2007 02 HUB

fi c o P%~ 2 I O>

•

•

I I

I

Yolume 20,:Nuruber 02

s

4

t est details

I

•

I

e

I

I

I

I

Cool gadgets, tiny PCs, outrageous TVs, pet robots and more!

Plus.•• Watching HDTV The ultimate music hone The 3rd Variable

What happened

w w w . h u b c a n a d a . c o m

r

I

I

At your aide

Today: submit the annual business report.

Tomorrow: a whole day of rock climbing.

For your professional accomplishments, you can always depend on the reliability of Brother imaging products to respond to your needs and those of your organization. Brother creates a line-up of printers, fax machines and multi-function centres that provide you with peace-of-mind, and extra time...for your personal pursuits.

Our extended range of monochrome and colour imaging products, for personal and network use, can give you the speed and versatility

you need.

Our low acquisition, energy consumption and consumable costs, coupled with a nationwide network of authorized customer-care centres and machine lifetime, toll-free technical support will not only improve your lines of communication, but also your bottom line, So whether your professional life takes you around the globe or around the corner, you can always count on Brother imaging and communication products to give you the best out of every day and every dollar.

For more information, call 1-877-BROTHER or visit us at brother.ca Brother and its logo are trademarks of Brother Industnes Ltd., Japan. Q 2006 Brother International Corporation (Canada) Ltd. All specifications are subtect to change rririlhoul prior notice.

ower,. n eas e Vi

Vr iVC

a

o.

E

0 o a V>

a

rv o

cx Vi

ID

vr C0

]

C

or vr

o

~

a

em

cIV

jo

* 2007 EPS12V SSI PSU built for heavy-cluty server/ workstation. * World's first 5 dedicated 12V rails for perfect power clistribution. ttl Triple Quad support (Core & CPU & GPUI. + 24 drive support by Native + IVtodular cable design. * 80-85% efficiency from 20% to 100% load.

V * 24/7 full power and tight regulation @ 50 C. * Protected by PowerGuard.

1OOOCW

85OW

Avt/torized Dealers: A Povver

A-Tec1h

A nit e c

r E 604 273 8868 780-424 3838 6 0 4 -435-2038

Bcom Co nt pu t er

Caner Ia Co m p ut e r

7 8 0 - 471-8855 9 0 5 -946-96

Co m p ul e rs & Per ip he r a l s 4

Co m p iil er Aveiiu venue e

'Computer Bou le v a rd

Grey-Tech

I ogic Meniory i lI ol I yleed ia J N et r o n ic s Co ni p u t e r l l o u s e M ec J1aP C Ex j r es s C ompu t e r ICCT.CA In ia )428 905-415c 0 909 5 1 4 - 3 4 1-411cJ 403-398-4533 9 05-470-1425 9 0 5 - 5 13-9935 4 1 8 - 7 2 5-3464 9 0 '-948j-

b te Net l in k y 902-453-2983 604 288 8

D rd ice nl r e

DTA Co mg u t e r s

PC Cyber

COI11 o i p uule r

PC

Toml<en

Fan s PC

MPT

Co m pu t er s

4 1 6 29 2 Orj33

S lb Iani pton t on ec Te c h iin o l o clies Village Sou '

Toptech C o m p u t e r [ B .C.) . Ltd. d. .

ASUS Recommend s Microsoft W i n d o w s® XP PI

•

I

•

•

Cori 2 Duo lASlde

„I

j V

W

W

(w

III

'll

'

I

I

•

)

I

I

•

I

I

V

' I .I I

I

I ' I ' •

•

•

•

I •

I •

•

'

:

I •

•

•

I• I I • •

•

• •

•

I •

•

, : I

•

•

•

•

• •

I

•

I

" •

•

•

I

I

•

•

I • •

E ditor i a l Inadvertently eco-friendly CES is nothing if not a gadgeteer's paradise. The very name of the show proudly proclaims that it' s an edifice to consumption, much like the host city itself. But apart from adding variations to the sparkling products we see at the mall, is there some level of social good that comes from all this? You know, concepts like green products, responsible consumption etc.

In Vegas, where consumption is celebrated 24/7, you' d expect these ideas to be as alien as a natural blonde, but in fact head out across the desert to the Hoover Oam and you' ll see why some locals are paying attention.

One of the Canadian journalists I hung out with at the show visited it and noted how Iow the water levels are.

With digital products, the direct problem isn't water consumption, butpower consumption.

This factor goes directly to the corporate bottom line because a cell phone or MP3 player or notebook computer that works for 20 hours on a charge is going to have more sales appeal than one that lasts only three hours, other things being equal. What comes out of this are products that are more energy efficient. It may be an inadvertent consequence because manufacturers aren't necessarily thinking green, they just want to sell more products; and consumers may not be thinking green either, they just want better experiences.

This inadvertent greening has happened in a number of digital product sectors. Take displays, which are common to a wide range of consumer products — computer monitors, TV sets, cell phone displays and portable media player screens. Replacing your old cathode ray tube PC monitor or TV set with a LCO-based one could cut energy consumption by about half — while giving better picture quality. And many of the smaller handheld devices

Dansant:a

wouldn't be nearly as usable were it not for OLEO displays, which are even more energy efficient.

I was at a computer bdefing last fall, and during lunch one of the product engineers quipped that had Intel proceeded in a linear fashion with its processor development —i,e., ever more transistors and faster clock cycles — the chip would eventually be as hot as the surface of the sun. Joking aside, Intel's Core and Core2 multicore chips address that by throttling back on the cycles, so the chips run much cooler, while still delivering performance. That means the associated support systems like fans, power supplies etc. can be smaller too. So now it's possible to have tidy, fanless yet powerful computers without having to pay a premium for a notebook design or pay an extra tithe to the utility company.

As PCs become integrated into a home entertainment environment, such characteristics like quiet operation and appliance-like instant on and off will become as critical as raw performance. And the road there often means greater measures of energy efficiency.

In 200S, the US department of energy commissioned a study to look at ways to improve energy efficiency in ofgces, and the study author(a firm called TIAX ) came up with a list of 60 emerging office equipment technologies that could reduce power consumption in oFfices by as much as 70 percent. Among these technologies are advanced display technologies like OLEO and more effective sleep modes for PCs. Whether it's through a direct motivation or not, digital is potentially greening, At an ideological level, some would argue that it's consumption per se that's the root of the problem. But I would argue that choosing how we consume - whether it's energy-saving light bulbs or low power processors - is better than doing nothing at all.

Managing Editor

Jennifer Kavur iennifsreppubiishing.ca

Conrdburing Editors

Sean Carruthers Gofd Goble Mike Palermo

Leejbckwood Mace Saltzman

Chad Sapieha Gene Wilburn

Advertising Sales Sales Manager

RalphVenrngha

iaiphuppubiishing.ca

Rational Account Execurive Mafia Favor mariaappubiishing.ca

Ad Sales

ONTARIOlTORONTO

Karim Rizk ksnmsppubbshing.ca

MONTREAL

Brian Hiilcoar brisnup publishing ca

WESTERNCANAOA

Vivian Jin vivianSppublishing.ca

Business Group Prasldenr/Publisher

Sca r c Piccolo sconuppubbshing.ca

An Oirecror

Steven Sronef stoves S p publishing cs Production Manager Chr i stie Swail chiisueappubiishing.ca

Production Asolaranr L i z Van Oer Wee iizSppubiishing.ca

Olstrl butlonManager M a rk Backer maikappublishing.ca

OfflCe AdmlnlerratOF Malenie Rajaram msienieappubiishing.ca

IT Manager

Steve Ouinney sreveqappublishing.ca

Editor in-Chief

CanadianPublicationMail, Sales producrAgreement S41037518. printed in Canada.

ISBN 1710-0143 HUBiOigiiai Livmg (B.C.od.)

15SN 1710-0151 HUB:Digital Living [CacganJ ed.I ISSN 1710.016ZHUB:Digital Living IEdmonton ed.)

ISSN 1710 0178 HUB: iiiytai Living[Eastern ed.)

155N 1710 01S6 HUBiDigital Living [Monrioai ed.]

ISSN 1710-0194HUB.Digusi Living (Praine ed. I 155N 1710-0208 HUBiDigital Living ISW Ont.ed.]

ISSN 1710-0216HUB:Digital Living (Tofonro ed.]

i =ebruar y R G B

High Oefinltion Formats Converge...,.

Mackin' at Macworld.....,

Ultimate Home Theatre.....

The ultiinate phone for music lovers.....

Oomo Arigato, Mr. Roboto....

Products Galore at CES„...

Oefining Oefinition..

HUBi Oigirai Living is published monchiy by Piccolo Publishing Inc. Alt rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the pormissiou of the publisher is stiicriy prohibited. Information

presented here is compiled from sources believed ro be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no res ponsibility for errors oi omissions. The publisher reserves the right co re(use ads. The opinions expressed in the anicios and columns and ads are those of the writer/advefriser and not necessariiy those of HUB. Digiiai Living.

....3B

...and more

•

a .c cz m

David Tanaka tsnahs.dsvidagmaii.corn

775-8The Oueoosvvay,Toronto,ON,MSZ 1N1 Toi: 416-348 9666 Toll-free:866-757-D179 Fax: 416-348.9553

A third degree of freedom......

vuvuw.hul

Editor-in.Chief

Piccolo Publishing Inc (HeadBrace)

The big and small oF personal computing,.......,....22

..20

Editorial

Enjoy the issue, David Tanaka

In selected regions and online:

The TVs of CES...

Lnfltgig

i

February 2 0 0 7

•

•

— H U EI: Digital Living - ELC. Lower Mainland cnectzcin

BC I

•

•

•

c 1

+ •

i

LI

SLACQ,

I ••

I

i•

I

i

•s ' • •

•

Foxconn665G7MF-S Motherboard

•

I

•

•

.

•

•

.

•

.

'

s• .

I

s .

•

•

' •

•

•

• •

.

•

a ' •

'I•~

I•

Fexconn 945P7AA-BKS2 MB. (i945P„S-ATA,RAID, DDR2, PCI-E 256MB PC3200 DDR RAM 512MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM 512MB Pc4200 DDR2 RAM 8QGB S-ATA BM Cache Hard drive 16468 8-ATA 6M cache hard drive 25068 S-ATA2 Hard Drive All-in-1 Memory Card Reader All-in-1 Memory Card Reader All-in-1 Memory Card Reader Intel Extreme Graphic2 Video 0/8 ATI X300 PCI-E video upto128M Ol GF73006S PCI-E 256M/TVwut/DV Open AGP 8x Video card Slot Open PCI-E X16 video card Slot Sony AWQ170A 16xDVDaRW D.L. Sony AWQ170A 16xDVDLRW D.L. Sony AWQ1 7QA16xDVDRRW D,L. 8-Channel 7.1 Sound Card 0/8 5.1 Channel 3D Sound Card 0/8 6-Channel 5.1 Sound Card 0/8 BenQ PQ1Q PS/2Keyboard BenQ PQ10 PS/2 Keyboard BenQ PQ10 PS/2 Keyboard Logitech Optical Wheel mouse Logitech Gptical Wheel mouse Logitech Optical Wheel mouse 17" P4-ATX US82.0-Front Case 17" P4-ATX US82.Q-Front Case 17" P4-ATX US82.0-Front Case 10/1 00/100QMb Ethernet 0/8 10/1 QQMb Ethernet 0/8 10/100/100QMbEthernet 0/8 06-1 015 Speakers wl Subwoofe Speakers w/Headphone Jack Speakers w/Headphone Jack 19" LG L194WTX Wide Screen LC 17"LG 1718S LCD Panel Bms 700:1 17 LG 1716S LCD Panel 8ms 700:1 (5ms, 2000:1, Dual Analo IDi ital S Q L E RI A 2 2 5 P S CILERIA- 4 2 5 P S OLERIA-6 2 5 P Asus P5RD2-VM Motherboard

(S-778.

I888G, 800MHz FSB, S-ATA,RAID)

(S778,800MHz FSS,S.ATA,RAID, PCI-E,DDR2)

•

-

Super

ONce Depot •

• • • s •

• i i • • •il •

i i i l

•

.

•

'

Asus P5LD2 Motherboard

(Intel i945,8-ATA,RAID,OOR2,PCI-E)

QCZ 16 PC5400 DDR2 duslwhanne 32QGB 16MB S-ATA2 Hard Drive All-in-1 Memory Card Reader GF760QGT PCI-E 256m/TV-out/DV Sony AWQ170A 16xOVOaRW D.L. 6-Channel 7.1 Sound Card 0/8 Logitech premium desktop keyboard Logitech Wireless Optical Mouse 17" P4-ATX US82.Q-Front Case 10/1 00/1000Mb Ethernet Q/8 Edifier M150Q Spc 5,1 Speaker 19" LG L1 94WTX Wide Screen LC (5ms, 2000:1, Dual Analog/Digital) S OLERIA - S 2 5 P

Asus F3F Core OUO-t666/1.06/1006/15A"WXGA/OVO-RW/802,1tsbg/CsmsrslXP-H/2 yr warranty..$1029 Acsr TM2480-2598 Csleron-M1.46GI512M/40G/14.1 "WXGA/SSK/LAN/602.11g/OVO-CORW/XP-Pro........749 ...$10 • Acsr A89301AWSMi AMD Turion 2.0G/512MI'l206/1PWXGA/SSK/(JAN/602Atg/OVO-RW/XP-MCE.........799 ECS NFQRCE 570 SLIT% Mainboard.. .28 Acsr A855704765 Core Duo-1.6G,1006,16,14.1' WXGA,OYO-RW,SSk,tAN,SO2.118/b/g, XP-MCE,.......699 ECS PN2<LI2+ nForce880ISLI M.B......

Acer AB 561 041 97 Core Ouo 1.6G1.OG15.4",12OGOVO-RW,SSk,LAN„SO2.11 a/b/9,5-ln1,XP-MCE.„...,...969 QCZ PC5400 16 DDR2 dualwhannel kit.11 ~ Fu)ssu A6010A Core Ouo-1.66/LOG/1206/15.4"WXGA/OVO-CDRWSSK/LAN/602.119/XP-MCE.......,....A249 HP LaserJet 1080 laser Printer 'l200dpl..98.

EG F1-2255A9 Core 2 Ouo-1.66/512M/SOG/15.4WXGA/OVO4:ORWSSK/LAN/602.11sbg/XP-Pro..........1149 Sony AWQ170A 18XDVDaRW Software...38.9 LG P1-J004A9 Core 2 Ouo 1.636/1006/1.06/15.4'WXGA/OVO-RW/56k/lAN/802.1tsbg/1394/XP-Ps0..1629 - Toshibs PBAB1C-GMSOXECore Ouo-1.666/512M/1ODG/OVORW/15.4'TFT/56K/LANI WLAN/XP-Pro....1169 Logltech65 lasergaming mouse 2000dpi..44.9 • PC2700/3200 OOR 512M/1.06................$7S/139 Blustcoth sdsptor/UBB IROA Bildgs.

25/19 ATI Radeon X1300 PCI-E/258M/DVI/TV~ut74.9 PC4200 OOR2 200pin 512MI'I.OG.............75/135 E xternalUBB 1A4 Floppy Drive....................................29 kingston 26 SD card 8 card reader kit..39.99 144Pin SORAM 128/256/512M..„.........36/55/109 2.5" Hard Orive 40/SO/1206......................64.9/64.9/119.9 (works w/SD,MMC,MMCplua,mlniSD,RS-MMC) Encore wirslsss LAN 54Mb UBB/PCMCIA. 35/35 2 5"8-ATA Hard Drive SOG..........................,.... ...........89 Hltachl 184G IDE 8M cache hard drive....84.9 LG 17".L1718S LCD Panel 8ma 700.'1...184.9 Microsoit Works Suite 2006.........................$68.9 18" Oass U882.0 front 35Dw/450w Dual Fsn....,...$29/46 LG 20.1" L204WTX Wide Screen LCD...314.9 Windows XP Home/Pro/64 Bit...........105/149/168 14 (1688x1058dpi,Oust Analog & Digital, Sms, 2000:1) • WindowsXP Media centrs2005/controller..135/39Sony 1.44M Floppy Drive .

MS OFics 2003 Student & Teacher Edition.....149 Power supply AT/ATX/450w .............................. 29/27/39 MS Office 2003 Basic Edition.....,...................188 Dual Fsn Power supply 45DW......................................A4 Bempron AM2 2600/3000/3200/3400+,...

4.

69/74/79/94 hil8 Office 2003 SBE/Professional........,.269/289 Antec BPCSO Ultra quit 45DW Power supply................S9 Athlon64 8939 3000/3200/3500/360D........78/89/109119 Antec True 35OW Quit Power Supply...........................59 Windows 888 2003 Server w/5CAL............489 Athlon64AM2 32DD/3500/3600....................102/115/1 28 Bsssonic 812 60DW quite Power Supply....,.....,........169 AMO Athlon64X2 AM2 3600/4200/4600......164/199/246 WIn2003 Server Standard wlSCAL.........,.......759 Tlssnlc ATXMD-102OF 46DW Ctulst Power Supply..$9 MB Optical Mouse/Intsmst Keyboard.........13/18 AMO Athlon64X2 AM2 SOOO/5200...............,......309/345 MS Keyboard Multimedia/Natural.....................22 EnennsxLiberty ELT620AWT 620W Power Supply....179 Cslsron-8775 2.8G/3.0G/3.33G..........,..............65/72/SS Eneimsx Noisetske E6495P-VE 8FMA 465W.............99 MB Ergaricmic Value Psck Keyboard+Mouse..59 OGZ 700W OCZ 7DOGXSSLI Silent Power Supply.....179 Psntiumd 8775 3.0/3.2/3.66....................94.9/118/239 MS Inter net Keyboard+OpticalMouse ............29 Thermsltske WD117 Toughpower 750W P. Supply......219 Pentium O dual core 620(2.86)/945(3.46)....125.9/204.9 MS Wireless Keyboarif+Opticai Mouse ...........54 2 Ouo E6300(1.866)/E64DO(2.13G).....228.9/269.9 Thsrmsltske TR243OW Power supply..........................59 Core 2 Ouo E66OO(2AG)/E670D(2.666)..........374.9/595 Belkin UPS w/software 425/550/650VA...,.........,.59/75/69 Core Core 2 Extreme X6SOO(2.936).................................1169 UBB 2.0 PCI Adapter 5 Ports............................ $19.9 PC-1 33 BORAM 126/256/512M............,......29.9/42.9/69 Enhanced PCI Printer Port Adapter 1/2 Port,.... 25/29 LG 16X OVRROM... .23.9 IEEE 1394 (Firswirs) PCI Adsptor 4 poris............24.9 Sony CRX23OEO 52x32x52CO-RW w/software........24.9 PC-133 SORAM 16 chips 128/256M................32.9/46.9 IEEE 1394 (Firewire) PCI Adsptor w/Cable..........32.9 Osytek OVR-P30 OVO Recorder Progressive Scan....159 OOR PC3200 256/512M/1.OG..................28.9/49.9/94.9 PCI Serial Adaptar 2 port w/16CSSDUART..........24.9 Obtsch Portable(Slim) External SxOVO-RW.................119 OOR2 PC4200 256/512M/1.06..............32.9/54.9/108.9 Removable Hard Drive Rack IOE/S-ATA.....14.9/19.9 LG 68A-H42N dual layer 16xOVOxRW w/soft ware...39.9 OCZ OOR PC32OD 1G(2x512M)Ousl Chsnnsl k(t.124.9 2.5' Notsbcek HO to 3.5 HD IDE Adapter ........ 11.9 LG GSA-H22N dusl layer 16xOVOzRW w/salt vmm...37.9 OCZ OOR PG3200 26(2x1.06)OuslMsnnel kit...249.9 USB Radio Recording support MP3 5 WMA...:...14.9 LG -H22L 18xOVO8RW OL. Llghtscribs w/soltwsrs....48.9 OCZ OOR2%67mhz PC5400 16 dualMarmel kit.....119 USB Fan & Light 2-ln-1 .....................,..................4.99 LiteOn LH-18A1P Dual Layer 18xOVOzRW................37.9 OCZ OOR2 PC5400 1G EL Gold dual-channel kit..139.9 UBB 2.0 Gold-Plated Printer Cable retail box......9.99 Pioneer DVR111D dual layer'tSXOVOsRW software,.39.9 OCZ OOR2 PC5400 2.06(2x16)dual channel kit......239 USB 2.0 Cable Priritsr/Extemilon..........................7/7 Plextor 76DA16xOVOzRW w/soitwsrs .......................131 Kingston PC3200 256/512M/1.06.............34.9/59.9/109 USB to Psrral(sl Printer Port Cable Adapter...........19 Plextor 75OA16xOVOtRW w/software .......................105 USB2.0 Rash Drive 512M/1 G/2G/4G..19.9/22.9/34.9/76 Monitor Extension Cable Shield 6'/10'/15'... 12/1 5/19 Plextor 7558A 8-ATA 15xSOVOaRW w/software.........142 Apscsr MP3 Player 1G w/SO expansion slot..........42.99 OVI Cable For Digital Monitor 6'/10'l1'5'........15/22/29 Sony AWQ170A Dual layer 16xOVO8RW software.....36.9 Apscsr Au622 1.DG Mp3 Player w/Vidso/FM............B(.9 9 Pin Serial Cable F/F Straight/cross.................1'3/1'8 Blank CO Wrltsbls/Rswritsble ....,.......,....,....,...,., 0.30/1.9 USB 2.0 To IDE (3.5" & 2.5"} Adsptor ....................25 Ritsk R(dais SOMIn 700MB 50 Pack Retell box.........14.99 Canon A430/530/540/630/640....,$159/1 99/2SSI329/419 UBB 2.0 To 8-ATA+IDE (3.5" & 2.5") Adsptor ........35 Precisio n 4xOVO-R 4.7G 25Psck RetailBox..............6.99 S3i8/SOPO/600/630/900/67..459/369/289/329/559/639 8-Video Cable 6Ft.. ,6.9 Ritsk Ridsts DVO-R SX/Printsbls.......,..........,.....0.59/.75 Canon OC100/OC22/OC40HV10........519/699/879/1229 40/80 Pin IOE Data Cable ....................................3/5 Ritsk Ridsls Ous Layer 6.56......................................3.99 ICssio EX-8600/770/Z70/Z1000...........319/359/249/359 E500/ESDDK/ESOOK2.. ..,.„,.„„„„„649/739/829 60 Pin Round IDE Data Cable „„„„,.„...........,...,...„7 Ritsk Ridsts SXDVD-RW..

2.49 Olympus Sony DSCW50/OSCW100/OBCH2.............279/359/409 Parallel Port Printer Cable .......................................7 Sony OBCHS/OSCT10/OSCN2... ...............,499/389/479 Serial ATA (SATA) Power Gable ..............,............... 3 KVM 3-in-1 6' Cable 99 Keyboard BsnQ PO10/Tsunami Multimedia.......... $6/9.99 Compact Flash 256/512M/16/2G....14.9/22.9/29.9/44.9 9 PS/2 Chinsss Keyboard Compact Flash SOx/120x 512M/16/26.....29.9/34.9/59.9 KVM Switch msusl 2 Port/4 Port w/o cable ......19/22 Digital KVM Switch HotKsy w/csbls 2/4poit.....39/79 Fulitsu Keyboard 8729/4726...,....,.....,........,....,...16/58 Compact Flash 120x 4.OG/S.OG.................,.......119/179 HP 5302H USB Multimedia Keyboard w/2 USB port.....16 Msmoiy sSck Pro Duo 512M/1G/2/4G....36/42.9/74/129 EUSBO UK88204-OO 4 port UBB KVM Switch...129 EU880 UK86104 RO 4 port KVM Stscksbls.....,139 Logitsch Multimedia Keyboard/Black..............,.........15/17 Micro-Secure Digital 512M/1.06/2.DG.....29.9/39.9/99.9 Logitech Premium D esktop(keyboard+wireless mouse),29 Kingston 2.OG SO card & Card reader Combo kit..39,99 UBB Printer connect to Psrsnsl port adapter.........29 BT Lsb 8-ATA PCI Ads sr w/RAID su orL..........29 Logitech Optical Whss1 Mouse...........................,..., ..9.99 (works w/SD,MMC.MMCplus.miniSO,RS-MMC,MMCmcbils) LogitschG5 LaserGaming Mouse..............................46.9 Secure digitsi 512/1.0G/2.0/4.DG......19.9/22.9/38.9/76.9 LogitecbG7 LaserGaming Mouse..............................79.9 Secure digital Sox 512/1.DG.I..........................19.9/26.9 Logitech Cordless G5 Gaming Keyboard,...................89.9 Secure digital 150x 2.0/4.0G............................46.9/79.9 • • III LogitscII Cordless Desktop MX 3OOO KB & Mouse ........75 Secure digital Mini 512M/1.OG/2.0G........22.9/26.9/39.9 Logilech Cardlsss MX 5OOO Blustooth KB & Mouse,....124 RS-Multi Media 1.0G .59.9 Logitsch Cordless Internet Pro desktop Mouss+K.B.......49 XO-Picture Card 512M/1.DG/2.06....................39/49/84 •

•

•

.

•

•

.

"

•

•

•

.

.

.

.

Phone:8845884185 Tech: 004-5094745 ~m

+/1/i@+ Sf++0colT1pUteie CoiTI

¹ 1 1 1573181¹tthat.

V3 N 1 A 3

Men-FrL 10 a m 4 :30pm; BllaineSS HOurS: Saturday 1 0 a m4):00pm; Sunday8 Holidays Closed.

o c o luo with S yaata lahof, 1 yoat paft watlaatyl opdou of 8 tuoltth ftoa Iatamot accoaa

As new ayatotua are tested S bumad4n for 40 hoots bafola ahlpptng. Flttaaclttg attd Ioaahtg are avagabla. pltoaa raftaot • aye Cash dISCOunt and are aub OCI tOChaa 8 Whhcut nOSCO.PI{CO af/aatlVO Fab.g'I +ObJS •

•

•

•

'

•

•

'

•

e

'lI

'

.

III

•

•'

l l

I I

•

•

'

•

'

'

'lI •

III •

1

l l

•

• I I 'll

•

•

.• I '

••

; II

'It

II

I II

'

It

' •

II II I

•II

Foxconn KSM890-M2MA-RS2H MB Asus M2NBP-VM,CSM Mainboard (nVldls Qusdrc,S-ATA,Duslwhsnnsl) (2000MT/s S-ATA,RAID, PCI-E X16,) 256MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM 512MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM 8068 S-ATA SM Cache Hard drive 16468 S-ATA SM cache hard drive All-in-1 Memory Card. Reader All-in-1 Memory Card Reader VIA Chrome9 Video Card 0/8 nVidia GF6 video w/RGB/ DVI 0/8 Open PCI-E x16 Video card Slot Open PCI-E x16 Video card Slot Sony AWQ170A18xDVDaRW D.L. Sony AWQ170A 16xDVDtRW D,L. 6 Channel 5.1 Sound Card 0/8 6-Channel 5.1 Sound Card 0/8 BenQ PQ10 PS/2 Keyboard BenQ PQ10 PS/2 Keyboard Logitech Optical Wheel mouse Logitech Optical Wheel mouse 17" P4-ATX US82.0-Front Case 17" P4-ATX USB2.0-Front Case 10/100MbEthernet 0/8 10/100/100QMb Ethernet0/8 Speakers w/Headphone Jack Speakers wlHeadphone Jack 17"LG 1718S LCD Panel Sms 700:1 1TLG 17188 LCD Panel Bms 700:1 S OLERI A 1 2 5 0 8 OLERIA-2 2 5 0 •

• It l

II

•

'.

e'

'

'

e

•

• '

•

•

• •

••

•

''

'll

ll

•

I I I • II

I t tl

'. I ' ' '

•

I

I:' ' •

•

MSI K9N Neo-F Am2 Mainboard Asus M2N4-SLI AM2 Mainboard (nForce55Q,Dusl~hannsl DDR2,RAID) (nFcrca4 SLI,DDR2,RAID,SATA,PCI-E) 0 CZ 1G PC5400 DDR2 dualwhannsl 512MB PC5400 DDR2 RAM 2QGB 16MB S-ATA2Hard Drive 25068 S-ATA2 Hard Drive AII-in-1 Memory Card Reader All-in-1 Memory Card Reader GF73006S PCI-E 256M/TVwut/DVI F760QGT PCI-E 266m/TV-out/DVI Sony AWQ17QA18xDVDaRW D.L. ony AWQ170A 18xDVDRRW D.L. 6-Channel 5.1 Sound Card 0/8 8-Channel 7.1 Sound Card 0/8 Logitech p BenQ P010 PS/2 Keyboard remiumdesktopkeyboard ogitech Wireless Opticai Mouse Logitech Optical Wheel mouse 17" P4-ATX US82.0-Front Case 17" P4-ATX US82.0-Front Case 10/1 00/1 QQQMbEthernet 0/8 10/1 QQ/1000Mb Ethernet 0/8 Edifier M1500 6pc 5.1 Speaker 06-1 01 5 Speakers wl Subwoofer 9' LG L1 94WTX Wide Screen LCD "9 " LG L194WTX Wide Screen LCD (5ms, 2000:1, Dual Analog/Digital) (5ms, 2000:1, Dual Analog/Digital) S 0 LE R I A-52 5 0 5 OLERIA-7 2 5 0 •

•

I

ASUS P488000X/P5P8OO-MX..................,.........$79/72 qmn V.92 5 K PC sr wars votes ....................$19/35 Encore 4+hshhst PCI Sound Card ...................,......$14 .........., 22125 Creative SB Audigy SE 7.1/Audigi 4 SE 7.1 24bit...34/53 ASUS P5SD2-X/P5PE-VM...................................74/I'9 USR 56k V.90 PCI ASUS PSL4lX/P5LD2/P5LD2-Deluxe/WF...109/129/235 CNst 10/1QQMb Switch 5/8/16 pcri.... cmatlvs SB x~l xtmmmuslc Rot II box...............,...109 ASUS PSB-VM/PSB/P5B-E.......,.„„...........,159/158/195 Imprsssiorl 10/10OMb Ethsmst Card................$22/32/69 9 Crea t iveSB SBX-Fi X-Fl Plsstlum Retell box........................168 ASUS PSB-Oalux s/P5B-Dsluxa-WF-AP.............225/239 ' '48'9 CrsstNs Fatality box.....................................218 ' Wirslsss 6 54Mb Router.....,................

ASUS PSN-SLI/P5N324LI43rsmium.................134/275 Bslkln 29 9 Creative SB X-Fl Elite Pro224blt 7.1 Retail box.....,..318 8 lkl Wi I 6 54 M b PCI Eth t A d t ASUS P5N-E-SLI/PSN32-ESLI ..........................160/298 E"cero Wlrslsss LAN 54Mb USB/PCMCIA...............35/35 Alt~ 06-1015 w/subwoofer/Speaker...............................

13/6 VS3251 5.1 S,k, w/Wlrslsss remote......79 ASUS PSRO2-VM/P5W04-WS-Pro. .....................99/369 N cvstsch wImleas-654 Mb PCI Ethamat Cse-----249 EdierLanai% 5 1 8pk Mispp/R251------39 ASUS PSW-DH-Dsluxe/ PSWDG2-Prc.......,...„..268/385 4 port Routsr DI404/DI-704UP....,.......... 39'9/59 9 Lcgltech X530/X620 6.1 ......................................... 75/89 ASUS (6754) K8U-X/K8V-MX/B(wl1394),.....,,....60/79 D-Link D-Unk Wireless Ol-524 Router 802.11G 54Mb..........58.9 Logit's,h X5400 TNX 31 i„--i 1-Wlrslsss gear si, 279 ASUS (AM2) M2N-E/M2hl-SLI-DELUXE.............123/'I85 D-Link WirelessG 01424 Router 108Mb...................69.9 ASUS {AM2) M2N/M2R32-MVP..........................110/189 0-Link OWL&63O 54Mb PCMCIA LAN Wlrsless.........53 ASUS (AM2) M2NPV-VM/M2N32-WS-Pro.........115/345 D Link wiroisss LAN pcl DWL~5tp 54Mb 53 PATA {IDF) 720QRPMHard Drive with 2MB buffer cache: ASUS (AM2) M2N32<U-WF/M2n4-SLI..............248I118 D-Link wireless LAN pcl OWL-652p 108Mb............"'01 80G 7200 Ipm Hard drive w/3 Year warranty.............51.9 ASUS AM2 M2NBP-VM/CSM(corporate sditicn),......105 D-Link wireless LAN pcMCIA OWL-665p tosub 5g P ATA(IDE) 720ORPM Hard Drive with 6MB buffer cache: ASUS 8939 A8NSX/A0N32-SLI-Dsluxs......,.........09/179 D-link 24 port DES-1024DGi1024R+ Switch.......159i139 80/160/250/320/4OOG ............53.9/64.9/88.91109.9/148.9 Foxccnn K78 741GXMG 6462.....,................,............69 Drink DSS.16+ 16 Poh Switch.....................--78 A T A EIDE 7200rpm Hard Dnvs with16MB buffer cache: Foxconn 76OGXK8MC-RS/K0M89O-M2MA.....;......09j79 Llnksy WRT546 4 pori w'rsl~ mu'tsr ----.".."..".,".,.....69 32Q/400/5OQG...,.„,............................., ..118.9/148.9/249 SATA SM 80/16'0'/2'5'0' Fcxccnn865G7MF-8 S775 8OOMHz FSB S-ATA.......69 Llllksys WRT646R Double Rangs. AR'lisp ntutsr"'60 SATA a......,,,....'.......,..'......52.9/69.9/85.9 16M 250/320/ Fcxccnrl 945PTAMI{82....................,......„„„.„,.....,105 400i500G ...........92.9/115 9/149/195 WRT54GS Speed Boast wireless router ........86 PC Partner 915PAS7-A47 i915 chipsat Firsware........89 Linksys oppprPm 36174/150'G:...,...'......139/178/319 Llnksys wirelsss PClcsrd WMP54G/WMP54GR....65i84 WD R Pteri Gigabyts GA4I1945PL-6/81985P-DS3..................99/175 Linksys WMP54GS Speed Boost wlrelsss PCI card.....69 Gigsbyte GAAI065P-DQ6..........................................269 LlnkaysWUSB54G wireless USS card.„„,.„........,.......68 Gigsbyts GA431075X............,......,.........,...,.....,........,288 Linksys WPC546 wirslsss PCMCIA card...........,....."'65 &us EN-795OGT EN78800GTX512M/88006TS 768M HDCP/TVwut/DVI 6 OM..........,3 ...........725 9/519 Glgsbyts GAM57SLI-S4/GAM595SLI-S5...........164/239 SMC EZ6516TX-CA 16 Port Switch............,... """"'79 Asua MSI 975X PlasumV.2/045P Neo3-F....................219/1P9 4j5/6 ATI AGPx8 128M,DVI,TVwut 92QO/9250..........34.9/44.9 M As b l 3 / 6/1p * MSI P965 Plstium ...........................................,..........179 c ATI 96OOXTAGPx8 Rsdeon 9550 w/TV~ut/DVI/256M............„........69.9 Assembly 25/50/75/100ft,...,......,...,...g/14/19/24 ATI DVI,TVmut 128M/2MM.....69.9/84.9 MSI K9N Nso-F............................................................99 Cable MT5e csbls 50/75/ 9/ 2/ PS ATI X300 cl-E/128M/TVwut/OYI/HDTV...,..........,...58.9 P MSI K9N-Plstlum/K N- LI-Plat(urn .................120/165 Brather DCP-13QC print/scan/copy hctc centre...,., $58,9 ATI Xf 300 TYwut DVI PCI-E 256/512M.............74.9/119 Acar LCP 17 AL1700A8/AL171788M0,.....,.....,...$105/tgs Brother 24pc/44DCN/64pcW..........,.........,148/189/279/279 ATI X16QQPro 256M TV~ DVI Pci-E/AGP....109,9/129 Acar 10' LGP ALISI0AB/1010WAB.:.......................239/219Canon IP1000/33OO/43OO/53QO.......,...„,34.9/99/154/199 ATI X165OPro PCI-E TV<ut DVI 256/512M.......,135/179 Acar 20" AL2016W/AL2mw0....,...........,...„,...„„„209/34$Canon IP6700D/Iggppprcgppp//IPOO."..",,',"Z99/399/869/289 ATI X165QXT PCI-E TVwut Dual OVI 256M............„189 Acsr 24" AL2418WD/3T AT372OA........................709/1249Large Format IPF5{IO/IPFSOQ/IPF/OO.......1529/2349/4Q59 ATI X195OXTX PCI-E 512M DDR4, TV-out, DVI ........ 339 Acar LCD TV 42' AT422OA1300x700 sms DVI,.....,.„,1439 Canon MP-180/46Q/5to/8DO/830......135/154/2O4/289/380 ATI X195DPro PCI-E 256M ODR3,TVwut,DVI .........235 Daewcclpaytek 15' WTNISE2 LCD TVmonitor...........299 Canon MFC MF-3240/4150/6530/655O...249/299/669I769 ATI X1950XTX PCI-E 512M,VIVO,DVI ...........,..........499 paytek19'F10DHLCDYGAIQVI 12maspeaker.........,...229 Canon Scanner44OOF/86OQF/995OF..............155/249/669 sVGA AGP 62OQLE 128M tvwutDVI........................59.9 psytak LCDTouch Screen 15"/17 .......:...............599/769 EPson C88/128OS/R2400.................................,99/449/98g eVGA 780066 258M AGPxs DVI TVcut......,......,....169 Psytek QT-3220 32" LCO-TVPIP 1000:1............,........1189 EPson CDs Printer R22Q/38Q/8OQ/1800...109/210/455/629 oVGA PCI-E 256M 73006T/78OOGS...........109.9/139.9 Daytak EPT4202AN 42' Plasma Monitor/fv..............t789 Epson 3-03-1 CX3810/4200/580OF/7800....79/129/155/159 sVGA PCI-E 76QQGT 256M DDR3/fV~utjDVI.......„.164 LG tT L{7108700:1 sm3........„,...,.„,.„„„,...,.....„,.104.9Brother Laser HL-2O3Q/2pdp............................

8 g / 179 sVGA PCI-E 256M 79QQGT/795QGT 512M........295/319 LG L1732TX Anaktg/Digital 4ms 1400:1................,......210Brother HL 207QN/2700CN/525DDN...............179/749/329 sVGA 795OGT 256M DDR3 PCI-F TVwut DVI ........269 LG 17 L1752TX 1400,1300cd/m2 Sms....,......,.............205 Olddsts Color Laser C32OQN/C550QN,...........„,....32gi2g eVGA PCI-E 880OGTS 64QM/88QQGTX 768M...529/699 LG 1032TX Dual Analog/Digital 4ms 1400:1..................269Olddsts DOT Msltrix 186/1868/32QTD...........289/339/489 Folss AGP8X GF6200 TVwut DVI HDTV256M......,....74 L6 1052TXDualAnalog/Digital Sms 1400:1,............,..249.9 Samsung Laser ML161 0/2010/2571N...............89/135/254 Fclss PCI-E GF76QOGTTV~ut DVI 256M DDR3...158.g LG L194WT W.acttitt 5ma 2OOO:1 VGA/DVL........,.244.9 Samsung Laser 3051N/356O/3561N...............329/559/619 Forss PCI-E 256M TV DVI 730OGS/76QOGS....79.9/135 LG L204WTX20 1000xt050 Sma 2OOO:1..................314.0 Btttthsr Toner TN 25Q/35Q/46Q/560...............19.9/54/54/59 Gigsbyts 88OOGTS/88QQGTX.............................579/759 LG 20,1" L20{2P 700:1 10ma.......,.............,....................400Canon Toner w/Drum E4Q/A3O/635/FX-3.......,.69/69/54/54 Lssdtsk GF760068 PCI-E 256M/TVwut/DVI.........,..134 LG 23" L230OC...................................................,..........1725HP Toner w/Drum C7115/VC7115X/Q2812A ...49/54/69 Lssdts)t GF76QOGT PCI-E 256M DDR3 TVmut/DYI..169 LG 32" L32OOA..........,.............................................,...1005HP Toner w/Drum C92298A/C3903A/C4O92A.....,49/49/49 Lesdtsk GF79506T PCI-E 256M w/TVaut/DVI......289 LG 42' L42OOA1000x1200 1000:112ma....................,3500 Psnssonic Toner FA76/UG3313/U6335{}...........19.g/75/75 Lesdtek GF79506T PCI-E 512M w/TVwuIIDVI......329 Samsung17' 701N LCD0OQ :1 sms................................105 Samsung Tbnsr w/Drum ML161OD2/1210/171OD3.........59 Lesdtek 88OOGTS 640M/88ODGTX 768M...........499/689 Samsung19' 92ONsms 700:1...........,...............,.......,...,.249 Samsung Toner Drum SF45QQ/SF51QO/SCX4216D3,.„,59 Mstrcx G550 32M DH/Psrhslis 128/256M....126/418/688 Samsung LCD031C...........................................„...........309 SamsunG Toner 510D2C/M/Y/3K for Ct P51O..............,..79 MSI NX880QGTS 64QM DDR3/DVI/TV out.................539 Samsung LC00408WAnalcg/DYI 6ms7OD:1.................249 M SI NX880OGTX-T2D788E768M DDR3...................679 SamsungLCD2D' 2058W..„„..„,...„.„,.....„........,.....,...,.330 McAfes Virusscsn 07 lus .............,...,...................$15.9 TV Tuner w/Remote..............................:.........,..„........39 ' Salty LCD 875AB/805A8...................,.......,........,....319/519(McAfbs Antivirus2Q07+ Scfhvsre Firewall + Antlspyswsrs) ATI TV Wonder 200/HDTV Wonder......................,.89/129 ViswScltic CRT60OF/6225FB................................ 289/530 McAfss Internet Security Suits 2007............................19,9 Lesdtek TV Tuner TV2QOQXP Expert w/rsniote............79 VlawScnl» 17' YA7038/10"VA0038.........................215/254 Norton Antivirus 2007 ........................,.........................24.9 Lesdtek WinFsst PVR2OQO TV Tuner MCE 2005.........99 YIew8cnic LCD 17"YG72O/VGMO.....,....,'.....,.....„.. 280/209 Norton Intsmst Sscuri ty 2007 .........„...,........,...,.........34.9 External USB TV-Tuner........................................,......,.39 VIawStmic LCD VP20308/VP21308.......................400//30 (Norton Altgvkua + Software Filttwall + Anti-Spam+Ang-Popup) Diret TV Bcx watch TV without computer......................68 Eiact xttJ neseLCD yr 5D cks.........................9.00 No n h 1. . .9 Ss hire s t l i x 5 Pr o T u ner M/Remote..99/109 '

•

'

•

.

.

.

.

.

. .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

. .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

L y in g w iCh L i n u s Exploririg Multimedia I worked out my sound card problem with Ubuntu Linux by swapping out the existing card and replacing it with Creative Labs'Audigy Z. Bingo - instant sound as Linux detected a card it supported and poured forth system sounds. Now to listen to my MP3s - or so I thought. When I double-clicked on a Ben Webster Duintet tune, I received a message that the format was no't supported.

Linux distributions such as Ubuntu try, as much as possible, to use only open-source, non-restricted formats that have no licensing or patent issues, A Linux purist could convert all his or her MP3 files to the patent-free ogg vorbis format, but for many of us this is impractical. Fortunately, the Ubuntu IJnux documentation provides dear instructions on how to install restricted support software.

Once the required support files are installed, Linux will play MP3, Divxâ&#x20AC;&#x17E;

commercial DVO, Quicktime, Realmedia files or view Flashand Java. Formost of us, it's a no-brainer to go this route. After I added the easily installed support, I was able to listen to MP3s and watch commercial DVDs. Audio Players In Ubuntu Linux, the Totem Movie Player is the default multimedia application, Anyone using Windows Media Player will feel very comfortable with Totem. When you'insert a music CD or movie OVD, Totem starts up automatically. It's a good general-purpose player,

For my large collection of MP3 files, I prefer Rhythmbox to Totem.

Rhythmbox is an application that is a little more like iTunes. It will build an index of artists and albums on media, and it can be used to listen to Internet radio and subscribe to podcasts, You can also create and use custom playlists. It also offers generic support for portable MP3 players, but nothing iPod-specific. Unfortunately for iTunes fans, iTunes itself is not available for Linux.

I don't yet have an iPod, so I couldn't test them out, but there are three Linux applications that offer full iPod support, including synchronizing files: Amarok, Banshee and Listen. There is also an application called gtkpod that can manage songs and playlists on an iPod. If I get an iPod for my next birthday, I' ll report back on these apps.

DYD Players Not surprisingly, Totem Movie Player is Ubuntu's default application for viewing DVDs. Designed with movies in mind, it provides the usual controls for stopping, starting, pausing and changing screen sizes and aspect ratios.

What it doesn't provide yet is menu support, so you can only watch a commercial DVD straight through with no c hapter titles. The forward/backward buttons do not respond when a DVD is playing.

Because I found Totem too limited for my DVD viewing tastes, I installed and tried Ogle, another OVD viewer, and it has some advantages. The default viewing size is larger, there are more controls available, and it can go to

for th latest news on Digital Living HC 4

HU B : O i gical Living â&#x20AC;&#x201D; B.C. Lower IVainland Section - F e b r u ary SCX37

chapters. The downsides are that movies cannot be resized, and the chapters are generically titled, e.g., Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Title 1, Title 2 etc.

Qn the plus side, however, it plays the entire DVD including the trailers at the front,and goes to the DVD menu where you can use a mouse to select what you want to watch. The forward/backward and other controls work as expected, Given that most of my previous experience with Linux had been on the server side of things, I was amazed at how far Linux has progressed on the desktop. It may not provide all the features and polish of Windows and Mac multimedia applications, but what it offers is more than adequate and being

•

•

improved daily. It's a tribute to the dedicated open-source programmers worldwide that you can now use Linux comfortably as a solid, enjoyable and very modern workstation.

By Gene Wilburn Gene Wiiburn is a writer/photographer living in Port Credit, Ontario, He can be reached at geneLawilburn.ca. The Living with Linux blogsite is located at

living. with.linux.blogspot.corn.

•

•

I

• •

I

I

•

I

• I

12 .

•

•

•

.

a

- e

' offer requires amin 24months signup andit isonly applicable to startufsAli ln 1 andAdvanced plan. Formore details, pleasevisit our website atwwwehosgngca

vvwvv.tlUbosrtsde.corri

Februer y 2007 — H UB: Oigicel Living - B.C. Lower Msinlsnd Seatmrs

BC 5

A thir d dsgr ee nf fr sedom How can you control photographic exposure? You have three ways — adjust the shutter speed, the aperture or the light sensitivity. With film photography, you have just two degrees of freedom within the camera settings: aperture and shutter speed. The third variable, sensitivity, is a characteristic of the film, not the camera, Phe light sensitivity of film is rated as an ISO number, with higher numbers indicating more light sensitivity.j Once you' ve made your choice to use film of a given sensitivity — say ISO1OO- this variable is locked down until you change to a different film. There are workarounds, such as push processing, but the results aren' t always satisfactory.

One of the characteristics distinguishing the digital image sensor from film is its variable sensitivity to light. Thus, with digital photography, sensitivity becomes a camera controllable variable, alongside aperture and shutter speed. This means that when you shoot digital, you have a third degree of freedom to play with in deciding the best exposure, This won't matter much to you if you always set your camera to Auto, but it might explain why more of your pictures are keepers since you started shooting digitai. On Auto, the camera will pick the best combination of exposure variables to ensure the best possible picture, With a film'camera, that means setting the best shutter speed and aperture combination. Often though, the limitation is the film speed — you have slow daylight film in the camera but you want to take some indoor shots, for example. Since the film camera has no way of altering film speed, it does the best it can, but the results are often photos that are underexposed because the camera was pushed beyond the limits of its maximum aperture setting or blurred because the shutter speed it picked was set too slow for hand-held shots. The third degree of freedom available to a digital camera means that the camera can also boost ISO sensitivity, so a proper exposure can be calculated under more lighting conditions — dark or light.

If you are an advanced shooter, you probably know about the aperture-priority and shutter-priority settings on your camera, and when it' s most appropriate to choose one or the other. If you want to control depth of Beld, aperture priority is the mode to use, since you dial in the aperture setting to match the depth of

aperture setting for a proper exposure. Both of theke scenarios can be enhanced riow that you can also vary the ISO setting - shot by shot if needbe.

Landscape photographers often want a photograph that's razor sharp from foreground grass to distant horizon, and thus choose very small aperture settings to maximize depth of field. Nature photographers using extreme telephoto lenses will choose small aperture settings for a similar reasonto maximize depth of field(which tends to be quite shallow at high telephoto settingsj. Because less light comes through the lens set to a small aperture, the shutter has to be open longer to make the proper exposure, and of course that creates camera steadiness problems. Using a tripod might be a solution for landscape photographers, but might not be so workable for nature photographers who have moving subjects like birds or roving animals. By setting the digital camera to a higher ISO, you can have your small aperture and a faster shutter speed.

With shutter-pdiority, the same benefits exist. Say you are shooting your daughter's volleyball game, and in order to stop the action, you need to use a fast shutter speed. If the gymnasium lighting isn't bdight enough, you may have to use a wide open aperture, which means the focusing will be very shallow. Boost the ISO,and you can stop down the aperture, to keep more of the action, in focus, and still use a fast shutter speed.

High ISO used to be synonymous with increased digital noise, and while that can still be an issue, camera makers have made great progress in either taming the noise, or making it look less objectionabie, more like the visible film grain of high ISO film stocks. It's a variable worth exploring.

focusyouwanttoachieve,and the camera calculates the proper shutter speed for a correct exposure. Likewise, if you are shooting fast moving subjects, you'd pick shutter priority, which lets you choose a specific shutter speedsay 1i10OO sec. - with the camera calculating the correct

BC 8

HLIB : D igital Living - B.C. Lowe ~

,

'I,

i;LE NSON osiG4% PW

>NOlQW>

AOi'll CI

nd Sec ti o n - F e b r u ar y K D 7

By David Tanaka

Iyt EMBER Sine ~,

"'~<~«,f~l IS«»-

OWO

Best Price h Canada! e

e

e •

e

ds"- It, P ets e 4 r" it J

e s•

•

A pA ' r,

e

•

;i

'c s

ek

ge4e „„„„„...,...., iPodMdgrSoundSrodon!

Great Mditianto any iPed LG CORE DUO T2250 I 73

entssscrsaaststaart

512 DDR2 667 BOG 5ATA 5400 DVD-RW I 5 4 WXGA IF inc Bngbt) i r4ultr DVDRW . FE55IONAL ual Hex Wireless Antenna

$99

legiiee SegerGamingKellgeanl -

.I Ii'65

Gigabit LAN

S1,899.00

P.

Plea a ebeMall Ie ilebalel lselres leb 4th.Ol

l

I

gears~ go!

I

r

.

•

•

"

•

• cc

Formoreirtformation,email usat:info©phase-1.corn

• Sn-SiteService Installations • 'les Relnoval • All Repairs • llata Recovery Upgrades

Wh g US. Because withour head technician's25 years experience leaoing our team, we can offer you fast,accurate and professional seivice. 15 years with the BBB and no complaints, our record speaks for itself l Our w o rk is guaranteed. Whether you come see us or we come see you, you will see what real seivice and support is all about!

41 0 Willingdon Ave Burnaby, BC, V5C 564

Monday toFriday 9:30am -6:30pm Phone: 604.291.1558 Saturdays: 10:00arn - 5:00pm Fax 604.298.5126

all Prices Retreat 2.54 C ash b(scocct

V l/or king miCh lieta in E x c e l Helen Bradletj describes how tjou can pL)t the List tool in Excel showa result for only those list items that are visible. To cancel the filter and 2003 to work in your business. return to viewing the entire list, click the dropdown arrow and choose All or When you need to create a simple list, consider Excel as an alternative to creating the list in Access. Excel 2003 includes a handy list tool that helps you not only build lists very easily, but also find information in them and chart the data they contain.

The benefit of using Excel over Access is not only simplicity [Excel is easier to use] but also the list data is always in front of you as you work - not hidden in tables behind the scenes. Additionally, in Excel you can create a chart based on your list and the chart will extend whenever you add new items to your list. So, for example, if you maintain inFormation about your sales for the year and record data by the month, you can add new months to the list and the sales data for those months and the chart based on this data will expand to include this new data. This is something that wasn't possible in earlier versions of Excel unless you created some very complicated workaround formulae.

To make a list in Excel 2003, open a new worksheet and type the column headings and one or two rows of data. Format these rows the way that you want the list to look — this formatting will later be extended as you add new rows to the list. Click in a cell inside the list area and choose Data, Lists, Create List. Confirm that the range specified is the area containing your list data, enable the My list has headings checkbox and click Ok. The list wili now have a biue border around it and the last row will display an asterisk; this is where you click to add a new row when you need to add a new item to your list. There is also a farm attached to the list that you can use to enter data and you can see this by choosing List, Form from the special List toolbar.[IF the toolbar is net visible, choose View, Toalbars, List.)

The list has a special built-in total feature. To total the items in the list, click the Toggle Total Row button on the List toolbar. When you do this, the rightmost column of the list is summed. If you want a Formula other than Sum, click the cell showing the Sum result and choose an alternate function from the dropdown list [which includes Average, Maximum, Minimum and Count). You can also click in any other cell in the total row and choose a calculation to be performed on that column of data.

An Excel iist has a filter automatically in place and you will see filter arrows to the left of each heading in the heading row. To filter the list, click the dropdown arrow far the column you are interested. in and select the category to view. For example, you might want to see all the results for a particular state. Any totals in the totals row automatically recalculate to

•

•

•

$

•

•

•

choose Data, Filter, Show All. One of the most useful features of lists is the ability to create self-updating charts. To make a chart based on data you have stored in a list, click somewhere inside the list and then click the Chart Wizard button on the List toolbar, You can now step through the process of creating the chart to your desired specifications just as you would create any new chart in Excel. Later, whenever you add a new item to your list, it will be automatically added to the chart without you having to do anything at all to make this happen.

At times you may need to sort the data in your list to see it in some special order. To do this, choose List, Sort, choose the column to sort by and choose to sort in Ascending or Descending order and click Ok. When you do this, the list data is sorted, but the data in cells to the dght or left of the list area won't be rearranged as a result. This is because the list is treated as a separate area for sorting purposes — this isn't the case when you filter the list however, and data in rows to the right or the left of the list may be hidden when you filter the list — they reappear when you make all the list data visibie again.

By Helen Bradley e .a ~

s e e s m aa ~

w

h

$I~Iw $$.tw $I

$I m.~

$ I$ II l$

$$$Sm

$r No

$%$0$ RESS

$$.$0 $IS.~

$)mao

I4

SEDa •

-8

The Totals Raw for an Excel list lets you quickly perform calculations on data in the column above.

•

$

•

•

Nefermake CCTV TIe~ 8 &8 8 sl WsaRma~

8 Chan))$d OURBoa)d $699

18 ~

ovR 8oaXf $1399

e a e ssicn ~ H2&l Cadec a

~

- upk)mppse mm f)$$pk)ra ~

170-2268 Has Raad.

Richmor)d, BC. V6}C 271 Tel. 604 279 1888 Fax. 804 2lS 1867

PC)

- I8$ k$64 ~ per o ) rR (i x Ie che$Isl ov)I)k$$$)$) - ~ kI IOI X d)I) 0$$)d$y 8 fkxxxdng Rxkdud)x) IMX

WWW.W848IIIISk1I.CCNIl ' I

I

kx E a d~

-Se$kd Qxld) $$$ IeI$$ s)eck)

- IIIWiNiehw Rand CIent ~ Irde met Raybsck 5 RscardxIg - U88 fk$d Odxe dkwl )hack up - FIee Sbeewe aad Upyadint) Senrice

Visit Our Online Demo - ht t : / I 2 16.232.70.49 BC B

HU B: Q i g ital Living - B.C. Lower Mainland Bection - F e b r u a r y 2 OG?

I

I•

- INek)$dPhlyhggk aIee$$ EnNw$II PI$$back $kx$$)

Ig 8 Il s A A II Q I Q~

•

$Iae$ $I%.IIII $$$.$$I $3E.~ $$$.~

'I $ 2

e C)M)nfl DVR E)ofvcf $475

- Madras

•

P

I

•I I

•

I

I I • I I

•

I

Full Solutions Provided Resellaell'IWelCOmei

NCIY.coM

Thefreedom tochoose the technology you need.

The new Intelt Core'2 Duo processor in your NX Fusion Alchemy PC is built to deliver groundbreaking dual-core performance.

I

inside

Dual-core.

NX Fusion Alchemy • 'ntehta Care 2 i3i'a E6600 w th dual-core

Do more.

processing(2.4GHz, 2MB L2 Cache,1066MHz F58 ) v rdv10IAai GeForce' 7950 GT 512MB video card • 2GB i2xIGB) PC2-6400 800MHz 00R2 memary • 920GB iv200RPM harddrove • Samsurg 18x dual layer ilVO burner • Keyboard I Optical Mouse e Microsaftlm Windawsel XP Media Center Edition e Microsoft® Windows® Vista Premium Ready!

~in~el)

I

$1909 * +

Free $50 Gift Card -I:o'I

a l e s awv', *

advvitised dvtceu iendct'\ detawt ciuifigviatiaa aatv

Svsteo saawe lacludes aotloaal l etgcades ttaaitar aat wcluded

I '

I

Height Adjustable!

Back Lit Keys!

SKl

Samsung 21-inch Bms widescreen LCD 215TW

5.1 speakers

20000PI

'F

KB

C'

. cj

Logitech 615 Gaming Keyboard

Logitech GS Optical Mouse

Logitech X-530 Speaker Set

Savmgs Code 163M-1018

Savlnqs Code 16284n018

Savings Code 12959-1018

Savings Code 18304-1018

NCIXPC'" recommends Microsoft® Windows' XP Professional

u si'54*

~1259*

I

•

•

~1999*

I I

I

II

I•• • II

I

w

I

'

I

.

-

i

I

II

: II I

te ll'

II'

'

I

'

a ll '

I

:

i

'

•

NCIX.coM

•

l s I I .

BURNABY: 5 0 6 8 - 8 Kingsway LANGLEY: ff104-20125 64thAvenue RICHMOND. n1063-8300 CapstanWay VANCOUVER; 1843 West Broadway

•

PH: 604.4518682 PH: 604.514.5700 PH: 604.233.0308 PH: 604.739.9985

D V or N o t D V Online videos. have jerky pictures: Is that a technical or aesthetic problem?

0. Whenever I watch Internet videos or movie clips on my computer, the picture skips and stutters. Is there a way to correct these jerky pictures?

Regardless of the size, streaming audio or video sends small portions of the data to your PC, which are held in a buffer [the PC's temporary stash of incoming media]. There can be a short waiting period before anything plays, and you may see the dread "buffering" message as the PC lines up the bits of data. Once the first chunk begins playing, all should go well and the entire stream plays to the end without interruption. But any connection problem or other hiccup will stop playback, and the buffering and line-up of media chunks must begin again.

Freeing up internal PC resources by closing unused programs can help.

So check the Preferences or Options set for your media player and connection speeds. Setting a connection speed somewhat slower than is actually available can help maintain smooth playback. In OuickTime player, for example, streaming preferences can be adjusted to cope with network congestion and improve playback. Increasing the size of available cache can help. In Windows, there's a video acceleration feature [found in the Tools menu) that can be turned on or off as required. With Windows Media Player especially, it's important to have the latest compatible hardware (graphics cards, etc.) and software (Windows update, Oirect X) for proper playback.

Progressive download is quite suitable for low traffic situations and the delivery of short videos, Streaming video gives creators more control over the viewing experience, and is most appropriate for getting video to large audiences (for example, several hundred simultaneous viewers).

Streaming also enables tracking and reporting of video viewing statistics.

For the creator, one potential drawback with streaming video is the requirement for special server software and media delivery applications, in addition to the Web server itself. For streaming Flash Video, a dedicated server and software is required.

Video on the Web[despite my open door silliness) has great potential, whether you are a viewer or a creator — today, most of us are both. Next time, we' ll talk more about uploading videos so as to eliminate unwanted jerks — uhh, jerkiness.

By Lee Rickwood

Ha, ha ha - could someone please open the door a little wider for me?!?

With names like Alldumb.corn, Bored.corn, Stupidvideos.corn, Stupidity.corn and Oumpalink.corn, is there any wonder there's jerky stuff online? When the perfectly-innocent question first appeared, a stream of silly answers clogged my cranial inbox.

But as user-generated material continues to appear on the Web, we might anticipate a reconfiguring of technical - and aesthetic — standards.

It's a double-edged sword, as the promise of socialized media networking comes face to face with emerging techniques and technologies.

The two main ways of playing video on a PC (pre-loaded with an appropriate media player, such as OuickTime, Real or Windows among others) right now are streaming and downloading. Since the introduction of Flash MX and Flash Video Player, video can also be embedded within Flashmovies and HTML pages (audio-only MP3 files can be delivered in the same way).

Normally, streaming media plays once it reaches across the Internet to your computer, which is nice if you are unsure if you want the content or not, as you can begin to watch it right away. It does mean that playback can be interrupted or become "jerky" due to internet traffic jams, bottlenecks inside the PC and other technical or transmission issues that can interrupt smooth playback. Streaming files are not stored locally.

Oownloading a media file means the clip is stored locally on your computer; usually you must wait for the full download before viewing. But because the file is downloaded, and now resides on your computer, you can search your browser caches or temporary Internet files to access the content again and again. If there are no copyright or rights management issues with the clip, that's fine and dandy. It's certainly an advantage if you want to watch the same clip over and over.

Of course, the size of the video can also affect its playback performance, Lee Ilickwood is a freelance writer and independent video producer. He operates especially if the video file is too large for a connection to handle properly. Word On A Wire, an independent company providing editorial, media production Tips for reducing the size of an Internet video may seem superfiuous if and consulting services to individuals and companies across North America. He you' re only watching short cell phone videos, but there can be good can bereached atvideodazeNigoodmedia.cern reason to consider one or more of the following: • Start with the best quality video possible.

(Poorly shot, poorly lit, noisy or shaky video — jerky, as it were — takes more resources.to compress, deliver and playback well.)

• Lower the frame rate.

[Video is normally 30 frames per second; i5 frames or so can be a reasonable Internet option.]

• Crop the frame.

(Standard video is noimally 640 x 480; 320 x 240 is a common compromisebetween size and space,) • Setting the bitrate.

(Many Web surfers enjoy high speed broadband connections, but dial-up is not extinct. Bitrates from less than 100 Kbps to over 5 Mbps can be encountered on the Web, so adjust your videos and your expectations accordingly.)

s

s

,

W~ i i iil "

t IW

y @Id Ml ~

t •

Wc' !eel' 1~ f oal •

I M

BC 1CI

H UB : O l gibal Living - EI.C. Lcwver Mainhnd Section - F e b r u ar y BOOT

)

rl.

s

Tel~I P h one ea phone jinm for ieis'--

O I

•

l'

O

Telne/P/r one requires HighSpeed /nlernet •

•

e

As little as 2~J /month, asavings over 70% each month

rr

o

'.I I

Starting at 38

ln l onth, llnlhttited local calling with High-Speed internet Access to USA, Canada, HK, China, Taiwan...

Refer a friend and et one month FREE I

I'

I • I

'I

li

.

r I'

l

l

•

e•

•

e •

•

•

ee

5X

I< = B

t t ottmttort Otototr tor $9o

50loro

www.icicomputer.corn

81005 - 8580 Aletrcndrc Rd. Richmond, BC (Yenexkr Place) Y4X 483 Mott@et: 1&6 Sun; Closed

ici coMPursawc. TELo 604 2

hljel j)IBI45% NBA( jjBFBB AsusPSVOC-MX (775) Motherboard

51 2MB PPR2667MI{z RAM 160QB SATA 72octpnt Hpp PD-2.86/915

ViAI28MBG/aphcs/Fpp 68it)tS tdx Dual.LayerDVpaRW Internet Keyboard8,Optical Mouse 6ChannelSunound 306/025 +670 10ft00EthernetNIC ' ~ 5 +61 0 3 Spssketfsubwoofsr

N jjla555) IjBC~B Asus PSL4IX (945GI1066FSB) Mothetboard 2G DDR2 687MHzPuaKhannel RAM Radeon X1600Pro 512MPPR2PCI ExVideo

250QB $ATA Itpp I Fp{) Easolt 886 18x Dual-LayerDVD*RW StSI95 E8400/2.136 +880

E6600/2 46 +8170 Intel GigbitLAN 8-Ch H igh DefinitionAudio/3-SpeattatI Sbwfr

7 3 - 13 4 8

t tt o I e b o o k

T421 5 A {12.1", Tablet) $$$$8 • C2O{„836/512M/NGIDVORWIBT

2 ear Global Warrant

S)) 38I

ABQ1QA{154" McE)

'Duo186/16/1206/DVDRW/BT

III6420 {17", McE) $) 628 • C2M.SSGI 1GI160$ DVDRWIRX19I

$2098

• Core.12$512MI 606/ BTIFingerprint P7120 (10.6", xPP) $2)38 r Cant-126/5138/606/DVDRWIBT $7110A {14", XPP)

'$)668

• C2D1.666/512M /806 I DVDRWIBT (PeasearaassruaIHa.nssau ' 8128 ' 8280)

Warren iyr All tot systems some ttrtth 8-year eerrtoe 8 1~ p e rte ttmttsrt rtettet wanwrty.

X P HOmelPra +Stoa/tca • ViSta HOreef Bueeslzsl188• Cttlse2008 BaetalsB BIP rest~

Acer AL170S17"LCO S158 Acer AL191 SW19"(wide) LCD $218 Acer 1918AB19"LCD S245 Acer AL201720"LCD S266 Acer AL20t6W20"(wide) LCD S238 Acer Ferrarl F-2020" LCO S448 Acer AL2223WD 22" (wide) LCDS348 Acer AT3705 37" (1920x10N) S1608 VlewaonicVA{912WB19o LCD S268 ViewsonlcVG2021M20" LCP $298 vvww.hubcanada.ccm

US S2.0 Orivs

'IG l 2G/4Gf 85 525/ 35/ee/1 85 Kin rtLott~ a M ISLStl~lt~ ~

1G /2GI 46 525/28/% SBnt 16/2G 52e/45 San{lish MBII>gtt Stick {Pro puu) 1G /2G/4G S45/68/125 S Ii I r 2.5" 40/60/120G $38/105/145 3.5" Nf 1612506 SVS/ee/ 115 F ebruary 200 T

Repair

• Data Recovery *.iu. 4I3)/Vvnre

RemOVal

• Server L Networking • VPN 8 Security Qn-Site Service M

I

StudanthassaadiacountonaaMedala

P1610 (8 6", Tablet)

We Specialize in: • S{et"ei-:oak

iN 60 42305265 fate)): id@deere)rutercoru* 1

Fij )750 HotehookSpecial

Og rrB~

AeueA2H(7" Tablet) $ 999 ecM4006076siw68GIGPBI{apl BT W5FM{12.1".6/W.MCEI $)638 •c2{M.0$16f ' l20$DYDRwl BT A W7 J (1 3.3" XPP) )$ 638 • C2D 1 66G /16/1NG I OYORWI BT

Aeue ABJs (14", xPP) $)688

oC20.2.06 /1G I 1206 I QF7700512M

BCMF. Notebook ••

668

A83680 {t8.1*', MGE) $

• CM-1.466/512M/ NG I OVDRW

TM2480 (14.1", xPP) $ 718 • CM.1 466 /512M /806/ DVDRW TM4200 {15.4", XPP) $798 • Core-1.666/512M /80GDVDRW I

Acus S6F (11.1", XPP) $$) 68 ' AS5050 ({c.t", MCE) $ 9) 8 • AMD64x2-{.66/2GI NG I DVDRW • Duo-1.SGI'1$1N$ DVDRWIBT Aaue A{F (13.3", Tablet) $)798 • C20.1.68G 1G I I NG I DVDRWIBT

AS557Q (14.1", McE) $ 898 • Ouo 1,8G I 1GI 1NG/OVDRW

Aeue G1 (15.4", MCE) $8)038 o C2D-2.0G26/1NG I I GF77N 51SI

Ferret{ 1004 (12,1",xpp) Sg)d)8 o AMD64x2-1.86/1G I 166G/R){t t50

Acus G2P (17.1". MCE) $87) 68 o C20-2.06 I 26 I 1NG I R){17N 512M

Ferrarl 5005 {15,4", xPI') $$398 • AMD64x2-2,06/26/1NG /RX1NS

Aaue F3JP (15.4", xPP) $)638 • C2D 2.0G I 1G /1206 I RX17N 258M

TMS216 (15.4", xPP) $2988 • C2P.2.166I2.&ff60$BIMB.Ray OVDRW

Aeue A9AP (15", XPH) $8) • CM-1,6$5{2MI 80$ DVDRW

TMC213 {12,1", Tablet)

8

S)9$8

• C20-1.666/16/ 120$ OVDRWI 2xBatt

- 'HUEI: Digital Living - EI.0. Ltovtrar Mainkand Secbicn

BG 11

Mac:kin' at; Macivor Id Macworld Report Tech fans can count on two things at the beginning of January; CES inVegas, and Macworld in San Francisco. Qften, the two events are staggered enough that keen tech reporters can hit both shows, but this year they directly overlapped. This year, you saw a whole group of journalists hunched over their computers in the press room at CES, waiting for the news from Steve Jobs' keynote at Macworld, So for a short period, CESwas forgotten...at CES no less.

Apple made two signigcant announcements at this year's keynote. Not only did the company announce the proper launch of the previously previewed Apple TV, but the company also finally announced the longrumoured iPhone.

tasking manner...and of course, it will play audio and video content purchased from the iTunes store on its built-in widescreen display.

The phone uses a touch-screen interface for almost all interaction with the phone [there is one button that takes you to the main menu). Dialing, text entry and navigation are done with a series of taps and gestures, bat the phone is smart enough to distinguish between deliberate and accidental touches.

TheiPhoneis a GSM/EDGE phone [with WiFi onboard), and is scheduled to launch in the United States in June on the Cingular network. Current pricing is set at US $499 for the model with 4 GB of internal memory, and US $599 for the 8 GB model.

While the announcement was greeted with stark raving techno-lust from a whole legion of Apple fans, there's at least one campany that's not quite so thrilled: Cisco Systems, which owns the rights to the iPhone name, immediately filed suit against Apple for trademark infr ingementdespite

Apple Ttj Apple TV wasn't a huge surprise to anyone who's been following Apple news: previously dubbed iTV when it was previewed at last year's Worldwide ongoing negotiations between the two companies aimed at allowing Apple to Developers Conference, the product is Apple's very own multimedia use the iPhone name. What that means is unclear at this point, but it could streaming device. Sure, there are already a number of other media-streaming simply mean a new name for the product when it launches in June.

By Sean Carruthers devices on the market, but Apple TV not only sports a more attractive industrial design, it's also designed to sync with your computer's iTunes ' application. The product incorporates 802.11b/g/n wireless networking, and you can also connect it to your network using 10/100 Ethernet.

The fact that Apple TVsyncs with iTunes is a huge selling. point, as it goes a long way to simplifying setup. Just as other computers running iTunes will appear as shared drives in your own computer's iTunes, so will Apple TV - in other words, no special client installation followed by a manual search of the network for your new hardware. In other words: YAY! Better, Apple TV will be able to retrieve audio, video and photos from up to five machines in the house, either Mac or Windows, so long as they' re -• I running iTunes. Content will sync with Apple TV's internal 40 GB hard drive, including copy-protected items purchased from the iTunes online store.

Connections to the television are also impressive. Apple TV is designed ta deliver a high definition signal to the television, either via HDMI [both audio II •• and video) or component connectors [supplemented by analogue or optical audio connectors). It's compatible with both 220p and 1080i connections,' but it will work with a 480p display as well, for those who haven't made the move to high def just yet.

The Apple TV scheduled to launch this month and will cost $349.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

'

•

~

•

•

iPhone While it's always hard to say for sure what Apple is going to announce befare Steve Jobs stands up on the stage, a lot of people were positive that one of the announcementswas going ta be the longanticipated Apple. powered smart phone...and that's exactly what happened.

As expected, the new iPhone will combine phone functions with multimedia content.

What wasn't expected was that the phone will run Mac 05 X, allowing it to run email, Safari and other applications in a multi•

HC12

0

•

8

HLIB: D i g itxalLiving-B.C.Lower Meinland Section - F e bnLiary 2 0 0 7

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

.

•

•

•

©IIil5'LL QC • CCi One Step Ahead

(intel) Co 2

$799.95

$2,599.95 '

ACE Proma - Pl 200

ACT Performa -6A 200 SLI

• Intel& Core™ 2 Duo E6300 (1.85 GHz) • 1GB Dual<hannel DDR2-800 Memory 250GB 7,200rpm SATA 8Hard Drive • 18x Dual/Double-Layer DVDaWriter •Intel& GMA X3000 I/ttegrated Graphics •7.1 Channel Audio Controller • 10/1 00/1 000Mbps Network Adapter • InWin Mini Tower Case • Micro&oft&Windowso' XP Home Edition

8

Cf

0

•AMD Athlon™64 X2 4200+ (24 GHz) •Asuse M2N32-SLIDeluxe M otherboard • G.Skill2GB Dual-Channel Memory • Western Digital&Raptor 74GB Hard Drive • 320GB 7,200rpm SATA II Hard Drive • Dual eVGA& e-G&Forcetso 8800 GTS 640MB

• AntecoPerformance One P160W Case • EnermaxGalaxyDDX 850W Power Supply • MicrosoftoWittdowso XP Home Edition

•

$279 95

ACf Vanta - VA 100 • AMD Sempron™ 3000+ • 512MB PC-3200 DDR-400 Memory • 80GB 7,2{}0rpm Hard Drive 18x Dual/Double-Layer DVDs:Writer • Sise Ultra256 2D/3D Graphics 5.1-Channel Integrated Audio • 10/100Mbps Network Adapter 'opetoting systettt soh5yate sold Seperate

AII INodels Available Now@

Qo ENraeZX

Asus PW191 (Black/Silver)

III IIII

dN/fit//8

19" Widescreen LCD •Omt, Inethooo,600:I Contrast

I•

•Dw & svGAInputs, speoketu ONot

•6

nets 5925 95

Ben12 FP241W (Black) 24 Widescreen LCD

FNIA II N o iseTaker II

•omk102lkt1200,50001 Cantntst

Inf in i t i

Gal a ~ D D X ,:

OMTHLYSPECIALS

•DW,SVGSk IDAII, Component

S-Vtoeet Com post teInpun

Liberty

tleo.59&9 95

Acer AL2223Wd (Silver/Black) 22" WideScreen LCD

AMD Athlon64 X2 5000t (2.6 GHz) Dual<ore AM2 CPU

•smstoroetoso,roo:I connost

SKU ¹6161 ))

• DW & VGA S Inputs

,

Unksys WRT3508) Wireless-It Gigabit Router with Storage Unk SKU ¹7768

))

nsa 558595

Samsung SyncMaster 244T (Black) 24 Wld&Screen LCD

9

-orna192W 1200.1000: I Conttast

5

DVI,SVCukS-Wdeo,Compone nt

HP 52x 700MR/00mln CD-R (50-Disc Bulk Pack)

AuzenTech X-Meridian 7.1 Digital PCI Sound Card

S KU ¹5928 )

5KU ¹7669 ))

)

Compott te Inputs I

Philip& 19057FS (Silver) 19 LCD

Belkin W)reless< 802.11b/g PCI Adapter Card

'I'

• rmn 1200 1026,SO&I Conmut . DW &SVGAInput

A

ti :

• Imt,tootktso5.soo.tco ttost

gg

• SVGlInput

)(dada 50-Disc CD/DVD Wallet (Assorted Designs)

Q

)) $

SKU¹7916

sta995

Vlewsonic VX2035wm (Black) 20.1" WldeScreen LCD • sms,160Q11 0so,roeI Contrast • DW & SVGlIn pun spooken lieu, 559995

Vlewsonlc VX2235wm (Black) 22n WhleScreen LCD •Sm, 160091060 2005 Connast • DW & SVGAInputr. Speokets neo. 5999 95

•

I II

• • II • •

•

•

•

•

) )

•

•

•

•

•

SKU ¹8007 ) )

OCZ Rally 2 High Performance USB 2,0 Flash Drive -1.0 GB

Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD-R 4.7GB Shiny Silver (100-Disc Spindle) sKU ¹7540 ) ) $49.95

Asus GeForce OBOOGTX76BMB PCI-Express VIdeo Card

6

•

Asus G1 Centrino Duo T7200 Gaming Notebook

Intel Core 2 Extreme g(6700 (2.66 GHz) Quad<ore CPU sKU «79s6 )) $

Shop Online@ •

SKU ¹7996

L

ViewsonlcVA1703wb (Black) 17" Widescreen LCD

vk 5

))

SKU ¹7525 tlat. 559595

ECS 761GX-M754 Motherboard w)th AMD Sempron 3000+ CPU

• •

I J

•

SKU ¹6288

) )

sKu ¹7s96 ) )

C? 2 9 . 9$

Open 24/7 •

•

Xtn

The u lt i m a t e

p h o n e f o r m u s i c l o ve r s

Ll FUoic 9 ff at ii rp-rich music phono A cell phone that plays MP3s is hardly newsworthy these days, but when you hear what the newly-launched "Fusic" phone can do, it' ll be music to your ears.

This sleek, LG flip phone from Bell Mobility is the first in Canada to feature a built-in wireless transmitter, which means you can beam your favourite songs to a nearby FM radio, such as when you' re in the car.

That's right — instead of listening to music through a cell phone's external speaker, and rather than wearing earbuds which can be a safety hazard when behind the wheel, daily commuters or road-trippers can enjoy their MP3 collection through a decent stereo without the need for a pricey iPod and external FM transmitter.

Here's how it works: the "Fusic"- which combines "fun" and "music," says LG (ahem) - first requires you find a spot on the FM dial unused by a radio station(and very little hiss, if you can find it). Then, on the phone, while music is playing, you can select Music Transmitter from your list of options and press the up and down buttons to match the frequency on your radio's FM dial. You can then save this preset on your phone in one of 12 spots. It works fairly well — about as good as any other FM transmitter, such as the Griffin iTrip - but it really does depend on the city you' re in.

Music is stored on tiny MicroSO memory cards. A 64MB card is included with the phone(which translates to roughly 18 songs), but you can pick up a 2GB MicroSDcard (about 550 songs) for as low as $100. Alternativel,

you can purchase music via Bell's wireless music store — the largest selection in Canada - which offers more than 750,000 songs from labelssuch as Universal,Sony/BMG, Warner and others.

You need not open the flip phone to play music; simply hald down the Play/Pause button on the front of the phone and yau'll be able to launch music from internal memory or via the memory card. Without apening the handset, you can also select tracks, skip forward or back and adjust volume.

But what good is playing music on your cell phone if the battery life is poor? Not a problem with the Fusic, as it can last up ta 9.2 hours for music playback.

Earbuds are included, but because the I.G Fusic supports Bluetooth 2,0, you can even use wireless stereo headphones [something your iPod can't do). Some stereo headphones, such as the Plantronics Pulsar a590 [$200), have a tiny built-in microphone, so when the phone rings, you press a small button on the headphones to take the call and mute the music.

Other features of the pearl white LG Fusic include: four interchangeable colour faceplates(graphite, black, green and brown] to match your mood or clothes; streaming TV broadcasts; integrated 1.3 megapixel camera (with flash, zoom and camcorder); GPS functionality; and text, photo and video messaging, .

I

Dh, and iiid wi mer: an it alen makes phone calls. too?!

Ihe LG Fusic is available for $179.95 with a 3-year Bell Mobility plan, and can be ordered online at www.bell.ca/wireless.

•

'

By Mare Saltzman

FREE OEUVERYi 3a Days satisfaction guaranteed - Lifetime warranty on all Memory Upgrades

2GB 50 Card

USB2 . 0 Flash Drive

2GS

)GB ~~

, (® '"

.4ya Flash Memory

Notebook Memory upgrade .

SOOtMM PC133

Secure Digital CompoctFlash $12Mo 24~ ' 512Mo 74~ 1a o 1$2 1 6o eesss 16 o 31~ 26o 26o 1 9sss OOR2 SOOtMM 533Mhz 66o 169sss 5 12Mo 69~ 1ao 1$9 46o 1 6 5 ~ 256Mo $9 512Mo tlat

OOtt SOOIMM 333Mhz

Needhelp % ningthe memory you need? Chedt our memosy configuretost

® Boost your NIAC!

MacBook Pro

512MO I S M 1GO16~

= —-

PowerMAC G5 DDR2 Kit 1GO 186.'M Kit 2Go278s

Mac Pro 1 Go 219-~ ' •

••

BC 14

o

•

'

'

•

2Go 4 3 3 a •

So, how do you get music

onem e

onto the ph

You' ll receive a 64MB MicroSD memory card bundled with the LG Fusic phone, which can stare roughly 18 four-minute tunes (encoded at 128 kilobits per second].

Because prices have dropped considerably over the years, you should consider replacing this card with one that can store a lot more music. A 2GB MicroSD card, for example, which you should be able to pick up for under $100, can store well over 500 songs — rivaling the entry-level iPod nano.

And getting your music onto the phone is a simple process, You can do this in one of two ways. With the memory card inserted into the phone, you can attach the handset to your computer via its USB (Universal Serial Bus] cable and then drag and drop music onto the player in a program such as Windows Explorer. An even easier way is to pop the memory card out af the phone, fit it into the bundled adaptor (which resembles a slightly larger SecureDigital card) and then insert it into your PC or printer if it has a memory card slot that fits this type. Similar to option No 1, you then simply drag and dropthe music onto the player, unplug and go. That's it!

•

•

0

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

' •

•

H U B: D i g i tal Living - B.C. Lower Mainlanci Section - February BDQ'7

www.huboenada corn

anytime.

anywhere hubcan ada.corn

C ES R e p o r t : P r o d u c t s S a l o r e at C E S PC-less IP radio If you like your IP radio stations but wish you didn't have to sit by your computer to tune them in, the Phoenix IP Radiomay be your cup of tea.

Developedby a French company called Com One [www.corn-one.biz],the Phoenix is a portable radio with tuner dial, volume knob and stereo speakers. But the airwaves it responds to are not AM or FM,but WiFi. Thus, if you have a WiFi access point at home (802.11 b or g), you can pick up Internet. radio on the Phoenix anywhere you can pick up the WiFi signal.

The radio features include an alarm clock, eight preset buttons and a Belkin TuneStudio for iPod This is an audio mixer with inputs for four audio sources such as search mode. It's portable, powered by rechargeable batteries. The microphones and instruments. Each channel has a three-band equalizer and suggested retail price is US $249. pan and level controls. It records the mixed signal onto an iPod at CDquality [16-bit 44kHz]. The unit can also act as an external USBsound card and will Consumer HiDef Camcorder from JVC stream audio to or from a PC orMac. It should be available mid-year, with an If you are craving that HD experience in your home movies, look for JVC's HO Everio 62-HD7 some time around April. The company claims this is the first estimated price around $200. consumer camcorder to deliver full HO resolution video — that's 1920x1080i.

The onboard 60 GB drive will be good for five hours of recording at full Bonica suits up digital cameras Vancouver-based Bonica Precision[Canada) Inc. [www.bonicadive.corn) has resolution. The HD7 has many high-end features including three CCDs, a developed a relatively inexpensive underwater housing for digital cameras fast f:1.8 Fujinon 10X zoom with optical image stabilization and mic input called Snapper-XP, with an extra measure of protection called a Snapper Suit. jack for external microphones. Pricing will be somewhere on the good side The XP is a hard polycarbonate case depth-rated to SS metres [180 feet]. It of $2,000. has a tempered optical glass window for the lens and 14 external buttons to control the various camera functions. Snapper Suits are flexible silicon skins Hitachi announces first Terabyte drive molded to fit a select number of digital point and shoot cameras from Canon, Other companies have achieved terabytes of storage by ganging up multiple Nikon and Sony. When the camera is not in the XP housing, the Snapper Skin drives into a single enclosure, but Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has still provides some measure of weatherproofing. The Snapper-XP sells on the announced the industry's first terabyte (TB) hard drive. The drive, called the Deskstar 7K1000, will be available within the next three months at a cost of company's website forUS $349. around US $400, which translates into around 40 cents a gigabyte.

Hitachi also announced a CinemaStar version. Although it provided few details, it says the drive, also with one terabyte capacity, will be optimized for digital video recording applications such as hard-drive based personal

Doing CES A-to-Z is a hopeless proposition. There are simply too many exhibitors, too many product categories and too much area to cover adequately (around 2,700 exhibitors spread over an area equal to 30 football fields, according to CES). But products are what the show is all about, and the good side to all those exhibitors is that it's hard not to run into more than a few interesting new products set to arrive sooner or later this year. These are just some of the ones that caught my eye.

video recorders. It says the terabyte drive will be able to store around 250

hours of high-definition programming.

Icuiti virtual display glasses support 3D Virtual displays are cool, and with the iWear AV230 from Rochester, NV-based Icuiti (www.icuiti.corn), they are also now relatively inexpensive. The AV230 is light and quite comfortable, with an adjustable nosepiece and removable stereo earphones running along the eyeglass arms. Icuiti says the AV230

FOr mOremediaSOrtiCprOduCtS

M

please visit www.mediasoriic.ca

Cofs033409ogr~ 'ftilioksrfkr th'>dNIP4'

Od/BSOppIO or e mail os ai sales@mediasoaic cafor mme ecaao

Meuatrre35"MPaePlayer

Say e taaaa Omr "",.'," "

OPBII24 I 7

Nediasonic Online attp aatoro mortiaeoaic ca

% ma t t ' -clr & e : -4 Version available(USB2.0, FTP, File, Printer, Backup, Mi r ror, Web Sewer - 3.5' HDDEnclosure USB+IEEE1394,eSATA+USB, - TV output 8 network access ".ggg~lve with &Qne-Push-BackupUSB) Aff 0tG 35 - SuPPortMPEG1,2,4 .

- With 3years warrafity Feature plus 'Gigabit LANa - Play movie,music,photo - Mail-in-rebate promobonbl,Dec, - Wireless Lan "Fanless design, • USBinetwork eiiclosure Ifb USB Host ' P 2P BT downh Packagecomeswilli - HD Dvl output • SATA3.5" HD loc - Full HD playback- Buildin SQLile up to -SupporteSATA,USB2. , J45 . . 4'so ."40' 1920x1080P - Setup tlmec30mlns visit wabaite for detai - visit our websile for more detail Model No: HN4eries 2.0" Bsssartdrtvo Also Modal No: TS-101 Model No: MG350HD Model No: MG-35 avahaato '

'

BC 16

3,5' LAN enclosure wlusb2.0 access%lefrom multiple pc Mo and Iip serverall-inane fir mware upgrade available

~

'

TS.201 {24ay) also available

H LJB : D i g ittal Livirtg - B.C. Lower M ainland Section - Febr uary K Q 7

)

Model No: HDg-U2LA

http: ///www.computraksystem.corn for latest prices and products

Tel: t864)» o< 797 Fax: (804) 270-9181

- CompuTra System-:::;:;-::;-,::-,:: Sunday: Closed

AMD Bass System

AMD Sampron 3000+ (on-board) ECS 781GX-M Motherboard 512MB DDR PC-3200 memory SDGB Ultra-ATA 7200fpm Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 3D sound on-board LG 16X DYD Edifier 2.0 speaker 13.5" ATX case w/450W Multimedia keyboard Optical wheel mouse

Integrated 10/1 00Ethernet ~

AM2 Workstation

AM2 Extreme

AMD Athlon 64 (AM2) 3200+ ASU$ M2V-TVMMotherboard 512MS DDR IIPC4200 memory 160GB SATAll 7200rpm

Integrated 3Dgraphics accelerator 3D sound on-boahd LG 18X DVD/RWdrive 12-in-1 Card Reader Edifier 2.0 speaker '

•

•

,

13.5" ATXcase wl 450W

Multimedia keyboard Opficai wheelmouse

612MB DDR IIPCut200 memory 160GB SATA II 7200rpm

Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 3D sound on board 12-fn-1 Card Reader I>~) LG 18X DVD/RWdrive Edifier 2.0 speaker DÃe2 13.5" ATX casa wl 459W ~ Muismsdis keyboard Opticai wheel mouse

Multimedia keyboard

M bj

Optical wheel mouse

Integrated 10/100Ethernet

Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Rldata ,

$6.'99

$1O 99 Laser 612MB MPS Pfaysr Adats PD2

468 USB Drive

SD+USB

$69 99 m; -

-

-

.

-

dFEWaaW x

ASM A (RIP Intel Caldron.M1.48

A/stsbssb

88GS 4288rpm DVD NW DL Nreleas LAN 44n.f CardReader

d"wxGA 5 Iyarfabtlflg 168tDDRZ 887 8868 8488rpm DVD-NW DL WlrefassLAN .

0.3 MPCamera 4fn.1 CardReader

ACMC RdyH

AfsN' R)F Intel Coro2Duo 1.88

intel Calanm M888MHz 7" LCDTouchScreen 788MSDDN2833

gfsgfl gable( fflr

SecureDlgxal Reader

68G84280 ltllra lraleaa LAN bit lyr N

®$339 9

DVD RW DL Nralasa LAN, BT 8 in.1 CaniRasper

, ~~

ACUts dpbF

I

m

• •

8 •

R H < a i tustxctfwf •

G SLaser $M99

- Estlwa Pelfcmaahca

. Fust aroadwstar 87X Plalfoua • supports lauwt inlet coaloe cpu - low passu Cases upuou

Sf rt From6 218 Acus 73

• p4aud AMO Athlasa4 modElseua aable • Style pmfolmehae ahd efficient - Ae modal• equipped with SaaalX • tachnotoay fo' super quiet 8149

•supercaolsystems $tertFre

Col hu mau el spsamcsusss usamsuseuuy

AS33S MM1/7D

sro Sttgltt Dot

ftiNN.SS

DVMW DL Wlralsas LAN 4.ln.t CantRaadal' Only 1.37Kg

f©

188GB5488rpm An.1 CardReader Wlralass LAN DVD.NWDL gluetooth

4'218.99 LG L19g2TX

LG ao4WTX

48$N.NN Acer AL22?3WD

$828.89 88853

ao dwwus

ftdtffak%psytwc,gfic63 fifiom"kb»wmi fkfME

2

AL1916AB

4'249.18

n.t"wxGA

•

. pmcucel IIlcuoaany Sttalsh appeefahca

AC& Vxl

lntal CareDuoLV1.5

Oac a ~ g a tg))8 ' 'pupae ~

~ E

, 4 $33.99

168 DDN2 17,8" WXGA 12868 SATA 268 DDN2887 DVD.NW DL 18868 Harddrive N rel ass LAN DVD.RWDL 1.3 MPCamera Wireloas LAN Only 1.8K6 1.3 MP Camera

~ 188pllsr a ' gg Attdt ' erifisg '"wo'wv "GSI ~ Wyo panaoea Mgtlmfi( Ictusteig ar ass sc I*ulfu ' )at) kssdtsk gg Eus

- P4 775MNI AMOAM2

AlbM C g2P

I ik»

8 g

Value aatabohe

Intel Cora 2Due28 Intel Cora 2Duo28 Aplebegb 121"wxGA Nadeonxtyss812MB

its

st RFrom

Aeue Puadil-

cail forspecfficeliohe ehdauatfebftthr

Alsoafro//a lsotfferCo//ec w. ~.

"

a/Cora2 Duo10 ga ) ferler Intel CantrlnoDu Nvldla 7488TC812 Xebtlttg Estebergtitel, 88688ATA 10868 4288rpm

13,3" WXGA 1GB DDR2887

space s produatiully nevelutfoa • Ps Sackat773 a AM O Socketa3p • Cmstfva SpaceuduaamI . Aluamufm musrsedia machina

$699,99

ACQlp N EDFH

AMD Turlan84xfi1.6

812MGDDR2833

"

Logitech Cordless I/xjftech Internet Pro Logitsch

q f i OtenOOZS 5Pgggggj

AlatlC Af ddt

8 143

Start From 8 188

-

$9.99 1 C'

1

"

fgII

Acus Vintape 2 Ste

Aopen

"

Smni ng Light

"

Opticalwheelmouse

• 8 4II I

Duo 1.6 1006 1G u-.-. " Vista Premium

$1136.99 ~

LG 18XDVD/RWdrive 1.44MBFloppyDrive 12-In-1 cardreader Edifier 2,1speaker 17" ATXcasewl 350Wp.s, Multimediakeyboard I IR U K

VGear TslkCam

LENOVON100 C2Duo 1.83 10OG, 18

Adata Secure Digital Duo

'

M

channel 3D sound on.board

llustwodhy Patfouuaace - Pa775ehd AMOa4 S3E • Uslqus double lsyeritama •PlecucalFuscuaaalty • Espahddspehdiapahhesds

opticsi wheel mouse drMBU% Integrated 10/1 00Efhema(fkde

AWBEBSPMB

$96699

$2999

AMD Albion64x2(AM2) 3809+ ASUS M2NZ Gigabit LAN 1GB DDR6PCut290 Dual Channel 320GB SATA If 16MS7200rpm EVGA 7800GSKO 256MB PCI-E

BarebOIIE SPECialS

Intel Core 2 Duo (E6600) 2,4GHz Asua P58-VM Motherboard 1GB DDR II PCX200 memory 329GB SATA II 16MB7200rpm Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 8-channel audio on-board LG 18X DVD/RWdrive 12-In-1 Card Reader tz Edifier 2,0 speaker ~C ora 13.5' ATX case wl 450W

Multim edia keyboard

N

AM2 ExtremeDuslsCore

$39.99

$63.99

g

LG F1-2246AB C2D'uo 1.6

ico f w2 J

Core 2 Ultimate

WU$854GP-BP

WRT6460

Spindle of 26

Spindle of SO

13.5" ATX case wl 450W Multimedia keyboard Optical wheel mouse Integrated Gigabit LAN

LttkIQBYS'

' 16x Dvcha

62xco.R

12-in-1 Card Reader

Edifier 2.0 speaker

53I

Phlgps

AMD Athlon 64x2 (AM2) 3600+ ASUS M2NPV-YM Gigabit LAN 1GB DDR II PC-5300 memory 320GB SATA II 16MB 7200rpm Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 8-channel 3D sound on-board LG 18X DVD/RW drive 12-In-1 Card Reader Edifier 2.0 speaker 13.5 ATX case wi 450W Multimedia keyboard Optical wheel mouse

@IS

Intel Care 2 Duo (E6400) 2.13GHz Asus P6LD2-YM/DH Motherboard 512MB DDR II PC<200 memory 250GB SATA Ii 16MB 7200rpm Integrated 30 graphics accelerator 8-channel audio on-board LG 18X DYD/RW drive

Asus P6L MX Mpthsrbosrd

AM2 Dual-Core System

838 ~

Core 2 Extreme Pro

Intel Core 2 Duo(E6300) 1.86GHz

13.5' ATX case wl 450W

•

Edifier2.0speaker

le integrated LAN

Dual Core Workstation 2 Core 2 Jun)or Extreme

Edaer 2.0 speaker

'

13.5 ATX case wl 450W Multimedia keyboard Opticaf wheel mouse

Integrated 19/100Ethernet abe Ie/8)8

Intel Pentium D 8202.8GHzS776 MSI PMBPM 8775 USB2.0 51 2MB DDR II PCuf200 memory 80GB UltrautkTA7200rpm Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 3D sound on-board 12-In-1 Card Reader in~tel., LG 18X DVD/RW drive ~

AMD Athlon 64 (AM2) 3500+ ASUS M2N-MX Motherboard 1GB DDR II PC-5300 memory 250GB SATA II 16MB 7200rpm Integrated 3D graphics accelerator 3D sound an-board LG 18X DVD/RWdrive 12-in-1 Card Reader

drive will record up to 50 GB of data, which LG says is equal to about 4,5 hours of high-definitian video or 22 hours of standard video.

Super Multi Blue technologg will also work itself into a dual format player, due to be released later this gear, which will give consumers the ability to play back both Blu.ray and HD DVD content discs on a single player New GPS units from Mia Mio Technology made something of a name for itself in 2006 with same verg cool GPS units under the OigiWalker brand name that proved to be very popular. Mio was previewing two new DigiWalker models that will show up bg mid-year: the C520 and C250, The C520is a widescreen model (4.3-inch displag) designed primarilg for in-car use. It will offer a split-screen mode so that gou can have the map and route or address information on the screen at the same time. The unit will also be Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use it with Bluetooth cell phones. The pocket-siz e C250 hasa 3.5.inch touch display.

glasses give roughly the same visual experience as watching a 44.inch TV screen from a distance of three metres. It works with most portable video sources such as video iPads and other portable multimedia players, portable DVD plagers, cell phones and game sgstems. Power comes from a built. in rechargeable battery good for about five hours of use per charge. Each egepiece can be focused individually so that eyeglass wearers can tune the displag properly. The displag glasses will also show 30 content using the company's lcuity3D technology. The iWear AV230 is available online for The GPSPhone Pharos Science BcApplications, Inc. [www.pharosgps.corn] has introduced , US $249.95 its first GPS smartphone, called the GPS.600. The quad-band GSM unit uses Kleer stereo earbuds completelg wireless Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system,support s EDGE where A lot of companies were showing Bluetooth stereo headsets, but Bluetooth available and also includes WiFi arid Bluetooth. It comes with a twa only half delivers on the wireless promise since every set still needs a wired rnegapixel camera that also records video and an FM radio. Windows Mabile link between the left and right earbuds. Kleer, a California company with provides a suite of Office applications, and Windows Media Player 10 handles RfkD in Ottawa, went back to the drawing board and developed a fully audio and video entertainment playback, wireless earphone technologg that uses the 2.4 GHz radio frequency, not Bluetooth. Kleer claims its technology has lower noise levels for better audio LaCie burns Blu-rag quality and uses one-tenth the power of Bluetooth, so earphones can be Among content developers, video artists and photographers, LaCie is a made smaller because the battery can be smaller. Using 2.4GHz also allowed preferred brand because its products seem to push begond the ordinarg. the company to develop a completelg wireless system, not just eliminating Given this, the company's claim to be first to market an external Blu.ray the wire from player to headset but also the physical connection between burner won't be surprising. The LaCie d2 Blu.ray Drive handles 25GB or 50GB left and right earphones.

BO.R [recordable) and BD-RE(rewritable] media and is backward compatible DLand CD~ RWmedia. Consumers who want to be first in line RCA is the first company to incorporate the technology and introduced its with DVO+ RW JetStream wireless MP3 plager at the show. for this drive will have a price to pag: US $1,150.

Call me blue, Super Multi Blue Zune Forget the format wars, LG bridges the looming battle between Blu-rag and Not here, not now. Microsoft's much-hyped media.plager has run into similar HD DVD by introducing an internal PC drive that does both â&#x20AC;&#x201D; sort of. Its GGW- content supply issues that kept Apple's iTunes music service out of Canada H10N, more affectionately known as the Super Multi Blue Blu.ray Disc long after it was available in the US, A Microsoft Canada spokesman said Rewriter and HD DVO-ROM Drive will read both next-generation optical Zune wouldbecome available in Canada as soon as these content issues have been solved. formats [although it will onlyrecordthe Blu-ray variety ).

Bg David Tanaka On dual-lager Blu-rag recordable(BO-R] and rewritable [BD.RE) media; the

W

F REE

nfonec COmpot8fs

C

e on BC 18

since $995

http:flwavw.infonec.corn toll: <-8~ÂŽ<Q-+>~ tel: <%4fO-%81

SeCured eCOmmerCe OnlineShOp j Canada Wide Shipping p"='- complete pc ]

notebook ] components ] accessories ] service

g

eb ~

I

ViewSonie s&PPI IR~

'rome condleonrrpply, ere webrllr for momcfrlrirr

H U B: O i g itel Living - B.C. Lower Meinlend Section - FebvuarV 2007

www.hubcenede,corn

•

• •

•

•

,

•

•

•

.

•

•

•

•

•

r r

' I

• •

•

•

•

•

" •

•

•

'

•

•

"

•

,

•

•

,

•

' •

•

••

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

,

•

•

•

•

I

•

•

Q 0

•

•

-

I

.

•

.

•

.

•

•

• •

~

• •

'

•

•

eghrrs

NAIA IF=%

i

n

N CIA

www.ncix.corn

Canada Computers www.c.anadacomputers.corn

Can Computer www.cancomputer.corn

Anitec

www.anitec.ca

Sonaggi Computers

IVlemary Express

www.memoiyexpress.corn

Wintronic Computers Plus

Mega Computer Systems

www.megacomputer.ca

PC Village www.pcvillagecanada.corn

BCOM www.beam.ab.ca

www.wlntfonicconlpLiiei's.cool

w w w. 1 0 Il 1 cj g I c. 0 nl

Robotnik

[ w w w,robotnik.corn

Sonex Computer www,sane'xpc.calli

ExtremePC www.extreme.pc ca

for more information on where to buy please go to

http: //www.vantecusa.corn/wheretobuy.html ~~

ler I T M M

PC Cyber Computer wwvcpcc ybei.corn

Copyright 200(iVantec Thermal Technologies. All Rights Reserved.

All R egistered Trademarks Belong To Their R Companies. espective

MicraBytes www mi c ro byte s.c om

Logic Computer House

www.logiccomputerhouse.coin

New Type Computer Warkshop

Infonec www,lnfollec.corn ~

Filtech Computer

[ w w w filtechcomputercom

Bestbyte ComputerPerformance www.bestbytecompuler.corn

www.ntcw.coin

Distributed by:

KXXZ ASI Canada

Eprom

1.888.2000-ASI www.asipartner.corn

1-800-26 f PROM fontariol I 604 214-9829 (Bn tish Columbia)

www.eprom.corn

C ES R e p o r t : T h e T V s o f C E S I nnovet i ve , in t e l lige nt , i m m e n s e CES is the best place on earth to learn about and experience all of the many televisions mankind is currently manuFacturing.

The biggest displays are always showstoppers. Most of the major players roll out foolishly large prototype sets that evoke gaping-fnouthed responses from attendees. In 2006, it was Panasonic's 103-inch plasma — which was recently made available in Canada(for a mere $80,000j — that grabbed the most headlines. This year, the world's largest television title went to Dptoma and its 120-inch 1080p DLP rear projection set. But more buzz was generated by Sharp's slimmer and sleeker 108-inch LCD, which will apparently be available by the holidays. tA Sh arprepresentative told me that if I could find a stocking big enough, he'd stuff one inside for me, I' ve already started sewing.)

But Sharp's pavilion had more than monstrous monitors; it was an oasis of innovation. In a secluded room at the back of the exhibit was a nine millionpixel panel. To put that number in perspective, the screen has more than four times the resolution of today's high-end 1080p sets.

The room next door played host to a stunning 6S-inch 1,l)00,000:1 contrast ratio LCD. The blacks were so deep as to put plasma to shame; darkened areas of the screen generated no visible light at all.

But these technologies are so prohibitively expensive that they may never filter down to the consumer, The most impressive advancement in LCD technology that will actually be appearing in 2007 models is an increase in display response time from

60Hz to 120Hz. A variety of demonstrations showed that this bumpin frequency delivers a dramatic improvement in the rendering oF fast moving images. Manufacturers of the new 120Hz displays include Sony, Sharp, Samsung and Panasonic.

• I • • •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•I •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

I

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

4g' 4g

•

• •

•

-

•

•

I •

\

•

•

•

' ~l l

c=

i

BC 20

HU B : D i g ital Living - B.C. Lower Mainland Section - F e b r u ary 2DCX7

www.hubcanade.corn

Speaking of Panasonic, the big question before the show was whether or not t hi s l eading manufacturer oF plasma tele. visions would be able to produce a cost effective 1080p display (current 1080p plasmas only come inmassive sizes and have five. digit price tags).

The answer was not really.

Panasonic did reveal a couple oF smailer 1080p plasmas, including an impressive 50.inch model, but price wasn't discussed, leading to speculation that the Japanese company won't be able to bring it to market in a price range that would be competitive with the many [slightly smaller) 1080p LCDs that are now selling for as little as $3,500.

Panasonic also s howed a I prototype 42.inch 1080p plasma, but apparently it will require a completely new — and costlymanufacturing process, making it an unlikely candidate for mass consumption, at least in the near future.

While DEMs were busy trying to innovate on the hardware front, value-added plasma and LCD reseller HP drew attention for its

reworked MediaSmart LCD televisions.

Introduced at last year's show, MediaSmart sets can wirelessly access music,video and photo files located on any PC connected to your home network. This year' s lineup, led by a beautiful 47 inch 1 080p model, has a m u c h improved user interface, Plus, rumours are r a mpant t h at MediaSmart sets may have the ability to act as Vista Media Center Extenders once released.

So there was no dearth of exciting new displays at CES. Now all ~e have to do is bide our time as we wait for them to go into production and make their way to Canadian shores.

By Chad Sapieha

lentine's I

®wSpecial®®

Soy 1 Phone, and get $50 Of f t h e purchase of a end phone Valid Feb. 7th to Feb Mth, 2001 only

Chxg lobo

mxv

EOgmamaEg OZZIE LG. KE$2

NOKIA.-':;

7330.:g t~(-, •

;., M i 700

-=== -Qi'

~r<~ S30'-'

S AMSUN~ '

MOTO RGL'A

Z3~~" NU WOR

qAM S U

i4

q g ~+

•

M OTO RGLA

70 0 OVO PLAY E R

•

•

•:ia

,MOTOROLA

VS/P:

h lU POP 100 OV O P L A Y E R

• 1 inch LCD • Built-in card t'ender: supparts SD, MMC a Memory Stick + Audia transfer to cer stereo

.I

•

•

'JNOTO

MOTOROLA V-I 3 : TATOO

• ant i-scrape Iylirra r c o v e r • advanced slat -ln l a a d inl d e s i g n • ir ramate controller •

4~

SAMSU 80

•

g

5

•

VANCOUVER AREA. "SOMECOhlOIIIONS APltm Richmond Empire Ctr. R ichmond Aberdeen Ctr, Burn a by Crystal Mail 1455%540 Mo. 3 Rd. 2 2 $ 5 4 1 S 1 Hazalbridga Wy 12 1 & 0'500 Kingaway {604) 278-90$8

{604) 278-8889

{804) 438-9003

TORONTQ AREA:

USA'.

Pacific Mall Markhatn Pacific Mall 4300 SteeleaAve. E.¹E75 4300 Stseles Ava. E.¹A51 {805) 470-7125 {805) 848-$811

Sims t a r Telecom 'f03<25 W. Valley Blvd San Gabriel CA,S'f778 ROSS@',i;!

~ •

www.hubca nacre,corn

February BOCA/ -

•

•

H U B : Oigltal Living — B.C. Lower Meinlancl Section

BC 2 1

C ES Re pa r t : The big and e m ail af per annal com p ut:ing

HP MediaSmart Server

Ever since consumer electronics collided with digital technology, the personal computer has taken an essential place in the exhibition halls of the Consumer Electronics Show, PC luminaries like Michael Dell and Bill Gates are regular keynote speakers at the trade show, and the likes of Intel and Microsoft cozy up beside Sony and Samsung, The old PC dazzle is still there â&#x20AC;&#x201D; faster performance, smaller form factors, more capacity in all subsystems etc. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but now it's about how all that technology fits inta your digitallifestyle.

WIFi [a, b, g) and BlueTooth 2.0, An optional docking station includes a OVD burner in the base and more ports ta allow you to connect a full size monitor and keyboard. Weighing in at around halF a kilo (1 Ib], Model 02 runs for about three hours on the standard Li-lon battery, but an optional battery gives twice that. Expect to pay around $Z,OOD for the premium model outfitted with a few accessories.

VIA was also part of the popular Lunch I Piero's event and was showcasing a number oF UMPCs developed by its manufacturing partners. The chipmaker has been promoting things like "quiet" computing and energy efficiency for a few years, and in a sense VIA's strategy has been vindicated because the PC biz is increasingly embracing these green concepts.

Having a full-blown Windows computer in a small form opens up a number of application possibilities, and one of the neatest I saw was the G4 from Korean tech company lnfilL The G4 takes aftermarket car audio to an entirely new level. It's designed to drop into the audio system bay and integrates nicely into the dashbaard with an 800 x 480 pixel 6.5-inch touch screen display forming the main faceplate. Behind the screen is a PC poweredby a 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor runningWindows XP.Ithas a 40 GB hard drive, a DVO player, GPS unit, FM tuner and a four-channel audio amplifier [you can also get a 5.1 channel pre-amp model).'There are also three USB ports, one an the front and two on the back Infill says the unit supports dual displays, so that the driver can have the in-dash panel set to a GPS mapping programme while the rear seat passengers watch a DVD movie. It can be integrated with a rear-view camera and tied into your car's existing steering wheel radio controls. At this point, you' ll have to go to Korea ta get one, where it sells for around $2,000.

Computing gets smaller On the small end of things is the 000 Model 02, biged as the world's smallest Windows Vista computer. It's the UMPC(or Ultra Mobile PC) that Bill Gates highlighted during his CES keynote address. Holding it, yau'd be inclined ta think it was a Windows CEhandheld device, but this one includes the goods to run a full version of Windows XP[and it's Vista-ready). Both the processor and graphics chip are from VIA, a chip maker that abandoned the CPUspeed cycles race a few years ago and turned to other important factors like battery lif'e, noise reduction and heat performance.

The premiummodelofthe 000 uses VIA's C7M ULV (for ultra.low voltage] processor running at1.5 GHz,and comes with 1GB ofRAM and a 60 GB hard drive. The five-inch 800 x 480 pixel display (supports up to 1280 x 800 on, a bigger monitor) slides Forward to expose a small qwerty keyboard and a Two cores and beyond pointing device called a track stick. The machine includes an HDMI port and At the big end of things, chip giant Intel announced three new quad-core VGA/Ethernet adapter, a USBport and audio line in/out port. It also handles processors at the show: two in its Xeon server-oriented CPU famgy and the first to bear the name CoreZOuad. Intel set the price of the Core20uad at U5 000 Model 02 $851 in quantities of 1000 to manufacturers, so yau can expect systems built around this processor wig be aimed at the high-end enthusiast market and command a premium price.

And speaking ofthatsegment,Calgary-based Voodoo,w hich was acquired

by HP last year, found a comfortable comer in the HP booth ta show off its extreme gaming rigs along with an experimental wraparound display system.It also announced a new gaming laptop,the Envy HW:201. The numerical designation refers no doubt to the 20.1-inch screen. Other performance goodies include an AMO Turion 64X2 dual core processor plus suppart for SLI. Dual nVidia graphics cards in a laptop? Why not. And, of course, you can order the $6,000 unit in a range of colours.

AMD announced its AMD Live! notebook platform design based around the Turion 64 XZ dual core mobile CPU. This brings to mobile comp uting the live! initiative AMO began last year on the desktop. Live! is a set of technologies that allows the PC to better fit into a home entertainment environment.

Basedaround AMD's Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors and Windows XP Media Center Editian or Vista Premium and Ultimate, it includes usability aspects like Coal'n'Ouiet [which reduces PC noise) and rapid-on/rapid off (for more appliance-like start up and shut down of the PC ). It supports up to 71 audio, high.end graphics TV.tuners and remote control units.

E IC 22

HLIB ; Oigital Living - B.C. Lower Meinlancl Section - Febrile~ ROOT

wvvvv.hubcanada.corn

Vanco(luST: is 3 suAV E)

Lnllg(8y.it04arutxoouglascrse

204'i0 Douglas Cres.

3967 Main Street.

T EL: 60¹ - 8 7 2 - 4 2 4 5

T E L: 6 0 4 - 5 1 4 - 1 2 S S

T EL : 6 0 4 - 8 7 2 - 4 2 1 5

Itacvrv - F r i t 1 o c S OA SM-r toOPIta SsstMrda y 3 1 a c OOPIIR-2'cOOPgttl Clcvsed t S s srsdany 4L Hcvlldasy a

B

For more selections andupdated price pleasecheck:

@esne.vastechcom uter.corn

•a

e•

•

a

'

Phiups1g"LCD128021024 / 700,'1/ Dgi (h FGA (ntelPen t(um 4 (524f2.

06hs 1'rocessor ASUSPSPSN/RATA/USS20/Iga 1AII/Aud(o 1024N DDR400 RN / 182 DTDRw BISSIIBare SAThll 2506 (8llg RDD/OneOpen AG PSR Slot 5020 ATE To(ger 4:,,900W Poaer Sapply c I lbgitech DR250 Key(foard„p OpticalMouse

I,

0

Phil(ps 1g"LCD128021024 / 700:1 / Dgl ht UGA AlfD AM2Dual Core 8800<f2.06i Processor ASUSM2IIPTM/CSMDDR2/PCIExpressMotherbaord 1024MD DD RR 523 RAM/ 1st D'OR((Ttu/eoIL(sure 8 ATA 8 2506fsMiMDD/ OenPCIRxpressOpenSlot ® 5020 ATR To(ger e' 400l' PoluerSupply 5 Idfg(techDR250 Qyhoayd,'4 Opacal Mouse

R

•

v

~

ECS 7 6 1GX-M754 Motherboard + 5020 ATX Tower Case 350l/I/- $125.99 ECS NFORCE 570 SLIT-A / DD R -II 667mhz / Gigabit Lan / S-ATA2 MB + Intel Core2Duo (E6300) — --- $319.99

ASUS

•

DVD RWIW irelessGIN82

W indowsXPHomeEdition

em

P G B-E f/ ie e e 1 3 94 M o t h e r b o a r d

.LG 18 x DV D - R W w f 'th B u r n ing s o f t w a r e

24" Raidmax Scorpio668 Aluminum Case BFG 660W POWER SUPPLY 12mm Fan Windows XP Pro Edition (Vista Ready)

(nte) P4 (524) 3.0Ghz CPU —$149.99

1.0G RANI100GHDDI i5.4

s

ASUS EN8800GTX i 768RIIIPCI-Express Kingston 2GB DD R -II 66 7 M h z R A M Seagate S-ATA-II 40 0 68 ( ' 1 6N) H D D

'= I ECS P4M890T-MI DDR-l( I Video Audio I LAN I S-ATA I USB2.0 MB +

ASS F3F APOOOTHLaptop CoreDuoT2300e1.66GHR

e • I]

ACER AL2223WD 22" wide-screen LCD Intel Core 2 D u o (E6 6 0 0) Pr o c essor

' + /BIRIID Sempron 3000+ CPU

I989, 88

Wl

SfogfeTOC P126C Log((ech guich PIIOIS IN(OV ORW LDO(tacit(If 16087PD Acatstswna OX2$0 rhamu(M le Log(tec(t(II G5 LG dgew IV 2(n1PT(n(e r CsmM essenger 16'LCDD)/IOMfs'Lcosms Gsmsuti (Avcf«e/ndapar42O WOusfsn L»«M»so Oue(Lsier(22HJKsyboefdsMogse

$58.88

$19.88

$$5.88

$ 229.88$215,88

ugk Llnksys Llnksys T r a ndnet Trandnet WRT54GPI VyuS854GP 1NN PCI 54N card 25OG (JSJOI IDE(16SMJ

$59.88

$ 35.88 $ '35.88

25 . 8 8

9.8

M(ctnsotutfWireless Penor(vs 256MAGP 8l' LeserDesk(op6000

><8.88 $29.88 S>49.88 63,88 av

re

Athlon84 (AM2} 3500+-4539 Dual Core (AM2) 3800+4789

Dual Care {AM2) SSDD+41039 Dual Core(AM2) 3800+-SS89 Dual Core (AM2) 4200+-$829 Dual Core(AM2) 4200+-$1 079 Dual Core(AM2) 4200+-$629 Dual Core (AM2) ¹600+-$879 Dual Core (AM2) 4600+4112S

(AM2) 2800+4349 $61))prop(754j 3pppo+279Sempron Athlon64 {AM2) 3500+$395 EC$761QX M754 AGPBy,

512 nfa ooR¹oo POXCONN K SM890M2MA-RS2 FOXCONN 6100M2MA-BEKRSS H ASUS M2V S-ATA PCi-Expms' ASUS M2N-E S-ATA P C i-E S.ATA SDGBfesf) 7200rpmHOO 512 MB DDR.ii (PC4200) RAM 1D24MB DDR8 (PC5300) RASf 1024MB DORH (PC5300) RAN 20¹u NB DDR.H,(PC5300] RAM

LG OVO.RWfuX+/- Offal Layer 8.474N tsoos (Mtf 72Nrpm HDD SATA.II lsoGs (IMI TINipin HDD S-4744I 32OGS(fsNI TtosvpmHDD 3-AT44 4NGS 73Nfpm (18MI HDD DvD-Nw 18x v/ DualLayer LG DVDRty faX +/- Duel Layer Ls DVD.NWIOX a/ Dual Layer LG DVD.RW 18X +I. Dust Layer QHE AGPSX ppon Slol LG 0NE pct. Expvasa Open sl o t OlOOTC S4MS(upta 23SNI POLEi Ihidfa WOGT 2NN DDN3 PCI.Exp Nvfdis 38NGS 3OOMDDRI Pi nup USB2.0 / 10/100LA){ S Audi ., Usnloi Integratedionoo LANskutrm- Nvidia USBZDI Integrated 10i100LAN8 Audie USBSO Itntagraad 10110DLAN 8 Audie USBlioI iniagisisd 10(100LANiLAudio 350W TOwer Case .wl 2x US "' 4DDWTower Casa wi 2x USB 4DDW Tower Case wf lx US B i 4 2DW Tower Csea wi t x U S B 420W Tower Case wi l x U S B '

i(eybonrd + Wheel nfous PowsnfetsKeyboardv Optfcei Mussel Powentets Keyboard+ Optfcai Mouse Loeftech Keyboard v Opficai Mousse Lagitech Keyboard+ Optfcaf Nouse speakers EctNa' N13oo, u,t s peakers EdNer. N1300 u.f ' Speakers Edifier M13OO 3.1 Speakers fuuttlt(fned(o S ea n ers Mutt/media W/n KeyboardacsytsrFute@ With SyStem On ly: endow s 2003 Satvar wl $ e l (ants---4$3S + WheelMouse Win XPHom alPfol efbft — $55/$155/$175 W(ndows se03 Satvar 5 ((cense (add).ale$ SBLS +uowo k AwlS

IO OBOO2ge 38asulSBIPm-$1N/$81$355 SBESERVER2003 STHWITH5 USERCLIENT -

sudo

0(n ca2063slndant 8 Teacher — $155 windowsBad(acenter/ withMcconkglfaf — $130/$1ss

$6e88

9 88

Sxsxe ee

r»

Intel Celeron D 3.99G-4319 Intel Celeron D 3,90G-$369 DualCore 915 2.8G — $595 Core 2 Duo (E6390) — $629 Cor»2 Duo(E6399)~f 099 Intel P4 (524) 3.00G-4339 Intel P4 (524) 3,09G-$389 Core 2 Duo (E6390)--4669 Care 2 Duo (E6490) — $869 Core 2 otto (E6400)~1 1 39 Dual Care 820 2.896 $379 Dual Core 829 2,89G- $429 '.Core 2 Duo(E6409) — -$?99 Cora 2 Duo (E6899) — $969 ,CoreRDua(E6609)~1239

Asus PSG2-MX DDR-if, PCi-Ex ' Asfodk ' 775Dust-VSTA S-ATA, ECS N570SLIT-A S-ATA PCI-'Eii 'ABL/8pSl',D2 S&TA PCI-Express 512 MB DDR.li (PC4200}" RAIil. O24MB ODR-II (PC5300) RAM i .1024 MBOOR-Il (PC$300) RASI '2048I)tfa Obf(.H (PC5300jRAN 8.4748 taage .(O N/ 73N tem 'HDD. 8'4TA.II I I IGs ION) Tsoorpm HDD S.ATS-ll'OGS (fall/ TINrpm HDD 'unnTAof seosn 73Niem(NNj HDD 6474 soon (O M/ 72eorpm H LG DVO4IWfSX el Dual faye LG OVD-NWfux >/- Dual Layer LG .DV(4RW teX vl. Duaf Layer f.u DV'D Rnf feX +/. Ouef Layer LG OVD¹IW fex't/- Dual Layer OHE PCIExpress Opus Sfo ONE PCI-Express Open Bi ol,kivtiga SIOOTC Sane (opto 23OMIPCAE Nvfdfa TSOOGTlsalf DDR3pet Exp Hvfdfa TNDOS 358N DDN3pci-Exp USBI,O J1nisgraied 1D/(OOLANSAudio USB2.0I Itnegrated 1oflog LA(f SAudio USBI.O / Integrated io/10D LAN I Awrio USBI.D I integrated 10/100 LANS Audio USB2.0I iniagisied tgi1DDLANS Audie '38DW ' Tower Casa wf lx U SB T awsi Case wf l x US B 420W Tower Case wi l x US B 42DW Tawst Case wf lx U S B I 4DDW Tower Casa wf 2x U SB 4DDV/ nueybosrd e Whe at Mo use Powenfata Ksyboant v Opncatltouse PowsnfataKeyboard + Optical Mouse LagnechKeyboavd + Op tf cafMouse LagitachKeyboant + Opdcai Na uss tsdultfmedia Speakers n t u ftfmedfa Speakers Ed/tier Mf lee 2 . 1 S peakersEdNer Mflou 31 Spesksvs Edftiev N13OO 21 Speakora ECS P4MS9DT-M2 DDR-ii PCI.Ex 512 MB DDR400 (PC3200) RAM

Alt etteaauw wouo eayesu teavwue, '1 ttosv paulo Ilwllvua vuwvvdtwscf 1 Aa ct uvsvttoed pvtoeo ptnenatne fvwunb aonarvwwweus IS% so f cess. ."-",",u~~~ '

uantveua oottuac An acbwauka 4 tuveuutaaamutvosvattaseutsfeuakrvav am baaa

aawb ov intetwo dtsooont. uuo vwaovvothe vteht so oovssot lypoevapwleet evrova.Imx:

There were also a number of media-related software applications and utilities, such as: "Dn Demand," which helps stream TV and audio to a media player, "Network Magic," which is a home network management utility; "Media Vault," which performs automatic backups to an online server; and "LogMeln," which allows users to securely access their home computer from a remote location.

A number of tech companies have signed up with the Live! logo program; including most of the motherboard makers, and other peripheral and software companies like Creative, Logitech, AverMedia, D-Link and Western Digital.

Users connected to the server each have a Control Center interface on their individual computers that allows them to navigate the folders on the server or other connected PCs or other resources;,for example, you could set up network printers with the MediaSmart Server. The administrator can set privileges at the folder level, allowing full read. write, read-only or no access.

Mobile users with notebooks supporting remote accessIW!ndows XP Pro, MCE 2005 or Vista UltimateI will also be able to remotely access their horne computers through the server, or backup travel documents, digital photos, etc. to the server.

A common safety net with enterprise servers — automatic backup of data on PCs — is also a feature of the Home Server software, including full Vista and Home Server restoration of a hard drive image, should a PC hard drive fail. The MediaSmart With the general launch of Windows Vista set for the end of January, much Server will also stream media to home entertainment players through a of Microsoft's booth was devoted to this next-gen operating system. The digital media adapter. computers in the media room were running Vista too, so this provided many

By David Tanaka writers with their first taste of doing real work under the DS, A potentially more interesting DS announcement came d uring Microsoft chairman, Bill Gates' Voodoo Envy HW:201 keynote address:Windows Home Server, which will become available later this year. The name says it all: it is server software for the home. In Microsoft's booth was a nice example of hardware being developed to run the software — HP's MediaSmart Server. This is an AMD Sempronpowered server based on AMD's Live!

Home Media Server platform design spec. It has four drive bays. Populated with 7SDGB drives, you could have three terabytes of storage without going outside the box.

The server will support up to 10 user accounts and can be used with Windows, Mac or Linux computers.

I

•

•

•

•

r

•I

's

I

' •

•

4 •

Asus B C B4

Acer

Lenovo

HLIB : D igital Living - B.C. Lower Mainland Section - F e b r u ary 20 0 7

Fujitsu www.hubcanada.corn

G ER Re p o r t : H i g h D e f i n it ion For m at e C o n v e i g e Over the course of 2006, the release of Blu-ray and HD DVD, two competing , high-definition formats, was met with little fanFare. While videophiles and movie buffshave praised the advantages of Btu-ray and HD DVD over standard definition DVDs, the mainstream consumer has been very hesitant to adopt either format because of its hefty initial investment and the fact that either one could fail, Fast-forward to CES 2007,' where many of the major HD format announcements dealt directly with alleviating the problems associated with two different formats. From a consumer perspective, the new technologies effectively eliminate the burden of having to choose one format or the other.

While this is an interesting announcement, Ritek suggested that it could create HO DVDsand Blu-ray discs with as many as ten layers. The problem with these multi-lager discs, however, is whether or not current generation HD DVO and Blu-ray players can read the additional data, If they can' t, it may not be as big of a deal from a HDmovie disc perspective. Toshiba expects to have the format approved by the DVO forum sometime in 2007, meaning we could possibly see triple-layer HO l3YDs by the end of the year.

LG's HD DVO/Blu-ray Combo Drives Arguably the star of CES, LG's multi-format HQ players and burners were a huge hit at the convention. The Super Multi Blue BH100 is the world's first Blu-rayand HD DVDcompatible player oFfering the ability to playback Bluray, HD OVD and standard DVDdiscs. The BH100 is the functional opposite to Warner's Total HD hybrid disc, in that by supporting both formats, it doesn' t matter which kind of HD disc you get. What makes this ideal is that, unlike Warner's solution, it doesn't matter what HD format the movie studias decide to support as the BH1DD can play both. Furthermore, consumers can simply purchase the cheapest version of movies that are released on both formats, LG said the BH100 would be on store shelves the first week of February!

Rounding out their Super Multi Blue product line, LG also showed off the GGW-H10N,a combo drive thatcan play both HD OVD and Blu-Ray discs,as well as record dual layer Blu-ray discs at up to 4x. For the sake of compatibility, the GGW-H10N can also burn DVDs and COs. The launch price for both the BH100 Super Multi Blue Player and GGW-H10N burner will be a whopping US $1,199, but the prices will undoubtedly fall as other manufacturers release similar products throughout the year.

Warner's HO DVO/Blu-ray Hybrid Disc This past summer, a patent was filed by Warner Bros. in which they proposed a combination disc that housed both Blu-ray and HD OVD movie data. While the original patent suggested that Blu-ray and HD DVO information could be burned on to different layers of the same side of a disc(since Blu-ray is burned0.1mm deep,while HD OVD data goes on a layer0.6mm deep],what was shownatCES simply had HD DVD data on one side and Blu-ray on the other. While this eliminates HO DVD/DVD-based hybrids(with HD DVO on one side and regular QVO on the other], it allows for both HD formats to use multiple layers, which wouldn't have been the case if Warner decided to house both types of information on the same side. l3uring CES, Warner announced that the hybrid discs, named Total HD, would be available in the latter half of 2002 Currently, Warner is in talks with the other major movie studios in the hopes that, by removing the needfor exclusivity, studios will no longer have to be Blu-ray or HD DVQ only, For movie studios, it's equivalent to having your cake and eating it too (produce one disc, sell to both markets], while consumers will benefit from not having Theend offormat wa rs? to worry about which type of player they have.

If any of these new developments pan out, we could see an end to the format wars before they' ve even really begun. Although unconventional, this type Ti!pie-layerHO-DVDDisc of convergence is further proof that the industry's third parties (nonTo further blur the line between HD DYD and Blu-ray, Toshiba announced that partisan hardware manufacturers and especially the customers) really it has created triple-lager HI3 DVDs,whose storage capacity of 51 gigabytes don't want their movies segregated into two formats. Because of this, these surpasses that of even dual-layer Blu-ray discs (50 GB]. Not only was it abie hybrid, dual-format products should eventually achieve a decent amount of to add an extra layer, but it alsa managed to cram in two extra gigabytes per success. It will be interesting to see if these combo drives and discs get the layer, going from 15 GB to 17GB.Because the discs use the same production acceptance they deserve over the next year, and now more than ever I procedure as single and dual-layer HD OVD discs, the cost of adding the suspect that both formats can co-exist with these hybrid solutions available, additional layer will be negligible.

By Mike Palermo

Wari Hasvei

CREE

BT-gt l8 32- CllhhhtlS

Bluetootb t PS Reeelvevwith

WBT.100Wuetno5+ USB IIN g/J CPS Receiverw/ Tradtfxl a Compass Function GPSIIrn-236

w'fgfae S tlM.tO $

$9.9 0

Blvetooth GPS inelva O Mini She

Ci GDS pS/L or Rcceivu USB CPS Receiver Cl Vlu $82.tO GR-21) $67.90

EC 2 6 H

Intelligent GPS Navlgatlon SoftwaroIGuldance V3 for N, America/ Europe

32-HOICK Navlyatlon Tlrne (Indudesbothlaptop a pocketpcvenson)

• Car / Marine Navigation • Compatible toPOA/ laptop / Cell phonewith Sluetoothconnection (Mini Size: /2x 46$x20 mmlggg 9O

Super mlnlshet

Ko seven protectorFlm ~ ProtectsLCDSurface from water, oln, oust,

~ Detour and StopoverOptions

N. America: $114.90 Europe: $'t SR

Car Holtler starting fromg22.96 for pIA, Ceg Phoae,PSP,NP3, CP5HevlyaBoe ops Accessorleu

HolwAR-10GP$SignalRadiator 549.90 ExternalAntennaMCXQ4.90/MMCX $2LSO

pDA to cps cablea carchargerits.sa

v I I I

I

Scratch & Grease • from t2" to R" • tabyyovrdeke uter saeuh.taaraea (Wldemecnsizeavailable) hutat leer lnveamcnt wlNtayancc

• OynamkReroute

• Tum.by-turnDlredlons • voice 8 visualGuidance • ceo.Features2o/3D views

I

startfrom sto.la

I UnlvenalProtectorRim ' v Wateyroof, Oustproof,Germproof* • ouklncd ibrhfotcbaol A'ey leon/, Coeputcr tcyboand ,

Rawtc ronvutcr, rantku Phone,Sec@o nto, Ifootol, Oeno Sample Wnrp, etc...

• tot tXY atolewl. No taNvt of CIA. • rraesparart / StylusPetttm

Start from

$8.90

Only $1 3.SO

Desunator 6.a $12B.OO tu.lmcrtca)Is availablenowl

TomTom Navigator 6.a [pocket pc a vslmvcr<tool acomln SaoNI

UB : Gi g it et Living - B,C, Lower MainlandBeet;ion — February 2C3C77

www.hubceneda.corn

e Us l tttes S

s o t tt r t o N S .

e

•

* •

COMPUTER LTD. www.e power.

More Advice. More Support. More Technology. I +I

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Since 1999

INCLUDED

VNAd0%8 p + ~ VISI'cT Original Price: 44079 WlfldCIVII e™l MediaCenter Edion af Ho me Premtum

M- 1Q Q Media Center System W atch TV, play games, and browse videos /photos on your computer nght from the comfort of your living rooml ee Sn

QQ •

.

s -

I r

C•

•

I

e Intel® Pentium® Dual Core D91 5 • XP MCE w/ Free Upgrade to Vista Home Premium • ATI Theater 550 Pro TV-Tuner Card w/ Remote • 1GB OCZ DDR2 667MHz Memory • Asus P58-VM S775 G965 w/ VGA and Gigabit LAN • WD 250GB SATAII 7200RPM Hard Drive • LG 18x Dual Layer DVD Writer • Antec NSK2400 Media PC Case & Ultra Quiet 380W PSU

• Logitech Cordless EX1 10 Keyboard 8 Mouse • Cyberlink Power DVD6 and Anti-Virus Software Included 'Monitor Not Included.

5®

QlIa •e••

ee re

g

g

ne Se

e

E 306

V-26O Great SOHOComputer

Economic & Stylish System

• Intel® Pentium® 4 Dual Core 820 e 512MB Samsung PC3200 DDR400 M emory • Asus P5PE-VM 865G Mainboard SATA RAID • W D 80GB 7200RPM 8MB SATA II HDD • Logitech Keyboard & Mouse, Altec Lansing Speakers, LG 18x Dual Layer DVDRW • Free Anti-Virus Software Included

• AMD Athlonne 64 3500+ AM2 • 51 2MB Samsung PC4200 DDR2 Memory • Asus M2NBP-VM CSM rttM2 Quadro21 QS • Hitachi 160GB SATA II 7200rpm HDD • Microsoft Keyboard & Mouse, Altec Lansing Speakers, LG 18x Dual Layer DVDRW • Free Anti-Virus Software Included

sygg

s83$

G-200

I

Undefined Gaming Experience

e AMD Athlonn" 64 X2 4600+ AM2 Dual Core • 1GB OCZ DDR2 667MHz Memory • Asus M2N32-SLI-WF AM2 NF59Q SLI MCP • Seagate 320GB SATAII t 6MB 7200rpm HDD • eVGA GeFORCE 7600GT 256M PCI-E • Logitech Speakers, Wireless Keyboard 8 Mouse,LG 18x DualLayerDVDRW • Antec Sonata II 17' Black ATX w/450W PSU e Free Anti-Virus Software Included

sg'I

BCEf Acer TraveIMate 24$0-2247 Cel M-l.46GHz / 512MB DDR2 / 40GB /CDRW-DVD / 14,1' WXGA /XP MCE

AcerAspire 3690-2813 Cel M-1.46 GHz / 1 GB RAM / 100 GB / DVDRW /802.11b/g / XP MCE /15.4" WXGA

LG F1-2245A9 Core2 Duo T5200-1.60GHz / 512MB DDR2 /80 GB / DVDRW/ XP Home/15.4" WXGA

•

•

FREEGIFTI Ask us about free notebook accessory with all notebook purchases.

t

g ttttstaesttttrtie

•

R RR

I

II

~•

iI

4

•

t; I WE ARE OPEN ONLINE 24/7.VISIT US AT WWW.A-POWER.COM. I

RICHMOND TE L: 6Q4.273.8868 ) FAX; 604.273.8280 BURNABY TEL: 604.570.0766 4448 EAST HASTINGS ST, V5C 2K2 ¹101-11211 BRIDGEPORT RD, V6X1T3 Open Mon - Fri 10am till 6:30pm, Sat 10am-6pm, closed Sundays 8 holidays.

P S3 vs . W i i vs. X b n x 3 8 0 So, which video game st)stem is for you7 It's never been a better time to be a video garner — but it's also never been so confusing.

Not one, but two new video game systems recently debuted — the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii — joining the gear-old, critically-heralded Microsoft Xbox 360.

Choosing which video game console is for you can be a tough decision — weighting in factors such as price, game line-up, target age group, controller type, Internet support and multimedia features — but the following

should help paint a clearer picture on what to expect between the three gamingmachines.

Thumbs ready? Here we go.

Sony PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3[PS3] offers the most advanced hardware out of the new consoles, but you' ll have to pay for this luxury — the machine costs $549 [with 2OGB hard drive) or $659 [with GOGB hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and memory card reader]. For serious garners, though, this means near-photorealistic graphics, as you' ll see with launch titles such as Sony's sci-fi shooter, Resistance: Fall of Man. To get the most out of this sleek, black machine's technical prowess, however, you'ilneed a HDTV and HDMI audio-video cable [not included] to connect the PS3 to your television — especially if you want to watch Blu-ray movies on your PS3, which is one of its selling features [Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights is included].

At first glance, the wireless PS3 controller resembles its PS2 predecessor, but it's lighter arid offers built-in motion-sensing functionality [though it's not fully utilized in the first batch of games), Curiously missing, however, is the rumble feature found in the PS2 controller.

Turn the PS3 on and you' ll hear a symphony tuning up just before the "cross media bar" appears, which lets players navigate between games, music, videos, photos and so on [similar to the PlayStation Portable interface).

The PS3 is also backward-compatible, so it' ll play both PS1 and PS2 games,plus italsoreads CDsand DVOs, Nintendo Wii The relatively affordable Nintendo Wii [$229) is much smaller and lighter than the PS3, but this little, white console offers a few surprising twists. One is how you control the games. Rather than a conventional joystick, the Wii controller resembles a DVO remote with integrated motion-sensors, so you can slash the controller like a sword in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the related action is seen onscreen. Or swing your arm forward and back to volley a tennis ball in Wii Sports[a suite of sports games you get with the Wii console).

A second "nunchuck" controller [also included] can be tethered to the main controller for added functionality. Controlling some games, such •

It I'0 SYSTEMS

High Syslex5Avaihbiftf

Our Services lnelucllB.

Business Solutions:

• Hardwarelsoftware Sales tc installations

• • • • •

IT Consulting Services Servers Virtualizatlon SAN — Clustering Information Security Network Systems Nanagement Disaster Recovery • Repairs 8 Upgrades

• Virus, Spyware & Adware Removal • Systems Upgrade 8c Repairs • Home Network Installation k Repair

Showroom Nc Repairs Depot Unit l06 - l3030 76 ave, Surrey, BC.V3W 2Y6

Contact us:

77&-2IS-Sill o r e

B C 2B

gg I~mmm c-:-~

7 7 8-8SS-OI20 e

•

Bmm

Maxler 3" — ~

HU B: D i g ital Living - B.C. Lower Meinlsnd Section - F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 7

K~

•

T ose l a a

V v O L

O~

E I

~

$59 • 55

+ y

me • • • 8

••

'15

C

e

E

C

3 Bridgeport Rd.<~ e

•

0

(0 -

• •

8

Sempron 3QQQ......

MSI Motherboard 256MB PO3200 OOR RAM Video Sound Lsn on Board

BDGB 7200rpm MDD 52X CDROM 17" Mid Tower Case Keyboard +Wheel Mouse + Speaker

Home Officer CeteronD 3.0G....$265

ECS/Foxconn P4 Motherboard 256MB PC3200 RAM Video Sound Lan on Board

intel

Keyboard+Wheel Mouse+Speaker

AIW2 3505(Dual Core)$649 Itjl

Asus M2N-E Motherboard 1 GIB OOR2 RAM

160G SATA 7200rpm HDD

s

P5 Contmander (0 ic Dual Core 820 2.8G........ ', R . !

Asus PSSBOO-VM Motherboard 512MB DDR RAM Video Sound Lsn on Board 80 HDD 17" Tower Case

Asus P5LD2 Motherboard 1GB DDR2 RAM

945 3.4G (4M).......$729 E5300 Core20uo......$755

802.11g Wireless Lan Windows MediaCenter mors I aplop on www,poweraonlc.ca

7" Portable DVD / DivX Player

14 w Aluminum

Notebook Case

SxtP wl USB 8 Card Reader Input

Mediasonic Lan Drive

Hns-U2

$29 More Case on www.powersonic.ca

Bluetooth Car Kit Speaker with Mic

'4'

ASU5 F3F,CORP" DUO 1.66 CPU 1GB DDR2,100GBHDD,DVD-RW 15A", CAMERA,802.11G, XPHOME more Laptop on www.powsrsonic.ca

Playstation2 Controller to PC Converter

DVD+/- RWDLBurner

15.4" WXGA Screen Wireless Lan / GB Lsn Bluetooth / Card Reader Full Size Key(toant wit

Nvmsr(ca/ Ksypsd

more Laptop on www.powersonlc.cs

ECS 7816X-M754 INotherboard + SEiiiPRON M006 CPU a Fan

$99 88 LCD Protection Film

12u-19n Easy to DlY Waterproof Oustproof High Transparenc No Residue of Glue$1

PC Webcam

Bluetooth Headset

6

80GB Hard Drive 512MB DDR2 RAM

$10

Face Tracking 1.3M Pixels

Samsung Super Mini

«««V)sta Basic /ns(al)sd»>x

for 2 Players,

for XBOX

$39

MSI M662 t{t 2 Year Warranty ) intel Celsron 1.46Ghz CPU ,

Wireless 2.4Ghz Game Controller at pc

$69

(CIIp

mt Free

Windows XPHome(Free Bag) more Laptopon www.powersonlc.ca

'I

Lcgltsch G5 Gaming Mouse Ligitsch X-530 5.1 Speaker

2nd YearWarranty

802.11g, Card Reader Gigabit Lan, Camera

Asus P55 Cors2Ouai Motherboard 2GB OCZ 800Mhz DOR2 RAM

CooierMastsr Mystique Cess 600W Power Supply Lcgitech 615 Gaming Keyboard

ASUS FBF-AP007H

DVD+/-RWBurner 14,1" WXGA

14.1" WXGA1280x800

!

LG taxDVD Burner Dual Layer

LG taxOVO Burner Ousi Layer Cooler Master Tower Case

!

Core2Duo E6400....... , Core2Duo E6600..$(52

320G SATA2 (18M)HDD

Logltech PS2 Keyboard Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse Lcgitech 2. t Subwocfer Speaker

,

P5 Xtremer (Cora 2D )

eVGA 8866GTS684M PCI-E Mdeo

nVldis 7300GS 256M PCI-E 160G SATA 7200rpm HDD

ASUS ASF-

~

AM2 5209.....$1555 Asus M2N-E AM2 I6totherbcsrd 2G8 Corsair PC5400 OOR2 RA

Thermsltske Silent 500W Power Logitech Gts G amingKeyboard Logitsch Gs Gaming Mouse Li itech X-530 5.1 5 sker

Pentlum 5 24 3.0G...... . ...

Pentium 541 3.2GR ...$369

Windows PS2 Keyboard Optical Wheel Mouse 2 Pcs Multimedia Speaker

Athlon AM2 4200 AM2 460a.....$1455~ as '

Tt Amor Jr. Gaming Csee

1 I" Black Tower Case Logltsch PS2 Keyboard Logitsch Optical Wheel Mouse Ligitech 2.1 Subwoofer Speaker

LG 18x DVD Burner Dual Layer

•

LG 18xOVD Burner Ousl Layer

LG 18xDVD Burner Dual Ls I

•

sVGA TIRaGT 512M PCI-E Video 3206 SATA2 (16M) HOO

eVGA 7300GS 256M PCI-E

Windows PS2 Keyboard Optical Wheel Mouse 2 Pcs Multimedia Speaker

Intsl Core Duo ).89Ghz CPU 80GB Hard Drive 166 ODR2 RAN Intel GMA 945 Video

60GB HardDrive af2NB DDR2RAN DVD+I-RW DLBurner

'

AM2 $500......,.$615

Video Sound Lsn on Board 80G 7200rpm HDD LG 18xOVO Burner Dual Layer I r ATX Tower Case

R

Power Garnet(D I c )

Athlon AM2 3200...........,....

MSI/ECS AM2 Motherboard 5IZMB DOR2 RAM

Acer 3680-29744ICE Celeron M410 1.46GhzCPU

•

Play Center

AM2 Semprcn 3200...

AM2 Ath ton 3000..$349 AM2 Athlon 3500..$369

P5 Partner

CeleronD 2.8G......

•

• •

AM2 Master

The Pioneer

BOG B7200rpm MDD 52X CDROM 17" Mid Tower Case

•

•

Z

Logitech G5 Gaming Gra Laser Mouse

$49

9 23

3.5" Multifunction Panel USB2.0/1394/SATA/Audio/

Cardjteader (Black/Silver/ Beig<eFaceplate) I/ s

$19

www.powersonlc.ca

Aluminum Storage Case (Can hold 200 CD/DVD)

LG USB2.0 Pen Drive

Brother HL-2040 Laser Printer

$BB* 2GB....S31

'atter $30 Mail-In-Rebate

-

'

~

GameBridge/TV Tuner for PlayStation 2 I

Xbox I GameCube

~

$34."

as zelda, takes some getting used to, but will prove intuitive after a Dead Rising, not to mention impressive 2007 games on the horizon, such as few levels.

Mass Effect, Halo 3 and BioShock.

Be aware, though, in order for the motion-sensor to measure 3-0 space, Plus, garners.w ho enjoy playing on the Net won't find a more you must stick a small black sensor bar on or just beneath your television, comprehensive online network than Xbox Live[$60 a year], where players which sends an infrared signal to the controller to confirm location.

Another caveat about the Wii system: don't expect highresolution graphicsas you will with the PS3 or Xbox 360.

Nintendo's efforts went into reinventing how you play the game rather than how the games look. In fact, the launch titles do not look much better than Nintendo GameCube games (the Wii will play these too)„ While some games are for older players [such as Ubisoft's 'Teen"-rated Red Steel], the Wii is the best pick for younger garners. Players will also be able to download hundreds of past Nintendo classics, such as Super Mario Bros., for a few bucks apiece or watch free streaming online content via Wii Channels.

Xbox 360 While all the attention may be on the PS3 and Wii this past holiday season, don't discount the Microsoft Xbox 360 (starts at $399).

After all, the game has hundreds of quality titles, such as Gears of War, Viva Pinata, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and

0 anada's LARGEST FTA Distributor. 4,000 Systems in Stoe !

A

Y OU M U S T

B R I N G T H IS AD TO R E C E IV E T H E S E S P E C IA L P R I C E S IOOOFT M5~

S99

I OOOFT CAT6

tl+RO6

) s74 ss

99

ARIXA 800$

elded FT4 Cable W/FREESWITCH OR CABLE Quad-Shi W/2 Dua W/ Dual LN LNB "DISH S24 99

EL

lOOOI 7 ROSS

.= Sy4 99

S99 99

Gigabit 24AWG Cable

FT4/UL RatedCable

Sgg 99

AIIZA 700 W/FREE SWITOI OR CABLE

SS" Dl

99

S29."

3 9" DISk 49 .

WITH ANYRECEIER PUROIASE

ePRIOINAL AND

IN S'fALL KITS EtlEIAIBIIOMN NEED TP • 5$LLA SAIIllllKOSH

'14."

99

YOU GET 2 18" DISH L 4 H

DSS LNB

IC A L DISH

S4g

Sy9

110/119 SRACKKr WITH ANYDSSLNBPURCHASE

SATFIMDSR Klr 19.99

CPNPATIBLE RENPTES ~ARIXA - PANSATFORTEC - ~ DISIINET9 AM D UP

IIaad LNB Holder for Elliptical Dish

]4

99

Coast to Coast Locations! (DKALBISWELCOME) AuthorizedArha® Distributo. WeAccept Cash, Credit Card andOebk.

Neee «Iteet teesesseu sy oe- II 914u gage eMsl- Ms Oueaaee Lest- Reaepkaeh ar sais atM et 0 leeeaeee - Mete eet eeeeayeeeseue -8%-

a

eI'

I•

(

•I

s

I • BC B Q H

U B: D i g ital Living - B.C. Lower Mainksnd Beets -

Febr u a ry K X F 7

can piay with or against others in cyberspace, chat via a headset or Webcam, downloadgame extras and demos and play vintage or casual games inthe Xbox Live Arcade.

The curvy, bone white console features removable faceplates so garners can customizeits appearance. The Xbox 36D is also designed as a multimedia machine for the living room that plays DVDs, CDs, and with an optional $199 peripheral, HD DVDdiscs for high-definition movies (which also includes King Kong and a remote).

s

I

Mon- F r i : 11 $00-18:30 Sat: 10:30- 17 :00 Sun: Closed '1Ir-

.b ROad, C " quitlam T e l :604 o»

- ~52fBo

Fax,:604 93l -58 91

MD Athlon Dualaore $800 AMD Athlon Dualaore 4600 It/IOItfl'HLY' SPECIAL AMD SEMPRON Am2 2800+ AMD Athlon 643000 Asus M2N4-SLI MS ASUSIN2NPV-VM MB External Hard drive 2508 MSI K9V858-V MB MSI K9V8M-V MB 024MB DDR2 641 RAM 1 88 DDR2 667 RAM 512MB DDR2 667RAM Zalman 5,1 headphorre 512MS ODRB 461 RAM NVIDIA d150 VIDEO CARD NVIDIA 79008$ 256MB Log i teah X-$30 6.1 Spealte r Video/Lan/Sound Video/Lan/Sound 2508$ 7200rpm HD 6088 /200rpm HD 8088 7200rpm HD 14088 7200rpm HD 8" ATX Tower W/350W 18 A T X Tower W/4$0W USB 17" ATX Tower W/350w USB 17" ATX Tower W/350W U$$ PC WEBCAM 18X OVD Writer 1SX DVD Writer 'I 6X DYD-ROM 1$X OVDWriter 0$8 Bluetooth MINI Wireless MOUSE NOTEBOOK USB 1.18HT

I

Intel Celeron 2.88HZ MSI PMSPM-V MB

IntelCORE 2 DUAL Ed500 Intel CORE 2 DUAL E4400 Intel P4 d4BIT 5.08HZ ASU$ P58 MS INTEL D9468ZIS MB MSI PMSPM-V MB 188 OOR2 461 RAM 512INS ODRZ 467 RAM 18 DDR2 467 RAIN 512MB DDR2 d61 RAM 0INTEL XSODDVIOEO CARD ATI X'I 600PRO 512MB Video/Lan/Sound Video/Lan/Sound 80088 7200rPm HD 8088 7200rpm HD 1d088 7200rPm HD 14088 1200rpm HD 17"ATXTowerW/350w USB 17" ATX Tower W/350W USS 18" ATX Tower /$60W 18" A TX Tower W/4$0W USB GEFoRGE BBQQGTx 768MB AGP 18X DVD Writer 16X DVD-ROM 18X DVD Writer 18X DVD Writer

u er e a -

57/j

,5e

u'

CD/DVD Drive

Networldng

Sound Card

Hard Drive $18 80/16QATA $36 25Q/320 ATA

ATI RADEON 9250 12BMB ATIRAOEON 9560 256MB ATI RADEON XI 300 256MB ATI RADEON Xl 600 PRO 266MB ATI RAOEON Xl boo PRO 512MB ATI RADEON X85QPRO 256MB

$63/$69 $15 56K V,92 Modem $20 6 CH SOUNDCARD $53/$ 1 19 USBIN SERIAL ADAPTER $25 I 0/I OQ NIC $16 Creative AudigySE $69 80/'lbosata $54/$70 SB $29 5/8 Ports Switch $26/$39 creative Audigy43E LG52X32X62 CD-Writer Creative Audigy2 28 $79 25 0 /320 Sata $84/ $ 1 2tt, LG H22N DVD-RW I BX $40 U SB/Pc mela NIC $ 19/$ 2 9 Speaker $79 40 / 80/1008 NB $ 6 9/$99/$119" lG H22l DVD-RW I BX Ls $49 DLlnk DI-6Q4 4 Port Router $45 Creative PSBQ Speaker $ 109 512MB/18/28 $19 / S29/$49 Piekfaf PX-76QA $129DLink Dl-624 Wireless Router $49 Creative PTSQQ Pioneer DVR-111D $45 Linksys Wifeless Router $69 lagifechR.203peakef $29 2. 5 ' /3.5 Enciouser UBS $19/$29" $39 L cgifech x-230 Speaker $49 3 . 5 Enlauser USB+1394 $ 6 9 „ CD-R/DVD-R 50P $18/$19 MSI PCI Wireless 118 $99 CD-RW/DVD+RW $1,5/$2.6 MSI USB Wireless 118 $39 LcgltechX-SBQB.I Speaker $69 3.6 lANDRIVE $26 3.6 ONE SUTTON BACKUP S59 SQ.6PCMCIA WIRLEBS I TG $35 UBB BOUNQCARD DVD CASE

LG CD-ROM LS16XDVD-ROM

www.hubcanacfa.ccm

February BOOT -

$19

$14 $6

Video Card

PCI-E GEFORCE 62QQ 128MB GEFORCE 73QQG3256MB GEFORCE 760QGS 256MB GEFORCE 760OST 256MB GEFORCE 79008$256MB GEFORCE 795QGT 612MB GEFQRcE BBQQGTB 64QMB

II listed prices reflected 3% cash dlsccunfecf. System warranty: I year parts & 3years labour

$99 $59 $ 69 $19 $19

H LI B : Digital Lh4ng — B.C, Lcwar Mainlanct Sacticn

$59 $99 $139 $169

$239 $329 $689 S769

$45 $79 $109 $139 $169

$199

$25 $25 $10 $29

$29 $15

&19

$39 $19

BC 81

Fir et & l a ne:e Dual digital heads better than one

PowerDesk SE2 software to support more resolutions, plus widescreen and Montreal-based Matrox Graphics Inc. (www.matrox.corn) has brought its standard aspect ratios.

DualHead2Go into the digital age by introducing the Digital Edition of the The product iscomp atiblewith Windows XP, Vista and Mac OSX. It will be product, DualHead2Go is an external box with one display input and two available in March. Estimated price is approximately $300. display output pons. It connects to a compatible graphics card output port where Windows treats it like a widescreen monitor. The DualHead2Go unit i divides this widescreen video output into left and right portions and sends each half to its separate monitor outputs. Thus, Windows might send one 3840x1200 pixel signal to the DuaIHead2Go, while it, in turn, sends two 1920x1200 signals to two monitors.

The DualHead2Go Digital Edition brings the obvious advantage over the analogue version of being able to connect two digital displays (it also supports analog displays). Matrox says it has also enhanced the Matrox

g g g g g g g T I: (604)278-5561 4$HI954456 Wob: www.simmtcc.cern

I

I

Warehouse Sale (mMLFIO Com ble Ink Cartrtd

E-man: Leeeelmmtec.corn

I)IK Jot Photo Paper(Cbely/llatte) Buy 2 Ict 1 free!!

IS09001-2000 Buy 2 Epson cartridges for '1 1"ftt 8.5" x 11" (Iessy) 'S.BO/29sht 2 Canon Cartridges for '9" 6 get a 4" x e"(Iessy) '5.50/50sht pack of Glossy 8.5" x11" (20 sht.)Ot

Top Quality

4" x 6" (50 sht.) photo paperFREE. Printtc Services ltvatiablo CD.label (9(ossy)'19.90/89 hheis Cleosy Photos (per sheet) CD-label (Matte)'l.0.90/I26 lahsts 5" x 7" %.59 8.5" x 11" '1.29 nbeuab ament 3NNIS eff(udas If SIS+) labels(Sissy) -'0.79/label Salesman Wanted!!!

Discounts on la u a nltlec

ClhDltD labels

I I

i I' I

O

,

l

I

Ruby©simmtec.corn

Manufacturer 4 Suppliers ofComputer Memory 15 Yeats of Srcel/ence

FOR FACTORY OIRKCT PRICKS ON 72 PIN, 30PIN 168 PIN SDRAM, DDRs a RAMOUS SPKCIALISTr PROPRIETARYMODULES FOR NOTEBOOKS a PRINTERS FROM A Ta z AVAILAOLE:ALL KINGSTON PRODUCTS CPIAc INTEI.ANDAMO SOFTWARE,NARD NDVES ANO NOTEOOOK NARD DRIVES FLAKI O IKOIIKNMY: COMPACTRASH, SMARTMEDIA, SECUREDIGITALMEMORYSOCK FOR ALLKINDS OFNARD TO RND PARTS, CAIL OR EMAL

MK cucotnarn enr:lppaov8vrHlnnplNF.

i I

O

~

a

•

Feb 24th ff March 17th 11:00 am-4:00 pm

Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250Commercial Drive, Van., BC

DeskTops, Removables, SAN/NAS,Raid, DUD,CD, Tape,Zip,

g

•

•

•

Forensic service

Teg6O4)608-6178

A DM I S S I Q N A dults 8 3 .0 0 K id s U n d e r 1 2 F r e e , F amily Ra te : $ 9 .0 0 (4 m e m b e r s )

Toll ree: 1-888-888-5588 Info@datarecoverypro,corn

Suite 1000- 355 Burrard St Vancouver BC VSC 2GO(Marine Building, Downtown)

•

•

a

-

Heal oNee: (604)630-7%2

Fag (604) 303-7N9 Coooogooaf er Reclycllnll Ceooire

Ne pay GASH for your useless • COMPUTERS • MONITORS ~OX • SCANNERS • COPY MACHINESe~~ • FAX MACHINES

•

0

•

+

a

0

a

Dead Drive Cleanroom Service $500" From dead,deleted, formatted, fdisked, corrupted, virus infected, passworded, CD,water 8 fire damaged, overwritten, inaccessible devices: hard drive, raid, zip, DVD, Removable, optical, flash

memory, tape, audio / digital image files ...

Forensicservice Nindours/Ntac/finial NetWare 16 Yearsof Quality Service oata backin as little as 24 hrs.

I

Please Note: only large number ofitems accepted for recycling.

H UB : D i g 'cal Living - B.C. ~

•

e • '

'153-5951Ilnorn Bll)0 Rlchmoal B 1:lf6X 4$1 Clhala

BC B2

e

S ATU A O A Y

Retrieve Data From Crashed Drive Data Recovery for data Loss caused by fires, water,powe surges, partition, format, corruption. From: LapTops, Floppy. OS: W i ndows, Mac, Linux,Unix

•

•

M ainl a n d Section - F e b r u ar y BOD7

(604) 681-3770 ro» Free: I-Bv-469-367o Businesshours:/II-F:B:30am-5pm 1050 W.PenderSt.Suite 745,Vancouver,BC Y6E 387

info@lstDataRecovery.corn www.1stnatanecevery.cern

88%06%855 Marketing Inc www.progressmarketittg.corn

Ultim a t e

H o m e T h e a @I™e

ff(10- 12811 Clarke Place, Richmond. BC VBV 2H9 Tsi: (604) 821-0066 (800) 818%944 Email: info/Iprogressmarketing.corn H ours; Mon-Fri 9am-5 m

Direct sales lines:

Equipment I service - Richard: 778-371-129D Emgik rpeatca@pmgntasmatketing.cctm Service - Colin: 604-231-8777 Email: cotin@prograssmarketing.corn •

•

w

0

~

•

•

DVD I CDROM Authoring CD I QVD Duplication I Replication Marketing CD development CDR I DVD-R Printing Video Production Offset I Digital Printing Multimedia I Graphics Desi Assembling8 Packaging •

Fulfillm ent

•

Tape to DVD

(Bmm movie/ mini OVI VHS)

~

~ $ 4hrds ~gdsua l

- HandinguutCD/DVDsto your c/isnts? p - Still handwriting onthem?

-ilnpdngngyourcompanynamesnd hgo will greatlyenhanceyourimage.

- Inexpsnstvs. Luwminimumrsquirsmentsy

, ©o

t JJjg. Talus. Shaw Cable, BC Hydro, Tatacan Gaa, UBC. BGIT. u of AB, Kwanttan univarstly college. Icsc. wcs, Transttnk,GVRD, Bc Mtniahy of Energy s Mtnaa. Bc Lcswy. ~

HsctppsLtgaWmtv~ US82

Gcvl al NWT. McDonald's Restauntnt. MacDcnald Daltwilan Nckia. DHL/Lcnmls, Gman Panes

How to turn tjouroldP( into a PVR

•

Did you know that the old PC gathering dust in your basement is just waiting to be reborn as the hub of your living room entertainment centre? Assuming said PC isn't too old, all you' ll need to do is clear off the hard drive, add one or two new pieces of hardware and voila: you have your very own home-made personal video recorder(PVR].

The first new piece of hardware you' ll need is a TV tuner card - an internal board that will allow your computer to receive a television signal either through a standard coaxial cable(the cord that runs from the cable outlet in your wall to your TV]or over the air via an antenna.

Tuner cards start around $20 for a basic board with a single coaxial inputand go up in price depending on your needs.Some cards have a second coaxial input that allows for the connection of an antenna to receive over-the-air television and FM radio broadcasts, as well as S-Video, composite and audio inputs to facilitate the connection of other video devices such as camcorders. Most tuner cards also come with PVR or other media management and playback software — a necessity for , viewing television schedules and recording programs.

ATI's $150 TVWonder 650 PCI is one of the best tuners on the market. It supports the reception of free-to-air HD TV(via a separately sold

•

•

Best quality. Great pricing. Responsive and peace of mind service.

PeA wee(FS~ 1000 CDs pressed bulk pack

$499

1000 Dtu/D5 pressed bulk pack $ 7 99

5 colour print included. Film charge applies.

(Must quote Hub"0207" to obtain these special prices) •

0

•

MF Digital l Primers l Rimage l Vedty Duplicators l Inkjet tk thermal printers

Call Richard at 778-371-1290

PNMj3IIL Ivcllwcvccv

- Standalone - Wytron controller

Z

- Pioneer 111 burners

$199

- 160GB Hard drive

1-5 O'FN

Prints text andlogos onregular silver CD/DVDs.Fssi 8 economical

1-10 0'/7.If@

Baxter b MF Di ital Automatically - copies CDs and DVDs

- backup your hard disk with scheduling - batch rip audio CDs to MP3 or WMA

- batch create CO and OVD images - Easy to use. USB connection - Software included •

DVD media:

Plincn 4X 50 pk RiDais Pro 8Xprintable 50 pk Tsiyo YudsnSX 50pk Tsiyo Yudsn8Xprintable 100pk Taiyu Yudsn 8X Evelssi100 pk o~gtsr gglli Stomper label 100pk Stomper/TDKlabel kii

$16 $19 $23 $68 $85 $16.50 $23/$15

(Wa reserve tha nght tb change . pricing as and whan nntutreds

•

•

isct a tcww

CD/DVDpapersissve 100pk $4.00 DVD casersguisr 1&pk $2 4 DVD caseslim 200-pk $44 DVD caseslim double 100pk $24 D VD doublcase e 10(Htk $2 9 DVDcsssfnr3or4 c y ~$0.60 DVD casefor 6 b",a< $1.00

D VD case for 0 Pg

$1. 50

D VD case for 10 «' $1.5 0 CD essacsl/owrsp 100-pk $5.00 DVD case cetlowrsp 100(tk 56.00 CD/DVDclamshell 50-pk $16.00

Spp/tttrs vsdson X DDO

Fet3rustny 2GQ7 -

H U B : D igital Living — B.C. Lowe M e in/end Beocion

BC 33

ATI TVWonder 6IICI PCI

antenna), and it has a great software package called Catalyst Media Center that delivers full PVR and DVD playback and recording functionality along with a robust set of video augmentation technologies.

Installing a tuner card is relatively simple and takes only a few minutes, but if you don't want to pry open your case, then an external tuner might be in order. Hauppauge's $200 WinTV-PVRUSB2 is a small box that connects to your PC via aUSBcable, It tops out at 125 channels and lacks over-the-air HD TV reception capability, but it comes with an IR remote that helps emulate the traditional television viewing experience.

The second piece of hardware you need to worry about is a graphics card. If your existing graphics board was manufactured in the last few years, it' s probably powerful enough to accommodate the modest requirem ents of processing television video. The key isn't so much in specs like graphics processor speed or dedicated video memory, but rather TV output capability.

In other words, you need to be sure that your card has at least one video output that jives with the television to which you wish to connect your PC. The chances of your fancy, new flat panel having a standard PCf VGA) input aren't great, which means your graphics card should offer at the very least a composite [yellow) or S-video [round with pins) output that can be used to send a standard defInition video signal to your television. If you want a high

6

•

%5®

• • s • ss '

535 95

IIPGRADE SPECIAL AMD sempfon3000+ y$spln BCS F61GX-MAII-In-1 MB

~.'+I,&s45,,

A SEIS

KN7600GS 2541R SIIQsstPC I-E 5 1 1 5.95 HP 15x DYD-R 54pcs

5l4.45 B C $4

By Chad Sapieha

•

Surtrlllance Cameras

cMosorccTVType

definition signal, your graphics card will need an HD jack, typically HDMI or OVI. But don't get too hung up on making sure your video card supports HD. Some tuner cards might allow you to receive overthe-air HD TV signals from major networks, but there aren't any tuner cards that support HD TV signals received from set-top boxes. In other words, you can' t funnel an HD signal originating from your cable provider through a PC. At least not in Canada, In the U.S., TV tuner cards that support the American CableCard standard allow PCs to act as a hub for HD television signals. Sadly, the CableCard standard isn't used in Canada. When will we be able to route cable HO TV signals through our PCs[via a CableCard or some other technology)? That's up to Canadian broadcasters, and it looks like we might still be years away.

Consequently, an HO capable graphics card will be useful only if you plan to receive and view free-to-air HD TVsignals using a high-end TV tuner card for if you pian to use your PC inconjunction with any other form of high definition content, such as downloaded HD videos or Blu-ray or HODVDmovies ].

If you decide you need or want an HD video card, a good option that won' t break the bank is the $150 Radeon ATIX1300 Pro. It sports an 5-Video cable for standard definition output and a DVI jack for HD video.(If your television doesn't have a OVI input, you can buy a DVI to HDMI dongle for just a few more bucks.]

And that's it. Not only have you fashioned a powerful PYR for your living room, you' ve also saved one more PC from the junk heap. Congratulations and enjoy.

Acer 20" ZOl BLIND

ASllS WSFAl

•

Asus PSB 965P MB

r fr rcezoooor ~mM

250GB 72001 pmSATAII Hard Orive nVidia l600GS 2S6MB PCI-EVGA

5 g $$8

1 sx Oval Layer DVO Writer LogitechCordlessKB+ Optical Mouse Edifier M1300 2.1 Suhwoofer Speakers CoolerMaster 430W Tore Power

WD 254G SiAl'All

1400xl 050, 6Q011

3.5 HDD

Bms,OVI& Analog, Speakers

Hlfachf 44G IDE

5245.45

s •

lmel Core2Duo E6300

COBE2 OUO2.0G T7200. xss, tG,TXQG8,12n WXGA, BXOVEhBW,XPMCE, 13MP Camera,

Carrying Bag,Mouse 2yearsGlobalwarranty

•s

82

as eseaa ~"5

H LIB : D i gital LiVing - B.C. Lower Mainland Section — February 2 0 0 7

i i '

•I •

il .

• ' •

-s•

www.hubcenade.corn

Oak d Qransuie

tef: 664 7

fax : 6 0 4 731-2273

:0000 0

enerie Technology

Fir at CSlance

6)00

0

Computer Sales4 Services

ww.gene riccomputer.corn

Canon's entry-level long lookers Canonhas added three models to its entry-level ZR camcorder line.

What*s not so entry-level about the ZR8SD, ZR830, and ZR800 MiniDV camcorders is that they aN come with a 35x optical zoom lens. The camcorders include a feature called Smooth Zoom, which allows the user to select from one of three pre-set zoom speeds, The camcorders also include an image stabilization feature, The models have a 2.7 inch widescreen LCD viewscreen plus a colour viewfinder. They wiN also record to a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio called Widescreen HR. The two higher-end models also get a feature caged Duick Start, a stand-by mode that allows the camera to be ready to record in less than a second.

The line also incorporates a few features to help the novice make better movies. An "Easy" setting essentially puts the camcorder intopoint-and-shoot mode. Easymode also incorporates two visual aids in the form of a level marker and grid lines. The level marker shows the user if the camera is being held level to the horizon or not, while the grid lines divide screen into nine segments, allowing the user to compose the scene using the classic "rule of thirds." They also incorporate preset scene modes, similar to scene modes in digicams that set t he camera to m atch t h e characteristics o f co m mon shooting situations.

- 21 8

Intel Celeron 332

P4 632 3.OGHs

SI /

512MB PC3200 DDRRAM 10068 P200/pm) H/D tgx D-layer DVW+Rw

ADI1086A 6 Channel ~osttstatfm

Intel Bdrsme 3DGraphics AC07 6 ChannelAudio 8 lan Keyboard, Opt. Mouse 6 Spk

Upgrade: Pongum4524 3GHx(+$30)

663OO Core 2 Dvo

P4 O3S Dval-Core Acus P5GL-MX Matherbaard 16 PC5400 DDR2 RAM 30068 (SATA 7200rpm) H/D 10x W.syor DVD-I+RW Intel 950 BdmmeGraphkm

Aaus PSPE-VM Motherbaa/d

17 ATX TowerCase LogiteehKeyboard 8 Opt Mouse Power Amplified Speakers

4'579

$379

0 • B0

Brae way

mon - eat11QQQ - lares aun 13:QQ - lsrQQ

Pcchipa P13G+(Agin one) 51 2MB PC3200 DDRRAM 8068 P200/pm) H/D 52x32x52 Codaft/ R00 1T ATXTower Case Keybasml,Mouse8 Speakem

00

0 00

Asus P58 1905 M the/boom

16 PC5400 80'7DDR2(Chchsnnel) 300GB (S-ATA7200tpm) H/D 18x Mayer DVD/+RW Gefmee 7300GS ZSSMBPCI-X

SChsnnel Audioalan 5(TD s 1T 400W TawerCase LogiteehCanfless KB8 Mouse LoghechS-200 2.1 Speakem

Athlon64 3SOO+

Athlon64362 3SOO+

Athlon642r2 4200+

Acus M2V-MX Motherboard 512MB PC4200 DDR2 RAM 16068 P200rpm) H/D 10X D-Layer DVCh/cRW VIA 3D Graphics 8 Audio O/8 1T ATX Tower Csee Keyboard. Mouse 8 Speakers Upgrade: GF7300GS 25888 Video (+$00)

Asua M2NPV-VMAM2 M/8 'iG PC5400 DDR2 RAM 3MGB (SATA 7200rpm) H/D 18x D-Layer DVDM+RW tin Wet Oa Geforee 0150 Graphics O/8 ALC850 0 ChannelAudio 8 Lsn 17 ATX TowerCase LogitechKeyboard 8 Opt.Mouse PowerAmplified Speakers

Asus M2NENF670 Motherboanl 1G PC5400 DDR2 (Dual4hannel)

Windows Vista Home Basic I Business I Ultimate (OEM) $119/1 7 9 / 2 2 9

« w i th system purchased ont Ys*

Affto Sdfrnpron2000 MSI PMSM3-V M/8 512MB PC3200 DDR RAM

8068 P200rpm) H/D 52x32x62 CD-RW

RO8 1 T ATXTowerCase

Keyboard, Mouse 0 Speakers

30068 (8-ATA7200rpm) H/D 18xD.Layer Dvth/+R Gsssce Gsforce 7000GT 258htb B ~ akecm 8 Channel Audio 8 Len 1T 400W TOWerCaae Lagitech CordlessKey 6 Opt. Mausa Logiteeh S-200 2.1 Speakers

$419 So wa re MS OIEao 2003 Basic I SBE ..... $199/9 2 7 9

Aft sys t ems come with 1 year parts 6 1 years labour warranty

AS3050-1054 Scmprom 1.0681 — ---- - - S l 2MB/ 60GB/I4.1 "/ DVD+/-RW/ XP MCE — — ————————$649

Hot Deals from

- $799

AS5050-5027 Tarlea64x2 1.668z -- - — -- tG/ 806B/l,4.1 "/DVO+/-RW/XP MCE

$999

. ASS100-5030 Tarloasu 64x2 1.068z - — • - 26/ I20GB/IS.4"/DVD+/-RW /Wcbcam/XP MCK-

Aeer Notebook Speeials l

ASS570<765 Core Duo 1.6681

ASS050-5555 Turloe64x2 1.668z -- - - -

16/ IOOGB/I 4.1 "/DVD+/-RW / XP MCE

- $099

. 2 6 / $0OB/l4.1 "/DVD+/-RW/XP MCE

- $099

ASS610-4179 Cora Duo 1.668r, (1.3 Msgapfxol camera) $959

- IG / l20GB /15.4"I DVD-RW / XP MCK

AS5672WLMI-Cantrins Duo 1.668z (Radson X1600 Video, 1.3 Magsplxel earners) - I G / 120GB /15.4"/ DVD-RW I XP MCE — -- — -- • — • - — • - $1330

TM8204WLMI-Centrlno Duo 2.0GAz (Radcan X1600 256MS Video,1.3 Msgaplxsl camera) - 26 / l20GB /IS.4"/ DVD-RW I Camera / Bluetootb / XP Pra -- • 0'1560

$29 - Motebook Carry Case $2 9- Wireless Notebook Novae

Opticst P$2 Sccll Mouse

$9 VX Rcscfutica wksfsssmmus— $69 GS 20Wdpi laser mouse - $61 Cordless DesktopKxprcmCombo $21 Cordless Desktop SS I 0 Msdis Combo w/Remote — 169

SI I9

i7" Samsung '/40N 600:I sms-

$119 — $209

lo" Acsr ALI916W 700:I Sms 19" 9snumng 920N700:I Sms

$239

19" Ssmsung9408W Wide 4ms Digital

$241 l9" Ssmsung 93IC 2ms Digital — — --- — — $299

CordlessDesktop LXTIS Laser Combo $75 Cordlms Desktop MXS000 Slustoctb Combo — $139 PremiumStcrsa Headset -$21 Quicksm CommunicateSTX w/ Microphone $39 Quichua Pro SQSS1.3 Fixcls Quicksm Fusion I.3 Pixcb Logltcsb X-130 3.1 Speaker Lsgltssb X-S30 S.I Spsslrsrs

i 7" Ssmsuag 793DF Flat CRT

10" nbaQFPZOZW issexlSSO 22" Samsung 22SBW 1630xl050

171 $99 $39 $6S

$379

• $429

Accr PDI20D 2000snsi 1024x761 Pro)aeter -

- $099

Bca o MP620 220esnsi l 024z761 Projcctm hccr AT3320A 12" LCD HDTV

$999 SISSO - $799

AcsrAT3720A 37"LCD HDTV

Sl099

Epson02c20Msnsi l024x761 Projector

l ogitccb Z-2300 THX 2. i Speakers — — SI S S logitscb Z-S100c THX S. I Speakers $161 Lagltsch Z-S410 Dctbya Dlgktsl Speakers — 5410

Accr AT4220A42" LCD HDTV $1150 Viswsaaic N42Slw 42" LCD HDTV — — — — —$I700

II'.B®CReFS ', Batteryfor Itfosebaonfa PDl, D/SIZa/ Camera, !Cameonder uptep AC/DC Adapter

Visit our Webslts for 85ora Selections and Spec(ale ll

Price 6 special ars subject to chansdw/o notice A t i prices resect ta cashdiscount '

Februsry BOOT -

*

*

'

Ali productosmss.trademarksare proparuss ofmair respoeaveowhem

H L ) B ; Digital LiVing - ELC. ~

M tgi n lfgncf Stsctiort

B C SS

C ES R e p a r t : D a m n A r i g a t n , IVlrLs Rabi n Robots walk onstage at CES

environment, walk up and down stairs and even to run straight lines or along curves.

We watched some of the videos that Honda included on the media COand it was hard not to think, "Get outa here! That's gotta be a person in a robot costume!" because the motions were convincingly human-like. In one clip, the robot walks up to a couple seated at a table, serves them a tray of drinks, Honda ASIMO then backs up a few paces and politely bows. In another, it's seen pushing a Okay, this one isn't for the average consumer - yet - but nonetheless kitchen cart, looking left or right before heading off in that direction. If you arguably the most impressive humanoid robot on the planet. One of the cruise YouTube, you' ll find videos of the ASIMO demo at CES. demos we were sorry to have missed seeing was ASIMO, which finally made its North American debut this year at the Honda booth. ASIMO is Honda's fherapy Robots child-size humanoid robot[ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Robotsin the service of humans was a common theme withsome ofthe Mobility), which has been under development for more than two decades. vendors set up in the robotics area at the show. Research on the use of robot ASIMO's predecessor, the P2 — the world's first bipedal robot -was pets as a therapeutic tool has been going on for more thana decade in Japan introduced in 1996 andlthe first ASIMO followed in 2000. The current "new" and Europe. Living pets have known therapeutic benefits in improving the ASIMOwas introduced in 2006. well-being of some patients, but come with their own set of problems, such It weighs 54 kg(120 Ib) and stands 130 cm tail[4 ft 3 in). It walks at 2.7 as allergies, extra burdens for their care and sanitation issues. km/hr [about 1,6 mph) but can also run at up to 6 km/hr or 3,7 mph. Pet-mimicking robots don't have those problems.

According to Honda, the ASIMO was created with child-like stature because One of the therapy robots on display was of a white seal called PARO,which that "allows it to look directly at an adult sitting in a chair or sitting up in bed looks up, twists its body this way and that, and performs other endearing for easy and natural communication." seal-like motions. This was developed by The Intelligent Systems Research The robot has sensors that help it understand not only where it is, but what Institute(ISRI) of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and types of objects and terrain are around it, allowing it to interact with the Technology [ISRI-AIST) in Japan, starting in 1993. PARO is now in its eighth We have to admit to being robot fans - who can resist sarcastic beer-guzzling robots, after al!? But until recently, it seemed like there weren't any "real" robots available to the average consumer, If this year's show is any indication, that's about to change.

Spsaron

202-121118ridgepoft Rd.

Tei: 604-214-9473 BP«r "corn simply the 5557 computer solution» es@ www.spearon.corn Mon - Fri 10:30-19:00 Sat 11:00 -18:00 Intel Celeron 3.44NS Cslsron2.8083

ECS Motherboard DDR400 258MB WD 80GB 7200RPM CD-ROM 17" 350W ATX case

512MB DDR Memory L6 16X DVD Rom 80GB SATA2 Hsnl drive 17" 350w ATX cess

Internet Keyboard Optical Mouse 2 Multimedia speakers

Intel Psntlurs4 3.04HS 512MB DDR Memory

L618X DVD Rom 8OGB SATA2 Hard drive 17" 350w ATX case Infernal Keyboard

Opgcsl Mouse 2 Mulrimsdis spssksfs

$359 , Intel SnnlCoro 3.04HS

We Refill

Ink and Toner

$2."

1GB DDR2 Memory ASUS moihsfbosfd

LG dual layer DVD-Rswriisr 180GB SATA2 Hsfd drive 17 45Ihv ATX case Inlsmst Keyboard Opilcsl Mouse 2 Mulllmsdis speakers

Intel Coro 3 Snnl SB300

SPEARQN TOP SANER 5000C e IntelCofs 2Quad Q5500 + Corsair TWlnXDOR2 408 500FSS S- LITEONSLU4IAY

LogitechGr LaserM ouse Logitech Qf 5 keyboard Logitech Z5450 Sp eaker O Oue SVOA S&00SVX Windows MmgsCenter vhlse osis x 2 SU SKU 5800 Ednon wfRemote Controller + Cfesuvs X-Fl Fafal11y Opgonsl psfkf and extend wafrenty are svsiisble, please check websile for deters

~4999

oneite Computer Service We provide fast, reliable onsiis service,

168 DDR2 Memory

Canon, HP, Epson, Lsxfnsrk

Seagste 1000GS SATA2 Thennsltake AnnorLCS Case Water cooling Sysfem Toughpower 750W

ovo Rsunlter

including PC rspslring, nsiwofldng snd software /hardware Inslsllskon. Feel ffss

ASUS Motherboard

LG dual layer DVD-Rswriisr 25068 SATA2 Hard drive 17" 450w ATX case Inlsfnsi Ksybosnl Opgcsl Mouse 2 Multimedia speakers

ERR Odas / BIIdgnporl)

io call us today.'

' Il ore Free Shlppirig Products

*

Please check our wsbslte for details

% %IS III

sss more computer systems snd parts at VlfylAAf.S Pe8rOA.COrA B G BB

H U Bf D i g ital Living - B,G. Lcwor Msdnksnd Bection - ~

r y K X I7

www/nLfbco reads,corn

generation of development. ISRI-AISTsays it chose to mimic a seal because few people have much direct contact with them, so there would be less of a credibility gap between the actions of a robot and a real seal- a significant problem to overcome had it tried to mimic the behaviour of a dog or cat. PARD was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate for "the most therapeutic robot" in 2002.

Not your father's Meccano set Meccano, best known for its do-it-yourself toys made out of various mechanical parts, has introduced Spyke, a do-it-yourself robot with a built-in camera and WiFi that allows you to spy on your pet, roommate or significant other from anywhere you are in the world - all you need is an Internet The new computer club connection. Spyke is expected in September, at a cost of US $269.

In speaking with some of the exhibitors in the robotics area, we drew an interesting parallel between the state of robotics today and the state of WowWee personal computer technology in the late 1970s and earty 1980s. During The RoboSapien, was pretty. popular, but WowWee isn't stopping there. This that stage of computers, computer clubs were popping up all over the place year should see the release of a ton of new robots. In spring, look for the as computer technology made its j from the labs into the'basements remote-controlled Flytech Dragonfly (US $40), which allows indoor flight of tech hobbyists. Now, of course, computers are a permanent fixture of even in tight spaces. Later in the year, the company will release the daily life. We' re witnessing that same process today with robotics: the RoboPanda [US $229], which surprisingly features more natural computer clubs of yesteryear are the robot clubs of today. conversational skills than our Neanderthal pal RoboSapien. And for those It's a sure sign that the age of androids is dawning. Maybe now is the time who just can't get enough of the king, there will also be a robotic Elvis[US to start worrying about the robot revolution, and to stock up on canned $349I, modeled after the '68 Comeback Special Elvis, complete with more goods for our robot-proof bunkers. natural facial design and motion than you' ll see in WowWee's other

By Sean Carruthers and David Tanaka robotic toys.

ourney

Transcend 1GB/2GB/4CBUSBJetflash V60$19 /32/58

anscend

"Transcendinrrodactory price"

-PC-Lock Fundion: MakesIetFlash a key to lockyour computer -Secret-ZipFundion:Compressandfor Passwordprotect savedliles usingAESEncryption 4-Mag Funcbon:Useyourletfhsh toSecurelySend,ReceiveandSaveemads 4utoLoginFundion:Automaticallylogin towebsiteswhereyou havea password -FavoritesFmlion: Storeagyour favorite websiteaddresseson the IetRash -Data gackupFuncbon:Backup,RestoreandSynchronizeyourDatausingtheIetAash

Mobile Ptgrtnerl

TranscendGB/2CB/4CB I SDCard $16 /2&/53 nTranscendinfrodgfcforypncen

- Low power consumption - MechanicalWrite Protection Switch - CompliantwithSecureDigkal MusicIniliative (SDMI)portabledevicerequirements - Lifetime Warranty. ,

Memory for gaeoktola Transcend JetRam 512M DDR400 S 4 8 Transcend JetRam 512M DDR2-667 $53 Transcend JetRam 1GB DDR400 $9 5 T ranscend JetRam 1GB DDR2-667 $9 9

Memory for laptop %Dill T ranscend JetRam 512M DDR333 S 5 0 Transcend JetRam 512M DDR2-667 $53 T ranscend JetRam 1GB DDR2-667 $9 9

T ranscend512M/I CBMicro SDCard $16 /26

"Transcendinrrodactory price"

. ApproximatelyIeqbthesize, but hasall thefeaturesand performanceof afull<ized SDCard - Perfectfor thenextgeneration of cell phonesandmobile devices - MechanicalWrite ProtedionSwitch - A microSD Adapter for usewith standard SDCard slots - Compliantwith theSecureDigital MusicInitiative (SDMI) - LifetimeWarranty.

Transcend 1CB/2GBMemory Stick Pro Duo$35 /65 "Transcendarfrodactory pncyeu

-33iul the sizeof MSandMSDuo/PRODuo, butwith all thefeaturesandperformance -Compatibleaaossawiderangeof digital devicesinduding, digital cameras,camcorders

MP3Players, mobile phonesand otherhandhelds .Highcapadtydatarecording media -Higivspeed datatransferrates -Secure storageofcommercial gcopyrightedcontent-Compatible acrossawiderangeof digitaldevicesinduding, digital cameras,camcorders,MP3 Players, mobilephonesgotherhandhelds

f %L $9aj~t X N B HN". OMl%"'f~ 1'668455il Kl>'XSVNf SlN<tt~ t

. INC VhfCkAS II[IJIf'JA5'.CIIIlpC. ICON

Fabruarxr BC3C37 - HUB : Digital Living - B.C. Louver Mainland Sectio n

Bt= Z 7

Hafining C3afinihian Resolution Realities in the Home Theatre How many of you bought or received a new high definition television recently? According to industry statistics andretail reports, a lot, Millions of HDTV units were sold during the North American gift giving season just psst.

Congrats; you' re on the way to a bigger, better television viewing experience - but you' re not there yet. While it's true that in Canada more than anein 10 households now own an HD set,only 300.000 or so are subscribing to HO services.

What many folks don't seem to understand — or what salespeople fail to explain — is that yau need more than a nice„new HO Aat panel display or projection system to watch HDTV. You'll also need a compatible set-top box, along with the appropriate subscription services from a cable ar satellite provider. You can receive HD for free by picking up any available over-the air signals, but you' ll need an HD receiver, antenna and clear line of sight.

Once you get the right equipment, it must be connected in the right way.

Proper cabling is important, but be aware that incoming video signals[from a cable or satellite provider, a DVOor camcorder ) should be matched to the display's native format [the primary resolution that the screen supports).

The various elements [TV set, set-top box, provided programming) should be "in sync' to get the best possible picture.

It's confusing, for sure, and it's probably one reason why committees should not be in charge of anything. There are18 official — but differentdefinitions of DTV[digital television). Six are described as HDTV [the other

12 are SOTV, or standard definition). Each of the 18 broadcast formats has a specific line count [480, 220 or 1080] of the active horizontal scan lines used to create a TV picture. The latter two are called true high definition due to their greater number.

The type of scan line is also a key differentiator. References to "p" for progressive or "i" for interlaced describe the way each line is "written" onto the screen. Interlaced is the way TV began: individual lines of picture information are wditten one by one: all the odd-numbers first, then the even numbers. The entire process goes by very quickly f 1/60 of a second each far odds and for evens), but artifacts can still be seen even on the best of sets.

Progressive means an entire picture is created sequentially, with all scan lines laid down in order. So, where an interlaced TV signal stitches together half frames into a full image, progressive signals display a full image every time. Progressive-sean picture quality is more film-like, with more fine detail and less flicker.

Sa,even ifyou have a compatible HDTV display, set-top box and subscription service, it can be just as important to match TV formats and native resolution parameters to get the best possible picture.

While it's true that most HDTV sets come equipped with conversion circuitry, it's also true that many manufacturers use basic chips to do the job. With poor conversion, you might see picture problems like pixilation or blockiness; colour shifting or cqcling; and ringing or herringbone-like effects.

There are many steps involved in the proper conversion of a video

signal, with complicated technical processes and mathematical

H AR D O R IVE D ATA R E G O V H % Y Supporilng IDE. SCSI, USB. ZIP Interface fk RAID array hard drive Q T H K R M E D I A D A T A R E C O V E RV QS: Windows, Supporting portcible hard disc„mo, USB storage.

Mac. CD, f loppy disc, tape, different digital cameras Llnux, Unix cincl their digital cards Netware PASStiVQRD D EGOD I N H File Password SQL dotabase document, Operating System Password oracle database document...

Hard Drive Password Image recovery anci video repciirlng.

D O C U i viEN T R E G Q V E R V

Office series of Word, Excel, Access..

E RABE D A T A B K Y Q N D R E C Q V E R Y To Protect your Conficientlal cind Prlvcitia Information

•

adivisiono

-

.s •

ii t i

1 B Cl I 1

i nelsHouric IVlon - Fri 1 0a m - 6 p r n S at 1 p m - 5 p r n BC 3B

•

algorithms used to correct important image issues like colour, chroma, deinterlacing, scaiing, line buffenng and temporal or spatial distortion.

A good upconverter uses fast processors and intelligent algorithms to detect and compensate for motion, scene transitions, foreground and background objects. It must differentiate between necessary picture elements and unwanted noise, and add detail without interference.

By the way„among themany manufacturers ofgoodvideo conversion tools [Trimedia, Teranex, Altera and Crystalia among them), two of the best— Gennum and Miranda — are Canadian campanies.

Research into how humans perceive aural and.visual elements underpins much conversion technology. Findings show a lot of sound or picture data is redundant, based on human sensory abilities.

Conversion, compression and coding techniques like MPEG throw away a lot of picture information due to our perceptual shortcomings.

Psychology aside, the proper set-up of an HDTV viewing environment is still a technical issue. To get it right, a new service sector is springing up — TVcalibrationists. They are knowiedgeable in HD formats, skilled in equipment installation and set-up and experienced with the many home theatre variables. They will need to be.

In case you didn't know, the Federal Communications Commission [FCC) in the U.S. says that by April 2, 2009, analog transmission will cease. Old TVswill go dark. All TV will be digital, There is na such date set in Canada, but about the same time, Canadian consumers will have little option but to get a digital set-top box or tuner of some kind to go with their HDTVsets. Once that's done, get ready for DDTV - an even higher definition format that promises some 2160 lines, not just 1080!

By Lee Rickwood

H LIH :D igitel Living - B.C, LoweN Mainland Section - February K G 7

R ainbow S i x V e g a a f o r P C PC port adds little to Xbox shooter

Unfortunately, I kept getting kicked from garnes, lobbies and sometimes even the game search screen. Assuming other players run into similar glitches, it seems online play for the PC edition of Vegas is doomed.

Bugs aside, Rainbow Six Vegas for PC is every bit as good a game as its console-based cousin. The problem is that PC players expect their games to be designed to suit their specific tastes, and Vegas is simply a console game in Windows clothing.

The industry's collective decision to focus its efforts on developing expensive shooters for the much larger console market represents a smart business move, butthat doesn't keep PC garners from feeling the sting of what essentially amounts to being dumped for a prettier date. For better or worse, the bringing it to the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. The same goes for Far glory days of the PC shooter seem to swiftly be drawing to a close.

By Chad Sapieha Cry; all of the sequels to the much-lauded PC original have been developed solely for Sony, Mintendo and Microsoft's living room boxes.

Thankfully, Ubisoft designed to release its newest Rainbow Six game — avisually spectacular affair set in Sin City that sees players hunting hundreds of terrorists amid dazzling casinos — for PC.However, after working my way through both the Xbox 360 and PC versions, it seems obvious that the Windows edition was simply an afterthought.

The PC version of Rainbow Six Vegas is essentially a port, neither adding nor subtracting any content from the Xbox 360 edition. Played on Microsoft's console, it comes off as a challenging, highly strategic shooter, thanks partially to the general dearth of serious tactical combat games available for consoles and partly to the fact that it represents about as intense an experience as an average armchair lounging console player is interested in.

Played on a PC —a platform known for appealing to hardcore players typically interested in a higher level of game complexity — the tactics mal'4 feei a tad tame and the garne play a little shallow. Fans of earlier games g4~" A p ple ipod in the franchise will likely miss the extensive pre-mission planning, starting team member micro-management and unforgivingly realistic difficulty C DSIim $ 2 4 9 levels — not to mention the power of a keyboard and mouse control use, Black scheme. [Vegas is playable using standard PC input devices, but it was obviously designed for —and is best played with — a game pad.].

• I That's not to say that Vegas is a mindless kill-anything-that-moves 200 pcs per box play. If you rush in guns-a-blazing, you' ll be cut down 'm seconds by the CD Carrybox game's impressively clever computer-controlled terrorists. You and Fits 510 or 1000 pcs.. your team need to play it safe, taking shots from cover and using Great for organising, breach and clear tactics when possible. Plus, you' ll have the option of a gift, or D3's sweeping and clearing most areas on your own terms by using fast ropes to slide into rooms, employing grappling lines to scale walls and tossing smoke and flash grenades to gain an advantage in firefights.

HP If you play the game with your feet kicked up on the arm of a couch G lossier Photo Paper and a frosty beverage resting between your thighs — as I did while playing the Xbox 360 version — then Yegas' level of tactical complexity •Duplication / Replication seems spoton. However,play the game ina PC garners' position•siikscreening /Offset Printing i QQ CPg namely, sitting on the edge of a desk chair and intently leaning forward • Thermal Printing .

I GitlpliCatiOn towards a monitor — and activities like climbing and descending ropes Assembling 8 Packaging •Tape to DVD Transfering start to feel more like candy coating than strategically significant

Publisher. Ubisoft Developer, Ubisoft ESRB: Mature Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Platform: Windows PC[Runningon a W indows XP box with a 3.0 GHz intel Dual Core processor, 2GB of Dual Channel DDR RAM running at 800MHz,and a 512MBATI Radeon X1900 XTgraphicscard;displayed at 1920x1200 on a 2402FPW24-inch LCDj First-person shooters, once purely the domain of PCgaming, now seem to reside primariiy in the reaim of consoles. The latest game in the esteemed Call of Duty franchise — a series born on the PC platformdidn't even make it to Windows; the developers focused instead on

lobo -

•

•

-

•

e- e

15C

•

•

•

•

•

•

$39

•

•

$4.99

•

combat options. It's fun, but the novelty soon wears off.

The lack of more sophisticated play in the PC version was disappointing, but my greatest dissatisfaction came from my online experience. The multi-player game play is pretty much identical to the Xbox 360 version, which is great since the game is a blast on Xbox Live. www.hubcanede.corn

February 200 7

$99

Graphic Design

• 's

•

• I '

• I '

• •

•

•

•

I

'•s •

•

- H UB : D igital Living - B.ta. Lower Mainland Sectio n

BC 3 9

Web Hostin

Dedicated Server

Server Colocatioti

s150"'

..s6.95"' fi I: x.s I

Web Hostingut.,~,„Dedicated Server Server Colocation • Linux and Windows Hosting • Upto 2,000 MB Web Storage • Upto 50,000 MB Data Transfer • POP / IMAP Email Accounts

• Web-based Email Access • Email Aliases / Forwarding • Email Virus Scanning TM

by Symantec Carrier Scan Server • • • •

Multiple FTP accounts MS FrontPage Support PHP / CGI / ASP / ColdFusion Database Support

L irlux Serve r

. Fully Redundant BGP4 Network • 100Mbps Fast Ethernet Switched Port • UPS Power • Diesel Generator • 24/2 Facility Access • Online Traffic Reports

only $1 49/mo

• Intel Dual Core 2.8GHz • 512MB RAM • 120GB Hard Drive • 500 GB+ Monthly Data Transfers • Fedora Linux Server Ensime Pro for Linux ~ • Web-Based Control Panel

Now More Data Transfers!

1/8 1/8 1/4 1/2

e ns i m

Host Unlimited Domains Setup Fee: S149 • Monthly Fee: 5149

Rack Rack Rack Rack

20G B Transfer 2Q OGB Transfer SO OGBTransl'er SQ OGBTransler

Full Rack Mbps

500GB Transfer Fixed bandwidth Please Call

• E-commerce Ready

" On 6 months contract

• SSL Secure Server

~ Windows Server $249/mo

1/8 Rack: 19"W x 34"D x 8"H

Intel Dual Core 2.8GHz 512MB RAM • 120GB Hard Drive " 500 GB+ Monthly Data Transfers

1/4 Rack:

Website Statistics • Web-based Control Panel • Toll Free Phone and Email Support • FROM ONLY$6.95/mo.

19"W x 33"D x 17s'~"I-I

1/2 Rack: 19"W x 33" D x 40" I-I

.corn,.net,.org,.ca,.biz,.info • free domain parking

Windows Server 2003 Web Edition Ensim® Pro for Windows Web-Based Control Panel ~ a • Host Up To 250 Domains

• free "under construction" page.

• Setup Fee: S249

Domain Registration '"'muss15/yr •

Full Rack: 19'V/ x 34 '/z" D x 82"I-I

10Mbps Internet Access $1195/mo 10 Megabits Per Second full duplex dedicated internet connection at your office • 4486&rrrmtr $1195/mo introductory special."

• Static IPs and Unlimited traffic included

Monthly Fee: S249 ' On 6 months contract

•

• •. •

•

•

• • • • •

•

I

•

•

.

•

•

•

•

•

•

I •

•

• I

• I

• • •

e

5150/mo $200/mo 5450/mo $600/mo 5995/mo

•

•

•

-

•

•

•

.

•

.

•

•

•

-

•

•

•

dJ

5

%I4

rl

•

' %1"op

•

I' ~

NEW I N TEL FLAGSHIP P9 6 5 E X i R E M E I I IC II PERFORMANCE M B SUPPORTS 880 0 G T S 0 V F RCy p g FC -WINDOWS VISTA READY' C ORE2 DUQ, PCI-E, D DR 2-800 , H I G H D E FINITION A U DIO AN D M O R E EXTREME POWERED BY NV I D I A S L I R EADY F U LL I-IDCP SUPPORT Ml RCOSOFT DIRECTX 1 0 SUPPORi"

LATEST INTEL CQRE2 DUO READY C,96 5 H I IGH PERFORMANCE INTEGRATED MAINSTREAM M B W I T H 1 3 94 AN D CJ B LAN

8 8 0 0 4 T X , "WINCOw S VISTA READY! E x i R EM E CIVERCLQCRED POWERED BY NVI DIA. SLI READY. FULL HDCP SUPPORT M(CROSQFT DIRECTX 1 0 SUPPORT

TI-IE BEST ESSENTIAL VISTA PREMIUM CERTIFIED AND INTEL CORE2 DUQ SUPPORTED W/ ALL I N - O N E PC I E SOLUiION W I T I I M I CRO-ATX FO RM-FACTOR

THE BEST PRICE/ PERFORMANCE RATIO Vl STA PREMIUM CERil FIED AND INTEL CORE2 DUO SUPPORTED W/ A L L - I N - ON E PCIE SOLUTION W l i H

M I C R O-AT X FO RM- FACTOR

w ww. Foxc o n n c h a n n e l . c o r n

The rules.

Submission: Submit your entry, along with all the required infolmation Outlined below, by 11:59pm EST onFebruary 28th, 2OOT. Entries must be submitted via www.hubcanada.corn using the online ballot.

Where: Only by visitingwww.hubcanada.corn.

One entry per person. Piccolo Publishing Inc. is not responsible for . providing transportation to and from selected store lobation. Prizes awarded are not transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash.

To be eligible to win, persoris must be residents of

employe esor be domiciled with. an

Canada and not

employee of Piccolo Publishing Inc. its affiliate companies or advertising or promotional agencies.

The winner[s) wili be selected by Piccolo Publishing on March 1st, 200P from among the eligible entries received on or before the. contest close date.

Winners will be contacted by telephone or email. In the event that the. winner cannot be contacted within two days following the contest, another entrant will be selected, All entries become the property of Piccolo Publishing and may be used in subsequent advertisements for contests.

Prize may not be exactly as shown. Prize[s] subject to change without notice..

. Now Playing

iPod Photos Videos Extras

LIVING

eof15 Feel Good, Inc. Godllaz

Settings

Shuffle Songs 3Al

-1:ZO

visit h~! bcanada.corn:

ASUS Recommends Microsoft Windows® XP

YOU CHOOSE. YOU WIN.

ru •

I~mobile Configure your dream machine on a top performance platform. The ASMobile Z96Js from ASUS provides an amazing visual experience by pairing a true high definition 1680 x 1050 screen and ATI X1600 graphics. More importantly, custom configuring your own dream notebook gives you an intense pride of ownership that you wouldn't trade for anything else. V/ith ASMobile notebooks, you pick the CPU, memory, and hard drive so that you getexactly what you want — no more, and no less.* Choose from ASUS' winning lineup of quality barebone notebooks at the following fine resellers: PC Villose

Pacific Notebooks

Anltec

1-905-3058833 www. paciricnotebooks.corn

14M8 2848329

Milestone Computer

Infonec

1-90$307-7738

14I8841$8338

www.MiieatonePC.corn

www.intonec.corn

Canada Computers

Mlcrosytes

1418-73$4481

1%774IICROBYTES

PC Cyber

14IO&lss-5488 www.pcvonilne.corn

NCIX 1488-NCIX488

www.noix.corn

www.canadacom peters.corn

www.lrllcrobytea.corn

www.anitec.ca

1413-224-9995

www.pccyber.corn

'Wireless card, operatingsystem, and optical disk drive maybe configurable as well, depending onmodel.

Visit ca.asus.corn/hub 2 for more information

0'

•

•

f"

Get your website started today with a domain name from Netfirms'. Canada's best price at only $9»lyr.

•

•

0 I

0

K8 KE 0 C Ol

tll

E

0

I 0

I

0

I0 •

E

0

0

0

•

E 7l

•

•

•

E II I

II

E O '0

Hurry, get yours before it's gone! Visit:

•MakeAName.ca Or call 1-866-761-6399

netAFMS' wow.netfirms.ca