Product Reviews
HP Compaq dc7600 Ultra-slim
Desktop
Summary: Hidden in a small ultra-
slim case, this computer system has
the same power as larger systems
and wins our Best In Class Award for
value, power and compactness.
Price: $1242
The HP Compaq dc7600 series of
computers are a group of customizable computers systems with
an affordable price and the power
to be an excellent workstation in
the office environment as well as at
home. In our case, we received
the ultra-slim desktop unit to test
and give this system our Best In
Class Award for value, power and
compactness.
Although this particular model
is available as a tower or a larger
desktop, the ultra-slim version is
great for those cases where you
don’t have a lot of room to spare.
Still offering the same computing
muscle as its counterparts, this
version is just a bit larger than a
notebook although you will still need to
purchase a monitor. With a
3.4GHz Intel Pentium 4
processor, 1MB Level
2 cache RAM and
512MB of DDR2
SDRAM the system’s performance
was rather impressive. Add to that a
fast SATA80GB hard drive and the data
processing performance was above
average for computers with this combination.
The ultra-slim version is great
for those cases where you don’t
have a lot of room to spare.
Our system had an integrated Intel
Media Accelerator 950 graphics card,
however with the company’s web site
configuration program you can choose
between two faster NVIDIA cards and a
DVI adapter which will
really complement the HP Compaq
dc7600. The system uses a multibay for
some peripheral items such as our
8X/24X DVD-ROM. As more offices are
going with a faster Gigabit network, the
computer has an integrated Broadcom
10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet port with
options for a wireless hookup if you
need it. Other peripheral devices can be
attached through a FireWire interface
and we really do appreciate HP
Compaq’s normal six high speed USB
ports available with the computer.
The dc7600 ships with Windows XP
Professional, although you can save a
few dollars by going with the
Home version. If you prefer a
Linux based system, HP offers
this computer with the HP
Compaq dc7600
Alternate OS called
F r e e D O S .
Productivity software
isn’t included with the
base system but the
configuration program gives you a
wide selection of
packages that can
be installed on the
shipped system.
When you need
the computing power
for business applica-
tions in a work environ-
ment, the Hewlett Packard
Compaq dc7600 system offers
great space savings and
excellent performance. This
particular computer is priced on
the company’s web site for around
$1240. To find out more details or
price a system just right for your
needs, visit the site at www.hp.com.
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Product Reviews
HP Compaq nc6220 Notebook
Summary: A lightweight and compact
notebook designed specifically for
business and travel use that wins our
Editor’s Choice Award for functionality
and price.
Price: $1591
Recently, we’ve had the chance to
review several of the HP
Compaq 6000 series of
notebook computers and
while each of them had
their own benefits, they all
seem to be geared towards
business use with some
uniqueness to each model.
The nc6220 follows in the
same genre offering a light
weight system with quick
computing power.Thissystem receives our Editor’s
Choice Award for functionality and price.
Like most of the HP
Compaq notebooks, you
can configure a model with
specific features on the
company’s web site. You
can drive the price according to the extras you select
that differ from the base unit.
Weighing in at less than 5-pounds
and skinny with a height of 1.1”, the HP
Compaq 6220 is a great traveling companion for the business person.
This particular system starts with an
Intel Pentium M 1.6GHz processor with
2MB of Level 2 cache as well as 512MB
It has more than enough for
power for use with many business
applications that we test with.
of DDR2 SDRAM. Graphics are provided on the 14.1-inch diagonal TFT active
matrix LCD screen through an integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
900 card. Although this combination
doesn’t rank it as one of the fastest laptops available, it is more than enough
for use with many of the business applications we test with on these types of
computers. The display presented an
extremely crisp image even at the higher 1400x1050 maximum resolution.
Wireless capabilities of the system
include a Bluetooth connectivity and an
integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG
802.11b/g interface. Additional support
is available through a
10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet port for
quick network communications.
Other features include three high
speed USB ports, VGAand S-Video
outputs, a microphone input, speaker and line outputs, a replicator port
and an RJ-11 jack for the 56K G3
fax/modem of the computer.
The HP Compaq 6220 comes
with the Microsoft Windows XP
Professional operating system and
a few utilities specific for this laptop,
but you’ll have to fend for yourself
when it comes to any productivity
software for the system. We think
you’ll be happy with the price and
performance of this lightweight and
compact notebook with this
base unit starting at
roughly $1600.
Visit the
Hewlett
Pa c k ar d
web site to
see specifics and configuration possibilities at www.hp.com.
The base unit includes a 40GB 5400RPM hard drive although a slightly
larger 60GB drive is available with the
system. Our system included a
DVD/CDRW combo while you can
select a DVD burner in its place.
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Product Reviews
Actiontec Internet Phone Wizard
The days of just one phone company are long
gone and even though it's been replaced by multiple companies and cell phones, the wave
of the future is telephony by broadband.
TheActiontec Internet Phone Wizard is
small enough to fit in your palm with
the capabilities of an expensive
VoIP interface. This device wins
are Best In Class Award for
originality, functionality and
price.
Unlike some of its competitors, this
Actiontec product can utilize both landline (with
your existing phone) and Internet phone connections
without the need of a headset. The device actually notifies
you when you're on one line, that a call is waiting or incoming
when you’ve completed the first conversa-
tion.
Whether you’re using cable, DSL
or using a product like Skype to make
your phone calls the Actiontec Internet
Phone Wizard is very easy to
install and understand with
the software that’s included
with the system. Connection
to your computer and network
is accomplished through a
USB port. Some broadband com-
panies are offering a device like this
but you must sign a contract. No con-
tracts are required with this affordable and
compact device that has an internet price of
around $50. Find out more my visiting the company’s web site
at www.actiontec.com
Just when you thought you had
enough devices for your dockable iPod,
all along comes another one. This one
however, is handy if you use the MP3
player in your automobile and want to
save the juice of the rechargeable battery. Because of its price and convenience we honor the Griffin PowerPod
our Best In Class Award for value and
functionality.
Although the dockable iPod can
certainly take care of itself, this power
source is an opportune appliance
when going on a long trip. Simply plug
one end of the PowerPod into your
cigarette lighter and the other to your
Griffin PowerPod
iPod via the FireWire cable, and
you’ve got sound, unless your car battery dies - but that’s a different story.
Even though we’ve occasionally had a problem placing devices
in our cigarette lighter or they're
too loose, the PowerPod fit snugly
into the unit and even through a
few bumpy roads it never disconnected. Apple charges $20 for the
same FireWire cable alone, Griffin
sells the cable and power supply
on their web site for just $24.99.
You'll find the PowerPod and other
iPod accessories at the site located at www.griffintechnology.com.
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Product Reviews
Nikon Coopix 7900 Camera
Although this camera may be very small in
size, it takes one big picture. The 7-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 7900 produces clear and
sharp images that will likely outrank
most photo printers on the market.
This petite gem wins are Editor's
Choice Award for functionality,
value and ease of operation.
Features of the Coolpix 7900
include 16 scene modes, Nikon
exclusive D-lighting and in-camera
red-eye fix, a 3x optical zoom and a
rechargeable battery that lasts for
around 200 image shots. The 2inch diagonal LCD review screen
was acceptable but slightly washed
out in direct sunlight. The
3072x2304 maximum resolution
Philips ShoqBox PSS110
produced excellent pictures during our testing process, especially with the use of the
white balance feature and you’ll be able to take
640x480 video and sound. The camera
comes with 18MB of internal memory,
good for about five high resolution pictures but you’ll need to purchase an SD
card if you want to take any number of
images.
Software included with the camera
includes PictureProject 1.1, an image
management program as well as
ArcSoft's Panorama Maker 3. You’ll find
the Nikon Coolpix 7900 on many internet retailer sites for around $300. Get
the technical specs of this camera at
www.nikonusa.com.
You might just want to call the Philips
ShoqBox PSS110 Personal Sound System
the modern-day boom box but with a liking
for MP3 media. It's one of those units that
you could carry on your shoulder
with the clarity and output of its
CD or tape counterparts. The
system contains 256MB of flash
RAM which is used to house
MP3 and WMA (including protected) sound files that are
downloaded through the USB
port of your computer.An attractive display on the front promptly
displays the filename (ID3 tag
will show name and artist if it’s
available) along with the name of
the upcoming song.
Although it’s small enough to
hold in your hand, it packs a wallop in volume. The ShoqBox
PSS110 is also a timepiece,
alarm clock and FM radio as well as an
amplifier and speaker system for other
devices with a line input. A built-in
equalizer, with music genre presets,
can sweeten the sound to
your liking. Philips rates the
rechargeable battery at 10
hours but we were able to
stretch that out to 12 hours
of continuous moderate
level play.
The Philips ShoqBox
PSS110 Personal Sound
System is available at several large electronics chain
stores for $129.95, but we
were able to find a few internet retailers that offered it
with $20 off. Read more
about this system at
www.philips.com.
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Product Reviews
RoboForm Pro 6.0
How would you like to be
able to store all of your
usernames and passwords
in one location and never
have to worry about it again?
RoboForm Pro 6.0 can do
exactly that, is very inexpensive and easy to use as well.
This software program wins
our Best In Class Award for
ingenuity, ease and value.
Whether you use
Explorer, Navigator or Firefox
to access internet pages, the
product has been tested with
all three web browsers for
functionality. In addition to
account memorization (passcards as they’re called),
RoboForm stores the information with two levels of encryption and can generate random passwords so you’re
not using the same one at
different locations. The form
filling feature allows you to
enter common information
collect at most web sites
(name, address, email, etc.) If
the program doesn’t recognize
the field on a form, simply
drag-and-drop the information
from RoboForm to the web
page.
If you would like to take a
test run of RoboForm Pro 6.0,
visit the company’s web site at
www.roboform.com and down-
load a trial version. You are
limited to 10 passcards and
the form filling functionality is
disabled. If you decide you like
the software, the registration price is only $29.95.
Salton Beyond Microwave Oven
If you’re not the best cook in the world and
you feel intimidated by the simple workings of
a microwave oven, then this product is an easy
way to relieve yourself of that
worry. The Salton Beyond
microwave oven works in tandem with the company’s
iCEBOX controller and wins
our Best In Class Award for
imagination, productivity and
convenience.
Because the microwave
oven has a wireless connection with the iCEBOX more
than 4,000 UPC cooking
items are entered into the
system. Quickly swipe the
UPC code with the attached
wand, enter the number of servings and the microwave pretty well take cares of it from that point on. The codes are automatically updated weekly through the Beyond Information
Network and if the product is not in the
database, the instruction guide informs
you how to enter that particular item into
the system for future
use.
In addition to the
advanced functions of
this microwave oven
you can still depend on
the standard of entering the information
manually and cooking
the item as you did in
the past. You may want
to check the company’s
web site at www.salton-
beyond.com for infor-
mation on the oven and
the iCEBOX controller as well as other home appliances used
with the system. The Beyond microwave oven sells for
approximately $165.
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Product Reviews
Sony MFM-HT75W Monitor-TV
We think you’ll be impressed as we
were with the performance and clarity
of the Sony MFM-HT75W TV/Monitor.
This 17”-diagonal widescreen monitor
does double duty as a television as
well. With a very affordable price of
$539 it wins our Best In Class Award for
performance and price.
The widescreen display has a native
resolution of 1280x760 and will take up
about 15-inches side-to-side on your
computer desk. With a built-in NTSC
TV tuner you'll be able to watch your
favorite programs but you'll need to purchase an HDTV tuner to take advantage of that mode. If you like watching
television while working on the computer, you love the PIP (picture-in-picture)
feature of the MFM-HT75W. The 800:1
contrast ratio and Sony’s XBRITE tech-
nology produces an extremely
impressive image in both
modes.
The monitor provides SRS
WOW audio with two 3-watt
side speakers and a 5-watt
subwoofer. Inputs for the system include VGA, composite,
S-Video and component RGB
while you can use the headphone jack for private listening.
When you consider the price of
the Sony MFM-HT75W for
both TV viewing and computer
operations, we think you’ll be
pleased with the monitor’s performance. More information on
the system is available at
www.sonystyle.com.
First impressions are not
always the best ones. When we
took the Tivoli Audio iPAL out of its
box, we thought that it was simply
a mono speaker for our iPod. Until
we actually plugged it in and
began to play music did we finally
realize what a rich and vibrant
sound the iPal produced. It’s still in
mono but when you’re not directly
in front of the speaker it sounds
better than many high-priced
stereo systems we’ve heard and
wins our Editor’s Choice Award for
quality and uniqueness.
The $129 iPal does a great job
for other devices like a notebook
or another brand of MP3 player in
addition to the AM-FM receiver for
local radio station reception. The
unit is around 6-inches high and 4-
Tivoli Audio iPAL
inches deep with a width of
3.75-inches. It only comes in
white to match the color of the
iPod. The iPal comes with an
AC adapter as well as a NiMH
battery, which gave us a life of
12 hours of continuous
play before a recharge was
necessary. You can also purchase another battery, as
backup, from the company’s
web site for just $20.00
We think you’ll be as
impressed by the sound of the
Tivoli Audio iPAL as we were.
More information on this product and others are available at
www.tivoliaudio.com.
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Product Reviews
For testing purposes, we were able to retrieve a clear signal
UEI NevoSL Remote Control
The Universal Electronics
NevoSL universal controller is a
hybrid between a Pocket PC and a
remote control for your audio and
video equipment in a home entertainment center. You could say that it’s a
remote control with brains. Because it
is such a unique product we award it
with our Best In Class Award for originality, functionality and price.
There’s virtually no reason to get out
of your easy chair, except to change a
DVD, with the NevoSL as it does most
everything else for you. You’llcommunicate between the computer and the device through they
remote’s built in Wireless-B (802.11b) network interface. The
infrared port communicates with the devices as well as other
remote controlled appliances. Between UEI’s
VTECH mi6861 Cordless Phone System
database and the computerbased configuration program you’ll
be able to download the latest IR
codes to the unit.
The Pocket PC-like product is driven
by Windows CE and features a 3.5” color
LCD touch screen and scrollwheel for
easy maneuverability. The NevoSL has a
rechargeable battery which gets a boost
every time you sit it in the provided power
cradle.
The Universal Electronics NevoSL has
a price of $799 and isn’t found in stores.
Rather you have to visit the company’s web site at
www.mynevo.com and schedule a trained dealer to contact
you. You’ll also find more information on the device at the
same location.
f you’re in the market for a new cordless phone around the
house but don’t want any of the extravagant systems on the
market today, VTECH has a phone solution that provides features as well as an affordable price. The mi6861 5.8GHz cordless phone system is not only dependable but relatively inexpensive. This product wins our Editor’s Choice Award for functionality and value.
A digital signal in the 5.8GHz spectrum provides interference free phone communications from the handset to the
base. This VTECH system is expandable with the purchase of
3 additional handset and base combinations (model number
mi6820) and offers easy conference calling or intercom services with the other units. You may also choose to purchase a
standard headset device for use with each phone. Because
the mi6861 uses a higher frequency than 2.4GHz systems, we
experienced no difficulties with wireless devices including our
WiFi network and visa-versa.
Among the many features of the mi6861 is an integrated
digital answering machine with 15 minutes of recording time.
You can also choose to utilize the three voice mail boxes so
that callers can leave a message for a specific individual and
separate access codes are used to retrieve caller information.
Each of the handsets has a 50 name phonebook for easy
retrieval of frequent numbers and it was quite easy to store
Caller ID information into the system.
Each of the handsets have a
pleasant design and style with an
orange and black display that lights
up when the phone is in use.
Battery life is quite acceptable, lasting more than a day of moderate
office use even though it is quite
easy to recharge each unit by placing them in their appropriate base.
throughout our office complex which should push enough
power for use in any standard home or office setting.
We are very pleased with the performance of the VTECH
mi6861 and the additional handsets as well. You should be
able to find the base phone system for $75 on the internet as
well as several popular electronic chain stores. Each of the
additional handsets is around $38. If you splurge for a four
phone system it will run you less than $200, the price you’d
pay for some competitor’s base unit alone. Find information
on this product at www.vtech.com.
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Product Reviews
VTECH i5871 Phone System
When cell phones came out with picture taking capabilities, many of us couldn’t wait to take a snap shot with the
camera of our friends so they’d be easily recognized when
they called us. Today, you can have that same technology
with the VTECH i5871 5.8 GHz digital phone system and we
award it with our Best In Class Award for performance, features and functionality.
The i5871’s size and shape somewhat resembles that of
a TV remote control device. The big difference though is the
color screen that’s located on the front of the phone. This
screen not only displays caller ID information and dialed
phone numbers but like the new cell phones can also display
a picture of the caller if it’s loaded in the system. Pictures,
ringtones and Microsoft Outlook contacts can be uploaded to
the phone through a USB port that’s available on the unit.
The base of the VTECH i5871 not only recharges the battery of the handset, it also has a handy answering machine to
record messages when you’re away. Although this a one line
phone system, you are able to add up to seven additional
handsets to the system for easy use by other family members
or that are strategically located throughout the office. Each of
these additional handsets can share phone book information,
images and sounds amongst each other without having to
load the data manually. The intercom feature available from
handset-to-handset was appreciated for easy communication
between individual users of the
system. A hands-free speaker
produced a quality sound that
wasn’t overbearing like some phone systems we’ve used.
Since this is a digital communications device, we experienced no break-up but rather a consistent signal during our
testing period. The 5.8GHz signal produced no interference
with our wireless networking equipment and the same could
be said for any computer equipment interference with the
phone’s communications. The i5871’s signal strength was
steady throughout our entire office building and parking lot
which should be more than enough for any average residence. Battery life was around two days with moderate use
while the base unit and handset bases offer recharging capabilities, but you have to remember to place it back on the
base!
The cost of the VTECH i5871 base unit is
around $200 while each of the additional handsets you wish to purchase (i5808) is $100. This
is a reasonable price for the functionality,
expandability and features of the phone system
and you can read up on the device at
www.vtech.com.
The Complete System
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