• Tag Archives Computer Shopper

  • Computer Shopper (April 1996)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    During the mid 90s, just before the Internet exploded, Computer Shopper was at its peak. The April 1996 issue has more than 800 pages and includes:

    Features

    • Pentium Performance Values – A comparison of a dozen of the latest Pentium 166 based systems including the Computrade 3D Game Station, Dell Dimension XPS P166c, Diamond DT-Super 166, Digital Celebris GL 5166ST, EPS Evolution P166, Gateway 2000 P5166 XL, Maximum Magna Graphiss Promedia, Micron P166 Millennia, MidWest Micro P5166, New Interactive Concept Systems Power Publisher 166, Quantex QP5/166 SM-2, and a Dell XPS P133c which serves as a baseline.
    • Sounds Good – A comparison of 3D speaker systems including the Altec Lansing ACS500, Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble IV, Labtec LCS-2612, Media Depot SSS-170W, MIDI Land MLi-370, and NuReality Vivid 3D Speakers.
    • Videoconferencing – A look at various videoconferencing solutions including ShareVision PC3000 from Creative Labs (POTS), ProShare Video System 200 from Intel (ISDN), Live PCS 50 from (ISDN), TeleWork-5 from Vivo Software (ISND), C-Phone from Target Technologies (LAN), and CorelVideo from Corel (LAN).

    Software

    • Presentation-Graphics Software – A look at several products in a field Microsoft came to complete dominate including DeltaGraph Pro 3.5, Fanfare Presentations, Great Presentations 1.0, Harvard Graphics 4.0 for Windows 95, Lotus Freelance Graphics 96 Edition for Windows 95, Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, Q/Media 3.00, and more.
    • Accounting Packages – A look at some of the latest accounting software including One-Write Plus for Windows 5.0, M.Y.O.B. 6.0, Peachtree Accounting for Windows 3.5, and more.
    • Bonner on Windows – OLE custom controls.
    • Wohl’s World – Voice recognition and voice control on the PC.

    Trends & Technology

    • With a new spec, Microsoft wants to make Windows 95 your communications center – Microsoft unveils new Simply Interactive PC (SIPS) spec; demand for 17-inch monitors increases but 15-inch still the standard; RAIDs and backup solutions become more common; new VRML releases; Overdrive CPUs extend life of older Pentium systems; and more.
    • John Blackford – The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and Computer Shopper.
    • Eric Gravstad – A CPU (or more) in every room.
    • Rivka Tadjer – Build-to-Order trend for PCs takes hold on the web with offerings from companies like Micron, Dell, and Gateway 2000.
    • Michael Slater – USB, MMX, and 3D graphics accelerator are set to change the PC landscape.
    • Van Name & Catchings – Microsoft introduces DirectPlay to improve multiplayer gaming.
    • John Dickinson – PC adoption expected to slow before accelerating ahead.

    Connections

    • Portable Documents Put Designer Spin on the Web – Portable documents offer alternative to HTML docs.
    • Web information manager sift through and organize the glut of data on the NET – Tools to download and analyze web sites to your PC.
    • The Hot Spot – Compuserve’s CB Simulator.
    • Online Grapevine – A look at some interesting sites around the web.
    • Shopper Online – Computer Shopper provides the benchmark tools it uses to test systems including Winstone 96 and WinBench 96.
    • Shareware Shop – A look at PowerToys from Microsoft which includes tools to tweak the Windows 95 desktop.
    • Treading the Boards – Different solutions for web based BBSs including MindWire, Worldgroup, Spinnaker and more.
    • Norton pcAnywhere32 – Remote PC access for Windows 95.
    • Netscape Commerce Server 1.0 – Software that serves web pages both over a network and via dial-up.
    • Netweave Wireless LAN for Ethernet – A proprietary wireless networking solution that gives you speeds up to 1 Mbps.
    • CD-QuickShare – A CD sharing solution that creates a compressed image of CDs on your hard drive.

    Mobile Computing

    • Canon NoteJet IIIcx – A package that includes a notebook PC (120MHz Pentium, 1.2GB hard drive, 8 MB RAM), color printer, and monochrome scanner for $6999.
    • Sharp PC-3060 – A notebook that includes a Cyrix 5×86 processor, 8MB of RAM, and a 500 MB hard drive for $2599.
    • RZP100 – A version of the ZIP drive made by Reveal Computer Products for laptops.
    • CompuTrace – Software to help you recover a lost or stolen laptop.
    • AMC2000 – A device designed to add multimedia capabilities to your laptop. It’s basically an external CD-ROM drive and sound card for only $500.
    • SwapCrypt – A hardware based (PC Card) encryption solution for laptops.

    Multimedia Direct

    • I Want My PCTV – AITech’s WaveWatcher TVR-202 is a PCI card that includes both TV and radio tuners plus a look at the Logicode TVideo, Mitsumi PC/TV Board, and Philips PCA20TV TV tuner cards.
    • CyberMax 586 Family-P120 – This computer from CyberMax includes a 120MHz Pentium CPU, 16MB of EDO DRAM, a 1.6GB hard drive, STB’s Powergraph 64 video card, and more for $2349.
    • Imager 3-D Audio System (LCS-9210) – A device that adds spacialized 3-D processing to any powered speaker system.
    • PlanoScan 2.1 – Software for turning you music scores into MIDI files.
    • Inside Magic – Software for teach you magic tricks.
    • Multimedia Kit 800 – An 8X CD-ROM drive from Diamond Multimedia for $399.
    • Life’s Greatest Mysteries – CD-ROM based software that answers 41 medically related questions.
    • Quest for Fame – A game in which you play a (potential) member of Aerosmith.
    • 3D Kitchen – Design your kitchen with this software.
    • The Ultimate MPEG Video Upgrade Kit – A full-screen 24-bit color MPEG-1 playback card that is capable of playing VideoCDs, MPEG-1 files, and CD-i movies.
    • Doonesbury Flashbacks: 25 Years of Serious Fun – The complete run of Doonesbury through May 1995 including about 8,600 comic strips.
    • Popular Mechanics Car Guide, 1996 Edition – Includes information on more than 7,500 new and used vehicles.
    • Spin Doctor: A New Squeeze for Desktop Video – Video compression and playback software.
    • The Learning Arcade – A look at various educational software titles including Haunted House, Nick Jr Play Math, and Ozzie’s Travels: Destination Japan.
    • The 11th Hour – The 11th hour is a horror themed adventure game that is a sequel to The 7th Guest.
    • Virtual Karts – A realistic go-kart racing game from MicroProse.
    • Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire – I was never a big fan of the Rebel Assault games or the shooter on rails genre in general. The first in the series was one of the earliest big CD-ROM games. I owned the first but never played the second.
    • Shannara – An RPG based on the Terry Brooks novels.

    Reviews

    • ACW P5-166HB – This computer features a 166 MHz Pentium CPU, 16MB EDO DRAM, 256K pipeline-burst cache, 1 GB hard drive, a Diamond Multimedia Edge video card with 2MB VRAM, and more for about $3000.
    • Quick Insight 1.20 – A marketing analysis program for Windows.
    • Kai’s Power Tools 3.0 – A once very popular graphics utility package.
    • CorelXara – This drawing program features both vector and bitmap capabilities.
    • TravelPad CDB – This $3299 laptop includes a 90 MHz Pentium CPU, 16MB of RAM, 256K of secondary cache, a 1.3 GB hard drive, and more.
    • FileMaker Pro 3.0 – The latest version of this popular database for Windows 95.
    • TI microLaser PowerPro/12 – A 600dpi laser printer for $1599.
    • Okidata OL610e – A LED based printer designed for small offices for $679.
    • Lotus Smartsuite 96 – The Lotus answer to Microsoft Office.
    • ClarisWorks 4.0 for Windows 95 – An office suite designed to compete with Microsoft Works.
    • ScanMedia – A combo flatbed scanner/fax/copier for $895.
    • Micron P150 Millennia – This PC features a 150 MHz Pentium CPU, 1.2 GB hard drive, 16MB of EDO RAM, and more for $2900.
    • PowerDesk 1.0 – Tools to customize the Windows 95 desktop.
    • Recollect Gold 3.0 – The latest version of this scanning and OCR package.
    • DeksScan Color – A 24-bit color flatbed scanner for $399.
    • TeleMagic Enterprise for Windows 2.0 – A relational database designed for contact management.
    • Cyberjack/WinComm Pro 7.0 for Windows 95 – An integrated software package for accessing online services.

    Tech Section

    • The Hard Edge – The lack of enthusiasm for the Pentium Pro, April fools jokes, and more.
    • Signs of the Times – The desktop PC may give way to the information appliance with the rise of the Internet.
    • It’s a Small World – Molecular nanotechnology could reshape CPU and PC design.
    • Progressive Proteins – Using protein based computing to increase speeds by 1000x or more.
    • Opening Scenes – I look at IBM’s butterfly keyboard introduced with the IBM ThinkPad 701C.
    • What Ever Happened To…? – Dumb terminals vs. the new Internet Terminal.
    • Development Tools – A look at an editor called Source Insight.
    • Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures – Using your old 286 based computer as a printer server…or voice mail system; using a 64-bit video card with a Vesa Local Bus system; using an Apple dot-matrix printer with a Windows 95 PC; finding hard drive documentation on the web; using multiple EIDE drives; and more.
    • What’s the Code? – Using structured exception handling in C++.

    Smart Shopper

    • Buying a Refurbished PC – This guide concentrates on finding a Pentium class machine with CD-ROM, sound card, enough RAM for Windows 95, and a decent sized hard drive for a bargain price.
    • Personal Shopper – Advice about not choosing a computer based on brand name alone.
    • Inside Tech Support – A guide to troubleshooting your hard drive and collecting relevant information before calling tech support with a problem.
    • The 10 Commandments of Buying Direct – Advice for buying a computer via mail-order.

    …and much more!


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  • Computer Shopper (July 2001)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    By 2001, Computer Shopper was no longer the phone book sized monstrosity it once was in the late 1980s and 1990s but this issue still weighs in at almost 250 pages. The July 2001 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Dynamic Duo – A look at some of the earliest PCs based on the 1.2 and 1.3 GHz Athlon CPUs which were paired with DDR RAM and faster than 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 systems. Models looked at here include the Atlas Micro XS5000, Compaq Presario 7000Z-1.2, MicronPC Millennia Max XP2, and Polywell Poly 880KR-1300.
    • Hearing Is Believing – A look at some of the best sound cards of the time including the Abit Home Theater AU10, AOpen Audio Phantom AW744 Deluxe, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live Platinum 5.1, and Philips Acoustic Edge.
    • Get Personal With a Printer – A guide to picking the printer that’s best for you including a look at the HP OfficeJet G8Sxl, Lexmark Z43 Color Jetprinter, Minolta-QMS PagePro 1100L, and more.
    • Sensational Site Design – A look at web site design tools including Adobe GoLive 5.0, HoTMetaL Pro 6.0, Macromedia Dreamweaver 4.0, Microsoft FrontPage 2002, and NetObjects Fusion MX.
    • Online on the Road – A look at options for staying connected while traveling.
    • Putting the Pieces Together – A guide to saving money by building your own computer. Examples used here includes a Pentium III 800 based system and an Athlon 800 based system.

    News

    • Net Now – Microsoft’s upcoming Windows XP OS, half the country has internet access, Microsoft introduces Tablet PC, Microsoft introduces smartphone platform based on Windows CE optimized for future 2.5G and 3G networks, and more.
    • Hot Gear – The Sanyo SCP-5000 “picto-phone”, the Kenwood Excelon Z828 car stereo, the Olympus Camedia C-700 Ultra Zoom 2.11 megapixel digital camera, the Sony Clie PEG-N710C, and more.

    Opinions

    • John Blackford – Wi-Fi (only 802.11b at the time) starts making its way onto notebooks.
    • John Dvorak – The fast pace of technology development leads to Technology Fantigue Syndrome.
    • Jim O’Brien – After the success of Napster, record companies try to cache in on digital music.
    • Michael Slater – A home media server may replace the PC.

    Help & How To

    • Your Own Digital Domain – A guide to building your own website.
    • Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures – Questions answered about covering your tracks after using a computer, the swap file, e-mail viruses, modems, and more.
    • Buying Advisor – Advice for buying an LCD suitable for watching movies. Ultimate, the nearly $2100 ViewSonic VP181 ViewPanel was chosen.

    Reviews

    • Desktops – Reviews of the Duron 850 based Atlas Micro AS5000, the 1GHz Pentium III based Dell Dimension 4100, and the $1499 iMac Special Edition (graphite, flower power, or blue dalmation) based on the 600MHz G3.
    • Hardware – Reviews of the Olympus Camedia C-2040 Zoom, Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge, Pioneer DVR-A03 DVD burner, KDS V5-190I CRT monitor, and more.
    • Networks – A review of the D-Link DWL-920 11MBPS USB Wireless Home Network Kit.
    • Mobile – Reviews of the 1 GHz Pentium III based Compaq Armada E5000, IBM ThinkPad iSeries 1300 1171-7WU, the Winbook X1, the Handspring Visor Edge PDA, the Motorola V Series 60C mobile phone, the Compaq iPaq Pocket PC H3150 PDA, and the Palm M105 PDA.
    • Software – A look at Microsoft Office XP Professional Special Edition.
    • Games – Reviews of Black & White, Serious Sam, The Sims: House Party Expansion Pack, and Star Wars: Battle for Naboo.

    …and more!


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  • Computer Shopper (October 2001)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    In 2001 Computer Shopper still had some good content but it was no longer the phone book sized monstrosity that it once was. People had moved on to the Internet for ordering computers and parts greatly reducing the number of vendors advertising in magazines. Windows XP was the big story at this time. The October 2001 issue of Computer Shopper includes:

    Features

    • PCs for the People – A look at five midrange PCs including the Compaq Presario 5000 featuring a 900MHz AMD Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 40GB hard drive and GeForce2 MX graphics card; the NuTrend Duron Power 2 featuring a 950 MHz AMD Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 30GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; Polywell Poly 815 MS2-1000 featuring a 1 GHz Pentium III, 128MB SDRAM, 20GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; Sys Technology TaskMaster 9500 featuring a 950MHz Duron, 128MB SDRAM, 40GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card; and the Wolop Connexus A100 featuring a 1 GHz Pentium III, 128MB SDRAM, 20GB hard drive, and GeForce2 MX graphics card.
    • The Power of 3 – A look at five new graphics cards featuring the GeForce 3 chip. These include the Asus AGP-V8200 Deluxe 64MB, Elsa Gladiac 920, Gigabyte GV-GF3000, Hercules 3D Prophet III, and the VisionTek GeForce3 Graphics Accelerator.
    • Flatly Affordable – A guide to shopping for flat panel displays. At this time, CRTs were still the most common display type (and most affordable).
    • alt.browsers – A look at the latest alternative browsers including Enigma Browser 3.6.0, Neoplanet 5.2, and Opera for Windows 5.1. Opera is the only one of these I’ve even heard of.
    • Great XPectations – A look at Microsoft’s new operating system and their biggest release since 1995.
    • Creativity of the Cheap – A look at some of the creative things that can be done with inexpensive peripherals such as ink jet printers, digital cameras, scanners, and more.

    News

    • Net Now – A port of Linux for the PS2, a 32mbps phone line network system from Broadcom, websites for finding bargains, and more.
    • Hot Gear – A look at some of the latest tech including the Nintendo GameCube, PocketColor 200 Print & Share photo printer, Minolta Dimage 7 3.3 megapixel digital camera ($1499), the CybikoXtreme PDA, and more.

    Opinions

    • John Blackford – On web based business exchanges.
    • John C. Dvorak – Fibre to the home solutions.
    • Jim O’Brien – Suspicious shipping and handling charges from E-tailers.
    • Michael Slater – The future of digital photography.

    Business Buyer

    • Quick Connections – The best broadband options for businesses.
    • e-Services and Tools – A look at web based payroll services.
    • Building Your Business – Low cost web hosting for small businesses.

    Help & How-To

    • Step Up Your Internet Security – A guide to improving your security when online.
    • The Hard Edge – Active Server Pages, DVD-RAM drives, and more.
    • Alfred Poor’s Computer Cures – Questions answered about spurious speaker sounds, small print on web pages, and more.

    Reviews

    • Desktops – The Falcon Northwest Mach V, the Alvio Magister, and the Micron Millennia Max XP2.
    • Hardware – Fujifilm Finepix 6800 Zoom digital camera, Sony Xpressa CRX200E/A1CD-R double density CD-R drive, the Iomega Peerless removeable storage, Lexmark Z53 Color Jetprinter, and Altec Lansing AV5500 speakers.
    • Networks – A review of the Sohoware Netblaster II Wireless Network Kit Combo Version.
    • Mobile – Reviews of the HP Pavilion N5470 with AMD Athlon 4 CPU, NEC Versa TXI with 750MHz Pentium III, IBM Thinkpad T22 featuring a 1GHz Pentium III, Panasonic SV-S075 E-Wear SD Audio Player, Handera 330 PDA, 3COM Wireless Bluetooth PC Card, and Motorola V100 Personal Communicator.
    • Software – Reviews of PCSync 2.0, Final Cut Pro 2, Red Hat Linux 7.1 Deluxe Workstation, and Siren Jukebox 2.0.
    • Web Services – A look at Copernic Shopper Plus, and more.
    • Games – Reviews of Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, World War II Online: Blitzkrieg, and Worms World Party.

    …and more!


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