Retail: Reviews

The NEC MultiSync LCD2070NX is a 21-inch dual input (digital and analog) LCD display with a 1600 x 1200 pixel resolution, integrated USB 2.0 hub, and thin-bezel design.

Acer's AL1932d is quite a looker. Its semi-transparent bezel curves backward at the top, imparting an aerodynamic, sports-car-like touch.

The first beta of Microsoft's Windows Vista clearly shows where the operating system is headed. Rather than a dramatic departure from Windows XP, Vista seems to refine the OS with sharper graphics and improved search and security. The new interface and other changes are definitely for the better, but some aspects of Vista - including its Virtual Folders - are a bit puzzling. Described by company executives as "a plumbing release" containing only about half the features users will receive in the shipping version (still said to be on track for rollout in late 2006), Build 5112, aka Beta 1, was released on July 27 to 10,000 technical testers, with an additional half million IT pros and developers gaining access to the code (if not to tech support) via their respective Microsoft support groups.

Design-wise, Samsung's SyncMaster 193p+ follows in the footsteps of the successful SyncMaster 193p. It has the same tilted, round stand - newly coloured a shimmering silver - with a dual hinge to support the pivoting screen.

The ViewSonic VX724 introduces the company's new Amplified Impulse technology, which overdrives the LCD panel's electronics to produce faster transitions between shades of grey.

The two-tone gray body of the $US999 HP LaserJet 2430tn strikes an efficient, businesslike look that will fit easily into any corporate workgroup.

Contrary to what Mac cynics might say, the upgrades in Mac OS X Version 10.4 (also known as Tiger), Apple's latest operating system, are not just cosmetic.

Shuttle's new bare-bones system, the XPC SN25P, lets do-it-yourselfers build a small PC with all the power and technology typically found in a full-size tower. Unfortunately, the end result is too noisy.

If gaming and multimedia applications have home users balking at bandwidth congestion on their 802.11g networks, the fast lane glow of 802.11a beckons.

ATI Technologies has sold PCI-based TV tuners, and graphics cards with TV-tuning capabilities, for several years. Its most recent such products make TV on a PC look better than ever before - but they are still no match for the real thing, TV on a TV.