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 TLFeBOOK

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 TLFeBOOK

WELCOME
FROM THE EDITOR
Broadband satisfaction
E
ven if you’re not lucky enough to
qualify for one of the new so-called
‘free’ broadband deals, home
internet access has never been faster
or cheaper. I’m sure many of you will
now have faster connections than you
could possibly have imagined a year ago.
The big question is, how much of this
super-fast internet access are you
actually using? Regular web surfing and
emailing certainly isn’t going to put much
strain on a 2Mbps line. In this issue (page 24) we’ve found the
100 best broadband sites that will really put your connection
through its paces, giving you an interactive and thoroughly
enjoyable time online, with the satisfaction of knowing you’re
getting the most from your broadband subscription.
See you next issue!
Andrew Craig, Editor
andrew_craig@ipcmedia.com
SUBSCRIBE TO WEB USER
Get a fantastic deal on the UK’s favourite
internet magazine – see page 56 for details
IN THISISSUE
p48
p37
p57
3 – 16 August 2006 Issue 141
CONTENTS
FEATURES
24 COVER FEATURE: 100 best broadband websites
Great broadband content – from entertainment to education
34 Fantastic Firefox tips
Soup up your surfing by mastering Mozilla’s popular browser
37 Test department
Put your PC through its paces using these free online tests
52 Group Test: Internet-filtering software
Programs to protect your children from the dark side of the web
p37
p24
p34
REGULARS
6 News All the latest on the web this fortnight, including
FEATURING LINKS Unplugged, My Bookmarks and Everyone’s Clicking On
TO 316 WEBSITES 17 Consumer Champion & Shopping Challenge
Including the best price for a Logitech Quickcam Fusion webcam
18 Letters 20 Best New Websites
38 Instant Expert: Local loop unbundling p40
40 Project: Fixing Windows, part 1
42 Downloaded
48 COMPETITION: Win tickets to the Carling Weekend: Reading
p24 Festival, a Dell PC and Tiscali MAX Unlimited Broadband!
49 Most Wanted
54 New Products • Mediaman HVX-3500 p49
Multi-Player • Babble
67 Classified including Web User Directory
72 Web User Essentials
74 Seen this? & Next Issue
PRACTICAL WEB USER
p52 57 PracticalFeature
Create a Wiki website using Wetpaint

p34 60 PracticalWorkshop
p40 Safer surfing using McAfee SiteAdvisor p57
62 PracticalExplorer
Windows Live Messenger
p54 p55 p42 61 DIY WebPages 64 ProblemSolver 66 Hints&Tips

LISTEN TO THE WEB This fortnight’s best

USER PODCAST FREE downloads
www.webuser.co.uk/podcast
42 Film & TV 44 Sport & Games
…trailers, clips and …spectate or play p42
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2005, great short films – the choice is yours
31,886 copies per issue 45 Software 46 Music
…top free programs …and audio content

Visit us online at www.webuser.co.uk 3 August 2006 5


NEWS
All the latest on the web this fortnight
Millions to miss out on
broadband giveaway
E
ight million British households will
miss out on free broadband deals from
Sky and TalkTalk, as the ISPs
concentrate on urban areas and shun
smaller towns and rural regions.
Sky has announced it will offer
free broadband to Sky TV
subscribers in areas where it
has installed its own
equipment, but currently
this offer only covers
28 per cent of UK
households, with the
promise of 50 per
cent coverage by the
end of the year, and
70 per cent by
Christmas 2007.
TalkTalk’s ‘free’ offer
covers 70 per cent of the
UK population – meaning
eight million households
will miss out on either the Sky or
Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/bparren
TalkTalk offers.
On the plus side, Sky’s new deal means
that TV subscribers covered by one of
its chosen exchanges (see p38 for a
guide to local loop unbundling) will be
offered up to 2Mbps broadband for free
with a 2GB usage allowance, a free
Netgear wireless router, and McAfee
SECURITY WATCH ‘Social networking for grown-ups’ launched
A
n email claiming
to be from an
anti-spyware
firm is being used to
STOP
spread a new Trojan-
downloader. According to
BlackSpider Technologies, the
email claims to be from a legitimate
anti-spyware company, called
SpysoftCentral. The text of the
mail says £79.39 is to be deducted
from the recipient’s credit card
account. However, if the ‘invoice’
is opened the Trojan Downloader.
Bancos is downloaded.
www.webuser.co.uk/viruses
6 3 August 2006 Competition Where’s Netty?
TLFeBOOK
Get daily news at www.webuser.co.uk/news
security software for 12 months.
Sky subscribers can also upgrade to the
8Mbps ‘Mid’ package with a 40GB
download cap for £5 a month and the
16Mbps ‘Max’ service with no cap for £10
a month. Connection charges
cost £40 for the Base
package, £20 for Mid,
and nothing for Max.
A minimum
subscription of 12
months applies.
For people in
areas not yet
unbundled, Sky
is offering Sky
Connect for £17
a month that
offers speeds of up
to 8Mbps, 40GB
usage allowance and
unlimited UK calls.
Connection will cost £40.
Jonathan Coham, a broadband
analyst at technology company Ovum,
said people in rural areas may need to
sign up to Orange in order to get ‘free’
broadband. Orange offers free up to
8Mbps broadband with its phone Rural areas will miss
plans costing more than £30 a month. out in the ‘free’
www.sky.com/broadband broadband scramble
FRIENDSHIPS
A
social-networking site ‘for grown-ups’ network of friends, but not necessarily
has been launched with the aim of
appealing to people
make new friends as on sites like MySpace.
He said: “There’s a lot
who want to use just of hype about blogging,
one site to communicate but the truth is that
with friends. most people aren’t
Called eTribes, the site ‘bloggers’ and don’t
currently lets you easily want to be.”
create a personal profile Grice said many
containing news and people are worried that
photos, without the hassle sites such as Flickr and
of setting up a blog. Founder Simon Grice told MySpace aren’t private, but eTribes has
Web User a social-networking element will password-protection options to limit who
be added in September. can see what.
He said the site is aimed at people who are The service costs £2 a month, but is free
too busy to blog, and those who want a one- from advertising.
stop-shop to communicate and maintain their www.etribes.com
Last issue Netty was listening to Santana on the iPod on page 7. Spot him in this
 TLFeBOOK

≥ YOUR NEWS TEAM Quentin Reade

News Editor
Veronique De Freitas
Staff Writer NEWS
BROADBAND IN BRIEF
TalkTalk ads ruled misleading ≥ iPod transmitters
nearly legal

C
arphone Warehouse is
insisting its TalkTalk
broadband offer is still ‘free’
despite the Advertising Standards
Authority (ASA) ruling the
company’s ads were misleading.
The ASA received 145
complaints about Carphone
Warehouse’s campaign to promote
its ‘free broadband forever’ offer,
which launched in April this year.
After looking at the
advertisements, the ASA said
Carphone Warehouse must not
run the ads again in the current
form, and that it must seek
Committee of Advertising Practice
Copy Advice on how to best
describe the availability of its
service and before using ‘free’ in
non-broadcast advertising.
The ASA said that it considered
the broadband element of the
package “an intrinsic part” of
the new offer, which made it
different to “free insurance”
Quote
of the fortnight
“These blogs are pitting
Muslim against non-Muslim.”
Gulshan Rai, of India’s Ministry
of Communications, after
banning access to blogs in
the country
ARTWORK
when buying a new car or “buy one
get one free” deals.
However, on his blog, Carphone
Warehouse boss Charles
Dunstone maintained the offer
was sound: “We will still be able to
advertise the service as free. After
listening to [ASA] concerns, we
have agreed to make some small
changes to the terms and
conditions of the offer, but
broadband from TalkTalk was free,
and still is free.”
TalkTalk has since dropped the
price of its ‘free’ broadband and
phone package by a pound, with
the combined phone and up to
8Mbps broadband package now
costing £19.99 a month – £8.99
for the call package which now
excludes unlimited international
calls and £11 for the line rental.
The international calls package is
available at £1 extra per month.
www.talktalk.co.uk
Ofcom has finally proposed
legalising the use of FM
transmitters for MP3 players.
Consumers who use a radio
transmitter
with their
MP3 player
in the
UK are
currently
breaking
the law
because of potential
interference with broadcast
services. A consultation has
now been proposed by the
communications watchdog
and a decision is expected in
the autumn.
www.ofcom.org.uk
≥ Sky loses ‘easy’ battle
BSkyB has lost a legal battle
with the easyGroup over the
intellectual property rights
to the name ‘easy’. Easynet,
the ISP bought by Sky for
£211m, lost its case at the
High Court in London, giving
the easyGroup more legal
rights to defend the use of the
‘easy’ brand.
www.easy.com
≥ NTL: Telewest offers
‘quadplay’
From next
month NTL:
Telewest is
to bundle
broadband, TV, landline and
mobile services into one £40 a
month bill. The ‘quadplay’
offering comes three weeks

Charity project calls for one million artists after the cable company
bought Virgin Mobile. It also
plans to offer free digital TV to

A
unique online charity
project is attempting to
create the world’s largest
artistic collaboration, by inviting
people around the globe to
create a gigantic piece of art.
The One Million Masterpiece
project lets you log on to a
website and create your own
piece of art using a mouse as a
paintbrush.
All the images will then be
added together to form one
huge picture on a canvas
measuring 80 metres wide and
31 metres high.
As well as creating a visually
stunning artwork, organisers
hope to raise more than £3.5m
for charities including Save the
Children, Oxfam and ActionAid.
Each artist will be asked to
make a donation of £3.50,
which will be used to fund a
range of global causes.
Paul Fisher, the project’s
founder, also hopes to break
the official record for the
largest artistic collaboration of
all time.
“This picture will tell one
million personal stories,
highlighting the diversity and
similarity of people from
around the world. The fact
that we hope to raise over
£3.5m for global causes
completes a project that is
produced by the world’s
people, for the world's people.”
www.theonemillion
masterpiece.com
new landline customers.
Meanwhile NTL customers
paying for 1Mbps broadband
will soon see their speeds
double to bring them in line
with Telewest’s deals.
www.ntl.com
≥ K-Lite Codec Pack
The correct address for the
K-Lite Codec Pack software, as
featured in our Essential Free
Downloads article in Issue
140, is www.k-litecodecpack
.com. Apologies for any
confusion caused.

issue, email news@web-user.co.uk and you could win a prize. (Issue 138’s winner: Adam Burns, Wrexham) 3 August 2006 7

NEWS
UNPLUGGED
Web on the move
≥ GNER Wi-Fi
almost complete
GNER’s roll-out of wireless
net access for all its trains is
due to be finished this
summer. The rail company,
which operates the East Coast
Mainline between London
and Scotland, has already
installed Wi-Fi in 30 of its
newer trains. Prices range
from £2.95 for 30 minutes to
£9.95 for 24 hours access.
www.gner.co.uk
≥ Dictionary via phone
Mobile phone users can
now search for words in
the Concise Oxford
English Dictionary via
text. The service lets
you text a word to the
site, and then receive a
text back with a definition.
Those with Wap phones can
explore the definitions in more
detail. The service costs 25p
plus your standard text rate.
www.askoxford.com/concise/
textoffer
≥ 2.5 billion mobiles
There are more than 2.5
billion mobile phone
subscriptions worldwide,
according to a new report.
Informa Telecoms & Media
said that of these, 1.5 billion
are pre-paid. However, pre-
paid mobile subscriptions are
slowing, with the two billion
milestone not expected to be
reached until mid-2008.
www.informatm.com
W Reginald Denny during
HAT
ON EART
Our regular pick of the
best extras for Google
Earth and Google Maps
H?
Quikmaps
http://quikmaps.com
Doodle your own map on Google Maps, add
placemarks and labels, then save or send it.
8 w
3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
All the latest on the web this fortnight
SCIENCE
Walk on the Moon’s
surface online
J
ust 12 people have ever stood on
the surface of the moon, but now you
can check out a simulated view from
the comfort of your computer.
The Virtual Reality Panoramas,
released by Moonpans.co.uk, gives you
what it bills as “an Astronaut’s eye view
of the lunar surface”.
Made from photographs taken by the
Apollo astronauts more than 30 years
ago, and assembled into 360° virtual
reality movies, you can now experience
what it was like to be there.
There are 11 movies so far, covering
space missions from Apollo 11, 12, 14,
15, 16 and 17, with more coming soon.
You will need QuickTime to watch the
movies, and once they have loaded you
can rotate the panorama by clicking and
moving your mouse.
http://moonpans.co.uk/vr
COPYRIGHT
BROADBAND
YouTube sued over BT beats rivals in ADSL
beating video performance tests
T B
he man who filmed the T has been
beating of truckk driver named the best-
the 1992 Los Angeles riots
performing
ADSL ISP in a
is suing YouTube, claiming the site encourages broadband report.
copyright infringement. The new quarterly
Robert Tur said his footage was posted on the study from Epitiro
site without his permission and has been viewed uses software that
more than 1,000 times. Tur claims video- checks features such
sharing site YouTube is profiting from his work as speed and connection failures every 15 minutes.
and the availability of the clip is hurting his ability The company looked at results from 10 locations
to license the video. around the UK, and judged that BT was the best,
Tur wants $150,000 compensation per followed by Virgin, Demon, AOL and Orange.
violation and an injunction to stop further use of Gavin Johns, managing director of Epitiro, said:
the material. YouTube has removed the clip, but “Our consumer ADSL testing found that in terms of
claims Tur’s lawsuit is without merit. internet performance, BT topped the overall rankings
YouTube says it has protection under the for the period April to June 2006. BT was also found
Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which to provide the fastest service as a percentage of its
offers protection to ISPs and websites where theoretical maximum.”
their customers are guilty of copyright violation. www.epitiro.com
www.youtube.com
Buzzword of the fortnight Vishing – Like phishing, vishing is designed to steal
 TLFeBOOK
Don’t miss our daily news updates at www.webuser.co.uk/news
Number
of the fortnight IN BRIEF
$2.83bn
Microsoft’s profits
≥ iPod sales up (again)
Apple sold 8.1 million
last quarter, down 24 per
iPods in a three-month
cent from last year
period ending 1 July 2006,
up 32 per cent from the
same time last year, it has
announced. The sales
helped Apple’s profits jump
48 per cent. In
comparison, the
computer giant
shipped 1.3m
computers in the
same period.
www.apple.com
≥ Nochex allowed back
on eBay
eBay reinstated the Nochex
payment system just six
days after it banned it
without explanation.
Nochex, based in the UK
and in operation since
1999, claims that it has
been given no reason for the
ban or its subsequent
reprieve by eBay.
www.nochex.com
≥ Create your own
ISPs
PlusNet gets angry
A
senior executive of a major
ISP has posted an
astonishing online rant
describing some of the
company’s critics as “self-
absorbed phonies”.
Marco Potesta, the marketing
director at PlusNet, launched
the tirade on the ADSLGuide
Forums (http://bbs.adslguide
.org.uk), after the firm received
scathing criticism in a number
of posts.
Potesta has now urged
PlusNet staff to stop using the
forums and advised customers
to use the firm’s own forums to
report any complaints. He said
that discussions on ADSLGuide
had “degenerated into a
personal conflict zone pandering
to self-righteous egotism”.
PlusNet recently lost a large
volume of its subscribers’
emails. Potesta also admitted
PlusNet was going through a
period of reconstruction and
could probably lose customers
because of that.
NEWS
a great time right now,” he
wrote. “That much is obvious.
The reality is though that it is in
a period of reconstruction,
recreating the service that it
became known for in the last
few years.
“Anyways, back to support.
We’re fixing that. It doesn’t
happen overnight. And yes, I
am expecting a bunch of
customers to take their business
elsewhere. But most customers
will stick with it. Why? Because
for all that is said and for all that
we screw up, we still do it no
more than anyone else does.”
PlusNet declined to talk
about the matter further.

WIN!
news podcast “PlusNet is not going through www.plus.net
The International Herald
Tribune has launched a
service that lets you create GENEALOGY
a personalised news

Miami Vice PSP

games and DVDs!
podcast. Visit the paper’s
site and select stories you
would like to hear on the
spot, or download articles to
create a personalised audio
feed that can be imported
into iTunes or other
podcasting software.
http://audionews.iht.com
SITE OF THE
WEB 2.0 FORTNIGHT
WWI records to go online
F
amily history researchers
will soon be able to
search First World War
records online.
UK history site Ancestry.co.uk
is working with The National
Archives to put two sets of
records – service and pension –
on its site.
to microfilm over the past five
years. Ancestry.co.uk will scan
this microfilm, creating over 40
million images.
The site expects to finish the
procedure in November.
www.ancestry.co.uk

H
ere’s a stash of Miami Vice
goodies to celebrate the
release of the new film. You
can either win the new Miami
Vice PSP game (www.miami
vicepsp.com), or a DVD
containing Season 2 of the
original Eighties series. To stand
a chance of winning just answer
the question posed at www.
webuser.co.uk/competitions.
• Miami Vice – Season 2 is out
to buy now through Universal
Playback, and Miami Vice:
The Game is out to buy now
through Vivendi.
(c) 1984/1985/2004 Universal Studios.
All Rights Reserved.
Preloadr
http://preloadr.com
Preloadr claims to be ‘the best way
to upload and optimize photos to
Flickr’, promising software that will
help you get better colours, better
sharpness and better contrast. The
free site lets you modify photos with
tools that let you crop, sharpen,
colour correct and much more.
The records will let relatives
of soldiers discover details
about their ancestors, including
information on physical
appearance, wounds suffered,
dates of campaigns served in,
promotions, medals awarded,
next of kin, regimental number
and rank.
Josh Hanna, managing
director of Ancestry Europe,
said the records contain the
service history of more than
2.5 million people who served
in the war.
The information was
originally stored in 44,000
boxes, and has been transferred

personal details but is done via a VoIP connection instead of a web page. 3 August 2006 9

NEWS
COMMENT
Richard Lloyd
Senior Sub Editor
Time trouble
I
t’s generally not wise to
bite the hand that feeds
you, but I’m a feeling a bit
peckish. So I’ve got to ask,
“is the net just a waste of
time?” At one level the
obvious answer is “don’t be
silly, shut up and get on with
your work”. Clearly, there are
a stack of benefits, from the
politically significant – the
worldwide availability of
news and information
(knowledge is power, at least
for those people with access
to computers, phone lines
and ISPs) – to the less
consequential, such being
able to get obscure DVDs
delivered to your door.
On the other hand, think of
all the time we’d release if we
stopped watching videos of
people rollerskating off the
Empire State Building into
vats of porridge, or Japanese
gameshow contestants
“browsing
The problem with
is there’s just too
much stuff out there
being catapulted into
”
piranha-infested jacuzzis.
Then there’s the problem
with browsing: there’s just
too much stuff out there.
Search for a local dentist
before breakfast and you
could find you’re still online
and engrossed in a website
about medieval basket-
weaving (well, maybe not) at
tea-time. And don’t get me
started on blogs... surely
there are better ways of
spending your time than
reading someone’s thoughts
on last night’s telly?
You’ve got more options,
but if you’re not careful you
achieve less. It’s the tyranny
of choice – a concept I’ve long
believed in, and even foolishly
thought I’d dreamt up myself,
until I shoved it into Google
and found 20,700 results.
Although strangely only 167
from the UK. Oops, another
30 seconds bites the dust.
10 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
All the latest on the web this fortnight
WHAT’S HOT
YouTube
www.youtube.com
Surfers watch
100 million videos a day on the site
iTunes Movies
www.apple.com
Rumours abound that iTunes is
to start selling movies
Tiny chips
www.hp.com
Hewlett-Packard has
invented a wireless chip
the size of a grain of rice that
can store 100 pages of text
Piracy
www.microsoft.com
Microsoft has filed lawsuits against 26
US computer dealers it claims were
selling pirate software
Dodgy clickers
www.clickforensics.com
More than one in 10 clicks on internet
ads are fraudulent, claims a report
WHAT’S NOT
PRODUCT NEWS More new products on page 49
Logitech QuickCam
Ultra Vision webcam
This webcam from Logitech
is its new top-of-the-range
model, with twice the image
clarity of typical webcams.
It features an extra-large,
precision-engineered glass
lens that allows more light to
enter and promises a quick-
focusing mechanism that will
create sharp, vivid images.
It also has a 1.3-megapixel
sensor and supports the High-
Definition (HD) video format,
letting people create video
clips and watch them in a
wide-screen format. Logitech’s
RightLight 2 Technology
optimises video settings in
environments with poor light.
The QuickCam Ultra Vision
is on offer for £100.
www.logitech.co.uk
Up for grabs!!! Win a white PSP and ninjitsu lessons, closes 17 August, at http://tinyurl.com/zj4fd
INSTANT MESSAGING
Windows and Yahoo
messengers link up
M
icrosoft and Yahoo have collaborated
to let users of their respective instant
messaging services contact each other.
A beta trial of new software lets people using
either of the two separate systems – Windows
Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger –
connect with each other, creating a global
community of more than 350 million people.
The new service will let users sign into
both systems using one log-in, although icons
will make it clear which network each person
is using.
The two companies have also developed trial
software that will let people send text messages
to each other, and there are plans to extend this
to include voice calls soon.
The beta version of the software is only
available to those using the latest version of
the systems, both of which are available for
download. It is being made available in 19
different countries and will be accessible in
15 languages.
http://messenger.yahoo.com
http://get.live.com/messenger/overview
Virgin Lobster 544
Virgin Mobile has
Sony Micro
Vault Tiny
unveiled the next
handset in its own-
branded range of
Sony has launched a super-
small USB drive called the
Micro Vault Tiny that is just
mobile phones. 2.4mm thick, and weighs only
Called the Lobster 1.5g, yet offers storage
544, the low-cost capacity ranging from 256MB
phone offers a to 2GB. The Tiny USB drive
MP3 player and plugs directly into a USB-
a USB cable to compatible interface and can
download tunes. store a variety of file formats,
The clamshell from Word documents to
phone features a photos, music files and videos.
1.3 megapixel Using Flash memory, the unit
camera, stereo comes with a carrying case,
headset and equipped with a clip and strap.
64MB memory card. Sony says preloaded
Like other Lobster phones, it ‘Virtual Expander’ software,
features a shortcut key, giving enables the USB drive to hold
fast access to Virgin Mobile’s up to around three times the
entertainment service, BITES. usual volume of data by
BITES is updated daily, and automatically compressing and
covers music, celebrity news, decompressing the read and
humour and sport exclusively write information on the device.
for Virgin Mobile customers. Prices start at £15 for the
The phone is available from 256MB model,
Virgin Mobile stores and costs and go to £53
£69.99 on Pay As You Go and for the 2GB.
free on contract. www.sony-
www.virginmobile.com europe.com
 TLFeBOOK
Don’t miss our daily news updates at www.webuser.co.uk/news NEWS
WEB USER’S
CLICKING ON… MYBOOKMARKS
Websites that have kept us busy this fortnight…
Mary de Cinque
Marketing Manager,
1 Bug
www.apn.gr/manager/
publish/article _ 1759.shtml
Web User

Don’t try teaching your Television Without Pity

grandma to push eggs www.televisionwithoutpity.com
with this tricky game.

2 Be Zinedine Zidane
www.dascom.de/
zidane.htm
Anyone not had a go at
butting these Italian My favourite TV show is
players yet? Lost, but it can sometimes
be so frustrating I choose

3 Tennis on Tatooine
www.davideodesign
.co.uk/tat.htm
to read TWP’s amusingly
bitchy scene-by-scene
commentary rather than
Star Wars meets watch it. It does all my other
Wimbledon, without the favourite American shows
strawberries and cream. too, so if I’ve missed one
I can catch up online. It’s

4 Scammer humiliated
http://forum.419eater.
com/john _ boko.htm
invariably better than the
actual episode.

A would-be money Rock Track of the Day

launderer has the www.rocktrackoftheday.co.uk
Michael taken out
of him.

EVERYONE’S CLICKING ON…

Our guide to this fortnight’s most clickable sites This is a nice little music
site that features full videos
of new releases daily, which
THIS GAME is great for me as I tend to
be pretty lazy at keeping up
Mouse Balancing when it comes to music.
www.weebls-stuff.com/games/Mouse+Balancing/ The accompanying
We’re sorry, we’re sorry, we’re sorry. We really are, because this is probably comments are always a
the hardest game we’ve ever picked, and we have to admit we’ve picked it just hoot too!
so we can share the insanity. All you have to do here is move the mouse left
and right to keep it balanced. And it’s giving us sleepless nights. Now you too. BBC Food
www.bbc.co.uk/food
THIS TIME-WASTER
Stick Scene
www.stickscene.com
Test your knowledge of film by guessing the flicks or TV shows represented by
simple graphics. You can submit your own interpretations of popular (or even I’m addicted to food sites
unpopular) screen gems, and we’ll give you a gold star if you draw Carry On and the BBC’s is still the
Up the Khyber. best and easiest to navigate.
Just type in the contents of
your cupboard and their
THIS BIZARRE SITE huge recipe database will
always find something tasty
Shock the Man for your tea.
http://shocktheman.com
Sitting in a bath of baked beans? Sponsored silence? Pah, those fundraising Your Bookmarks
favourites are old hat and don’t offer the slightest risk of extreme pain, which Send short reviews (30 words
is why this chap is wearing a dog obedience shock collar to raise money for an each max) of your favourite
animal charity. Pay to give him a shock and he’ll post a video of it here. three sites to mybookmarks
@web-user.co.uk

Win two tickets to Sydney for the 5th and final Ashes Test Win a Champneys spa break for two, closes 31 August, 3 August 2006 11
match, closes 23 August, at http://tinyurl.com/ggonm at http://tinyurl.com/f6k2q
 TLFeBOOK

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before 31 August 2006 and get £1 a month off for the first year.

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All the latest on the web this fortnight
WHAT THE BLOGS
ARE SAYING:
Battle of the browsers
Both Microsoft and Mozilla have
released new beta versions of their
browsers. Internet Explorer 7 and
Firefox 2.0 promise a range of
enhancements and new features.
The just-released beta of Firefox 2
may disappoint those who
expected a major overhaul, but it
adds a variety of useful features that make
s,
it a must-have upgrade for Firefox user
phis hing filter ing, bett er
including anti-
,
RSS handling, a built-in spell-checker
and more advanced tab hand ling.
In contrast to the dramatic redesign
7,
Microsoft has given to Internet Explorer
men tal upgr ade than
this is more an incre
a major one. The final versions of both
browsers will be strikingly similar in
n
features, although not in design. Whe
the two relea ses are final , IE will have
the
largely caught up to Firefox, although
ystem of Firef ox exte nsions still
large ecos
gives the open-source browser the
edge in usefulness.
http://ddj.com /
Out of morbid curiosity, I’ve just
tried out [the] latest version of
Internet Explorer 7, Beta 3. When
the project is complete, this is the
browser that supposedly will put
Microsoft back on the map after a lengthy
period of stagnation. Launching IE7 was
relatively painless but irritating: Microsoft
simply refuses to leave you alone. At first,
I was redirected to a page where I was
told I could modify a variety of settings,
including changing my locale from the UK
to the US. As I am in the UK, changing
this option was not at the forefront of my
mind. When I began to browse, IE7 told
me about what wonderful anti-phishing
tools it was giving me as well. It occurred
to me that this was the most egotistical
browser I’d ever encountered … That
said, it is better than IE6, but then
again, most things are.
www.linuxextremist.com
I’m not so big on the betas myself,
especially the really early ones,
’cause I’m way too hooked on my
extensions, and odds are that none of
them will work. Firefox 2, though, has
a on the internet. According to teen website
lot of new features that make several
of
my extensions obsolete. Anyway,
give it a shot if you want.
http://100hc.blogspot.com/
TLFeBOOK
SECURITY
Spammers see success with images
S
pammers are foiling some security
software by sending junk emails
containing nothing but images,
according to experts.
Image spam has
proved popular with
spammers as they can
easily tell if a message
has been opened
because the image
must be downloaded
from their remote
server. These email
addresses are then
considered good
targets for further mailings.
Despite a decline last year,
image spam bounced back at
the beginning of this year and has
remained strong ever since, accounting
for around 25 per cent of all spam,
according to messaging company
Postini. Pornography and stock offers
are among the most common image
spam messages.
In 2005, image spam accounted for
just 5 per cent of spam, but after seeing
CAMPAIGN
New guide to tackle online bullies
T
he Government has produced a guide to
help beat ‘cyberbullies’.
Unveiled by Schools Minister Jim
Knight, it is hoped the guide will help
schools tackle online and mobile phone
bullying with the same vigilance as they do
bullying in the playground.
Research published by the Anti-Bullying
Alliance identifies seven types of
cyberbullying, ranging from abusive text
messages, emails and phone calls, to
bullying in chat rooms, social-networking
sites and instant messaging. Up to one in
WEB TRENDS
Parents baffled by teen web talk
I
f a teenage web surfer said to you:
“P999, I’m LMAO BBS, hope to see you
in IRL soon”, would you understand and
say “w/e”?
A new report shows that British parents
are struggling to understand the way their
teenagers communicate with each other
Habbo Hotel, online teenage communities
are almost incomprehensible to adults.
It reports that because of the growing
NEWS
initial success many spammers have
switched tactics from text to image spam.
Postini says most anti-spam products
struggle to detect image spam because
they are looking for word patterns.
However, Andrew
Downie, managing
director at NetBop,
which developed the
BopSpam anti-spam
software, said his
company’s software
could “easily” detect
image spam.
“We’re not really too
worried at all. It’s on
the rise but it’s quite
obvious when just an image
is being sent. It’s very unusual that
someone would send an email with only a
large embedded image, so that would
trigger us to investigate it further.”
Spam in general accounts for 72.9 per
cent of all emails; according to data from
Postini’s StatTrack.
www.postini.com
www.bopspam.com
five pupils have
experienced
some form of
cyberbullying,
with girls significantly more likely to be
cyberbullied, especially by text messages
and phone calls, than boys. However, it is
claimed that around a third of victims never
reported cyberbullying.
The guide, Tackling Cyberbullying, sets
out simple steps that schools, parents and
pupils can take and is available online at
www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying.
prevalence of email, instant messengers
and mobile phones, teenagers have
developed an online language which is
“dynamic and multidimensional”,
combining a mix of punctuation symbols,
abbreviations and emoticons.
Incidently, P999 means ‘parent alert’,
LMAO BBS means ‘laughing my arse off
and will be back soon’, IRL means ‘In real
life’ and w/e means ‘whatever’.
www.habbohotel.co.uk
3 August 2006 13
TLFeBOOK
TLFeBOOK
TLFeBOOK

We solve your consumer
problems and shop around
for the best deals online
Customer gets slow Starter
l, Solihull
READER: Steve Bul
band connection de
PROBLEM: Broad
TLFeBOOK
By Lisa Kelly CONSUMER
CHAMPION
Shoppingchallenge Logitech Quickcam Fusion
Each issue we scour the net to find the best deals on a popular product
such as this USB webcam. If you’ve got a challenge, let us know
lay
You can get a perfectly workable
webcam for little more than a
fiver, but its worth splashing
out more for the Web User
Gold Award-winning

W
hen you sign up to a new broadband package, it’s Quickcam Fusion. Superior
reasonable to expect the service to be working video quality, 1.3 megapixel
before the ISP takes payment from your account. images and echo-free audio are
However, there’s always the risk of technical problems just the basics – you also get
causing delays. great performance even in low
Web User reader Steve Bull, a media technician at a light, plus a quality stereo
sixth-form college, experienced this problem when he headset. For more info visit
signed up to Orange’s (formally Wanadoo) Broadband www.logitech.com.
Starter for £14.99 a month in April 2006.
Five weeks later, Mr Bull’s broadband connection had
still not been activated, and he was told by Orange it
had discovered the problem was the result of a fault on
the BT line. BT customer services told Mr Bull to limit
his enquiries to Orange, and not try to get BT to solve the
problem: A BT spokeswoman told Web User: “BT NEY SAVED
Wholesale does not have a relationship with the
MO
36.55
3.4 PRICE

RICE
£

5
customer. It is up to the service provider to keep a

0
TREET P
EB

£79.9
customer informed of progress if there is a problem, but TW
there is an ongoing dialogue between BT Wholesale and
BES

the service provider about consumer issues.”

£4

HIGH-S
After speaking to the Orange customer care line,
Mr Bull considered stopping his direct debit payments,
but was advised against this by Orange. Cancelling
direct debits within a contract period can leave a
Winner
customer in breach of their contract, which could result
in referral to a debt collection agency, so it’s best to Amazon
avoid this if at all possible. Orange also told Mr Bull he www.amazon.co.uk
would receive free connection time as compensation for Basic price: £43.40
the problem. Delivery charge: Free
Mr Bull’s problem was eventually fixed, but he was Claimed delivery time: 3-6 working days
not informed by Orange that the connection was Returns: 30 days
working and only discovered by logging on to see if the How to pay: Visa/Delta/Electron/
fault had been rectified. Mastercard/Maestro/Solo/Eurocard/
Orange told Web User: “It is Orange’s usual policy to cheque/PO
inform customers that faults have been fixed once BT TOTAL PRICE: £43.40
have updated our systems. Unfortunately in Mr Bull’s
case, it seems the customer service agents closed the
fault off and did not inform him he could get back online.”
Orange said questions of compensation are
“evaluated on a case-by-case basis”. Mr Bull was
offered a free Anytime account while his broadband
was down, which he declined. Orange’s latest offer is
three months free broadband along with a refund for the
time Mr Bull was without his broadband account. This
was described by the Orange spokeswoman “as Micro Warehouse
a gesture of goodwill to compensate for the Komplett IT247 www.microwarehouse
inconvenience caused”. www.komplett.co.uk www.it247.com .co.uk
Basic price: £49 Basic price: £53.62 Basic price: £56.39
Delivery charge: £6.50 Delivery charge: £4.95 Delivery charge: £5.87
Do you need our help? Claimed delivery time:
2-3 days
Claimed delivery time:
3-5 days
Claimed delivery time:
Next day
How to pay: Visa/Delta/ How to pay: Visa/Delta/ How to pay: Visa/Delta/
•
Been caught out by an online scam? Had a problem with
Mastercard/Maestro/ Mastercard/Maestro/ Mastercard/Maestro/
at consumerchampion@webuser.co.uk
•
internet shopping you’d like us to investigate? Email Lisa
Solo Solo bank transfer
TOTAL PRICE: £55.50 TOTAL PRICE: £58.57 TOTAL PRICE: £62.26

3 August 2006 17

LETTERS
Have your say: letters@web-user.co.uk
HOT TOPICS
These are some of the questions and
subjects you have been debating on
our forum in the past fortnight. Have your
say at www.webuser.co.uk/forums.
1 Which games consoles do you own and which
games do you play?
I have an Xbox and use it
only for Pro Evolution Soccer
5 now. I have a SNES and
N64 but they are gathering
dust underneath a TV.
The PC is my ultimate
games machine, if I had
to get another console it
will be either a 360 for
Ghost Recon Advanced
Warfighter (but for just one game isn’t a
good reason), or the Nintendo Wii as it
looks fun and innovative.
Mouse, via Web User Forums
2 British parents are struggling to understand
the way their teens communicate with each
other online, a report claims. Do you find it hard
to understand online slang?
I find the use of ‘text’ speech rude, and
lazy. Don’t get me wrong, I understand
that the pace and style of life changes...
but it shows a distinct inability to
communicate in an appropriate manner.
My daughter is 14 now, and I find most of
the emails, texts, or even letters she
writes completely bizarre.
NickFlynn22, via Web User Forums
I tend not to use txt spk to talk on forums,
however, in a text message I will use
things like “C U l8r” simply because it
means I can fit more in a text, therefore
getting more for my money, rather than
sending two texts and paying twice.
Online I don’t speak like that, however,
if I am getting lazy while using an internet
messenger I will start to use “K”, “gtg”,
”brb”, ”y” or “Cya”, etc.
Nanook, via Web User Forums
3 Have you bought a digital version of Web User?
(www.webuser.co.uk/zinio). What did you
think of it?
The online magazine is fantastic,
obviously ideal online because of the
content. The links within the articles are
all live so just click and go. Great for that
quiet time at work!
Sircrump, via Web User Forums
18 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
Digital joy
I have been a Web User buyer from day one
and I have recently purchased the digital
version (from www.zinio.com). No more
magazines stored all over the place –
every edition stored on your hard disk,
easy to browse. One of the main reasons
I am hooked is because all the links
are available to click on, so as you are
reading the articles you go off on a tangent
clicking on the different links. It takes twice
as long to read and you never know where
you will end up as one link leads to another.
The Zinio reader also lets you leave notes or
highlight articles for future reference – stick
the note on the front cover and you’ll always
find the page you want. It is cheap as well –
and a wonderful experience that in my view
makes an excellent mag even better.
Richard Harrison, Lincolnshire
Get Web User on your Desktop as well as on your
desk by subscribing to our digital edition
Speeding feedback
I sympathise with Mike Mitchell (Letters,
Issue 140) whose granddaughter was
injured in a road accident involving a
speeding car. However, almost all the speed
cameras I encounter are in places that seem
unconnected with safety concerns: the only
logic seems to be that the cameras will make
the most money in places where speeding is
relatively safe. Speed cameras would be
better placed near schools, in town centres,
resident roads and accident blackspots.
These cameras would not make a lot of
CONTACT US
Letters page: letters@web-user.co.uk
Problem solver: problemsolver@web-user.co.uk material submitted. IPC Media or its associated companies reserves the right
Reader helps reader:
readerhelpsreader@web-user.co.uk
News stories and press releases:
news@web-user.co.uk
Advertising enquiries:
advertising@web-user.co.uk
Subscriptions: ipcsubs@qss-uk.com
Web User, Room 0305, IPC Media, King’s Reach
Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS.
Your Shout!
STAR LETTER
This issue’s £25 winner!
Pixmania’s hefty
security checks
I recently bought a digital
£W 25
camera from Pixmania
(www.pixmania.com).
The transaction
appeared to go smoothly
inne r
and I could see the
padlock icon on the
online payment page.
I received a confirmation
email and also another email
asking for a copy of my passport, driver’s
licence or other such documentation (it
said a JPEG, PDF or fax copy would
suffice). The email said: “In our bid to
reduce fraud on the internet, we have
issued new measures of security.”
I have never been asked for this type of
information when buying items online
before. Surely there are other ways to
check such as using the electoral roll,
phone books and so on? I sent the
information Pixmania requested and a
money for their owners because the vast
majority of drivers are sensible and
responsible. OK, I can hear people saying
this would be too expensive, but now that we
are stuck with all these cameras that are just
there to make money the profits should be
invested in siting cameras in places where
they truly could be called safety cameras.
Rick, Hertfordshire
Windows updates
I read with interest the News Feature
concerning Windows Genuine Advantage
Update (Issue 140). Much was of the
possibility of this update being spyware and
the view that Microsoft has a duty to protect
its product from counterfeiting. If we have
ripped off a program – and most of us have at
some point – we are thieves, and you will not
catch me whinging if I am ever caught.
However, I do believe your article missed a
salient point. I have just been told that I have
All contributions to Web User must be original, not copies or duplicated to other
publications. The editor reserves the right to shorten or modify any letter or
to reuse any submission sent to the letters column of Web User magazine, in any
format or medium.
Newsletter
Sign up now for our free email newsletter
– in your Inbox every fortnight.
See www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter
Do you own a domain name?
 TLFeBOOK
LETTERS
ASK WEB USER
Got a non-technical query about the
confirmation email followed, so my mind is a wonderful web? Email it to askwebuser@
little more at rest now. The point I am trying webuser.co.uk and we’ll try to help
to make is that I almost withdrew from the
transaction as I am just as concerned about File compression
security as Pixmania – particularly with
regard to identity fraud. It also added a
couple of days delay to my purchase.
Q A few months ago you featured a
small program that reduced photos
to email size. Since my computer
Maybe Pixmania’s security requirements crashed, I lost all my programs and have
should be highlighted more prominently on Pixmania is determined to cut credit card fraud been unable to find the address to
the website and not just in small print that is download it again. Please help.
hardly ever read – and not everyone is able responsibility to ensure transactions are Galaxy7, via email
to fax or scan such documents. secure. Due to the large amount of credit
Ian Beveridge, via email card fraud on the internet, we need to be
careful about fraud and we make these A Web User replies: In Issue 134 we
featured Infima (www.myinfima
Web User replies: We received three other checks for customer protection.” .com), which uses a new patented
emails from readers this fortnight expressing According to Jérome, Pixmania’s technology to shrink JPEG images by up
concern about Pixmania’s requests for ‘extra ‘security scoring system’ automatically to 32 per cent and delivers even better
details’ such as a copy of a passport, driving checks the customer’s name and address results for MP3s and video clips. It can
licence or recent utility bill. However, despite against the electoral roll and telephone encrypt files too.
the company’s emails and website stating it records. If a customer does not score
had “issued new measures of security”, it highly enough for the system to validate
told Web User these checks have been in their details automatically, it will ask for a
place for six years and that most customers further piece of identification as described.
are “extremely positive” about them. “Most of the time our customers are
Ulric Jérome, Pixmania’s managing quite happy, but please assure your
director, said: “These checks can be seen as readers we welcome and put priority on
a constraint, but because of our size it’s our specific complaints,” Jérome added.

an update ready to download and I to let you see the serial number until he has
unthinkingly rejected it without considering your money, and thus the system fails. Gambling problem
the implications. (I always accept automatic
updates and always reject optional ones.)
The fact that I rejected this update is of much
As someone who occasionally buys
online items that could easily be stolen,
I think the only answer would be to email the
Q I have been gambling for over three
years and now I’m about £1,200 in
debt. I would like help, but cannot afford
more significance to Microsoft than vendor asking for the serial number before to pay for it. Do you know anywhere
if I had accepted it. I am implying, indeed committing to the purchase. If you do not where I can get help?
screaming that I do not have a genuine copy get a reply or are told the serial number is Eric, via email
of XP (I do, on a shop-bought PC). unreadable or missing, then give the item a
How long do you think it will be before
Microsoft starts actively looking at those
miss. What do other readers think?
Geoffrey Chance, via email A Web User replies: Gambling
Therapy (www.gamblingtherapy.
PCs users who do not have this upgrade? org) offers an online helpline for problem
Now that the ball is rolling, every other gambling, run by the Gordon House
software manufacturer will jump onto this Association, where you can speak live to
cheap and easy-to-police bandwagon and advisors/counsellors online. Gamblers
it will soon be a compulsory part of any Anonymous (www.gamblersanonymous.
licence agreement. org.uk) offers regular meetings across the
Peter Lee, Poole UK and Gamcare (www.gamcare.org.uk)
offers information, advice and practical
Stolen goods help on gambling.
I was very interested in the article on the
stolen goods site www.checkmend.org in Optical illusions
Issue 140. However, it seems to me that
this closes the door after the horse has gone.
My reasoning is that a dodgy dealer selling
CheckMend’s stolen property checking service is a
good idea, but prevention is better than cure
Q Some time ago you did a feature on
optical illusion sites and I found a
really good one which I put in my
an item he knows to be stolen is not going favourites. The problem is my PC crashed
and I had to reboot so I lost everything
and I can’t remember the name of the site.
Janice Byrne, via email
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
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676 7778. For enquiries and overseas orders, please call +44 (0) 845 or subscribe and have Web User digital edition downloaded to The Optical Illusions piece
676 7778, fax +44 (0) 1444 445599 or email ipcsubs@qss-uk.com. your computer every fortnight. Visit www.webuser.co.uk/zinio
Alternatively subscribe online at www.webuser.co.uk for details. featured in Issue 129.

Yes 38% No, but plan to 9% Not interested 53% (Source: www.webuser.co.uk) 3 August 2006 19
 TLFeBOOK

BESTNEW We review this fortnight’s crop

WEBSITES
SITE OF THE FORTNIGHT
Antiques
www.antiques.dk.com
Our rating ★★★★★
Who needs Antiques Roadshow, with all that queuing up
and people glaring at your precious odds-and-sods? This
new website from book publisher DK is incredibly simple,
but equally as informative, and to be honest it blew us
away. Enter the name of your antique in the search box at
the top of the homepage or browse by category to unveil
30,000 colour photographs complete with guide prices
and detailed descriptions. Categories include Porcelain,
Furniture, Textiles, Silver and Metalware plus loads more.
Once you’ve chosen a category, you are taken through a
series of sub-category pages to narrow down the selection
until you find an antique that closely resembles the object
you’re looking for. Obviously, the site doesn’t have entries
for everything ever made, but the range is still staggering.
The site claims it is ‘your essential guide to buying and
selling antiques and collectables’ and it is hard not to
believe that. It really is an amazing site, super-easy to use,
and one that may save or make you a few bob as well.

Teen Front
www.teenfront.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
Teen Front is a website packed with entertaining content for
teenagers. The site has been revamped and now
sports a chat room, a searchable reviews
section and a new games arcade, alongside
its staple music, games and film news
articles. The design of the site is clean, clear
and professional-looking, and the amount of
content impressive. Links are provided for
easy access to other teen websites, and
interactive elements such as quizzes
and polls – a mainstay of any good teen
site – feature prominently. There is a list of
five different things to do every day and
hundreds of prizes up for grabs each week
for those who register.
Energise Your Life
www.energiseyourlife.com
Our rating ★★★★★
Is your life in need of a boost?
Energise Your Life is a new
website that sells lots of culinary
products, from juicers and
blenders to water filters and air
ionisers – all designed to
promote ‘optimum health’. The
range on offer isn’t extensive,
but judging by the prices –
juicers start at £69, blenders at
£395 – these are top-of-the-
range products. Delivery is free
for most goods, and the site
promises to ship out your
healthy gadgets the day after
you order. We liked this site’s
simplicity and the fact it
specialises in one area, rather
than trying to cater for many
different tastes. Definitely worth
a look if you’re feeling the need
to reenergise your life.

20 3 August 2006 Our website of the fortnight one year ago www.blendinlikealocal.com – HSBC’s guide to seven
 TLFeBOOK
of the best new and revamped websites
Scrawl Collective
www.scrawlcollective.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
The Scrawl Collective is a great starting
point for any budding Charles Saatchi,
minus the millions of course. The site
acts as an
online market
for urban artists
and illustrators
where
consumers can
buy limited run
artworks or
specially
commissioned screen prints. Like the
art on sale, the website is modern, bold
and fresh in its design. Scrawl Collective
lets you browse through the works of
several artists, providing access to huge
portfolios of work. The website gives
information on each artist and includes
details of all their latest projects,
exhibitions and commissions. You may
need deep pockets though, with prices
ranging from £50 to more than £6,000.
cities around the world, their customs and culture.
BESTNEWWEBSITES
CAF Online
www.cafonline.org www.islandtunes.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
If you want to support a worthy
cause or find out more about a
particular charity and its aims
this new site is worth
bookmarking. It brings together
the Charities Aid Foundation’s
register of more than 17,000
organisations and includes
details provided by the charities
themselves, plus details of how
much each raises and what it
spends the proceeds on. You
can open an online account
with interactive statements
and a list of your favourite
charities. One of the best
features is a search that lets
donors look for
charities in
their local
community.
Reviews by Annie Underwood, Quentin Reade, Rebecca O’Riordan and Ross Wigham
Island Tunes
Record label Island has been
behind some of the world’s
biggest and most influential
artists since its launch in 1962,
and now the label has an online
presence with a dedicated
webstore selling MP3s and
music videos. Powered by 7
Digital Media, the shop offers
albums and singles for
download, and also lists the
most popular. The site offers
high-quality 30-second
previews of each track and also
recommends several different
singles and albums each day.
You can also sign up to a
newsletter to receive news and
information about new releases.
To play the files you will need
Windows Media Player.
3 August 2006 21

BESTNEWWEBSITES
BLOG ON C
Awesome Tapes
from Africa
http://awesometapes
fromafrica.blogspot.com
Probably the best blog title of
the year so far also contains
one of the most unexpected
sentences we’ve ever read
too: “There are a surprising
number of rappers in Burkina
Faso, especially in the capital,
Ouagadougou.” Why that is
we’re not sure, although if
they do insist on mentioning
the capital, rhymes must be
tough to concoct. This is a
splendid delve into music
from another continent that
the anonymous blogger has a
real affection for, and his
enthusiasm is infectious.
Posting snippets of the
albums he’s discussing helps
give the reader an idea of
what he’s on about, and offers
the wonderful sensation of
being given a guided tour of
someone else’s record box.
Or, if we’re being 21st Century
about it, MP3 player.
C Andy Murray may
BLOG OFF
I’m Blogging This
http://ringmar.net/
imbloggingthis/
Earlier this year lecturer Erik
Ringmar’s blog caused a
fuss at the London School of
Economics for revealing too
much about his workplace.
He’s now writing a book
about his experience. So, to
clarify, that’s a blogger
writing a blog about a book
about a blog. Good grief.
22 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
We review this fortnight’s crop
Mobiles.org.uk Oxjam Leeds United
www.mobiles.org.uk www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam www.leedsunited.com
Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
Finding the best new mobile Charity Oxfam is organising a Ready for a new season,
deal often makes us feel like Dr 31-day fundraising music Leeds United Football
Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci event in October called Club has re-launched its
Code. We know the answer is Oxjam. It’s asking website. Replete in the
out there, but how do you find it? musicians, promoters, and team’s blue and yellow
Enter Mobiles.org.uk, a site that anyone who feels like it to put livery, the site offers
highlights the latest mobile on music events to raise money. news, detailed information
phone deals from the UK’s The site provides information on on all the players, fixtures and
leading operators. Browse by how to get involved, and includes results. Fans can also purchase
handset brand or by mobile a form to fill in with your tickets and merchandise from
company, or just click on one proposed event. You can the online store or place bets on
of the featured deals. download a music promotion how things will turn out on the
As with similar sites, you toolkit, and the site is packed pitch. Handy quick links show
will be taken to another with hints and tips on how Leeds’ place on the league table,
company to sign the to make your event the next fixture and results of
deal, but it’s the clear successful, including how the last match. Registered users
and concise design that to write a press release get access to Leeds TV, where
sets Mobiles.org.uk apart and use social-networking fans can watch interviews and
from its rivals. sites to spread the word. match highlights.
To enjoy even more website reviews, visit www.webuser.co.uk/sites
Andy Murray
www.andymurray.com
Our rating ★★★★★
have failed to make
the Wimbledon
final, but his new
website is certainly
accomplished
enough to ace most
of his opponents.
It lets both fans a
nd armchair critics voice their opinions on his recent
games, and although some comments are on the harsh
side, there seem to be plenty of people willing to
defend the Scot. The site also features Andy’s
Blog, where the tennis star tells about amusing
experiences of the day, a photo gallery of the
young star, access to interviews conducted
just before this year’s Wimbledon and a
competition to win his seats
at the Davis Cup. All in
all, it’s a great
websitefor those
looking for information
on Murray and a chance to
talk to other fans.
Our website of the fortnight three years ago www.toptable.co.uk – find and book restaurants
 TLFeBOOK
of the best new and revamped websites
Newcastle International
www.newcastleinternational.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
You can make sure you’ve done all your holiday planning
before you set off with this new site from one of the country’s
fastest-growing airports – Newcastle International. The site is
an essential tool for anybody flying to or from the North East
of England and includes all the useful information you’d
expect, from live journey times to car park booking and
baggage limits. The site includes a travel shop offering cheap
flight deals and you can also book currency online and collect
it at the airport or reserve a place in the executive lounge using
the site. The online guide to the North East will prove handy
for both tourists and business travellers alike.
Royal Air Force
www.raf.mod.uk www.just-eat.co.uk www.charterflights.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
Seen Top Gun and fancy being a
budding Iceman or Maverick?
The RAF’s new site is packed
with information on how to join
the fly-boy ranks. It’s ultimately a
big recruitment advertisement,
but the site is interesting whether
or not you want to sign up. You
can check out information on the
fitness programme trainees
must follow, and also discover
more about joining up via
‘Channel RAF’, which features
videos and podcasts from new
recruits. Goodies include
visually-stunning wallpapers to
download, video clips and
games based on real-life RAF
scenarios such as an exercise in
Afghanistan and an evacuation
in Sierra Leone.
online and read reviews by other diners.
BESTNEWWEBSITES
Ronnie Scott’s
www.ronniescotts.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
Tenor saxophonist Ronnie Scott
opened his now legendary jazz
club in Soho in 1959. Since then
it has hosted gigs by the genre’s
biggest and brightest stars. The
club has just reopened after
renovation and, you guessed it,
given its online offering a lick of
paint at the same time.
Considered one of the greatest
jazz venues of all time, Ronnie
Scott’s new site is a must for any
jazz fan, offering a podcast,
event listing, online bookings to
shows and a potted history
about the club. You can also
sign up online to become a
member of the club and find out
about the food on offer when
you dine there. The site also
features a handy list of links to
other jazz websites.
Just Eat
Coach potatoes everywhere can
now order a range of takeaway
food, without having to pick up
the phone. The site lets you
choose from a number of
restaurants in your area and
have food delivered at the click of
a mouse. Alternatively, hungry
office workers can order their
evening meal during the day and
collect it on their way home. The
site is well established in
Denmark, where it has 300,000
users, but the UK version is only
active in London at the moment,
with plans to extend this later
this year. Customers can
read or write reviews of
each food outlet and
compile favourite menus
and orders on the site.
C
GIVEITAMISS
Coca-Cola Zero
www.lifewithzero
downsides.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
Dubbed ‘Bloke Coke’, Coke
Zero is a new sugarless
version of the fizzy drink,
without the ‘feminine’ Diet
Coke branding. The new site
is adorned in blacks and reds
with 12 icons that lead you to
sections such as ‘festivals
without the manky toilets’
and ‘professional football
without the amateur
dramatics’. Thing is, the
website has no information
about the actual product and
comes across as misogynist
with its tedious male
messages. It may be sugar-
free, but this site is totally flat.
Charter Flights
Charter Flights has revamped its
website, added a host of new
routes and a new-look search
function. From the homepage
enter your chosen destination,
your dates of travel and whether
you want to book online, and a
range of options will appear.
While the website doesn’t do
anything that you probably can’t
find on other travel sites, it did
present some good deals, and
the Special Offers section on the
right-hand side of the homepage
has some especially cheap
flights, such as a return to
Tenerife for £44. You can
also sign up for a
newsletter containing all
the best deals. Another
flight-site to bookmark!
3 August 2006 23

FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES
100 GREATEST
BROADBAND
WEBSITES
If you’ve made the leap from dial-up to broadband you’ll want to
know which sites make the most of your lightning-fast connection.
Wayne Williams identifies the 100 best broadband sites
ONLINE TELEVISION
BBC Broadband
www.bbc.co.uk/broadband
The BBC’s broadband site contains news,
weather reports, streaming radio, clips
from popular shows such as EastEnders
and several complete TV programmes.
BBC Video Nation
www.bbc.co.uk/videonation
Video Nation lets you submit short films
about your life or community, or the things
that matter to you. The finished videos are
edited and added to the site for people to
watch and comment on.
Broadband-Television
http://broadband-television.com
Although it’s not the most attractive site,
Broadband-Television provides links to
various streamed video broadcasts from
around the world.
LikeTelevision
http://tesla.liketelevision.com
This site has an interesting mix of videos to
watch or download, ranging from classic
24 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
TV and cartoons to movies and toy
commercials. You need to subscribe for
about £8 a month to access everything.
Sky by broadband
www.sky.com/skybybroadband
If you’re a Sky subscriber who pays for the
movie channels, you can download and
watch many of the films to your PC free of
charge. Sky Sports 1 and 2 subscribers
can also view the content from those
channels online.
Channel 4 Broadband
www.channel4.com/broadband
Channel 4’s broadband website lets you
view programmes online for free as they
are being broadcast. You can also watch
trailers and music videos, and pay to see
episodes of Lost.
Discovery Broadband
www.discoverybroadband.co.uk
The Discovery Channel’s broadband
site has a wide choice of full-length
streaming videos that you can pay to
watch – either per show or as part of a
monthly/yearly subscription.
Four Docs www.channel4.com/fourdocs
Four Docs is a collection of four-minute
documentaries created by visitors to the
website. Viewers can rate the
documentaries they’ve watched.
SmartStreams www.smartstreams.com
This is a collection of links to sites that offer
streaming video over the internet. It also
has links to online movie and radio sites.
Creature Comforts
http://creaturecomforts.tv
If you’re a fan of
the Aardman
animated series,
you’ll love this site
which has clips
from the show,
‘making-of’
information, downloads, and the chance to
adopt your favourite creature. We’ve taken
a shine to Victor the Geordie Mouse.
Discovery Channel: Beyond
www.discovery.com/beyond
Once you’ve exhausted the UK site, head
over to this US site for many more free tips.
Wi-FiTV www.cinemapop.com
This site provides streaming video from
hundreds of channels worldwide, and
lets you chat about what you’re watching
with other users. It’s not free, but there is
a trial period.

FILM & ANIMATION
AOL Film Downloads
http://entertainment.aol.co.uk/film
Rather than trekking too the local video
shop, you can now download hit flicks to
rent or buy. There are also free short films.
Apple Movie Trailers
www.apple.com/trailers
Apple’s site is the place to head if you want
to view the very latest film trailers (you’ll
need QuickTime installed). Quite a few are
available in High Definition quality.
Atom Films www.atomfilms.com
Home to a massive
collection of short
comedies,
animation and
dramas. The
quality is mostly
RADIO
Virgin Radio www.virginradio.co.uk
Virgin’s live broadcasts are streamed in an
impressive number of audio formats and
its radio player automatically adjusts the
stream’s quality to suit your internet
connection speed.
Classic FM www.classicfm.com
If you prefer to relax to some classical
music, Classic FM’s stream is very good.
The site has recently upgraded to a higher
quality feed.
Pandora www.pandora.com
Tell Pandora what kind of music you like
and it will build a streaming radio station
that aims to match your taste, adding
tracks of a similar musical style for you to
provide feedback on.
MUSIC
Yahoo Music UK
http://uk.launch.yahoo.com
Packed with news, reviews, videos and
music. There’s also a huge selection of
TLFeBOOK
excellent and they are sorted according to
genre and popularity.
Ifilm
www.ifilm.com
Similar to Atom Films, Ifilm contains lots
of short movies, along with music videos
and choice clips taken from various
American TV programmes.
CinemaNow www.cinemanow.com
The world's largest legal video download
site, CinemaNow offers free and paid-for
movies. US users can watch the latest DVD
blockbusters, but international viewers
only have access to more obscure titles.
Update Hollywood
www.updatehollywood.com
An excellent free site offering trailers, stills,
Last.fm www.last.fm
Last.fm is similar to Pandora and produces
a personalised radio station based on your
musical likes and dislikes. It can also
match you up with users who have parallel
tastes and provides information about the
artists played.
LAUNCHcast streaming radio stations
playing a variety of songs.
MP3.com www.mp3.com
This is one of the best-
known music sites on the
internet. You can buy tracks
in various audio formats,
get free music, watch
videos, download podcasts and view high-
quality images of your favourite music stars.
VidZone www.vidzone.tv
This site contains over 5,000 music
videos, which you can view individually or
as part of a playlist. It isn’t free though – a
subscription costs from £5.99 a month.
FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES
film clips, interviews and behind-the-
scenes features.
MyMovies.net www.mymovies.net
View trailers and clips from the latest
movies, or read news and interviews.
There are also video reviews to watch.
You can write and submit your own
reviews too.
Radio Tower www.radiotower.com
Radio Tower offers 1,200 streaming radio
stations from more than 80 countries. You
can browse by category, country or station.
Live 365 http://live365.com
A comprehensive collection of radio
stations from around the world. You can
sort them by genre or search for stations
that play music by your favourite artist.
Smooth Jazz www.softjazz.co.uk
This station plays
uninterrupted slick
jazz non-stop.
You can vote for
your favourite
songs to help
refine the playlist.
VideoTV www.video.tv
Like VidZone, this site lets you stream a
vast selection of music videos, with the
available choices spanning the decades.
To watch videos you’ll need to buy a virtual
wallet filled with credits.
3 August 2006 25
 TLFeBOOK
FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES

MUSIC (continued) CULTURE & EDUCATION

British Pathe www.britishpathe.com
download. You need the iTunes software Pathe produced a bi-weekly newsreel for
installed to use it. cinemas from 1910 to 1970 and this site
hosts all 90,000 items and 3,500 hours
MP3Tunes of footage. Access is free for visitors who
www.mp3tunes aren’t using the site for work purposes.
.com
A virtual online
locker system,
MP3Tunes lets
you upload and
store all your music on the site. You can
then listen to it via any PC on the internet.

Meditainment www.meditainment.com
This site offers stories, music and natural
MTV www.mtv.co.uk sounds designed to help you relax and
The website of the music TV station is enter a meditative state. You need to pay
packed with music news, clips from to access most of the content, but there PressDisplay www.pressdisplay.com
shows, competitions and games. There are some free guides. An excellent site containing viewable
are separate pages covering each of the copies of the latest editions of over 300
different channels. newspapers from around the world.
You have to pay to read inside the papers,
iTunes www.apple.com/itunes but there’s a free trial.
The iTunes
store is heaving Shakespeare: Subject To Change
with songs, www.ciconline.org/bdp1
audiobooks, An interesting site showing how the works
podcasts and of Shakespeare have been altered over the
videos for centuries since he first wrote them.

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BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES

The Virtual Smithsonian Institution

http://2k.si.edu
The world’s largest museum, based in
Washington DC, has a slick website
covering American history, creativity and
discovery. The exhibitions are housed in
different ‘rooms’ inside a virtual building.

The Virtual Body

British Library www.bl.uk
The British Library’s site contains 15
digitised historical books you can ‘turn the
pages of’, including work by Leonardo Da
Vinci and Jane Austen. There are also
various viewable texts, a sound archive, a
map collection, virtual exhibitions and
much more.
Becoming Human
http://becominghuman.org
An interactive
documentary
charting the
evolution of man.
There’s also news,
features, a learning
centre and various interesting resources.
www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp
This website offers a chance to learn about
the human body with an interactive tour
exploring the brain, skeleton, heart and
digestive tract through animation, narration
and fun activities.
Louvre www.louvre.fr
The most famous museum in France has an
impressive website that lets you examine
its exhibits and get information on current
and future displays. An English language
version is available.
Open2 www.open2.net
The online learning portal from the Open
University and the BBC lets you find
information about a programme, watch it
online or learn using the site’s interactive
content. You can also find out more
about the OU’s courses.

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FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES
WEBCAMS
CamVista.com www.camvista.com
Offering a large selection of UK-based
webcams, the site also has links to
cameras from around the world and a
selection of 3D panoramas.
EarthCam www.earthcam.com
The EarthCam portal features a huge
number of webcams covering
everything from major landmarks
across the planet to weird and
wonderful sights.
WildCam
www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/
wildcamafrica/wildcam.html
Operated by
National
Geographic
Magazine,
this is an
outstanding
safari-cam
overlooking a watering hole in
Botswana. If there’s no animal magic on
the live cam, click Video Highlights or
check out the special Grizzly Wildcam
featuring Alaskan bears.
BBC Webcams
www.bbc.co.uk/webcams
The BBC has webcams all over the UK,
including inside the Radio 1 and 2
studios and on the set of EastEnders.
Particularly useful are the travel cams to
help you avoid congestion.
RSPB Webcams
www.rspb.org.uk/webcams
Do a spot of bird watching without
leaving your house. The RSPB has a
collection of cams watching birds of
prey, bird feeders and a group of terns
living on an artificial lagoon.
28 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
SPACE
Explore Mars Now
http://exploremarsnow.org
A site dedicated to showing
visitors what it would be like to
travel around the red planet, providing
a look at a hypothetical human base
on Mars.
NASA www.nasa.gov
NASA’s official site features news,
spectacular images, podcasts,
the brilliant NASA TV and several
interactive multimedia features.
You can even create your own
MyNASA page.
HubbleSite
www.hubblesite.org
The long-term future of the
Hubble Telescope might be in
doubt, but the quality of the
images available to view and
download here is breathtaking.
VIDEO
YouTube www.youtube.com of websites. Enter a keyword and the site
Home to an will bring up all the videos matching it.
incredibly
diverse Heavy www.heavy.com
selection of An eclectic collection of viral videos,
video clips, humorous clips, music videos and more.
YouTube offers It can be a bit hit and miss, but some of it
everything is very funny.
from music
videos to homemade comedy. You can Wild Brain http://wildbrain.com
rate and comment on clips or upload The site of the Wild Brain animation
your own. studio. You can view clips of their work
from TV shows or watch complete
Google Video http://video.google.com ‘webisodes’, movie shorts and
Google’s site doesn’t have as many videos commercials.
as YouTube, but it’s still worth a look.
As well as free clips, you can purchase 120seconds www.120seconds.com
high-quality movies, documentaries and Offering bite-sized entertainment,
music videos. 120seconds provides links to the best
Canadian animations, videos, games,
RocketBoom www.rocketboom.com music and websites.
A three-minute
daily videoblog, Comedy Central
RocketBoom www.comedycentral.com
covers The website for the Comedy Central TV
everything from channel is
items in the packed with
news to the latest internet happenings. video clips,
jokes, stand-up
ZeFrank http://zefrank.com comedy and
ZeFrank produces a daily videoblog but short highlights
there are various other items of interest on from shows such
his site, including video clips, readers’ as South Park.
photos, interactive toys and games.
Blinkx TV www.blinkx.com
Blinkx indexes a reported four million
hours of viewing material from hundreds
 TLFeBOOK FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES

GAMES
Freeloader www.freeloader.com
The Freeloader site contains free online
games and web toys. You can download
older PC games such as Grand Theft Auto
2, although you’ll need a ‘standard’ (free)
subscription to do so.
Orisinal www.orisinal.com
This site’s games are very cute and
easy to play – often only requiring
you to move your mouse or click a
button. They can be maddeningly
addictive though.
reviewed and rated so
Shockwave you can find the best
www.shockwave.com ones immediately.
Shockwave has a great
collection of fun games to Wrigley’s Candystand
play online or download. www.candystand.com
They are all categorised, Despite being tied into various American
sweet brands, there are some great fun
games to play online here. Billiards and
Mini Golf are particularly good.

MiniClip www.miniclip.com
You’ll find
hundreds of
excellent
free games
to play here,
including
quite a few
multiplayer
ones. There
are versions available to download too.

KIDS
CBeebies www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies play a series of fun games. There are free of science-based experiments and
The site for the BBC children’s channel is downloads, as well as content for younger activities here, alongside video clips
full of fun things to do. There are games to family members. and games.
play, stories to enjoy, eCards to send and
things to colour and make. BrainPOP www.brainpop.com
A collection of
fun educational
activities
covering
science, maths,
English, social
studies, health
and technology.
Some are free,
others you’ll need to pay to access.

Cartoon Network
www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk
Wonka www.wonka.com There are some great games on this site, as
Although it’s a site promoting the Wonka well as competitions to enter and a shop
brand of sweets and chocolate, there are selling mobile phone content.
plenty of entertaining games for children
to play. You need to sign up to ClubDub to Disney Online
access them all. www.disney.com
As you’d expect, Disney’s website is
Looney Tunes massive. There are games and activities to
http://looneytunes.warnerbros.co.uk keep your children occupied and plenty of
Children can information on the Disney theme parks too.
watch all-new
Looney Tunes Yucky! www.yucky.com
cartoons on Described as the yuckiest site on the
the site and internet, you’ll find an interesting collection

3 August 2006 29
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SPORT
Sportal.com www.sportal.com
Sportal has streaming clips of all the
latest sporting news and highlights
covering football, rugby, golf and tennis,
as well as extreme sports.
Sky Sports
http://home.skysports.com/broadband
This site shows exclusive free clips from
Sky Sports and for £5 a month you can
also enjoy highlights from all the big
sporting events and Sky Sports shows.
Golfspan.com www.golfspan.com
If you want to improve your game,
Golfspan has a video library filled with
over 500 tips. Some clips are free to
watch, but most require you to sign up
for a paid-for membership.
BBC Sports Academy
www.bbc.co.uk/sportsacademy
Aimed at
people who
like to play
sport rather
than just
watching it,
the BBC’s
Sports
Academy
shows you
how to get involved and offers video tips
and professional advice.
Eurosport www.eurosport.co.uk
There’s plenty of video footage to watch
here, with almost every sport covered.
The Live Score board shows you at a
glance what’s happening in the main
sporting events.
TLFeBOOK
FUN
HollaGram http://hollagram.bet.com
Say hello with a HollaGram customised
greeting. You can change the look of the
person delivering your message and add
some pre-recorded speech or record
your own.
Digital Films www.digitalfilms.com
This site lets you
create short
animated movies
that you can send
to friends. All you
have to select are
backgrounds, characters and actions, and
add your own lines.
Vector Park www.vectorpark.com
A collection of fun (but very odd)
interactive toys. The idea is to click on
items and see what happens. There are
puzzles to solve, but most of the time you
won’t really know what’s going on.
ChatJungle http://chatjungle.com
A collection of chat rooms covering a
variety of topics, the site supports audio/
video conferencing so you can see and
hear the people you’re talking to.
TRAVEL
National Geographic
www.nationalgeographic.com
The official site of the magazine and TV
channel is crammed full of features,
photos, maps, news and world music.
There’s also a mini-site for kids.
The Real Australia
www.therealaustralia.co.uk
A virtual tour
of Western
Australia
created by
the area’s
tourist
board, this is a beautifully presented site
with images, audio clips and insider tips.
There are also three games to try your
hand at.
FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES
Hanging Test Dummy
www.hangingtestdummy.com
Can you knock the hanging dummy down
by firing a ball at it? It’s a real dummy and
a real ball, so you have to allow for a delay
when you press fire.
Talkin Toons www.talkintoons.com
This is a large selection of animated
greetings cards that you can send to
friends and family. Categories include
Love and romance, Birthdays, Funnies
and Invites.
ViralBank www.viralbank.com
ViralBank collects
the best humorous
content doing the
rounds on email and
presents it for your
viewing pleasure.
You can forward favourites to friends.
Newgrounds www.newgrounds.com
A Flash-based entertainment portal,
Newgrounds is filled with online
animations, and games, as well as audio
tracks and interactive gadgets. Not one for
the easily offended.
Virtually the World
www.virtually-theworld.com
Home to 14,000 virtual
tours across more
than 110 different
destinations. There are
3D panoramic images of
major tourist landmarks
and the inside of some
hotels too.
Thomas Cook Broadband
www.thomascookbroadband.com
Thomas Cook’s site brings the holiday
brochure to life with video information on
the company’s most popular destinations
and hotels (you may need to change your
pop-up settings).
3 August 2006 31
 TLFeBOOK
FEATURE
BEST BROADBAND WEBSITES

3D WIZARDRY
What We Will www.z360.com/what Vrmag www.vrmag.org
An interactive broadband drama told using An online magazine with a difference – you
3D panoramas. It’s very strange, but the access its content via a 3D virtual reality
story slowly draws you in. interface. There are also lots of incredible
full-screen 3D panoramas to view .
Plan3D www.plan3d.com
An online
home design/
interior
decorating
tool, Plan3D
works within
your web
HGTV www.hgtv.com browser
The website of America’s Home and although there
Garden Television channel is filled with is a Desktop version available. It costs
priceless home improvement advice. $14.95 (about £8.13) a month or $35.40
There are video tutorials to watch and (about £19.24) for the year. Alas, there’s
even a free 3D virtual room designer. no trial available.

GENERAL
Dropload www.dropload.com Jajah www.jajah.com Liveplasma www.liveplasma.com
If you have a really large file you’d like to You can save Enter your favourite band/artist, movie,
share with someone over the internet, try money by using director or actor, and Liveplasma will
Dropload. Simply upload it (maximum file your broadband create an interactive ‘map’ of music/films
size is 100MB) and they download it from line to make that are similar. A great way to expand
the link you supply. VoIP telephone your tastes.
calls. Jajah puts
a new spin on Goowy www.goowy.com
the idea by using Designed as a personal ‘webtop’ (a
existing phone Desktop on the web), Goowy gives you
handsets. access to your email, calendar, contacts,
No additional widgets, games, online files and integrated
hardware or IM chat.
software is
required. Flash Earth www.flashearth.com
This site takes the
Thinkfreeonline satellite and aerial
http://online.thinkfree.com imagery from both
Magwerk www.magwerk.com There are lots of online office programs, Google Maps and
The site contains three beautifully but Think Free is easily the best. It’s similar Windows Live
presented and fully interactive magazines – to Microsoft Office, offering free word Local and
PlayMusicMagazine (music and lifestyle), processing, spreadsheet and presentation combines them in
Encore (art and design) and Probe (games). creation software. a Flash interface.

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FEATURE
20 FANTASTIC FIREFOX TIPS
Learn how to master Firefox with this indispensable collection of tips, tricks
and shortcuts brought to you by Wayne Williams
1 Search sites with keywords
Go to any site with a search field,
right-click the search box and
select Add A Keyword For This Search. 1
The Add Bookmark box will open. Give it
a name and a short keyword – ‘bay’ for
eBay, for example. If you wanted to search
for, say, CDs on eBay you can now do so
by typing ‘bay CDs’ into the Firefox
Address bar.
1
2
Assign keywords to bookmarks
To speed up locating a bookmark,
go to Bookmarks/Manage
34 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
Bookmarks, right-click the one you want
and select Properties. Enter a short text
string in the Keyword field (‘web’ for the
Web User site, for example) and click OK.
To access the site simply type the string
(‘web’) into the address bar and hit Enter.
3
Navigate tabs
Press Ctrl+Tab to jump from tab
to tab (left to right), or
Ctrl+Shift+Tab (right to left). When you
get to the last tab it will jump back to the
first one. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl
and a number that corresponds with the
tab you want – so Ctrl+3 will jump to the
third tab.
4
Type quicker URLs
Type the name (not the address)
of a site you want to visit in the
Address bar and press Ctrl+Enter. This
will add http://www. before the text and
.com after it and automatically load the
site. Shift+Enter adds http://www. and
.net, and Ctrl+Shift+Enter adds http://
www. and .org. If you hold down Alt at the
same time it will load the site in a new tab.
5 Quick word search
If you want to search for a word
or phrase you’ve found on a
website, select the text then drag and drop
it into the Firefox Address bar.
Alternatively, you can highlight the phrase,
right-click it, and select Search Web For.
If you set the Search bar for Amazon or
eBay you can use this method to quickly
look up products. Add UK-specific sites
to the Search bar at http://mycroft.
mozdev.org.
6
Drop-down bookmarks
You can bookmark multiple open
tabs in a single folder by going to
Bookmarks, then Bookmark All Tabs. If
you save this folder to the Bookmarks
Toolbar, clicking on the link will display all
the bookmarks in a drop-down list. You
can do the same with a folder created from
existing bookmarks.
7
Delete addresses
Click on the down arrow in the
Address bar and you’ll see a list of
recently accessed sites. To remove a

particular site from the list, highlight it and
press Shift+Delete.
8
Get instant downloads
Right-click the Navigation toolbar
(above the Address bar) and
select Customize. This will bring up a box
containing icons. Drag and drop the
Downloads icon 1 to the toolbar. Now
whenever you want to download
something simply drag the link to the
button to begin.
1
9 Launch multiple homepages
Firefox can be set to open multiple
pages (in individual tabs) when it
starts up, or if you click the Home icon.
Load all the pages you want the browser to
open, go to Tools/Options and select Use
Current Pages.
10 Caret browsing
Press F7 to toggle Caret Browsing
on or off. This places a cursor
where you click, lettling you select text
from a website using your keyboard – so
you can give the mouse a rest.
11 Save audio and video clips
If you want to save a picture or a
video/audio clip but can’t because
it’s protected, right-click the page you are
viewing and select View Page Info. Click
the Media tab, find the file you want and
click on Save As.
12 Quick Google search
If you type a search query directly
into the Firefox Address bar (‘web
TLFeBOOK FEATURE
20 FANTASTIC FIREFOX TIPS
18
user magazine’, for example) and press Close tabs
Enter, Firefox will perform an ‘I’m Feeling You can close any open tab by
Lucky’ search and take you straight to the clicking on it with the mouse
first page found by Google. wheel. Ctrl+F4 will do the same thing, as
will Ctrl+W.
13 Viewing images
You can view a picture from a
website on its own by right- 19 Customise Firefox
Type ‘about:config’ into the
clicking it and selecting View Image. Hold Address bar and hit Enter to bring
down Shift when you do this and the up Firefox’s internal configuration options.
graphic will open in a new window. Hold These can all be tweaked to change how
down Ctrl (or click the mouse wheel) and it the browser behaves. To find out more
will open in a new tab. about this go to http://kb.mozillazine.org/
about:config.
14 Speed up Firefox
There are various ways to
tweak the program to make it
faster, but the easiest way is to use a
program to do everything for you. Try
FireTune from www.totalidea.com/
freestuff4.htm or Fasterfox from http://
fasterfox.mozdev.org.
20 Find words and links
You probably know that pressing
the / key brings up the Find box in
Firefox – at the bottom left of the page. 1
Enter a word or words into this box and it
will search as you type. If you press ’
instead, it will open up the Find box but
only search for keywords in links.
15 Make a Live Bookmark
Firefox makes use of RSS feeds to
create Live Bookmarks, which
change dynamically and show the latest
links and stories. You can create a Live
Bookmark for any site with an RSS feed by
clicking the orange icon that appears in its
Address bar. 1
1
1
16 Stop animation
Some websites have animated
GIF images on them – small
pictures which loop the same animation
endlessly. To stop a GIF file from moving
just press Esc.
17 Open new tabs
There are lots of ways to open a
new tab. You can go to File/New
Tab, press Ctrl+T, click a link while holding
down Ctrl or right-click a link and select
Open Link In New Tab. You can also drag a
link to the Tab bar.
3 August 2006 35
 TLFeBOOK

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From security checks to computer maintenance, you’ll be surprised by how
many free PC tests you can do online. Armed only with a web browser and a
broadband connection, Andrew Craig gives his PC a thorough workout
How secure is your web browser?
www.scanit.be/bcheck
Put your browser through a tough test that
attempts to find weaknesses that could be
exploited by a hacker, virus or spyware.
Amazingly, high-risk vulnerabilities have
been found in 29 per cent of browsers
tested on the site.
Does your pop-up blocker work?
www.popuptest.com
Bombard your
browser with
all-manner of
pop-up
windows,
including
those really
annoying ones that move around your page,
then see how many make it past your
pop-up defences.
What details is your browser revealing?
http://gemal.dk/browserspy
It won’t reveal your shoe size, or your
favourite colour, but you’ll be surprised by
how many bits of information a website can
retrieve about you. For example, click CSS
Information to see which sites you’ve visited.
How safe is your firewall?
https://www.grc
.com/x/ne.dll?bh
0bkyd2
Ports are channels
through which data
can enter or leave
your PC. If they’re
not secured they
could be exploited.
This site tests all
your common ports, or ones you specify, as
well as your Windows File Sharing security.
How fast is your internet connection?
www.dslreports.com/speedtest
One of the better speed-testing sites,
TLFeBOOK
measuring both your upload and download
speeds. For a different opinion, follow the
link near the bottom to a further 340
testing sites and expect a different result
from each one.
Do you have a virus infection?
http://housecall.trend
micro.com
For those moments when you
find yourself without virus-
checking software, this free
online test will detect and
remove viruses, worms,
Trojans and more. Trend
Micro encourages a donation
to charity while your scan
progresses.
Is Java Virtual Machine properly installed?
www.java.com/en/download/help/
testvm.xml
You’ll need
the Java Virtual
Machine to access
all manner of
interactive
websites. Manually
checking whether you have it installed is
not easy, so take the simple option by
heading to this page.
Is QuickTime installed properly?
www.apple.com/quicktime/
troubleshooting
QuickTime is widely used by websites to
show video clips. At this page you can
check to see if you have both the basic
version and the more advanced version for
viewing streaming video.
Is there spyware on your PC?
www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan
If you’re seeing lots of pop-ups, toolbars
you can’t remove, or keep finding your
homepage has changed, then there’s a
good chance you’ve got spyware. Detect
and remove it with this free online scan.
FEATURE
ONLINE PC TESTS
Do you have unwanted PC clutter?
http://safety.live.com/site/en-gb/center/
cleanup.htm
Your computer is constantly gathering
temporary files and Registry entries that
soon become redundant and do nothing
but slow down your system. This scan from
Microsoft detects and deletes them.
Can your browser be spoofed?
http://secunia.com/multiple_browsers_
idn_spoofing_test
A devious trick can display content from
one website in your browser while
displaying the URL of another in the
Address bar. Check here to see if your
browser is safe from this trickery.
Is your HTML code accurate?
www.htmlvalidator.com/lite
No matter
how
advanced
or basic
your HTML
skills are, this site will rapidly scan a web
page for coding errors and helpfully explain
what the mistake is and even suggest a
suitable remedy.
Are Shockwave and Flash installed?
www.adobe.com/shockwave/welcome
Without Flash the web can be a rather dull
place, so make sure you’ve got it installed.
You’ll also be prompted to install
Shockwave at the same time, which is
useful to have.
Does your PC need a tune-up?
http://safety.live.com/site/en-gb/center/
tuneup.htm
As you add and delete
files on your
computer, your hard
disk becomes more
disorderly and
ultimately less
efficient. Microsoft’s tune-up scan tells you
whether to run a disk defragmentation to
restore some order.
3 August 2006 37

INSTANT EXPERT
LOCAL LOOP UNBUNDLING
INSTANT EXPERT
GUIDE TO...
Local loop unb
Strange things are happening at your local telephone
exchange to allow better broadband deals. Michael Wadley
unravels the benefits of local loop unbundling
T
here’s a revolution going on in the UK
telecommunications industry, with
phone companies and ISPs racing to
offer all sorts of new and exciting services
to consumers.
Traditionally, ISPs have relied on BT to
supply them with wholesale broadband
services to sell on to consumers. Now
they are investing vast sums on something
called local loop unbundling (LLU).
But what exactly is LLU? And why is it
causing such a stir? More importantly,
what impact will it have on the millions
of internet users in the UK?
What is Local Loop
Unbundling?
Local loop unbundling is the process
where the ‘incumbent operator’ (in the
UK, that’s BT) makes its local phone
network available to other ISPs and
phone companies. These companies
install their own equipment inside or near
BT telephone exchanges so they are able
to provide broadband and phone services
directly to the homes of customers, rather
than reselling a wholesale service.
‘Local loop’ refers to the copper wire
connection that links homes and
businesses to their local telephone
exchange. Sometimes this is called the
‘first mile’ or, just to confuse matters,
the ‘last mile’. ‘Unbundling’ means
unhooking this wire ‘loop’ connection
from BT’s network and putting it onto a
rival supplier’s phone network.
LLU operators can either take full
control of a phone line providing voice and
broadband services, or operate just a
broadband service on its own.
It’s technically challenging and a
procedural nightmare. BT, its competitors
and industry regulator Ofcom have spent
38 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
the last couple of years trying to come up
with a way to make LLU work.
Are many companies
doing it?
Yes, it’s becoming increasingly popular.
At the end of June there were 580,000
unbundled lines in the UK and that figure
is on target to exceed a million lines by
the end of the year. To ensure LLU
succeeds, BT has set up a new division
called Openreach to oversee the process.
Which ISPs are
offering internet
services via LLU?
Most of the UK’s major ISPs are involved
in LLU to some extent. AOL has more than
100,000 unbundled lines in the UK. It
started installing its kit in BT exchanges
earlier this year as part of a £120m
investment. So far AOL has equipment
installed in around 200 exchanges.
Orange Broadband (which used to be
known as Wanadoo) is also pressing
ahead with its LLU plans and is on track
to install its equipment in 500 BT
exchanges this year. Similarly, Tiscali UK
aims to have unbundled around 600
exchanges by the end of the year giving it
access to between 60 and 70 per cent of
the UK population. Meanwhile, TalkTalk’s
‘Free Broadband Forever’ offer is based
on LLU, while O2 has recently snapped
up LLU ISP Be. Sky has now also got in on
the act, offering free broadband to its
television subscribers.
Why is LLU so popular?
It’s all about competition. LLU is seen as a
way to introduce genuine competition to
Get more help and advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums
 TLFeBOOK
undling (LLU)
the telecoms industry, which until now
has been dominated by BT.
For ISPs, LLU can be a cheaper way
to provide internet services than
reselling a wholesale BT service. It also
gives them greater control and flexibility
over the services they can provide.
For instance, at present BT’s network
is capable of providing broadband
download speeds of up to 8Mbps,
while operators such as Be and Bulldog
have been able to offer some of their
customers theoretical speeds of more
than double that.
Apart from increased speeds, LLU
also makes it possible for new services
to appear, such as video on-demand,
internet TV, broadband telephony and
video phone calls. In some cases it
could even lead to cheaper broadband
services being offered.
Sounds too good to
be true. Is it?
LLU may be taking off in the UK, but it
is still at the early stages of
development. Last year Bulldog faced
an investigation by Ofcom after
hundreds of consumers were left
without broadband and phone services
after switching to the LLU operator.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Wanadoo
(now Orange Broadband) admitted
that some of its customers were left
without broadband after being
switched to an LLU line. Since then
Orange Broadband has managed to
work with the industry to iron out many
of these problems.
One of the big drawbacks, though, is
coverage. ISPs are only likely to install
their kit in exchanges that serve the
greatest number of end users – that
means densely populated towns and
cities. If you live in a more rural area, it’s
unlikely your phone exchange will be
unbundled. This has led to criticism that
LLU could lead to a ‘digital divide’.
www.uswitch.com/broadband
Next issue: Instant Expert guide to phishing scams
INSTANT EXPERT
LOCAL LOOP UNBUNDLING
Local Loop Unbundling will mean
more services over your broadband,
including TV and movie downloads
LLU will bring three things:
more choice, more innovation
and better value for money.
More options in telephone services,
are
streaming and on-demand services
ld.
all much closer in an unbundled wor
LLU will in turn stimulate further
investment in digital services and
content and allow Britain to
catch up with other countries.
AOL UK
Unbundling allows us to offer a
more flexible, fast and exciting
range of packages than are
currently available. And combined
with our Livebox product…
unbundling enables us to offer exciting
future services such as TV and
Primary Line voice services.
Orange Broadband
The ability to install our own
equipment into BT’s exchanges
presents new opportunities for
us to offer services to customers at
prices they can afford. Local loop
unbundling is a great step forward for
the industry, for competition and
ultimately for the customer.
TalkTalk
3 August 2006 39
 TLFeBOOK
PROJECT
FIX YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM

Fix your operating system

PART 1: Repair Windows

Serious operating system problem? Fear not – Wayne Williams may have the answer

W
indows XP is much more robust than
previous versions of Microsoft’s
operating system, but it’s not immune
to problems. System files can still get
damaged, overwritten or deleted, and
occasionally the whole thing will refuse to
load, leaving you facing serious problems.
The first thing you should try in that situation
is to load Windows in Safe Mode (press F8
at boot up and select that option from the
menu). If that works, you can try using
System Restore to roll your system back or
uninstall any problem software. If you can’t
get into Safe Mode, or it doesn’t fix the
problem, there are several other things to try.

Recovery Console Insert your Windows 1

This command line tool is designed to help you restore Windows
XP in the event of a problem, although it’s not exactly user-
1 disc into the drive and
restart your computer.
friendly. If you’re not comfortable with the idea of typing text An option to boot from CD
commands into a command prompt, you may wish to try should appear on screen. 2
repairing Windows instead. Follow the instructions to
Regardless of what option you choose you will need a Windows do so. If that option
XP Home or Professional CD to hand. If your computer only came doesn’t appear and your
with emergency restoration discs, you’ll have to follow the PC begins trying to boot
instructions supplied with those instead. into Windows, you will need to enter your BIOS (Basic Input/

40 3 August 2006 Get help with Windows at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

 TLFeBOOK PROJECT
FIX YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM

Output System) and change the first boot device to your CD/DVD password is blank by default so (provided you haven’t changed it)
drive. If you’re not sure how to do this, read your motherboard you can just press Enter to continue.
manual for instructions. Your PC will now boot from the CD, and
begin to load the Windows startup files. At the Welcome to Setup You can now 1
screen 1 press R to start the Recovery Console. 2 4 begin the
recovery process
2
If you have by entering various
2 more than one
operating system
commands. 1
Be warned, however,
installed, select the 1 although the console
one you wish to looks similar to the
repair from the Command prompt,
menu. 1 If you only it isn’t. Many of the
have one OS, you will still need to select it. Pressing Enter without standard commands
typing a number first will actually restart Windows and you’ll have won’t work and you
to begin the process again. have very restricted
access to files and
You will now be folders on your
3 asked to enter
your administrator
hard disk. Type ‘help’ to see the commands available to you.
Then type a command name followed by ‘/?’ 2 to find out how to
password. 1 use it. If you have another computer that also has access to the
Hopefully you know 1 internet, you can get additional information from http://support.
it. If you’re running microsoft.com/kb/314058. You can quit the console at any time
XP Home this by typing ‘exit’.

Repairing Windows 3From here on the process will appear

virtually identical to a standard install
Older versions of Windows (95, 98 and ME, for example) – files will be prepared and copied and 1
allowed you to simply reinstall a fresh copy of the operating Windows will initialise. 1 When
system over itself. Windows XP doesn’t, at least not in the same everything is complete your computer
way. However, it does give you the opportunity to repair an will reboot. DON’T boot from the CD
installation – this method replaces key Windows files while this time.
preserving your existing software and settings. The problem is
your Windows CD will have older versions of system files on it If you are using your
that have since been replaced in Service Packs and updates.
You can create a more up-to-date version using a technique
4original Windows disc
(rather than a slipstreamed
1
called Slipstreaming. See www.winsupersite.com/showcase/ one) you will need to update
windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp for instructions. your repaired installation
with the latest updates and
Insert your patches. A quick trip to
1 Windows disc
into the CD drive,
http://windowsupdate.
microsoft.com 1 should
restart your 1 solve the problem.
computer and
choose to boot
from CD. The
Windows startup
files will begin to load. The word ‘repair’ appears in two different
System File Checker
places. The first time is when you’re offered the chance to start If you suspect one or more of your Windows system files has
the Recovery Console. Ignore this and press Enter instead. 1 become corrupt there’s an easy way to check this and repair
The Windows Setup procedure will begin. any problems. Click Start, Run and in the box that appears type
‘sfc /scannow’. This will check the integrity of your system files
Once you’ve accepted the licence agreement (by pressing (it might take a while) and overwrite any damaged ones with a
2 F8), Windows will search for any existing installations. If it
finds one you will be given the option to repair it. Select it from
fresh copy. You will need your original Windows installation disc
in the CD drive while it does this.
the list 1 and press R.

NEXT ISSUE
PART: 2
We’ll cover the process of
1 reinstalling Windows XP
3 August 2006 41
 TLFeBOOK

FILM & TV
This fortnight’s best FREE downloads
GAMES
PAGE 44

Top of the cops

Miami Vice
Interviews and clips
Available: Friday 4 Aug
From: www.mymovies.net
Before you roll up your suit jacket sleeves to imitate Crockett and
recapture the glory days of the iconic Eighties cop show, it’s worth
noting director Michael Mann (a producer and writer of the show) has
brought the characters into the present day. And there’s none of the
glib flashiness of the TV show either, as Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx
take Crockett and Tubbs into Miami’s drug-infested underworld and
become dangerously seduced by it. Stunning and gritty.

TV COMPETITION
Lady in the
Win 1 of 5 Without a Water
Trace DVDs! Interviews and clips
Here’s your chance to Available: Fri 11 Aug
win the entire third From: www.mymovies
season of the excellent .net
and controversial US Crazy plot twist alert!
drama Without a Trace, M Night Shyamalan
which is set in the returns after the frankly
Missing Persons Squad rubbish The Village with
of the FBI. To enter the competition just this tale of an apartment
answer the question posed at www. superintendent who
webuser.co.uk/competitions. rescues a woman from
• Without a Trace – Season 3 is out to
buy now through Warner Home Video
his pool. She turns out to
be a character from a
priced £61.99. fairy story.

ONLINE TV TREAT
In the Attic
www.intheattic.tv
Broadcast from legendary Who guitarist
Pete Townshend’s recording studio in
Twickenham, this music show hosted by
Rachel Fuller has become an underground
hit. If you
love proper
music shows,
then this is
for you.

42 3 August 2006 Get 6 issues of Web User for £1 – see page 56 for details

SOFTWARE
PAGE 45
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Interviews and clips
Available: Fri 4 Aug
From: www.mymovies.net
What a concept – a guy dumps his girlfriend, who happens to be
a superhero, so she uses her powers to mess up his life. It’s a
great idea bolstered by the casting of Uma Thurman as the
jealous superhero and the goofy Luke Wilson as the
unsuspecting boyfriend.
Nacho Libre
Interviews and clips
Available: Fri 11 Aug
From: www.mymovies
.net
Far funnier than WWF
can ever hope to be, this
hilarious comedy stars
Jack Black as a Mexican
priest who moonlights as
a masked wrestler to
help the local kids.
Caution: contains scenes
of a portly man in rather
tight trousers.
Get the latest
TLFeBOOK
MUSIC
PAGE 46 FILM & TV
SHORT FILMS
1Falling
www.atomfilms.com/af/content/
intel_falling
In this inventive
and smart
comedy, two
friends hiking
through South
America come
across a magic
wand that has a very unusual power.
Who’d have thought cardboard boxes
could be such fun?
2The Yellow Umbrella
www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/806008
“Oh, bless” is
what you’ll
think after
watching this
charming little
animation
about a boy finding a light-giving
umbrella that cheers up his rainy world.
But then a nasty army officer decides he
wants it.
3Between Us
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/
A3932994
A traffic jam is one of the unlikeliest
places for anything exciting to happen,
but for one lad it’s the chance to make a
new friend – one he’s eager to speak to
but can’t due to pesky windows. Really
rather poignant and sweet.
4Overtime
www.undergroundfilm.org/films/
detail.tcl?wid=1028864
This tidy
drama has
a very
saucy
opening
that sets
up an
obvious
storyline,
leaving
you expecting an uncomfortable climax.
But then the characters’ positions are
switched entirely. You’ll be sorry you took
pity on one of them.
Monster House
Interviews and clips
Available: Fri 11 Aug
52001: An Edited Space
Odyssey
http://swith.gazaxian.com/
From: www.mymovies.net
2001seconds.htm
Perfect for a sneaky bit of lunch-break
There’s always one spooky house in every entertainment, this is an ambitious effort
neighbourhood. But the one in this terrific animation to make Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi
isn’t just spooky, it’s grotesquely alive and is eating epic a bit more watchable by cutting
anyone that comes near it. That leaves three down its mammoth running time to just
adventurous kids to discover why it’s so greedy. over half an hour.
updates at www.webuser.co.uk/downloaded 3 August 2006 43
 GAMES
TLFeBOOK

This fortnight’s best FREE downloads

DARK MESSIAH OF
MIGHT AND MAGIC
(Game preview)
From: http://tinyurl.com/ryffv
Traditionally, Ubisoft’s Might
and Magic games are strategy
affairs, but this offshoot takes the
action into first-person combat.
This video trailer examines the
assassin role.
DARSANA PUBLIC
BETA 1 (Game extra)
From: www.darsana-
game.com
Darsana is a multiplayer
medieval hack-and-slash
game with an emphasis on
team play. After installation,
be sure to download and
install the hotfix1.zip
(instructions are provided in
the text inside the zip file).

Micro Machines V4 (Demo) DarkStar One (Demo)

From: www.gamershell.com/
From: www.worthdownloading.com/game.php?gid=2022 download_14480.shtml
In this fast-paced arcade-style racer, you drive miniature In DarkStar One, which is out on
cars around kitchen counter-tops, leaping over dangerous 11 August, you explore deep space,
hazards such as a sink full of soapy water. Up to four players fighting pirates and trading to earn
can race on three tracks, with kitchen, chicken coop and money to upgrade your spaceship,
rooftop environments. You can also have a quick battle race while unravelling a compelling
and blast some computer-controlled vehicles. storyline. This demo contains a
tutorial plus two hours of gameplay.

SPORT Football:
new
season
Athletics: European Audio/video

Video
Championships Available: From 5 August
From: www.bbc.co.uk/
Available: From 6 August football
From: www.bbc.co.uk/athletics No sooner
Britain’s medal chances in Gothenburg have Italy
have been written off by many before wrapped up
the championships have even begun. the World
However, with a clutch of young stars Cup than the
making the trip, the event will at least provide a glimpse into the new footie season is upon us.
future of British athletics. The BBC site has video coverage that Premiership and Football
Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/René Mansi

includes interviews with the athletes heading to Sweden as well League rights are closely
as replays of the main qualifying events. guarded, so video highlights
are the preserve of paid-for
Motor-racing: sites. However, audio

IndyCar series
commentary is available free,
and the BBC radio stations
Video generally get the best of it.
Available: Now The Beeb’s Score! TV
From: www.indycar.com programme can also be
For sheer speed and insane watched live from this site.
overtaking manoeuvres, you can’t beat IndyCar racing.
The season is nearing its climax now, with a clutch of drivers
in with a shout of the title with three races remaining. Visit
the official site’s excellent multimedia section for free video
highlights from every race, as well as driver interviews and
five podcasts.

44 3 August 2006
 SOFTWARE
TLFeBOOK

This fortnight’s best FREE downloads

WEBCAM FUN

GloopIt
A fun, free product for anyone with a webcam,
GloopIt superimposes animated cartoon
accessories over a user’s face. These accessories,
or Gloops as they are known, include heart shapes
which burst out of your eyes, a clown’s mouth that
mimics your lips and cartoon telescopic eyeballs.
The software uses a specially created 3D face-
tracking engine so the Gloops are always
positioned in the right place, and it works with all
instant messenger programs including MSN, AIM,
Yahoo and Skype. The person you’re chatting to
doesn’t need to have the software installed at their
end – which should allow for some interesting
practical jokes. The GloopIt software is free and
comes with three example Gloops pre-installed.
You can purchase additional ones from the
company’s website for a few euros each. The
software is brand new, so the choice of Gloops is Download at: www.gloopit.com
quite limited at the moment, although plenty are Minimum requirements: Windows,
planned for the coming months. webcam
File size: 14MB

SAFE SURFING
JIGSAWS
Crawler Parental Control The Da Vinci
The internet can be a Free Puzzles
dangerous place for children.
This easy-to-use program This is a set of jigsaw
gives you a comprehensive puzzles made out of
overview of what your kids Leonardo Da Vinci’s
are up to when they’re online best-known work,
and also controls what including the Mona Lisa,
they can and cannot do. The Last Supper and The
You can prevent Vitruvian Man. The
them installing jigsaws aren’t especially Download at: www.
Download at: www.crawlerparental.com freefairytalespuzzles.com
software, running Minimum requirements: Windows XP, difficult to solve, but
specified programs it’s fun putting the Minimum requirements: Windows
(clashes with ZoneAlarm) File size: 1.62MB
and also limit their File size: 2.18MB pieces together.
time on the PC.

FIREFOX ADD-ON
GAME

Natto-Cat FoxyTunes 2.0

The popular media player
The idea of Natto-Cat is to extension for Firefox has
navigate a series of caves, been upgraded. The
collecting enough snacks latest version lets you
to activate the elevator to find lyrics, artist images
the next level. Hazards and videos relating to the
include being crushed by song you’re playing.
falling plums or killed by There’s a floating InfoBox
exploding custard! which tells you about the Download at: www.foxytunes
Natto-Cat, reminiscent Download at: www.natto-cat.org current song and tracks .com
of classic Eighties game Minimum requirements: Windows you’ve recently listened to. Minimum requirements:
Repton, gets difficult File size: 6MB You can also preview Windows, Firefox
surprisingly quickly. podcasts and use FoxyTunes File size: 473KB
without opening Firefox.

Get our top 10 free programs at www.webuser.co.uk/freesoftware 3 August 2006 45

 MUSIC
TLFeBOOK

This fortnight’s best FREE downloads

Johnny Cash At Glastonbury

Live gig (audio)
Available: Sun 6 Aug
From: www.bbc.co.uk/
6music/shows/
liveatmidnight
Johnny Cash’s
memorable set at
Glastonbury Festival
in 1994 greatly
contributed to the
revival of his career
during the last 10 years
of his life. He had just
won a Grammy, his
influence was being
acknowledged by a new
generation of credible artists and this storming performance –
including classics such as Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and
A Boy Named Sue – proved he could still connect with a huge
audience live. The gig is being broadcast by 6Music at midnight,
but you can hear it on-demand online for a week after.

ALSO ONLINE
LILY ALLEN until 21 August, so get a Rock Am Ring Festival. IMOGEN HEAP
Live session (video) preview at MySpace. From: www.mtv.co.uk/ Live session (audio)
Available: Now From: www.myspace.com/ overdrive Available: Wed 9 Aug
The chart-topping singer uses keane The singer-songwriter, hugely
Yahoo’s Re-Recorded slot to THE DIVINE COMEDY popular on MySpace, plays
perform her single Smile and CERYS MATTHEWS Live session (audio) tracks from her latest album
a cover of Squeeze’s classic Online single (audio) Available: Speak for Yourself. Online for a
Up the Junction. Available: Now Sun 13 Aug week after broadcast.
From: www.yahoo.co.uk/ Download Morning Sunshine, Neil Hannon From: www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/
extravenue the new single from the former plays tracks shows/radcliffe
Catatonia singer. from his
CORINNE BAILEY RAE From: www.7digital.com/cerys new album YOUNG KNIVES
Live performance (video) Victory For Album preview (audio)
Available: Now JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE the Comic Available: Mon 14 Aug
The sultry-voiced soul singer Single: Sexy Back (audio) Muse. The Hear Voices of Animals & Men,
performs Available: Now session stays online for a week the debut album from the
Breathless Hear the new single from after broadcast. Oxford indie trio, a week before
at Justin Timberlake, nearly a From: www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ it hits the shops.
Germany's month before it hits the shops. shows/long From: www.nme.com
Rock Am From: www.myspace.com/
Ring justintimberlake THE STRANGLERS
festival. Live gig (audio)
From: www.mtv.co.uk/ FRANZ FERDINAND Available: Sat 5 Aug
overdrive Live performance (video) Tune in at midnight to hear The
Available: Stranglers play Hammersmith
KEANE Now Odeon in 1982. The gig stays
Single: Crystal Ball (audio) Watch the online for a week afterwards.
Available: Now Scottish band From: www.bbc.co.uk/
The trio’s new single isn’t out play at the 6music/shows/liveatmidnight

46 3 August 2006 Get 6 issues of Web User for £1 – see page 56 for details
 AUDIO
TLFeBOOK

MUSIC ON THE MOVE This fortnight’s best FREE downloads

Fatman FatFones
When you’re listening to This fortnight’s best free spoken-word highlights on the web
your iPod on noisy public
transport, you sometimes
need to boost the volume
to maximum level, which
POETS’ CORNER
certainly isn’t good for your ears – or TS ELIOT
for the sanity of people sitting around you. http://town.hall.org/radio/HarperAudio/
The Fatman FatFones combat this problem by 011894_harp_ITH.html
cancelling out background noise such as planes, Hear the Nobel Prize-winning poet read his
trains and traffic, and delivering sound from your epic 1922 work The Waste Land, considered
player closer to your eardrum. This means you by many critics to be the greatest and most
can enjoy music at a lower volume. Find out more influential poem of the 20th century.
about the FatFones, priced around £30, at www.
fat-man.co.uk.

CLASSICAL CHOICE
COMEDY CLIP
ORSON WELLES –
WAR OF THE WORLDS
MOZART http://tinyurl.com/azvox
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/mostlymozart2006 This doesn’t qualify as a laugh-
As far as classical music is concerned, this has been out-loud funny clip, but there’s
the year of Mozart. Concerts celebrating his birth in no doubting the satirical
Salzburg 250 years ago have been running all year. brilliance of Orson Welles’
If you want to pay your respects to Amadeus’s genius, 1938 radio broadcast, which
download this collection of symphonies, concertos frightened millions of
and sonatas. Americans into believing
Martians were rampaging
through their country. It
A-Z OF FREE MUSIC C remains one of the most
successful Halloween pranks
CHICAGO in history.
www.rhino.com/retrovid/VideoKeeper.
lasso?Artist=Chicago
Watch the videos to some of Chicago’s greatest hits.
THE CHARLATANS
www.thecharlatans.net/videos.html
Watch videos, behind-the-scenes clips and exclusive SPEECH! SPEECH!
studio footage.
CHIC NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN DECLARES WAR
www.chictribute.com/video/ www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/history/
intro.html worldwar2audioclipslibrary_clip01.shtml
Freak out to a bounty of video Date: September 1939
footage from the disco legends. It’s only 44 seconds long, but this declaration
of war should send a chill down your spine. It
was delivered on 3 September 1939 by Prime
BLAST FROM THE PAST Minister Neville Chamberlain, after the British
ultimatum demanding Hitler withdraw his
COLDPLAY – Early radio session troops from Poland was ignored: “I have to tell
www.easytoplease.net/avi.php?page=audio_music you now that no such undertaking has been received and that, consequently,
Here’s a slice of Coldplay history, featuring gorgeous this country is at war with Germany.”
acoustic recordings of early hits Yellow and Shiver
from the days when the nearest Chris Martin got
to Gwyneth Paltrow was watching Shakespeare
in Love. PODCAST PICK
MIETTE’S BEDTIME STORY
www.enivrez.com/bedtime
Are you sitting comfortably?
Good, then we’ll begin. Every
couple of nights, after a short and witty introduction, Miette reads a story
for your enjoyment. Dozens of authors have been covered so far, including
Truman Capote, F Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Hardy and Oscar Wilde.
Can’t see your favourite writer? Then request a book by emailing her.
Charming and soothing.

Get the latest updates at www.webuser.co.uk/downloaded 3 August 2006 47

 TLFeBOOK

A pair of VIP tickets to the

Carling Weekend : Reading Festival,
a Dell PC and free all-new Tiscali MAX
Unlimited Broadband for a year!
PLUS! Four runners-up will win Tiscali
MAX Unlimited Broadband for a year!

T
iscali, the 2006 official internet partner of the
Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals,
has two VIP tickets up for grabs for Reading on
25-27 August. This year’s sell-out festival looks set
to be hotter than ever with headline acts including
Franz Ferdinand, Muse and Pearl Jam.
If you’re not lucky enough to win tickets, never
mind, you can still watch live footage of the main
stage by simply visiting www.tiscali.co.uk/reading
or visit www.tiscali.co.uk/sessions to view
exclusive Tiscali VIP sessions from all the best acts.
For more information on the
Carling Weekend: Reading Festival, please visit
www.readingfestival.com

The Dell Dimension 5150 Pentium 4 processor

features a 2.80GHz processor, 160GB hard disk
and 1MB cache memory

Go faster with Tiscali Broadband

Tiscali’s all-new high-speed broadband package Tiscali MAX Unlimited Broadband gives you the maximum download speed your line
can reliably support, up to 8Mbps, with unlimited time online and unlimited downloads. Tiscali MAX Unlimited Broadband costs
£17.99 a month or there’s a 2Mbps option for just £14.99. Visit www.tiscali.co.uk for further information.

To enter, simply answer the question below by visiting www.webuser.co.uk/competitions or send your completed entry
form to Web User/Tiscali Competition, IPC Media, Room 0417, King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS.
The closing date for entries is 21 August 2006.

TO ENTER THE COMPETITION, JUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

What is the name of Tiscali's new broadband service?...........................................................................................................................................

Name:.........................................................................................................Address:...................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................... Postcode:................................ Daytime telephone number: ..................................................................................
If you would like to receive emails from Web User containing news, special offers and product and service information, and take part in research, please write your email address below:
Email:..................................................................................................................................................

If you would like to receive emails from Tiscali containing news, special offers and product and service information, and take part in research, please write your email address below:
Email:..................................................................................................................................................
Web User, published by IPC Media (IPC), will collect your personal information to process your entry. IPC would like to contact you by post or telephone to promote and ask your opinion on our products and services.
Tick here if you prefer not to hear from IPC ❑ IPC may occasionally pass your details to carefully selected organisations so they can contact you by telephone or post with regards to promoting and researching their
products and services. Tick here if you prefer not to be contacted ❑
Terms & Conditions No purchase necessary (you may photocopy this page or write details on a blank piece of paper). If for any reason the ability to enter online is suspended at any time then entry may be made by post. The competition is open to all UK and Republic of Ireland residents
aged 18 or over (ID may be required), other than employees of IPC Media, Tiscali, Dell, their agencies or their families. The prizes are subject to availability. IPC Media reserves the right to substitute a prize (or part of a prize) of equivalent or greater value if this is necessary for reasons beyond
its control. IPC Media will select five winners. The winners will be drawn at random by an independent person on closure of the competition. The winners will be notified within 30 days from closure of the competition. The Promoter’s (Web User) decision is final and no correspondence will
be entered into. No cash alternative and the prize is non transferable. The competition is run by IPC Media, King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS.

ENTER ONLINE NOW AT WWW.WEBUSER.CO.UK/COMPETITIONS

 TLFeBOOK

THE LATEST HOT KIT ON THE NET BY ROBERT IRVINE

£140

MAXFIELD MAX-MOVIE

Watch music
videos on the
move
The wealth of music video
content on the web means you
no longer have to sit through
endless adverts and reality
shows on MTV in order to catch
the latest pop mini-masterpieces.
With the Maxfield Max-Movie
multimedia player you can carry
around up to 40 of your favourite
videos in its 1GB memory to watch
at your leisure on its 260,000-colour
screen. Unlike the video iPod it supports
a wide variety of media formats, including
DivX, MPEG-4 and AVI for movies and
MP3, secure WMA and OGG for music, and
is compatible with most major download
stores. The Max-Movie can also be used
to view digital photos, tune into FM radio,
record your voice or other external audio
sources, and will even wake you up in the
morning with its alarm clock function.

Where to see it: www.maxfield.de/en

3 August 2006 49
 TLFeBOOK

THE LATEST HOT KIT ON THE NET

CASIO EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z70

Ultra-slim seven-
megapixel snapper
The resolutions for
consumer digital cameras
are still rising as quickly as
costs are dropping, which
can prove annoying when
you’ve just splashed out on a supposedly
state-of-the-art model. Casio’s latest
snapper should safeguard you against such
trends, at least for a while, by offering a
7-megapixel camera at an affordable price
that’s likely to be reduced even further if you
buy online. At just less than 2cm thick, its slim
body is complemented by a stylish design –
available in black or silver – and several notable
features. These include Anti Shake technology
to reduce photo blur caused by unsteady
hands, a Best Shot function for obtaining
optimal results using different scene modes, a
2.5in LCD screen, 3x optical zoom and 8MB of
memory, upgradable with SD and MMC cards.

Where to see it: www.casio.co.uk £230

PURE DIGITAL POCKETDAB 1500

£90 Lightweight handheld
digital radio
Once you’re accustomed to the delights of
digital radio at home, having to retune into
boring old FM when you’re away can be a real
drag. Switch to a Pure Digital PocketDAB
1500 and you can enjoy the variety, quality
and reliability of hundreds of DAB stations on
the move through a top-notch set of
Sennheiser earphones that also act as an
aerial. Weighing a mere 123g, the radio is
incredibly light yet packs in such groovy
features as TextScan, which lets you pause
and control the scrolling text delivered
alongside broadcasts, 20 presets (10 digital
and 10 FM), and an easily readable orange
backlit screen. The unit uses graphical icons to
display the volume, clock, equaliser, signal
strength, and battery life, which for the
PocketDAB 1500 is an impressive 24 hours.

Where to see it: www.pure.com

50 3 August 2006
 TLFeBOOK
THE LATEST KIT ON THE NET

comingsoon
Creative’s iPod Nano killer
Often considered to be Apple’s
closest rival in the portable
audio market, Creative is
SHINCO VOYAGER GPS 400 gunning directly for the iPod
Nano with its latest player.
Compact but powerful The Zen V Plus is available in
1GB, 2GB and 4GB
sat-nav system capacities, each with built-in
If we’ve learnt anything from the recent batch of FM radios, voice recorders
horror film remakes, it’s that a wrong turn during and 1.5in colour screens on
an idyllic country drive can often lead to disaster. which you can view album
Ensure you make it home safely without straying art, digital photos and
into dangerous territory with the aid of the Shinco videos. On sale next month
Voyager GPS 400, a stylish satellite navigation for Nano-competing prices,
system that won’t break the bank. Not much see http://uk.europe.
bigger than an iPod, this compact travelling creative.com for more
companion sports a bright 4in LCD colour touch information.
screen, displaying your route via two and three
dimensional maps that are accurate to within
three metres. Its Destinator software features two 3.2-megapixel
million points of interest, as well as door-to-door camera phone
mapping, postcode navigation and stored Camera phones have improved considerably
favourites. An SD card slot lets you listen to MP3s since the fuzzy
through the device or view soon-to-be-available shots produced
maps of Europe. by early models.
Now Samsung
Where to see it: www.firebox.com has broken
through the
3.2-megapixel
barrier with its
new A990
handset, which
could eliminate
the need for
a separate
snapper
altogether. Besides sharp resolution, the
phone boasts a music player, video recorder,
full web browser and Bluetooth. Keep an eye
on www.samsung.com/uk for news of UK
pricing and availability.

Sony’s wafer thin USB drive

If your USB memory stick is consuming
valuable pocket space, Sony has created
a diminutive alternative. The MicroVault
Tiny is said to be the smallest USB drive
yet, measuring 30 x 14.5mm in
surface area and a wafer thin
2.4mm thick. It offers
from 256MB to 2GB

£230 of storage and comes

with a colourful
carry case to stop it
slipping down the
back of the sofa. Buy
one later this month
through http://shop.
sonystyle-europe
.com, from around £20.

Buy the latest gadgets online at www.webuser.co.uk/firebox 3 August 2006 51

 TLFeBOOK
GROUP TEST
WEB-FILTERING SOFTWARE

CHILDREN’S
INTERNET
STOP
PATROL
Mark Wilson looks at the
latest internet-filtering
software to see which
programs keep your
kids most safe

A
nyone with children will be aware of the
benefits of the internet when it comes
to researching projects for school or
keeping in touch with classmates. However,
there is also a more dangerous side to the
web from which parents would rather
protect their kids. Few parents have the
time to watch over the shoulders of their
offspring all the time they’re online, so in
this Group Test we’re going to take a look at
the pick of the web-filtering software that
can act as your virtual eyes. We’ll assess the
effectiveness of each tool and consider how
easy it is to use.

CyberPatrol 7.6, £21.95

www.cyberpatrol.com
As soon as you install
CyberPatrol, it is obvious there
is a wealth of filter options
available. As well as standard
web filtering, the software can
monitor instant-messaging
programs, chat rooms and
newsgroups. In all cases, you can
choose between blocking access
completely or blocking out words you
deem unsuitable.
Easy configuration is the order of the day
and different levels of filtering can be
applied to different users, as existing
Windows User Accounts are automatically
detected and imported. For each user it is
possible to place time restrictions on
internet usage, as well as blocking or
limiting access to certain programs.
There are a number of pre-defined filters
that can be applied to individual users or
every computer user, which let you block
access to potentially unsuitable sites
falling into a variety of categories, such as
sexually explicit material or sites related
to gambling. You can also block or permit
access to sites on an individual basis and
compile a list of banned keywords. The
system is not infallible, but it is one of the
strongest available.
The keyword filtering extends to
messaging programs and constant
monitoring lets you keep an eye on users’ Features ★★★★★
computing activities. We were pleased to Performance ★★★★★
see the filters were not over-zealous and Ease of use ★★★★★
seem able to determine the context of
words that other filtering software would Value for money ★★★★★
block without question. OVERALL ★★★★★

52 3 August 2006
 TLFeBOOK GROUP TEST
WEB-FILTERING SOFTWARE

McAfee Privacy Service, £24.99 per year CYBERsitter 9.0, $39.95 (around £22)
www.mcafee.com/uk www.cybersitter.com
McAfee is no Like CyberPatrol, CYBERsitter will search your
stranger to hard disk for questionable material (cookies and
the security temporary files) as soon as it is installed and
market and gives you the option of removing it. The web
this program filtering offered by the program can be a little on
offers more the aggressive side, meaning access to some
than just harmless sites will be denied, but it is rare for an
standard web objectionable site to slip through the net. There are
filtering: you can also there are a huge number of filtering categories, which work in
block cookies, web bugs, pop-ups and advertisements. conjunction with a
After creating user accounts for everyone who uses your PC, database of sites known
you can set an age level for each, choosing from five pre-defined to be ‘objectionable’, and
categories ranging from ‘Young child’ to ‘Adult’. The program the filter settings can be
lets you restrict web usage to certain days and times – useful for applied to web browsing,
parents who worry about how long their children spend online. instant messaging,
Once users have been assigned levels, you can start placing newsgroups and emails.
restrictions on them. The Block Info option lets you prevent For instant messaging,
the transmission of information – from credit card details to you can opt to filter out
names and addresses – while the Block List includes sites that certain words, block IM
can only be accessed by ‘adults’. Conversely, the Allow List programs altogether or
includes sites that can always be accessed, while the Keywords monitor activity. Using the latter option, CYBERsitter will
section can be used to record messaging
block access to pages Features ★★★★★ conversations and email Features ★★★★★
including certain words. Performance ★★★★★ them to you each day. The Performance ★★★★★
The filtering is thorough Ease of use ★★★★★ program’s configuration Ease of use ★★★★★
and very easy to can take time to get used to,
configure, but can be
Value for money ★★★★★ but once mastered this is a Value for money ★★★★★
time consuming. OVERALL ★★★★★ powerful tool. OVERALL ★★★★★

BrightFilter, £19.99
www.brightfilter.co.uk
BrightFilter uses a web-based interface
for program configuration and makes it
easy to create all the user accounts you
need. You can apply film-classification-
style restrictions on accounts in a
number of categories, letting you block
spyware, web mail and file-sharing sites
– as well as specifying individual sites to
block. Although there are no monitoring
options, you can place time restrictions
on user accounts. The software’s price
includes the option of installing the
program on up to three computers – more
than enough for the average home user.
Features ★★★★★
Performance ★★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★★
Safe Eyes 2006, $49.95
per year (around £27)
www.safeeyes.com
Safe Eyes blocks access to unsuitable
sites in more than 30 categories as well
as user-specified URLs – this banned
list is stored on an online server so the
information cannot be retrieved from
the hard disk. Although web browsing
can be filtered using keywords, the
same does not apply to instant
messaging and other programs. Such
tools can be blocked completely, but
not restricted. Like BrightFilter, Safe
Eyes can be installed on up to three
computers with a single purchase.
Features ★★★★★
Performance ★★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★★
Net Nanny 5.1.2, $39.95
(around £22)
www.netnanny.com
Net Nanny is a well-known name in the
world of web-filtering software, but this
does not make it the best. The problem is
that it doesn’t use categories to block
sites. Instead, a single long list of blocked
URLs is maintained, making it difficult to
apply different profiles to different users.
On the positive side, Net Nanny offers a
monitoring facility with the option to
email reports to the ‘administrator’ at
regular intervals, as well as word filtering
for emails and newsgroups, but not for
instant-messaging programs.
Features ★★★★★
Performance ★★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★
Value for money ★★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★★

VERDICT
CyberPatrol has been a Web User
favourite for years now and it’s still king of
the hill when it comes to internet filtering,
offering the most sensible and
customisable filtering available. It is also
very easy to use. McAfee’s service offers
more than just filtering, with pop-up and
cookie blockers also included; and
CYBERsitter would make a good option for
those looking to block rather than filter.
But for a good all-round package with a
proven track record of protecting children
when they are online, CyberPatrol takes
our Gold Award.

Find more security advice at www.webuser.co.uk/spyware 3 August 2006 53

 TLFeBOOK
NEW PRODUCTS
MEDIAMAN HVX-3500 MULTI-PLAYER

Hard disk
entertainment
Andy Shaw checks out
a portable hard disk that
will transfer your movies,
videos, music and pictures
to your TV

I
t’s a familiar problem, but unless you’ve
forked out hundreds of pounds on a PC
that plugs into your TV, most of your
digital content will probably be in the wrong
place for comfortable viewing. If you’ve also
forked out for one of the almost ubiquitous
HD-ready TVs and are frustrated at the lack
of HD programming, you could do with
something that’ll take HD quality from your
PC and present it on your screen.

Features ★★★★★
This is basically an 80GB hard disk in a
natty box with a remote control, but you
don’t actually need much more to get your
digital content from your PC to your TV.
This device means you don’t have to worry
about networking – the USB cable plugs
straight into your PC, which will recognise it
without the need to install any software or
drivers. All you have to do is save your
movies, pictures and music onto this hard
disk, unplug it, transfer it to your TV and use
the supplied remote control to browse the
contents of the disk.

Performance ★★★★★
Without wanting to get too nerdy, it’s the
ports on the back of this device that get us
slathering. It has options for digitally
connecting to an HD-ready TV, providing it
has a DVI or component (Y/Pb/Pr)
connector, to provide maximum output
quality. So as long as your home videos,
downloaded content or digital photos are
up to scratch, it’ll display them in superior
quality. It’ll handle surround sound too, so
home cinema enthusiasts who’ve yet to find
a way of connecting PC to TV should
already feel their wallets tingling. The only
downside is that the supplied hard disk
seemed a bit noisy to us, but crank up the
TV sound and you’ll barely notice.

Ease of use ★★★★★

Connecting the device to your PC is easy –
the USB connection means it’s no more

54 3 August 2006 Compare this to other media players at www.webuser.co.uk/products


complicated than any other type of external
hard disk or memory, and Windows XP
recognises it immediately and adds it to your
list of drives in My Computer. Hooking it up
to your TV is also simple, though you’ll need
to buy an extra cable if you want to make use
of its superior digital connections – only S-
Video and stereo audio are supplied.
Value for money ★★★★★
Big hard disks are relatively cheap
nowadays, so it’s nice to see this hasn’t got
a massive premium slapped on it. Corners
haven’t been cut though – it should still
have all the ports you could wish for and the
installed software for running the device off
your TV is perfectly satisfactory.
Verdict ★★★★★
If you’ve ever sat in front of your PC
wishing you could look at photos or
watch videos on your TV instead, this
is a great device for the job. It’s easy
to use, works with most file formats
and is good value. And, if your TV
has a DVI connector, you can view
HD content or your multi-megapixel
digital photos in all their glory.
MEDIAMAN HVX-3500
MULTI-PLAYER £149.99 inc VAT
For Good value for money ■ Watch your
computer-based multimedia content on
your TV without fuss
Against Slightly noisy hard disk
Specifications USB 2.0 ■ DVI/S-Video/
Composite/Component Y/Pb/Pr ■ Two
channel stereo and 5.1 channel surround
sound support ■ Coaxial and optical
audio sockets ■ Supported file formats
include MPEG-1, 2 and 4 (including AVI,
MPG, VOB, DivX), MP3, WMA, WAV,
AAC, OGG, JPG
Contacts PlayEngine, 01344 382626,
www.playengine.co.uk
Subscribe to Web User, see page 56
TLFeBOOK
Babble
Yackity yack
Andy Shaw considers whether Babble’s VoIP
service’s new software and pricing deal can help it
take on the might of web telephony giant Skype
P
icture making calls over the internet
and you probably think of Skype – the
market-leading VoIP (Voice over
Internet Protocol) service. As regular Web
User readers will know, however, Skype
isn’t the last word in telephony. It has a
large number of registered users, but has
both pros and cons. One alternative is
Babble, a British VoIP service that has
recently launched some new software and
a new offer that provides 30 minutes of
free landline calls a day for a one-off
charge of £1.50.
Features ★★★★★ Value for money
Like Skype, Babble is a software and
service only product, so you need to
supply your own hardware to speak into
and listen to conversations, but a range of
options, from headset and microphone
combos to USB handsets, are readily
available. You download the software free
of charge and can use it to make free calls
to other Babble users. The service uses
an industry-wide standard called SIP
(Session Initiation Protocol), so it can
also call other SIP compliant services
without charge; or you can connect to
the international landline or mobile
networks at a reduced rate when
compared to regular phone charges.
It doesn’t, however, have some of the
more sophisticated Skype features like
video and conference calling.
Performance ★★★★★
We found call quality to be OK. It depends
greatly on the hardware you use and the
quality of the connection on either end,
of course, so this doesn’t come with the
guaranteed call quality you might expect
from your regular telephone. However, in
our tests it proved perfectly usable and
compared well to standards set by Skype.
Ease of use ★★★★★
Once you’ve downloaded the software the
Babble screen is basically divided into
two, with contacts on the left and a dialling
pad on the right. It could barely be easier
to use. The only complication is deciding
how you’re going to pay for any calls you
make to non-Babble customers, though
this is sensibly broken down and all call
charges are available from the website.
NEW PRODUCTS
BABBLE
Babble’s interface is very easy to use, with a
‘dial-pad’ and a contacts list both on view
★★★★★
Babble has always provided good deals
on international calls, but there’s also an
offer available at the time of writing called
FreeB. For the price of a £1.50 text
message (which basically confirms that
you’re a real person) you can get up to 30
minutes of free calls a day to 25 countries
including the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada,
most of western Europe, Australia, New
Zealand and a good chunk of the Far East.
If you use more than that you can pay as
you go, or get free minutes and texts by
subscribing to a £5 per month package.
Verdict ★★★★★
As with most communication services,
Babble is at its best if you can persuade
your friends and family to join too, leaving
you with little reason to pick up your
regular phone and a vastly reduced phone
bill. This is where Skype excels, with its
large number of users. However, with
offers like the 30 minutes a day of free
calls, regular phone addicts can get great
deals on calling landlines through the
service, and even if you bust your
30-minute budget, there’s still good deals
to be had on the cost of a regular call.
£1.50 inc VAT
Babble for 30minutes a day
For Great deals for calling out of the
Babble network
Against Less sophisticated software ■
Not as popular as Skype
What you need Windows 2000/XP
or better
Contact Babble, www.babble.net
3 August 2006 55
%8BBD4B
TLFeBOOK

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 TLFeBOOK

PRACTICAL Web User’s Practical pages help you get the

best out of the web – whether answering your
queries or showing you new techniques.

WEBUSER
PracticalFeature 57 DIY WebPages
For an index of previous Practical Features and
Workshops, visit www.webuser.co.uk/practicals

61 ProblemSolver 64
Use Wetpaint to create a wiki website Readers’ websites/web-building advice Our experts answer your questions

PracticalWorkshop 60 PracticalExplorer 62 Hints&Tips 66

Surf the web safely with SiteAdvisor The lowdown on Windows Live Messenger The best tips sent in by readers this issue

PRACTICAL FEATURE Share your knowledge with others online

CREATE A S
pearheaded by the mighty online
encyclopaedia Wikipedia (http://

WIKI WEBSITE
en.wikipedia.org), wiki sites –
which let anyone contribute and edit
content – have revolutionised the web
in the last few years. With more of a
community feel than blogs but less
messy than discussion forums, they’re
the ideal means of sharing knowledge
Start your own community about and opinions about subjects close to
your heart.
any subject using Wetpaint Until recently, creating your own wiki
site was something of a technical
nightmare, but this has now changed
with the fantastic free service Wetpaint.
Launched back in March, Wetpaint
makes it incredibly straightforward to
set up a wiki on any subject of your
choice, adding pages and content with a
few simple clicks and then inviting the
world or just specific friends to
contribute. Even Wikipedia has a few
tricky editing rules to master but with
Wetpaint you can format text, insert
images, link to other sites and more via
a simple editing toolbar. You can easily
create categories and sub-categories for
your chosen wiki topic, lock pages when
they attain perfection and remove
unwanted ones.
Here we show you how to get started
with Wetpaint and introduce you to its
main wiki features.

About Wetpaint
Located at www.wetpaint.com,
Wetpaint is completely web-based with
no special plug-ins required. To use the
service you need Internet Explorer 6 or
Mozilla Firefox 1.07 or higher on either a
PC or Mac. Wetpaint sites are free to set
up and run, though contextual ads
relevant to your content are placed on
the side of your pages. At present there
is no limit on the amount of storage
space you use, though a maximum limit
may be introduced in the future.

3 August 2006 57
 TLFeBOOK
PRACTICALFEATURE
WETPAINT

1 To start using Wetpaint, head to www.wetpaint.com and either

click the ‘start a website about’ link 1 or the green ‘create your
own wetpaint site now’ button. 2
5 A preview of how your site name will look with the selected
template will now appear below. 1 You can edit the display
name if you wish 2 or even replace it with a picture from your hard
disk by clicking the ‘Upload a New Image’ button. 3 When you’re
1 done, click ‘Continue to Step 3: the other part’. 4

1
2
2 3

2 In the first section of the following page, type in the desired

name 1 and web address 2 for your wiki site (the latter will
end with wetpaint.com). You can also enter keyword tags 3 to
4

6
make your site easier to find by people with similar interests.
Separate each tag with a comma. At this
stage you’ll
need to register
1
with Wetpaint 1
so select the
2 ‘No, I am new
to Wetpaint’ 2
3
option, 1 and
type in a 3
username 2

3
and password. 4
In the second section you’ll need to decide who can contribute 3 You’ll also
to your wiki site: anyone, even anonymously; 1 anyone with need to enter
a Wetpaint account; 2 or only people who you’ve invited. 3 If your email
you’re not sure which option is suitable, click on the ‘help me address 4 and 5
choose’ link 4 for advice. When you’re ready, click ‘Continue to can opt to
Step 2: the fun part’. 5 receive updates on new Wetpaint features for your site. 5

1 2
3 7 Wetpaint requires you to provide your first and last names, 1
though these are not publicly displayed without your consent.
Finally, confirm that you’re over 13 years of age 2 and then click the
‘I’m done, create my Wetpaint site’ button. 3
4
1
2
5

4 On the next page, you can choose a style for your wiki site from
the templates provided. 1 There are three pages of these, so
use the tabs at the top 2 or arrows at the side 3 to scroll through
3

them. Click on the radio button next to a template’s name to select it

4 or click the zoom option for a closer look. 5 You can easily
change the design later if you change your mind.
8 Your wiki site will now
be created and a
confirmation email sent to
1

2 your Inbox. 1 To access the

site either click on the link in
1 the message or click the
‘Take me to my site’ button
on the Wetpaint page. 2

3 4
5
2

58 3 August 2006 Get more advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

 TLFeBOOK PRACTICALFEATURE
WETPAINT

9 When your site first

loads, the Wetpaint
Assistant will open,
2
13 You can create sub-
pages for the current
page you’re viewing by
offering demo movies to clicking the ‘add a sub-page’
help you get started. You link in the Navigation box on
can either click ‘Play the the left-hand side of the
Demo Movie’ 1 to watch Wetpaint page. 1 You can
the first of these now or 1 then move a sub-page from 1
close the box by clicking one topic to another by 2
the X next to its title 2 to clicking the Change Location
continue to your site. The Assistant can be reopened at any time by button, specifying the location to move the page into and clicking
clicking in the top-right hand corner of your Wetpaint page. the Select Location button. 2

10 Once you’ve entered your site, click the EasyEdit button at

the top of the page 1 to launch the EasyEdit Toolbar. 2 You
can now type a description of, or introduction to, your wiki site into
14 Once you’re happy
with the basic
structure of your wiki site
3

the main white box on the homepage. 3 Use the EasyEdit Toolbar you can invite other people 1
to format text, insert images and web links, or copy and paste to contribute content by 2
content from elsewhere. clicking the Invite Others
option in the Page Toolbox.
2 From the drop-down menu, 4
choose the role you want to
1 give these people –
Administrator, Moderator or
Registered User, 1 then 5
type their email addresses below, separated by commas. 2 A
preview of the invitation is provided on the right, 3 but you can
customise this with a personal message 4 before clicking the Send
Invitations button at the bottom of the page. 5
3

15 Finally, you can use the functions in the Moderator Toolset

drop-down menu 1 in the Page Toolbox to rename, move,
delete and lock specific pages. You can also find out which of your

11
contributors has added the most content to a page by viewing its
When you’ve finished, click the Save button on the EasyEdit Top Contributors list. 2
Toolbar. 1 You’ll now be asked to create an Edit Note to
feature on your site’s Page History tab. Type in a name for the note
2 and then click Save. 3 Repeat this process for any further
changes you make.

1 2

2
3
5 wiki sites created with Wetpaint
Brickiwiki

12
http://brickiwiki.wetpaint.com
With your homepage created, you can start adding category
pages to your wiki site. Click the ‘Add a new page’ option in Simply Sudoku
the Page Toolbox on the http://sudoku.wetpaint.com
right-hand side of the page.
1 When the ‘Add a Page’ Becks
2
box opens, confirm the http://beckham.wetpaint.com
3 location of the new page, 2
then enter a title 3 and any World’s 100 Best Restaurants
keyword tags you want to http://bestrestaurants.wetpaint.com
4 apply. 4 Click Add Page to
create the category page 5 Worst Album Covers
1 then add content to it using http://worstalbumcovers.wetpaint.com
5
the EasyEdit Toolbar.

3 August 2006 59
 TLFeBOOK

PRACTICALWORKSHOP
Check websites for security threats Program: McAfee SiteAdvisor
Time taken: 10 minutes

M
ost security software aims to prevent viruses, spyware and
spam reaching your computer, but they’re usually better at
detecting threats once they’ve already been downloaded.
Wouldn’t it be preferable to know which websites are dangerous
(and why) while or even before visiting them? Such is the thinking
behind SiteAdvisor (www.siteadvisor.com), a free browser add-on
for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox that keeps you safe while
surfing the web. It uses a toolbar button that changes colour to alert
you as to whether the website you’re viewing is dangerous (red), safe
(green) or should be regarded with caution (yellow). SiteAdvisor
bases its results on extensive tests that consider such factors as
spam email, malware in downloads, excessive pop-ups, fraudulent
practices and feedback from individual users. It also reviews and
rates search results so you can easily avoid risky sites altogether.

1 To add SiteAdvisor to your browser,

head to www.siteadvisor.com/
download and click the ‘Download
1 6 SiteAdvisor also
reviews search
results for you to 4
1

SiteAdvisor for IE Now’ button. 1 prevent you visiting 2

If you use Mozilla Firefox then click the 2 risky websites.
Firefox link instead 2 and download Search for a term in 3
the tool from the subsequent page. the usual way and it
will mark approved

2
results with a green
Once installation is tick icon, 1 unsafe
complete, you’ll be sites with a red cross
asked if you want to join icon 2 and potentially bad ones with a yellow exclamation mark
the Product Improvement icon. 3 Hover your mouse above an icon for at-a-glance
Program, which sends data information about the site. 4
anonymously from your 1 2

7
computer to SiteAdvisor to
help improve the efficiency with which it detects dangerous sites. To make good and
3
This is entirely optional so click Yes 1 to join the scheme or No 2 bad search results
to bypass it, and then click Close to exit Setup. even easier to discern,
click on the drop- 1

3
down menu next to
Your web browser the Site Advisor
will now launch button and select 2
automatically and you’ll 1 Settings. When the
notice a new McAfee Settings box opens,
SiteAdvisor button on the 2 select the option
toolbar. 1 This will currently ‘Highlight search result links’ 1 and click OK. 2 Results will now
be green as you are viewing be shaded green, red or yellow. 3
the safe SiteAdvisor site.

8
Click on the drop-down
menu next to the button and select ‘Show balloon’ for pop-up If SiteAdvisor
information about the site. 2 gives red ratings
to sites you believe to

4
be safe, you can tell 2
When you visit a the program to stop 1
website SiteAdvisor 1 warning you about
regards as dangerous or them. Click on the 3
dubious, the button will drop-down menu
turn red 1 or yellow and 2 and select Do Not
the pop-up balloon will Warn list. Type in the
reveal why it has been 3 web address of each site 1 and click Add. 2 If you change your
classified as such. 2 mind later, you can click Remove 3 to remove these sites from
To read SiteAdvisor’s full the list.
report on the site, click the ‘View site details’ link. 3

5 This report includes

such information as
9 Finally, if for
any reason
you want to stop
1

the amount of spam receiving alerts 2

email arising as a result from SiteAdvisor,
of submitting your email click on the
address to the site, 1 drop-down 3
download tests for 1 menu and select
malware, links to other Disable. To hide
dangerous sites and user 2 the button
reviews. Click on the altogether, click on the View menu in your browser, 1 select
‘View detailed analysis’ link 2 in any section for further details. Toolbars 2 and then deselect SiteAdvisor. 3

60 3 August 2006 Get more practical help and ideas at www.webuser.co.uk/forums


Useful advice to help you start and improve your website from Mark Wilson
Getting your website noticed
W
ith your website complete, getting
noticed is the name of the game, and
this is where the humble search
engine is your friend. 1&1 has launched two
new SEO (Search Engine Optimiser) tools in
the form of SimpleSubmission and
SimpleSEO. SimpleSubmission comes free
with any hosting package, whereas
SimpleSEO is available for £5.86 per
month. Aimed at small businesses, the
latter option lets you quickly and easily
Website compatibility test
Submit your site to BrowserShots and you can see
how it will appear in different web browsers
When designing your website, it’s a good
idea to test it in as many browsers as
possible to ensure compatibility, but in
reality, few people test all available options.
BrowerShots is a website which lets you
submit your site and have it tested in
multiple browsers. You can also test how
your site works with different internet
options disabled, try out different screen
resolutions and see how your site will look if
visitors don’t have certain plug-ins installed.
Test your own website free of charge by
paying a visit to http://v03.browsershots
.org. More simple tests are available at
www.browsershots.org.
HTML and CSS level by level
The process of learning HTML and CSS is a
gradual one. If you’re an absolute beginner,
you’ll need to start with the basics, while
READERS’ WEBSITES Email details of your non-commercial website to readerswebsites@web-user.co.uk
Reed Mill Angling Club
www.reedmill.co.uk
I
an Dyer has created this website to
promote his local angling club and it’s
filled with information for members of
the club and other keen anglers. We all
know that content is king, and Ian has
done a great job of ensuring that not only
are there a number of pages for visitors to
explore, but also that these pages are well
TLFeBOOK
DIYWEBPAGES
SimpleSEO aims
to give 1&1
customers
better position
optimise your meta tags and keywords, as on search
well as checking HTML compatibility and engines
link validity. You can then submit up to 10 of
your sites to numerous search engines,
including MSN, Google, Yahoo and others.
SimpleSubmission will submit up to two
sites to search engines as well as checking There are also
URL suitability. 1&1 customers can try a number of
SimpleSEO free for 90 days by accessing tools on hand
the utility from the online Control Panel. to check your
Find out more at www.1and1.co.uk. links, HTML, keywords and page load times
more experienced coders may want to Learn the
stretch themselves by moving onto basics of web
something more advanced. HTML Dog is an design without
excellent coding resource complete with the distractions
HTML and CSS tutorials aimed at different of confusing
levels of ability – beginner, intermediate and advanced or
advanced. You can work through the guides superfluous
in order, or just view a specific topic you want techniques
to know more about. Whether you’re just Using HTML and CSS aims to teach
starting out or you want to branch out into precisely what you need to know, without
something more adventurous, there is wasting time on out-of-date techniques,
something here for everyone. Find out more ensuring that your site complies with web
at www.htmldog.com. standards right from the beginning.
Weighing in at over 500 pages, this is an
essential guide, written in an accessible
style. The book is available from Amazon,
currently priced £13.85. Find out more by
paying a visit to www.beginningwebdesign
.com, or download four sample chapters
from http://tinyurl.com/mm6qa.
HTML and CSS tutorials to suit all levels of ability
can be found at HTML Dog TOP 5 WEB-DESIGN
DISCUSSION TOPICS
1 Choosing a web design program
BACK TO BASICS: 2 Setting up databases
3 Choosing a domain name suffix
Getting off to a good start 4 Charging for advertising
5 Setting up a forum
When you’re getting started in web design,
one of the first stumbling blocks you’ll
From Reader-helps-reader at
www.webuser.co.uk/forums
encounter is deciding how to learn the new
techniques you use. Ian Lloyd’s new book, Share your site with other readers in our Readers’ Websites forum
Build Your Own Web Site the Right Way
populated. However, the patterned The Reed Mill
background can make the yellow text Angling Club site is
slightly difficult to read, and makes
images float in a distracting manner. We
largely well-
executed, but the
would recommend switching to a solid, busy background
coloured background. One other thing may have been a
we would suggest, especially as Ian has bad idea
gone to the trouble of registering a suitable
domain name, is that web forwarding is Find more tips on web building or post
configured so as to mask the free NTL web details of your own non-commercial website
space address. This would help to give the
at our Readers’ Websites forum at
www.webuser.co.uk/forums
site a more professional finish.
3 August 2006 61
 TLFeBOOK
PRACTICALEXPLORER
WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER

Personal
Message
Get the most from You can type a message
here that your contacts
will see next to your
Windows Live Messenger name when they log-in.
If you click the down
arrow you can turn on
Every issue we take a closer look at a website the ‘What I’m Listening
or program. Our subject this time around is To’ feature, which shows
Microsoft’s revamped instant-messaging tool your contacts what
music you’re currently
listening to in Windows
Media Player. You may
Download from: need to configure
Messenger or Media
http://get.Live.com/messenger/overview Player for this to work.

M
SN Messenger has had a makeover and
gained a new name in keeping with
Microsoft’s recent ‘Live’ rebranding of its
web services. Version 8 of the program (which
only runs on Windows XP) remains largely the
same as previous offerings, but there are some
useful new features bolted on for good measure.
These extras include being able to share files
and folders with your contacts over the internet
and make VoIP phone calls. It also provides
links to various other interesting, but unrelated
web services.
You should be careful when first installing the
15.3MB Messenger. Unless you tell it
otherwise, the program will add shortcuts to the
Desktop and QuickLaunch toolbar, install the
Windows Live Sign-in Assistant (to manage
multiple accounts), change your home page to
MSN Home and install the Rhapsody Music
Service. (Microsoft agreed to include Rhapsody
as part of an anti-trust claim settlement with
RealNetworks.)
Tabs
The tabs on the left give you access to
various activities, including searching
eBay, listening to Radio1 live, and playing
Lotto online. You can arrange (or hide) the
tabs by going to Tools, Options, Tabs.
Search the web
You can search the web using the
Windows Live Search box. The results
will open in a new window. Alternatively,
if you’re chatting with a contact you can
select Search from the Activities menu to
open up a linked search window next to
your conversation. You can drag-and-
drop links or images and send them to
your contacts.

Mulitple ways to chat

You can do much more than just send
instant messages with Live Messenger

1 When a friend goes online, double-click

their name to initiate a chat. You can
also right-
click on their 2
name 1 and
select one of 1
several 2 1

2
different

ways to Send Other
1 communicate 1 lets you
2 with them. 2 email your
contact, send
them a wink (various animated greetings)
or send a single file. 2 Winks are
transmitted instantly, but the other person
will need to double-click a transmission
request before any files can be received.
3
If you want to share a folder on your
computer with a contact you will need
to set it up. Right-click their name and
select 'Create a Sharing Folder'. 1 The
other person will be asked if they want to
share files with you. If they say yes, you
will now be able to drag-and-drop files into
this shared folder 2 for them to access.

62 3 August 2006 Get more advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

 TLFeBOOK PRACTICALEXPLORER
WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER

MSN Spaces Make a VoIP phone call

Every Messenger user gets a free area at
MSN Spaces, Microsoft’s version of If you don’t want to type your messages, you
can speak to your contacts instead using VoIP

1
MySpace. Click the third button along to
access and customise your Space.
When you’ve set it up you will get a free
£5 voucher to spend at gift shop www.
iwantoneofthose.com.

2
Managing 1
contacts 3
You can organise your
contacts in several ways.
Click the button to sort
them by status, groups,
or by recently updated
Spaces. You can show To call a friend right-click their name and select
all their available details Call. 1 You can choose to call them on their
(including pictures)
computer 2 or via a landline. 3 You will both
and also show or hide
need speakers and a microphone installed, or a
contacts who don’t use
VoIP handset.

2
Messenger.

1
Talk to Yahoo
You can now talk to
users of Yahoo's instant
messenger service via
Windows Live
Messenger. They must
be using version 8 of
Yahoo's software. Add
them to your contacts
using this button.
When you initiate a computer-to-computer call
the other person’s PC will make a ringing sound.
They will need to click the Answer link or Press
Alt+C to accept the call. 1 You will then be
able to chat to each other for as long as you like,
free of charge.

1 2 1 3
3
1

4 While chatting you can Start an

Activity 1 or Play a Game. 2
You can also select these by clicking
2

Actions. Activities include a
Whiteboard, Application Sharing
and more fun options such as MSN
Photo Swap and MSN Music Mix.
Games include Solitaire Showdown
and Chess Club.
5
If you have a webcam installed
you can Start a Video Call. 1
If the other person doesn’t have a
webcam they will see you, 2 but all
you will see is this image. 3
If you want to call someone’s home phone you
will need to set up an account with Verizon first
as the calls are low-rate, but not free. To sign up
click the green button marked Learn More. 1
The rates are shown on the website and the first
hour is free.

Next issue: Practical Explorer – Windows Media Player 3 August 2006 63


PROBLEMSOLVER
VIDEO SOFTWARE
Burn WMV movies onto DVD
Q
I used Windows Movie Maker 2
to create a short movie, which
was saved as a WMV file. How
can I burn this onto a DVD so that I can
play it on my DVD player?
M McGettigan, via email
A
There are a number of programs
available that can convert and
burn WMV files to DVD. The
most popular of these is probably the Nero
Vision tool that forms part of the CD/DVD
burning suite Ahead Nero. This costs
around £55 from www.nero.com but can
be used for free for 30 days. As a cheaper
alternative, you could also try DVD Santa
from www.dvdsanta.com, which converts
and burns all video formats to DVD. This
HARDWARE
Replacement printer drivers
If you’ve lost your installation disc, download
replacement drivers from the manufacturer’s site
Q
I’ve got an Epson Stylus C48 printer
but I accidentally uninstalled it from
my computer and have lost the disc
which came with it, so am unable to reinstall
the necessary drivers. Where can I get
another disc from? I have tried everything.
Susan Drake, via email
A
Your first port of call for
replacement printer drivers should
always be the manufacturer’s
website, so head to www.epson.co.uk and
go the Drivers & Support section. Here you
can search for drivers for all Epson products
and download them directly from the site,
along with the relevant manuals and
documentation. If for some reason the
drivers for your model aren’t featured on the
manufacturer’s website, you could try www.
homedrivers.com, which provides a
massive collection of drivers for products
from all the major manufacturers, available
to download for free.
64 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
ASK OUR EXPERTS Each fortnight our experts answer your technical
questions about the internet. If you’re puzzled
by a problem, we’re here to help. Contact us at
ANDY SHAW ROBERT IRVINE problemsolver@web-user.co.uk
Burn movies saved in WMV format onto discs you
can play on your DVD player using DVD Santa
offers a fully functional, time-unlimited
demo version that simply leaves a
watermark on your movies until you pay
£16 to upgrade to the commercial product.
ERROR MESSAGES
Printing problem in
Outlook Express
Q
I was delighted to read the answer
to the question on error messages
in the Problem Solver section in
Issue 133, as a similar message had me
frustrated for many weeks. Alas, it did not
work for me. I have scoured the net for an
answer but without avail. The message
only pops up every time I want to print out
an email from my Inbox in Outlook Express,
thus preventing a print-out which I had
always been able to do before. The
message reads:
‘An error has occurred in the script on this
page.
Line:1344
Char:1
Error: Unspecified error
Code: 0
URL: res://C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\
SHDOCLC.DLL/preview.dlg’
Do you want to continue running script on
this page?’
I am running Windows 98 SE, which does
not have the line ‘Disable Script Debugging’
in the Internet Options box.
George Barrett, via email
You can sometimes fix an Outlook Express printing
error by registering a DLL file via the Run box
A As the problem occurs only when
you’re trying to print from Outlook
Express and not Internet Explorer,
the following fix should work. Click on the
Start button and select Run, then type in
‘regsvr32 ole32.dll’ and click OK. This
registers a vital DLL file so that when you
restart your PC the message should now no
longer appear and you’ll be able to print. If
you’re still having problems you may need to
uninstall your current printer drivers then
download and install the latest ones from
the manufacturer’s website.
INSTANT MESSAGING
Logging MSN Messenger chats
Q
I use MSN Messenger 7.5 at home
and so do my teenage kids. They
spend a lot of time chatting to
people through the net. Is there any way I
can find out what kind of chat they had? Or is
there anywhere on the computer that the
conversation is logged? If so, how do I access
it or set up the PC to log these events?
Horse 369, via email
A Although your kids won’t be too
happy about it, there is an option in
MSN Messenger 7.5 that lets you
save transcripts of online chats into a folder
on your hard disk. Click on the Tools menu
and select Options, then click on Messages
in the left-hand
column. In the
Message History
section, select the
option ‘Automatically
keep a history of my
conversations’ then
either click the Change
button to choose a
folder into which to
save the transcripts or
use the default History You can set up MSN
folder. Click OK to Messenger to save
confirm and close the
transcripts of
Options box.
conversations
BROWSERS
Keeping private
Q
I use Firefox and love it, but I share a
computer with other people in my
house and like to erase my browser
history when I’ve finished, so that other
people who use the computer can’t see
where I’ve been. I know how to do this but
it’s a bit of a chore deleting the History items
and so on. Is there an easier way?
Martin Brand, via email
A
You could use the Stealther add-on,
available from https://addons.
mozilla.org/firefox/1306. This
automatically disables things like your
browsing and download histories, so that
they can’t be called up by the next person.

Our pick of the best posts from our reader forums this fortnight. To get help or offer advice
to other readers, visit us online at www.webuser.co.uk/forums – it’s friendly and free!
EMAIL
Spam from me?
Q
I have a Freeserve (now Orange)
email account that lets you
change your prefix to hold several
email addresses, for example abc@xxxx.
freeserve.co.uk or xyz@xxxx.freeserve
.co.uk, the xxxx part being your identity.
Now I’m receiving message receipts (over
100 per day) for emails I haven’t sent. They
are usually from companies who appear to
have had an email sent from my account,
but not using my exact email address,
so for example it could be 1234@xxxx.
freeserve.co.uk or 78910@xxxx.
freeserve.co.uk. I have never set up any
email account except my main one but I’m
receiving hundreds of emails daily that look
SECURITY
ZoneAlarm updates
If you want to
download the
latest version
of ZoneAlarm,
the update is
available on
the website
Q Q
I’ve had ZoneAlarm (the free
version) for about a month now
and recently I’ve been told there
is an update for 6.5.7200 available. When
I click on ‘Update now’ it takes me to
another page that tells me what to do and
to click on ‘Download below’. Alas there is
no ‘Download below’ to click on. Am I
missing something?
Ahimsa, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
‘Download ZoneAlarm update’ is
actually above, not below. Click on
‘2. Download ZoneAlarm update’
on the update page at http://download.
zonelabs.com/bin/updates/znalm/
zaAEN1023.html. The latest version
65.722.000 is causing problems on some
computers. Zone Labs are busy improving
this. For the time being, I am sticking with
the version 61.744.001 which is reliable
and stable.
Jack Flash, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
BROADBAND
Web space at work
Q
I’ve got Tiscali broadband at work
and Blueyonder broadband at
home, and I have web space with
Get more advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums
TLFeBOOK
like I have. I have spoken to Orange who say
I need to speak to Microsoft and change my
Outlook settings. I have run virus and spam
checks but in reality this isn’t spam, I
actually believe someone has somehow
accessed my account details and is using it
to send spam across the world. How can I
stop this? Surely Freeserve, Wanadoo or
Orange have some responsibility to help me.
Westender, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
No, it is spam! I find Mailwasher
(www.mailwasher.net) a handy
tool to combat this method of
spam. You might want to consider getting a
web-based email account.
Mouse, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
If you keep on deleting it unopened,
it may die down eventually. It’s
possible that your address has been
both accounts and can upload to each of
them individually. However, it would be
extremely helpful if I could upload to them
the other way round as well, that is upload to
the Blueyonder web space from Tiscali
broadband, and the Tiscali web space from
Blueyonder broadband. Neither seem to
want to let me, however. Is there a way to
get around this?
Urbycoz, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
Get the FTP details from
Blueyonder, which I think is
ftp.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk.
Using your username and password, log in
and you should be able to upload your
website. Tiscali’s FTP server is ftp.myweb.
tiscali.co.uk. I would recommend
SmartFTP, which can be found at SmartFTP
(www.smartftp.com).
Bbtech, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
It depends on the way your ISPs are
configured, some will only let you
FTP if you connect via their
connection – they may block FTP from
elsewhere. However, it would be unlucky to
pick two ISPs who both block it!
NigelG, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
You can use FTP software, such as SmartFTP, to
upload files to your web space
PROBLEMSOLVER
‘harvested’ from the address book of
someone who has your email address in it.
This happened to my husband and he
ended up getting loads of spam; it gradually
lessened, although he still gets some.
Madeline, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
The other likely cause is that a
spammer has picked up your
email address and is using a
variation of it to spam other people.
They don’t need to log in to your account
to do this, but can simply change the ‘reply
to’ field to anything they want – in this
case, an email address in your name.
This has happened to me on a few
occasions with email addresses that are
published on the internet. As Madeline
says, it’s annoying for a few days but
usually peters out.
Andy Shaw, Technical & Reviews Editor
GENERAL PC RELATED
Printing favourites
Export your bookmarks from IE for safe-keeping
I know it’s possible to print email
addresses from Outlook Express’s
address book for safe-keeping, but
is there a similar way to print web addresses
from the Favorites folder of Internet Explorer?
Gildersleeve, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A
Open Internet Explorer, click File on
the menu bar and then click Import
and Export. The Import/Export
wizard will open. Click Next, select Export
Favorites and click Next, which shows you a
list of all the folders contained in Favorites.
To export every folder and web link contained
in Favorites, select the folder labeled
Favorites, or to export the contents of a single
folder select that. Click Next and select the
‘Export to a File or Address’ option and give
the file a name, ending in the .htm extension.
Save it to a folder of your choice. Click Next,
Finish and then OK. Open Windows Explorer
and locate the file you just created. Double-
click it to open it. You will see all the Favorites
folders you selected. Each folder will be
expanded to show the web pages it contains.
Click File on the menu bar and then click
Print from the menu that appears. The Print
page opens. Click the Print button and your
Favorites are on their way to your printer.
Jonny555, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
3 August 2006 65

HINTS&TIPS
Send your tips to hintsandtips@web-user.co.uk – we pay £25 for the best tip we
receive each fortnight. Or visit the Hints & Tips forum at www.webuser.co.uk/forums
TOP TIP £25 Winner!
GENERAL PC
Crumbling cookies
F
or a few years now, I have found that
CookieWall from AnalogX (www.
analogx.com/contents/download/
network/cookie.htm) is the easiest way to
manage cookies. Its main advantage over
utilities such as CCleaner or Window
Washer is that it lets you know when new
cookies have arrived. This means you don’t
have to wade through a huge list to decide
which to keep or delete. You can also
automatically delete selected cookies as
soon as they arrive. Please note that the
BROWSERS
Restricting resizing
Change Firefox’s settings by typing ‘about:config’
into the address bar
I get very annoyed when a website forces the
size of my Firefox browser to change when I
don’t want it to. But you don’t have to put up
with it. In the address bar type ‘about:
config’ and hit the Enter key. Do a search for
‘resize’ by typing it into the Filter box. You
will see dom.disable_window_move_resize.
Double-click this entry and it will change
from false to true, now restart Firefox and
your browser will never resize when you
don’t want it to.
Josh evilmonkeyzz, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
GENERAL PC
Reinstallation ready
I was interested in the You Can Fix It feature
in Issue 138, which reminded me of
problems I
had not long
after buying
my PC (due to
my messing
about, I must
confess). It
necessitated
Windows XP to
If you regularly need to reinstall be reinstalled
Windows, you could store a along with all
back-up in another partition the software,
66 3 August 2006
TLFeBOOK
Manage your cookies more effectively with this
free software from AnalogX
software currently only works with Internet
Explorer and browsers that are derived
from it, so Firefox or Opera users shouldn’t
bother downloading it.
Eddie Hall, via email
and took about four evenings to get
everything up and running again. This
happened on about five occasions.
I solved this problem regarding regular
reinstallation by installing a partitioning
program (Paragon Partition Manager – www.
partition-manager.com) along with XP and
all my other software. I then created a
partition for all this software which I called
drive C. I then created a second partition,
which I called the back-up partition, and
copied everything from drive C into the back-
up partition. I then made a third partition to
hold all files, photos and so on. I then went
on the web and downloaded all upgrades
onto the C drive. Last of all, I made a boot-up
floppy disk using the partition manager.
Now when any problems develop which
can’t easily be repaired or restored, I boot up
via the floppy and the partition software
comes up in DOS mode. I then delete the
active C drive, copy the back-up partition
into the space left by the deleted C drive and
the PC boots up again. The time taken from
start to finish to reinstall 7.5GB of software
is about 20 minutes. However, I have to go
on the web and download again the latest
updates for all software in the new C drive.
One final point to remember is that all files
and photos have to be saved into the large
partition and not the C partition. My
Documents and My Pictures can be
configured to go straight to the third partition.
Robert Cooke, North Lanarkshire
WORD PROCESSING
A good pasting
I have to admit to nabbing this tip off a
website but it’s of great use to people who
cut and paste text from their web browser
into Word – something I do a lot when
scouring the forums for top tips to go in
these pages! After you’ve selected your text
Subscribe to Web User now. Call 0845 676 7778
and copied it (by highlighting it with your
mouse and using the CTRL + C keyboard
command or selecting Copy from the Edit
menu), move into Word and, instead of
simply pasting the text into a document as
normal, go to the Edit menu and select Paste
Special. This opens a dialogue box. Choose
Unformatted Text and click OK. It’s a couple
of extra clicks but will save you time
reformatting text into your desired font, size
and colour, and things like links don’t copy
across as clickable addresses.
Andy Shaw, Technical & Reviews Editor, Web User
ANTI-VIRUS
Scanning instant messages
If you use Microsoft’s Live Messenger
(previously MSN Messenger) you might
want to set it to automatically scan files
people send you for viruses. If you’re using
the free edition of Grisoft’s AVG software
(http://free.grisoft.com), go to the Tools
menu and choose Options. From the
dialogue box, click on File Transfer on the
left and copy the following line into the ‘Scan
for viruses using:’ box:
“C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Free\avgw.
exe” /SE %1
Now everytime you get sent a file via
Messenger, you will see AVG scan the file
and a dialogue box pops up to tell you the
results of the scan. It also works with Trillian.
Meelind, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
MUSIC
Split MP3s in iTunes
Here’s a great tip for cropping and/or
splitting MP3 files using iTunes. Right-click
on the song you want to edit and select Get
Info. Choose the Options tab and adjust the
start and end times, making sure you put
ticks in the boxes next to them. Click OK.
The song will play like that, but it can be
reset at a later date so it plays all the way. If
you want to make the edit permanent, right-
click on the file and choose ‘Convert
selection to MP3’. It will create a new file to
the length you configured.
Anthony Green, Production Editor, Web User
Right-click on a track in iTunes to edit its properties
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3.‘Inherently healthy’: fruit, veg, grain, nuts and yogurt • 4.Fancy wine and liqueurs • 3 August 2006 69
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 TLFeBOOK
Updat
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Webuser every isesude

ESSENTIALS
≤

TOP CHOICE
Our regular guide to the web’s best products and services ≥ WEBCAMS There’s also a privacy shade
Logitech QuickCam Fusion, you can flip over the lens in
£79.99 case you’re worried about
www.logitech.com forgetting to turn the camera
If you have a flat LCD-type off when you’ve finished a
HARDWARE screen, the QuickCam Fusion conversation.
has the perfect base, which Our rating ★★★★★
≥ BUDGET 17IN contractible air trap, the bass is hooks over the top.
FLATSCREENS actually a bit of a let down. There’s also a
Acer AL1751, £200 Our rating ★★★★★ microphone built
www.acer.co.uk into the camera so
Thanks to its Altec Lansing InMotion you don’t need to
CrystalBrite IM4, £70 worry about any
technology, this Acer www.alteclansing.co.uk other devices, but
screen looks like it Packing to go away rarely leaves there is a risk of echoing
has a layer of glass regular-sized holes in your or feedback if you’re using
placed over the top, luggage, so MP3 speakers that’ll speakers rather than
giving it a remarkable pack into about the space of a headphones. This is one of
depth of colour. slim hard-backed book are not the most powerful cameras
Our rating ★★★★★ to be sniffed at. we tested, with the ability
Our rating ★★★★★ to take still images of up to
ViewSonic VX712, £200 4 megapixels and video up
www.viewsoniceurope.com/uk Creative TravelDock 900, £70 to 640 by 480 pixels.
The ViewSonic screen has a http://uk.europe.creative.com
response time of 8ms, so has no This clever little docking station
problems playing video or super- isn’t specific to a particular ≥ HOMEPLUG
fast games. It also offers good device – it has a lever with a NETWORKING ADAPTERS SECURITY VITALS
contrast and razor-sharp standard headphone-type plug Devolo dLAN Highspeed
graphics. on it, so you can slot any small Starter Kit, £119.99 Want to protect your computer
Our rating ★★★★★ device into it. www.devolo.co.uk from the net’s worst threats?
Our rating ★★★★★ Devolo’s Starter Here’s our current choice of the
NEC MultiSync LCD1770NX, Kit features a software you need
£200 ≥ WEBCAMS suite of software
www.nec-display-solutions.co.uk Logitech QuickCam Fusion, programs, which ≥ FIREWALL
This NEC MultiSync model is £79.99 includes software for chatting, ZoneAlarm, free
a stylish monitor with an www.logitech.com transferring files and even www.zonelabs.com
elegant-looking screen but it (See Top Choice, above.) cleaning up your computer after ZoneAlarm is effective, intuitive
suffers a little on the darkest Our rating ★★★★★ internet sessions. and free for personal use.
screens, which might affect its Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
Creative Live Cam Voice,
performance for serious gamers.
Our rating ★★★★★ £64.99 Solwise PL-85PE 85Mbps ≥ ANTI-VIRUS
http://uk.europe.creative.com Ethernet HomePlug Adapter, Avast Home Edition, free
≥ PORTABLE SPEAKERS The Creative Live Cam Voice £40.15 each www.avast.com
SanDisk Sansa Speaker has a nice, versatile stand that www.solwise.co.uk Free anti-virus software that’s
Dock, £35 will either hook over the top of The software for connecting two regularly updated and has
www.sandisk.com a monitor or stand freely on a Solwise devices isn’t too user- features to rival many
Designed to slot together with flat surface. friendly, but if you’re willing to commercial programs.
SanDisk’s own MP3 player, this Our rating ★★★★★ try, you could save a few pounds. Our rating ★★★★★
speaker set also comes with the Our rating ★★★★★
gubbins you need to plug other Genius Slim 320, £21.62 ≥ ANTI-SPYWARE
players into it. www.geniusnet.co.uk eConnect HomePlug 85Mbps PC Tools Spyware Doctor 3.8,
Our rating ★★★★★ This webcam looks small and Adapter, £54.99 £19.95
sensible, but it’s a little short of www.withandwithoutwires.com www.pctools.com
ThinkOutside Boomtube features, and only offers a The eConnect adapter is white, You can get free spyware
H201, £139 maximum resolution of 640 by which might appeal to the iPod protection from Ad-Aware or
www.widget.co.uk 480 pixels, even on snapshots. generation and will probably Spybot, but Spyware Doctor
Anyone looking for a set of Our rating ★★★★★ blend in with your sockets. cleans pests its rivals can miss.
speakers that plug into a wall Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
and turn your MP3 player into MSI Star Cam 370i, £17.61
a decent portable stereo, will www.msicomputer.co.uk Dynamode HomePlug E85, ≥ ALL-IN-ONE SECURITY
find what they want in the Perhaps the most sci-fi looking of £75 each or £139 for two Norton Internet Security
Boomtube. the cameras we tested, this www.dynamode.co.uk 2006, £55
Our rating ★★★★★ comes with a disappointing suite The Dynamode device includes www.symantec.co.uk
of software and looks like generic installation software, There are free programs that
Saitek A-200, £80 something out of Star Wars stuck but loses marks as the Ethernet help secure your computer, but
www.saitek.com on a bendy pole with a funny foot cable comes out of the top of the it’s easier with a paid-for suite.
Although this is a beautifully attached to the bottom. plug rather than the bottom. Our rating ★★★★★
designed speaker with a Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
72 3 August 2006 Find the cheapest deals at www.webuser.co.uk/prices
 TLFeBOOK

SOFTWARE WEBSITES
≥ ANTI-SPYWARE friendly interface, automatic wallpapers, but you can also ≥ FINANCIAL ADVICE
SOFTWARE updates and an impressive store photos. 4Money
PC Tools Spyware Doctor 3.8, range of spyware detection Our rating ★★★★★ www.channel4.com/4money
£19.95 and prevention tools. 4Money covers all areas of
www.pctools.com Our rating ★★★★★ ≥ DESKTOP SEARCH personal finance from
SOFTWARE mortgages to pensions. Brush
≥ FREE PHOTO ALBUMS Yahoo Desktop Search, free up on finance terms using the A-
Flickr http://desktop.yahoo.com Z Money Jargon section.
www.flickr.com This search tool quickly indexes Our rating ★★★★★
Flickr is wonderfully easy to use, your hard disk and examines the
Spyware Doctor goes much the upload tool is a drag-and- content of common file types Interactive Investor
deeper than its competitors, drop dream and the community even when they are archived or www.iii.co.uk
removing and blocking even the and sharing features remain attached to emails. There is enough financial data
most devious web pests. second to none. Our rating ★★★★★ and share tipping going on at this
Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ useful website to get anyone’s
MSN Search Toolbar, free virtual red braces twitching.
Spybot - Search and Destroy PhotoBox http://toolbar.msn.co.uk Our rating ★★★★★
1.4, free www.photobox.co.uk Microsoft’s search utility lets
www.safer-networking.org PhotoBox offers unlimited you search the whole hard disk, Identity Theft
Spybot is one of the oldest anti- storage for photos you’re getting only your My Documents folder www.identity-theft.org.uk
spyware tools and keeps ahead printed with the service, but just and email, or selected folders. This site offers both useful and
of the pack by checking your 200MB space for simple sharing. Our rating ★★★★★ vital information on protecting
system against its database of Our rating ★★★★★ yourself against fraudsters.
more than 37,000 threats. Copernic Smart Search, free Our rating ★★★★★
Our rating ★★★★★ BubbleShare www.copernic.com
www.bubbleshare.com Copernic does a reasonable job Consumer Direct
Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.06, BubbleShare offers tagging, at finding files. Indexing is a bit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
free comments and community slow, but you can choose where Online advice for problems from
www.lavasoft.com features, but you can’t download to look and which files to index. faulty goods to dishonest traders
Ad-Aware has gained popularity the original high-resolution Our rating ★★★★★ and scams.
through its speed and reliability versions of your images if you Our rating ★★★★★
in detecting and removing most lose them on your PC. Times Online Smart Search, free
forms of malware. Our rating ★★★★★ www.timesonline.co.uk/smartsearch ≥ SPORTY SITES
Our rating ★★★★★ The Times search tool, powered BBC Sport Academy
Webshots by Blinkx technology, indexes www.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy
McAfee AntiSpyware 2, £29.99 www.webshots.com the My Documents folder by This site aims to encourage kids
http://uk.mcafee.com Webshots is another take on default and you can specify other to play sport and features video
This is a little pricey, however, the sharing business. Its main folders or even whole hard disks. masterclasses from top stars.
the program offers a user- purpose is to provide images for Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★
Best deals for light users (based on a user requiring a minimum speed Extreme Stunts
BROADBAND of 1Mbps and at least 1GB of downloads) www.extremestunts.co.uk
There’s a feast of extreme sports
Package name Speed Restrictions Set-up cost Monthly rate 1st-year cost uSwitch customer activities to enjoy at this online
satisfaction score photo and video gallery.
1 Eclipse Home Broadband Option 1 8Mbps 2GB cap Nil £14.99 £164.88 † n/a Our rating ★★★★★
www.eclipse.net.uk
2 AOL Broadband Silver 1Mbps Unlimited Nil £14.99 £164.89 †† 83%
Channel 4 Racing
www.aol.co.uk
www.channel4.com/racing
Fancy a flutter? Channel 4’s
3 BT Total Broadband Option 1 8Mbps 2GB cap Nil £17.99 £167.64 ††† 82% racing website offers breaking
www.bt.com/broadband news, odds, results and stats.
4 EFH Broadband Choice 1GB Broadband 8Mbps 1GB cap Nil £13.99 £167.88 n/a Our rating ★★★★★
www.efhbroadband.com
5 Telewest Broadband * 2Mbps Unlimited Nil £14.99 £169.88 89%
Urban Cricket
www.telewest.co.uk
www.urbancricket.com
Urban Cricket is a version of
6 UK Online LLU Broadband 1000 ** 1Mbps Unlimited £54.99 £9.99 £174.87 n/a traditional cricket with the rules
www.ukonline.net stripped right back. Find out
7 PlusNet Broadband Plus 8Mbps 3GB cap Nil £14.99 £179.88 92% how to play and more here.
www.tiscali.co.uk Our rating ★★★★★
= Virgin.net Plan Three 1Mbps 3GB cap Nil £14.99 £179.88 87%
www.virgin.net Find links to all
* Only available to customers in a Telewest-cabled region †
First 3 months at £9.99 per month ††First month free websites in this issue
**Only available to customers in a UK Online LLU-enabled region †††
First 6 months at £9.99 per month at www.webuser
Data based on users paying by Direct Debit and requiring a broadband modem. Correct as of 17 July 2006
≥ Next Issue: Best broadband deals for medium users Data supplied by www.uswitch.com .co.uk/forums
Discover more product reviews at www.webuser.co.uk/products 3 August 2006 73
 TLFeBOOK

Seen THIS A look at the lighter side of the web!

Visit us daily: www.webuser.co.uk/seenthis
Send us stuff: seenthis@web-user.co.uk

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EDITORIAL
Editor Andrew Craig
Deputy Editor Claire Woffenden
Technical & Reviews Editor
Wogger Andy Shaw
Features Editor Daniel Booth
www.wogger.de Zidane’s nemesis gets nasty
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News Editor Quentin Reade
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Wogger is a delightful Freitas + Art Editor Jann Fabia-
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really get going. So it’s best to treat Wogger as just a THE WHACKING CHALLENGE Jean Christie + Advertising &
Sponsorship Manager Nicola
coffee-break puzzle game. Ponting, 020 7261 6597 + Senior
This issue’s challenge is to find a new Sales Executive Lucy Ferguson,
Googlewhack containing the word: AMBERJACKS 020 7261 7539 + Sales
SUDOKU CHALLENGE When you’ve found one email it to googlewhacking@ipcmedia.com.
Executive Paul Briggs, 020 7261
5605 + Advertising Production
The best Googlewhack will be honoured at www.webuser.co.uk/ Stephen Turner, 020 7261 5513
Here’s the latest grid in our series of Sudoku googlewhack.
CLASSIFIED
puzzles. You can also tackle a new Sudoku every Senior Sales Executive
In Issue 140 we asked you to find a Googlewhack containing the Chris Dicker, 020 7261 2882
day at www.webuser.co.uk/sudoku. word ‘fisticuffs’. Our favourite was ‘fisticuffs amberjacks’. Classified Sales Executive
● The answer to this issue’s puzzle can be found at Robin Khanna, 020 7261 2823
www.webuser.co.uk/answers. INSERTS
Innovator Sales Nick Barnard
PRODUCTION
BEAT WEBUSER Production Director Richard Hill
Production Manager
Peter Wesson
MARKETING & CIRCULATION
OUT OF BOUNDS
www.candystand.com/ Marketing Manager Mary de
Cinque, 020 7261 7615
play.do?id=17972 Circulation Executive
Can you beat our score Katie Sharp
of 1,900? If so, email PUBLISHING TEAM
the proof to daniel_ Marketing/Publishing Director
booth@ipcmedia.com Angie O’Farrell, 020 7261 7294
and we’ll honour the best Managing Director Paul Williams
Origination FE Burman Ltd,
in Issue 143. Crimscott St, London SE1 5TF
Congratulations to William Dramard from Manchester Printers Southernprint, Upton
whose 41,116 was the highest score we received for Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset
The Innards (http://kewlbox.com/games/game. Cover printed by
cfm?gameId=177) featured in Issue 139. Wyndeham Litho, Grafton Way,
● Revisit previous Beat Web User games and high-scores West Ham Industrial Estate,
at www.webuser.co.uk/beatwebuser. Basingstoke, Hants
Web User™ is an IPC Trade Mark © IPC Media 2006 Published on the Thursday as coverdated by IPC Country & Leisure Media Ltd, a part of IPC Media, a Time Warner company. Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, King’s Reach Tower, Stamford Street,
London SE1 9LS (Tel: 020 7633 3333). © IPC Media ISSN 1473-7094. © Copyright IPC Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or system or in any means without the prior written
permission of the publisher or the editor. This is considered a breach of copyright and action will be taken where this occurs. This magazine must not be lent, sold, hired or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any authorised cover by way, or by
trade, or annexed to any publication or advertising matter without first obtaining written permission from the publisher. IPC Media Ltd does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited photographs, manuscripts and product samples.

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