14.95; free trial version Inbox Email, Word documents, text
Export contacts from other email and [Link] documents, and RTF (rich-text file)
PIM apps. Although we are using iPodSync synchronizes your documents to your iPod from a
Outlook and the Palm Desktop as our Outlook Calendar, Contacts, and Windows-based PC.
examples in this article, you can export

PC Today / April 2006 63

 Undocked

We should note that after importing Calendars From Microsoft

your contacts on your iPod, accessing the Outlook checkbox and click
information is just as easy as selecting a OK to confirm your synchro-
new song from its intuitive user inter- nization choices. Your cal-
face. Unfortunately, you cannot add endar data is now available
more information to the contact’s file for syncing with your iPod.
stored on your iPod, nor can you delete Export Outlook Calendar
contacts using the iPod interface. from previous versions of
Outlook. You can still syn-
Store Calendar Data chronize your calendar data
Your iPod is also capable of storing with your iPod from pre-
calendar data from Outlook, Outlook vious versions of Outlook,
Express, and Palm Desktop. The manual but you’ll have to do it man-
method works similar to how we trans- ually. Open Outlook and
ferred contact information to your iPod’s double-click an appointment
Contacts folder. you want to transfer to your
Synchronize data with Outlook iPod. Next, open the File
2003. If you are using Outlook 2003 and menu and select Save As. In
To sync calendar data in Outlook and your iPod, click the
iTunes 6.0, you can synchronize your the Save As dialog box,
Calendars tab in iTunes and then select the Synchronize
calendar data between Outlook 2003 choose iCalendar (*.ics) and
Calendars From Microsoft Outlook checkbox.
and your iPod by connecting your iPod click the Save button. This
to your PC just like you are preparing saves the calendar items to
to synchronize with iTunes. Open the staging folder you set up to export store text data on your iPod as text files,
the Edit menu in iTunes and choose your calendar data. Next, drag the whether they are files you convert from
Preferences. In the resulting Preferences items and drop them into to your iPod’s your Outlook notes or Microsoft Word.
dialog box, you will click the Calendars Calendars folder. After saving the text (TXT) file to a
tab. Next, select the Synchronize Export your Palm Desktop Calendar. folder of your choice on your local hard
The first thing you need to do is open drive, you can then drag and drop the
your Palm Desktop Calendar. Next, file into your iPod’s Notes directory.
select a calendar item to export. Open This option doesn’t apply to .RTF files.
the File menu and select Export vCal.
In the Export As dialog box, you can Maintain Data
save the vCal file to a directory of If you are using Microsoft Out-
your choice, maybe to the staging area look 2003 or Outlook Express 6 and
you set up for exporting your Outlook iTunes 6.0, then maintaining and up-
Contacts and Calendar information. dating calendar and contact informa-
tion on your iPod is as easy as selecting
Store Notes Update iPod from the iTunes File
Save your vCards exported from Palm Desktop In addition to storing contact and menu. However, if you are using a pre-
to any directory on your local hard drive. calendar information, you can also vious version of Outlook, you can
maintain your calendar information
manually or use a third-party synchro-
nization application.

Use Your iPod As A Backup PDA

Although your iPod may never com-
pletely replace your PDA, it can serve
as handy backup storage for your con-
tacts and other data you store on your
PDA to stave off the frustration of
losing your PDA data when you are on
a business trip.

by Will Kelly
The iPod Contacts folder stores all of your imported Outlook contacts in vCard format.

64 April 2006 / [Link]

 Undocked

Portable
Keyboards
Useful Input Devices Come In Small Packages

f you have a PDA, then you know portable keyboards into a slightly

I the time it takes to write out a

simple message using a stylus. And
who among us hasn’t spent a ridiculous
slimmer metal frame. The metal shell is
nice but may be an unnecessary feature if
you don’t spend a lot of time outdoors or
amount of time typing a text message. A aren’t excessively clumsy.
portable keyboard is a great way to The CD that accompanied the key-
speed up the process of writing simple board only had drivers for Pocket PC
notes or complex letters, whatever your and Symbian operating systems, which
case may call for. If you spend a lot of unfortunately weren’t compatible with
time away from your computer, a our test unit, the Palm TX. Luckily,
portable keyboard offers an easy way to Think Outside has drivers readily avail- however, there aren’t supports on the left
input large amounts of information into able on the Web site. After we down- or right edges when you unfold the key-
your PDA or smartphone. Best of all, you loaded the driver, we just had to sync board, so the Stowaway will tip a little if
can find keyboards small enough to fit our PDA with our computer, enable the you press the buttons on these edges too
comfortably in the breast pocket of your keyboard in our Bluetooth settings, and hard. Under normal conditions, though,
suit or in your purse. These devices are we were in business. this won’t be a problem. The rubber pads
getting smaller, lighter, and cheaper than The majority of the keys are the same on the bottom give you great typing trac-
ever, but you need to know if they’re size as a laptop, which makes typing tion. You won’t have to worry about this
worth the investment for you. We looked very easy. The board is fairly stable; keyboard slipping at all.
at a trio of portable keyboards to The only other beef you might
see if we could justify the cost. find with this product is that the
number keys share the top row
Think Outside Stowaway with the QWERTY row of letters.
Universal Bluetooth If you want to enter a couple of
Keyboard numbers, you must hold a FUNC-
The Stowaway Keyboard from TION key down with one hand
Think Outside ($149.99; www and use the QWERTY line, which
.[Link]) dwarfed the doubles as the number row.
other keyboards in the size of the Think Outside nips this potential
price tag, so we were eager to see problem in the bud by offering a
what made it so much better than number lock function.
the competition. Before we even
opened up the keyboard, we no- Freedom Keyboard
ticed that, aesthetically speaking, The principle behind the de-
the Stowaway is much sharper sign of the Freedom Keyboard
than the offerings from Palm and ($99; [Link]) is
Freedom. The silver and grey solid. It has a central hinge that
color scheme really works well lets you open the keyboard as
for the device. Also, Think you would a book, which is nice
Outside has squeezed the same The Stowaway Keyboard has key combinations that launch because it has fewer moving
functionality of the fanciest Microsoft Office applications. parts than the other two. And, as

PC Today / April 2006 65

 Undocked

we all know, fewer moving parts these include easy combinations

means fewer parts that can po- for adding various pronunciation
tentially break. It has a plastic symbols over letters, there are
shell, which, though not quite as other useful functions, as well.
heavy-duty as that of the There are key combinations for
Stowaway, should hold up just you to check your contact list,
fine for travelers. The only bad email, or calendar. You can even
part about the design is that employ a simple combination to
even with the braces set and the launch the calculator on your de-
PDA stand open, the device vice or see how much juice you
doesn’t open to a full 180 de- have left in the AAA batteries that
grees. Because of this, it’s like power your keyboard.
you’re typing on a miniature Instead of using Bluetooth to
teeter-totter. Because only half of connect with your portable de-
the keyboard is touching the sur- vice, the Palm Universal Wireless
face while you’re typing, you Keyboard uses infrared. This is
also get half the traction, so you good and bad. It’s good in the
may notice that this keyboard sense that you don’t have to
slides around when you type. worry about the inherent security
Another hindrance of this key- The keys on the Freedom Keyboard are a little smaller than those risks that go along with using
board is the size of the keys— on a typical laptop keyboard. As a result, the keyboard can fit Bluetooth. It’s bad because unlike
most of the keys on the Freedom more keys into the tiny amount of space the portable design the other two products, the de-
Keyboard are 14mm x 12mm offers. However, it takes a lot of practice (or tiny fingers) to use this vice holder on this keyboard isn’t
compared to the 18mm x 18mm keyboard affectively. removable. If you have certain
of the stowaway Keyboard and a space restrictions or even quirky
normal laptop. This might not work setups, both the Stowaway
seem like much of a difference, Universal Bluetooth Keyboard
but if you have large fingers, and the Freedom Keyboard have
you’ll find it a little difficult to removable device holders.
navigate these smaller keys. Because the Palm Wireless
There are some advantages to Keyboard has a cable connected
having the smaller keys, though. to the arm that sends an infrared
Because the keys are smaller, signal to your portable device,
Freedom fit more of them onto this isn’t an option. If you try to
its keyboard. Unlike the more detach the device holder, you’d
expensive Stowaway Keyboard, snap the wires that send the in-
the Freedom Keyboard dedicates frared signal.
a lot of functionality to number Even though more and more
entry. Not only is the top row products seem to be moving to-
primarily dedicated to numbers, wards accessories that use the
this keyboard also has a number Bluetooth interface, if you have a
lock function with a traditional PDA or smartphone with infrared,
10-key keypad option. don’t hesitate using this keyboard.
If you expect to be doing a lot It has all the basic options key-
of number entry while traveling, The Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard communicates with your board users need, plus a number
give some consideration to the PDA via an infrared connection. of enhanced features such as short
Freedom Keyboard. cuts for checking emails, battery
hybrid of both of the other keyboards in life, and launching Internet Explorer when
Palm Universal this review. It features larger letter keys connected to your computer. When you
Wireless Keyboard like the Stowaway Universal Bluetooth combine these features with a price tag
This device is pretty much all plastic, Keyboard, but, like the Freedom Key- under $70, the Palm Universal Wireless
so it should be able to handle a bump or board, the top row is a row of 14mm x Keyboard is a smart choice if your portable
two, just don’t get too careless with the 12mm keys dedicated to numerals. device supports it.
Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard Palm crammed over 130 functions into
($69.99; [Link]). The keypad is a its Wireless Keyboards. Though many of by Sam Evans

66 April 2006 / [Link]

 Roaming

A Gaggle Of
USB Gadgets
From The Useful To The Bizarre

n the history of personal com- steel knife, scissors, file, and a screw-

I puting, few motherboard compo-

nents have gained the kind of
celebrity and acclaim bestowed upon
driver, and the digital component
comes in memory capacities of 1GB,
2GB, and 4GB.
the USB port. For about a decade, USB If you need to take your flash drive
and its speedier offspring, USB 2.0, have past airport security, it’s no problem
enabled people all over the world to use because you can simply detach the flash
USB-compatible hardware of every drive from the sharp blades. And if
shape, size, and function. On any given that’s not enough, this product also
day at retailers across the world, you’ll serves as an MP3 player and radio. And, of course, there are plenty of
find printers, scanners, hard drives, cam- Connect your headphones, and you can goofy flash drives, too. You’ll find drives
eras, and more, all geared to transfer listen to radio or digitized audio files for resembling fried shrimp and octopus
data using the USB standard. eight hours on one battery charge. dumplings that you can connect to a
The USB standard is especially handy USB extension cable snuggled inside
for frantic notebook users due to the strands of mock spaghetti. Or you can
compact and speedy ports it employs, buy flash drives built to look like action
and it’s the reason we’ve rounded up an heroes and popular cartoon characters.
armful of our favorite USB products for Because petite-sized flash drives are
you to peruse. So USB, how do we love often called thumb drives, you can also
thee? Let us count the ways. buy a flash drive shaped like—you
guessed it—a human thumb.
Wide World Of Flash But flash memory products don’t get
USB flash memory drives are among much weirder than the GhostRadar;
the most crowded product categories in (about $80 for the 512MB version; www
the PC market today for two big rea- .[Link]), a flash drive merged
sons. One, they’re exceedingly useful. with a “radar” designed to help alert
And two, clever product designers keep you to the presence of mysterious
churning out creative new flash drive SWISSMEMORY [Link] MP3 apparitions. GhostRadar includes a
manifestations to capture our eyes Digital Audio Player biofeed-back sensor, a clock-timer, an
and imaginations. array of 16 lights, a beeper, and an
Some products are savvy enough to If you don’t need a razor sharp ultraviolet LED (light-emitting diode).
be both useful and flashy. You can buy knife, you might prefer a flash drive According to the company, Ghost-
a genuine Swiss Army knife crossed that helps you keep time. A number of Radar uses “complex algorithms to ana-
with a flash drive; it’s called the SWISS- products combine watch functions with lyze sensor data, make lunar-cycle
MEMORY [Link] MP3 Digital Audio memory, but the Mr. Gadget Executive adjustments, add biometric feedback
Player (around $180; [Link] Watch (about $220; [Link] from your skin, and pattern-match the
.com), and it’s designed help you slash .[Link]) is one of the classiest-looking real-time energy dispersion.” When
and flash your way through the chal- of the bunch. It features stainless steel GhostRadar detects the presence of a
lenges of everyday life. The tool por- construction, and right on the side of supernatural being, it emits beeps and its
tion of this gadget includes a stainless the watch you’ll find a USB 2.0 port. light patterns change, to “help assess

PC Today / April 2006 67

 Roaming

position, movement, and other duties that low-light then you can offload your images from
risk possibilities.” Ghost- would otherwise impede. your memory card and keep taking
Radar also includes flash You can also detach the pictures. Or, transfer images from one
memory in capacities from tip of the Flylight and con- iPod to another, burn your images
128MB to a maximum of nect it to an aluminum key- directly to a portable CD-RW drive,
2GB, to suit your needs. chain, which will provide move images from one flash card to
light for non computer- another—the possibilities are limited
More USB Goodies related applications. You only by your imagination.
There’s much more to don’t need batteries for the Then again, the possibilities might be
USB than just flash mem- keychain either because the limited by the number of ports you
ory. These products will Flylight charges every time have. Notebook PCs are great because
expand your computer’s Mr. Gadget you use it through your of their portability, but they often have
capabilities and add more Executive Watch USB port. Each charge lasts only a couple of USB ports, which sadly
fun to your computing ses- for about 60 minutes of con- reduces your USB fun. You can resolve
sions, too. tinuous use on the keychain. this problem by adding a USB hub,
One of the problems with mobile such as Belkin’s USB Pocket Hub
computing is that it’s often difficult to Bridges & More ($29.99; [Link]), which plugs
deploy useful input devices, mean- USB products have so many capa- into one port and on its opposite end
ing you’re stuck navigating software bilities, but they often don’t play well features—you got it—four more ports.
through keyboard shortcuts and a together unless, of course, you have a This hub is designed to be lightweight
touchpad. You could get tangled up in a product that acts as a USB referee. and compact, so you can carry and
miniaturized travel mouse, but you Delkin Device’s USB-Bridge ($39.95; store it in your notebook bag without
might be better off with a USB-enabled [Link]) is a clever device that any undue strain.
wireless mouse, such as Logitech’s lets you connect USB devices of varying After you have extra ports, you might
V500 Cordless Notebook Mouse ($69.95; functions without using a computer. realize those ports are too slow. If
[Link]), which incorporates For example, plug your digital camera you’re using a notebook that features
a lot of creative engineering. into one side of the bridge, and your ports adhering to the older USB 1.1
You expand the mouse’s chassis flash memory drive to the other, and standard, you’ve seen that taunting
and eject a USB dongle, which works Windows message you get every time
as a 2.4GHz receiver with an adver- you connect a faster USB 2.0-capable de-
tised range of 30 feet. You can adjust the vice. Well, you can have your revenge
mouse’s height to fit your hand, and by upgrading your slower ports via one
when you’re done with a computing ses- of your PC Card slots. Slip Belkin’s Hi-
sion, stash the receiver, press down on Speed USB 2.0 Notebook Card ($49.99)
the mouse until it’s nearly flat, and store into your PC, and suddenly the old
it in your notebook case. This mouse also notebook you thought was on its last
incorporates a four-way scroll panel (a gasp suddenly has two very fast USB 2.0
next-generation scroll wheel) and has an ports. Using these high-speed ports, you
aluminum body. can save time transferring data to an ex-
A nice mouse won’t help you navi- GhostRadar ternal hard drive and much more.
gate your keyboard in the dark, though. If a single USB product that helps
It’s hard enough to type on a small key- you use many others isn’t enough, you
board in full daylight, so using your can always opt for a device that com-
notebook in a poorly lit setting might be bines three helpful products into one.
enough to trigger a splitting headache. If The Z-TEK USB Notebook XCooler
you use a product such as Kensington’s ($45; [Link]) merges a hub
Flylight 3.0 ($24.99; [Link] of three USB 2.0 ports and a 12-in-1
.com), you’ll make nighttime computing flash card reader with a notebook PC
much easier. The Flylight is just a white cooler. This gizmo affixes to the bottom
LED mounted to the end of a wiry, of your notebook and has a built-in fan
bendable mount that plugs into your that’s designed to keep your PC cool.
computer’s USB port. Adjust the light The XCooler is less than an inch thick
from any angle of your work area, and and weighs about 13 ounces, so you’ll
you’ll be able to see your keyboard, read Logitech V500 definitely know it’s there, but if you
from a paperback, or perform myriad Cordless Notebook Mouse need those data ports and don’t want to

68 April 2006 / [Link]

 Roaming

cables and adapters. For starters, the

company offers several versions of its
retractable USB cables, which use a
spring-loaded mechanism to roll up the
flat cable into a nearly tangle-proof com-
partment. You can also buy a variety of
USB adapters to fit various port configu-
rations, including those from companies
such as Nikon, whose cameras have pro-
prietary connectors.
We could go on an on, but do some
quick searches for USB products, and
Kensington Flylight 3.0
you’ll find many more. You can buy
shavers, fingernail sanders, and pencil
sharpeners, all of which work through
your USB port. There are USB-powered
launchers that let you attack your co-
workers’ desks with foam missiles, lava
lamps and Christmas trees to buoy your
spirits, USB air fresheners, and even
normal-looking paper trays that actually
cost more than $100 because they come
with 10 USB ports to extend your USB-
gadget potential.
With extra USB ports, you can plug in
your self-heating gloves and slippers to
Belkin Hi-Speed keep your fingers and toes warm. Or if
USB 2.0 Notebook Card your fingers are already frozen to the
point of stiffness, pick up a USB mouse
that vibrates when your mouse pointer
passes over menu items and buttons.
mess with a tangle of wire hubs, this is can kill the heat without having to dis- And after you drop cookie crumbs all
a good option. connect the cable from your PC. over your keyboard, you can use a
With so many USB products from duck-shaped USB vacuum to clear out
The Miscellaneous Aisle which to choose and so many different the debris. These products might sound
Just when you think you discovered connectivity options, you might very bizarre, but every one of them is real,
the last possible useful USB product, well need various adapters to help you thanks in large part to USB.
you’ll discover 10 more. You might find navigate all of the possibilities. That’s
any number of these products handy on when you may want to invest in ZIP- USB To Infinity
a business trip or around the house. LINQ’s ([Link]) range of USB Your computer’s simple-looking
When you’re scurrying around the USB port lets you connect all sorts
house packing up for a business trip, it’s of complex, useful, and even com-
easy to forget about your coffee or tea pletely peculiar devices that will
until its gone cold. Invest in a USB Café brighten your day and maybe
Pad ($19.99; available at Think Geek even help you become more
[[Link]]), and productive. If you’re on the
your drink will still be warm road a lot, though, shop care-
when you rediscover it an fully because you don’t want
hour after you made it. This several pounds of USB goodies
stainless steel pad has a simple weighing you down as you travel.
design that will match just Invest only in those products you’re
about any office décor, and it sure will address a problem that you
should keep your drink at a pleasant frequently encounter.
drinking temperature. Appropriately,
the Café Pad has a power switch, so you Delkin Device USB-Bridge by Nathan Chandler

PC Today / April 2006 69

 Roaming

The Hot Spot

Your Guide To Wi-Fi

give unprecedented power to bulky headset to use Skype,

Battle Over landlords that have tenants you can just use the phone
Logan Wi-Fi Continues providing Wi-Fi. According as you would any other
Last summer I reported on to The Boston Globe, Partners phone as long as you have a
a materializing battle in HealthCare System (the par- wireless connection. The
Boston between the city’s ent organization of two major phone comes preloaded with
Logan airport and Massport, Boston hospitals) is opposed Skype’s software and is
the independent public auth- to Massport’s efforts because ready to use out of the box
Christian Perry is a long-time ority that runs it. At that if the authority gets its way, with any wireless network—
contributor to Smart time, Massport insisted that any landlord might have the just type in your Skype user-
Computing magazine and the free Wi-Fi access offered power to shut down tenants’ name and password, and
its sister publications, the in Continental’s President wireless networks. Partners is you’re ready to go.
Smart Computing Learning Club lounge posed a threat currently working to deploy Although the free Skype
Series (no longer in print), to security and threatened wireless systems for doctors service lets you talk free to
and the Smart Computing to remove the airline’s anten- and nurses. other Skype users, you can
Reference Series. Please na even while offering its Although Massport claims call traditional phone users
send your feedback to own $8-per-day Wi-Fi service that charges of a Wi-Fi monop- for a fee. Netgear and Skype
christian@[Link]. throughout the airport. oly aren’t accurate, it does say that the phone will work
Months later there’s still no admit that the Continental with any wireless Internet
resolution in sight, although hotspot would require “sub- access point, whether it’s in
both sides are shouting to stantial resources to monitor a home, office, café, open
state their cases. In addition the installation of antennas” by public hotspot, or any open
to petitioning the FCC (Fed- not only Continental, but by municipal hotspot, but some
eral Communications Com- other airlines, as well. Massport reports circulating around
mission) to overturn the order has its share of it supporters, the product’s announcement
to shut off its Wi-Fi, Con- including Airports Council claim the phone won’t work
tinental has since received International-North America on paid Wi-Fi systems.
the support of the Air Trans- and other airport authorities.
port Association, the CTIA
(Cellular Telecommunications New Phone Enables Ft. Lauderdale:
& Internet Association), and Hotspot Gabbing Hot Hotspots
the Consumer Electronics Making the most of your If you’re thinking of a
Association. But Massport is online time at a hotspot is spring getaway to Ft. Lauder-
backing down neither from crucial, such that whiling dale, don’t forget your note-
its battle against Continental away the time on a phone book or handheld because
nor from a previous order isn’t exactly a top priority. the city’s suddenly full of
against Delta, which received But with a new gadget from free hotspots, thanks to
word from Massport that it Netgear, you’ll be perfectly Broward County. The coun-
can’t activate a planned Wi-Fi justified in gabbing away ty has bolstered its exist-
service in its new Terminal A. because you’ll be using that ing free wireless access with
The decision by the FCC, same wireless connection to several new spots, includ-
which was still reviewing the talk on the phone. ing near the Broward County
case at press time, is crucial to Netgear has created the Main Library, the Broward
the future of hotspots because first Wi-Fi phone that you County Governmental Center
if the commission upholds can use with the free Skype through the Old Himmar-
Massport’s order to block VoIP service. This means that shee area, and along Las Olas
Continental’s Wi-Fi, it could instead of hooking up a Boulevard.

70 April 2006 / [Link]

 Roaming

connection, you’ll be able to announced it was ready to

CES Previews do it without decor-ruining submit a proposal to the IEEE
Wi-Fi Goodness CAT5 (Category 5) wire run- (Institute Of Electrical And
If this year’s International ning through all your rooms. Electronic Engineers).
Consumer Electronics Show You’ll also be able to view Although we’ve already
is any indication, 2006 is streaming content directly seen stream onto the market
going to bring us plenty from the Internet, though it “pre-802.11n” products that
of Wi-Fi-enabled devices, is tough to imagine that are based on the 802.11n
some of which seem des- streams would look any technology, the official IEEE
tined to change not only the good on a high-def television blessing would mean more
way we interact with media of decent size. products and more stability
but also when we watch it Also intriguing is Hand- among them. Once in its
and where we do it. Held Entertainment’s new hands, the IEEE might not
For example, take HP’s ZVUE 500 portable media ratify the standard until
new SLC3760N 37-inch LCD player, which features a 3.5- next year, but new products
HDTV, which is complete inch LCD screen with 320 x using the technical speci-
with 802.11a/b/g, designed 240 resolution, a landscape fications outlined in the
for use with Windows Media video format that can sup- proposal would arrive later
Connect. This Microsoft tech- port 30fps and 1GB of on- this year.
nology will let you view board Flash memory. Of So what’s the big deal
photos and movies on your course, the player also fea- about 802.11n? If you’re
TV that are stored on your tures 802.11a/b/g wireless using 802.11b, your current
computer. With the wireless connectivity, which should maximum speeds will top
provide easy access to out at 11Mbps (though not
This new Wi-Fi video content on likely), and with 802.11g,
phone from your computer you can get theoretical top
Netgear lets and online, all speeds of 54Mbps (again, not
you use any for an estimated likely). Further, with these
hotspot for retail price of less current standards, the best
a phone than $300. That’s range you can get is about
connection not too much to 1,500 feet, not counting inter-
via the free shell out for being ference from walls, other
Skype VoIP the coolest kid on devices, or basically any-
service. the block. thing that gives your net-
work a wary glance. But
802.11n 802.11n will deliver theo-
Edges Closer retical speeds of 540Mbps
The ultra-fast speeds and more efficient range
speeds and impres- than what’s offered by
sive range offered by today’s official standards,
802.11n devices are re- and you also shouldn’t
ality, even if the wireless encounter speed drops in
standard itself isn’t quite a network when you intro-
official, but in a recent duce a device that supports a
surprising announce- slow data rate.
ment, the group behind
the evolving standard by Christian Perry

PC Today / April 2006 71

 Roaming

Stay Connected
Walkie-Talkie Fever

ven as children, we wanted to exception of pushing a button to activate

E stay in touch over a distance.

Over the years, our solutions
have become more and more elegant.
the process, this bears little similarity to
the way we PTT today. Instead of hav-
ing an operator to connect us to our
We started out by yelling. Not very dis- party, we have radio waves.
crete, but it got the job done. Tin cans All modern wireless communication
and string offered a small amount of pri- is based on radio waves. Unlike the
vacy but had nowhere near the range we AM/FM radio or TV signals, which op-
wanted and our wires quite literally al- erate anywhere between 535KHz (kilo-
ways got crossed. Finally, that one hertz) and 220MHz (megahertz), current
Christmas or birthday, we got our first “digital” wireless communication oper-
set of static-filled G.I. Joe walkie-talkies ates on a frequency of 800MHz. A com-
with a range of about 20 feet. The quality munications network pioneered by
didn’t offer much beyond yelling (that’s Motorola ([Link]) called wireless Web services (data transmis-
what we ended up having to do most of the iDEN (Integrated Digital Enhanced sion). Having an iDEN-enabled handset
the time, anyway), but we were finally Network) utilizes the 800MHz wave- is like having an entire office full of
communicating electronically over the length of the spectrum for the SMR equipment in the palm of your hand
airwaves. Well, we’ve come a long way (specialized mobile radio) service. iDEN wherever you go.
since the days of tin and string. The uses TDMA (Time Division Multiple
newest generation of personal communi- Access) technology to split the signal The Power Of iDEN
cation tools offers amazing distance and into six separate time slots. It’s these Further breaking TDMA signals into
quality in a small, sleek package. What time slots that give TDMA its large half- and full-duplex signals is what
follows is a description of the tech- data-carrying capacity. TDMA allocates gives iDEN its power. Duplexing has to
nology behind PTT (Push-To-Talk) tech- each of the different time slots of the do with the manner of the communica-
nology, some details about the service signal to different calls. Basically, what tion taking place. In full-duplex, both
providers, as well as some of the afore- this means is that multiple calls parties can hear each other and speak
mentioned “sleek packaging.” can occupy the same stream of at the same time. This is traditional cel-
data without overlapping giving lular phone service. In half-duplex
A Brief History you speed, quality, and privacy. communication, only one party can
Modern-day PTT technology, com- iDEN can provide all the transmit at a time. This reduces the
monly known as “walkie- wireless communication amount of bandwidth (or space in the
talkie,” is based on the goodies we’re so used airwaves) that the signal requires by
technology that gave us to hearing about these half. PTT operates in this half-duplex
the earliest forms of days: voice communica- regime, which means that in order to
wireless communication. tion (digital voice ser- use it, you’ll have to obey one impor-
A mobile phone user vices), messaging (text tant rule: one at a time.
would push a button to messaging and pag- Think back to the tin-can-and-string
announce to an operator ing), two-way radio, and gizmo we talked about earlier. Half-du-
that he wanted to call plex is the same as only having one set
someone. The operator of cans and string—one person listens,
would ask for the number, The Motorola i870 is one of the other talks. Full-duplex is like
which the user would pro- Sprint Nextel’s newest PTT having two sets of cans and strings as
vide. Finally, the operator (Push-To-Talk)-capable each person can send and receive at the
would connect the mobile handsets. Whenever you’re same time. The hardware has evolved
phone user to the landline not talking, you can listen to to accommodate this potential “short-
number and the conversat- MP3s, check email, or take coming.” You push the send button,
ion could proceed. With the digital pictures. listen for a couple beeps, talk, and then

72 April 2006 / [Link]

 Roaming

release the button. Your party hears a without worrying about A Cingular Wireless answer to
beep, listens, hears another beep, and busy signals or dropped calls. the PTT question is the
can then push his button to talk. As If you want to get into Samsung D357. In addition to
long as both parties are listening for the PTT, there are a couple PTT, it offers Java application
beeps, the system works. more things you should support, Bluetooth connec-
know. First, you’ll need spe- tivity, and a speakerphone.
Why PTT? cial hardware. Because cell
There are a couple reasons that PTT phones operate in full-duplex
can come in handy. First, even if you mode, the two protocols are phone number. (You
don’t need to dial 1.)
It might be stored in
a different address
If you’ve been thinking about going book in your phone,
depending on your
handset model, but the
PTT (Push-To-Talk), number is identical.
Nextel’s version of
PTT, Nextel Nationwide
now’s definitely a good time. Walkie-Talkie, is avail-
able to anyone with a
compatible handset for 10
don’t have long-distance phone service, incompatible. That’s not to cents per minute, per par-
you can communicate across the country say that you can’t PTT with a ticipant. If you know you
at no additional charge with PTT. The cell phone handset, but it are going to use the ser-
PTT network is set up so that you can will have to be a specially vice extensively, you can
communicate with anyone on the net- equipped one. Any of the cel- pay $10 per month and get
work from anywhere else on the net- lular service providers that offer unlimited minutes in addi-
work. You can also communicate with PTT has its own PTT-capable hand- tion to whatever minutes you
multiple users (sometimes as many as sets. Usually, when a phone is PTT ca- have in your basic cellular phone service
100) at once. Sprint Nextel ([Link] pable, you’ll see a larger (usually plan. You can add Cingular’s service,
.com) even offers a service that al- textured) button on the side of the called simply Push To Talk, to your ex-
lows you to use your walkie-talkie phone. This is “the button” that isting voice cellular plan (with compat-
off-network. As long as you have a you’ll use when talking. Talk to a ible hardware, of course) for $9.99 per
compatible handset and retailer at your cellular service month, per line and $19.99 per month
Direct Connect plan, provider to be sure the phone with a FamilyTalk plan. Verizon’s ser-
you can connect via you’re looking at is PTT capable. vice, also called Push To Talk, is only
walkie-talkie even Now that you know about the available in combination with Family
if you’re not on hardware requirements, we Share plans. You get unlimited PTT min-
your wireless cell need to talk about the service utes, but the price is included in your
network. Finally, requirements. The three major basic plan.
and most impor- cellular phone companies
tantly, you’ll always Sprint Nextel ([Link] The Getting Is Good
be connected. You .com), Cingular Wireless If you’ve been thinking about going
can contact other ([Link]), and PTT, now’s definitely a good time.
PTT users with the Verizon Wireless (www Manufacturers are releasing newer,
push of a button .[Link]) all smaller, and more powerful handsets
have their own versions of with loads of additional features and
PTT service that may or the prices of both equipment and ser-
You can get PTT capability may not come at an addi- vice are dropping. With this new tech-
with Verizon service with tional cost when purchasing nology, you’ll always be in contact
the Kyocera KX444 for cellular phone service. In with everyone who’s important to you
under $50. This handset also any case, the phone without having to worry whether
allows you to download your number that others use to you’ve got enough string.
favorite ringers or games contact you via PTT is the
directly to the phone. same as your 10-digit cellular by David Miller

PC Today / April 2006 73

 by P. Bryan Edge-Salois

King Kong Kong must use tree trunks and other en-
Gameloft • [Link] vironmental elements to secure a path
through the jungle, but most of his time
King Kong is a powerhouse, even on is spent climbing and smashing, as any
the small screen. This competent side- giant video game ape’s time should be
scrolling action game contains nine spent. Jack’s role in the game consists of
levels of play in which you alternate minor puzzle solving, block moving,
playing King Kong and Jack, the and door opening.
movie’s human (and less interesting) Kong is visually stunning for a
protagonist. Kong’s levels consist mobile game, with a bright, cartoon-
mainly of smashing dinosaurs (Velo- like look and sharp animation. The
ciraptors and T-Rexes) to protect his only downside to the game is that it’s
cherished “pet” (Ann, the beautiful ac- very short and relatively easy. Most
tress) and clearing a path for her players can probably finish it in less
through dangerous areas. Occasionally than two hours.

Alone: The Horror Begins throughout the game, but running for your
Centerscore • [Link] life rather than fighting is a prudent choice
of action.
An airplane crash has left you, the sole Your broken cell phone serves to receive
survivor, injured and unsure of where you text messages from a mysterious woman,
are. Wandering into the night on a quest driving the plot and giving you informa-
for aid, you only find despair and horror. tion and clues about the game. The story
Wherever you are, the undead roam freely behind the game is well-crafted, and there
and haunt the night. Your only compan- are 12 hidden secrets and multiple endings
ions are a broken cell phone, a flashlight, based upon how you play the game. While
and a cattle prod. Battery power is essential the game itself isn’t visually terrifying, the
to survival; the flashlight kills monsters story and gameplay combine to make a
called Howlers but attracts zombies, and solid survival horror experience with good
the cattle prod kills zombies. Both require replay value.
batteries, however, which are found

Master Of Sword a lot of time battling through dungeons,

MinorAxis • [Link] killing monsters, and leveling up your
character as you quest for keys, magic,
Master of Sword is almost an equipment, and weapons in pursuit of
homage to a style of action-adven- your ultimate goal.
ture/role-playing game largely obso- The game isn’t graphically stunning.
lete now, but this doesn’t make it any The gameplay, however, is the real
less entertaining, and nostalgia works seller here, and it remains fresh and en-
in its favor. tertaining as you are faced with new
Master of Sword throws you into the traps and monsters to defeat
swarthy boots of a nameless hero, throughout the game’s dungeons. It
questing to rescue a beautiful princess. may be the longest mobile game ever,
Cliché yes, but don’t let the cookie- weighing in at 10-20 hours (good by PC
cutter plot deter you from this fun little game standards, and virtually unheard
dungeon crawl of a game. You’ll spend of by mobile game standards).

74 April 2006 / [Link]

The availability and pricing of mobile games is generally dependent upon your service provider. Pricing typically starts
around $2.99, but may include additional connect-time charges for downloading a game. In addition, some providers Roaming
may offer a lower monthly subscription fee or a one-time purchase price for unlimited play. Finally, not all games are
available from all providers for all handsets, so check with your service provider to learn exactly what games are avail-
able for your particular handset.

Shadowgate Classic Adventuring through over 40 rooms,

Vindigo • [Link] you’ll interact with a variety of characters
and objects as you solve an intricate,
Shadowgate is a classic puzzle/adven- lengthy series of puzzles. The numeric
ture game with gaming roots that stretch keypad is assigned various functions for
as far back as the Apple IIc and extend interacting with your environment, such
through several Nintendo gaming con- as using or opening items. If you get
soles (including the Gameboy). stuck, the in-game hint system can help
Shadowgate is composed of a series of you without giving away too much.
intriguing puzzles, in which you play a The graphics are decent and certainly
descendent of royalty in search of the good enough for an adventure game. At
Staff of Ages in order to defeat an evil roughly 20 hours of gameplay (vast for a
Warlock. (OK, so the plot could fit on a mobile game), Shadowgate offers some
cocktail napkin, but then again, your cell of the most (and best) bang a few bucks
phone can, too.) can buy.

Aquarium Pets In time, you can sell off new fish to

Centerscore • [Link] the pet store. (Consider it profitable
population control.) You can also buy
Aquarium Pets is an engaging “pet-sim- new fish with different characteristics that
ulator” in which you populate a tank with you can breed into the current population
fish, then nurture and breed them. Every of your tank.
fish is categorized by Head, Tail, Color, Aquarium Pets is a great casual, low-
and Body, and you can cross-breed fish to maintenance game. It is absolutely per-
produce a virtually limitless variety of fect for pulling out for idle periods spent
breeds. You’ll also feed your fish and influ- in line or waiting for a ride. The graphics
ence their behaviors by tapping their vir- are colorful, the gameplay is simple and
tual tank (causing them to move toward engaging, and you might be surprisedat
the tap) to eat, mate, and avoid being eaten just how engrossing a virtual fish tank
by carnivorous fish like Bruiser (who you can be.
are watching for a friend).

Block Breaker Deluxe Breaker for money and to impress the

Gameloft • [Link] nightclub’s attractive female owner.
Various levels contain “gifts” within the
Block Breaker Deluxe is essentially a bricks you are trying to eliminate. Catch
repackaged arcade/console classic on enough gifts to present to a nightclub
steroids. Move a paddle along the bottom owner and you’ll unlock a new level.
of the screen to keep a ball in play while All told there are 50 levels, seven loca-
destroying a wall of multicolored bricks. tions, five bosses, 11 types of brick, and 14
Certain bricks contain power-ups, which different power-ups, so there is plenty of
do things like split the ball into three balls, variety to keep you entertained. Graphic-
lengthen the paddle, or fire lasers from it. ally, it’s colorful and crisp—probably as
Block Breaker Deluxe adds some twists pleasing to the eye as a tiny screen of
to the formula, including (astonishingly multicolored bricks and a paddle could
enough) a “story” in which you travel be (although those nightclub owners look
from nightclub to nightclub playing Block pretty nice).

PC Today / April 2006 75

 Home Base

The Well-Tuned PC

Feedback Loop
’ve been writing this Toolkit for Windows XP (mi Buttons in that dialog. You’ll
Dave Methvin is chief
technology officer of PC
Pitstop, a free site that
I column for more than
two years now, and
over that time I’ve gotten
[Link]/windowsxp
/sharedaccess) lets you lock
down a PC to prevent it from
lose a bit of the performance
advantage, but it won’t be
very noticeable on a high-
automatically diagnoses some great questions and being hacked beyond recog- end system with a decent
and fixes common PC feedback from readers. I’ve nition. It also has an inter- video card.
problems. Contact Dave at also found out things about esting feature that will One favorite new-system
dave@[Link] some of those subjects that restore Windows settings to tweak that I missed in No-
make them worth revisiting. a known-good baseline state vember was to turn off
So this month, I’ll revise and on each boot so that any sys- image resizing in Internet
Utility Of The Month: extend my remarks on a few tem-related changes made be- Explorer. You may have no-
Microsoft Memory earlier columns. tween boots are not kept. ticed that if you load an
Diagnostic Several readers wrote in Before using this tool, under- image that is larger than the
regarding the March 2006 stand that it has a lot of size of your browser win-
ad memory can cause column (“Good, Bad & powerful and dangerous fea- dow, Internet Explorer auto-
B just about any symp-
tom you can think of,
Ugly Tweaks”) saying they
couldn’t find the Menu-
tures; make a good backup
in case you lock down the
matically resizes it to fit.
This can be annoying, espe-
and the problems that ShowDelay setting in HKEY system to the point where cially on pictures that are
happen don’t follow any _LOCAL_MACHINE sec- even you can’t get in. There’s screen shots because it can
pattern. Diagnosis is com- tion of the Registry. Sorry, a good article describing the make the text in the image
plicated by the fact that a that was my mistake. I features of this toolkit at unreadable. Some users
Windows- based diag- should have said the setting [Link] aren’t even aware that In-
nostic can’t test large was in HKEY_CURRENT /articles/Microsoft-Shared- ternet Explorer is doing this
parts of memory that _USER. Each user on the [Link]. and think that the person
Windows uses itself. computer gets a separate who posted the image has
Memory is often tested as copy of the setting. When- Kick Up Performance put up a very low-resolu-
part of the standard BIOS ever you are logged in to the In the November 2005 tion copy. To turn off this
setup procedure, but computer, your own set- column (“Breaking In A feature, start IE and click
these tests are very quick tings are available in the New PC”), I extolled the Tools, Internet Options, and
and usually won’t reveal HKEY_CURRENT_USER virtues of the Performance Advanced. Under the Mul-
problems caused by inter- keys. The HKEY_USERS key Options dialog. (Right-click timedia heading, find the
mittent memory failures. contains settings for all My Computer, select Pro- Enable Automatic Image
The best solution is to users, but in most cases you perties, click the Advanced Resizing option and clear
test your memory outside should only change your tab, and then click the its checkbox.
of Windows using a low- own settings. Settings tab in the Perform- Just one more winning
level utility. Microsoft of- Speaking of users, the ance section. The Visual tweak, and I’ll move on. If
fers a free Windows January 2006 column (“Us- Effects tab is the default se- you are using a proxy server
Memory Diagnostic ing User Accounts”) covered lection.) Some users wrote to to access the Internet, it’s
([Link]/en/wi some of the ways to lock say they liked the speed but possible that you are suf-
[Link]) you can use to down a computer shared by couldn’t stand the plain grey fering with poor Internet per-
exercise memory and find multiple users. Microsoft “Windows 98” look they get formance because of one
problems. If it doesn’t find now offers another tool ad- when they turn off every- little checkbox. That’s be-
any errors after several ministrators can use to set thing in that dialog. Well, the cause Internet Explorer uses
hours of operation, your up a computer for many good news is that you can a conservative setting when
system memory most users and still maintain get 90% of the eye candy a proxy is enabled. To see
likely is working fine. ❙ control over its configura- back by checking Use Visual if you’re using a proxy,
tion. The Shared Computer Styles On Windows And in IE click Tools, Internet

76 April 2006 / [Link]

 Home Base

Options, Connections, and format, it will include several USB drive without the need
LAN Settings and then see if pieces of identifying informa- for an installer. You can find
the Use A Proxy Server tion, including the name of many free USB-friendly ap-
checkbox is set. If it is, go to the person who created the plications at [Link]
Tools, Internet Options, and document. Although they’re [Link]/[Link]/Portable
Advanced and make sure not visible if you view the _USB_Apps.
that the box for Use HTTP page with a Web browser, A word of warning about
1.1 Through Proxy Connec- they’re plain to see if you buying a bargain-basement
tions is checked. HTTP 1.1 is view the HTML source. flash drive: Some of the low-
a much more efficient pro- Have you been having cost drives out there are
tocol, but for some reason trouble using the wireless ac- built from bad flash mem-
Internet Explorer does not cess at Starbucks? In August ory. There is a limit to the
enable it when you’re us- 2005 (“When Wireless Won’t number of times you can
ing a proxy. If for any rea- Work”), I mentioned interfer- write to a flash memory
son your connection has ence but didn’t specifically chip. Good flash memory
problems after making this mention microwave ovens as should be able to handle
change, just come back and a potential source. One Star- 100,000 write cycles or
clear this checkbox. bucks customer did some in- more. Flash chips built for
vestigating and found out that applications such as BIOS
Embarrassing Data Leaks their TurboChef ovens do an software may fail after just
In October 2005 (“Remov- effective job of cutting off a few dozen write cycles,
ing Hidden Data”) I covered wireless access completely. He but some of these chips
several ways that your has a Web site (tmobiledoes are being used in cheap
system or data files can rat [Link]) to USB flash drives. Because
you out. Although the chronicle his efforts to get the you can’t tell by looking at
Microsoft tools I mentioned problem solved. We have a the memory key, the safest
there can help prevent data similar experience whenever thing to do is buy the pro-
leakage, there are some limi- we use one particular phone duct from reputable ven-
tations to the tools outlined in our house; all the wireless dors. Prices have dropped
in their support database devices disconnect at once so much that it’s not worth
([Link]/kb/ and come back online as soon saving five bucks and risk-
834427). All Microsoft Word as the phone hangs up. ing the loss of your data.
users should also check out OK, that pretty much
a second article (support Apps On USB clears the backlog of items
.[Link]/kb/290945), In both April 2005 and that I’ve wanted to revisit
which describes how you November 2004, I described from previous columns.
can clear out some of this how to build an emergency Many of these were gener-
data, such as the user name, repair kit using USB flash ated because of questions
so that it won’t be put in drives. As these drives drop and requests I’ve received
new documents. in price, people are finding from readers. As always,
There’s another common it even more useful to car- I welcome any feedback
way for information to leak ry both their data and their about topics I have covered
out of a Word document applications on the drives. or things that you’d like to
when people use Word as Some applications run handi- see in the future.
their editor for Web pages. ly from the drive; others run
By default, when you save a from the PC’s hard drive just by Dave Methvin
Word document in HTML by copying them from the

PC Today / April 2006 77

 Home Base

The Latest
Software
Google Pack Beta
FREE • GOOGLE • [Link]
Requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or higher and Windows XP

omputer software never does every- from other companies). From the Up-
C thing you want it to. It seems like no
matter how good and useful a program is,
dater, you can install, run, uninstall,
and get help for each of the programs in
there’s always that one more thing it the Pack. The Updater will also let you
could do to solve an outstanding prob- know when there’s a new version of
lem. When enough of us have that same any of the programs.
issue, along comes an add-on utility to ad- The Google software includes Google
dress it. From file searches to browser Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google
search toolbars to spyware scanners, most Desktop, Picasa2 (an image-editing pro-
of us have more utilities than we know gram), Google Talk (voice and instant
how to keep track. Then, when you add in messaging), Google Earth, and Google
the new version notifiers or definition up- Pack Screensaver. Additional, optional
daters, just trying to log on to your com- programs include Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Web
puter becomes an exercise in saying browser with Google Toolbar, Lavasoft
“No!” Wouldn’t it be nice if a customer- Ad-Aware SE Personal adware scanner,
focused software company developed an Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
uber-utility that gave you one place to with free six-month update subscription,
check all the others? Trillian (IM that works on AOL, MSN,
(You think that I’m going to mention Yahoo!, and ICQ networks), Gallery-
Microsoft, don’t you? Well, I’m not.) Player HD images, Real Networks Real-
It’s Google that has stepped into the Player, and Adobe Reader 7.0. If you
void with its Google Pack. It’s a collec- already have any of these programs
tion of free software and utilities, some installed, the Updater is smart enough to
from Google and some from other com- recognize that and only performs the
panies, which together solve a wide install if the Pack has a newer version.
variety of problems. Most of the soft- Although the individual software
ware will be familiar to you, though the elements, by Google anyway, are lean and
versions included here were specially mean as Windows applets go, the Google
created for the Pack as freeware with Pack visually overwhelms the screen
excessive reminders and ads removed. once you’ve installed it. Google Desk-
What makes the Pack worth having is top installs a search box to the Win-
the Google Updater. This applet lets dows Taskbar, limiting the number of
you manage all the software in the pack minimized applications you can see.
(six programs from Google and seven RealPlayer (if you’ve chosen to install it)

78 April 2006 / [Link]

 Home Base

adds a Quick Launch icon, and Google Earth Beta

the Pack also adds three icons Ever wanted to get a satel-
to the Windows System Tray— lite’s view of the Earth?
four, if you install Norton Google Earth Beta provides
AntiVirus. It also automatically one for free. By combining
installs alerts and will automat- Google’s Local information,
ically scan for news, Web clips, maps, and satellite imagery,
and What’s Hot items. When with the double-click of a
new items are found, an alert mouse you can “fly” from one
bubble pops up over the Sys- location to another. You can
tem Tray. Because there is no trace the paths of roads and
option to customize this on in- see bodies of water and
stall, its appearance is startling, building locations in major
not to mention annoying. cities in the United States and
abroad. Satellite images don’t
Google Desktop 2 display in real time; they
With Google Update you can install, run, get help for, or uninstall any
The search box is part of the of the programs in the Google Pack. are one to three years old.
Google Desktop 2 (formerly Pictures of the World War II
Google Desktop Search). It lets Memorial in Washington,
you perform Google Internet D.C., for example, show a con-
searches from your Desktop, struction zone even though
and the results will also include the memorial opened in 2004.
relevant files on your hard High-resolution images are
drive once they’ve been in- only available in major cities
dexed. Instead of the Deskbar, in the United States, Canada,
you can opt for the Sidebar Western Europe, and Great
configuration, which pins the Britain, and while you can
search box and several other zoom in and tilt perspec-
applets to the side of your com- tive, it’s not possible to see
puter screen. snapshots of someone’s front
The Sidebar applets bring stoop. You can overlay 3D
Google content to your com- buildings, roads, local retail
puter, including a dizzying stores, U.S. Congressional dis-
array of news and news-like tricts, and other items onto the
The Google Sidebar tries to be efficient with screen real estate, but the
items, note takers, maps, images. You can also search
new story alerts and multiple System Tray icons overwhelm the screen.
weather, photos, and recent for directions right within
bookmarks. It’s nothing short Google Earth.
of spectacular that Google was able to Other applets include Quick View, Google acquired Keyhole and has en-
cram so many applets (11 by our count) Scratch Pad, and Todo. While these items hanced the interface and expanded its
into such a narrow space. And if that’s not are somewhat cool, their usefulness is coverage. However, searching isn’t quite
enough for you, plug-ins are available questionable. Viewing a half-inch high up to Google’s standards. A search for
that add a variety of extra features and map of Gliwice, Poland, barely registers Hawaii, for example, turns up “no re-
functionality. The Sidebar is customizable, as interesting. And seeing a slideshow of sults,” a message we’re not used to
so you can resize or remove each applet. randomly selected photos on your hard seeing from a Google product. And
News, Photos, and Maps correspond to drive is nice for the nostalgic factor, but there’s no disambiguation, meaning
different types of Google searches. News hardly productive. Double-clicking the searching for “Bankok” (instead of
displays a headline and source of story items launches them in the appropriate Bangkok) also turns up no results. Still,
and is updated several times throughout application, but each Web item an- Google Earth is free, and although it’s
the day. In addition to News, there are noyingly launches a separate browser hard to come up with ongoing, practical
also Web Clips and What’s Hot. Web window unless you’re using a tabbed uses for Google Earth, it’s pretty cool.
Clips are RSS (Really Simple Syndication) browser like Firefox or Opera. Although
or Atom feeds automatically received Sidebar is a clever piece of engineering, Picasa2
from Web sites you visit frequently. You there’s nothing truly must-have about any It seems like every time you turn
can also manually add feeds. What’s Hot of the applets. It strikes us as more of a around, there’s a new program to help
is a Google-generated list of hot topics. time waster than a productivity tool. you organize and share digital photos.

PC Today / April 2006 79

 Home Base

Picasa2 is another one, but it has two dis-

tinct advantages: It’s good, and it’s free.
Image scanning is fairly quick.
Picasa2 leverages Google’s disk scan-
ning technology to quickly scan your
entire hard drive and catalog image and
video files. It then displays a thumbnail
of all the found images—even the ones
you’ve forgotten.
You can then organize your photos in
one of three ways. First there’s the
Windows Explorer way, which displays
the physical location of files in folders on
your hard drive. Picasa2 displays a folder
name in the left margin with thumbnails
of files on the right. You can edit Folder
descriptions from within Picasa2, which
also changes the folder name in Windows
Explorer. Additionally, you can create
collections, or groupings of photos, Google Earth provides satellite views of buildings, roads, school districts, retail shops, and more
regardless of their physical location on the for major U.S. and international cities.
hard drive. Picasa2 automatically creates
some collections, such as Folders On Disk far. Once you’ve fixed some photos, you pay to extend the subscription; the rate is
and Other Stuff (images that are small or can copy them to a gift CD, print to a currently $29.99 per year.
have nonstandard aspect ratios, such as photo printer, make a screensaver, or Also included in the default Google
banner ads). But you can also create your order a print from a service. Pack are Adobe Reader 7, which reads
own. Additionally you can create labels to PDF files and claims to open 50% faster
tag your photos. But Wait, There’s More than version 6 (which still is not that
Organization is just one feature of If you’re an avid Microsoft Internet much of an improvement); Google Pack
Picasa2. You can also edit images or edit Explorer user and you don’t already have Screensaver; and Google Talk, an IM,
them in batches, as well as create projects it, just install the Google Toolbar. This text, and voice messaging application.
to share images. The editing tools are an adds the ability to start a Google search Talk lets you exchange typed instant
excellent selection of basic tools, including from the Toolbar, which is convenient. It messages with your Gmail friends. Also,
automatic red-eye repair, cropping and also blocks annoying pop-up ads. with the addition of a microphone and
straightening, and automatic lighting and Alternatively, you can download speakers or headset, you can speak to
color adjustments. There are also sliders and install Mozilla Firefox browser your friends one-on-one. If your friend
to make advanced edits to highlights, with Google Toolbar. Firefox 1.5 offers doesn’t have a Gmail account, he can
shadows, and color temperature. Another tabbed browsing, which lets you sign up for Google Talk using a mobile
advanced feature that would be nice to view multiple Web pages in a single phone to send and receive text messages.
have to round out the set is a one- browser window. It also supports RSS One of the optional programs you can
button/slider combination for adjusting and Atom feeds through a feature download is Trillian, a universal instant
color to enhance skin tones, but between called LiveBookmarks and offers quick messaging program. Using Trillian, you
the Warmify effect and color temperature searches of eBay, [Link], Yahoo!, can connect to AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!,
slider, you’ll achieve the same results. and other engines through its inte- and IRC messaging networks. It sup-
Any changes you make to photos grated search box. ports audio chat, group chats, and file
won’t affect the original files. In a slightly For basic protection, you can’t beat the transfers. Upgrading to Trillian Pro ($25)
bizarre workflow, you need to export the Pack’s combination of Lavasoft Ad-Aware gets you video chat and support for
edited photos. You can select the folder to SE Personal and Norton AntiVirus 2005 Jabber/Google Talk networks.
which you wish to save the edited images, Special Edition. Ad-Aware is an adware The other optional programs are
although the default is your original scanner you should run at least once a RealPlayer Basic, the universal audio and
folder name within a folder called Picasa month, though most experts recommend a video file player, and GalleryHD Images,
Exports. While it’s a good idea to force real-time spyware detector in addition to high-resolution images you can use with
you to save the edits to a different file (to manual scanning. Norton AntiVirus the Google Pack Screensaver.
avoid spoiling the original), defaulting to includes a free six-month subscription to
save it to a different structure goes a bit virus updates. After it expires, you have to by Cyndy Bates Finnie

80 April 2006 / [Link]

 Home Base

Trojans, allow the creator to spy on

and/or control an infected PC over the
Web. Controlled PCs, called bots, often
are forced to send spam email or launch

How To attacks on other computers without re-

vealing the real bad guy’s identity.
Also, newer antivirus apps guard

Choose Security against rootkits, a major and growing

threat. A rootkit can take over an OS
at the most basic level, making itself

Software difficult to remove without completely

formatting the hard drive and rein-
stalling everything.
There’s no easy answer as to which is
the best antivirus, as this title could
Stacking Your Defensive Line
change hands every day as new malware
emerges and companies make updates
t shouldn’t have to be this way, but available. Independent testing entities,

I it is. Your Windows PC or laptop

can’t protect itself from the viruses,
worms, spyware, and other threats on the
such as Virus Bulletin ([Link]
.com), generally show the major antivirus
titles for home users (such as McAfee
Internet. In short, you need to install secu- [[Link]], Norton [www
rity software. .[Link]], and Trend Micro [www
.[Link]]), to be highly effective.
What You Need Nearly every current antivirus utility
Buying an Internet security suite is will automatically update itself over
cheaper than buying separate applica- an Internet connection, and you should
tions. Most suites are licensed for use on verify that this feature is enabled.
only one computer, but you can some- Also, most examine email for threats,
times pay more for a multi-PC license. although you should double-check for
You can also piece together a security support of Web-based email such as
lineup with standalone utilities, including Hotmail and Gmail. Finally, if anyone in
free ones. Apart from a lack of tech sup- your family uses IM (instant messaging)
port, free editions typically don’t have software (such as AOL, ICQ, or Windows
particular features some users want. The Messenger), make sure your antivirus
only real danger with free standalone watches this avenue.
apps is that there might not be enough Antispyware. Antispyware is just as
overlap among features to catch every important these days as antivirus. Broadly
threat. Conversely, overlapping features speaking, spyware installs itself on your
between two utilities may conflict with Finally, Windows 98/Me users should PC or tricks you into installing it; makes
each other, and you’ll have to choose check for compatibility before buying
which one to disable. security software. Here’s what to look
In general, antivirus, antispyware, and for in individual components.
certain other utilities come with free up- Antivirus. Using its own detection
dates and upgrades for a set period. After smarts and regularly updated virus
that you need to renew your subscription. definitions, antivirus apps protect a
If you choose not to renew your an- computer against viruses, worms, and
tivirus/antispyware update subscrip- Trojan horses.
tion, your software will continue to Viruses, after the user activates
protect your system from the threats that them in some way, hide themselves in
were addressed in the last update you other files on the PC, often making the
downloaded. However, with every OS, apps, and files unusable along the
passing day, your PC will become more way. Worms can do similar damage, As you install the free antispyware Spybot Search
exposed to new malware appearing on but they spread themselves automati- & Destroy, select Use System Settings Protection
the scene. cally over networks. Trojan horses, or (TeaTimer) to put an active guard on your PC.

82 April 2006 / [Link]

 Home Base

software, we recommend A good firewall will ask you whether it

using antispyware that ac- should let new applications access the
tively protects your system Internet and will remember your decision
so the malware can’t install to avoid bothering you later. The better
itself in the first place. ones, such as Zone Labs ZoneAlarm
The free Spybot Search ([Link]) and Norton, will
& Destroy’s ([Link]- give you enough information to make an
[Link]) TeaTimer informed decision. Look for one with
feature provides active wireless network support.
scanning, as do most retail Antiphishing. Phishing attacks try to
Internet security suites lure you to fake Web sites to get you to
and standalone anti- type in sensitive information, such as
spyware utilities, such bank account and credit card numbers.
as Webroot SpySweeper Generally, the phishing spam tells you
Trend Micro has made a name for itself with effective, ([Link]). So that you need to click a hyperlink to go to
easy-to-use security software such as PC-cillin Internet does Microsoft’s free Win- a site to confirm your personal informa-
Security 2006 ($49.95). dows AntiSpyware beta/ tion. Of course the link doesn’t really go
Windows Defender, which to eBay or PayPal, instead it takes you to a
is free to licensed Win- look-alike page belonging to the scam-
itself difficult to uninstall; and “phones dows users ([Link]/athome mers. Some email clients, such as Outlook
home” with various data it finds on your /security/spyware/software/default 2003, will show you the link’s real desti-
system, including your surfing and pur- .mspx). On the other hand, the longtime nation when you hover your mouse
chasing habits. Adware can be similar, al- standby Ad-Aware SE Personal (www pointer over it.
though its primary purpose is to show .[Link]/software/adaware) Phishing protection is usually bundled
you advertisements. doesn’t actively scan in its free version, al- into security suites and certain standalone
Because the spyware/adware scene though it’s still good to have Ad-Aware apps these days. You should see a warning
has been so volatile the past couple on your PC for a second opinion. message when a site or email has some
of years, the rule of thumb has been to as- Firewall. Firewall software is like a phishy characteristics.
sume that no antispyware utility is 100% gatekeeper, letting approved types of data Antispam. Antispam software can
effective. Keep your antispyware pro- in or out of your PC, yet slamming the reduce the number of ads, offensive
gram updated and run a scan every few door on hackers and Trojans phoning pitches, and unsolicited communications
days. However, passively scanning your home. Windows XP with Service Pack 2 you receive via email. And, because many
system is not enough. Because some has a firewall built in, but Windows worms mass-mail themselves this way,
threats are nearly impossible to remove Firewall isn’t powerful or tweakable updated antispam definitions can provide
without damage to Windows and other enough for many users. an extra layer of defense to stop known
threats from reaching your inbox.
Others. It’s even more crucial to up-
Universal Utilities date your Microsoft products with the
latest security patches than to use any of
o matter which security software you choose, these free utilities should be the software we mention in this article. In
N on your computer, too. Internet Explorer, click Tools and Wind-
ows Update. If you use Office, click the
F-Secure BlackLight beta Office Family link to find updates for
(rootkit remover) free* [Link]/blacklight Word, Outlook, and other apps.

Microsoft Windows Recommendations

Malicious Software Whichever security software you
Removal Tool (removes [Link]/security choose, make sure to create any rescue
various malware) free /malwareremove/[Link] discs or diskettes the installation routine
recommends. If a new threat does breach
Ad-Aware SE Personal your PC’s shields, these rescue media
(passive antispyware) free [Link]/software/adaware might provide the only easy way to fix
the damage.
* During beta period.
by Marty Sems

PC Today / April 2006 83

 Business Travel 911

Network Connection Problems

S A MOBILE COMPUTER USER, you have a unique challenge when it comes to connecting to a

A network or the Internet. Your connection method can change on a daily basis. If you’re re-
ally well-traveled, your connection may even change on an hourly basis.
Considering all the possibilities, it’s a bit surprising that problems don’t crop up more often
than they do. Below are some of the more common problems and a few ways to tackle them.

by Tom Nelson and Mary O’Connor

ETHERNET CABLES DNS

A loose or bad cable is often the cause of If you can connect to your local network
a lost Ethernet connection. As a mobile but not the Internet or some local network
user, you should always keep a spare services, then it’s probably a DNS issue.
Ethernet cable in your toolkit. If your lap- When your Ethernet connection is via
top’s link or activity light isn’t active, the a DHCP server, the DNS information
cable may be bad. Replace the cable and should automatically be configured cor-
try the connection again. rectly for you. However, some networks
prefer that DNS information be config-
DHCP CONNECTIONS ured manually. You can add the DNS
servers you use at home and at work to
The most common wired Ethernet configuration, for both home and work, the DNS list.
is a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server that automati-
cally assigns IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. This is perhaps the simplest Windows 2000/XP
connection method, as well as the least likely to cause problems. When Right-click the My
you connect to an Ethernet network with DHCP, all of the essential prop- Network Places icon. Right-
erties are automatically configured for you. click the Local Area Con-
If you cannot connect using DHCP, there are two common possible prob- nection icon and select
lems, and they share the same solution. Your laptop may be holding onto an Properties from the pop-up menu. Double-
old IP address or other configuration parameters assigned from a previous click the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) entry.
connection, or your laptop can’t find the DHCP server and is using a self- Click the Advanced button and select the
assigned IP instead. To remedy either problem, you can force your laptop to DNS tab. Click the Add button, enter the
release and renew the configuration information. DNS address(es) provided by your ISP or
In Windows XP, right-click My Network Places, either on the Desktop or in IT department, and click OK.
the Start menu, and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Right-click the
Local Area Connection icon and select Status from the pop-up menu. Select the Windows 98/Me
Support tab and click Repair. This will release and renew your IP lease, flush Right-click the My
your DNS (Domain Name Server) cache, register your connection with the Network Places or Net-
DNS service, and perform a few additional housekeeping tasks. work Neighborhood icon
You can perform the equivalent tasks in earlier Windows versions using the on the Desktop. Select the
WINIPCFG command. Click Start and select Run. In the Run dialog box, type Configuration tab and double-click the
winipcfg and then click OK or press ENTER. In the IP Configuration window, TCP/IP adapter line item. Select the DNS
click the Release button and the Renew button and then click OK. If you have Configuration tab. Choose the Enable
multiple network adapters, you can use the Release All and Renew All buttons DNS option, enter the DNS address in the
to perform a Release/Renew cycle on all network connections at once. If you field next to the Add button, and click OK.
still have problems, try the sequence again and then reboot your laptop. Repeat to add other DNS addresses, if any.

84 April 2006 / [Link]

 Business Travel 911

BE PREPARED
STATIC IP CONNECTIONS WIRELESS
With a little
Like many portable devices, laptops are sus-
planning and
If the network you’re trying to connect
to uses a static IP, you will need to ceptible to loose parts. Before trying any- these basic
manually configure your laptop. You thing more complicated or time consuming, tips, you can
must enter the IP, Subnet mask, and Gate- remove and reinsert the wireless card. If
way/Router IP information. If any of this your card uses an external antenna, check to avoid, or at
information is wrong, you will probably be sure the antenna cable is securely con- least work
not be able to connect. The best way to nected to both the card and the antenna.
avoid problems with incorrect informa- New improvements in wireless features
your way out
tion is to avoid changing your network and performance are always popping up. of, the most
settings every time you change locations. Because of this ever-changing landscape, be common
Chances are you don’t have this informa- sure to keep your wireless drivers up-to-date
tion handy; you’ll have to obtain it from to help reduce or eliminate problems that can connectivity
your IT department or ask them to occur when a wireless network uses features problems.
configure the settings for you. that an older wireless driver doesn’t support.
WinXP has built-in support for two Intermittent or slow connections can be the
Ethernet network configurations; how- result of interference from other electrical devices. Most wireless network
ever, one of the configurations must connections operate in the 2.4GHz band, as do many cordless phones,
use a DHCP server, and the other must microwaves, and other electronics. If you’re experiencing problems with
use static or self-assigned IPs. To con- your home network, try changing the wireless channel your access point
figure WinXP for two Ethernet configu- is configured to use. If you’re having prob-
rations, right-click the My Network lems with your work network, consult
Places icon and select Properties from your IT group for assistance.
the pop-up menu. Right-click the Local Weak signal strength can also slow or
Area Connection icon and select Proper- prevent connections. The obvious solution
ties from the pop-up menu. Select the is to move closer to the access point. When
General tab, double-click the Internet this isn’t possible, you can increase the
Protocol (TCP/IP) option, and then effective signal strength by using external
select the Obtain An IP Address Auto- range-boosting antennas. These antennae are
matically option. Select the Alternate available from a variety of wireless manufacturers
Configuration tab and then select the and are an essential part of a mobile toolkit if your
User Configured option. Enter the job depends on staying connected.
appropriate IP address, Submask,
Default gateway, and DNS and/or
Win server addresses, and click OK. CONNECT TO A SPECIFIC NETWORK
WinXP will now automatically switch WinXP maintains a list of preferred networks. Whenever you connect to a
between the two configurations as neces- new network, it will be added to this list. This can cause problems when
sary to make a connection. All you need multiple networks on the list are available at the same time.
to do is plug in the Ethernet cable and You can control the order of preference and whether or not WinXP auto-
boot your computer. matically connects to a particular network. Right-click My Network Places
Earlier Windows versions don’t and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Right-click the Wireless Net-
support the alternate configuration work Connection icon and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Select the
option, but there are third-party pro- Wireless Networks tab. Under the Preferred Networks heading, you will see
grams available that can add multiple a list of every wireless network you have ever connected to. Most will have
configuration support for your Ethernet the word (Automatic) appended to their name. This means that if they are
connection. Some notable possibilities within range, WinXP will automatically attempt to connect to them.
include NetSwitcher ($19.95; J.W. Hance; To change the order of preference, click a wireless network name to select it
[Link]), Select-a-Net and use the Move Up or Move Down button to change its location on the list.
($15; Digerati Technologies; [Link]- To prevent WinXP from trying to connect to every available network,
[Link]), and IPSwitcher (Basic $20, change the tags from Automatic to On Demand. Select a wireless network
Pro $30; Softmate Corporation; www and click the Properties button. Select the Connection tab, remove the check
.ip [Link]). mark next to Connect When This Network Is In Range, and click OK.

PC Today / April 2006 85

 Business Travel 911

Citrix
GoToMyPC Problems
IN 2005 AN INTERNATIONAL DATA CORPORATION report announced that Citrix’s remote-access solution,
GoToMyPC ([Link]), enjoyed the No. 1 leadership position in its category. (Citrix
acquired GoToMyPC and its parent, Expertcity, in 2004.) Since then, GoToMyPC has been scooping
up awards like a cat after goldfish, and more corporations have been taking notice. Consequently,
many remote workers may suddenly find GoToMyPC announcements dropping into their laps.
Is GoToMyPC as easy to use as its many accolades suggest? Will you encounter problems if
you need to use it? Although GoToMyPC is a solution whose approach is brilliantly simple, it’s
not a panacea. Read on to discover what you can expect from this product.

by Jennifer Farwell

YOUR GO-TO GUY SET IT UP BEFORE YOU HIT THE ROAD

If you have ever used pcAny- Your corporate IT administrator can set up GoToMyPC and install the program on
where or any of the remote access your host PC using a remote installation process. If this is not the case, you will handle
programs on the market, you the simple setup and installation process. (Depending on your company’s IT setup,
know that setup and connection you may need your corporate login information [and possibly administrator-level ac-
can be a bit complicated. GoTo- cess to your PC] to complete the next steps.)
MyPC, a hosted service that re- Check your email for an invitation to set up GoToMyPC. (Contact your IT department
quires minimal installation and if you do not have a message.) In the message is a hyperlink you click to start the activa-
little configuration, erases these is- tion process. If the link is not active, you can cut and paste it into your Internet browser.
sues from the map. The link directs you to the GoToMyPC new user page, where you provide your
In order to access your host PC first and last name and create a password. This must be a strong password of eight
from a remote computer, the host characters or more. After you create an account, you receive a prompt to download
must be a broadband-Internet- and install the GoToMyPC software for your host PC.
connected Windows machine After you complete installation (accepting the default install location), GoToMyPC will
turned on and running the launch and request the invitation email address and your new account password. It will
GoToMyPC host service. On the also request you create a nickname and access code for the host PC. (You will need the
remote side, the PC must be able email address, account password, and access code to establish remote access.) When
to connect to the Internet with a setup is complete, no further installation or configuration is required.
standard dial-up (56Kbps [kilobits
per second]) or faster connection.
The information that follows CONNECT AS USUAL
assumes you will be an autho-
rized user of the Pro (small busi- Virtually any Internet-enabled notebook or desktop computer (Windows, Mac, Sun, or
ness) or Corporate (enterprise) Linux OS) or Windows CE-based handheld PC can create a remote connection. This
GoToMyPC edition. If you are includes not only your own machines, but also those at the airport or the local coffee
interested in using the GoTo- shop. To make the connection, you log in to the GoToMyPC Web site, which in turn
MyPC Personal edition to access authenticates you and creates a preauthorized, end-to-end secure, 128-bit encrypted,
your home PC, sign up directly two-way network link between the remote PC and your host computer.
at the GoToMyPC site ([Link]- GoToMyPC replicates the host PC’s desktop environment in a window on your re-
[Link]). (The process will mote machine, and you may be able to do anything from the remote PC that you could
be similar to that described here.) normally do on the host. This includes opening and running programs, sending email,
Do not attempt to use GoTo- and downloading or uploading files. If your office PC is authorized to access the com-
MyPC Personal edition in a cor- pany network, you can do that, as well. From the GoToMyPC window that displays your
porate environment without host desktop, use whatever method (Network Places or My Computer, for example) you
proper authorization. normally use to access the corporate network drives.

86 April 2006 / [Link]

 Business Travel 911

TROUBLESHOOT GoToMyPC

After asking several users,

scouring some tech fo-
rums, and perusing some
independent analyses, we
found no major technical
issues reported with
GoToMyPC. However, we
did uncover some situa-
tions where impediments
might pop up.
After you install the
GoToMyPC host service,
you see no further activity
or prompts. One of the in-
stallation screens contains
a checkbox offering to
launch the application after
installation. If it is not se-
If your handheld device runs Windows CE and has Internet access,
lected, the service will not
you can access your office Desktop remotely from it.
launch. Start the GoTo
MyPC service from the
Start menu by selecting All temporarily restricted your Corporate, which gives ad- your session terminated
Programs or Programs and access to enable another ministrators greater power while you were gone.
then selecting GoToMyPC. user (and stay within the to restrict access. Your IT administrator can
You cannot connect re- licensed access limit). Remote access seems control the length of time
motely to your host PC. Your password does not slow. Your access will al- the remote session stays
Depending on the OS of allow you to log in to ways be limited by the active with no activity.
the remote PC, you may GoToMyPC. GoToMyPC speed of the remote con- If you left your PC for
need to use a browser that offers enhanced security nection, which is why a few minutes or more,
is Java enabled. When used settings including the re- Citrix recommends a it may have terminated
improperly, Java can in- quirement for one-time high-speed connection at automatically.
crease browser vulnera- passwords. If your pass- both ends. Additionally, You played an audio
bility, and some businesses word does not work, file transfer, video play- file but nothing hap-
disable it on public com- contact your IT adminis- back, and other band- pened. You can play audio
puters. For best results, trator as he may have width-intensive opera- and video files remotely.
your remote PC should be added this requirement. tions can slow the service However, GoToMyPC
a Windows-based machine You cannot print, up- down considerably. does not transfer audio.
with Java enabled. load or download files, or You stepped away from Instead, it will play on the
If the browser you are invite another user to be a the PC for a minute and host PC’s speakers.
using has Java, ensure guest remotely. Your
your host PC is up and IT administrator may have
THE ROAD HOME
connected to the Internet. restricted access to certain
Ask if your company potentially compromising GoToMyPC is amazingly easy to use, making it a per-
places restrictions on the functions including those fect fit for beginner or intermediate PC users. With
days or times when you listed in the previous para- Citrix’s reputation and global networking and data
can gain remote access. It’s graph. If you previously storage power behind it (making downtime virtually
also possible certain types had a capability you do impossible), it’s an attractive solution for any company.
of machines (especially not have now, it’s pos- Make sure you lay the groundwork on the front end
public computers) do not sible your company up- (including obtaining access authorization appropriate
qualify for access or that graded from GoToMyPC to your tasks), and you should enjoy many hours of
your IT administrator has Pro to GoToMyPC hassle-free remote connectivity.

PC Today / April 2006 87

 Business Travel 911

Jet Lag & Other

AVOID JET LAG

In lieu of a handy-dandy tablet, there

are some practices which may help to

Sleep Difficulties either prevent jet lag or at least stem

its effects.
Preflight. Schedule your flight for
daytime travel and mid-evening arrival,
so you minimize the shock to your
IF YOU TRAVEL FREQUENTLY, the odds are against you system. Get plenty of rest; you can’t
when it comes to feeling well rested and at peak count on catching up on sleep during
mental performance. Jet lag is probably the most well- your flight. Begin adjusting your sleep
known sleep-related obstacle for business travelers, schedule to that of your targeted time
but it is hardly the only sleep-stealing force you must zone a few days before your trip and
contend with when away from home. consider setting your watch to your
destination’s time, so you can mentally
by Kylee Dickey and Ryan Syrek prepare. As for your diet, curtail caf-
feine consumption, eat a good breakfast
(preferably at the time that denizens of
JET LAG your destination will be eating it), and
Sure, you can call it dis- Combine that with your discomfort in limbs, avoid alcoholic beverages.
ruption or desynchro- preflight condition difficulty eating, and In-flight. Drink as much water as
nization, but jet lag by (planning is often more (the least fun of them you can and avoid caffeinated bever-
any other name still exhausting than the all) bowel problems. ages because they tend to dehydrate
feels a lot like having trip), the airplane’s stale Magic pill? The you more. Sleeping pills and melatonin
your brain stir-fried. and dry air, cabin pres- Holy Grail of travel (an herbal supplement that stimulates
Primarily associated sure (humans weren’t cure-alls, the anti- drowsiness) have long been pre-
with a journey that built for life at 30,000 jet-lag pill, is still scribed, but research suggests that
crosses time zones, this feet), and tight confine- more theory than these options will be counter-produc-
travel side effect is an- ment, and you have the practice. Homeo- tive because they tend to produce a
noying at best and near formula for jet lag. pathic options, such feeling of lethargy. Consult your
incapacitating at worst. These factors com- as No-Jet-Lag (www doctor for more information about
Although there’s no bine to cause symp- .[Link]) and sleeping pills and melatonin. An alter-
100% guaranteed deter- toms that you would JetEase ([Link] native to dozing in-flight is exercise.
rent or cure, there are not wish on the most [Link]), offer all- Though Tae Bo is out of the question,
some possibilities that annoying travel com- natural potential solu- stretch your arms, neck, and legs.
may help you send jet panion. Fatigue and tions. [Link] (Take a walk up and down the aisle, if
lag packing. disorientation are ([Link]) you can, especially on a long flight.) If
How do you catch common, reducing provides jet lag cal- you opt not to sleep, stay alert; a sharp
jet lag? Thankfully, jet your ability to concen- culators designed to mind may be your best defense.
lag is not an airborne trate and focus (which help you predict your Post-flight. The key is to become
virus, though the can be a real drag on potential risk. Some one with your surroundings. If it is
causes do start while business trips). You companies, such as daytime when you land, resist the urge
you are airborne. The may also find yourself [Link] to sleep (even if you’re tired and it’s
main culprit is a change unable to secure a ([Link] nighttime back home). Instead, expose
in time zones. Your comfortable sleep .com), even offer spe- yourself to as much daylight as pos-
body is a machine, and schedule, turning into cific diets. Although sible. Your circadian clock is sensitive
machines like routine. a travel vampire— these solutions claim to sunlight; you instinctively wish to
When that routine is al- sleeping all day and to be foolproof, the sleep in the dark and wake in the light.
tered by a change in rising at night. Many Mayo Clinic suggests, Stay active and stimulate your body.
your schedule, your travelers also report in- sadly, that there is (Unleash the Tae Bo upon landing.) If
body flashes its “service creased tension, dehy- still no single cure for it is night when you arrive, hit the sack
engine soon” light. dration, headaches, jet lag. as soon as possible.

88 April 2006 / [Link]

 Business Travel 911

BETTER SLEEP

The altered sleep-wake but will also recognize be able to use the sound of mattresses, sheets, and
cycle associated with jet their smell. the air conditioner or even alarm clocks. The hotel also
lag is not the only obstacle Sights and sounds. We radio static to block out carefully controlled room
to getting rest. You must all know that hotel condi- some of the noise that temperature, lighting, and
also contend with factors tions are unpredictable. keeps you awake. other sensory cues.
such as an uncomfortable Some rooms are pitch- If the room is too quiet If you stay in a hotel that
hotel bed, unfamiliar black, while others have to sleep, try to re-create the has a particularly comfort-
surroundings, and noisy light shining through the sounds of home. This may able bed, you should try to
hotel guests. window and onto the bed. mean packing your night- book future stays with that
Out of your element. We One night, a hotel may be stand alarm clock if you are hotel chain. Most hotel
discussed how jet lag occurs very quiet. The next night, accustomed to its tick-tick- chains furnish each of their
in part because the body is a you may share the floor tick during the night. hotels with the same brand
machine that likes routine. with a loudly arguing Finally, although it is of mattresses, so if you
This applies not only to couple, a group of noisy convenient to stay close to slept especially well on a
your schedule but also to teens on a class trip, or a the airport, try to book stays Sheraton Hotel’s Sweet
your surroundings. There crying baby. at hotels that are not near Sleeper mattress, don’t un-
are some very simple things According to the the airport. If planes fly derestimate the value of
that you can do to make National Sleep Foundation, overhead all night, you will staying in Sheraton Hotels
your hotel room feel more it may only take 40dB almost certainly lose sleep. in the future.
like home. You might pack (decibels), or the equivalent Sleep surface and tem- You may even want to
a framed photo of your of a buzzing insect or a perature. If you doubt that contact hotels you con-
family that normally resides dripping faucet, to keep us sleep environment is essen- sider staying at to see if
on your nightstand at home awake. Always pack a pair tial to your health and per- they have incorporated
so that it is still the last of earplugs in case you formance, consider this: any sleep research into the
thing you see before turning need to create a quiet The U.S. Olympic Training design and furnishing of
off the bedside lamp. sleeping environment. Center hired a sleep expert its rooms. Many hotels
If you are especially af- Similarly, keep blindfolds to modify athlete rooms at today recognize the value
fected by new environ- in your luggage, so you can the Hilton Hotel to im- business travelers find in
ments, try bringing your create a dark room, even if prove their sleep and there- restful sleep and have con-
own pillow and blanket the parking-lot light illumi- fore also their reaction sulted sleep experts to
with you. Your brain will nates your hotel room at times and performance. create ideal sleeping sur-
not only recognize the fa- night. If you should forget Athlete rooms included faces, lighting conditions,
miliar feel of these items your earplugs, you might carefully selected beds, and environments.

LIGHTS OUT
Getting enough shut-eye on the road can be difficult, but with a little bit of
planning, you can avoid some of the effects of jet lag and create a sleeping
environment that will encourage restful sleep. A visit from the Sandman
may be just what you need to prepare for the next day’s business meeting.

PC Today / April 2006 89

 Business Travel 911

Crashed PDA
IT’S HAPPENED TO EVERY PDA owner at one point or another. You need to know if you’re available for a
lunch meeting next week, so, you retrieve your handy PDA from your pocket and press the Calendar
key just as you’ve done at least 100 times before. Only this time, no schedule displays. “Well, that’s
funny . . .,” you say to yourself. You power the device off and back on. Still no luck. You whisper a
cross word and maybe even bang your PDA against your palm a few times. Then you try again to
access the calendar—to no avail. That’s when it hits you: Your PDA has gone and tossed itself off a
cliff and crashed.
If you’re one of the unfortunate owners of a crashed PDA, what do you do? Well, the very first
thing is a piece of advice given to society at large by Douglas Adams (author of “The Hitchhiker’s
Guide To The Galaxy”): “Don’t Panic.” Follow a few steps and you can manage and handle everything in due time.
The first thing you need to do is ensure that your device is truly, and without-a-doubt, done for. We provide several tips for things
you can check. All the information in this article applies to Pocket PC and Palm OS devices except where noted.

by Joe Peacock

CHECK THE BASICS FIRST THE TREO

Although it might sound a bit much worse. So be thankful. locate the reset hole. This hole TWO-STEP
silly, the first step we suggest However, if contrast settings is just big enough to insert a
for ensuring a truly crashed are not the problem, the next straightened paper clip into. Many PDAs have a reset
PDA is to make sure your step is to check for a bad bat- Some manufacturers hide a button you can simply
PDA’s contrast isn’t turned all tery. Plug you PDA into the “reset pin” beneath the tip of locate and push. The Treo
the way down. Don’t be em- wall and run it off of AC the stylus for this purpose, so 650, though, requires that
barrassed if your PDA’s con- power for a bit. If your PDA check for this pin before grab- you push the Battery
trast is turned down. We’ve works, you simply need to bing a paper clip. Insert the Door Release button
all had this happen to us at replace the battery. This is an reset pin/makeshift tool into to access the reset
one point or another, and especially notable problem the hole and gently press to button inside.
really, the alternative is so with Compaq and HP brand perform a soft reset. This will
Pocket PC devices that free any resident applications
include wireless networking locked or looped in memory. 1
and/or Bluetooth. HP now If you use a Palm OS
offers a fix at [Link] device there’s a special soft
.[Link]/support/files reset you can perform called
/handheldiPAQ/us/down a warm reset. This type of
load/[Link], which will reset bypasses potentially
help you avoid completely troublesome system exten-
draining your PDA’s sions and ensures your
battery and rendering device is restarting from the
the device useless. very beginning of the boot
If the battery isn’t procedure. Perform a warm
to blame, turn reset as you would a soft 2
your PDA over reset, but this time hold
so the display is down the Page Up button on
facing down and the front of your PDA.

For someone who relies on his PDA exclusively for

contact and document management, a crashed PDA
can spell disaster. Fortunately the probability of data
recovery is extremely high.

90 April 2006 / [Link]

 Business Travel 911

PREPARE FOR THE WORST TRY A HARD RESET

If none of these If the soft or warm reset didn’t do the trick, you’ll need
steps succeed in re- to perform a hard reset. This type of reset will wipe your
turning your PDA device clean and return it to the state in which it was shipped
to a working state, to you. When performing a hard reset, you will lose all data
you may have no and preferences in your PDA that aren’t saved to external
choice but to return memory. (This is why it’s so important to regularly back up
the device to the all data, applications, pic-
Sync at least once a day to tures/videos, or other
manufacturer for
ensure all your data is backed files, so that you
repair or replace-
up and current can restore them
ment. If it’s past the
warranty date, it from your PC
might be time to simply purchase another PDA. in a situation
(This may be your preferred option because such as this.) A
with the rate at which technology improves, it hard reset is irre-
might just be time for an upgrade. And this is the versible. You have
perfect excuse to get that hot, new unified device.) been warned.
Of course, purchasing a new device means you To perform a hard
have to start over with your PDA. But this process reset on a Palm OS-
You pull out your PDA, press the based PDA, you want
isn’t nearly as painful as it seems, provided you are Power button, and nothing happens.
diligent in backing up your data. To restore your to follow the steps for
Don’t despair; There’s still hope. There a warm reset, only
old, backed-up data on a new device, try the fol- are several troubleshooting tips you
lowing steps: this time you will
should try before chucking your PDA hold down the Power
• Sync at least once every day to ensure your into the trash.
contact and message data is up-to-date and that button and the Up
you have backups of your applications should arrow key. After the
you ever need to restore any data. If you use device restarts, release the Power button first and then the Up
Outlook to manage your Contacts, Calendar, or arrow key. The device will prompt you to choose whether to
Tasks, be sure to back up your personal profile’s proceed with the reboot or to abort. This is your last chance to
[Link] file to a separate location in the very back out because continuing with the reboot will return your
unfortunate event that your PDA and computer PDA to its default (or “out-of-the-box”) settings.
crash in the same day. With Pocket PC-based devices, each manufacturer has its
• Whenever you download or purchase apps for own specific method of performing a hard reset. Sometimes it’s
your device, keep all of the install files in the a switch on the bottom of the device, other times it’s a specific
same folder on your computer. For added protec- button sequence that you must perform. Refer to your device’s
tion periodically copy these files to CD or remov- documentation for specific instructions or visit your favorite
able storage. Also, bookmark every Web page search engine online and enter your device’s model number
from which you download software. This will and the words “hard reset” as the keywords for the search.
give you an extra measure of protection should
your sync database become corrupted or lost.
• Keep all application CDs in a single box or
manila envelope. Add to this container the in- Although it might sound a bit silly,
stallation CD, instruction manual, and war-
ranty information that came with your PDA.
Keep this container in a cool, dry place. the first step we suggest for
• If you use applications a friend or co-worker
beamed to you from his PDA, make sure you
know the source of those apps. There is a
ensuring a truly crashed PDA is
chance that person may be unavailable during
your restore, so you want to find out where he to make sure your PDA’s contrast
purchased or downloaded the program to aid
in your search for the data you want to reload.
isn’t turned all the way down.

PC Today / April 2006 91

 Go Light

The Delayed
Traveler A d m i t I t , T h i s I s T h e F i r s t P a g e Yo u T u r n e d T o
by Marty Sems

When You Cell Phone

Absolutely, Positively, Games
For The Stranded & Bored
Have To Be There In 10 Minutes
ere’s a handy list of stupid cell
H phone tricks to while away the
hours. That is, besides calling your sister
or playing Tetris. We’re sure you’ve
thought of those already.
(SOURCES: [Link], [Link], [Link].)

• Escape from dreary conversation

by feigning a long call.

• Escape attentions of a creepy person

by feigning even creepier prank calls.

• Go through your contacts

f only you were Bill Gates or the

I Sultan of Brunei, you’d be home

by now. With such deep
pockets, you’d be able to buy your
Jets
SR-71 Blackbird
Boeing 747-400
2,193mph
583mph
and update them.

• Test your phone display’s mettle as a

flashlight.
own high-speed transport, and you
Trains • Experiment to find the absolute worst
could leave whenever you wanted.
TGV Atlantique, France 320mph area of signal strength in the airport.
In the meantime, while you’re Amtrak, typical train 100mph
waiting on your poky, mundane • Create a little song out of your ringtone
Cars
transportation, here’s a glimpse at Thrust SSC 763mph choices; rap over it.
how fast you could be traveling. Interstate, typical 75mph
• Use your phone as a shuffleboard puck;
bet against other strandees.
Flash Some Prestige • Play Tricorder.
(“Two to beam up, Mr. Scott.”)
hen you’re looking at an unexpected overnight stay in an airport,
W here’s some flash memory you’ll wish you hadn’t flashed around
quite so much. The SWISSMEMORYprestige from Bonfort, Swissbit, and
• Play Phaser. (“It’s dead, Jim.”)

Victorinox is a regular USB 2.0 memory key with an irregular housing • Play snub-nosed .38. (“You dirty rat!”)
([Link]). How does real gold or silver sound? You can even have . . . On second thought, better not.
Bonfort throw in a monogram or embed some diamonds, if you’re all • Text the hottie at the Delta gate.
about the bling. Prices for this limited series range beyond
$30,000. Oh, and there’s a rather hypnotic animation of the • Hold your phone forlornly after the
thing at [Link]. battery goes dead.

92 April 2006 / [Link]