News, advice and information for technology consumers.
(News) Similar names in a customer database, and inconsistent communication, lead to problems. Plus: An attorney objects to Mint.com's terms of service.
(Reviews) Fed up with rebate hassles, nagging software, and skimpy support? So are we! The everyday practices of hardware, software, and Web firms can drive their customers bonkers. Here's how to fight back.
(How To) How to find the best gas prices, airports, and hotels for your vacation getaway--with your gadgets.
(How To) Want to save power, paper, printer ink, and--oh, yeah--the earth, too? These simple hints will make your computing life more eco-friendly--and cheaper.
(How To) An Internet tablet saves the day in Italy, a tourist avoids looking touristy, and a traveler instantly shares pictures with folks back home--all thanks to their portable gear.
(How To) The graphics board vendor sent a reader two replacement cards that also malfunctioned, but never tried to troubleshoot the problem. Plus: D-Link recalls its first dual-mode draft-n routers, and Magellan blames support problems on a change of outsourced customer service.
(How To) Online Personal Finance: Mvelopes Mix-up Untangled
(News) A B-52 ejection chair, a computer bed and a walking station: These and other far-out creations will make your workspace look anything but average.
(News) The charitable Give One, Get One XO laptop program comes under fire by participants who say they've suffered chronic delivery snafus and delays.
(How To) Some TV delivery services will deposit your big-screen set only on your doorstep, while others will even take care of installation - for a price.
(How To) Cancelling Symantec and McAfee services requires proactivity on the customer's part. Also: CyberPower's customer information policy and Coby Electronics' music player recall.
(How To) Be aware of compatibility issues, return deadlines; plus, a merchant's multiple sites, varying prices; and a shipping address glitch.
(Reviews) The budding hotel chain promises high-tech amenities--and for the most part, delivers on that promise.
(How To) Ultra useful Web sites help you track down unclaimed money and opt out of marketing schemes--plus the latest in robotics.
(News) Users are reporting that a new update to Apple Inc.'s iPhone is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable.
(How To) Rebate Ruckus; AOL Handle Hassle
(Reviews) A guide to finding the best places to lay your head--and get some work done.
(How To) Some self-described consumer sites are actually industry shillsa??-and ita??s not always easy to tell.
(Reviews) Kodak EasyShare EX811 vs. Pandigital PAN-150
(How To) It's time to take a break from computing and focus on important stuff--like annoying phone calls and crooked car dealers.
(Reviews) Have a problem with a company or product? Complaining online could help.
(How To) We examine common tech beliefs and do some digging to find out what's true--and what's trumped up.
(News) As of late Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Eastern Time, Research in Motion Ltd. had offered no explanation for the cause of the BlackBerry e-mail service outage that affected users in North America.
(News) You bought an Windows XP-based PC--before the Vista launch--and heard rosy promises of an OS upgrade. But scoring Vista has been a painful process for many.
(News) Cell phone customers are increasingly complaining--and suing--over mysterious, hard-to-cancel charges on their monthly bills.
(Reviews) Our expert explains why RAM is more important than CPU speed for a buyer on a budget.
(How To) Hone your search skills to uncover troves of serious, primary-source material on the Web.
(How To) Though some sellers are abandoning rebates, these offers still have appeal.
(Reviews) A reader is hounded, in case of mistaken identity.
(News) Readers discuss pros and cons of the new gaming consoles, Microsoft's MP3 player, and the new Office.
(Reviews) In adding new tools and better navigation, we've made finding your best deals on the technology you want both simple and fast.
(How To) New options help prevent miscreants from racking up charges on your card.
(Reviews) A link-tastic guide to finding the best printer deals online.
(howto) Six Rules for Rescuing Dead Gadgets
(news) Fire Hazard Risk Prompts Giant Dell Laptop Battery Recall
(howto) The Best Buying Advice of All: Don't!
(news) Consumer Alert: Ads That Look Like Bills
(reviews) Best Products of 2006: Chat Transcript
(news) HP Recalls Digital Cameras
(howto) Updates to Microsoft's verification site can complicate the validation process.
(reviews) All-Star Tech Stores
(howto) Dodge the Perils of Early Adoption
(howto) Travel Tips, Part 2
(news) The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time
(howto) A Lenovo system ordered by phone takes weeks to arrive.
(howto) Are new ideas better? Never-ending betas let you judge for yourself.
(howto) Power-Saving Tips: Save Money by Putting Your PC on a Power Diet
(news) Consumer Alert: Ads That Look Like Bills
(howto) Matters of Importance
(howto) Beware of Double Drives
(howto) Ask Our Experts: 64-Bit Virus Protection
(howto) Four Simple Rules for Buying Used Gear
(news) Skip Airport Security Lines?
(howto) Consumer Watch: Upgrade That Application--or Else!
(news) Avoid the Top Online Shopping Gotchas
(reviews) Ask Our Experts, Tech Trend, Gotcha
(howto) New Tools for Better Buying Decisions
(howto) Office Depot Pricing Blunder
(howto) On Your Side: Mozilla Store Fails to Follow Through
(news) Give Up Privacy to Skip Airport Security Lines?
(howto) Hidden Costs of Dell's $4 Gift Check
(reviews) The 100 Best Products of 2005
(howto) Broken Keyboard Leg: Out of Luck?
(howto) How to Set Up a Great Home Office
(news) PC World's Exciting New Feature: Info Centers
(howto) Too Many Columns for One Magazine
(howto) No Upgrade for Media Center PC
(howto) Driver Woes Stop the Music
(reviews) Our star ratings give readers a quick assessment of a product's overall
quality, value, and performance.
(howto) Hardware vendor's warranty covers the player and its hard drive--but not the data on it.
(news) Though digital music has come a long way, today's online music stores still have significant problems. Here's my fix-it wish list.
(howto) A buyer of a laptop discovers that more than one online store is involved in the transaction.
(howto) Introducing WorldBench 5, PC World's next-generation system benchmark.
(news) Surfers unaware that credit card information is sometimes shared.
(news) We expose the bad advice that wastes your time and money.
(howto) An advertised gift with purchase never arrives.
(howto) A few tips for getting top-notch, helpful programs at the best price of all.
(howto) A year's worth of products: the winning, the wearisome, and the weird.
(howto) Your options when an HP camera fails and is out of warranty.
(howto) TV lovers finally have a real choice. Here's how to pick the right service.
(howto) Why I'm switching to the Macintosh--and back to the PC again--every day.
(howto) A few tips for the most frustrating (and indispensable) technology around.
(howto) Streaming media, from your PC to your living room? What a runaround!
(howto) Manufacturer sees no causal connection between downloaded firmware and customer's damaged equipment.
(howto) Burn, everybody, burn! But get ready for headaches with new technologies.
(howto) Building your own PC? Here's how to save some headaches and some dollars.
(howto) Sellers can do much more to cut the red tape and long waits buyers endure.
(news) Sharper Image and Brookstone may look alike, but they don't stock alike.
(reviews) Simple remedies for digital-gizmo addiction.
(howto) The right tech products at great prices from trustworthy merchants are out there. These 30 tips and sites will help you find them, online or off.
(howto) It's smart to check the components in a new system to make sure you received what you paid for.
(howto) Glitchy software turns us all into unpaid, overworked chief security officers.
(news) Got batteries? Enough storage? Here's a guide to add-ons that enhance your gifts.
(yahoo) How to get high-tech deals.
(news) Use our expert's advice for successful holiday Web shopping sprees--from guides to great deals to plenty of privacy protection pointers.
(howto) Today's top products and makers, plus the debut of our newest section.
(howto) Helping PC newbies? Get ready for crashes.
(howto) Essential security advice for busy people. Plus: The new
Top 100.
(howto) Kodak digicam seems to frame images improperly.
(howto) Kick the tires, but let online research help you drive a hard bargain.
(howto) You've got tech gripes. And we've got fixes--this month and every month.
(howto) A customer discovers that he can't access his money--and that he can't get any answers.
(howto) $10 for this, $20 for that--maybe there's too much good stuff out there.
(yahoo) Counterfeit cartridges can ruin prints, spray ink, and damage your printer.
(howto) About to go on a shopping spree? Here's how to choose the right computer for your young scholar.
(reviews) From media-rich PCs and nifty keyboards to stellar MP3 players and PDAs, you have plenty of options for outfitting students going back to school.
(resource) Doubts about handhelds' progress; makers neglect home projectors; beige or black--it's our choice.
(howto) Buying computing products is a numbers game--but our Test Center can help.
(howto) Beware sites that don't provide phone numbers.
(howto) Used or refurbished gear, other bargains, and tax write-offs.
(howto) Protect against theft, damage, and random acts of nature.
(howto) It'll be a great year--especially if you like hype, bad ideas, and unkept promises.
(howto) Make sure you get what you pay for.
(howto) You know what's really maddening? These problems would be easy to fix.
(howto) Plus: Small software, ripping Redmond, Sidekick soars, and pop-ups go down.
(news) Replace that aging PC, PDA, or cell phone over the holidays? Here's what to do with the old one.
(reviews) Every month PC World rates over a hundred products in more than two dozen categories. Whether you're looking for a new digital camera or notebook, a hard drive or monitor, here are our picks from the cream of the crop.
(howto) Make sure your purchases are covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
(howto) How to make sure that your warranty will really protect you.
(news) High-speed drives increase the chances that a defective CD will explode.
(howto) Tempted to rely on the integrity of tech vendors? Good luck!
(howto) But if you want to find the best Internet deals, you need the right tools.
(howto) Me neither, but here are some reasons you might want to try one.
(howto) Plus: Legalized hacking, Apple enticements, Palladium, and 64-bit CPUs.
(howto) On Your Side: Music Silenced by XP Upgrade
(howto) Here's how to cope when driver problems make your peripherals inoperative.
(howto) Wireless devices are hit-and-miss. Here are two keepers, and two to toss back.
(howto) On Your Side: Microsoft Changes Tune on Support
(howto) Identity theft is skyrocketing--and it's even being used to fund terrorism.
(howto) New online guides and smart product rankings simplify decision-making.
(howto) Don't fret: Fantasies about ditching Windows are perfectly normal--maybe even healthy.
(howto) How a simple online order for a cell phone led to a big headache.
(howto) New products, new decisions--and a new kind of buying guide.
(howto) Trying to obtain a system recovery CD for a second-hand notebook PC can be difficult.
(howto) Web services promise to dig up all available information--factual and otherwise--about the person of your choice.
(howto) Take heart, tech fans: The latest isn't always the greatest.
(howto) Taking a company to court may help you get what's rightfully yours.
(howto) Checking the product you receive against the promised specs is always a good idea.
(howto) On Your Side: Long Delays in Linksys Rebates
(reviews) More ticked-off buyers are taking their gripes to the Web. We show you how to get results.
(reviews) Gotcha! E-mail hoaxes are out to get you. Here are the ten most cunning ruses to watch out for.
(reviews) Attention, Web shoppers: Here's how to find bargains on PC products without getting snared.
