Business Software Buying Guide

The Basics: Business Software

Whether running a household or a small business (or both), business software and productivity software makes many of the jobs easier. Whether its financial or accounting software, databases, software suites, presentation software, or word processors, these tools make your tasks run more efficiently.

If you are just starting to organize your affairs on a computer, you should evaluate your needs. Many standalone programs can also handle minor tasks, such as spreadsheet-like tracking or desktop publishing, that would save on buying a whole software package. Also make sure of the capabilities of the software suite on your computer, if you have one preloaded.

Personal finance software keeps track of your expenses and income so that you can plan your financial future. These programs handle such details as managing investment portfolios, printing checks, scheduling and making online payments, comparing loans, shopping for mortgages, investigating insurance options, and organizing tax records. The latest editions of these programs can store financial information on the Internet. Two programs stand out: Microsoft’s Money and Intuit’s Quicken. You might find other financial programs offered for sale on the Internet or through mail-order catalogs, but none of them match the features provided in these two.

Digital Cameras Buying Guide

The Basics: Digital Cameras

The prices of digital cameras have dropped in recent years to a point that they are about as affordable and flexible as similarly equipped film cameras. Most digital cameras will provide the same quality or better for a similar price, so there is no important reason for the average photographer not to buy a digital camera.

Instead of recording images on film as regular cameras do, digital cameras capture images with a CCD (charge-coupled device, a light-sensitive circuit) and record them on magnetic media. The number of images you can store at once depends on the amount of memory you have (storage media come in sizes from 16MB to 256MB and more) and the resolution of the images you are taking. The magnetic storage disks or cards are removable, and you can transfer images via special connectors to a computer for manipulation, e-mailing, Web-site posting, viewing on a TV, incorporation into an A/V or multimedia presentation, or printing. Some printers can connect directly to your digital camera for direct printing without a computer.

There are three basic body styles to consider. The compact or ultra compact digital camera fits inside your shirt pocket. There is a “wow” factor to these cameras, and they are convenient, but you will be paying a premium for the size or lack thereof. The standard camera is bigger, provides better quality for the money, and is usually able to provide all the features that a typical “point-and-shoot” photographer needs. The digital SLR camera provides the best quality shots of the three. The lenses can be changed, and the camera provides a great deal of flexibility. The cost is higher than either the compact or standard digital cameras.

ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition Expert Review

ATI’s Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition is their current flagship graphics board. With 256MB of GDDR3 memory and extremely high clock speeds, the XT Platinum won’t necessarily lead to more frags in your gaming, but it will definitely make them look prettier.

The core clock speed is 540MHz and the memory clock is rated at 590MHz (with dual data rate leading to an effective clock of 1.18GHz). That kind of power is going to need some serious cooling, and the XT Platinum has it built in. The large red fan on the side of the graphics processor means the card will take up two slots inside a computer, so you need to make sure you’ve got the room for it. The fan is a bit noisy when you first boot up the system, but it powers down to barely audible levels and is fairly quiet even when gaming for extended periods.

There are DVI and VGA connections (one each) on the back of the card, letting you hook up your system to two displays (ATI includes DVI-I-to-VGA adapters for analog displays). There’s also integrated HDTV support, so you can output the signal to an HDTV monitor for extremely high-resolution gaming.

Keyboards and Mice Buying Guide

The Basics: Keyboards and Mice

When we speak of input devices, we’re usually referring to keyboards and mice, although there has been a variety of other peripherals that have tried to break into this genre over the years. However, the lion’s share of the input device market continues to be owned by mice and keyboards.

That said, mice and keyboards come in all shapes and sizes. New technologies and features are continually added, changing the way you interact with your system, but the basics have mostly stayed the same. In the past, mice and keyboards connected to a computer via PS/2 ports, but most new input devices are USB. You can still find some input devices that ship with a USB-to-PS/2 converter, or you can purchase a converter separately if you want to connect a new mouse or keyboard to an older machine.

Keyboard range from basic, no-frills models like the ones that ship with budget PCs, to high-end ergonomic wireless boards that let you program all sorts of functionality into shortcut keys. Even the most basic keyboards include a number pad, usually on the right side, for faster entry of numbers. You’ll also find a row of function keys across the top that can be used for accessing menu features without a mouse. More advanced (but by no means top-end) features include multimedia controls and programmable “hotkeys.” There are keyboards that are geared towards specific users, such as digital photo editors or gamers. Some models include built-in wrist rests and USB ports.

Desktop Computers Buying Guide

The Basics: Desktop Computers

New first-time computer buyers used to buy desktops for menial tasks like word processing, checking e-mail and Internet browsing, or managing checkbooks and recipes. It’s become much simpler for the consumer to use their new computer as a multimedia machine, managing photos, music, and even movies with a DVD drive. Dedicated game players will likely want a faster computer with more memory, but most entry-level computers (at entry-level prices) have enough speed, memory, and storage to handle all these tasks. Powerful computers are becoming more affordable, and many budget models will let you burn CDs, run sophisticated operating systems, and play the latest video games right out of the box.

It’s never been easier or less expensive to buy a state-of-the-art personal computer. It wasn’t long ago that computer manufacturers were striving to come up with a sub-$1,000 PC. For a while, there were even stripped-down, basic machines on the market for less than $500, though the poor profit margins on these systems have pretty much forced them from the market. The winner here is, of course, you. Options for the PC buyer abound like never before. Keep in mind that “basic” is a very relative term. Even the most basic PCs these days provide features and performance that are astonishing.

BenQ FP231W 23-inch LCD monitor Expert Review

The BenQ FP231W is an attractive 23-inch LCD monitor that offers a lot of bang for the buck.

It features a variety of connection options, including composite video, S-video, D-sub (analog), DVI-D (digital), audio, and USB ports. If you have multiple computers and need to save some desk space, you can share the FP231W between a pair of PCs or a Mac and a PC. The FP231W can tilt and swivel and the height is adjustable, so you can find just the right angle for comfortable viewing.

The wide format makes the monitor easy to work in multiple applications simultaneously while still being able to see most or all of every open document. An optimal LCD resolution of 1,900X1,200 dpi provides clear images and crisp text, even at small font sizes. The wide viewing angle of 176 degrees helps reduce color shift and image blurring when viewing the display from off-center.

A row of seven control buttons on the right side of the monitor includes Power, Enter (accesses the on-screen display menus), Up (increases the selected adjustment, and also serves as the hot key for the LCD brightness control), Down (decreases the selected adjustment, and also serves as the hot key for contrast), Input (switches the input signal from one computer to another), and Exit (returns to the previous menu or exits the on-screen display).

The seventh button, called iKey, automatically adjusts horizontal and vertical positioning. The on-screen menu is colorful and easy to navigate.

The FP231W has four USB ports, so you can use it a USB hub and free up ports on your computer. One of the four ports is dedicated to webcam use, and its location at the top of the monitor makes it awkward for any other purpose. The FP231W 23-inch LCD monitor’s package includes power, D-sub, and DVI-D cables, a setup card, a user guide, and a CD-ROM with drivers and utilities.

The 16-millisecond response time works to eliminate ghosting in fast-moving images, including video and action games. Image quality and sharpness of the BenQ FP231W are above average, although color fidelity may not quite meet the needs of graphics professionals.

Pro: Above-average image quality. Pleasing collection of features, including multiple input options, tilt, swivel, and height adjustments, as well as picture-in-picture. Includes analog and digital cables.
Con: Color fidelity falls a bit short for high-end graphics work.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

BenQ America Corp.
53 Discovery
Irvine, CA 92618
949-255-9500
http://www.benq.com

Creative Zen Nano Plus MP3 player Expert Review

Why settle for a boring white or silver MP3 player when the Creative Zen Nano Plus is available in a virtual rainbow of ten color options? This stylish little portable comes with either 512MB or 1GB of Flash memory. With no moving parts, Flash memory is completely skip-free, making the Nano Plus ideal for a listener with an active lifestyle.

In addition to MP3 files, the Nano Plus is also compatible with WMA, which some audiophiles consider to have a better sound compared to similar-size MP3 files. The player has five preset equalization curves designed to enhance specific types of music, as well as a user-defined custom setting. The Nano Plus’s frequency response is 20Hz to 20,000Hz, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 90dB.

The Nano Plus is a very flexible system, with an LCD display that can flip to make it easier for left-handed users to read. There are a variety of shuffle modes to add fun to your playlist, and the Nano Plus also includes a FM tuner. Instead of always loading files from a computer via the USB 2.0 port, this MP3 player allows you to record audio directly into memory using either the line input or the built-in voice microphone.

In addition to digital audio files, the Nano Plus can be used as a data storage device, as it appears on a computer as an external drive. It can play for up to 18 hours on a single AAA battery, and by using disposable batteries, you know replacements are never far away. The Nano Plus MP3 player is a colorful way to get MP3 and FM playback in an attractive and tiny package.
We tested the 512MB version, which has an MSRP of $79.99. The 1GB Nano Plus has an MSRP of $109.99.

Warranty
90 days labor, 1 year parts

Apple iPod shuffle MP3 player Expert Review

Apple’s iPod and iPod mini turned the MP3 player genre on its ear and have become the new standard by which other portable audio players are measured. Well, Apple is at it again, this time with a miniscule Flash player called the iPod shuffle. This unit takes everything music fans love about the original iPods, such as click-wheel control and iTunes AAC compatibility, and puts it in compact, more affordable package. About the size of a cigarette lighter, the shuffle is small and light enough to go anywhere.

The iPod shuffle’s name refers to its playback abilities. This player lacks a display to show what songs are loaded. iTunes software on a PC or Mac is used to fill up the player; a playlist can be dragged and dropped into the shuffle, or iTunes will autofill the shuffle with whatever songs it randomly chooses from a user’s iTunes music library. The shuffle then has two playback modes–it will either play the downloaded list in order, or it will pick the tunes and play them back in random order. You know, shuffled.

Unlike the hard drives used by the original iPods, the shuffle sports a skip-free Flash memory system. The shuffle is available with two storage capacities, either 512MB or a more practical 1GB, which will store about 16 hours of music coded at 128kbps. The shuffle will play MP3, AAC (iTunes), WAV, and Audible audio book formats.

The iPod shuffle connects to a computer via USB cable, or the player can plug directly into a USB slot. It has a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery good for about 12 hours of playback, and it can recharge by either the supplied power adapter or from the USB connection when plugged into a computer. It comes with adequate-sounding earbuds and a USB cable. Expect the unexpected when you (iPod) shuffle it up.

The $99.00 MSRP is for the 512MB version; the 1GB version has an MSRP of $149.00.

MP3 Players Buying Guide

The Basics: MP3 Players

Rare just a few years ago, MP3 players are ubiquitous today, and their popularity is not expected to wane any time soon. Apple’s iPod lineup currently dominates the digital audio player universe, but numerous manufacturers like Creative, SanDisk, and iriver, as well as traditional brands such as Panasonic, Sony, JVC, and Samsung, produce a wide variety of players, many of which are giving the iPods a run for their money.

The category name of MP3 players is a bit of a misnomer, as many digital audio players can store music files in multiple formats. These may include WMA, WAV, ATRAC, OGG, and others, in addition to MP3. iPod has also become a generic name for an MP3 player. This is somewhat ironic, because while iPods can play MP3 files, they primarily operate with AAC files, the format of choice for Apple’s popular iTunes Music Store.

MP3 and other formats utilized by digital audio players are data-compression techniques that drastically reduce the size of the original CD music files. This data-reduction amount is variable: a higher reduction rate (i.e., a lower bit rate) results in a smaller file, but the smaller the file, the poorer the sound quality. At higher bit rates (least compressed, best sounding), the sound comes closest to the original CD recording quality. High-quality audio should at least be sampled at 128 kilobits per second (kbps), which results in an MP3 file of about 4MB for a 3- or 3-1/2-minute track. To combat the loss of sound quality, a number of newer digital audio players incorporate technology that helps restore sound details lost during the compression/decompression process.

Sony Cyber-shot H5 Review

The Cyber-shot DSC-H1 was Sony’s first foray into the increasingly crowded compact, image stabilized ’super zoom’ market, and it was a very successful one too. The DSC-H5 (along with little brother the DSC-H2) arrived almost exactly a year later in February 2006. The H5 is notable as the first ‘big zoom’ compact camera to feature a 7 megapixel sensor (a new Sony 1/2.5″ CCD), and for its huge 3.0″ screen. Otherwise the specification is pretty much the same as the H2, itself a fairly subtle update to the original H1 - no bad thing given the very high standards set by that model. Let’s start with the headline features:

7.2 million effective pixels
36-432mm equivalent (12x optical) F2.8-3.7 Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens
Super Steady Shot optical image stabilization
Wide ISO 80-1000 range
Clear RAW™ noise reduction technology
3.0” LCD (230,000 pixels) & 0.2″ (200,000 pixel) Electronic viewfinder
Full photographic control
Real Imaging Processor & 14-bit DXP A/D Conversion
Optional wide and tele lens converters
Scene selection (7 modes)
Histogram indication
32MB internal memory, plus a Memory Stick/PRO Duo slot