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July R O O 4

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Letter from the Editor .

First Glance

O n the M o v e Family radios .

HUB test drives FRS/GMRS radio sets

A family affair .

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Shared wireless plans

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Of t he M i n d Digital family tree .

.10

Tech tools help geneaologists tell family stories in new ways

Press print

.12

Inkjets and resources for creative projects

Three across, five down .

Crossword Factory 3 for custom puzzles

Digital Photography Tutorial: 6 .

.14

Working with an image editor 2: Colour by the numbers

Long-term memory

.15

Salvation for your stax o' wax Digitizing Lps and tapes

O igitei L iv i n g Burning issue

..17

CDs and DVDscreate new recycling dilemma

HUB Games

..21

Lost in translation? Games and the movies

Old-school console gaming

.22

C onte e t e Letter of the month .

Photo spree

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Following page 12 (in selected markets]

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J uly 200 4

— H t JB: Digital Living

3

E d it o r ia l Last month, we asked you whether you take gadgets with you on vacation or if you prefer to unplug. I suppose it's only natural that, as readers of HUB: Digital Living, you subscribe to something of a digital lifestyle; the overwhelming majority of your letters said that to unplug is unthinkable.

The utopian vision for the future was one where technology would take over doing all the menial work both at home and on the road; we should be riding around in flying cars, being waited on hand and foot by robot butlers, and doing all of our shopping — grocery and otherwise — using vending machines, according to some past predictions. More recent [though still dated] predictions say that we should be getting everything we need from the Internet and somehow getting rich in the process.

Tech is designed to make our lives easier and simpler. Whether it has succeeded or not is a matter for debate. Many of us can't even imagine being productive without a computer or the assorted gadgets and gear that keep us in touch on the move. Extending the use of gadgets from work to recreation is logical.

Why pore over reams of paper maps when planning or taking a vacation when the same [and often more] data is available online, in software packages and even in the palm of your hand and is searchable to boot? Add a GPS system and it's a safe bet you' ll stay on track on a family road trip.

Why not keep in touch with the office using a cell phone and Wi-Fi Internet connection while on vacation?

Forget that last point. Happy vacationing.

— Andrew Moore-Crispin, Editor

Volume 'rT 1 Number V

EDITORIAL Co. Editor

Andrew Moore-Cdispin andrewmcehubcanada.corn

Co-Editor

Megan Johnston

Contributing Editors

Sharlene Myers David Tana)ta Sean Carruthers

Art a(rector

Steven Stoner

CONTACTUS Letters

lettersShubcanada.corn pres sreieasesehubcanada.corn

Releeaee

Advertising Sales ONTARIO/TORONTO Corporate Account

Ming Louie writes: The term "gadgets" covers a lot of territory. What I bring along on vacation depends on the gadget. I definitely don't bring along anything that would "plug" me into the office/home environment such as laptops, cell phones or pagers. However, other gadgets are indispensable, Frank Song writes: I would like to unplug. There's nothing scheduled for gadgets on my vacation. Ideally, vacation for me means forget everything of modern society.

Myron Iwankewich writes: My first thought upon reading this month's topic was "of course I take my technology with me on vacation. It's because of this stuff that I can go on vacation!"

With Tny cell phone, laptop, and Internet connection, I'm just as close to NewYork, London, and Paris from my cottage as I am from the office.

Manager

Mich e lle Francis

mic h ege francisehubcanadacom

Ralph Ventriglia ralph veinrigliaShubcanada.corn

Ad Sales

Wes Neild wes neildehubcanada.corn

MONTREAL Ad Sales

Bill Lowson bill lawsonShubcanada.corn

WESTERNCANADA Ad Sales

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Robert Leigh writes: I got my first laptop computer about four years ago, On a trip to the U.S., I found it invaluable. I had a ready facility on hand to do enroute travel planning, with the installed version of Microsoft Streets and Trips to assist in the production of next leg travel directions. It was also useful for the kids, as I had brought a supply of movies that could be played on[the laptop] in the back of the car.

Business Group President

Scott Piccolo scottpicco(OS hubcanada.corn

Operations Manager

Sylv ia Gaertner

sylvia gaertneiehubcanada.corn

Nella Pascal

Oistrlbutlon

L et t e r

Piccolo Publishing Inc (HeadONce)

The winner of this month's letter contest is Uldis Broks: Once upon a time I used to throw a change of clothing, a hunting knife, a compass, a few cans of beans, and a fishing pole in a backpack, strap a canoe on the rooF of my car, and take off for the North Country For a few days. That constituted a great holiday. Things change. Unplugged you say? In today's world?

Todaymy canoe has morphed into an 81,000-tonne cruise ship and the beans have been replaced by gourmet dining and unlimited buffet meals. Instead of a compass, I now sport a GPS system so I can check on the ship's position in the Caribbean Sea, I also need my digital watch with dual time zones so I don't oversleep and miss the all-day breakfasts. It is a data watch of course, because I need the phone numbers and email addresses of all my friends handy so that I can give them a daily report of my vacation. To that end, I also frequent the onboard cyber cafe so that I can delete all the spam from my email before I get home.

Unplugged, you say? No way!

600.625 Lhuich St.

For his submission, Uldis wins the Ultimate Dell Print Primer Give Away from Dell Canada. There are still two more Dell Print Primer prizes to be won so keep those letters coming.

HU8: Digital Living is published monthly by Piccolo Publishing Inc. AB rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is stnctly prohibited. Information presented here is compiled fram sources believed to be accu. rate, however, the publisher assumes no responsi-

This month, in addition to feedback on the issue, tell us whether you take your gadgets on vacation with you or if you prefer to unplug. Drop us a line at lettersCuhubcanada.corn. To mark the one-year anniversary of Dell Inc,'s printer series, the winner will receive the Ultimate Dell Pdint Primer GiveAway: a Dell A940 All-in-One Inkjet Printer, a high-res printer, scanner, and PC-free colour copier with PC fax capability; two extra ink cartridges(black and colour); a 3 m USB2.0 cable; and a pack of Dell Premium Inkjet paper for 4xG-inch prints.

4

nella passe(Shubcanada.corn

o f t h e M o nt h

HLJE ): Digital Living — July 2C)C)dz

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Toronto, OH.M4Y 261 Teb 416-923-7100 Toll-(iee; 1-800-465-3517 Fax: 416.923. 7994 Canadian Publication Mail, SalesPiodun AgreementS40064828.

Pnnted in Canada.

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ISSN Lr(0.020S HUB:Oigiiol Liwng [Sovthwootom Oni, vd) ISSN 17100116 HUB.Oigdoi Lwing (Toronto od.)

bility for errom or omissions. The publisher reserves the right to iefvse ads. The opinions

expresse dinthearticlesandcolumns andadsare those of the wrhev/advertiser and not necessarily

those of HUB:Digital Living.

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F ir s t If your love of surround sound is not shared by family members or close neighbours, a new line of headphones from I/O Magic (www.iomagic.corn) may help you enjoy your audio and keep the peace. The line's debut product, the Sound Assault 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Headphones, comes with a power amplifier that acts as a control station, has eight independent speakers, and connects to a 5.1-enabled PC,home audio system, or OVDplayer. The hardware comes bundled with WinDVO and WinRip software: the former for watching Oolby OTSsurround sound-enabled OVDs on a PC and the latter for converting standard stereo music into simulated 5.1-channel surround sound.

The headphone set has volume controls for each channel, built-in bass rumble effects, dual headphone outlets for multiple users, and supports DVD playback in AC3 and DTSformats. The « Sound Assault bundle is available now S~ ~ for $136«.

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Dick Tracy fans rejoice!

Microsoft Canada (www.microsoft.ca) has announced that its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT)watches have finally made a run for the border. The wristwatches from Fossil and Suunto feature a receiver that scans FM airwaves for , O ih' information addressed to them. With an MSNDirect [www.msndirect.corn/) subscription, users personalize the information and services they want to receive: including news updatesfrom CBC/RadioCanada, ESPN,MSNBC,and TheWallStreetJournal,aswellas MSN Messenger messages and Microsoft Outlook calendar appointment reminders. The MSNDirect service is available in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria. Prices for the watches, which are expected to be available through most major Canadian electronics retailers by press time, vary depending on make and model, The first month of MSN Direct service is free, after which subscribers have the choice of paying $14.9S a month or $99 for a full year.

«Converted from USdollars.

Though Apple [www.apple.ca) has long helped Mac users cut the cord with its AirPort networking devices, it has now extended the hand of wireless to PC users. The recently announced AirPort Express is a compact, portable wireless base station that can plug directly into the wall for wireless internet and data transfer, as well as streaming audio. The base station — which supports 802.11g and 802.11b standards — has analogue and digital audio outputs that can be connected to a stereo. The included AirTunes music networking software then wirelessly streams iTunes audio files located on a wirelessenabledWindows orMac PC that is within the network's range [45 m in ideal conditions) through the connected stereo system. Apple says multiple base stations can be bridged together to extend the wireless range. The AirPort Express base station will be available in July [subject to Canadian regulatory approval) for $179,

6

HU B: D I '

LMng — J u ly 20 0 4

With speakers getting ever smaller and Ratter, it was only a matter of time before they disappeared. That time has come with the development of purSonic by German firm Puren GmbH.PurSonic [www.pursonic.corn) is a 7 mm thick vibrating soundboard that can be fitted into walls, floors, or ceilings. Sound generators on the reverse side of the soundboards vibrate to create sound when they receive signals from a digital processor. Many standard home theatre or surround sound setups have a "sweet spot," but Puren says purSonic distributes audio more widely and evenly because the emission angles of the vibrating surfaces are almost double the width of standard speakers. As well, the I I I frequencies can be I I I fine-tuned to the surI face materials behind 1 I I which the soundI I boards are concealed, whether its plaster, carpet, tile, or wood.

While Puren is pitching purSonic to home users, the technology does require custom installation.

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You may have seen families on trips to the amusement park or camp ground keeping in contact using a modern take on walkie talkies.

Family Radio Service[FRS) is essentially a small frequency block [from 462.5625 MHz to 4677125 MHz) that can be used for family communication over the airwaves. 'FRS was the original radio service allowed in the U.S. and Canada for users to communicate over the airwaves without licensing fees or anything like that," says Sally Keenan, senior director of consumer product management for Cobra Electronics, a manufacturer with a fairly extensive line of FRSand other radios. FRS incorporates 14 channels in the frequency block.

General mobile radio service [GMRS) is a newer standard in the same category as FRS and with the same basic feature set. Where GMRS differs, however, is in frequency range and potential power, the higher the power [in Watts), the longer the potential range. The FRS standard limits radios to 0.5 Watts. "With 0.5 Watts of power, your maximum range is about 3 miles[4.8 km] in optimum conditions," Keenan says, "with GMRS you can actually go up to 5 Watts."

The GMRS standard has yet to be approved for Canadian use, but is expected to be authorized in September. While the American Federal Communications Commission[FCC) has already approved the standard, famiTies are required by law to buy a licence to use it. Canadian regulations aren't expected to require a licence, Keenan says.

GMRS shares seven channels with FRS and adds 15 of its own for a total of 22 channels.

As an open frequency range, neither FRS nor GMRS are suitable for private conversation, despite the fact that many retailers [especially online retailers) sometimes refer to individual channel codes within the larger channel as scrambling or prNacy codes. Privacy codes don't block other ears from hearing your conversation so much as they eliminate the noise and potential confusion of a number of people talking in the same channel. If, for example, you' re communicating in channel 5 with code 14 activated, anyone listening to the same channel and code can hear your conversations. Similarly, anyone listening to channel 5 without any codes activated can hear all communications on that channel, regardless of whether codes are activated.

Following are some FRS/GMRS products we had a chance to test in the field.

The PR145 is the least expensive in Cobra's line at about $50 for a two-pack. As a budget radio, the PR145 sacrifices functionality in order to keep the price down. A tiny LCD shows which channel users are on and that's all. Without any form of light for the display and lacking significant range, the usability of the PR145 radios is limited. A PR145 "value pack" is now available on the Cobra Web site, which answers some of the functionality concerns with a desktop charger, illuminated display, privacy codes, key pad lock, belt clip, etc.

Small size and a budget-conscious price tag make the PR145 a tempting proposition for first-time FRS buyers. However, its limited range and overall lack of features mean it won't be long before users start thinking about an upgrade.

Modeb PR145 Standard: FRS/GMRS Price: $49 99 [2 pack) Range*: 5 km [3.1 miles)

Pres: -inexpensive -Simple operation -GMRScapability

Cons: -Nofeatures beyond talk -No privacy channel codes -Exaggerated range

Cobra Electronics

The PR245 is the next step up in Cobra's line and offers privacy codes [38 per channel), channel scanning, belt clip, key lock, rechargeable batteries and a range extender that, in effect, turns off auto squelch to allow weak transmissions to come through.

If purchased as a pair, the PR245 comes with a side-by-side desktop cradle charger.

Relative to other radios tested, the plastic casing of the PR245 feels too thin and the radio as a whole doesn't feel terribly robust, making it less suited to outdoor applications like camping and hiking and perhaps better suited to amusement parks and the like.

The PR245 is fairly well featured and as an added bonus, its options are fairly easy to understand without reading the manuaL

8

HU B: D i g i tal Living - J u l y 2 0 0 4

ModeL PR245 Standard: GMRS/FRS Price: $79,99 [2 pack with charger) Range*: 10 km [6.2 miles)

Pres: -Well featured -Well priced .. â&#x20AC;˘Rechargable batteries

Cons: -Casing feels fiimsy â&#x20AC;˘Exaggerated range

www.hubcanada.ccm

With a fairly rugged design, rechargeable batteries, a drop-in desktop cradle charger, quick release belt clip, and solid design, the T5400 was among the most functional of the radios tested despite the fact that it is FRS only, which limits the radio to 14 channels.

A top-mounted volume control knob is a practical addition, allowing the volume to be adjusted while the unit is still attached to the belt clip.

Unfortunately, the radio is lacking in range; the package states a maximum range of 3.2 km. That said, Motorola's range estimates seem to be more realistic than other radios tested, though our range tests were all in a city environment.

Model: TalkaboutT5400 Standani: FRS Price.. $89.99 [2 pack with charger] Range*.32 km [1.9 miles) Pros: -Sturdy -Top-mounted volume control •Currently available and legal to use in Canada

Cons:

Motorola Adding weather alerts, extra channels [owing the to GMRS standard), vibrating call alterts and a very rugged weatherproof design, the T6500 is the best of the radios tested, though the added functionality comes at a price.

A rubberized case and very sturdy design mean the radio can stand up to a lot of punishment; it not only stood up to the drop test, but the newly conceived toss test; something I wouldn't even consider trying on the other radios tested.

The T6500's range [as stated by Motorola] is 8 km in optimum conditions.

That said, it isn't the simplest to operate. Tuning in a channel, adjusting the volume, and choosing a privacy code are simple and won't require users read the manual, however, other functions aren't as easy to access and will require some studying on the user end.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the T6500 is its belt clip design. The radio is released by pushing a large button on the top of the clip. Removing it is easy enough, but trying to get the 1/4-inch diameter hole to line up with the catch requires a lot of fumbling.

-FRS standard limits available channels -Limited range

Model:TalkaboutT8500 Standard: FRS/GMRS Price: $119.99[2 pack with charger) Range: 8 km [5 miles) Pros: -Very robust -Cool design -Weather alerts

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Cons: -Expensive -Heavier than most tested •Extra functions hard to access

Audiovox The Audiovox GMRS9010 is not well suited to outdoor applications owing to its delicate casing, large and flimsy battery cover and the fact that it isn't weatherproofed. Its belt clip is by far the most practical of the lot as tested, using a metal rivet on the back of the radio to slide in to the top of the belt clip to lock in. Removing it is equally simple.

As a city radio, the GMRS9010 could be a good choice given the included ear bud microphone and hands-free voice activation functionality. However, the small and sometimes hard to find "talk" button (owing to the fact that a similar "monitor" button is situated directly below "talk"), and what seems like a delicate overall design, limit the radio's appeal, The strikes against the GMRS9010 are remedied by the fact that is is a Full-featured radio with a relatively low price, incorporating literal hands-free operation with voice activation, weather alerts, and the like.

By Andrew Moore-Crispin

Model: GMRS9010 Standard: FRS/GMRS Price: $99.99 [2 pack with charger) Range~: 16.1km [10 mlles)

Pros: 'Included microphone ear bud .Light weight •LED flash light +/'''

Cons: .Thin plastic casing -No weatherproofing -Exaggerated range

* From manufacturer specifications in optimum conditions.

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J uly 2004

- H U B : Digital Living

B

D f the M i n d

enealogies

Tech tools help g

present family stories in new ways Researching your roots is a perfect family project for the long summer stretching out ahead of you — especially if your vacation plans include spending time with relatives. And getting the kids involved can not only sharpen their research and interviewing skills, it can foster a genuine curiosity and interest in the stories of their own family.

The growth of the Internet has been largely responsible for the explosion in genealogy as a hobby, but it is not the only digital tool available to amateur researchers. There are now many software and services available to help you gather data as well as options for publishing the finished product.

Hunting nnd gathering Hewlett-Packard's Creative Projects Web site [www.hp.ca, click on Home and Home Office, then Creative Projects in the lower-right corner] includes a number of basic genealogy articles that can help you get started gathering data.

It suggests that you begin by collecting all of the basic information about close relatives — full names, dates and places of births, marriages, deaths, and other major family eventsthen work back to the previous generation, and so on. In addition to official records, also pay attention to things like book inscriptions, quilts, and even furniture.

You can use a digital camera to "record" the larger items and a scanner for the smaller, flat objects, from photographs, to pieces of lace or cloth, and jewelry — and, of course, family photographs and documents. [If you don't have a scanner at home, go to a business service company like Kinkos, where you pay an hourly fee to use a computer and scanner.] These keepsakesand memorabilia can be used to add colourand interest to your finished product.

When interviewing relatives for your project, use a digital voice recorder or, even better, a digital video camera if your subjects are willing. And don't limit your questions to dates and facts, taking advantage of the technology to get your older relatives to tell you stories about their childhood or personal memories of events that shaped history. You may not

have to even purchase a voice recorder. If you already have a PDA or MP3 player with a voice note feature, you can use it to record interviews in a digital audio format. If you have access to old voice recordings or film, considering transferring these to a digital format. In the case of audio[depending on its age], you can probably do it yourself(see "Salvation for your stax o' wax" also in this issue), but you' ll probably need to take film to a service bureau that specializes in film-to-video transfers.

Editing end publishing

Fer the recerd -;Tsllnwing are tbn otnne benin gnsstians tnnab, pobsn llwwl--'+ oping an arsbbre nf your fatally bisterg: Where and when did your ancestor live' ?

W hen and where was he or she bltrn orfnarrlad?

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The research and collection stage can be endless, so it's a good idea to set a goal for your project when you start — you can always add more information later.

Once [or better, as) you' ve collected your information and transferred it to your PC — by scanning, recording, or creating text or database files — make sure you back your data up.

Copy it to DVDs or CDs and keep a spare copy at a location other than your home, You might want to check out an online archive service like Mnemopolis.corn, which charges an annual fee based on the amount of data stored.

How you tame your mountain of information, however, will be www.hubcanada.corn

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Research resenrnes The Internet hes been a boon to genealogists to the point that the challenge in b'eeking your fwnily roots today is no. longer rrmatian, it'S Sorting thrOugh the Vent nulnber Of the lank af infa r ecords agd'dtttabeses.

gtfww.geneelegy.gc son A good online resource for Canadians is a site developed by the federal Heritage Ministry. The Canadian GenealogyCentre Web site provides links ta a wide variety af histaricai records and documents: census returns.from as farback as 1868; t military reoafda; immigration databases; western land'grants; andrecords.ofHome Children,Though you can'tactually search mariy of these records online, it tells you what recards are available end how to cansult them.

Recent updates to the site include a guide toresearching aboriginal ancestry end lists of Canadian naturalization certificates from 191a ta 1932, Roots Nleb'~

tnttfw.roetiweh.cent This Web site is home to extensive interactive guides and researchtools.Thaugh itwas developed bya U.S.-based company, MyFemily,corn. it includes sections with extensive internatioit'gi'rrasources.

The Wa rldConnectproject,for example, contain't'.more than 3OOmilli)oti ancestor names.

RaatsWeb isa collection of databases — official, as well as those deveiaped and submitted by other genealogy enthusiasts— thatcan be searched for free.RaatsWeb's success is based on'user participation and there is no shortage of that. MyFarnjiymm says that the RaotsWeb Surname List now contaihs;gore than emillion surnamesthat have been submitted 6y,more than 225,ODDonline genealogiets. In addition to databases, visitors can link Cogenealogy maiiing liats, message boards, end to Web sites of other amateur genealagists, who've posted their family crees online.

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based on how you plan to publish it.

Though much of the off-the-shelf genealogy software is not very helpful to Canadians for research purposes, these programs do include some great publishing templates and tools. Heritage Family Tree Deluxe [US$39.95, www.individualsoftware.corn), for example, includes a wide selection of tools for formatting information in print and online. Of particular interest is the WebCollaboration feature, which lets more than one family researcher work on a project over the Internet.

Other genealogy software options include: Family Trees Ouick 8 Easy, US$19.95, www.individualsoftware.corn; Legacy Family Tree, US$19.95(download), www.legacyfamilytree.corn/; and Roots Magic, US$29.95[free demo), Roots Magic.

There are also several tools that weren't developed specifically for genealogists, but which can help you present your information in new and interesting ways.

One of these is Easy Media Creator 7 from Roxio [www.roxio.corn). It is actually a suite of Roxio's photo, audio, and video software — Easy CO 8sDVDCreator, PhotoSuite 7 Platinum, and VideoWave 7 Professional — that allows you to access, edit, and combine files using a single interface. With it, you can create a slideshow of family photographs and combine it with an audio track using voice recordings as well as favourite music. Or, import the digital video clips of your interview with Great Aunt Helen talking about her first years as a school teacher, crop out the background, and overlay her "talking head" on a slideshow of pictures of her with her students. It's fairly simple to achieve a documentary-like result that truly adds life to your family history. The finished files can be optimized For emailing, viewing on the Web, or burned to CD or DVO. The software is $99 and can be downloaded from Roxio's Web site, If you like the idea of publishing your - O e in 9 . rd P ss txn, Est • research results in a more standard fashion — you may have plans to give copies to your sib~ ta t a n)9tatar lings and children, or to a number of relatives a s a Christmas gift, for example — there are also a number printing o ptions.

The most b asic would be using your own printer, or having spiral-bound copies produced at a business service center like Kinkos or Staples. For a more professional result, however, consider print-on-demand services. Popular among self-published authors, these services are increasingly being used by amateur genealogists, according to a representative of Instabook Canada [www.instabook.ca).

Self-publishers provide the company with an electronic file of their finished book and cover design (usually in PDF format), as well as their choice of variables — page size, type of binding. choice of stock for cover, and more. They then pnnt the requested number of copies and ship the copies to you. You can order reprints as required.

Instabook's basic self-publishing package is $249 for one proof and 10 copies of a book of up to 4OO pages. At about $22 per copy, it's fairly reasonable if you plan to distribute that number of books. CafePress(www.cafepress.corn) also offers print-ondemand books. There is no minimum number of books with this service, you pay a per page rate on top of a flat fee For each book you order — both rates vary depending on the type of binding selected. To set up your book, you have to create a CafePress account, which is actually an online store. From it, you or your relatives can order copies of your book and have them shipped directly to the desired recipi-

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J uly 2CX34 — HUB: Digital Living

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Inkjets and resources for creative projects As campcounselors discovered many moons ago,keeping young minds and hands active over the long summer break can be a challenge — hence the tie-dyed tshirts, dreamcatchers, and other assorted crafts that come home with returning campers. Not only will crafts keep kids busy, they are a great way to encourage their creativity. Over the years, crafters have taken advantage of the home computer, incorporating that technology into their creative projects, especiagy those that involve photography. The inkjet printer is now an important tool in the creative hobbyist's arsenal.

Recently, we looked at some inkjet printers from Epson(www.epson.corn) that are suitable for a range of projects. Ag of these are Mac and Windows compatible, and, in addition to drivers, come with third-pang software for both platforms.

Epson Sttjlus Photo R300 Suggested retail price: %299 With the explosion of digital photography, more home printers have built-in slots for digital camera media. The Stylus Photo R300 is the newest such printer from Epson, with slots for CompactFlash, MemoryStick, SmartMedia, SecureDigital/MMC, and xD memory cards — which means you can print without connecting to a computer.

The PC-free printing capability is further enhanced by the USB connector on the front of the printer, which allows you to connect directly to a digital camera or external drive[a USB key or Zip drive, for example). No special drivers are required: as long as the device functions as an external hard drive, the pdinter recognizes it.

The R300 is a six-colour printer, and — like all of the Epson printers reviewed hereit has individual tanks for each colour. A nice touch, as you don't have to replace a combo tank just because you' ve run out of one colour.

The LCOmenu system allows you to make an index print and select only the images you want to print [along with allowing you to select from an extensive list of finishing options for your paper type, size, page layout, and more); there's also a menu option to print only items previously selected on the camera, via DPOF. If you have a Pictgridge-enabled camera, you can control printing options from the camera instead of the printer. The other really nice feature with the R300 is a special CD tray: just plop a disc with a blank label into the carrier and stick it into the slot on the front of the printer, and you can print directly onto your CDs.

If you have an inkjet printer, chances are it came with software for creative projects: a basic image editor for tweaking photos before printing or templates for creating greeting cards and calendars, foi example. If you' veexhausted those. or are looking for additional piojects, there are similar resources available online for free, Just remember to stock up on ink and paper before you start. lip Creative projects page vlnm.hp.ca The best of these free resources is from Hewlett-Packard Canada. From the home page. select Home and Home Office. then click on the Creative Projects tink in the bottomright corner. The extensive list of projects and crafts includes party kits for specific events or holidays, photo frames,signage for lemonadestands and garage sales,and even templates for fabric projects like beanbag animals.

6licrosoft llama magazine wwwanicros alt.cor n/canngalhomel This Web site is home to how-tos and product reviews for. the home computer user. The how-to section includes articles with templates for various projects end crafts, such as makingshadow puppets using an inkjet and card stock or customizing e barbecue apron with image transfer paper.

Thoughsome projectssuggest using specific M icrosoftsoftware, like Picture lt. they are basic enough that a similar pregrem — in this case, another image ader — could easily be substituted.

Iallonal geographic wwweatienalgeegraphlc.comlhiisf From the NG Kids page. click on Activities and Experiments to kid-oiiented projects like colouring book pages. e bookmark factory Ipictured below), and more. The printable colouding pages feature different wild enirnais in their environments. This section has links to e-postcards and articles on the same animals in NG Kids Magazine.

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Epson Stylus Photo RX600 Suggested retail price: $499 With the addition of a Aat-bed scanner, the Photo RX600 expands the creative possibilities of an inkjet printer. Like the R30D, it has a widerange of features for PC-free printing: slots for digital camera media, USB connector, LCDfor previewing images and navigating print menus, and support for PictBridge-enabled cameras.

Some of the same features also allow for PC-free scanning of slides, photos, or documents, and for saving scanned images directly to memory cards or other backup devices(CD writers or portable hard drives, for example] connected to the RX600 via the USB link. The scanner offers 48-bit scanning (2,400x4,800 dpi] for plenty of detail. And if you' re scanning old photos that have faded, the included Easy Photo Fix software can help restore some of their original quality.

The printer portion of this all-in-one(it also functions as a colour photo copier) uses six ink colours, adding light cyan and light magenta to the standard cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks(the same combination as the R300).

The RX600 is not only big in the options its offers to creative types, it' s just plain big, However, if you don't already own a scanner, this all-inone is definitely worth carving out a little extra space on your desktop.

Continued

from page 12

Epson Stylus Photo 2200 Suggested retail price: $999 If you want to make standard-sized prints at home, most inkjet printers will do the job fairly well, but when you move into larger-sized prints you may want to look at a higher-end printer. The Stylus Photo 2200 is designed to handle prints of up to 13x44 inches using the included paper roll attachment, and 11x12 and 13x19-inch sheets using its standard paper support. It can also output borderless prints in a variety of sizes, from 4x6 up to 13 x 19-inch, so you don't have to get the cutters out. The seven-colour printer (it adds light black, as well as interchangeable photo and matte blacks] uses Epson's UltraChrome archival inks, so resulting prints should hold up well to ambient light — up to 108 years, according to Epson. This model is bound to be very appealing to photographers and anyone who loves the possibilities of printing on a larger canvas.

By Sean Carruthers and Megan Johnston

T hre e a c r o s s , f i v e d o w n To a student on summer vacation, the words education and fun may not be synonymous,butdeveloperSchoolhouseTechnologies has done a good job of trying to make them so with its line of worksheet software.

Though the programs were designed as tools for teachers, they are available to the general public and do not require special systems or databases — just a PCrunning Windows (98 or later or NT4 or later] and an inkjet or laser printer.

We looked at Crossword Factory 3, which, as the name suggests, allows you to generate crossword puzzles. The software was easy to install and quickly start generating customized puzzles.

Creating a crossword starts with selecting a word list. The software comes with several word lists with clues[and you can download more at the company Web site) or you can add your own listsnames of local Aora and fauna if you' re spending the summer at the cottage, names of destinations on your summer road trip, characters and places in a favourite book, for example. Youcan add your own clues or use the definitions included in the Crossword Factory's

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J uly 200 4

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— H U B : Digital Living

1S

C 3f the M i n d

Digital Ph o t o g r aphy Tut a r ia l S Mlorking with an image editor 2: Colour by the numbers The images created by most digital camerasuse RGB colourmode,which is an additive colour model. This means various combinations of red, green, and blue light combine to form all of the colours that a digital camera is capable of recording. These are defined in 256 possible values for each colour — at least in 8-bit mode. If a pixel has a value of 0 for red, green, and blue, it will be black. Likewise, if the values are all at 255, it will be pure white. In fact, identical values for red, green, and blue, whatever they may be, create neutral grey. The bigger those identical numbers, the lighter the grey. Middle grey is R128 G128 8128.

Hues are created in an RGB image when the red, green, and blue values of a pixel are not the same. If you have image editing software installed on your PC, you can see this for yourself by openingan im age and passing the cursor or eyedropper tool over it. There should be a readout somewhere (in Photoshop it's in Info, while Paint Shop Pro's eyedropper has a small pop-up that gives these values). Here are a few of the many relationships you can easily observe. Dark areas have small values while light areas have big values.

Big differences in the red, green, and blue values mean more colour, while small differences in the RGBvalues will indicate less. Equal values for two and the absence of the third gives pure colours= for example, R255 G255 80 is yellow.

In the accompanying photo of the bird of paradise, the darker parts of the orange petals read R255 G140 80 while the lighter parts are R255 6198 80. The darkest greens on the bract read R90 G120 870.

Two areas that interested me most were the whitish tip on the blue tongue (R255 G251 8235) and the dark background, the lightest part of which read R70 G64868.Knowing these values,I could immediately do two things to improve this photo. Since the dark background and the white tip of the blue tongue contain no image detail worth preserving, why not set them to black (RO GO BO) and white [R255 G255 8255)? Not surprisingly, this is known as setting the black and white points, 14

and doing this allows the remaining values to expand and redistribute themselves.

Using the values above for setting the black and white points was for example only. In most cases at values of around 70, you can still see dark detail that you might want to keep, and setting the black point with such a relatively high value would render all those subtle details to black.

In this particular photo, however, I wanted the background to be pure black. I was in a botanical garden and placed the nearest thing at hand, my black fleece vest, behind the flower as a backdrop to accomplish that. But my exposure was offso some of the areas of the vest came out dark grey. Picking the lightest of the greys as the black point rendered the entire background black, which is exactly what I wanted. There's so little highlight in this image that setting the white point did not make much of a difference. After the adjustment, the colours became more vibrant and seemed to pop out, while the overall image had more contrast. And comparing prints made from the two images, the corrected one has a crisp three-dimensional character to it that the uncorrected one lacks.

I made the above correction in Photoshop using the Levels tool, but most image editors have a similar tool that will allow you to accomplish the same thing. Along with setting the black and white points of your image, the Levels tool lets you set the mid-point. If you were to count the number of pixels in your image that had each of the 256 values and plotted them on a graph you'Sd have a histogram of your image.

This is what you see when you open the Levels tool, along with a white, grey, and black sliders at the bottom of the graph. Moving the grey slider to the right tells the image editor that the values under the grey slider — for instance, 200should become 128, which has the effect of darkening the whole image. Similarly, moving the grey pointer to the left tells the image editor that the darker values under the grey slider should be 128, which lightens the image.

By David Tanaka

HU El: D i g ital Living — July BOO I

Before

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O f th e M i n d

L ong-ter m m e m o r y If you' re about to get a new digital camera, here's a not-so-well-kept secret: the memory cards that come with new digital cameras — if a card is included at all, that is — are generally low-capacity and are only designed to get you started. IF you' re shooting at the highest resolution your camera allows, you may only be able to take a handful of shots before you have to run back to your computer to unload them. Whether or not your new camera comes with a card, you should seriously consider setting aside a few extra dollars for a higher-capacity card, if only for the convenience.

When purchasing a new memory card, it's important to remember that not all memory cards are equal, speed-wise. Older cards are often slower, whether you' re getting CompactFlash, SecureDigital, Memory Stick, or another type, If you' re planning to buy a high-resolution digital camera, you' ll want to make sure you have a card that can save data quickly enough to avoid long wait times between capturing images. Some manufacturers will list the speed rating as a multiple[4X, 12X, etc.], while others will have brand names that indicate improved performance [for example, Ultra, Extreme, Pro, or Elite).

When in doubt, talk with one of the staff at your local digital camera centre to get the low-down, Here are the main types of memory currently available: CampactFlash The elder statesman of the memory technologies still in widespread use, CompactFlash(CF) is physically the largest of the formats, but also offers the highest-capacity cards, at 4 GB and counting. CF tends to be a bit more rugged than the alternatives.

And, though it's disappearing in many entry-level cameras in favour of SecureDigital, CF is still popular in cameras skewed to the pros. The IBM/Hitachi microdrive is a mechanical drive that offers up to 4 GB of storage space in a Type II CF format, which is slightly thicker than standard Type I CF.

Memory Stick Favoured by Sony and compatible mostly with Sony and Samsung products, the Memory Stick [MS] is roughly the size and shape of a stick of gum, but it has far more storage capacity: up to 1 GB using the MS Pro models. For smaller devices, there's the compact Memory Stick Duo [in sizes up to 128 MB), which comes with sleeve adapters for use in full-size Memory Stick slots.

SecureDigital The bright new light in the world of digital camera media, Securegigital[SD and its older unencrypted sibling, MMC] offers a smaller Form factor with a lock tab, allowing you to have smaller devices and writewww.hubcanada.corn

protected cards. Cards currently top out at 512 MB, but 1 GB and higher capaoty cards are on the roadmap far the near future. xD Used by FujiFilm and Olympus, xD is the smallest of the digital camera memory types — barely larger than a thumbnail — but it can hold up to 512 MB of data. The big downside is that it's so small it can be hard to manipulate with your fingers if you have larger hands, and it is easier to misplace than other types of memory.

By Sean Carruthers

Selected links far more memory Info: www sandisk corn www.kingston.corn www.lexar.coin www.atpinc.corn www.sonystyle.ca www.olympus.corn www.fujifilm.ca

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When speedcounts!

Flash memory isn't all the same: Not only da you have different capacities and different perfarmance levels, there are also twa different types of technologies inside those litzle plastic shells.

Much of the flash memory available right now uses multi-level cell technology. which manages space efficiently but isn't quite as fast as single-level cell technology.

We gat our hands an a few samples of single-ceil SecureDigital memory from ATPElectronics Inc, (www.atpinc.camI, and ran a few speed tests using a USBcard reader. We took 5D.5 MB of date — 39 picture files at roughly 1.3 MB each — which was copied ta various SD cards to compere speeds, As it turns out, the ATP card were noticeably fester than the high-performance cards from the competitian: the 256 MB ATPcard wrote the files in 8.5 seconds, while it took the standard SanDiskcard 32 seconds and the SanDisk Extreme card 11 seconds.Kingston's Hite Pra card wrote the files in 17.5 seconds, AII of these are pretty impressive numbers for removable media, but photographers wha want ta get data onto the card as quickly as passible will probably appreciate the alight edge of the single-cell cards, despite their smaller capacity.

J uly 200 4

- HI J E I: Oigical Living

1S

Salvation for your stax o' wax "I like that ol' time rock 'n' roll," wails Bob Seger. If turntable; and a hum filter removes the 60 Hz hum that's you too, but your truly great stuff languishes introduced by household electrical currents. on stacks of scratchy vinyl or worn-out cassettes, Restoring music from tape is somewhat simpler, think audio restoration. Bad noise has different char- mainly involving the hiss and hum filters. acteristics than good sound, and audio restoration All three programs include controls that attack software separates the two by filtering certain pat- these problems singly or in combination. One of the most useful tools for cleaning up albums that are terns or frequencies in certain ways.

To prepare this article, we studied noisy from wear but otherwise relatively free from three audio restoration products: damage is the continuous noise filter. The software I %iiiQ Sii • tgmm emg CleanPlus 4.0,Diamond Cut OCS, samples a portion that is "silent" — at the beginning QO~ and Dart XP Pro. of the album or between tracks, for example — then IP4P uses that noise print as a filter.

Clean was developed by Steinberg ,; 9 0 04F but is now sold by Pinnacle Both Dart XP Pro and Diamond Cut DCSallow you to ISO Systems. It comes with Steinberg take a noise print within the main workspace, then «h Q WaveLab Lite and a USB-powered preview and modify the filter interactively before • pre- a mpbfier that you might needapplying it. This feature is very useful because the if you are using a phono turntabl. noise print filter can be too aggressive and remove Both Dart XP Pro and Diamond Cut some of the good audio. Clean offers a set of preDCS are available for downloading sets, but also allows you to make qour own, i r . «tm& « t i wlD «««~ QoQ Q Ie! ' ' « 0 4 le from their respective developers. althoughyou need to use WaveLab Lit e and you Audio restoration is full of techni- can't modify it interactively.

Clean Plus From: Plaaacle Systems, www.pirmeclesye.cern Estimated price: SiiD' cal terms describing the character- The three packages also include other tools that istics of audio, so getting the most allow you to rebalance left and right stereo signals, of these programs requires some equalize frequencies, change the duration of a song understanding of these. Clean eas- without altering the pitch, and add reverberation or ily does the best job of shielding other special effects. Throwing in a bit of reverberaee e e e*~ a ~ ««sa ~ • ete4 ae , I t the novice from the jargon. It uses tion, for example, can enliven an otherwise dull an attractively skinned interface track. full of 30-sculpted buttons and To restore a typical collection of vinyl albums in sliders. DCSand Dart XPPro have a reasonable shape, any of these will do a good job. lot more controls and offer a lot Clean Plus's lower price, plus the inclusion of a pre~ • «« • w~ l e J a more power.OCS uses the same amp, make it a good value. For heavy-duty restoraW ee S V J l a « ~ style of interface panel for many of tion [my worst-case test discs were worn and noisy • ~« • ~ ~ ~ its filters and includes an exten- 78s from the 1940s), I found myself using DCSmore sive list of presets that can be than the rest. highly specific: "early shellac 78

By David Tanaka rpm," for example. Of the three, Dart XP Pro is the least friendly to 'Converted from US$79, US$199, and US$199, Dart XP Pro From: D I t n o vices, although anyone familiar respectively. www.dartpre.cern Estimated p rice. SEFF with audio technology terminology [e.g., highpass, notch, FFT) will be on familiar ground. le ~ s a e • • . . 4 ~'I ~ t • t t • e • e l % . t'a',lklXI II aii I et aa sIaa !am t a,ates > t t ie e icm!e Imw 1i I , I 4 IW

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The magic of restoration To clean up music from vinyl LPs, 4Ss, or more ancient 78s, restoration software uses a number of filters for specific kinds of problems: an impulse noise filter takes out

clicks, pops and snaps; a crackle filter [also called a median filter) removes that scratchy background noise; a hiss filter removes hiss; a rumble filter takes out low• le frequency noise introduced by the DiamondCut DC Five From:Enhanced Audio, mechanical operation of t he www.eahancedaudl e,cern Estimatedprice:$iig' 'IB

HU EI : Olgical Living — July BOO4

Analogue to digital There's more to digitizing analogue music than simply popping in a CD and ripping the tracks. For one thing it's a real-time process — ic takes an hour to record an hour. And, of course, you need the appropriate turntable or tape player..You can generally connect a tape pktyer's tape-out jacks directly to your computer sound card's line-in jack using the appropr iateteY-cable.W ith mostcomponent turntabl es,however,you'llneed to go through an intermediate device called a pre-amplifier to avoid distortion. vvvvvv.hubcanede.corn

Digital Living

Hur ning ieaue Rise ofrecordable CDs and DVDs makes for another recylcing dilemma There was a time when disks were the computer's ultimate renewable consumable. Whether you used 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch floppy disks [or if you' re grizzled enough, 8-inch floppies), the premise was the same: whenever you needed more room, you just deleted something to make space.

Makinguseofwhatyou had became an art.ManyApple IIand Commodore 64 users remember punching holes in their 5.25-inch floppies to take advantage of the unused flip side. And before AOL software was distributed on CD, I'm sure millions of computer users were thankful for their promo floppies — it was like getting free office supplies in the mail.

Then came the CD, and suddenly reusing discs went out of style. Since you can't reuse CD-ROM or CD-Rdiscs, the days of erasing your obsolete data to make room for a quick backup are pretty much gone.

This leaves us with not one problem, but two. Fewer of us are using floppy disks, but many of us have minor warehouses full of them from computing years past languishing in our closets. At the same time, we' re racking up CDs at a ridiculous pace. Consider the case of John Lieberman and Jim McKenna, of El Cerrito, Calif., who have been collecting unsolicited AOLCDs as part of a protest. In just 15 months, they'd amassed over 260,000enough, if stacked, to just about reach the top of the CN Tower. And that doesn't include the millions of CDs, ADL or otherwise, that get thrown out when they' re no longer useful.

Getting floppies out of the house is just a matter of finding someone else who wants them — which, surprisingly, isn't as hard as it sounds. Schools, non-profits, charities, and community centres still have plenty of uses for them, provided you' ve keptthem in good shape (giving someone a disk with a label you' ve written over several times is like donating an indelibly stained shirt to the Salvation Army).

By their nature, write-once CDs and DYDsare a bigger problem than floppies. You can't really give them away because they can't be reused, but most recycling facilities won't take them, despite the reusable plastic and metals the discs are made of — they' re simply too difficult to take apart compared to, say, a plastic milk jug.

I spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a Canadian company that would recycle CDs and DYDsfrom individuals, to no avail. In the U.S., however, there's GreenDisk [www.greendisk.corn, which also reclaim floppies), a Washington State — based company that serves individuals as well as corporations. The procedure is pretty simple: pack up your discs, download the recycling submission form online form, pay a nominal fee [*$0.20 per pound with a minimum charge of *$6.21), and mail them off.

When I spoketo GreenDisk founder, David Beschen, he explained that the CDs they reclaim are physically shredded then consolidated into a massive Gaylord container. These con. tainers are then transported, 40 at a time, to a plastics processor where the material is used as, among other things, a compounding agent for automotive and appliance parts.

Oh, yeah — remember that stack ei Cys i mentis ed cartier'?

Just one of these Gaylord containers holds more than four times as many. "We handled 60 million AOL discs alone in one year," Beschen said.

By Emru Townsend

Eternal sunshineof the spotlessdisc Before getting rid of your media, the usual rules apply: make sure they' re virus-free if you' re giving them away, a nd under n o circumstances should they contain any personal or sensitive information. Floppy disks are easy to deal with: there are many "data shredder" programs on the ma rket that will completely destroy your data, or you can get your hands on adegausser (otherwise known as a bulk eraser).In a pinch, you can even use a speaker magnet.

Of course. there is no software solution for CDs and DVDs. and they scoff at magnets. That leaves hardware, like Alera's CD/DVD Shredder (www.aleratec.corn). The little black box — only slightly larger and bulkier than a standard small-office paper shredder — doesn't actually rend CDs to itty bits; rather, it puts thousands of tiny impact craters on both sides of the disc you slide through it, rendering it unreadable. The whole process takes about two seconds. Peace of mind is fairly affordable too: you can get it through mail-order or the Web for as little as $53".

"Converted from US$39.

"Converted from US$0.15, US$5, and US$40, respectively. www.hubcen?ada?.corn

July 200 4

- H UB : D i gice?I Living

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A family affa ir Shared wireless plans help parents stay in touch with kids and keep a lid on costs is frequently updated with new ringtones and screen graphics for Bell Mobility, Rogers AT8cT Wireless, and Telus Mobility subscribers. As American Idol addicts will attest, text messaging for interactive television, or just as a way to keep in touch, is also becoming widespread.

Although statistics on the Canadian wireless industry tend not to be broken down by demographic, visible marketing towards younger users suggest that they are a significant force in the purchasing of wireless products.

"Youth are traditionally early adopters of new technology," says Mare Choma, director of communications for the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association(CWTA), adding that there are 13.5 million wireless subscribers in Canada, or 45 mind, teens and their parents are not the only percent of the population. For families whose own demographic using family plans. They are also pop- youth are among those early adopters, family plans ular between spouses, siblings, and parents with with all-in-one invoices provide a means of monitoryounger children. Some service providers allow the ing teenage enthusiasm for cellphones while still family to be defined over a wide geographical area ensuring that loved ones are only a phone call as well. In Telus' case, for example, family members away. can be anywhere in the province.

By Sue Bowness From shopping trips to field trips, the convenience of being able to call and say "remind me what we need from the produce aisle" and the security of being able to say "I got to soccer practice safely" are both compelling reasons for parents to jump on thefamil y plan bandwagon. Says Suzanne Mc Means, manager of communications at Rogers Wireless, "When more than one person in a household needs a phone, it is ideal.'

Where did the concept of family plans come from? You might say it grew with the industry itself, according to Telus Mobility spokesperson Julia Ciuinton. "The face of who uses cellular is ever evolving. There used to be a time when it was geared to the white collar professional. That's no longer the case. People from every social and economic and age demographic are using cellphones.

So we need to have plans that reflect that."

However, it's likely that the teenage potential for bad cellphone habits was also a factor in the growing popularity of these services. Parents want their kids to keep in touch but, as Ouinton puts it, they "don't want the kids to have carte blanche." A family's charges are listed on a single invoice, but they are broken down by cellphone so everyone can see who is hogging the minutes... or texting and downloading expensive ringtones.

While family plans appear to be marketed to parents, a great deal of cellphone accessory offers target teens directly. MuchMusic and CHUM Television Interactive's new online storef shopmobile.muchmusic.corn), which encourages visitors to "trick out your phone with the freshest sounds around," Thesedays,you don'thave to go farto see a teen chatting on his or her cellphone. Yet considering that a buyer generally needs to be 18 to sign a contract [and have a credit rating to boot), you might have wondered, where are all these phones coming from? For some teens, the answer lies in the new family cellphone packages that are becoming common offerings from the major cellular service providers.

Besides offering parents a way to appease nagging cellphone-less teens, the plans can provide a more economical and streamlined way for the whole family to keep in touch, with benefits like unlimited calling between family members and a single invoice.

Though they might be the first group to spring to

18

HU B : D i g i t al Livirg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; J u ly BQO4

he deal: While there are some differences between major companies, most famiy rate plans operate by allowing muliple family members (usually up tave) to share a bucket" ot minutes.

Packages can also include unlimited local calls between phones on the plans, a phone for each inember, separatephone numbers, and voicemail.

Herearesome otherthings to keep in mind when looking for a family plan: e Sometimes so-called "unlimited" call ing between phones has an actual cap, so make sure you ask.

Family packages typically include a number of free' phones, but this is often limited to two, with more

phones usually available at a discount. a Ask about other perks,including conference calling, call waiting, and free calls on birthdays.

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F i r a t-. G l a n c e With all of the buzz about LCDand DLPthis year, you may have forgotten about plasma, the technology that first made flat-screen TV fans weak in the knees. Well, Viewsonic(www.viewsonic.corn) hasn't forgotten, and has continued to add to its plasma lineup, the latest model of which is the VPW4255. The 42-inch display with 1,024x1,024 native resolution supports all data sources and video signals, according to Viewsonic, including HDTV,Enhanced Definition Television, and standard television. It also features multiple inputs, including composite, component, S-video, analogue RGB, and DVI/HDCP. Users can also simultaneously create, view, and customize picture-in-picture, split-screen, or full-screen windows for viewing data, video, and TV signals, Viewsonic says it has also incorporated improvements in brightness, sharpness, and contrast into the new model. The VPW4255 will be available in July for suggested retail pdce of $7,599.

One of the downsides of gadget acquisition can be the parallel acquisition of a different type of flash memory card for each device: xD Foryour camera, SO for your PDA, and

Memory Stick for your DV camera, for example. The real challengecomes when you want to transfer data from these devices to your PC.SanDisk (www.sandisk.corn) has streamlined that process with its 6-in-1 PC CardAdapter, which works SD,MMC,Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO,xDPicture Card, and SmartMedia.

The cards slide into a slot in the adapter, whtch then slides into the laptop computer's PC Card slot — no software required.[SanDisk makes an eight-in-one card reader for desktop PCs,) The adapter is expected to ship in July for an estimated retail price of $41s.

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The PDA/phones reviewed last month are a great solution for those who need to access email on the go, but with prices starting in the $600 range, they aren't an option for every budget.

Enter Dell's [www.dell.ca) Axim X30 line, the top configuration of which runs a 624 MHz Intel processor and comes with built-in 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The former allows users to connect to the Internet when they' re in range of a WiFi network and the latter when they link via a B luetooth-enabled cell phone, It . runsWindows Mobile 2003 SE andfeaturesa 2dox320-pixel, „ /~/~d/ // / / / / : 3.g-inchdispiao,slot forgo " dr . ll' e/ media cards, headphone e jack, voice recorder,

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TIIE WINNER: Congratulatiens to Al Popil of Albert, Alberta whnse picture 'Isahng the Drab' won the 'sports' challenge in ouf bi-monthly Photo Spree contest He used a CanonDigital Rebel I1/500th at f5.0, 200 ISD) to captule the image then croppedandadjusted levels in Adobe PhoteshapCS.Forhis efforts,Alw ins a Leamarh55250 AR-In-Oae photo«quaHtyprinter,scanner and colour copier.

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Submit your photographs, along with tbe iaformatioo from the form below,by August 13th,2004.Vau can submit up to three photographs, ag of which mustbeaeeompanied hys submission form.Entries mustbe submitted viv email. Files should he no bigger than 000 Ks and no smauarthat300 Kn.enephotoperemail.

ContestSules: Prites must he claimed by September 11th 2004.

Winners mustprovide valid identiTicstian uponclaiming prite. The prizes

awardedarenottransferableamlcsnontheredeemed forcash.Tsenter and to beeligible to win, personsmustberesidents ef Canada,andaat employeesnr be domiciledwith anemployeeof piccolo publishing, its afliriate companies,oradvertisingor promoninnal agencies. Thewinners will be selected by000 on August 13th, 2004 fromamongag eligible entries received on or before contest close dote. Winnerswill he cnntacted bytelephone or email. In theevent that they cannothecantoeted within the lirst week fogomingthe contest annther entrant will he selected. All entriss became the property of egs and mayhe usedin subsequent advertisementofor the contest. AA entries must be submit-

ted by their artist aadmustbeoriginal merit

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HIJ B: D i gital Living — July BQDeI

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Digital Living

H UB G a m e s Lost in Translation?

Games and the movies

A Iong time ago in a galaxy not too far away, studios realized that movie merchandise is a good way to squeeze every last possible dollar froin a popular film.

It wasn't long before videogames became as common as the requisite t-shirts, action figures, lunch boxes and fast food promotions for big name movies. As a general rule, games based on popular movie licences have relied too much on said licence, low-balling garners wi th an inferior product and expecting them to buy in anyway.

While good movies and bad games are no longer inutually inclusive, garners should still approach with caution.

Publisher: Vivendi Universal Games Developer: Saffire Studios Price. $59.99 ESRB: Teen Platforms: Xbox, PS2 Van Helsing puts garners in con trol of the movie's namesake as they take him a s "I through his quest to vanquish Count Dracula and unlock the secrets of his past.

High production values, some neat side missions and a few interesting puzzle elements suggest that Saffire Studios was aiming to make the game more than the sum of its licence.

The missions on the whole are pretty linear and comprise melee combat with all manner of other worldly creatures like gargoyles and the usual walking skeletons along with some simple puzzle elements.

A functional fighting system, melee and ranged weapons, upgradable abilities and the fact that certain creatures are immune to certain distance attacks serve to push Van Helsing just over the cusp from mindless button masher to hectic combat game. Boss battles (against the likes of Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein) add some interest to the combat.

Publisher. Vivendi Universal Games Developer: Starbreeze Studios Price: $59.99 ESRB. Mature Platforms: Xbox Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is a rarity in Chronicles of Rlddlck: videogames based on a movie licence; rather than rehash the events Escape from Butcher Bay of the film, Escape from Butcher Bay is a prequel to Chronicles of Riddick the movie and a really good game to boot.

Part well-tuned shooter, part first. person action adventure game, Butcher Bay's main character Riddick is voiced by the star of the film, Vin Diesel, to generally good result.

Garners start the game [following some lengthy cut-scene intros) after being transported to the maximum security Butcher Bay prison, set in a gritty dystopian future.

In a neat twist to standard FPSgameplay, players can't just take out a guard then pick up his gun and start laying waste. Guns are coded such that only those in the prison database of guards can wield them. It's a little frustrating at times but keeps Butcher Bay from being just another in the long line of gory bullet sprayers and reinforces the fact that garners have to use stealth in some places as opposed to brute force and bullets.

Butcher Bay takes garnersthrough gdtty environments and drops them into some interesting scenarios. For example, part way through the game, players are dumped into general population of a prison curn mining camp. With all belongings confiscated, players have to climb through the criminal ranks, performing hits, running errands, picking fights, and bartering for goods(like the ever popular prison shiv) in order to progress.

Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer Electronic Arts UK Price: $59.99 ESRB: Everyone Platforms: Xbox,PS2,GameCube, PC J.K. Rowling has captivated children and adults alike the world a<ry o ar a" tha r'sonar over with her fantastical stories of a young and gifted wizard named Harry Potter. Unfortunately, readers and moviegoers stand to be disappointed with Harry et al's most recent gaming outing.

Prisoner of Azkaban, in attempting to translate some of the events from the movies, comes up short; rather than take some creative licence, the game sticks players into a well produced but somewhat lame rehash of the events of the film.

Garners complete standard item gathering, objective finding, and simple puzzle solving missions in their travels through Harry's world. There is some interest to be found in the form of magic duels and riding magical creatures, but unfortunately, not enough.

By Andrew Moore-Crispin

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J uly 200 4

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; H L I B : Oigital Living

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Digit.al Living

without the console Yeah,yeah,yourPlayStations,Xboxes, and Game Cubes are fun and all, but there's still something about the old-school arcade games that never really grows old. In the early days of arcade-style videogames, the concepts were pretty simple, usually no more than move and shoot. The graphics were nothing to write home about either, featuring somewhat blocky blobs of colour moving around the screen. But the games were still a lot of fun, probably because of the simplicity rather than despite it. After all, the first home gaming consoles were sometimes even cruder, but were fun too.

Despite the proliferation of high-end consoles featuring complex and well-rendered games that draw players into the 3D action, Jakks Pacific[www jakkstvgames.corn] believes there's still room for the classics. Rather than designing the old games for play on a new gamingconsole,JakksPacifichas packagedthem in a classiclooking joystick that's powered by four AA batteries and plugs directly into your TV. Noconsole required â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just plug and play!

The Atari joystick is almost identical to the squared-off joysticks that came with the original console. Once you plug it into your television [using the composite video and mono audio jacks that come right out of the back of the joystick], you can select one of 10 classic games, including Adventure, Asteroids, Breakout, Centipede, Circus Atari, Gravitar, Missile Command, Pong, Real Sports Volleyball, and Yars Revenge.

Eachgame uses exactly the same data as the original, so you swear that To p: Activision Middle: Namco I

Bottom: Spongebob you' re actually playing on an Atari 2600 console. It has an estimated retail price of $26'.

While the Atari 2600 was a thing of joy for many garners, a contingent of players swore that Activision games for the 2600 were the superior choice. The Activision controller also has a classic design: the rounded joystick with the fire button on top. Inside are Atlantis, Boxing, Crackpot, Freeway, Grand Prix, Ice Hockey, Pitfall, River Raid, Spider Fighter, and Tennis. This one will cost about $33'.

My favourite, for a few reasons, is the Namco joystick. It has a classic arcade-style joystick with the metal rod topped by the colourful plastic ball, and though it only comes with five games, the are all killers: Bosconian, Dig Dug, Galaxian, PacMan, and Rally X. Each game comes straight from the arcade ROMs, which means you are truly playing PacManon your television, rather than one of the many cheap imitations that have appeared on various consoles over the years. Again, the Namco joystick will cost about $33*, Ail of these controllers [as well as a special SpongeBob SquarePants game for the kids] are available now. Keep your eyes open mid-summer for a new group: Spiderman [five games), Arcade Pinball[three games], and Ms. PacMan [with four additional Namco games]. Also shipping around the same time will be the Atari Paddle, which will feature 10 games that work best with a paddle-style controller.

By Sean Carruthers 'Converted from US$20 [Atari), US$25 [Activision, Namco) 22

H LIE I : Digital Living â&#x20AC;&#x201D; July 20 0 4

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