Best Free Software Mac vs. Vista vs. Linux vs. XP And the winner is .on page 92 OS WA R S PLUS AMAZING HARDWARE DEALS F I R ST LOOKS: TODAY’S NEW PHOTO PRINTERS SOLUTIONS: SAY GOODBYE TO AOL 157 Hot Apps for Work and Play MARCH 2008 WWW.PCMAG.COM U.S. $6.99 / U.K. £4.00 GET MORE FROM TECHNOLOGY * Standard on Focus SES. Driving while distracted can result in loss of vehicle control. Only use mobile phones and other devices, even with voice commands, when it is safe to do so, and use extreme caution. The Bluetooth ® word mark and logos are trademarks of the Bluetooth ® SIG, Inc. **EPA-estimated 24 city/ 35 hwy mpg, manual transmission. † Standard text messaging and data rates may apply. Mobile downloads are not compatible with Verizon. Mobile site URL is ford.enpocket.com/focus. SYNC allows you to effortlessly control your MP 3 player and Bluetooth ® -enabled phone using the sound of your voice.* All in a car that gets 35 MPG.** Learn more at FORDVEHICLES.COM. Text “FOCUS02” to 43673 (4FORD) for more info. † MARCH 2008 PC MAGAZINE 5 PContents OS wars page 87 Best free software page 78 Amazing hardware deals page 82 New photo printers page 33 Goodbye to AOL page 99 MARCH 2008 33 Hardware Epson PictureMate Zoom HP Photosmart A526 Compact Photo Printer Canon Pixma mini320 Gateway P-170L QS HP Pavilion dv6500t 42 Consumer Electronics Pioneer Elite KURO PRO-150FD Nokia E90 Communicator LG VX8800 Venus Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T2 Eye-Fi Card Logitech Pure-Fi Elite Ugobe Pleo Philips Prestigo SRM7500 53 Storage HP MediaSmart Server (EX470) LaCie Ethernet Disk mini– Home Edition NetApp StoreVault S300 Iomega StorCenter 150d 55 Software Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0 Google Toolbar 5 for IE Bento 58 Business DYMO DiscPainter CD/DVD Printer ViewSonic DiamaniDuo NX2232w Kanguru Eco Drive (80GB) Symantec Endpoint Protection 11 66 The Best Stuff VOL. 27 NO. 4 COVER STORY e Best Free So ware Still paying for software? Get with the program. You need never waste your cash or credit on essentials like office suites, disk utilities, and video and audio tools again. We’ve got 157 fantastic downloads—and Web sites that act like software you can download—to get you started on the path to software “free-dom.” FIRST LOOKS 6 PC MAGAZINE MARCH 2008 PC Magazine, ISSN 0888- 85 07, is publishe d monthly at $24.97 for one year. Ziff Davis Media Inc., 28 Eas t 28th Street, New York NY 10016-7940. Periodic als postage paid at New York NY 1 0016-7940 and at additi onal mailing of fi ces. POSTMASTER: Address changes to PC Magazine, PO Box 54070, Bould er CO 80328- 4070. The C anadian GST registration number is 865286033. Publications Mail Agreement No. 400 09221. Return undeliverab le Canadian addresses to PO Box 503, RP O West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6, Canada. Printed i n the U.S.A . FRONT SIDE 21 News Routing out terrorist Web sites; colleges fi ght P2P legislation; municipal Wi-Fi on the skids. 24 Gearlog 25 Q&A Cory Kontros, Ubuntu open-source developer. 26 Connected Traveler Carry your offi ce in a backpack. 26 Future Watch 28 Show Report: CES 2008 The top trends and technologies from the show fl oor; inside Macworld. OPINIONS 9 First Word Lance Ulanoff 68 John C. Dvorak 69 Inside Track John C. Dvorak 70 Jim Louderback 74 Dan Costa 76 Sascha Segan 136 BACKSPACE SOLUTIONS 99 Escape AOL Hell Shaking the online services. 102 Project An entertainment center with Windows Home Server. 104 Ask Neil 106 Ask Loyd 108 Business E-marketing for SMBs; choose your backup process . 112 Offi ce 114 Security 116 Linux Sharing fi les with Windows and Linux. 118 Tech Tips PCMag.com’s extensive coverage of the 2008 CES gives you an early look at the technology you’ll be seeing on store shelves later this year. Our edi- tors and analysts have fi led roughly 250 stories from the show fl oor, and here are some of the highlights: • Robert Heron reports on the best HDTVs, and the end of RPTV. • Sascha Segan covers the porn industry’s infatuation with the iPhone. • Lance Ulanoff looks at the world’s smallest projector. • Cisco Cheng gets hands-on with Intel’s Menlow prototypes. • Kyle Monson curates the CES 2008 Photo Blog, with more than 300 images from the show. Check out these stories and much, much more at go.pcmag.com/ces. PCMAG ONLINE BUYING GUIDE | WEBCAMS Here’s Looking at You Web cams have been around for ages. By now, you might think one’s as good as the next. But you’d be wrong. We put a handful of cams to the test and found many differences—in image quality, bundled software, and price. Are you hung up on picking the best operating system? We are, too—so we talked it over and came to a contentious consensus. We rate Mac 10.5.1, Windows XP and Vista—even Ubuntu— on many factors and pick a winner. FEATURE STORY e Ultimate OS War! Illustration by Doug Fraser PCONTENTS When it comes to email solutions for your small business, who’s your “go-to”guy? Your Daughter Your Golf Buddy Your 3rd Cousin Once Removed The Verizon Wireless Network To learn more about our wireless solutions, consult with your dedicated small business representative. CALL 1.800.VZW.4BIZ I CLICK verizonwireless.com/smallbusiness When you’re ready to choose email solutions for your small business, turn to the experts at Verizon Wireless. We’ll make it easy to get the right devices. The right plan. The right price. And the security of America’s most reliable wireless network. BlackBerry® Pearl™ Verizon Wireless VX6800 Verizon Wireless SMT5800 Screen images simulated. See verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork for details. ©2008 Verizon Wireless. U800 Ultra-Mobile PC • Runs on Genuine Windows Vista ® Business • 1.5lbs • 5 hour battery life • 40GB hard drive • Webcam included • Bluetooth ® • 5.6” screen • Wireless WAN enabled* Fujitsu recommends Windows Vista ® Business. All the functionality. Half the size. ©2007 Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation. All rights reserved. Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo and LifeBook are registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited. Centrino, Intel, Intel Core, Core Inside, the Centrino logo, Pentium M, and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. * Wireless WAN not available on all models. ** Fujitsu T2000 and T4000 series Tablet PCs feature Intel ® Core ™ 2 Duo processor technology. Small wonder. The new 1.5-pound Fujitsu U800 Ultra-Mobile PC is massively versatile and wonderfully small. With its Intel ® Pentium ® M processor, you can easily launch Microsoft Vista ® applications and YouTube ™ videos and view them on a vivid 5.6-inch monitor/touch-screen. Share data and peripherals effortlessly with built-in Bluetooth ® technology. And keep all your data ultra-safe with biometric security. It’s even Wireless WAN enabled * and includes a webcam. To learn more go to us.fujitsu.com/computers/smallwonder T4200 Tablet PC** T2000 Tablet PC** P1600 Portable PC U800 Ultra-Mobile PC Family of Notebooks T2000 Tablet PC** P1600 Portable PC 800 Ultra-Mobile PC . Looks Plus, i-Bench, Lab Notes, Lab Tales, PC Bench, PC Labs Scorecard, PC Magazine At Home, PC Magazine CD, Front Side, PC Magazine Extra, PC Magazine Marketlink,. 21 2-5 0 3-5 110 NEW YORK, NJ, CT, PA Hunter Millington 21 2-5 0 3-5 422 NEW YORK, NORTHEAST Melissa Magdits 21 2-5 0 3-3 533 NEW YORK, MIDWEST Kevin McDonnell 21 2-5 0 3-4 683