Computer Shopper back issues from May 2000:
How to Buy, What to Buy.(Industry Trend or Event)(Editorial)
May 01, 2000; ... Ten years ago, I bought my first PC out of the pages of Computer Shopper. In those days-before I was editor-I was both a reader and a user of the magazine. Like most readers, I checked out product reviews and other articles while doing research on what to buy, then perused the ads in the ...
Feedback Forum.(Letter to the Editor)
May 01, 2000 ... Readers Rate Our New Look As a longtime reader of Computer Shopper, I would like to thank you for a more compact, user-friendly publication. Because of its new size, I can now carry the magazine in my laptop bag and thumb through it with ease while on public transportation. ...
Coming Next Month.(Editorial)
May 01, 2000 ... Be Your Own Better Business Bureau Before you buy a PC online, it pays to do a little homework and find out which Web vendors are reputable-and which might take your money and run. We'll tell you how to evaluate online sellers and pick the cherries from the lemons. ...
Correction.(Correction Notice)
May 01, 2000 ... On p. 75 of the March issue, we incorrectly stated the ...
Chips Fast-Forward To 1GHz.(Product Information)
May 01, 2000; ... Though AMD sprinted across the 1GHz processor finish line just a few paces ahead of Intel Corp., the real race will be to see which chip maker can keep up with demand for these blazing processors. Intel acknowledged that its CPU would ship in limited quantities and that ...
The Top 10 Products Sold on computershopper.com in February 2000.(News Briefs)
May 01, 2000 ... (Ranking based on total initiated orders) Palm Vx PDA Palm IIIx PDA Palm V PDA Kodak DC290 Zoom camera Palm IIIe PDA Palm VII PDA Epson Perfection 1200U ...
Bookmark Your Radio.(Product Announcement)
May 01, 2000; ... Can't get that song out of your head, and you want to buy it but don't remember who recorded it? When you hear it on the radio-instead of just between your ears-you might soon be able to use a device that "bookmarks" the song and then provides information and purchasing links via the Web. ...
The PDA Playoffs.(Product Announcement)
May 01, 2000; ... Following the PDA market is like watching a tennis match between two top players, in this case Palm and Microsoft Corp. One side will stoke its device with an innovative new feature, then the other will return that feature and fire back another novelty for good measure. The most recent-and ...
Swap Shops.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 01, 2000; ... Perhaps you don't like the crass commercialism of auction sites (translation: nobody bid for your pink ceramic poodle on eBay), or maybe you just wonder what someone will trade you for an item you no longer want. Either way, a slew of new Internet swap sites provide a perfect way to ...
AirpLANe.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 01, 2000; ... One of the frustrations of air travel, besides flight attendants flinging bags of tiny pretzels at you, is not being able to get online. Sure, it's technically possible to surf the Web at 30,000 feet using an in-flight phone and a notebook computer, but with typical 4.8Kbps transmission ...
The Future Is Calling.(cell phone market)(Industry Trend or Event)(Brief Article)
May 01, 2000 ... Worldwide sales of mobile phones soared to 283 million units in 1999, a 65 percent leap over 1998. That kind of sales increase led Yankelovich Partners to ask Americans just what they plan to do with all those phones in the future. 67 percent will use wireless phones for e-mail ...
Wild for the Wireless Web.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... The world has seemingly gone wild for the wireless Web. Cell phones, PDAs, pagers, and even wristwatches are trumpeted as devices that will keep you connected to the Net, no cords necessary. Hype has it that these tools will ring in new capabilities like untethered ...
The Talent Auction.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... Several sites are going beyond peddling products to putting people's skills up for grabs. If you have a project that needs doing, post the proposal at Web sites such as eLance (www.elance.com) or Freeagent.com, and wait for freelancers to make a bid. Or you can search through the profiles ...
Bookkeeping by Browser.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... For most small businesses, moving from customized accounting software to shrink-wrap took a leap of faith. The next big jump will be to Web- based accounting-or at least that's what NetLedger (www.netledger.com) hopes. The company, which has backing from Oracle chief executive ...
Your Online Copy Shop.(Mimeo.com)(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... A New York company is taking the local copy shop concept online-and worldwide-by offering document reproduction, binding, and delivery services over the Internet. Mimeo.com lets you place orders from any Web-enabled computer as late as 10 p.m. (ET) for next-day delivery by Federal Express ....
Wrap It Up With WAP.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... If Motorola and other wireless vendors have their way, consumers well- versed in dot-com lingo will soon be hit with a new term: m-commerce. That's mobile commerce, an e-commerce shopping model in which the cell phone and PDA replace the PC. The new standard for accessing ...
Deals! Deals! Deals!(News Briefs)
May 01, 2000; ... Inkjet Extras Epson and IDG Books Worldwide present "Buying an Inkjet Printer for Dummies," a free booklet that explains the difference between inkjet technologies, defines printer terminology, and provides other helpful nuggets for smart shopping. Included in the booklet is a ...
Fire Up Your Shopping Cart.(Fireclick Blueflame)(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... While most experienced Web shoppers would rather buy online than in a physical store, they're an impatient lot. In fact, a whopping 88 percent abandoned their online shopping carts at least once during the 1999 holiday season, according to an Andersen Consulting study. Sluggish ...
Boodle for Your Browser.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... If you're looking for a more rewarding shopping experience, check out eBoodle (www.eboodle.com). This site lets you search and compare products and prices across a huge range of shopping sites-more than 40,000 at last count-and gives you the ability to earn a cash rebate from each ...
Value Line Desktops.
May 01, 2000 ... A sampling of desktop configurations and pricing based on ads in the March issue of Computer Shopper HP $799 500MHz K6-2, 64MB RAM, 15GB hard drive, 15" monitor, CD-RW Atlas Micro $959 600MHz Athlon, 64MB RAM, 17GB hard drive, no monitor, CD-ROM, 32MB graphics ...
The Stuff You Want.(Product Announcement)
May 01, 2000 ... Color In Your Palm It's going to be a vivid summer, at least for those who snap up the new $449 Palm IIIc, the first of the popular Palm handhelds to sport a color screen. The 6.8-ounce unit is rated to run for roughly 12 hours on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery, ...
Computer Shopper Best Buys May 2000.(Buyers Guide)
May 01, 2000 ... New products representing the best value, performance, and technology we've seen. Desktops ABS Performance Alpha Once again, ABS combines top-shelf components and a reasonable price to create a high-performance system that is also high on value. Selling ...
Shifting From Buzz to Biz - On the Web, hype can be louder than reality-but business-to-business services are delivering a signal louder than the noise.
May 01, 2000; ... Now e-services are becoming products in their own right-like online software rental or Web consulting. In addition, more people than ever are selling things online. Amazon.com got things started in the products area with its zShops initiative. CEO Jeff Bezos figured that letting others ...
A 3G Phone Is In Your Future - It won't be the next one in your hand, but you will be holding a 3G phone-and liking it.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 01, 2000; ... A revolution is coming in the form of 3g phones. don't know what a 3G phone is? You're not alone. Few people in the computer business do, as I've discovered from hosting ZDTV's "Silicon Spin." The term refers to the third generation of cellular phones, which, by all accounts, ...
Cooperative Commerce - Group buying engines promise consumers strength in numbers.
May 01, 2000; ... Group discounts may be a centuries-old tradition, but individual consumers were never able to benefit much directly. That's about to change, as Web-based group buying services such as Accompany, Mercata, and Zwirl make a bid for the mainstream. Instead of bidding the price up as ...
New Mobile Chips Can Power Down - The latest mobile microprocessors use lower voltages to reduce power consumption.(Product Information)
May 01, 2000; ... High power consumption in a desktop PC may not be desirable, but it's tolerable. In a notebook, power is limited by two factors: battery life and heat dissipation. The more power a chip consumes, the hotter it gets, and a notebook's size makes heat dissipation difficult. So to reduce heat ...
ABS Performance Alpha: An Award-Winning Performance.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Multimedia may be a passe topic these days, but that doesn't keep all of us from insisting that our PCs offer the latest multiple-media capabilities. In an attempt to meet this demand-and maybe even exceed it-ABS Computer Technologies has done an outstanding job of building its ...
NuTrend Sierra XE: The Treasure of The Sierra XE.(Pentium III-based system)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Until recently, home users looking to upgrade to a high- performance system either had to shell out a lot of cash or make major compromises with the configuration. But NuTrend's Sierra XE, which offers solid performance and high-quality components for a very attractive $1,899 direct price, ...
Gateway Performance 700: Worth the Price of Admission.(Pentium III-based system)(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... As cool as the cutting edge may be, you don't always need the fastest and most expensive desktop system available. Rather, you should shop for a machine that's fast enough to get your work done, but still decked out with all the components you need. Designed to appeal to power users, but a ...
Epson PhotoPC 650: A Digicam for The Masses.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Affordably priced at $349 list, Epson America's PhotoPC 650 is an easy- to-use, light 1.09-megapixel digital camera that is hindered only by its somewhat anemic battery life and lack of a zoom lens. The sleek, silver camera includes a large 1.8-inch LCD for framing and ...
GTI Vozz 300 Flat Panel Speaker System: The Flat Look Of Phat Sound.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Increased realism in games need not be limited to graphics. Somehow, battling invaders from space seems more realistic when the sound surrounding you comes from space-age speakers. If you're ready to take your game playing to the next level, you may want to check out GTI Audio Inter ...
Kyocera Samurai 2100DG: A Digital Camera Warrior.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... The $799-list Samurai 2100DG from Kyocera is clearly not your run-of- the-mill digital camera. Weighing a mere 16 ounces, the Samurai looks more like a stylish miniature camcorder than a 35mm SLR clone. But don't let its cute appearance fool you. Armed with a 4x optical zoom lens and 4x ...
Kenwood 72X TrueX CD-ROM Drive: Start Spinning Up to Speed.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Although much of the computing world is moving over to DVD-ROM drives, not everyone has a need for DVD's high-capacity storage. For the CD-ROM crowd, the primary reason to upgrade is performance. Those looking for a quantum leap up from an aging disc drive will find it with Kenwood ...
U-Match BioLink Mouse: A Biometric Mighty Mouse.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... You might think the data on your PC is secure, but even the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go astray. If you're worried about prying eyes peering into your sensitive computer files, BioLink Technologies' new biometric mouse may help put your mind at ease. The U-Match ...
CyberPower CPS500SL: Better Safe Than Sorry.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) have been a mainstay of corporate servers and mission-critical workstations for years. Not only do UPSs protect equipment against electrical surges, spikes, and brownouts, but also against complete loss of electrical power-including someone ...
Systemax SW15-T650: Get All the Best, For Less.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... The name may not be familiar, but the notebook will certainly make you sit up and take notice. Systemax, formerly MidWest Micro, has returned to the portable market after a three-year hiatus with the SW15-T650. This muscular notebook targets small and medium-size businesses and is ...
HP Pavilion N3270: The Price Is Right.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000 ... Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Pavilion N3270, which targets con sumer and small-business users on a budget, capably fuses affordability with a few high-end features like a 14.1-inch display and a DVD-ROM drive. The result is a $1,999 notebook that's perfectly adequate for users for whom price, not ...
Sony VAIO Music Clip MC-P10: Sony's Musical Hip Clip.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... What's roughly the size of a roll of pennies, weighs a fraction of that, and plays great-sounding audio? Sony's VAIO Music Clip MC-P10, an innovative MP3 player that is all but peerless in innovation and sheer eye-candy appeal. A few sour notes mar the music, however. For ...
Epson PowerLite 710c: Pleasing, Pricey Presentations.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Epson's PowerLite 710c delivers a showcase of great features that make presentations easier to give and more pleasing to watch. But at $7,999, the PowerLite is one of the more expensive lightweight units on the market. Nonetheless, you get a lot for your money in a very little ...
IBM ThinkPad 390X: Not Just Another Black Box.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... What you see is not all you get with IBM's ThinkPad 390X. This $2,954 unit has all the high-end components you expect in a desktop replacer: a 500MHz Pentium III processor, 128MB of SDRAM, a 15-inch display, and a 12GB hard drive. But what sets this black box apart are bonuses like amazing ...
Acer TravelMate 512T: Low-Fare Travel Buddy.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Attention, budget buyers! Acer America has a sweet deal for you: The TravelMate 512T delivers the functionality you need at an estimated cost of only $1,399. Targeting the enterprise user, this is one notebook with an affordable price that doesn't demand major sacrifices in quality or ...
Vision V-Note VC-500CD: Envisioning the Big Picture.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Desktop replacer or value system? Vision Computers fuses the qualities of both categories into one affordable package, the Vision V-Note VC- 500CD. This big-screen debut packs in most everything a business PC user needs, yet costs a reasonable $2,399. Measuring 2.1x14x10.8 ...
OmniPage Pro 10: OCR You Can Count On.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... It's an old question: Is it faster to retype a printed document, or scan it with an OCR program and then spend time proofing for mistakes? Caere Corp.'s new OmniPage Pro 10 makes the latter choice a better option than ever before with an improved recognition engine, a simpler interface, ...
Norton Internet Security 2000: Surfing in the Safe Lane.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... The Internet is a two-way street: The more time you spend gathering information online, the more you need to make sure that others aren't doing the same to you. Symantec addresses this concern with Norton Internet Security 2000 (NIS 2000). Not only does NIS 2000 protect your computer from ...
GoldMine 5.0: Going for The Gold.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... GoldMine 5.0 is Outlook in hyperdrive, a personal information/contact manager that makes Microsoft's PIM look kinda hokey. The basic concept behind the two programs is identical-store contacts, retrieve and sort e-mail, schedule activities and meetings, and share information with other ...
Macromedia FreeHand 9: Playing With a Freer Hand.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... If you thought vector-graphics programs were just for graphic designers, think again. The small file size of vector graphics has proven irresistible to many bandwidth-conscious Web designers. FreeHand 9 from Macromedia attempts to take advantage of this shift by including many new features ...
WinZip 8.0 Beta: Archiving Made Easy.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Despite the low cost of today's hard drives and removable media devices, the need to compress files has not gone away. For years, Nico Mak Computing's WinZip has consistently proven to be the most robust and feature-filled archive/decompression utility on the market. The beta release of ...
SurfSaver 2.0 Pro: Catching a Cyberwave.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Tired of spending hours online looking for that one important piece of information, only to eventually lose it in a clutter of bookmarks? AskSam Systems' SurfSaver 2.0 Pro can help. An easy-to-use browser plug-in that lets you save and store information as you surf the Web, SurfSaver comes ...
Page 2 Stage: The Play's The Thing.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Modern word processors have always had trouble with the specialized formats of screenplays and scripts. But you can still write that great American screenplay on your PC with Windward Studios' Page 2 Stage, a beefed-up word processor that automatically formats your document based on what ...
Internet Answering Machine: Caching Your Calls.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 01, 2000; ... Although it seems like everyone is spending more time on the Internet these days, many Web enthusiasts can't justify the cost of a dedicated phone line. Inevitably, this results in many missed phone calls. Fortunately, CallWave offers a workable alternative solution with its Internet ...
Talking Max 2: Polly Want a Hacker.(Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
May 01, 2000; ... Looking for a little companionship? Try Talking Max 2, a wisecracking virtual pet from Lernout & Hauspie. This animated parrot can be trained to respond to an unlimited number of phrases as he trots across your computer desktop. But be warned: It takes more than a cracker to make this bird ...
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: Mission: Incredible.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... If you've had your fill of action games situated in colorful, imaginary worlds, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear will be a refreshing dose of reality. In this sequel to 1998's highly acclaimed Rainbow Six, the weapons are authentic, the missions are believable, and minor missteps result in ...
Interstate '82: Highway to Heaven.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Activision's Interstate '76 married cars and combat like few games before or since, so we were psyched to install the long-awaited sequel, Interstate '82. Set in the same alternate-reality United States, but fast- forwarded to the Reagan era, I-82 delivers more of the same great vehicular ...
Family Game Pack Royale: The Odds Are 50-to-1.(Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
May 01, 2000; ... If you can't get enough of the Solitaire game included with Windows, here's good news: Family Game Pack Royale from The 3DO Co. has 20 solitaire variations plus 30 other board, card, and casino games ranging from video poker to Go Fish. The games are livened up with peppy ...
South Park Rally: Running on Beefcake.(Software Review)(Evaluation)(Brief Article)
May 01, 2000; ... It sounds like a can't-miss idea: Take all the characters from Comedy Central's beloved "South Park," put them behind the wheels of wacky little go-carts, and litter snowy Colorado racetracks with hilariously tasteless power-ups. The end result should be an offbeat, laughter- filled racing ...
Nox: You Should Know Jack.(Software Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Although Nox from Westwood Studios could be described as a Diablo "nox- off," this action-packed RPG is too slick and too enjoyable for such glibness. While it does have much in common with Blizzard's classic Diablo, Nox succeeds on its own merits. As ordinary guy Jack, you find ...
The 800 MHz Power Elite - These six high flyers raise the performance standard. Now you can put more firepower on your desktop.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... The quest for faster CPUs never ends. Not even the sub-$1,000 desktop craze has discouraged AMD and Intel from continuing to push the envelope with faster versions of their top-of-the-line processors. And though it seems like only yesterday when we turned the corner at 700MHz, here we are, ...
ABS Multimedia System 1.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... ABS Computer Technologies has earned a solid reputation for its high- quality systems at reasonable prices, and the new 800MHz Athlon-based Multimedia System 1 is no exception. With a direct price of $3,457, the Multimedia System 1 is $191 more than the average price of the six systems ...
Compaq Presario 5900Z-800.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... With its exceptional sound system, 8x/4x/32x CD-RW drive, and ISA-less motherboard, the Compaq Presario 5900Z-800 makes for an impressive out- of-the-box experience. But while the 800MHz Athlon-based system boasts 128MB of SDRAM, a spacious 34.2GB hard drive, two front-panel IEEE 1394 ...
Dell Dimension XPS B800r.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... With its cutting-edge 800MHz Pentium III processor, Intel 820 chip set, and 128MB of 133MHz RDRAM, the $3,414-direct Dell Dimension XPS B800r is the top of the line for SOHO desktop systems and an attractive buy for enthusiasts and graphics gurus. Still, the additional cash you'll spend ...
In the Driver's Seat.(Technology Information)(Tutorial)
May 01, 2000; ... A word of advice to new PC owners, regardless of expertise level: As soon as you set up your system, download and install the latest drivers for your PC's graphics card from the vendor's Web site. You may not even realize it, especially if your computer seems to be operating as advertised, ...
Gateway Performance 800.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Gateway's Performance 800 is the most expensive unit of the bunch, although it offers plenty of goodies to recommend it. Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business, a CD-RW drive, a high-end speaker system, and a GeForce 256-based graphics card sweeten the deal, but it's still tough to justify ...
Micronpc.com Millennia Max 800.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... The $2,999-direct Millennia Max 800 from micronpc.com comes in at the second-lowest price here. Although you'll have to settle for a less elaborate speaker system and no CD-RW drive, the Millennia still manages to provide great features and high-end performance. The Millennia ...
Systemax Excite PJM-800A.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)
May 01, 2000; ... Our hands-down bang-for-the-buck winner is the Systemax Excite PJM- 800A, a fully loaded but inexpensive system. At press time, Systemax, formerly MidWest Micro, did not have an e-commerce-ready site, but you could configure and purchase systems at the MidWest Micro site, www.mwmicro.com. ...
The Waiting Is the Hardest Part.(Product Information)
May 01, 2000; ... What was the cause of Intel's recent shortage of high-end Pentium III processors? According to Intel and some analysts, the problem was simply unexpected demand. "Intel ramps up product really fast," says Josephine Mong, research analyst for IDC. "But it's not that the ...