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Blogs


OpenOffice.org Beta's Office 2007 flaw disappoints

May 9, 2008

I'm not embarrassed to admit it: I'm a big fan of Office 2007.

I think Microsoft got a lot right with its latest release, starting with the ribbon interface and including any number of tweaks and improvements that make my day easier.

PC Advisor Blog | Neil McAllister | Read more...


What's your favourite travel blog?

May 8, 2008

As the summer approaches, we want to hear about readers' favourite travel blogs. Whose online travel diaries do you enjoy, and why?

Is the writer or the travel destination more important? Do you look for pictorial blogs, detailed advice on hotels and points of interest or general 'colour' writing? Big or small, famous or obscure, we're interested in all of your recommended websites.

PC Advisor Blog | David Price | Read more...


Open-source security gets a boost

May 7, 2008

IT managers often assume that open-source software is more secure than proprietary commercial software.

Anyone who uses open source can examine the original code to spot any lurking vulnerabilities, and potentially even fix the vulnerabilities themselves. With proprietary software, you have to trust the vendor to do it all for you.

PC Advisor Blog | Neil McAllister | Read more...


Security through obscurity is plain dumb

May 7, 2008

If there is one security technique that has proven to be as effective and realistic as keeping diamonds safe in a paper bag it is security through obscurity.

The idea of security through obscurity is an old one: In the desk there's the hidden compartment for the property deeds. Or there's the secret door that looks like a bookcase that leads to the vault and the key to the vault is hidden in the suit of armour.

PC Advisor Blog | Mark Gibbs | Read more...


Does better technology = better customer service?

May 6, 2008

Despite communications technology being better than ever, I'm a frustrated customer.

I had a problem with my New York Times subscription and I noticed this on the New York Times website:

PC Advisor Blog | Larry Borsato | Read more...


How Google spiked the Microsoft-Yahoo deal

May 5, 2008

In the end, Google played a significant part in the undoing of Microsoft's bid for Yahoo, the latest example of Google's ability to interfere with Microsoft's attempts to boost its online-advertising business.

While the main reason Microsoft dropped its bid was a disagreement over price, Google served as the ammunition that Yahoo needed to discourage Microsoft from launching a hostile takeover.

PC Advisor Blog | Juan Carlos Perez | Read more...


An open letter to the one-eyed GTA IV apologists

May 2, 2008

Since Rockstar launched Grand Theft Auto IV, the latest instalment of its sprawling video-game epic, the web has been dominated by GTA-related opinion.

Most of it falling into two camps: one-eyed conservatives demanding that we Ban This Sick Filth; and one-eyed gamers honking about free speech and demanding the game be distributed in playgrounds. You know what? They're all idiots.

PC Advisor Blog | David Price | Read more...


Computing the quest for ultimate power

May 2, 2008

After years of relentlessly rising processor speeds, we seem to have hit a silicon ceiling at last. Moore’s the pity.

The chip giants are thinking their way around the slowdown by adding more processors to the same CPU die, which is great news for multitasking users – but do we really need more power?

PC Advisor Blog | Andrew Harrison | Read more...


What if the internet wasn't free?

May 1, 2008

I was struck by Sir Tim Berners-Lee's recent comments about the history of the World Wide Web. Fifteen years ago, CERN released the web's code into the public domain, sparking a revolution that has deeply impacted communications, computing, and society at large.

"Making the web free to use had a vital role in spreading its use worldwide," said Berners-Lee, while recalling his early web research at the European laboratory.

PC Advisor Blog | Ian Lamont | Read more...


Get into Harvard University... on your mobile phone

April 30, 2008

Rather than just let tourists wander aimlessly on a sightseeing excursion, hoping to stumble upon the next landmark, Cambridge, Massachusetts, has a better idea. Mobile phone or iPod video tours.

Watch the video below to find out more:

PC Advisor Blog | Nick Barber | Read more...


eBay woos angry users with price cut offer

April 29, 2008

Surprise surprise! In response to the planned boycott of online auction site eBay on May 1 the company has offered users a special price cut on … you guessed it, May 1.

eBay has announced a “special insertion fee for auction listings” of just 5p (about US 10c) – but, unlike the boycott itself, the 5p offer is for one day only.

PC Advisor Blog | Lexton Snol | Read more...


Retailer announces GTA IV for the PC

April 29, 2008

It's not yet announced for the PC, but one German retailer is already taking orders for a Windows version of GTA IV.

German site City Disc is quoting a Grand Theft Auto IV PC launch date of November 30.

PC Advisor Blog | Matt Egan | Read more...


Football player slags off own computer game

April 29, 2008

More than 100 NFL players wanted to be on the cover of Madden NFL 09. The man who ended up there couldn't care less about the series.

Appearing on the cover of Madden NFL franchise is often seen as an honour for many players in the league, but don't tell that to current cover boy Brett Favre - he couldn't care less.

PC Advisor Blog | Jack Loftus | Read more...


Asus and HP's big fight for tiny hearts, minds and digits

April 28, 2008

We're living in a miniaturised world. Small is beautiful and it's all Asus' fault.

After a recent impromptu bout of pub olympics, PC Advisor emerged the triumphant winners of a ‘pool table'. Alas, our dreams of dotcom-boom office chic (and time-wasting) were dashed when our prize turned out to be a miniature toy, useful only to light-fingered Lilliputians. Tiny frisbees and inflatable chairs remain on order.

PC Advisor Blog | Matt Egan | Read more...


Happy Birthday iTunes!

April 28, 2008

Apple's iTunes Store is five years old today, and the company has published a new section to the online media service to mark the historic date.

Apple launched the iTunes Store in the US on 28 April 2003. To mark this, Apple's page takes a look back at "all of the great music, video and exclusives you first discovered on iTunes, highlighting the songs and shows that defined each year".

PC Advisor Blog | Jonny Evans | Read more...


Apple’s iPhone 'no longer for sale' in UK

April 25, 2008

It seems that the super money-off deal to clear stocks of Apple’s iPhone before the imminent release of a more advanced model has been too successful.

Reports are in that reseller Carphone Warehouse and service provider O2 have very nearly sold out.

PC Advisor Blog | Lexton Snol | Read more...


How Apple, Google & MS can save the world

April 24, 2008

Just in case you've suddenly emerged from a coma and hadn't noticed, Tuesday was Earth Day here on our planet. And it seems like everybody is putting on their green. Even the US government has a site celebrating its efforts to save the earth.

While tech companies are certainly puffing up their environmental street cred, they could be doing more. In fact, I have a few suggestions for what the leading tech companies can do to save the planet.

PC Advisor Blog | Robert Cringely | Read more...


Google and Adobe embrace 'offline' web apps

April 23, 2008

Offline access to web applications is becoming an important trend, with Adobe and Google looking to make the most of this new direction.

Representatives of the two companies touted offline access technologies during a presentation at the Web 2.0 Expo conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. Adobe provides its Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) software for this market, while Google is working on its Google Gears technology.

PC Advisor Blog | Paul Krill | Read more...


Happy birthday Mosaic - 15 years young

April 22, 2008

The Mosaic 1.0 web browser celebrated its 15th birthday yesterday.

Well, celebrate is a strong word. Given that Mosaic is now unknown and unloved, it probably spent its birthday listening to Barbara Streisand, watching its scratchy wedding video and drinking alone. But Mosaic deserves remembering.

PC Advisor Blog | PC Advisor staff | Read more...


Wii owners don't buy games

April 22, 2008

Nintendo is justifiably proud of its genre-busting Wii console. After all, the Wii has convinced people who would never dream of buying a games console to, well, buy a games console. Normal people. People who liked PE at school.

But what the Wii can't do is to get such non-gamers to buy games. Figures released this week by Wedbush Morgan suggest that Wii owners buy only 3.7 games a year.

PC Advisor Blog | Matt Egan | Read more...