Dell XPS 210 Small Desktop PC

Dell's XPS 210 is really just a minor update of the previous XPS 200 now with the Intel Core 2 Duo desktop processors. The problem is that the performance isn't that much higher than many more feature packed small form factors to necessarily justify the price.

Pros
Includes 19" LCD MonitorDell Premium Support IncludedConsBase Model Comes With CD-RW Combo Rather Than DVD BurnerDifficult to Upgrade

Description
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Dual Core Processor
1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
250GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
24x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
Intel GMA 3000 Integrated Graphics with Dell E197FP 19" LCD Monitor
Intel HDA Audio and 10W Stereo Speakers
10/100 Ethernet
Eight USB 2.0 and One FireWire Port
12.5" x 3.7" x 14.5"
Windows Vista Home Premium, MS Works 8, McAfee Security Center
Guide Review - Dell XPS 210 Small Desktop PC
2/22/07 – The Dell XPS 210 is really just a minor update over the previous XPS 200 small form factor PC system. The only real difference in the two systems is the processors offered with them. The new XPS 210 uses the Intel Core 2 Duo processors (E6300 to E6700, no Quad Core options). This gives a boost in the overall computing performance of the system, but many of the remaining issues with the XPS 200 still remain.
Storage is a mixed bag with the XPS 210. While the system does use a full sized 250GB desktop hard drive, Dell uses slower notebook style optical drives. The base system only comes with a 24x CD-RW/DVD combo drive rather than a DVD burner, something common even to the least expensive budget systems these days.
Dell's XPS line was geared towards performance computing, but the XPS 210 definitely is not built for gaming like the high end desktop models. The system comes default with the Intel GMA 3000 integrated graphics. This is fine for 2D graphics, but it has limited performance when it comes to gaming or the new Vista Aero interface. Dell offers an ATI Radeon X1300 Pro upgrade, but it still lacks performance for 3D gaming. On the plus side, Dell does offer the system with their 19” LCD monitor with upgrade options for their excellent widescreen monitor lineup.
Users wanting to upgrade the system after purchase maybe in in for a bit of a shock. The case design of the XPS 210 has not been improved over the previous X200. This leaves it difficult for users to install their own upgrades inside of the case. Of course, Dell does provide users with their Premium support options with all XPS systems.

Via about

Vista Upgrade Seems Better for PC Security

Last month, Dick Suetterlin had an experience with Murphy's Law (generally cited as, "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.").
Suetterlin is a member of the Polk Computer User Group. He speaks of RAID arrangements, simultaneous disk writes, cache memory with the same ease and familiarity as people speak of their grandchildren. When it comes to computers, Suetterlin is an early adapter. So he was picked to give a presentation of Microsoft's new operating system, Vista, at the January PCUG meeting.
He had downloaded the 30-day trial version since Windows would not be available for purchase until a week after his scheduled presentation. Just to make sure the 30 days weren't up, he logged on to the computer to check shortly before he left for the 7 p.m. meeting.
Sometime between his trip from the house to the club meeting, the 30-day clock ran out. No one is sure exactly when or where.
The computer was turned on, the room lights were turned off, the big screen lit up. No Vista.
Unlike a cat, Vista trial version has but one life. It cannot be revived. Oh, how Suetterlin tried.
"I felt so sorry for him," said PCUG President Dallas Clay. "It was just embarrassing, and I know just how he felt. It's happened to me."
So Clay invited Suetterlin back to the February meeting. This time, he was armed with a new copy of Vista.
Anyone who has a passing interest in Windows-based computing is probably familiar with the new bells and whistles contained in the new release. They have received plenty of press. For those who want to know more, information can be found at the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/); click on "Windows Vista" under "Destinations & Events."
For all its new features, there's one Suetterlin told the group that he favors above all others: Security.
"It's worth the upgrade for that alone," he said. At its strongest default setting, it will pop up a warning box every time a new program attempts to install on the computer. It will do that when a user is trying to install a program.
It will also do it when a rogue piece of software that secretly downloads itself from a Web site or emerges from another program tries to install itself on the computer.
"If you know it's a program you want, that's fine. Tell it to proceed," said Suetterlin. "If not, you can stop trouble before it begins."
Apple computers aren't affected by viruses and hackers. So the company has made another commercial in its popular "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" series that show the two human representatives trying to talk through a sunglassed secret-agent third person who constantly asks "cancel or allow?" before permitting the other to speak.
Suetterlin noted that the warnings might seem a little overdone to some users, "and while you can turn them off, if you do that, you've defeated the security purpose."
The Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions offer scheduled and network backups along with "performance self-tuning and diagnostics" to help keep the computer running well.

Via TheLedger

Internet Radio Unshackled From The PC Thanks To WiFi

We love internet radio. Listening to obscure Peruvian talk radio is top of our bedtime routine, but quite frankly, who wants to sleep next to their PC? Not us, which is why the flood of WiFi radios hitting the market is cheering our hearts.
A WiFi radio is simply a standalone device that connects to your wireless network, or any available WiFi hotspot, and streams audio from the internet.
There are thousands of internet radio stations out there and the range on offer is simply dazzling. It makes DAB look positively scrawny in comparison.
Most WiFi radios (like their DAB cousins) are good looking devices. So far, the big consumer electronics manufacturers have not jumped on the bandwagon, which is why you will see offerings from specialist companies such as Acoustic Energy and Bush dominating the market.
The majority of radios can also connect to your PC and stream audio from the hard drive, making them mini media center extenders in effect. Watch out though, not many can use iTunes - the MagicBox Imp is an exception.
If you want to find out more about this exciting new medium, then Media Center PC World is pleased to announce the launch of our sister website WiFi Radio Review. Our little sibling will be focussing purely on internet radio and we are so confident that this is a market you will be dying to find out more about in months to come that we predict now that WiFi Radio Review won't stay our little sister for long.
DAB is no longer the king, long live WiFi Radio!

Via MCPCWorld

Intel Introduces Healthcare Tablet PC

Seems that Bill Gates wasn't kidding when he said Vista could be used to run critical hospital systems such as life support. Earlier this month when Gates was asked if he's trust Vista with his life, he responded, "... absolutely, Vista is the most secure operating system we’ve ever done, and if it’s administered properly, absolutely, it can be used to run a hospital or any kind of mission critical thing." Now its time to put this concept into reality.
Intel and Motion Computing, manufacturers of a wide array of tablet PCs, have jointly introduced the C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA.) From appearance, it's a robust, tough as nails tablet PC that is designed to survive in a potentially abusive hospital environment. Intel provides the Core Solo processor, while Motion Computing manufactures the remaining critical components.
"The lightweight, spill-resistant, drop-tolerant and easily disinfected MCA allows nurses to access up-to-the-minute patient records and to document a patient's condition instantly, enhancing clinical workflow while reducing the staff's administrative workload."
Sounds like a terrific tablet PC, however don't expect to find this in your local NewEgg.com or BestBuy catalog anytime soon, as the MCA is designed solely for the health care market. Its introduction today is the culmination of nearly two years of field testing in hospitals in Singapore, the UK, and the United States. The specs?
For a lightweight and highly portable tablet PC, it packs a good punch. It touts a RFID scanner for reading bar codes, a 1.2 GHz Core Solo Processor, built-in WIFI, 512MB RAM (Upgradeable to 1.5GB max), 30GB HDD (60GB option), and last but not least, the choice between Microsoft Vista Business or XP Tablet PC edition.
Which operating system would you place your life in?

Via Slyck

Next Version of Microsoft Office Coming in 2009

Office 2007 is just out, but Microsoft's already working hard on the next version--internally known as Office 14--and targeting 2009 for its release

Microsoft Corp. may have just released Office 2007 to consumers mere weeks ago, but the company is already working hard on the next version -- internally known as Office 14 -- and targeting it for release in the first half of 2009, according to information from Microsoft's own Web site.
The company plans to spend almost US$1 billion per year in R&D for Office 14, or about 20 percent more than the amount devoted to Office 2007, according to a PowerPoint slide deck from a Nov. 8, 2006 presentation by a Microsoft employee in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The information and excerpts from the slide show were first posted on Tuesday by the independent AeroXperience blog, which is geared toward Windows Vista developers.
AeroXperience's senior editor Stephen Chapman also reported that Microsoft is skipping the version 13 for Office because it is "unlucky," and that the company will begin "dogfooding," or beta-testing Office with internal Microsoft employees, late in 2007. Chapman cited an interview of Eric Vigesaa, program manager for Office system client applications, with Microsoft's TechNet radio chat from December 27th .
A Microsoft spokeswoman downplayed the information.
"Microsoft is always planning," said a spokeswoman. Moreover, "it's typical for the Office team to deliver a new version of Office every 2 to 3 years."
The revelations about the next version of Office come hard upon reports last week that the next version of Windows, alternately called Windows 7 or "Vienna," will also see release in 2009. Microsoft has since tried to publicly retract that statement.
The Microsoft slides show the first beta of Office 14 due in the first half of 2008, a second beta due in the second half of 2008, and a final release in the first part of 2009, or between 26 and 32 months after Office 2007's release.
The slides also indicate that in Office 14, Microsoft plans to continue building on the established core features of the 25-year-old Office suite, and will focus on three areas: enterprise content management, communication and collaboration, and business process and business intelligence.
In particular, according to AeroXperience, Microsoft hopes to improve search relevance, enhance the management of complex documents and content, bring business intelligence into the business process itself, improve the offline experience in products such as SharePoint, and simplify the building of business applications on the Office platform through declarative programming and improved business data catalogue integration.

Via PCWorld