Voice Mail Gets a Lot More Fun With Free Services
New Web services are giving cellphone voice mail a fresh sound with features that let users personalize outgoing messages for individual callers and eschew unwanted calls.
Personal Technology
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Leopard: Faster, Easier Than Vista
Apple’s new version of OS X, called Leopard, builds on Apple’s quality advantage over Windows, says Walt Mossberg. Leopard is better and faster than Vista, with a set of new features that make Macs even easier to use.
Amazon’s Kindle Makes Buying E-Books Easy, Reading Them Hard
Amazon’s Kindle makes buying e-books easy, but its hardware design and its software user interface are marred by annoying flaws, Walt Mossberg says.
With Online Services, Foreign Texts Can Get Lost in Translation
Free online translation services are in greater demand, but their results can be rife with syntactic and semantic errors — from the merely too-literal to the laughably bad.
New Office for Macs Speeds Up Programs, Integrates Formats
The new Microsoft Office for the Mac isn’t revolutionary, but it’s a solid program that does its job faster than old versions, Walt says.
Verizon’s New Voyager Looks Like the iPhone, But Software Is Inferior
Verizon’s new Voyager looks remarkably like the iPhone and even beats Apple’s product in certain respects. But Walt Mossberg says the Voyager suffers badly in the area where Apple’s phone shines: software.
Asus Offers Travelers Small, Mobile Eee PC, but It’s Too Cramped
A tiny new computer called the Eee PC is better than competing products in certain respects, such as text entry and price. But it still has too many compromises to pry most travelers away from their larger laptops.
Multitouch Interface Is Starting to Spread Among New Devices
“Multitouch,” the iPhone-style interface that lets users manipulate lists or objects without a mouse or keyboard, is catching on. Rival companies are scrambling to add multitouch features to laptops and other digital gadgets.
KidZui’s Parent Plan Lets Children Explore in Safe Corner of Web
A new service called KidZui aims to offer kids a safe subset of the Internet where they can roam freely without triggering parental worry.
Consider Your Needs, Then Use This Guide to Buying a Laptop
With laptops outselling desktop PCs, Walt Mossberg offers a quick guide to the key factors you should consider when buying notebook computers.
Adobe Web Photo Site Is Great for Editing, but Lacks Some Basics
Adobe’s Photoshop Express offers the nicest set of Web-based photo editing tools I have seen. They are sophisticated for a consumer application, yet easy to use. However, it’s rough around the edges.
How to Avoid Cons That Can Lead to Identity Theft
The most insidious Internet security problems today rely on human gullibility, not tricky software. These types of attacks are called “social engineering” and can be used to steal your money and identity. Here are tips to help you avoid becoming a victim.
No BlackBerry? Your Cellphone May Do the Trick
Here is a guide to checking your email, looking up information and updating your calendar, just by sending text messages. You can use any cellphone, but you’ll need a generous text-messaging plan.
Guest columnist Vauhini Vara is filling in this week for Walt Mossberg, who returns June 5.
Samsung’s Instinct Doesn’t Ring True as an iPhone Clone
The parade of iPhone lookalikes continues, and the latest to arrive is the Samsung Instinct. While it isn’t a bad phone and has some features the Apple product lacks, it’s no match for the iPhone.
Internet-a-Gogo: Airlines to Offer In-Flight Access
This summer, Wi-Fi access will arrive in the passenger cabins of some commercial U.S. airliners with a new system called Gogo. For travelers who want to stay connected in the air, Gogo does the job, but it has its limitations.
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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.
