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June 10, 2003 |
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If you thought MP3s made you too cool for school, PVPs have come along to up the ante of what's cutting edge in pocket-size gear. This week, we look at Archos's PVPs and get the skinny on Canon's much-anticipated 5-megapixel PowerShot G5. |
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Archos
Most of you savvy CNET readers are already big-time digital music operators, carrying around tunes in your pocket-size MP3 players. But are you ready to have digital video in your pocket, too? You'd better be, because the next wave of portable multimedia will be personal video players (PVPs). You first saw one of these nifty devices with the release of Archos's Jukebox Multimedia 20, which handles digital photos and video, as well as MP3s. The next wave of Archos PVPs starts with an upgrade to the Multimedia 20, the Video AV120, which adds the ability to record video from a TV. But the most impressive addition is the Video AV320 Recorder. It has the bigger video screen we've been waiting for, and you can add a DVR module to start recording TV in real time. We'll keep you posted on the other cool convergence gadgets as they come down the pipeline. |
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Bugbear
Just when you think you've heard the last of Bugbear, it comes around again and bites thousands of people in the behind. Last week, viruses old and new made appearances, proving once again that you shouldn't get caught sleeping on the security job. First, the Sobig.c worm kept up its pace, spreading to many more users than experts had expected. But the real threat struck toward the end of the week, when a new variation of the Bugbear worm from last September reemerged. Bugbear.b scored a 7 on the CNET Virus Meter because it attempts to shut down popular antivirus and firewall apps, it uses a keystroke-logging Trojan horse that could be used to steal passwords, and it has spread rapidly via e-mail. Obviously, your top line of defense is to leave suspicious attachments unopened and use an antivirus app to scan for pesky invaders. |
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Canon PowerShot G5
Many of you have been looking for this 1-megapixel upgrade to the Canon PowerShot G3, the G5, but to no avail; we're still sizing up this sizable shooter. What's the advance word? According to our digital doyennes, Lori Grunin and Aimee Baldridge, it's basically the same as the excellent G3--just a 5-megapixel version. They add, "How good this camera is will depend upon how noisy the 5-megapixel sensor gets and how the high resolution impacts performance. So far, images look great--at ISO 50--and performance doesn't seem to have suffered." Look for our review to come soon, but in the meantime, see the 5-megapixel digicam competition that the G5 will go up against. |
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Sidekick
Our editors reviewed the color T-Mobile Sidekick a while ago, but last week, this handy hiptop finally hit stores. So for those flocking to CNET to see what we think before you buy, we're happy to say that we were pretty pleased with the upgrades the Sidekick received in its move to color. It's still basically an affordable wireless e-mail/phone/PDA hybrid, but it has a much-improved screen and increased memory. Plus, you can now add a camera attachment, and the unit automatically sends your snapshots to the device gallery on your Web-portal page when you take them. But we're still frustrated that Sidekick can't sync with Microsoft Outlook and other PIMs. |
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Internet Explorer
Are you a fan of Microsoft Internet Explorer? Do you even have a choice? I think IE is the only decent browser game in town--at least, it works the best for me. But the whole idea of the standalone IE seems to be in jeopardy if the folks in Redmond go through with these plans. In a May 7 Web chat that was posted on Microsoft's Web site, Brian Countryman, IE program manager, said that Microsoft is planning to phase out standalone versions of the browser. What could that mean for current IE users? If you want to patch known security holes, it might mean forced upgrades to the next client version of Windows, code-named Longhorn. In other words, Microsoft could begin using its dominance in browsers to prod customers into upgrading to new versions of Windows, just as it used its OS monopoly to get folks onboard with IE years back. Sound sinister? Maybe it's time you looked into an alternative browser. |
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