Show f7 ’ 'i I to a new By MattSyme ' you probably know die personal computer industry is in a bit of an extended dump That’s bad newa for tbe likes of Dell and Hewlett-Packabut good news for the rest of us Norcoincidentally prices for computersand components have dramatically declined in recent months making now a wonderful " i ' time to i Time was if you were frugal you’d want to wait 6 to 10 months after a new chip or some such covet- ed pait hit the market before making your purchase as the price would usually decline anywhere from 20 to SO percent While the initial premium prices havd stayed about die same for die cutting edge components the lag time for the price decline has'shortened — mighty fine for yours and mine But you may be thinking “I have a fairly decent computer it just chugs cm SOUK Of die most demanding applications” Or “I can’t afford to spend another or more because -- i rd 1 ( sagood deal Or perhaps you really do need a new system but don’t ' know what to look for Let ‘ Handspring's Treo 270 left and Nokia’s 9290 combine me divulge therefore The Syme-pl- e Plan of Computer Componentry Rule 1: Only buy a completely new computer every 4 years Wait even longer if you can stand it While Moore’s Law states that processor capacity doubles every 12 to 18 months you probably don’t need it And you defwitely don’t need ah entire new system to take advantage of die new power Yes eventually games or multimedia apps grow to take advantage of new processors but even if you’re ahaid-cor- e gamer you're better off visiting Rule No 2 during the intervening years Rule 2: Upgrade or add components as needoi Whether you do this yourself or take your system to a local technician you can boost your computer’s performance and extend its useful life: several months or years While your motherboard will probably allow a swap up to a faster processor this sometunes isn’t the best upgrade path to follow Corollary A: Get to know the insides of your computer Fear not and you can save a mass of money swapping out your own parts Visit howstufrworkscom for a quick primer on all your components arid where to find them Check for available component dealers prices from RAM as B: of Think Corollary electronic lubrication If you notice j your hard drive constantly clacking away and your applications seem to hesitate while you click frantically on your mouse button doubling your ‘ If that EW YORK (AP)— For most of us mention of The Great Communicator brings to mind the folksy banter of Ronald Reagan Soon however die term could describe a new breed of gadgets that combine a cell phone with a two--i way pager and personal organizer For sheer charisma two of the latsmartest entrants in die — Handspring’s phone category Two 270 ($499) and Nokia’s 9290 ($599) — won’t rival Reagan But these machines represent a big step in bringing a personal communicator closer to something we'd actually want in our pocket or purse That is if the quality of wireless service in tbe United States could do ? them justice The lYeo 270 is a cqlor version of dre remarkable amalgam of features we first saw combined in the Treo 180 early this year The new Reo is the best marriage of telephone Palm operating system wireteas messaging and Web : ' used-outsid- ed fix: higher-spee- d touch-sensiti- ve networks That said this Nokia struts some fine features Comparable to any PalmOS-base- d device the Nokia synchronizes with most personal information management software for PCs including Microsoft’s Out- look and Lotus’ Organizer and six-in- ch ARUNOTON Va (AP)—The Companies are inhibiting innova Internet’s potential for promoting : ' turn notes Cerf by letting users ' ' expression and empowering citizens receive information foster than they : can send it is under threat from corporate and !That leads to a kX of peculiar government policies that clash with effects! Cerf said TWo people culture the medium’s of openness some leading Internet V “could each receive video but can’raend it They can’t :V conferenc- At die annual Internet Society V have conference thisweek the engineeb Aihg” of the Inter- Cerfis is who bdlt the Interoet and many of v the polimaken who follow its - - net Sodetyaninteniatiotial nm development urged caution asgov- profit organization of Internet v' ernmeots try to exert cootxbl and ' architects and professionals devoted to maintaining dte Internet’s businesses look to maximize profit H We ’re at a turning point in the ty and addressing issues itconfrohts' Widi governments and businesses evolution of the Internet” arid V William Drake fellowatihe Uni- -' taking a growing interest faje INET the Internet turn 2Q02 A of Maryland! wrong v versity means “robbing it of its rpal derpoc- - ence’s theme was “Internet Cross- roads: Where Ibchnologyand ndc potential” Vint Cerf of the Policy Intosect” The TCPIP comjnunicriionspro- - ' ( In(ernd’i baric communications towtatluttCWmilRobatlMi that big tridilioii proowbixiei al bririhesses could gain unprece-- : developed in die 1970s fovoitd open Awiiwl control through technicai l standards neutrality and flexibility v-rifthe nmnriHury hniqni sdvices feat are deliV- -' optnenf mat later allowed personal ered over cable and phone lines computers to connect aqd innova-: thumb-typin- die serious typing I also found the Nokia’s battery life and power management superior But let’s face it if you talk on the -- See PHONE on CIO chief technologist at the Federal hornlike the World Wide Web to develop That openness is increasingly threatened by “profit motives of corporations and control issues of governments” said Eric Schmidt chief executive of Google He point- ed to the current ‘‘balkanizrion” of instant messaging where a lack of v standards prevents America Online usenfrom communicating With V yj - processor and RAM form the core of your system Each is dependent oq the other and if one limits die other it’s probably time to dump the core y and start anew Virtually everything else ofl your systemcan be upgraded ' depending on your needs be itiqorc hard drive space or a faster fancier video card if you decide you just can’t stand die Sighfof your current computer high-qualityvi- - ! v ng - (weallg evaluate your You truly can get a fantastic system forunder$tOQO especially if you refuse your monitor and any otheri component (hard dri ves speakers etc) If you go fer p complete system be sure to ckrefully non-obsol- i See SYME on CIO : i1- next-gfnerat- "u : Communications Commission Father is hopeful though that consumers will resist — even if a service monopoly high-spenmvider tries to ahandonlniw- ed gtlll1jinff fjatrate nricim - regular Starrforxj Umversitylaw profes- - sor Uwrena Lessig warned of !Pf'JCJrk dcsfooswltht! people onrival services Steve Cftxpker an Internet pioneer folly imderstaiKung theirimpatt His ' who promoted open protocols at the ' chief complaint: Copyright protec- Internet Engineer- - ' dons aimed at combating thft also 'curtail legitimate uses ing’foskForcesaid today’s deci- ' sioos ‘'could Stunt die Internet to Reed Hundt former FCC chair- what it becomes a mechanism for man said government puld kill delivering entertainment ads and e wireless networking like " bus- - dtioionented pessfor large players” MeanwhiM proposals by some service (xoviders to adjust access fcbuedoohoribmdcoo- - has banning i retail sales of services over unli- icensedspectrum He imtes that Tai- comane suen sa restrict But many participants said gov--1 enuiients and businesses pan t afford to wait on issues like privacy junk and copyright controls w ndote ! sumer’S data traffic volumecoukl inhibit die development of video and ather ipplicalihns said David Faiber a University of Pennsylvania professor and former :i S'A ' 4S’ - "t r v- -i 4' r ' ' i: i- short-rang- - - f : i ‘ v ’ ail 3 ¥ ' ail Stunningly it also can’t be the United States or upgrad- - i Corollary C: Your motherboard 1 ' support Tbe Nokia can send receive and attach- edit faxes It accepts ments has a speakerphone for handsfree chatter and permits you to jump among different applications while you’re speaking For all its virtues I found the Treo less versatile Its keypad is adequate g for short missives while the Nokia’s keyboard can han: forabeltclip rep-rese- ' Notes It also converts Microsoft Word and Excel files for editing and PowerPoint files for viewing The Symbian OS will additionally let you view common image files has a voice recording function and ean play video and MP3s None of this would be possible without ample power and memory -- 7 56 megabytes a 32-b- it ARM9 RISC processor and Java software' ail ng ail high-quali-ty i APphotb pager and an Internet -connected personal organizer tem which unlilpe the Palm OS was designed from the ground up for wireless devices With this Symbian OS not only can you dial from the address book as you can on the Treo you can also from it With the Treo and messaging isn’t integrated as well But the 9290’s main virtue is also its vice Its comfortable keyboard and wide display make it a very attractive alternative to a notebook computer for traveling executives But its heft (86 ounces) and length ' do not a pocket-stuff- er make It’s fine in a briefcase but too unwieldy access you’ll find especially considering its convenience the windowed flip lid open Pop and you’ ve got a backlit microkey- pad under the touchscreen display This steelgraydevice brims with scroll bars and buttons that are programmed to open the address book and calendar modules A stylus nestles in the lYeo's case — though anyone who learns the keyboard shortcuts won’t much need it It took this PalmOS veteran the better part of a month to get accustomed to life sansstylus Design wise the Nokia 9290 a whole different fork in the road There’s no stylus Nor is the crisp color display The 9290 is the first US iteration of a huge seller in Europe: a cell phone that opens on a hinge that case runs the length of its converting it into a Lilliputian lap- top computer The 9290 runs on the surprisingly agile Open Symbian operating sys long-standi- t y “ PMP the biggest bang for die buck Older e 512MB modules cost less than l&D If you’re not sure what jype of RAM you need carefully remove what you have and read die specs engraved on the side Better yet take lit to the store with you Mixing ' a two-wa- ©3)inraDmiQarDn©arS3)Da 54-oun-ce so-call-ed mail-ord- er with phrase makes you think of Ronald Reagan you’re way behind the times 1 price-watchc- “ ©ccssra ¥Dn 3-- a cell phone ' |