Flock, a little-known Web browser, attempts to take the pain out of online multitasking by keeping your social networks, photo sites or news feeds visible at all times. The browser works well, but it isn’t for everyone.
Mozilla Firefox 3.0 is the best Web browser out there right now, and it tops the current versions of both IE and Safari in features, speed and security, writes Walt Mossberg. It is easy to install and easy to use, even for a mainstream, non-technical user.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Yahoo Mail has emerged from testing as a polished, fairly powerful online email program. It beats Google’s Gmail both in terms of features and its ability to act like a computer program instead of a Web page, writes Walt Mossberg.
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.
Walt Mossberg says Picnik — a Web-based photo-editing application — is good for tweaking and improving photos, then posting them to photo Web sites, saving them to a computer, emailing them, or even printing them.
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.
The FlipStart, part of a new wave of tiny Windows PCs, has a decent battery life, but its awkward, in-between size and $2,000 price tag is likely to keep it a niche product. (Video)
A free Web site called Netvibes is poised to give My Yahoo a run for its money, writes Walt Mossberg. It allows users to create personalized pages with modules that gather headlines, email, weather and other data from all over the Web.
A new program helps people who prefer to use keyboard shortcuts rather than moving their hands to use the mouse. And its commands needn’t be memorized, because they are entered in plain English.
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.