Computer Shopper back issues from January 2000:
E-Linking in the New Year.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Like many consumers out there, I took to shopping on the Internet like a kid takes to Pokemon. "What could be better than getting all your holiday shopping done by just lifting a finger?" I thought. But as I did my shopping this year, I realized what was missing from the experience: ...
Feedback Forum.(Letter to the Editor)
Jan 01, 2000 ... Serious Shipping Regarding your monthly e-Shopper Web-site listings: I know it's impossible to check every site, but shipping charges can be a big deal. Take, for example, a site like Comp-u-Plus. I pretend-ordered a $1.95 mouse pad from this company. Shipping via their standard ...
Coming Next Month!(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2000 ... eShopper Shop Wisely Savvy shoppers know that there's more to an online deal than a low price. Before parting with your virtual cash, be sure to read next month's e-Shopper feature, where you'll find out which Web vendors are better than others at providing services ...
Contact Us.(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2000 ... PRODUCTS Send press re leases regarding new and updated computer products to "New Products" at the above address. AUTHOR QUERIES Send your ideas for articles to editor Janice Chen. No calls please. Include a writing sample and also some information about your background ....
Web-Activated: Soon, all magazines will assist the Web experience directly. Computer Shopper is doing it today.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... For years, readers of this magazine have turned to the extensive ad listings of PC products in our pages to learn about pricing and availability - in addition to reading the reviews and buying advice. With the rise of the Web, these readers are now just as likely to read about new products ...
The NewWord Era: Entrepreneurial spirit and some key code helped launch a memorable word processor.(Product Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... One of the great word processors of the desktop-PC era was NewWord, a product that evolved from mismanagement at the company that brought us Wordstar, MicroPro International/Wordstar Corp. Wordstar was making a transition to the PC world, and in 1982 it released a PC version of ...
Sorting Out The Pentium III Proliferation: Making Sense of Intel's Processor Alphabet Soup.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
Jan 01, 2000; ... With the launch of its latest processor, code-named Coppermine, Intel has given the Pentium III line a significant speed boost. The first Pentium III to be built using a 0.18-micron process technology, Coppermine adds 256K of on-chip L2 cache. It is also available at speeds up to 733MHz. ...
Boost Business With E-Services: Web-based technology offers companies far more than e-mail or a Web page.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... If you're reading Computer Shopper with your "at business" hat on, you know that most of your Web usage involves e-mail you send and receive, and your company's Web page. But what else is there? Services, that's what. Many compelling Web-based services go way beyond what e-mail ...
Making a List, Checking It Twice: Universal gift registries take the pain out of giving.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Online shopping may be the most innovative form of commerce on the planet, but to date the industry has focused on buying with regard for neither the occasion nor the recipient. If the number of new online gift-registry services is any indication, though, one of the big breakthroughs in ...
Computer Shopper Best Buys Hot List.(Buyers Guide)
Jan 01, 2000 ... New products representing the best value, performance, and technology we've seen. Software Ulead PhotoImpact 5 Whether you want to touch up your digital photos or add some sparkle to your Web site, PhotoImpact 5's dazzling special effects and ...
Shoppers' Choice Awards For 1999.(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2000 ... We've made some noteworthy changes to our annual readers' choice award program, now in its 14th year. Most significantly, we've relaunched the Best Buys program with a name that more accurately describes its mission: the Shoppers' Choice Awards. The Best Buys program lives on, however, as ...
Best High-End Desktop PC: Dell Dimension XPS T500.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Choosing among the upper echelons of desktop PCs, Computer Shopper readers enthusiastically voted the Dell Dimension XPS T500 the best of the bunch. At press time, the $1,684 500MHz Pentium III-based XPS T500 was still available, although Dell's highest-end Dimension sported a 600MHz ...
Best Value Desktop PC: Gateway Performance 450.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... It was a great year for value-conscious buyers - so good, in fact, that our readers couldn't decide between two top contenders in the match for best value PC. The result was a dead tie between systems from Gateway and Quantex. At the higher end of the spectrum was the Gateway ...
Best Value Desktop PC: Quantex M466c.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Buyers looking for a Celeron-based system with a tempting price tag should check out Quantex's M466c, which tied with the Gateway Performance 450 in the value race. Compared with Gateway's model, this $999 466MHz Celeron PC takes a more conservative path toward striking the ...
Best Home PC: Gateway Performance 500.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Home PC buyers have long looked to the pastures of South Dakota for outstanding value, performance, and service. This year was no different: Our readers selected the Gateway Performance 500 as the system they'd most like to see delivered to their doorstep. Based on the Pentium ...
Best High-End Notebook PC: Sony Vaio PCG-F290.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Building from a renowned consumer-electronics brand name, Sony's line of VAIO notebooks has gained an enthusiastic following in the PC industry over the past year. Our readers selected Sony's high-end performance notebook, the VAIO PCG-F290, as their mobile power tool of choice. ...
Best Value Notebook PC: Dell Inspiron 3500 A300GT.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Since its launch, the Dell Inspiron line has been an inspiration to our readers, and this year is no exception. The Inspiron 3500 A300GT was voted the best value notebook on the market. It's easy to see why. This lightweight Pentium II notebook combines power for multimedia ...
Best Lightweight Notebook PC: Sony VAIO PCG-C1X PictureBook.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Considering the near-deafening buzz generated by Sony's first mini- notebook, the VAIO PCG-505, it would make sense that the company's efforts in this category would continue to turn heads. And so they did, according to our readers, who found the featherweight PCG-C1X PictureBook every bit ...
Best PDA/Palmtop PC Palm V.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Palm Computing has enjoyed a constant stream of successes with its organizers, but it hit on something truly special with the Palm V. Thanks to its dapper, bead-blasted aluminum case and half-inch thickness, the elegantly engineered Palm V quickly became a status symbol among ...
Best Network Server: Dell PowerEdge 1300.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Network servers don't have to be prohibitively expensive to deliver full-on functionality and manageability, which is why readers selected the Dell PowerEdge 1300 as the server of choice. This entry-level server is available in a wide range of configurations and comes loaded with design ...
Best Motherboard: Asus P2B-F Smart Mainboard.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Despite the ample selection of motherboards from which to choose, our readers had no problem picking Asustek Computer's Asus P2B-F Smart Mainboard as the best of the bunch. Long respected for its rock-solid reliability and sophisticated features, the $129 Asus P2B-F is a perfect choice for ...
Best CRT Monitor: Viewsonic PS790.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... While Computer Shopper readers are always on the lookout for larger display sizes, they still demand quality and value. Clearly, they liked what they saw in the Viewsonic PS790, a $509 CRT that delivers high performance without sacrificing a lot of desk space. The 19-inch ...
Best Flat-Panel Display: Viewsonic VP150.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Flat-panel displays are still relatively costly when compared with CRTs, but those willing to pay the price will be rewarded with a display that saves space, consumes less energy, and offers numerous comfort benefits. Better yet, they look flat-out cool. And this year our readers found the ...
Best Graphics Card: Diamond Viper V770.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Over the past year, Diamond Multimedia has constantly upped the ante in the graphics-card game. Last year our readers locked in on the Viper V330 as the accelerator to buy, and this year they chose Diamond's $144 Viper V770. Before the results could be tallied, however, Diamond released ...
Best DVD-ROM Drive: Toshiba SD-M1202.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... In mid-1998 Toshiba debuted its third-generation DVD drive, the $92 SD- M1202. Among our readers, it must have been love at first sight, because they didn't pay much attention to other DVD drives released in 1999, overwhelmingly voting for the internal SD-M1202 as 1999's best DVD-ROM ...
Best Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Monitor the applause of our readers, and you'll find that they like what they hear in Creative Labs' $174 Sound Blaster Live sound board. Like so many Sound Blasters before it, the Live card is packed with an over-the-top feature set, terrific documentation, and a huge software bundle. ...
Best CD-R or CD-RW Drive: Sony Spressa CRX100E/CH.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Ease of use was one of the biggest reasons why our readers singled out Sony's Spressa CRX100E/CH as the best CD-RW drive on the market. While other drives often cause inscrutable hardware conflicts or present users with baffling recording procedures, the $208 Spressa has earned a ...
Best Hard Drive: WD Caviar 10.2GB EIDE Hard Drive WD102AA.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Delivering great value usually entails hitting a tricky balance between quality, price, and performance. When it comes to hard drives, our readers found just the right blend with Western Digital's $137 Caviar 10.2GB EIDE Hard Drive WD102AA. The 10.2GB, 5,400-rpm drive combines a ...
Best Removable/Backup Drive: Iomega Zip 100.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Once again, our readers gave the nod to Iomega Corp.'s Zip 100 as the most capable solution for removable storage. Despite fierce competition from rival formats, no other product has come close to matching the near-ubiquity of the Zip family, which is now offered as an option by almost all ...
Best Modem: 3Com U.S. Robotics 56K Faxmodem Internal.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... These days a computer without a modem seems as incongruous as a car without a transmission: The computer just isn't going to move without it. For the third straight year, readers pointed to 3Com as the best provider of that all-important component, this year voting in its $110 U.S ....
Best Speakers: Altec Lansing ADA305 Digital PowerCube Speaker System.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... The speakers bundled with many desktop PCs are tiny and weak, which may be fine for office cubes where muted volume is good corporate etiquette. Home computer users, however, like to crank up the volume, and our readers say they find sonic happiness with Altec Lansing's $158 ADA305 Digital ...
Best Inkjet Printer: HP DeskJet 882C.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Given our readership's long-standing admiration of Hewlett-Packard's DeskJet line of color printers, it's no surprise that they selected the $275 HP DeskJet 882C as the inkjet to get. Like most of HP's newer DeskJets, the 882C incorporates HP's ColorSmart II and PhotoREt II ...
Best Laser Printer: HP LaserJet 1100se.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Always the pacesetter among printers and a perennial favorite among readers, Hewlett-Packard again gets the vote with its $390 LaserJet 1100se laser printer. But this model does a lot more than just pump out great-looking documents. The multifunction LaserJet 1100se combines ...
Best Scanner: Microtek ScanMaker 4.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... There are scads of low-cost scanners on the market, but for high- quality, cross-platform scanning, our readers opt for the $570 Microtek ScanMaker 4. With an optical resolution of 600x1,200 dpi, the ScanMaker 4 can produce scans of up to 9,600x9,600-dpi resolution with interpolation. ...
Best UPS: APC Back-UPS Pro 650.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Greater reliance on PCs for business and personal information has heightened both the awareness of and the need for uninterruptible power supplies. American Power Conversion is the uncontested leader among our readers, who put their money on the $262 APC Back-UPS Pro 650. The ...
Best Digital Camera: Sony Mavica MVC-FD83.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... In the imaging world, 1999 will be remembered as the year that megapixel digital cameras became affordable, and buyers realized their convenience and cost-savings over traditional film cameras. The array of models, features, and types is vast, but image storage and the means of transfer to ...
Best Business Productivity: Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Virtually universal file compatibility and seamless Web integration prompted our readers to select Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business as this year's best business-productivity software. Whether you're a current Office user or one of the few holdouts, Office 2000's new features will tempt ...
Best Personal Productivity: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition is a sure hit among readers. And that's a pretty great tribute, considering that Second Edition wasn't a dramatic overhaul of the original version. Clearly, users appreciate the improvements. It's easy to see why: Second Edition contains all ...
Best Graphics/Design: Adobe Photoshop 5.5.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Adobe Photoshop is one of the few products whose brand name has entered our pop vocabulary as a verb - as in, "Don't worry about that pimple, we can Photoshop it out." This extraordinarily robust image-editing whiz lets you do much more than oxycute zits, however. Photoshop 5.0 delivers ...
Best Web Authoring: Microsoft FrontPage 2000.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... To put yourself on the map of the World Wide Web, you'll first need a compelling home page. And according to our readers, no program makes that easier to accomplish than Microsoft FrontPage 2000. For business users who need a great-looking online storefront or individuals who want to build ...
Best Games/Multimedia: A Baldur's Gate.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Ask a dozen gamers to name their favorite game, and you'll usually get a dozen different answers. But this year our readers were apparently in a role-playing mood, based on their overwhelming enthusiasm for Baldur's Gate, an old-school Dungeons and Dragons-style game. Baldur's ...
Best New Product of 1999: Diamond Rio PMP300.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... The technology that launched a thousand sites in 1999 was MP3, and the device that gave voice to that technology was the Diamond Rio PMP300, the original portable MP3 player. Though a host of competitors have cropped up in the MP3 arena, this ground-breaking device's affordable price of ...
Best Places To Buy a Desktop PC: Gateway.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... When our readers are ready to buy a desktop, they go to Gateway. That's because the company has precisely tailored the desktop-PC shopping experience to fit the needs of its customers. Gateway offers a Web site with a great system configurator, appealing physical showrooms scattered across ...
Best Place to Buy Multimedia: BuyComp.com.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... A huge advertising blitz in 1999 might have lured shoppers to BuyComp.com to browse, but our readers obviously liked what they found there, if two Shoppers' Choice awards are any indication. BuyComp.com is one of the busiest departments of Buy.com, the powerhouse online ...
Best Place to Buy a Notebook: Dell Computer Corp.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Each year Dell Computer Corp. dazzles our readers with some of the best notebooks on the market, delivering units renowned not only for their performance and value but also for their high-quality components and support. Dell's consumer Inspiron line often showcases the latest bleeding-edge ...
Best Place to Buy a PDA/Palmtop PC: BuyComp.Com.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Our PDA shoppers voted in BuyComp.com as the hot spot for PDAs and palmtops, thanks to an impressive selection that includes models from 3Com, Hewlett-Packard, Franklin, IBM, Casio, and Philips. You can sort product listings by availability, price, format, and product name, ...
Best Place to Buy a Motherboard: TC Computers.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Computer Shopper readers have voted TC Computers the best shopping venue for motherboards every year since 1994, and they saw no reason to change their ballot this year. The company delivers just about everything a shopper could need: excellent selection, detailed product information, and ...
Best Place to Buy a Printer: The PC ZONE.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... In the market for a printer and looking for a huge selection? Our readers would send you straight to The PC Zone. From dot-matrix models to photo printers, The PC Zone has a staggering selection culled from the biggest manufacturers in the printer business. Brands carried include Alps, ...
Best Place to Buy a Monitor: CDW.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... With a mammoth selection of more than 45,000 computer products, CDW, a repeat winner of customer awards, has long been recognized as an e- commerce powerhouse. This year, readers rated CDW as the venue of choice for buying both monitors and software. CDW's discount prices, ...
Best Place to Buy Storage: Dirt Cheap Drives.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Dirt Cheap Drives celebrated its 10th birthday in 1999, and as a little gift, Computer Shopper readers voted it their favorite storage shopping outlet. With its comprehensive selection of storage drives, commitment to providing technical support, and accessible archive of storage ...
Best Place to Buy Software: CDW.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Like its selection of monitors, CDW's list of software titles is beyond comprehensive. Its array of titles runs the gamut from Symantec utilities and Intuit financial packages to LucasArts games and Microsoft reference titles. On the CDW Web site, every software package lists a ...
Best Place to Buy Upgrade Components/Accessories: Dirt Cheap Drives.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Judging from the name alone, it's pretty obvious why readers would vote Dirt Cheap Drives as the storage shop of choice. But they didn't stop there: Dirt Cheap Drives also gets the nod for the best vendor of upgrade components and accessories. As well as the obvious selection of ...
Best Service and Support: Dell Computer Corp.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... This year's winner for service and support should come as no surprise: Dell Computer Corp. has long been a leader in the industry for after- sale service and support, not to mention its great PC products. The direct dynamo backs its computers and third-party peripherals with warranties ...
Wheeler Dealers.
Jan 01, 2000; ... Not every car salesman is as sleazy as the one played by William H. Macy in Fargo. But for a lot of people, the experience of buying an auto falls somewhere between root canal and a full audit. So it's not surprising that a number of sites - Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, CarsDirect.com, ...
Make Your PC Go Vroom.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... If your PC needs a tune-up, pull into PCsupport.com for a test drive. This new site fuses hard drive maintenance apps, data-backup services, and software updates with a wealth of troubleshooting options that will put a little pep in your PC. PCsupport.com is more proactive than ...
Buzz For Your Browser.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2000; ... If you need help honing your Web-searching powers, a clever new applet called Flyswat (www.flyswat.com) will help you buzz from site to site. Employing a technique the company has dubbed "deep navigation," Flyswat creates hyperlinks - known as "flycons" - from selected information within ...
A Utilitarian Bundle.(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... If ever a Web site were truly electrifying, this is it. Essential.com, which bills itself as the Web's first "Energy and Communications Superstore," offers a bundled package of utilities and services. The site lets you buy and compare energy and communications products that ...
The Top 10.(News Briefs)
Jan 01, 2000 ... Products sold on computershopper.com in September 1999 (Ranking based on total initiated orders) Epson Stylus Color 740 (inkjet printer) NEC SuperScript 870 (laser printer) Epson Perfection 636 (scanner) Ricoh MediaMaster MP7040A (CD- ...
Watch the Ball Drop.(Times Square)(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... You don't have to be in Times Square to revel in the millennial madness on New Year's Eve. Send your browser to TimesSquare2000.com and view a live Webcast of the ball-lowering festivities via an EarthCam camera. The 27-hour Webcast, from 6:30 a.m. on December 31 to 9:30 a.m. on ...
Getting the ISP You Deserve: Some relationships aren't meant to last. If things just aren't working out, it may be time to part company with your ISP.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... You may have gotten your Internet service provider in a deal with a new computer, or received a free trial disc in the mail. Things seemed okay at first, but now maybe you wonder whether your current ISP is still a good deal. Do you get the service you expect? Is the price ...
Research Your Next ISP Online.(Directory)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2000; ... One of the easiest ways to find a reliable Internet provider serving your area is to do your research on the Web. Beg, borrow, or steal some online time - use a friend's computer, spend an hour in a cyber cafe, or visit a public library - and visit these helpful ISP research sites. ...
System Requirements for Getting Online.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Tutorial)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2000; ... It doesn't take a powerful computer to connect to the Internet. In fact, any computer with a modem can get online, even your ancient Apple II using a text-only Unix interface. Most of us, however, would rather surf the Internet on a modern computer with a graphical Web browser, and today's ...
Build Your Own Powerhouse PC.(Buyers Guide)(Tutorial)
Jan 01, 2000; ... An intrepid young artist needs just the right system but doesn't want to pay a name-brand price. Get out the toolbox: We're going to build one from scratch. Building your own computer is not for the faint of heart. But if you've got the guts, it's a great way to get a system ...
Rebates! Money Back Guaranteed.(numerous vendors offering promotional rebates)(Product Information)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Canon Print and Scan Canon is offering some deals with its Red Hot Rebate special offers. On its line of BubbleJet printers, receive $30 back if you purchase a BJC- 1000, BJC-2000, BJC-5100, or BJC-6000, or get $50 back on the MultiPass C530 Multifunction Printer. (See review on ...
Intellesale Buys and Sells It All.(Intellesale.com)(Company Business and Marketing)
Jan 01, 2000; ... Intellesale.com Pros: good selection Cons: some product categories are mysteriously empty Intellesale offers a wide variety of computer systems from major manufacturers, plus peripherals, accessories, and software. Its recently redesigned site is easy to ...