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April 15, 2003 |
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Readers think it's high time they cut the fat out of their lives--electronic fat, that is. That's why so many of you are seeking out Diet Kaza: it works great, and it's less filling without the spyware and pop-ups. Also, we look at the new faces of TiVo and video streaming. |
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Diet Kaza
Spring has sprung, and techies' thoughts have turned to shedding those unwanted pounds. In the case of CNET readers, that means cutting the spyware, especially from popular apps such as Kazaa. A few spyware-free incarnations of this file-sharing program have gotten your attention: in the past, Kazaa Lite and now, Diet Kaza (sic), which promises not only to drop the spyware but also to block pop-ups, configure your client, and speed up your downloads. Regardless of which you choose, be careful; big brother RIAA may be watching you. But we know all you little angels would never swap copyrighted material, right? File trading aside, if all you want is to help your computer generally cut the spyware fat, check out these adware killers, which our editors have reviewed, and see which we liked best. |
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TiVo
Get ready for a bold new age of digital video recorders. First, Sony has announced that it will jump into the DVR fray with its own broadband-connected recorder as soon as the electronics behemoth establishes a DVR service in the United States. A few days later, TiVo announced that it's now made available a new software upgrade that lets TiVo Series2 digital video recorders tap content stored on a home PC, including music files and digital photos. Who needs a Media Center PC? Too bad that Sonicblue's ReplayTV, thanks to poor financials and a lack of interested buyers, may not be around for much longer to enjoy the renaissance--a real shame, considering that our editors loved ReplayTV's technology so much. |
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RealOne
Video streaming has definitely hit the mainstream, and with that popularity, the landscape has gotten more competitive. As more Net users (and a few of you are probably readers) start paying for their video content (whether it's for up-to-the-minute war coverage or just to catch Major League Baseball games), they also are demanding more for their money. Our editors are in the same boat and recently sized up two of the most popular services--Real's RealOne and Yahoo Platinum. Overall, we weren't all that thrilled with any of the options. Both had questionable quality, and RealOne seemed intent on hammering us with its own promotions. For now, it looks like those of you who crave streaming video will have to suffer through until one of the big players or some new hot shot gets its act together. |
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Portable DVD player
Finally, enough of you are searching for portable DVD players that I have an excuse to rant about these gadgets. I know the argument is that you should save your laptop's battery life by bringing one of these pretty, silver, slim players along in your bag, but I'm not buying it. I still think $400 is $400, and there's a lot I could do with that cash. But if you simply must get your hands on one of these mini movie machines, you should start with our editors' top portable players list. Meanwhile, if you're a notebook user who wants to watch movies in flight, maybe it's time to step up to a Centrino or Pentium M notebook; most of the models we reviewed have DVD-ROM drives built in, and they delivered some of the longest battery life we've seen in our testing. |
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GhostSurf
While this very popular software search term sounds spooky, GhostSurf is really about turning your online actions transparent. Just like the ever-popular Evidence Eliminator, software that helps you cover your online tracks and clean up after yourselves electronically is always very big. If you're looking for tips on keeping your Internet and computer movements private, this handy story that outlines the basics, from ridding yourself of old programs to erasing unnecessary or unwanted files for good. For more download ideas for managing your online privacy, check out a bigger list here. |
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