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BOOT CAMP 354 (30/11/04)
Christmas computing
With just under a month to go to the big day no doubt you
are in the throes of compiling your prezzie lists so here’s a few (mostly
practical) computer-oriented gift suggestions for friends and relatives with
computers, and don’t forget to reward your faithful PC if it has behaved itself
over the past year…
GREETING CARD FACTORY DELUXE 3, Windows (9x, 2k & XP)
This could be an early
present or one for next year, perhaps? It is a simple to use design and print
package with all of the tools and templates needed to produce highly personal
and eye-catching greetings cards from digital photographs or custom artwork.
It’ll even create gift tags and labels and there’s a CD photo album utility so
you, or the lucky recipient can send copies of family pictures and greetings on
a disc that can be viewed on a DVD player and TV. The program is widely
available from computer stores and you should be able to find it for between £20
and £25 from online sellers such as: www.amazon.co.uk
and www.guildsoft.co.uk.
SKIP DOCTOR DISC RESTORER
Despite early assertions
that CDs were virtually indestructible we all know that optical discs are easily
damaged by careless handling and storage. Scratches and marks make recordings
skip (in the case of audio CDs and DVDs), and they can render data unreadable on
CD-ROMs and video games discs. Skip Doctor effectively resurfaces lightly
scratched and scuffed discs using a combination of a specially formulated fluid
coating and a buffing wheel, mounted in an easy to use jig. Just pop in the disc, turn it on or crank the
handle and in two shakes your disc should be as good as new. It works on all
types of audio, video, data and video game discs (12 and 8cm sizes), and could
easily pay for itself saving a couple of unplayable discs from the rubbish
bin. The manual version sells for just
under £35 from: www.dreamdirect.co.uk, there’s also a
motorised model for £55 from: www.boysstuff.co.uk
SWISS ARMY CYBERTOOL AND MEMORY KNIVES
Cybertool is a specially
designed Swiss Army knife for PC owners. It has no less than 34 tools to help
service, upgrade and dismantle PCs and many other electronic gadgets. In
addition to the usual assortment of blades, scissors and the obligatory
toothpick there are 13 screwdrivers, a wire bender, cutter, crimper and
stripper, tweezers, reamer/punch, wrench with Hex drive bits, Torx bits, pliers,
cap lifter, ball point pen and even a can opener. For those that prefer not to
poke around inside their PCs there’s the Swiss Memory Knife, which has a blade,
scissors, nail file, pen and a detachable 64Mb ‘pen drive’ memory module that
plugs into a PC’s USB socket. Cybertool sells for around £42 whilst the Swiss
Army Memory knife costs just under £60, from Victorinox stockists and www.swisstool.co.uk/
INTEGO WI-FI LOCATOR
This is the perfect
gadget for owners of Wi-Fi equipped laptops. Just switch it on and it shows if
there is a wireless ‘Hot Spot’ within 100 metres. There are now thousands of
them in the UK, in and around hotels, airports, restaurants, shopping centres,
exhibition halls and cafes, providing high-speed access to the Internet and
email (usually for a fee, though some are free to use). The detector’s built-in
LED bargraph gives a relative indication of signal strength, which can be used
to determine the Hot Spot’s general direction. It has other applications and can
be used for identifying dead spots in home or office wireless networks. It’s
small (60 x 30 x 15mm), weighs less than 22 grams and will detect both 802.22b
and 802.11g Wi-Fi networks but it will ignore other wireless devices, like
Bluetooth, cellular and cordless phones. This model sells for
around £25 and can be
obtained from: www.softline.co.uk/businessdetail.lasso?code=WIFI
PANIC BUTTON
Here’s a jokey gift idea
for the PC genius in the family, or maybe use it as a practical joke, for
someone that’s nervous of computers. It’s a bright red ‘Panic’ button, designed
to replace one of the ‘keycaps’ on a standard PC keyboard. Don’t worry it
doesn’t actually do anything, and there’s no software to install, though it
might be wise to suggest that whoever you give it to fits it on one of those
mysterious and rarely used keys, like Scroll Lock or Pause Break. It’s a perfect
stocking filler and costs just £2.99 from: www.iwantoneofthose.co.uk
GP POWER BANK
This is another useful
gizmo for owners of laptop computers though it will work with any PC that has a
USB socket. Power Bank is a compact portable battery charger and it comes ready
to use with four AA sized high-capacity Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) cells plus a
standard USB cable. It’s just the job for powering all of the other
battery-powered gadgets, like a radio, camera, torch and so on, that we take
with us on holidays or when travelling. The charger is meant to be used when the
PC is operating from its mains adaptor, though you could power it from the
laptop’s own battery in an emergency but it will probably flatten it long before
the full 7-hour charge cycle is complete. It’s available from: www.tantronics.co.uk
and costs
£12.
Next week – XP Tuning Tips
JARGON FILTER
BLUETOOTH
Short-range (5 to 10 metres) wireless communications system
used to link electronic devices, like cell phones with hands-free headsets and
PCs with printers and peripherals such as keyboards and mice
TORX
Tamper-resistant screw or fixing, frequently used in the
assembly of electronic devices, with a six-sided ‘star’ shaped screwdriver bit
fitting
WI-FI
Wireless data communications system with a relatively short
range (typically up to 100 metres in the open) providing the same kind of speed
and functionality as a cabled network -- for exchanging files, printers and
connecting to the Internet -- but without the wires
TIP OF THE WEEK
Here’s a quick and easy way to get your home or office PC
into the festive spirit, decorate it with a USB powered Christmas tree… Yes,
unbelievably such a thing does exist. This 12cm tall microchip marvel is made
from a drop-proof clear plastic material. It plugs into a spare USB port on your
computer and lights up when your Windows, Mac or Linux PC is running, changing
colour (red, green, blue and cyan) once a second. It costs just £10 and is
available from: www.firebox.com/
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