Upgrade Your Notebook's Hard Drive

Ready to upgrade your notebook's storage capacity or drive speed?
As I mentioned last week, notebook users are more likely than desktop PC users to fill up their hard drives, simply because notebook hard drives are smaller in physical size and consequently in capacity. And with notebooks--because of space limitations imposed by their form factor--you don't have the same options for adding additional drives. Last week's newsletter, with tips on how to maximize your notebook's existing hard drive, is archived online.
If you've tried cleaning up and archiving unnecessary apps and data, and you're still running low on storage space, it's probably time for a new hard drive. But the upgrading process isn't without some "gotchas." Here are some things you need to know.Know Your Warranty
Before you do anything, check your notebook's warranty. You may void the warranty if you replace an original part, such as the hard drive, yourself. When in doubt, call the notebook maker's support line. You may learn that you will void your warranty unless you buy the replacement hard drive from your vendor. The tech support rep may even offer to guide you through the process over the phone. Be aware, though, that the notebook maker may not offer the best price for a replacement hard drive.Know What You've Got
Next, collect all the specs on your current notebook hard drive, so that you can pick an appropriate replacement.
For example, it's important to know the capacity so that you can gauge your future needs. You'll also want to know who manufactured the drive so that you can contact the manufacturer to find any of the facts that aren't listed on the drive itself.
Other very important facts to know:
Form factor. You'll find 2.5-inch hard drives in almost all full-size notebooks; subnotebooks may have 1.8-inch drives.
Height. The most common are 12.5 mm and 9.5 mm.
Interface. Newer notebook drives are often serial ATA.
The rotational speed (such as 4200 rpm) is less important, although you may be able to improve your performance by choosing a replacement that spins its disks at a faster rate, such as 5400 rpm or 7200 rpm.
If you can't find the info you need on the drive itself, note its model number and ask your notebook vendor or check the drive manufacturer's Web site.Consider Upgrading the Speed
Increasing hard drive capacity is the primary reason most people upgrade. But you might also want a faster hard drive.
The majority of notebook hard drives in use today have rotational speeds of 4200 or 5400 rpm. Newer models, often found in gaming notebooks, rotate at 7200 rpm. Upgrading from a 4200-rpm hard drive to a 5400- or 7200-rpm drive should give you a nice overall system performance increase. Indeed, a sluggish hard drive is often the primary culprit in poor notebook performance, says Simon Blackstein, senior network engineer for MicroMenders, an IT service organization in San Francisco.
However, a faster hard drive may also drain your notebook's battery more quickly and generate a bit more heat. So are the tradeoffs worth it? If you plan to frequently edit video, play high-end games, or run large database searches, definitely. Otherwise, you may want to stick with a 5400 rpm drive.Can You Do the Job Yourself?
Increasingly, notebook manufacturers are making it easier to remove and replace an internal hard drive. Physically, the entire process may take just a few minutes, requiring not much more than removing a screw, sliding the old drive out, and popping in the new one. Before you attempt this, though, check your notebook's documentation to get a sense of what's involved. If you don't feel comfortable following the instructions in the manual, you might want to hire someone for the job.
Of course, just physically swapping the drive isn't all there is to it. You'll need to move your OS, apps, and data over to the replacement. If you're not an upgrade sophisticate (or even if you are), consider using a product designed to facilitate the process, such as one of Apricorn's hard-drive upgrade kits, which vary in price from $39 to $289, depending on what's included and the interface you want to use for the transfer. (Apricorn also offers PC Card-based solutions.)
Here's how it works if you buy a complete hard-drive upgrade package: The new notebook hard drive arrives housed in an external drive enclosure. You attach the new drive to your notebook via a USB 2.0 port (for optimal performance) and install the data transfer software on your notebook. The software turns the external hard drive into a mirror image of your notebook's existing internal drive, transferring all your files, applications, and settings, according to Apricorn.
When the transfer is complete, remove the old drive from your notebook and the new drive from the external enclosure. Then you swap the two drives, popping the new drive into your notebook and inserting the old drive into the external enclosure. The end result is that you'll have a new hard drive in your notebook with all the settings, files, data, and applications intact from your old drive. And you can now use your old drive as an external drive for archiving or other purposes.
You may want to do yourself a favor and stop by Apricorn's online hard drive configurator first; you'll find offerings of compatible hard drives for popular notebook models. (Note: I haven't personally tested Apricorn's upgrades.)Do Your Homework
Of course, you'll want to shop around for the best prices on internal notebook hard drives. Some places to look include the following:

• Apricorn
• Computer Giants
• Drive Solutions
• NewEgg.com Did You Upgrade?
  Have you upgraded your notebook's hard drive? If so, tell me about your experiences.Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
  Are laptops the new desktops? They can be, with the right tweaks. Columnist Kirk Steers offers tips on maximizing your notebook by upgrading the hard drive, memory, and keyboard.
  Got an old Dell notebook or desktop you no longer need? The company announced it will offer free recycling for all Dell-branded products beginning in September. Previously, Dell's free recycling program was offered only to consumers who purchased a replacement Dell product.
  Three tempting new smart phones have become available recently: the Treo 700p, the Sidekick 3, and Motorola's Q. Which one is right for you? Columnist Grace Aquino put all three to the test. Her take? The Treo 700p is an expensive office workhouse; Sidekick 3 improves on its predecessors and is the best bet for those primarily interested in IM and e-mail; the Motorola Q is long on style but suffers from the inelegant Windows Mobile operating system.
  Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.

10 Things Every Mobile User Should Know

Make your next gadget-laden journey as painless and productive as possible

Want to minimize the hassle of juggling two carry-on bags? The smartly designed, wheeled Victorinox Coliseum Wheeled Overnight Brief ($399) features an external pocket big enough to hold a laptop bag, plus a capacious interior for clothes, reading material, and other items. You can get it from retailers like .

1. An iPod (and other portable USB storage devices) can hold computer files, Outlook data, Internet Explorer favorites, desktop wallpaper, and in some cases, applications. Connect the iPod to a borrowed PC, and voil--it's like having access to your own computer. Later, sync the
2. iPod with your PC back home. The ($30) and ($30) utilities each provide this capability.
3. charges $2 per month plus 15 cents per page to forward faxes as PDF files in e-mail.
   Raise your chances of being reunited with a lost laptop by registering it with . You'll receive a sticker to put on your notebook, informing others of a reward for its return. To contact you, the finder dials the toll-free number on the sticker or goes to the StuffBak Web site. A $6 sticker provides two years of free return service.
4. You should always take a grounded (three-prong) extension cord with at least three outlets so you can recharge multiple gadgets; blank CDs, for transferring files to another PC or burning tunes to play in the rental car; an RJ-11 phone cord, because you never know when you'll need one; an ethernet cable, for the same reason; and your AC adapter, with airline and car power adapters.
5. Before booking a flight, head over to . Charts reveal which seats on domestic and international flights have the greatest width and pitch and provide in-seat power ports.

On the Road

1. The free Google Maps for Palm, BlackBerry, and other smart phones shows nearby businesses, gives directions, and delivers real-time traffic info (in 30 U.S. markets).
2. Most Bluetooth phones (and some others) include data-modem capabilities, enabling you to use your phone to connect your laptop to the Web wirelessly. Check with your carrier for a connection kit and compatible data plan.
3. If there's no hotspot at the airport, you can often connect through a lounge. With a you gain admission into 500 lounges in some 300 airports. Standard membership is $99 per year plus $24 per visit. Also, some clubs now offer $50 day passes.
4. Listing more than 120,000 hotspots worldwide, is the place to go when you're sniffing around for a Wi-Fi connection. And its Hotspot Helper software ($25 per year; free ten-day trial) lets you locate hotspots offline, too.
5. Some hotel rooms still offer only wired broadband access. But a portable router--such as Apple's AirPort Express ($129) or Linksys's Wireless-G Travel Router ($100)--lets you create your own wireless network, so you're not shackled to the uncomfortable guest-room desk.

ViewSonic VLED221wm 22-Inch LCD Monitor

Though the attractive specs and smooth design of this LCD monitor are impressive, its premium price will turn off most people
ViewSonic's 22-inch wide-screen VLED221wm is the world's first sub-$1000 LCD monitor with LED backlight technology, which delivers an evenly bright screen and a wide color gamut.
The VLED221wm, which should be available in late February, offers a 12,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio that allows the display of impressive blacks; provides great color reproduction due to its ability to represent up to 118 percent of the NTSC color gamut; has a 1680 by 1050 native resolution; and boasts a 5ms response time. At $800 (as of 1/29/08), the VLED221wm costs more than double the price of the HP w2207, currently our highest-ranked 22-inch display.
The cleanly designed VLED221wm has a thin, glossy, deep-black bezel. Most glossy bezels collect fingerprints and dirt, making the monitor look as if it were part of a CSI crime scene. The VLED221wm, however, proved smudge and fingerprint resistant, despite my repeated attempts to dirty it up. The built-in stereo speakers blend nicely and unobtrusively into the bezel, too. Though the display tilts, it does not swivel or pivot. In the user-friendly OSD (on-screen display) menu, you can adjust the color settings, the brightness and contrast, and the audio volume by using the up, down, and select buttons on the front of the display.
Sound quality was lacking. In my informal audio-quality tests, the high frequencies were too high, and the lows lacked the punch that a stand-alone speaker system would provide. While the tinny sound won't please audiophiles, it is satisfactory if low background music is all you want.
In image-quality tests performed by the PC World Test Center, we were surprised to see the VLED221wm fail to outperform all of its cheaper, non-LED-backlit competitors. Nevertheless, it didn't score poorly, ranking fourth in our graphics tests overall and sixth in our text-clarity tests. This display produced better-quality images than 18 other 20- and 22-inch displays we looked at.
While viewing a scene from Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, I noticed that the colors seemed inaccurate, but a quick tinkering with the color-temperature settings fixed the problem. Afterward the on-screen colors were bright and clear, not oversaturated. Red lasers shot from starfighters looked so brilliant and intense that they reminded me of images from Mitsubishi's Laser HDTV, which exhibits the latest in display technology and, in a demo, showed the brightest colors I've ever seen.
Though ViewSonic packed a lot of high-end features into the VLED221wm, the impressive specs did not produce a huge image-quality boost in our testing. This monitor is best suited for a movie buff, for a multimedia/graphic designer who needs to see a wide gamut of bright colors, or for any tech enthusiast with money to burn. For the price, though, $800 would be better spent on a larger LCD monitor, or even a dual-monitor setup.

LG Super Blu BH200 Dual-Format HD Player

The BH200 offers two high-def formats in one player, but its price is too high
LG Electronics made a splash earlier this year with the first set-top high-def video player that could play both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies; however, critical missing features kept that model from being a home run. The new $999 Super Blu BH200 rights its predecessor's wrongs by fully implementing the HD DVD spec, so you can properly view the fancy menus and extra content to be found on an HD DVD disc. It also adds support for audio CD playback and for upscaling standard-definition DVDs to 1080p.
The more I used the BH200, the more I liked its design. It's sleek and stylish, with a black finish and soft-touch buttons on the front (moved from their former, confounding placement on top). A clean, easy-to-follow on-screen interface makes using the player a breeze.
The player's specs are solid. It fully supports the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD specifications, and the recently implemented Blu-ray Bonus View picture-in-picture functionality. This allows you to watch the talking head of a director superimposed over the movie, for example. It can also handle decoding Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in-unit, or pass those audio signals to an audio receiver in bit-stream format. We have not yet formally lab-tested the player's image quality; check our Web site for the results and a full PCW Rating when that information becomes available.
My one noteworthy complaint: The player is pokey with some discs--at startup, when identifying whether you've inserted a Blu-ray or an HD DVD disc, when changing chapters, or when navigating disc menus. Some discs have more pauses during navigation than others--and some have no issues at all. Load times for Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of the same movie appeared comparable on the handful of titles I timed: for example, 2001: A Space Odyssey required 44 seconds to be identified as a Blu-ray Disc, and another 19 seconds to get to the FBI warning; the HD DVD version required the same amount of time to be identified as an HD DVD, and another 21 seconds to reach the FBI warning.
Blu-ray Discs that were heavy with BD-Java (such as Cars and Ratatouille) seemed to suffer slight pauses more often than less complicated Blu-ray titles. And all HD DVDs I loaded had a sluggish response when accessing their advanced menus. This problem might be due to the player's HD DVD implementation: Although the BH200 does qualify for the HD DVD logo by fully supporting that spec, it does so by using its own, LG-written software for handling the advanced menus. By contrast, the Toshiba HD DVD players are using HDi, Microsoft's implementation of HD DVD's advanced menus.
Although the BH200 certainly breaks down the barriers between Blu-ray and HD DVD, LG is charging a high premium for the convenience of having both formats in one box. Personally, I think the premium is just too high, especially considering that you can buy a Blu-ray Disc player and an HD DVD player together for significantly less.

Puget Systems Gaming Computer

This extremely well put together but pricey power desktop PC is for users who appreciate attention to detail
Users who want loads of expansion room, along with great performance and overclocking features, will love Puget System's Gaming Computer, despite its daunting price tag of $5765 (as of January 3, 2008).
The PGC comes with Intel's latest Extreme processor (the 45nm 3-GHz QX9650) and two sticks of 1066-MHz DDR3 RAM totaling 2GB. Strapped to the CPU is a Puget Hydro CL1 liquid cooler, whose radiator connects to a large exhaust fan situated where a power supply would normally be. The power supply occupies the lower back of the case, a unique arrangement that contributes to one of the neatest interiors we've ever seen.
Another contributor to interior tidiness is Antec's wonderful P182 case which provides 11 drive bays. Blue LED-lit fans, a dark-blue cold cathode lighting tube, and the copper heat exchange components of the Asus P5E3 Deluxe SLi motherboard look great when seen through the clear side panel.
The Puget Systems Gaming Computer's overall score of 124 on our WorldBench 6 Beta 2 test suite translates into a word score of Superior, but the system's performance fell off in such large-file-intensive tasks as using Nero 7 Ultra edition to create disc images. The most likely explanation for the drop-off is that the PGC we reviewed didn't combine two hard drives in a striped array; instead, it relied on a 150GB, 10,000-rpm Western Digital Raptor hard drive and a separate 1TB, 7200-rpm Hitachi hard drive. The system's gaming scores were excellent, thanks to its 768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics board.
Other elements in our test configuration were an 18x Asus DVD-rewritable drive, and a wireless Logitech M-RBA97 mouse and Y-RAH72 keyboard. All are serviceable, but at this price I'd have liked something a little snazzier. Still, this is a good system for users with deep pockets and a taste for elegant assembly.

The Cost of Notebooks

Are notebooks still more expensive than desktops?
Portability has traditionally come at a premium. Because of the extra expense involved in miniaturizing components, notebooks have often cost more than desktop PCs with equivalent performance.
But notebook prices have been dropping. The average price of a laptop today is about $1000, compared to $1250 in 2004 and $1640 in 2001, according to the Wall Street Journal. Of course, desktop PC prices keep falling too.
So the question is: How do notebook and desktop prices compare now? Do you still pay more for portability?
To find out, I used an admittedly unscientific approach (although I think I came up with some useful comparisons): I informally compared prices and features for desktop PCs and notebooks. At Dell's Web site, I compared what $600 would buy in a desktop to what I'd get for the same amount of money in a notebook. At Hewlett-Packard's site, I tried as best I could to match a notebook's specs to a $1200 desktop, to see how much the notebook would cost. Here's what I learned.
Desktop PC: Dell's new Dimension 5150 is available preconfigured for $579, and I added a monitor for $50, bringing the total to $629. For that money, I got the following.
Notebook: A $599 preconfigured Dell Inspiron 2200 included these components.
Bottom line: I should get much more performance with the desktop system; both the processor and the optical drive are faster. In addition, the desktop has a larger hard drive and better video and audio chips. The Dell Web site didn't provide any information on the Inspiron's video and audio chips; judging from the notebook's product manual, the 2200's video and audio specs are adequate but not as good as what the Dimension 5150 desktop offers.
Desktop PC: I configured the $799 base model HP Pavilion D4100y, pumping it up to $1239. Here's what I ended up with.
Notebook: HP's Pavilion Dv4000 multimedia notebook starts at $849. I customized it to match the D4100y's specs, as best as I could; it's not always an apples-to-apples comparison. The notebook's price tag ended up at $1728, about $500 more than the desktop PC. Here are the specs.
Bottom line: Even though the notebook cost $500 more than the desktop PC, it lagged behind in performance potential and storage capacity. For example, the D4100y's dual-core processor and 250GB, 7200-rpm hard drive are big improvements over the Dv4000's Pentium M chip and 100GB hard drive, which runs at a sluggish 4200 rpm.
No matter how you look at it--comparing desktops and notebooks in the same price range, or seeing how much it costs to try to match a notebook's specs to a desktop's--the result is the same. Portability still comes at a premium.
Does this mean that next time you need a new computer, you should get a desktop PC instead of a notebook? If you're constantly on the go with your notebook, the answer is easy: No.
But some mobile professionals may fall into a gray area. For instance, do you carry a notebook outside the office only on occasion--say, once every two months, for a few days at a time? If so, you may want to hold onto your current notebook for travel purposes and buy a zippy new desktop for your office. And if you travel less frequently, you might be able to live without a notebook entirely, using a smart phone or wireless PDA instead.
The downside to using two computers is having two computers to maintain. You've got to buy and run antivirus, anti-spyware, and firewall software on two computers; keep the operating systems updated and patched; defrag both hard drives; and so on. Nonetheless, having a backup in case one computer fails is a nice perk.
Of course, you'll need to keep data--such as e-mail and Microsoft Outlook contacts--synchronized between your two computers. Fortunately, you've got lots of options for doing that. Read "PC Syncing Tips" for more on this. For a review of low-cost notebooks, see "Solid $500 Laptops."

• CPU: Intel Pentium 4 Processor 630 w/hyperthreading technology (3.0 GHz, 800-MHz FSB)
• Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Home
• RAM: 256MB, on one DIMM
• Hard drive: 80GB
• Productivity software: None
• Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo unit
• Monitor: 17-inch LCD
• Keyboard: basic USB model
• Graphics: integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 using main memory
• Audio: Dolby Digital 7.1 capability
• Wireless networking: No
• Dial-up modem: No
• CPU: Intel Celeron M Processor 370 (1.50 GHz, 1MB cache, 400-MHz FSB)
• Operating system: Windows XP Home
• RAM: 256MB, on one DIMM
• Hard drive: 40GB
• Productivity software: None
• Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo unit
• Display: 14.1-inch LCD
• Keyboard: integrated
• Graphics: information not available
• Audio: information not available
• Wireless networking: No
• Dial-up modem: Yes
• CPU: Intel Pentium D 820 with dual-core technology (2.8 GHz, 800-MHz FSB)
• Operating system: Windows XP Home
• RAM: 1GB, on two DIMMs
• Hard drive: 250GB, 7200 rotations per minute
• Productivity software: Microsoft Works, Money
• Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo unit
• Display: 15-inch LCD
• Keyboard: USB model
• Graphics: 256MB GeForce 6200SE with TurboCache support
• Audio: Intel high-definition audio
• Wireless networking: No
• Dial-up modem: No
• CPU: Pentium M Processor 770 (2.13 GHz), no dual-core chip available
• Operating system: Windows XP Home
• RAM: 1GB, on two DIMMs
• Hard drive: 100GB, 4200 rpm
• Productivity software: Microsoft Works, Money
• Optical drive: double-layer DVD burner
• Display: 15.4-inch wide-screen LCD
• Keyboard: integrated
• Graphics: 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X700
• Audio: information not available
• Wireless networking: No
• Dial-up modem: Yes

Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
Speaking of notebook prices, Dell recently added a new low-price model to its premium XPS line. The XPS M140 costs only $999, has a 14.1-inch wide-screen display, weighs 5.5 pounds, runs on Intel's Pentium M 740 processor, includes 512MB of DDR2 memory, and has a 40GB hard drive.
As you may have heard, Apple's iPod Nano can be easily scratched. Fortunately, protective cases and covers are beginning to trickle out. WaterField's new $22 iPod Nano case fits snugly, is available in five colors, and has a strap to secure your earbuds.
WaterField also makes a compact, all-purpose iPod Gear Pouch with four well-cushioned inside pockets for cables, earbuds, arm bands, power supplies, and such. The pouch comes in two sizes, small ($29) or large ($35).
The Palm Treo and Research In Motion BlackBerry aren't the only keyboard-enabled PDA/phone hybrids around. New competitors have arrived or are on the way from HP, Motorola, and Nokia. PC World "Dialed In" columnist Grace Aquino got her digits on the new contenders.
Nokia's E61 earned kudos for the ability to handle Voice over IP and global roaming, with support for GSM networks in Asia, Europe, and South America. The E61 will be available in the first quarter of 2006. Read Grace's review for details on all three smart phones.
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.

Tablet PC Tales

Real users talk about their experiences--bad and good
Microsoft introduced the Tablet PC platform in November 2002 to much fanfare and boasting. Nearly a year and a half later, Tablet PC sales have yet to set the world aflame.
But make no mistake: Tablet PCs have their devotees, frequent travelers who swear by the notebook alternative's flexibility, light weight, long battery life, and cool features like the ability to scrawl handwritten notes directly on the screen.
In a recent newsletter, I invited you to send me your Tablet PC stories. I wanted to know which models you're using and why. Your responses were full of effusive praise for the Tablet PC and how much easier it's made your lives. And one reader's description of how he used his Tablet PC to help a client sign and submit a legal form--from inside a parked car--is sure to be catnip to any road warrior.
But first, some background. There are two types of Tablet PCs: slates and convertibles. A slate-style device is in essence an LCD with a built-in PC motherboard and hard drive. This type of Tablet PC is most frequently used by health-care workers and others in specialized fields. A convertible device can be used like a slate or, when the screen is swiveled and raised, like a traditional notebook with a keyboard. (The display lays on top of the keyboard when it is used in slate mode.)
"I replaced a 7-pound Dell laptop with a 3-pound Motion Computing 1300 Tablet PC," writes Mark Cramer, a home inspector in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. "I take the thing all over the place almost every day."
While Cramer appreciates the 4-pound weight loss, it's the slate-style Tablet PC's software that really makes the difference.
"The handwriting recognition is very impressive, even with no training," Cramer continues. "And my handwriting isn't that great."
Being able to write on the Tablet PC's screen with a stylus--which works like the Graffiti handwriting recognition on a Palm OS device--makes "all the difference in the world," Cramer adds. "I do a lot of training using PowerPoint. Being able to draw on the screen during a presentation is really useful."
While at a home site, Cramer uses the Tablet PC's pen-based input to fill in forms and add drawings to digital photographs that he takes during inspections. At the office, Cramer plugs the Tablet PC into its docking station, which connects it to an external monitor and keyboard. That lets him use the computer as he would a desktop PC, he says.
For more information about the Motion Computing 1300 ($1600 and up, depending on configuration), go to the Motion Computing Web site.
"I'm on my third Tablet PC and I love them," confesses Bob Trammell, director of information technology for the City of Bakersfield, California. Trammell tests Tablet PCs and other devices for possible use by the staff he supports. All the tablets he's used so far have been convertibles, Trammell says.
Trammell prefers convertibles because "it's often easier to type than to write on the screen." But he prefers using the slate mode when in meetings.
"I can take notes on the tablet instead of on paper or on my IPaq," he explains. "It's not distracting to others like typing on a keyboard would be." The slate style is also ideal on a plane or in the car, when "I'm in a cramped environment and don't have room to use it as a laptop."
Trammell's first tablet was the Hewlett-Packard Compaq Tablet TC1000 (since discontinued), which he sent back after a 30-day trial period. "Having the screen in the middle of the base unit bothered me and made it difficult to use," he explains.
Next he tried the Acer TravelMate C100. It was a "great machine," Trammell says, except that the screen was "a little hard to read in bright areas." He gave the TravelMate to his secretary.
Currently, Trammell uses a Toshiba Portege M200. "I really like it, but they don't make a dock for it, which is a disadvantage," he adds. One feature he loves is the Portege's Secure Digital card slot, which he uses to shuttle data to and from his HP IPaq. "It's much faster than connecting the two devices using Wi-Fi or by plugging the IPaq into the USB port," he explains.
Go to Acer's site to learn more about the Acer TravelMate C100 (about $1600 and up) and for purchasing information.
For more information on the Portege M200, go to Toshiba's site. Check the PC World Product Finder for the latest prices (about $2100 and up at press time).
Chris Sterns, a realtor in Irvine, California, is on his second Tablet PC. His first, the HP Compaq Tablet TC1000, proved too slow for his needs, so he upgraded to a HP Compaq Tablet TC1100 with 1GB of memory. Sterns uses the convertible Tablet PC with a wireless modem that connects him to AT&T Wireless's third-generation, high-speed Edge network.
"I'll never go back to a notebook," Sterns declares. "This baby gets a workout and gives in return."
Sterns says a Tablet PC has made his dealings as a realtor "almost paperless." Using the tablet, he makes appointments, annotates documents (such as offers and counteroffers) using digital ink, shows photos of properties to clients, and sends and receive faxes from almost anywhere.
As an example, Sterns cites an incident in which he met with a client to review a counteroffer from the property seller's agent.
"While we were driving away from the property, my client and I began discussing the terms. Once we settled on the terms and conditions, I pulled off the road, pulled out my Tablet PC, and wrote up a counteroffer on the spot."
Sterns filled out a form, which the client initialed and signed using a stylus on the Tablet PC's screen. From there, Sterns wirelessly e-mailed the signed form as a PDF attachment to the seller's agent. The result? Sterns' client got the property--and successfully negotiated $3000 off the asking price.
"Needless to say, my client was impressed and grateful," Sterns adds.
For more information on the Tablet TC1100 ($1849 and up), go to HP's Web site. For pricing, check our Product Finder.
Success stories aside, Tablet PCs aren't for everyone. For a different take, read about PC World Senior Associate Editor Richard Baguley's experience in "Review: Tablet PCs Not Ready to Replace Notebooks."
Meanwhile, a couple of new Tablet PCs recently earned fairly high marks from PC World Senior Editor Anush Yegyazarian. For details, see "Review: Tablet PCs from Gateway and Electrovaya."
I'm always eager to hear from readers who've found a way to stay connected and productive on the road--without having to lug a notebook along. If you fit that description, please drop me a note.Notebooks & Accessories
The impressive battery life and performance of Electrovaya's $2599 Scribbler SC-2010 and Gateway's $2100 M275XL illustrate how much Tablet PCs have improved since their introduction in November 2002, says PC World's Anush Yegyazarian. The Scribbler, with an impressive battery of more than 6 hours, earned 4 stars out of a possible 4 in her review. The Gateway tablet offers a large screen and good battery life, but is a bit heavy. Anush's assessment: 3.5 stars.
After living with a Tablet PC for a couple of months, PC World's Richard Baguley concluded that the devices leave something to be desired for the average computer user. Only a few applications are digital ink-enabled; the Tablet PC operating system's built-in handwriting recognition tends to be inaccurate; and editing text after it has been recognized is awkward and time consuming.
Ultimately, he found it easier to use the keyboard, so for him the advantages of a Tablet PC over a notebook seemed negligible.
"I can also see how a Tablet PC would have advantages for certain users, particularly people who spend much time inputting information into specialized software (for health care or education, for example) or those who attend meetings where typing is not allowed," Baguley concludes. "But overall, the Tablet PC just didn't make my job easier."
Pop quiz: What's the difference between 802.11a, b, and g? Answer: I have trouble keeping all that stuff straight too. Luckily, there's a handy glossary of wireless networking terms at the Wi-Fi Alliance Web site.PDAs & Gadgets
Roxio's Napster online music service, recently resurrected from legal purgatory, now allows you to drag and drop music tracks from the Napster application into more portable audio players. Previously, you could only drag and drop tunes to Samsung Electronics' YP-910GS device. Now, Napster supports 60 portable music players, including the Dell Digital Jukebox and Rio Audio's Nitrus, according to Roxio.
You thought you hated the snow? It turns out that older "always on" BlackBerry models 857 and 957 may not work in cold weather, according to The Wall Street Journal. Even worse, a cold BlackBerry may have to be manually reset before it can retrieve e-mail again.
The problem is most likely caused by static discharge created during dry winter weather, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion told the newspaper. Keeping the device in a leather holster may reduce the chances of it shutting down in cold weather, the company said. In the meantime, I suggest that you take your aging BlackBerry only where it's warm--Miami, for example.
Cold temps aside, older BlackBerry models can make for inexpensive on-ramps to the wireless Internet. Intrigued? Read my "Wireless Internet on the Cheap" column.
Okay, I won't spring another pop quiz on you. But I will tell you about a site where you can learn some new terms, such as J2ME and Plucker, to throw around at your next PDA support group meeting. PDASupport.com, a handy resource for handheld groupies, has a useful glossary.Wireless
Notice how I seem to be obsessed with glossaries this week? It hasn't escaped my attention, either. So I found another one for you, devoted to demystifying cell-phone speak. Go to CellPhoneCarriers.com to check it out.
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.