Notebooks ready to take the high ground
Offices with desktop PCs strewn from end to end are becoming ever more obsolete. Even the most basic notebooks can perform typical office functions as well as their desktop counterparts.
Corel plans patch for Office 2002
The GCN Lab recently discovered an overlooked problem with Corel WordPerfect Office 2002. It cannot load files created in Microsoft Office XP.
Software shapes up for the office of the future
Every administrator knows that a network is only as good as its software. Most users are painfully aware of it, too, especially when they must cope with old or homegrown programs that don't function well within a modern network.
Cyber-Sign does biometric signature verifications write
Given the right equipment, your personal signature can sign you onto a network. Just about every biometric verification device I've tested has an inherent weakness. The flaw usually does not grant access to illegitimate users, but it can and does keep out authorized users. Take voice verification programs, which commonly break down when the user has a cold. Fingerprint readers do better, but a cut or burned finger might keep the user out until
For Web browsers, stick with the Big 2
The Web has become indispensable to users searching the Internet for product prices or hunting down contacts on agency intranets. Despite marketing campaigns and the notoriety of antitrust actions, however, few people care which browser they use. I decided to find out whether the most recent versions of browsers had any great improvements over their predecessors. I looked at the two newest versions of browsers in widespread use and one alternative.
Coming Corel suite builds on solid core
Real-life requirements: Corel Corp. has not shipped a new office suite for a couple of years, so the buzz is high about the imminent release of WordPerfect Office 2000. I tried out the second beta version. Corel representatives as-sured me most of the features are final and little will change be-tween now and the product's release.
Mapping system links pictures to exact locations
Sometimes it's good to know exactly where you stand. The Video Mapping System 200 from Red Hen Systems Inc. ties a map location to a still picture or video via Global Positioning System readings. The mapping system is in a little black box the size of a cigarette pack, weighs about a pound and has a long, flexible antenna that can wrap around you or a dashboard. At the end of the antenna, a
App can take a crashed system back in time
Box Score: B GoBack Wild File Inc., Plymouth, Minn.; tel. 612-551-9998 www.goback.com Price: $69.95 Pros and cons: +Restores entire system to a previous configuration +Records document versions for emergency retrieval +Has supplemental virus protection – Needs 10 percent of hard drive to work properly Windows 9x, 486 or faster processor, 16M of RAM, CD-ROM drive, 10 percent of hard drive capacity
Sceptre's Soundx has all the right moves for the road
Monitor maker Sceptre Technologies Inc. has hit the ground running with its first notebook PC, the Soundx 7500, a rugged road warrior with sophisticated features. I carried the Soundx on a flight to Las Vegas, a train to New York and a road trip of nearly 1,000 miles. It booted up in airports, trains and automobiles, in hotel rooms and conference suites.
Have lengthy files you want to view on a single screen?
The 15-inch ViewSonic VPD150 digital LCD monitor will turn your perceptions upside-down, or at least sideways. ViewSonic Corp. understands that many Web pages are designed as if on paper—longer top to bottom than side to side. Especially at higher resolutions, the viewing is better and easier with the monitor turned on its side. To reverse the 12-inch side-to-side and the 9-inch top-to-bottom viewing areas, simply rotate the VPD150 on its swivel base.
Cross your t's and dot your i's—digitally
The Cross pen, that ultimate analog tool, has gone digital. Cross Pen Computing Group designed the CrossPad XP to take handwritten notes and transfer them to a PC. It looks like a black clipboard, except for a tiny LCD window at the bottom, and it loads standard 6- by 9-inch yellow memo pads.
TrueSpace4 projects a strong light on virtual environments
TrueSpace4 from Caligari Corp. costs far less than Hollywood-style 3-D rendering software and has amazing powers, whether you plan to simulate a vehicle crash, design courseware or simply make an eye-popping Web graphic. Like previous versions, TrueSpace4 is strong at lighting effects. Precise lighting makes a virtual room look realistic, whereas bad lighting can make anything look fake.
Celeron-powered PCs are on the money
Even if you're no power user, the latest office suites, database programs and network applications require good hardware. Until recently that meant paying $2,000 or more for a Pentium II system. The PCs with Intel Celeron processors, however, are affordable choices for users who don't need maximum power, just good performance, for most office applications.
Freeware lets you ditch Win98's browser
A fiery point of contention during the Microsoft Corp. antitrust trial concerned 98lite, a free utility designed to remove Microsoft Windows 98's resource-hungry Internet Explorer browser and replace it with the smaller Windows 95 browser. Does the utility work? Microsoft officials told Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson that stripping Explorer out of the operating system was impossible because of the OS-browser integration.
Viking 56K External Modem stands tall, works at near-maximum rates
Pros and cons: + Space-saving design + Fast and automatically compatible with different protocols – Cord plug-in area cramped Real-life requirements: Windows 9x, Windows NT, or Mac OS 7 or 8; 3.5 inch floppy drive for driver installation I've never been a big fan of external modems. They take up too much desktop space. But an external unit can travel, and its active LCD status monitor gives more information than an internal device.
With pcTelecommute, you really can work at home
Real-life requirements: Win9x or NT, 16M RAM, 166-MHz processor, 56K modem for fast performance, CD-ROM drive for installation, Caller ID-capable modem for monitoring calls and faxes In spite of the General Services Administration's long-standing support for telecommuting, it has yet to see substantial savings in terms of federal office rents or highway congestion. But telecommuting has made inroads at a number of agencies. Whether their employees telecommute occasionally or regularly,
Here's a telling tale of voice recognition gender-bending
When I first reviewed Voice Xpress Plus software from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products USA Inc. of Burlington, Mass. [GCN, June 22, 1998, Page 27], it performed poorly even after hours of training in my voice patterns. It changed the sentence, "There were no oranges, apples, grapes or pears in the snack bar" into poorly punctuated gibberish: "There was no Oranges, Apple's, rapist were pairs in back bar."
App spots PC flaws, tells you how to fix 'em
TEST DRIVE Pros and cons: + Free + Simple Web and client-based interface + Low resource requirements – Can't download updates for every product you might have Real-life requirements: Win9x or NT, 386 or faster processor, 8M of RAM, 2M free storage, Internet access for updates
Inexpensive Advan monitor doesn't stand up to close scrutiny
Out of the box, the AGM15T looked impressive. It has a large screen for an LCD and was fairly easily connected to my test computer. An optional Universal Serial Bus hub could make the monitor compatible with ultra-modern as well as older office environments. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft Windows 95 nor Windows 98 could properly detect the AGM15T as new hardware. Both operating systems instead used a plug-and-play monitor driver that gave the Advan poor resolution and
Software recreates network environment on the road | GCN
Nobody wants to pack up and lug around a network server, but mobile users who forget an essential server file have probably thought about it more than once. Network Unplugged from Mobiliti Inc. does well at backing up needed files for road use and at maintaining the same look as on the host network, as if the mobile computer is still docked at the desk.
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