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Apple’s new Time Capsule packs both a giant hard disk and a speedy Wi-Fi wireless router into one slender case, allowing computers to easily back up their hard drives wirelessly.
Microsoft’s first major update to its Windows Vista operating system, called Service Pack 1, is probably worth installing, but for most average consumers it will likely be a nonevent.
Dell’s new all-in-one PC, the XPS One, is a stylish Windows Vista machine that runs well and won’t cost a fortune. If it didn’t have the Dell logo on it, the XPS One might be mistaken for a product of the PC industry’s design leaders, Apple or Sony.
Gateway One is striking like the iMac but offers smaller screens and lower resolution — huge factors in an all-in-one machine — for prices that can exceed the iMac’s, says Walt Mossberg. Video
It’s time for Walt’s annual fall PC buyer’s guide and, surprisingly, 10 months after Microsoft’s Vista operating system emerged, Vista is still the biggest puzzle in consumers’ computer-buying decisions.
Walt reviews Linux’s relatively slick Ubuntu variation and finds the alternative operating system too rough around the edges for the vast majority of computer users. (Video)
Walt Mossberg tests a $99 desktop computer that comes with software, online backup, and has a design that cuts energy use. However, there are several catches that prevent him from recommending the computer.
New laptops from Toshiba and Dell tackle the design challenge of being both small and powerful. Both machines are stylish and worked fine in the tests, but Walt finds flaws that might give a buyer pause.
Many people are furious about so-called craplets, the unwanted programs that come loaded on most new PCs. Until computer makers stop dumping these junk programs on us, here are some strategies for avoiding them.
Vista is the best version of Windows that Microsoft has produced, Walt Mossberg says. But while navigation has been improved, the successor to XP isn’t a breakthrough in ease of use.
Novatel has come out with a couple of new ExpressCard versions for Cingular and Verizon cellular broadband networks. I recommend both new cards. But the two high-speed networks are very different.
In early battles for dominance of the PC market, Microsoft’s component-based platform crushed Apple’s end-to-end model. But in today’s post-PC era, where the focus is on music players, game consoles and cellphones, the end-to-end model is the early winner.
Apple’s “Boot Camp” software lets Mac users turn their machines into a fast, full-fledged Windows computer if they choose, with only a few minor annoyances.
Edited by Walt and written by Katie Boehret, this is a guide to gadgets, web services and other consumer technologies.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
