• Tag Archives magazine

  • PC World (January 2003)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: PC World – January 2003

    I think that PC World was probably the most popular PC magazine during most of its life. In 2003, things were moving fast in the PC world. Broadband use was growing rapidly as was processing power and practically uses for the PC (e.g. digital cameras, still and video). The contents of the January 2003 issue includes:

    Cover Story

    • What’s Hot for 2003 – A look at what is expected in 2003. Digital cameras will become smaller while including more megapixels, faster wifi, a new 64-bit CPU from AMD (Clawhammer), improved LCD monitors, movies for PDAs and cell phones, home media servers, improved 3D graphics cards, Doom 3, and more.

    Features

    • Image Makers – A look at 16 new photo-capable printers. PC World ranks the best photo printer as the Epson Stylus Photo 2200 while the best general purpose ink jet printer is the Canon 1320 Color Bubble Jet Printer.
    • Faster for Free – How to tune up Windows XP to make your PC faster. Plus a look at various monitoring and diagnostic software.
    • The New (Improved?) Wireless Web – A look at six ways to access the web on the go. Options include Wi-Fi (802.11b), 3G modems, and cell phone access (smart phones weren’t a thing yet).

    Top 100

    • Mobile P4 Speeds Up – Intel releases a new 2.2 GHz Mobile Pentium 4 CPU.
    • Top 15 Desktop PCs – The Dell Dimension 8250 featuring a 2.8GHz Pentium 4, 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, and 512MB of PC1066 RDRAM takes the top Power System spot with the Gateway 700X featuring a 2.53GHz Pentium 4, 1 GB of PC800 RDRAM and 128MB GeForce Ti 4600 coming in second. The top value PC is the Micro Express MicroFlex 2100A with a 1.6-GHz Athlon XP 1900+, 64MB GeForce MX 460 and 256MB DDR333 SDRAM.
    • Top 15 Notebook PCs – The top Power Notebook this month is the IBM ThinkPad T30 featuring a 1.8-GHz Pentium 4-M with 256MB of RAM. The top Value Notebook is the Dell Inspiron 4150 featuring a 1.8-GHz Pentium 4-M with 256MB of RAM.
    • Top 10 Monitors – CRTs were still king with the top 19-inch monitor being the Samsun SyncMaster 957mb.
    • Top 10 CD-RW Drives – The “Best Buy” CD-RW drives were the TDK 48X VeloCD and the LG Electronics GCE-840B.
    • Top 10 Graphics Boards – The best Power Graphics Board was the Leadtek WinFast A250 Ultra featuring the NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600. The best Value board was the MSI G4MX440-VTP featuring the NVidia GeForce4 MX 440.
    • Top 10 Digital Cameras – The best digital camera in the $500 and over category was the Nikon Coolpix 4300 featuring a whopping 4-Megapixel resolution.

    Departments

    • Up Front – Choosing the right moment to throw out old (but proven) tech for the latest and greatest.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about copy-protection hardware, free ebooks, secure internet transactions, and more.
    • Plugged In – PC prices plummet; software makers move to smaller boxes; T-Mobile’s Sidekick released; and more.
    • Home Office – USB 2.0 makes external upgrades easier with external hard drives, USB DVD drives, printers and more.
    • Full Disclosure – A look at technology not quite ready for prime time in 2003 including speech recognition, phone/data combos, long lasting batteries in mobile devices, high definition TV programming, and more.

    News & Trends

    • Two CPUs in One? – Intel’s latest Pentium 4 CPU reaches 3 GHz and offers a second virtual CPU via hyperthreading. Compared here are several hyperthreaded P4 machines along with benchmarks.
    • Mixed Verdict on Photo Sensor – A look at Sigma’s SD9 SLR digital camera, the first to use the Foveon X3 image sensor.
    • Microsoft’s Next Office – A look at the upcoming version of Microsoft Office (Office 11).
    • Wi-Fi Projectors: Keep the Cables – Wireless projectors didn’t really offer many advantages of ones you had to connect to with a physical cable. They cost $1000 more and took at least as much time to setup. Four units are looked at here including the NEC LT260, Sharm Notevision PG-M25X, Sony VPL-PX15 SuperSmart, and Toshiba TLP-T501U.

    New Products

    • Digital Cameras – New digital cameras are smaller and pack more power. A look at several models including the Canon PowerShot S230 Digital Elph, FujiFilm FinePix F402, and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U20.
    • PDAs – The smartphone would eventually take over from the PDA but not in 2003. A look at several modesl including the Dell Axim X5 (I had this one!), Palm Zire, Royal Linea 16, and ViewSonic Pocket PC V35.
    • Notebook – A look at the VPR Matrix 200A5 featuring a 2-GHz Pentium 4-M, 512MB DDR SDRAM, and NVidia GeForce4 420 Go for $2400.
    • Disk Imaging – A look at Norton Ghost 2003 which gets a poor review here.
    • Disk Utlity – A look at PartitionMagic 8, another piece of software that gets a less than stellar review.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Byte (March 1979)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Byte – March 1979

    Byte was one of the earliest computer magazines and longest running. Publication began in the 1970s and continued through the early 1990s. The content tended to be technical, especially in the older issues. The March 1979 issue includes:

    Foreground

    • The Standard Data Encryption Algorithm, Part 1 – An introduction to the Standard Data Encryption Algorithm and an implementation for the KIM which uses a 6502 processor
    • Designing with Double Sided Printed Circuit Boards – A tutorial for designing your own circuit boards.
    • Designing a Robot From Nature, Part 2 – Part 2 concentrates on the design of the eye of the robot. Really it’s a contrast detector. The robot consists of a manipulator arm, an 8008 computer, and sustained contrast detector.
    • A Stepping Motor Primer, Part 2 – This second part of a multi-part series covers interfacing to a stepper motor.
    • Build a Computer Controlled Security System for Your Home, Part 3 – The third part of detailed guide to building a home security system.
    • The Power of the HP-87 Programmable Calculator, Part 1 – An introduction to the HP-67 Programmable Calculator using a complex programming example.

    Background

    • Building the Heath H8 Computer – The Heath H8 was a computer that came in kit form. It was based on the 8080A CPU. This is a guide to putting it together.
    • A Map of the TMS-9000 – A look at machine language on this 16-bit processor.
    • Files on Parade, Part 2 – The second and final part in a series on using files.
    • A Microprocessor for the Revolution: The 6809, Part 3 – The concluding part of a series on the 6809 processor. This art discusses clock speed, timing signals, condition codes, and software design philosophy. This processor would be used in the TRS-80 Color Computer.
    • Cryptography in the Field, Part 1 – Part one of a series on the practical use of cryptography.
    • Preview of the Z-8000 – A technical look of this new 16-bit processor from Zilog.
    • Common Mistakes Using Warnier-QPR Diagrams – These diagrams are a form of programming documentation and a way to impose structure on non-structured programming languages.
    • Password Protection for Your Computer – A simple procedure for implementing password protection on you system.
    • What is an Interrupt? – A technical explanation of the interrupt.
    • A History of Computers: The IBM 650 – The IBM 650 was the most popular computer of the 1950s, used by small banking, accounting and insurance companies among others.

    Nucleaus

    • Don’t Overlook Lisp – An editorial on the benefits of the LISP programming language.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about computers in the kitchen, computer humor, chess and Pascal, and more.
    • Desk Top Wonder: Race Car for the SR-52 – A racing game for the SR-52 programmable calculator.
    • Book Review – Review of “Your Own Computer” by Mitchell Waite and Michael Pardee.
    • BYTE News – More companies supporting Pascal on their machines; Intel, Texas Instruments and IBM release new memory chips; bubble memory increasing in availability; 5-inch floppy disks to increase in capacity to 1 to 2 MB; flat screen displays being developed; APL microcomputer coming soon; and more.
    • Technical Forum – Information on vector displays.
    • Nybbles: Computer Assisted Flight Planning – Using a computer to perform calculations related to flight planning.
    • What’s New> – A look at new products including a Cromenco Single Card computer featuring a Z-80 CPU and S-100 bus, an Intelligent Programmer for Ultraviolet Memory Chips, the Program Utility Package for the North Star Disk System, a new word processor for the Commodore PET, and more.

    …and more!


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  • Personal Computing (September 1982)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Personal Computing – September 1982

    Personal Computing was a long lived computer magazine published in the U.S. from the late 1970s until 1990 or so. Though by the end of its run it was covering mostly the PC, it covered various computer platforms in its earlier days. The September 1982 issue includes:

    Departments

    • Editorial – Computer literacy and getting more out of Personal Computing.
    • Letters – Letters from readers about electronic mail, choosing a word processor, buying a printer, the need for two disk drives, and more.
    • Answers – Questions answered about compatible home and office computers, microdisks (the then new 3.5″ disk format), portable computers, using electric typewriters as an interface.
    • Outlook – Purchasing software may qualify you for tax deductions; Club Med features computer workshop with Atari computers; universities use computers to help students with math; and more.
    • Interview – An interview with Jack Tramiel, chairman of Commodore Business Machines. He would later leave Commodore and move on to Atari.
    • Essay – Concern about the divide between the computer literate and computer illiterate.
    • Book Reviews – Reviews of Big Things From Little Computers: A Layperson’s Guide to Personal Computing, The Investor’s Computer Handbook, and Industrial Marketing and Sales Management in the Computer Age.
    • Games – An article on Bridge and how to outbid the enemy.

    • Hardware of the Month – A look at new hardware including several new computers. The first is the portable Hyperion which is priced in the $4500 range, is compatible with the IBM PC, and features an 8088 processor, 256K RAM, and one or two floppy drives. The second is the NEC Model 200 which features various floppy/hard drive combinations starting at $4500. Also included here is a new Winchester hard drive from ATASI, a high resolution color 13″ monitor, and more.
    • Software of the Month – New software including The Organizer (a personal information manager), Graphics Processing System, Kryptyk (encryption software), Oasis-16 (an operating system for the IBM PC), Easy Planner (spreadsheet), The Terminal Program from Hayes, and more.

    Features

    • Computing Literacy: Springboard to Success – Computer literacy is becoming important to up and coming executives.
    • Servicing Your System: Be Prepared – A proper service agreement can make the difference between a good system and a great system.
    • Squaring Off Over Computer Literacy – The best way to bring computer literacy to non-users.
    • Extend Your Reach with Telecommunications – Communicating with other computers with a modem. Something made practical only after Ma Bell lost their monopoly on telecommunications hardware used on their phone lines.
    • Big Four Accounting Software Roundup – A massive overview of the accounting software currently available in the categories of general ledger, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll.
    • Breaking Out of the Payroll Bind – A look at payroll software and how it reduces paperwork, bookkeepers and otherwise increases efficiency.
    • Deskmaster: The Soul of a Program – Designing software that encompasses the features that professionals want most: a memo writer, filing system, appointment calendar and desk calculator. Deskmaster will have all of these and be free to Personal Computing subscribers.
    • Home, Hearth and Computing – Kids with computers in the home spend more time with the computer and less time with TV.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged