May
Motherboards Reviewed
Motherboards may not be the sexiest subject in the world, but choosing one is a pretty big part of building a PC. I wrote a story for the May issue of PC World that includes reviews of a range of motherboards, plus information on how to choose one. LINK
Cheap Canon Camcorder Reviewed
I reviewed the Canon ZR500, a cheap ($299) but surprisingly good camcorder for the May issue of PC World. LINK
April
Digital Camera Reviews
I wrote several digital camera reviews to accompany the April 2006 Top 10 Point-and-shoot cameras chart in PC World. The cameras include the Fuijfilm Finepix E900, The Olympus FE-120, the svelte little Casio Exilim EX-S600, the Nikon Coolpix P2, the Nikon Coolpix S4, the Kodak Easyshare C663 , the dual-lens KodakEasyshare V570 and the wireless Canon SD340. LINK
March
Nokia 700 Internet Tablet Review
I wrote a review of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, a promising but ultimately dissapointing tablet device. LINK
Get More Out Of Your PC
It's not every day that you get to write the cover story for a big selling magazine like PC World, but I did for the March issue. This was a lot of fun to write - I don't get that many opportunities to mention Pink Floyd or make HAL jokes in most of the stuff I write... LINK
Making Movies: Set Your Movies to Music
Most people simply raid their CD collection to add music to their videos, but that is possibly illegal and frankly unessecary. There are loads of places to dowload music that's free and legal to use, as detailed in this Making Movies column for PC World. LINK
February
Greater Graphics
I wrote this roundup of graphics cards for the February issue of PC World. It's not just a review of the cards: it's all about what you need to know before choosing a card. LINK
Making Movies: A Question of (white) Balance
This month's Making Movies column is all about the tricky subject of white balance in videos, a topic that confuses a lot of users. LINK
January
Making Movies: Are HD Camcorders Ready for Primetime?
In my latest Making Movies column for PC World, I consider if High Definition Camcorers are really a good investment for home users. LINK
Review of Skype 2.0
This is a review by me of version 2 of the Skype VoIP software, which includes support for video. PC World Have insitituted a ban on pet pictures in their reviews, which is a pity, as my dog Fester is much better looking than me. LINK
Digital Camera Previews
At the CES show in sunny Las Vegas, I wrote previews of several different digital still cameras for DigitalCameraInfo.com: the Pentax Optio E10, The Pentax Optio A10, the Samsung Digimax V800, The Kodak C530 and the Kodak C663. Note: some of these aren't live yet: I'll update the links when they go live.
The Best Ways to Share Videos on the Web or DVD
This short article is for the How To section of PC World: it explains some of the basics of sharing videos online and on DVD. LINK
Making Movies: Tips for New Users
In my latest PC World Making Movies column, I offer advice for nnew camcorder users who have just got a camcorder for christmas. LINK
December
Digital Camera Superguide
I wrote a chunk of the digital camera superguide: the section on choosing a camera, plus reviews of several cameras: the Olympus SP-500, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 and the Samsung Digimax i5. LINK
November
Gadget Tips: Windows Media Player Updates Your Podcasts
This how-to article outlines how to do three things: automatically update podcasts and the like on an MP3 player, copy cell phone movies to DVD and watch videos on a PSP. LINK
DVD Recorder Roundup
I wrote a roundup of set-top DVD recorders for PC World, including short reviews of 10 models. The individual reviews are linked from the charts. LINK
Making Movies: Video & Camcorder Jargon Decoded
This month's Making Movies column is all about decoding some of the jargon that surrounds camcorders and digital video. LINK
October
Review of the Video IPod
PC World published my review of the fifth generation IPod that now plays video. LINK
Making Movies: The Art of the Zoom
This Month's Making Movies column is about using zoom lenses the right and wrong way. LINK
August
Digital SLRs reviewed
I reviewd three Digital SLRs for the chart in the August 2005 issue of PC World, and the reviews are now online. There's the Nikon D70s, the snappily named Konica Minolta Dynaxx Maxxum 7D and the heavyweight Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro. LINK
July
Digital Video Hacks now out
I contributed four hacks to Digital Video Hacks by Joshua Paul, published by O'Reilly. I did hacks on remotely controlling a camcorder (hack #10), taking video in total darkness (#21), making your own weather report (#62) and saving a presentation onto DVD (#94). Needless to say, I really am as ugly as I look on pages 72 and 227. Our cat Tallulah and foster kitten Finn also make a guest appearance on page 74. These hacks aren't online, so go and buy a copy now!
Review of the SlingBox Personal Broadcaster
This review of the new Slingbox Personal Braodcaster was written by little old me. It's not often you get to sneak a Dalek into PC World... LINK
Wired Article on Waterproof Digital Cameras
I reviewed a number of waterproof digital cameras for Wired, including the rather cool Pentax Optio. The full version is in the July 2005 issue. The online version makes it look like I also wrote about 7-megapixel cameras and camcorders, but those articles were written by other writers. LINK
Making Movies: Reader Questions Answered
My latest Making Movies column answers a few common reader questions about Camcorders and video editing. LINK
June
Camcorders reviewed
PC World published an article I wrote reviewing 6 camcorders from Sony, JVC, Hitachi and Panasonic. LINK
Review of Cowon Audio X5
This review of a new funky digital audio and video player from Cowon: the iAudio X5. LINK
Making Movies: The Fixers
The latest installment of my digital video column. This month, I look at what you can do to fix dodgey video and audio. LINK
Desktop PC reviews
I reviewed several new Desktop PCs this month, including systems from Polywell, Velocity Micro, iBuyPower, Amax, HP and MicroExpress.
Headphones reviewed
I reviewed a large number of headphones for the Digital World section of the July issue of PC World that are designed as replacements for the crappy ones that come with your MP3 player. LINK
May
How to Build a Digital TV PVR
This rather epic article is a how-to guide on building a PVR for recording Digtial TV. LINK
Videostudio 9 review
My review of VideoStudio 9 by ULead. This is a somewhat reduced version: the origional (which was written for the PC World Web site, but was then used in print) was somewhat longer. LINK
Making Movies: Camcorder Myths Exposed
My regular Making Movies column looks at some of the common myths about camcorders. LINK
April
Guide to Cellular Data Services
JIWire just published a guide to cellular data services that I wrote. LINK
Small Form Factor PC reviews
A busy month: I reviewed 9 small form factor PCs for the June issue of PC World for a spotlight on these cute little systems. The print article isn't out yet, but the individual reviews are online. LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK
Making Movies: Choosing a Camcorder, Part 2
The second part of my Making Movies column on choosing a camcorder. LINK
March
PC World Flat Panel TV pricing story
A news story that I wrote for the PC World Web site on pricing trends for flat panel TVs. LINK
Making Movies: Choosing a Camcorder
My PC World Video column is back: this month, it covers choosing a camcorder. LINK
Review of the Maxtor Shared Storage Drive
A review of the Maxtor Shared Storage Drive, an ethernet drive that allows multiple users. Produced for the PC World Web site. LINK
Review of the Ovideon Avaiyh
Review of this Ovideon Avaiyh, a new portable media player with an impressive Organic LED screen. LINK
December
Review of portable video players
Reviews of five portable video players, written by me. This is part of a bigger feature that looks at MP3 and video players. From the December 2004 issue of PC World. LINK
August
Making Movies: Polish Your Videos With a DVD Menu
Making Movies column on making your videos look nicer with a fancy DVD menu. LINK
Polish Your Videos Like a Pro
Review of two high-end video editing applications: Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 and Vegas 5, written by me for the August 2004 issue of PC World. LINK
July
Small size, Sharp Video
Review of the Panasonic PV-GS200 3-CCD MiniDV camcorder, written by me for the July 2004 issue of PC World. LINK
June
Making Movies: Copy Your Old Videos to DVD
Video column on copying old analog video tapes to DVD. LINK
May
Making Movies: Shooting in the Dark
Video column on the various techniques that can be used to shoot video in low light. LINK
April
Making Movies: the rules
In March, I decided to change the focus of my PC World Web column to look at video editing. This first column looks at the rules for using camcorders. LINK
March
Living With a Bluetooth PDA and cell phone
Living With column on replacing the Hiptop PDA/cell phone hybrid with two devices. LINK
March
Living With Adobe Photoshop Album
Living With column on trying to use Adobe Photoshop album to organize my collection of thousands of digital photos. LINK
February
Living With an Ultraportable notebook PC
Living with column on living with an IBM Ultraportable notebook. LINK
January
December
Living with the Danger Hiptop
The first of my Living With columns, whre I used tested prodcuts on an extended basis to see how well they fit into my lifestyle. This first one is on living with the Danger Hiptop PDA/cell phoe hybrid device. LINK