PCWorld Mar-13

WHEN PCWORLD PUBLISHED its first issue 30 years ago, I was still composing high-school papers on an IBM Selectric typewriter. The machine’s “typeball” element was a high-tech marvel compared with the guts of the practically steampunk mechanical typewriter my dad used, and I could not imagine that one of IBM’s new “PCs” would serve me much better. But then came my first IBM 286, and I was suddenly dealing in megahertz—and a whopping six of them! Along with that came 5.25-inch floppy disks and some inscrutable “software program” called WordPerfect. I had much more control over exactly how my schoolwork looked. And, of course, I could now finally edit my writing in real time, rather than relying on the messiness (and indignity) of Wite-Out correction fluid. I can’t say the 286 was…

Windows 8—Number One? Your selection of Windows 8 as the number one product of 2012 [“100 Best Products of 2012,” January] boggles my mind. It may be marvelous for touch devices; but for those of us that use actual PCs, it has little, if any, appeal. I doubt most of us want to relearn all the things we do every day just because Microsoft wants to have only one OS that may or may not work with current hardware and software. If PCWorld thinks that Windows 8 is so great, maybe I’ve subscribed to the wrong magazine. Edward Terpstra, via email Windows 8 is the number one best product of the year? Really? Using Windows 8 without a touchscreen is like using a TV without a remote—and only 5 percent of laptops are being…

TODAY’S SMARTPHONES are pretty good computers, but we’ve tried three computational powerhouses that make the slimmest phone look like ENIAC. The Cotton Candy, the MK802 II, and the Raspberry Pi are amazingly tiny, incredibly inexpensive, and eminently customizable. They’re terrific platforms for hobbyists fond of experimentation, and they’re ideal for students interested in learning how to program, but they can also serve as ordinary productivity machines. These miniature marvels eschew the power-hungry x86 processors found in desktop and laptop PCs in favor of mobile CPUs and GPUs, but each relies on an external monitor or HDTV (connected via HDMI) to display its video output. In fact, the Cotton Candy and the MK802 II are the same size as a USB memory stick, and plug directly into a TV. Thanks to their…

TOSHIBA IS PREPARING a 20-megapixel image sensor for point-and-shoot cameras that the company says will provide the highest resolution of its kind. The new chips will be able to support the capture of 30 frames per second at full resolution. They will also be able to shoot video at 60 fps at 1080p or 100 fps at 720p. Samples of the new CMOS chip should start shipping by the time you read this; mass production of the component will begin in August. Digital point-and-shoot cameras are steadily falling in price, squeezed by brutal competition among manufacturers as well as by the increasing threat of camera-equipped smartphones and mobile devices. While the number of pixels a camera can capture is not always a direct measure of the overall quality of its images, it…

FCC Easing Licensing for Aircraft Internet The Federal Communications Commission is making it easier to launch in-flight Internet services, setting up a standard approval process for systems that use satellites, called Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft. Under the new rules, airlines must simply test their ESAA technology, establish that it meets FCC standards and doesn’t interfere with aircraft systems, and obtain Federal Aviation Administration approval. Domestic Calls via Gmail to Remain Free in 2013 In what is rapidly becoming a tradition, Google has extended free calling in Gmail for another year. First added to Gmail in 2010, the Call Phone option lets users place calls to landlines and mobile phones within the Web-based email client. Google says U.S. and Canadian Gmail users can make free domestic calls through 2013. International calls still incur a…

IN JANUARY, CANONICAL launched a new mobile operating system interface, bringing its desktop Ubuntu Linux distribution to phones. The company is aiming it at “high-end superphones” and basic smartphones. Docking the phone turns it into a full PC. Among the features in the new interface is support for the use of thumb gestures from all four edges of the screen so as to help users find content and switch among apps more quickly than they can on other phones. Controls appear only when the user wants them, Canonical says, and both voice and text commands are available in any application. The software supports both native apps and Web/HTML5 apps. Built on the existing Android kernel and drivers but lacking a Java virtual machine, the new interface supports ARM and x86 CPUs. Canonical is already…