pc

One day after PC World's editor-in-chief resigned over what sources said was a reluctance to mute coverage critical of advertisers, the magazine's chief executive denied that advertisers influence editorial decisions.

Colin Crawford, the president & CEO of PC World Communications and Mac Publishing, wrote in his personal blog that "IDG and I hold editorial integrity in the highest regard," after CNET News.com reported that Harry McCracken informed staffers Wednesday afternoon that he resigned because Crawford ordered him to kill an article that was critical of a major advertiser.

IDG spokesman Howard Sholkin confirmed Thursday that … Read more

What's more fun than a little competitive rivalry? Spoofs of competitive rivalry, that's what!

Apple's "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ads (watch them at Apple) have stirred up the international cultural imagination, spawning spoofs of the newly classic campaign.

Here are two new favorites to add to your collection. Wired points us to this South Park-style gem. True to the cartoon's saucy style, neither OS avoids taking heat.

Then CNET UK holds a joust--literally--with Mac OS X and Windows Vista. CNET is a big fan of staging prizefights, but CNET … Read more

Hear ye! Hear ye! Before us we have two gallant fighters preparing to do bloody battle for our affections. In the orange corner we have Baron Vista, representing Windows' finest, and in the black corner is Count OS X, representing Apple.

That's right, we're doing Mac vs. PC, Crave UK-style: in tights. Gasp in fear as Vista approaches OS X, questions his parentage and slaps a heavy gauntlet across the Count's supple, moisturised face. Feel your heart race as OS X swings his sword with reckless abandon, and scream in desperation as Vista counters with a barrage … Read more

As any espionage operative will tell you, spying on someone's computer can a frustrating task. It usually involves loading software, which always ends up taking more time than anticipated--thereby increasing the chances of getting caught in the act.

That's why U.K.-based Spycatcher came up with the "Keywatcher," a small gadget less than 2 inches long that plugs into the back of the subject's computer, according to Uber-Review, not unlike a USB storage key. Spycatcher says the gadget, which goes for 107 pounds (or $215) holds "up to 65,000 characters of text (… Read more

Rock's nutty professors have been hard at work cooking up the Meivo--a 22-inch LCD TV with a high-end PC stuffed inside it.

The Meivo (pronounced my-vo) is Vista-ready, meaning it'll have awesome media-handling capabilities out of the box, and it'll have up to two hard drives and an incredible four Freeview or analog TV tuners--a media junkie's dream.

This does overlook the impossibility of there being four things on Freeview at the same time you desperately have to watch. "Oh no, the repeat of Deal or No Deal clashes with Hollyoaks, the local news … Read more

It's an enticing idea: replace your keyboard with a stylus and tap your screen--or write all over it--to get things done.

That's the basic premise behind tablet PCs, and while they haven't fully caught on yet, the NAVIsis Laptop Tablet lets you give the tablet user interface a go without having to splurge on a brand-new tablet PC.

The NAVIsis Laptop Tablet is a $130 USB device that clips onto the side of your laptop screen and lets you tap, write, and draw on the display to your heart's content.

Sure, $130 is far from free, … Read more

Motion Computing was going unveil its new LE1700 Core 2 Duo slate tablet PC to the world this morning, but thanks to some errant FCC documents, the blogosphere got wind of it a few days early.

The company is known for tablets aimed at industrial and hospital users--but with a Core 2 Duo CPU, built-in mobile broadband, and a 12.1-inch 1,400x1,050 screen that can switch between stylus and fingertip input--there's plenty of mainstream crossover appeal in the LE1700.

GottaBeMobile found a load of early details on the system on the FCC.gov Web site, but here … Read more

The spring thaw has begun, and with that, video game publishers make their annual pilgrimages out to the East Coast to show off the latest builds of upcoming games. We got a chance to get hands-on with several high-profile titles (and some fairly obscure ones) that are sure to eat up many hours of your leisure time later this year.

John Woo's Stranglehold, from Midway, is a buzz-heavy game, bringing together the talents of not just the famed Hong Kong director, but also his action star muse Chow Yun-Fat. It's full of HK-style slow-motion gunfights and is reminiscent, … Read more

While so many other computer companies are trying to hide their CPUs, a handful of brave mavericks are actually trying to draw more attention to them. But that doesn't mean they're building the standard and deadly boring old gray boxes.

Directron, for example, is selling one that looks more like a rubber ball than a PC--hence its name, the "Ball PC System." Not much is offered in the way of specs, pricing or availability, but SCI FI Tech says the shiny sphere splits open, spaceship-style, to reveal a 40GB hard drive between its hemispheres.

That means … Read more