| Back to Dec 95 Features | Up to Table of Contents | Ahead to Dec 1995 Features |
by: Hailey Lynne McKeefry
Click Here to see a
4.40KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Top 10 Planned Hardware Purchases, 1996
Click Here to see a
3.87KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Profile of an Average User
Click Here to see a
7.52KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Top 10 Technologies for 1996
We asked you which hardware products placed high on your wish list. Here's what you said about everything from monitors to mice.
Computer stores and catalogs are bursting at the seams with an unimaginable selection of hardware. Trying to choose just the right system and peripherals for your purposes (and your pocketbook) can overwhelm even the savviest buyer. Where on earth do you begin? Right here.
We've done some legwork for you, asking our readers to share their experiences to help us identify the best hardware products on the market. As always, they responded enthusiastically: We mailed surveys to a random sampling of 1,500 readers and received 742 usable questionnaires--an impressive 49.5 percent response. Then we went to work analyzing the results. And here they are: our annual Readers' Choice Hardware Awards.
The voice of experience is sounding just in the nick of time, since our survey showed many of you are planning to shop till you drop in the coming year. High on the wish list: Pentium-based desktop PCs, CD-ROM drives, pointing devices, graphics accelerator cards and sound cards.
Without a doubt, Pentium-based computers are the darlings of the industry. "The Pentium chip is going to continue to be more and more important," says Susan H. Spooner, quality analyst at St. Luke's Health System in Sioux City, Iowa. "I will be getting a Pentium this year. The faster system is going to help me maximize my productivity."
Almost one-third of those surveyed cite Pentium PCs as the "most improved" category of hardware. It seems the processor has left behind the stigma of its much-publicized math errors--only 6 percent of respondents believe the Pentium "needs improvement."
The Pentium chip also shines as the most important technology. Four out of five readers surveyed report that the Pentium technology was very or somewhat important to them or their company in 1995, while an equal number say it will be important in 1996.
The PCI bus, the VESA local bus and clock-tripled chips also rank high with readers as important technologies this year and will continue to be so next year. Only one in 10 of those surveyed say that either pen computing or personal digital assistants (PDAs) were essential in 1995, but both technologies are becoming more important, as are PCMCIA cards, PowerPCs and subnotebook PCs.
"Getting people mobile is a very high priority for us," says Ron Adams, senior systems analyst at Dyn Corp., a federal and state software contractor in Dayton, Ohio. "PCMCIA cards will let us increase the hard drive size on notebooks or use radio-frequency-based modems." Dyn is developing software that will let state and federal housing inspectors create reports using pen-computing technology.
Windows users want the latest and greatest hardware, and they're eager to upgrade to get what they want. Many of you have put a new CPU, RAM, monitor or hard disk for your system, and many more expect to replace one of these components in the coming year.
Forty-six percent of those surveyed have upgraded their hard disks in the past year, and 31 percent plan to add a new hard disk in the next year, making additional hard disk space the most popular upgrade item.
Second on the list of "must haves" is RAM, with 41 percent of those surveyed adding memory this year, and 39 percent planning to buy more RAM over the next year. "RAM is the easiest form of upgrade, since there's no software to install and no incompatibility worries," explains Dyn Corp.'s Adams. "It offers a very noticeable performance difference that's easy to achieve."
Thirty-four percent say they recently upped their CPU speed, while 29 percent say they will move to a newer processor in the next 12 months.
Individual users are enthusiastic about Windows 95, but say their companies are a tad more cautious. Fully 28 percent of the users polled declare they would upgrade within one month. About 28 percent will move to the new OS within six months of its release, and another 14 percent will do so within a year. Only 8 percent expect to wait longer than that, while 20 percent don't know when they will upgrade.
A comparatively modest 9 percent of respondents say their companies planned to upgrade to Windows 95 in the first month, while another 23 percent say they'll hop on the bandwagon within six months. Another 14 percent will join the ranks of Windows 95 users in the first 12 months, and 14 percent more aim to wait longer than a year to upgrade. About one-third of the companies represented still haven't decided when they will move to Windows 95.
"I'm not going to put Windows 95 on our office machines until I'm certain that Microsoft has gotten the bugs worked out," asserts Dale Roberson, president of Roberson Marketing, an 11-person graphics company in West Des Moines, Iowa. "When we do upgrade, I figure we'll lose a full day, or maybe even two days, of productivity for each person, and I want to make sure the operating system is solid before I do that."
But Win95 is already a factor in their purchasing decisions. Forty-four percent of those surveyed say Plug-and-Play compatibility will be an absolute requirement for all future hardware purchases. "Piecing together systems from vintage hardware is one of my biggest headaches," says Roberson. "When I loaded Win95 at home, it recognized everything and configured it automatically."
Whether you upgrade to Windows 95 now or later, though, chances are you'll want to consider new hardware to improve your overall system. So read on for our recommendations, based on your recommendations, of the hardware that will give you the biggest bang for the buck.
Click Here to see a
148KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Pentium Desktop PC
Gateway 2000 Speed's the word. Gateway Pentium PCs were the hands-down favorite in this year's poll, garnering the support of 34 percent of the respondents. Micron and Dell each netted about 10 percent of the votes, while IBM, Hewlett-Packard and ZEOS came in with about 5 percent of the mentions each. WINDOWS Magazine readers believe that Pentium computers are getting better every day. One-third of those surveyed chose Pentiums as the past year's most improved category of hardware. Experienced users were more likely to use a Pentium system--about 68 percent of Pentium users describe themselves as either advanced or power users.
From $1,599
Gateway 2000
800-846-2000, 605-232-2000.
Click Here to see a
408KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
486-Based Desktop PC
Gateway 2000 For the third year in a row, Gateway's 486-based PCs were a desktop favorite, taking more than one-quarter of the mentions. However, Gateway reports that it is no longer selling these favorites. Compaq made a second-place showing, with half as many votes. Only 19 percent of the respondents reported plans to buy a 486-based PC in the next year.
N/A.
Gateway 2000
800-846-2000, 605-232-2000.
IBM Corp. and Toshiba America Information Systems IBM and Toshiba came in neck and neck in the race for most popular notebook, while Compaq and Gateway tied for second place. Although only 17 percent of the novice and intermediate users surveyed plan to buy a notebook in the next year, almost half of power users are going to plunk down their hard-earned cash to go mobile.
From $2,299 (direct)
IBM Corp.,
800-426-2968, 914-765-1900.
From $1,349.
Toshiba America Information Systems
800-334-3445, 714-583-3000.
Click Here to see a
142KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Subnotebook PC
Toshiba America Information Systems Toshiba, which shared the limelight with Gateway and HP in the subnotebook category last year, took center stage alone this year with 22 percent of the votes. Gateway and HP tied for second with roughly half as many votes. Only about half of those readers polled had an opinion in this category, and only 4 percent expressed plans to buy a subnotebook.
From $3,299.
Toshiba America Information Systems
800-334-3445, 714-583-3000.
Click Here to see a
176KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
14- To 16-Inch Monitor
NEC Technologies Once again, NEC took top billing in midsized monitors, claiming one-third of the mentions. Sony won the nod from about half as many readers and came in second, while ViewSonic captured third with 9 percent. Twenty-three percent of the respondents said they upgraded their monitors in the past year.
From $330 (street).
NEC Technologies
800-NEC-INFO, 708-860-9500.
Click Here to see a
156KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
17-Inch and Larger Monitor
NEC Technologies Here's the big picture: Twenty-eight percent of those questioned in our survey wanted the NEC brand name on their big screens. Next up were Sony and ViewSonic, with 17 percent and 11 percent, respectively. Seventeen-inch monitors are gaining favor, but larger sizes are slower to catch on. About 29 percent of those surveyed have a 17-inch monitor, but only 3 percent use a 19-inch or larger display. More than half of power users want to upgrade their displays in the next 12 months, and about one-third of respondents overall reported plans to expand their viewing horizons to larger screens.
From $799 (street).
NEC Technologies
800-NEC-INFO, 708-860-9500.
Click Here to see a
268KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Black-And-White Personal Printer
Hewlett-Packard Co. As they did last year, voters chose Hewlett-Packard black-and-white personal printers by a huge margin. HP received almost seven out of 10 votes in the category. Half of novice users chose HP, compared with three-quarters of power users. Other vendors trailed in the single-digit arena.
From $586.
Hewlett-Packard Co
800-752-0900, 415-857-1501.
Click Here to see a
206KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Black-And-White Workgroup Printer
Hewlett-Packard Co. Continuing its sweep, HP took the workgroup printer category by storm and claimed the lion's share (70 percent) of the mentions. About one in five readers surveyed report that they will be buying a workgroup printer during the coming year.
From $1,839.
Hewlett-Packard Co.
800-752-0900, 415-857-1501.
Click Here to see a
67.7KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Color Printer
Hewlett-Packard Co. A hat trick for Hewlett-Packard: It also came in first in color printers, commanding almost half the votes in this category. The competition in this class was stronger, with Canon and Epson claiming 19 percent and 13 percent of the votes, respectively. Tektronix was close behind with 8 percent. About one-third of the respondents expect to buy a color printer in the next 12 months.
DeskJet, from $365; LaserJet, from $7,295.
Hewlett-Packard Co.
800-752-0900, 415-857-1501.
Click Here to see a
306KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Pointing Device
Microsoft Corp. Microsoft built the best mouse for the third year in a row. The MS Mouse trapped 60 percent of the mentions for favorite pointing device. Logitech was a clear second with 23 percent. Respondents seem satisfied with the current level of mouse technology. Only 9 percent fingered these devices as most in need of improvement.
From $59.95 (street).
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080.
Click Here to see a
1.28MB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
CD-ROM Drive
NEC Technologies NEC is the driving force in this category, pulling in 26 percent of the mentions. Other favorites include Sony (15 percent) and Plextor (13 percent). Readers singled out CD-ROM drives as the number-one candidate for improvement, but half of those surveyed still report plans to buy a drive in the next 12 months.
Internal, from $499 (street); external, from $599 (street).
NEC Technologies
800-NEC-INFO, 708-860-9500.
Click Here to see a
138KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Sound Card
Creative Labs Creative Labs nabbed the top honors for its sound cards from more than half of those surveyed, putting the company in first place for the second year in a row and leaving the competition in the single-digit arena. In general, readers report that there's room for improvement in this realm--sound cards were right behind CD-ROM drives in the Most in Need of Improvement category.
From $199.99 (street).
Creative Labs
800-998-LABS, 408-428-6600.
Click Here to see a
89.8KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Graphics Accelerator Card
Diamond Multimedia Systems Four out of 10 users said they would prefer to use a Diamond graphics accelerator card over any other. ATI Technologies took second place with half as many votes. Graphics cards were third most popular on your computer equipment wish lists for the coming year.
From $99 (street).
Diamond Multimedia Systems,
800-468-5846, 408-325-7000.
Your favorite technophile will think you're the hippest Santa yet if you follow our suggestions for your Christmas shopping. Put your holiday panic on hold, have an eggnog and stuff some stockings with this selection of hardware and software goodies.
Cross a lava lamp with a nightclub's laser light show, and you might get something that looks like The Groove Thing. This digital kaleidoscope offers brightly colored images that pulsate in time to the music it plays. You can choose one of the three styles of music included, use your voice to direct its images or even hook up input from your CDs. Warning: You may be mesmerized by The Groove Thing for hours on end, so don't use it at work.
$49.95.
Big Top Productions
800-900-PLAY, 415-978-5363.
Click Here to see a
776KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Electronic High
Trivial Pursuit mavens will love You Don't Know Jack, an irreverent, multiplayer CD-ROM quiz game. The CD-ROM contains more than 800 classic trivia and popular culture questions for 20 hours of nonrepetitive play. One to three players are challenged with multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, analogy and gibberish-deciphering questions delivered in a 30-minute game-show format. And if you think your opponents don't know Jack, then you can push the "screw your neighbor" button, forcing them to take a guess.
$30 (street).
Berkeley Systems
800-344-5541 x100, 510-549-2300.
Click Here to see a
26.1KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Get to Know Jack
You don't have to turn on your stereo to get Surround Sound. The NMB Right Touch ConcertMaster multimedia keyboard incorporates SRS 3-D stereo sound and brings all sound/audio controls to the keyboard. Control volume, mute and SRS stereo, or access the built-in microphone right from the unit. The keyboard includes three side jacks for headphone, microphone and subwoofer, and integrates shielded speakers with a 2+2-watt amplifier. An Application key brings up a pop-up menu, much like the one you get when you press the right mouse button in Windows 95.
$129.99 (street).
NMB Technologies
800-662-8321, 818-341-3355.
Click Here to see a
271KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Not Just for Stereos Anymore
The Sony Magic Link PIC-1000 personal communicator has been bundled with two accessories for the holiday season: a rechargeable lithium ion battery (for 10 to 12 hours of continuous use between charges) and a Magic Link Memory Card (which adds 1MB of memory). The 1.2-pound unit lets you perform messaging tasks, such as e-mail, fax, telephone, online services and paging. It comes with a variety of software, including AT&T PersonaLink network services, AOL, Pocket Quicken finance tracking, the PenCell spreadsheet, SpellFinder and the Klondike and Mindbender games.
$599.
Sony Electronics
800-222-SONY, 201-930-1000.
Click Here to see a
319KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Hire a Personal Assistant
Straighten up and work right! The BodyBilt K-Series of ergonomic chairs uses information garnered from NASA experiments and the concept of zero-gravity posture to help you avoid that Quasimodo look. The chair's design and adjustable controls relieve the tension that can build up in your neck, shoulders, forearms and lower back when you are spending long hours at the PC.
From $1,415.
BodyBilt Seating
800-364-5673, 409-825-1700.
Click Here to see a
34.6KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Consider Space-Age Furnishings
The sleek, ergonomic design and high-powered 90MHz Pentium processor in the Dell Latitude XPi P90T add up to a pretty package to put under the Christmas tree. This 7-pound notebook provides two PCMCIA slots, a 10.4-inch active-matrix screen and a lithium ion battery, as well as a trackball and an 85-key keyboard.
With 8MB of RAM, $4,199 (direct); with 16MB of RAM, $4,699 (direct).
Dell Computer Corp
800-613-3355, 512-338-4400.
Click Here to see a
321KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Give Your Beloved a Whole New Latitude
If you don't know a time signature from a time-share, Midisoft's Music Mentor 2.0 might be just the teacher you need. The program's tutorial has three parts: The Basics of Music (which covers the six fundamental musical elements--melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture and form), the Basics of Reading Music and Historical Perspective. The package's studio portion allows you to create new MIDI files and edit existing MIDI music.
$99.95.
Midisoft Corp
800-776-6434, 206-391-3610.
Click Here to see a
3.22KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Reading, Writing, Rhythym 'N' Blues
Give your favorite businessperson a new way to create presentations, as well as an entrée into the world of desktop video conferencing, with the Sony PC CAM CCD-PC1. This compact camera and in-base, monaural microphone has a 10-inch adjustable arm, a rotating camera head and a wide focus lens to let you capture audio and video from various angles. The PC CAM can be used with any PC or presentation system that has standard audiovisual inputs.
$499.
Sony Electronics
800-222-SONY, 201-930-1000.
Click Here to see a
20.KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Desktop Video With a Whole New Angle
When the going gets tough, the tough go fishing. But even if you can't get out to your favorite fishing hole, you can still brush up on your techniques--and enjoy a few lazy daydreams--with Fly Fishing: Great Rivers of the West. This CD-ROM takes you to Henry's Fork and the Madison, Deschutes, Yellowstone, Green and San Juan rivers, where fly fishing pros provide pointers to improve your skills. Learn about different types of bait, including the Brassie Nymph and the Chocolate Foam Wing, and about the ecosystems of the rivers. Or just relax and listen to the sounds of the rivers at sunset.
$49.95.
IVI Publishing
800-432-1332, 612-996-6000.
Click Here to see a
136KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Hook, Line and Sinker
Toss that pencil and paper before you hit the golfing green. The Trilium SmartScore records your golf scores as you speak them into the handheld unit and then instantly displays gross score, net score and number of putts. You can save your scores from up to 200 rounds of golf. Use SmartScore to calculate your handicap, analyze previous scores, perform statistical analysis on saved scores and download score information to your PC. As if that weren't enough, the scorekeeper talks back: It announces the hole that you are on, as well as yardage and par information, the foursome's score and the tee-off order. SmartScore also has a built-in telephone directory of over 13,000 golf courses and an encyclopedia detailing more than 6,000 courses.
$249.95 (direct).
Trilium Consumer Electronics
800-TRILIUM, 408-864-4040.
Click Here to see a
72.7KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Talk a Good Game
If your desktop isn't nearly noisy enough, Media Mouse can come to your rescue. This pointing device allows you to assign sounds to each direction the mouse takes. For instance, the mouse barks or revs like a race car as it scurries across the mousepad. Choose from three sets of sound files, or use your own. This "singing mouse" will prove popular with those who believe a computer can never have too much personality.
$39 (street).
Media Depot
909-629-2597, fax 909-629-7084.
Click Here to see a
110KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
The Mouse that Roared
Statistics freaks, listen up: The '95-'96 NFL Interactive Yearbook lets you view, compare and contrast a wide range of NFL records. What teams gave up the most points in a season? In 1966, Buffalo had 255 points scored against them; San Diego gave up the same number of points in 1963. Download the latest stats twice weekly, and watch player-of-the-week and play-of-the-year videos. Test your football knowledge with an amusing trivia game, in which videos of actual plays let you know if you scored. A catalog offers NFL merchandise--from caps to turtlenecks and sweatshirts--for sale via an 800 number.
$34.95.
RealTime Sports
800-554-4420, 212-395-9800.
Click Here to see a
88.4KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Brush up on NFL Stats
Capturing still-life video frames from an outside video source doesn't have to be a pain in the neck. The Snappy simply plugs into the parallel port of your computer so you can plug in your camcorder, VCR or TV tuner for quick capture. Once you've saved the image in a .BMP, .PCX, TIFF or other graphics format, you can use it in reports, greeting cards, presentations or anything that might need sprucing up. Capture video at resolutions of 1500x1125. The Snappy package also includes Fauve Matisse SE and Gryphon Morph 2.5, so you can use and manipulate the captured images.
$199.95.
Play
800-306-PLAY, 916-851-0800.
Click Here to see a
508KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Snappy Answer to Video Capture
Want to totally immerse yourself in the latest games? With a pair of Virtual i-glasses, you'll play in a 360-degree world. Move your head up, down or sideways, and the virtual environment moves with you. There's no heavy helmet to deal with--the Virtual i-glasses weigh in at only 8 ounces. The glasses include adjustable earphones for stereo sound and a software bundle of PC games such as Heretic, Descent, Ascent and VR Slingshot.
$799.
Virtual i-O,
800-646-3759, 206-382-7410.
Click Here to see a
446KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Virtual Reality, Finally Virtually Affordable
You're hard at work formatting a spreadsheet while listening to your favorite audio CD on your CD-ROM drive. Time to crank up the volume for a little added inspiration. But wait! You have to find your multimedia application to get to the volume controls. There must be a better way. SoundJack Sr. provides an easily accessible volume control and headphone inputs. The device mounts anywhere on your desktop or computer, and plugs in-line between any audio output device and your PC speakers. SoundJack Sr. comes with a set of headphones.
$24.95.
Enhance Cable Technology,
800-717-8757, 408-232-0205.
Click Here to see a
238KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Jack up Your Sound
Tired of the same old airborne appliances flying across your screen in off moments? Berkeley Systems' Totally Twisted After Dark Screen Saver is based on the popular After Dark engine, but it takes a sharp left turn, bringing you tasteless, off-the-wall screen savers. Among the 13 modules are Bungee Roulette, in which both cows and people take the plunge; Mowin' Boris, where the friendly After Dark feline meets a not-so-friendly lawn mower; and our favorite, Flying Toilets--hit the Caps Lock key and hear the flush for yourself!
$30 (street).
Berkeley Systems,
800-344-5541x100, 510-549-2300.
Click Here to see a
112KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Unplug Those Toasters
Those with the best toys win ... at least when it comes to DOS-games like Doom and Descent or Windows games like MechWarrior and Fury. The Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro joystick will let your favorite gamer maneuver with the agility and precision of a viper. The unit has an optical camera for high-level tracking capabilities, as well as 3-D handle rotation, an eight-way hat switch, eight control buttons, a throttle control and a joystick switch (to let you emulate a CH Flightstick Pro or a ThrustMaster joystick).
$59.95 (street).
Microsoft Corp.,
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080.
Click Here to see a
378KB bitmap image of artwork
which goes with this article, entitled:
Strike With Deadly Accuracy