Quick to the core(s)
Could it be that, finally, one of the biggest CPU claims of recent years has actually proved to be true? With dual-core notebook PCs, it appears that Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. might be right: Clock speed matters little'if at all.
Ask the GCN Lab
The GCN Lab tests hundreds of products each year. The staff has scoured more help files, user manuals and FAQs than many users will read in a lifetime. And they're happy to answer almost any technical question that's thrown their way. A recent look at their in-box provided these samples.
CD security comes easy
Burning files to compact disk has become a popular way to disseminate information. Unfortunately, since anyone with a CD drive can access any disk they get their hands on, this medium has been ill-suited for proprietary or confidential files.
WordPerfect-ly Impressive
Chances are you're a Microsoft Office shop. But some of you might still be running the WordPerfect suite. Or maybe, now that Microsoft is preparing its next version of Office, you're open to the possibility of a new product, rather than an upgraded one. WordPerfect Office X3 is Corel's latest in a long line of suites. We grabbed a copy of it in the GCN Lab and were not disappointed.
Better security for client PCs
With hackers and viruses lurking around every digital corner, protecting users' personal computers is second in importance only to protecting your servers.
Tiered SAN means better storage
The Storage Center from Compellent is a good example of the advantages a SAN can bring to your network. Its methods of data management and expandability bring network storage to a whole new level.
WiFi tries double time
Tweaks to 802.11g access points make them better, but still not as fast as advertised
Inside the Next Microsoft Office
The GCN Lab pores over the new beta version and likes the suite's ease of use, workflow features
Finding lost files just got easier
Data recovery software has always been like insurance: If nothing ever goes wrong, you don't need it.
Shadowing the mail server
NearPoint for Exchange eases the pain of archiving and retrieving e-mail
Here's a SQL that beats the original
Improved Microsoft SQL Server is poised for enterprise tasks
Two cores better than one?
Dual-core processing has been the Next Big Thing in computing since Advanced Micro Devices Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Intel Corp. began rolling out new chips earlier this year. It's been hailed as an industry-altering marvel'and PC makers' best chance to improve system performance without ratcheting up clock speeds to the point where a computer could heat a small room.
Mobile computing: Rugged on a budget
In a recent Ask the Lab column, someone inquired about buying rugged notebooks for their office.
Storage management: It's a RAID
A Redundant Array of Independent Drives is a way to make a computer treat a number of physically distinct drives as one big drive.
Storage management: Crossing those Ts
With file sizes out of control, storage space on a network is becoming a valuable commodity again.
Enterprise IM made easy
Instant messaging has been universally panned in the office environment as a waster of both time and resources.
Take it on the run: Ultraportable laptops
For some notebook PC users, performance is everything, and they don't care about the trade-offs of weight and size.
Outlook's new best friend
Everyone now seems to be using e-mail as a file transfer medium.
A side order of storage
Just about everyone needs or will need more data storage.
Really need a rugged PC?
The GCN Lab devotes a great deal of time and energy to independent product reviews.
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