Quick Poll: "Windows Vista," Good Name or Bad?

The next version of Windows is Longhorn no more. Last week, Microsoft revealed its new, final name: Windows Vista. Just curious to know what you think of the name--good, bad, or otherwise. Click the "comments" link below and share your insights with other Budget Computing readers!



And if you feel like it, caption this crazy picture! Here's mine:

"And sitting right over there is Enos, the crazy idiot who came up with the name."

Watch TV on Your PDA or Smartphone

The best $20 I've spent lately was on MyTV ToGo, a must-have utility for owners of Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs and Pocket PC PDAs and smartphones.



The software converts recorded TV shows to Windows Media Player Mobile format and copies them to your PDA. Actually, it can copy directly to a memory card, which is both convenient and time-saving. What's particularly cool is that MyTV ToGo runs from within MCE, meaning you can operate it with your remote without ever getting off the couch (the ultimate goal of all media-center owners). Plus, it supports HDTV content and VGA PDA screens.

Great, great piece of software. Highly recommended.

Create Your Own PDFs - Free!

You've probably encountered at least one PDF file in your life, if not dozens or hundreds. Adobe's Portable Document Format is used to electronically distribute newsletters, brochures, instruction manuals (you know, the kind that used to be printed, but now come on a CD with just about every computer product you buy), and other heavily formatted documents.



As you probably know, you need Adobe's free Reader program to view PDFS on your PC, Macintosh, or PDA. But what if you want to actually create your own PDF? Surely that'll cost you.

Not necessarily. Although Adobe and several third-party developers sell PDF-creation software, there's a perfectly good free alternative: CutePDF Writer. Just download and install the program (make sure you also download and install the accompanying converter), then fire up any program that's capable of printing (Word, PageMaker, etc.). Load your document, then head to the print menu and select CutePDF Writer from the list of available printers. Click print, supply a filename as requested, and presto! Your document just became a PDF. Woo!

60-Second Review: Yahoo Music Unlimited

What It Is: Yahoo Music Unlimited, a subscription service that grants you complete access to its million-plus song library.

What You Can Do with It: Stream or download any song or album.

What Else You Can Do: Copy downloaded songs to any compatible MP3 player. Only about a dozen are supported right now, but the list is growing.

What You Can't Do: Burn songs to CD--unless you buy them first. But subscribers get special pricing: 79 cents per song.

What's the Catch? You're effectively renting the music, and if you cancel your subscription, any songs you've downloaded will no longer play.

What Does Rick Think? Love it, love it, love it. It's like someone giving you the keys to Tower Records and saying, "Go on in, take whatever you want." And the accompanying Yahoo Music Engine program is a surprisingly polished and well-rounded music manager. Even in beta it's less buggy and more user-friendly than Musicmatch.

Okay, How Much? If you pay for a year in advance, it costs a mere $4.99/month. Pay monthly and it's $6.99. Both options represent huge savings over Napster's similar service, which costs $14.99/month.

UPDATE: Okay, a bit of dew came off the lily. I purchased the soundtrack to In Good Company (fair movie, great soundtrack) but only got four of the 14 songs. There's no phone support available for Yahoo Music Unlimited, and just finding the right place to contact customer service is a challenge. Will have to see if I even get a response to this frustrating glitch.

How to Make Bulletproof Backups

Making backups is one of life's annoying little chores, like flossing and reading Budget Computing. But it's absolutely essential, because you never know when your hard drive is going to flatline. (BTW, a clicking sound means death is imminent. Abandon ship!)

Problem is, most backup solutions are slow, cumbersome, and ineffective. Not mine. I've figured out how to make fast, automated backups of my entire hard drive. If it ever tanks, I should be back in business in a matter of minutes.

Here's what you need:

• A hard drive that's at least as large as the one currently in your PC. You can score a 160GB drive from Best Buy for a mere $39.99 after two rebates.



• "Image" software, which can make an exact copy of your hard drive without compression. I'm extremely fond of Casper XP, an easy-to-use utility that runs in the background. No messy, system-occupying DOS interface like with other imaging programs.

Install the second hard drive (which will effectively become the clone) in your PC, then install and run Casper XP. Set it to copy your main drive on a weekly (or even daily) basis. If the drive drive ever tanks, all you have to do is switch over to the clone and you're back in business.

"I Think I Have a Virus!" No, You Don't!

Browser acting funny? Pop-up windows littering your desktop? Computer running dog-slow all of a sudden? Many people attribute these behaviors to viruses, when in fact they're the result of spyware. Although viruses remain a real and persistent problem, and your computer may indeed have one, spyware tends to be a lot more widespread. And once it sneaks inside your PC, getting rid of it can be a nightmare.

So before you go running to the computer store in search of anti-virus software you should have been running anyway (and which won't do a thing to clean out the spyware), try downloading one or more of the many available freeware and shareware anti-spyware utilities. Visit Download.com to find plenty of choices.

New Lows for Laser Printers: $49.95 Shipped!

Raise your hand if you spent more than 50 bucks on your last laser printer. Sucker! Ah, just kidding. It's hard not to gloat after scoring a Samsung ML-1740 monochrome laser printer for the impossibly low price of $49.95 (after a pair of mail-in rebates) shipped to your door.



Ready for the funny/sad part? Replacement toner cartridges sell for $69.99. This is it, people--we've entered the regrettable age of the disposable laser printer. Somewhere, standing next to an overflowing landfill, a Native American is crying.

Should You Take the VoIP Plunge?

Voice over IP, also known as Making Phone Calls on the Internet, is all the rage right now. And why not? It's significantly cheaper than even the most basic landline service. I should know: I've crunched the numbers. I stand to save more than $300 per year by switching to SunRocket, an upstart VoIP service that's almost too good to be true.



Let me summarize thusly: I expected to hate VoIP, figuring it would be a major pain to set up and sound like a couple of tin cans tied to a string. But having tried SunRocket (and Vonage, the current market leader), I feel quite comfortable about dumping my landline forever. Should you do the same? Consider:

Pros

• Cheap, cheap, cheap
• Comes with a gazillion services I'm usually too cheap to pay for, like voice mail, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, etc.
• Flat rate includes unlimited local and long-distance calling (in the U.S. and Canada). International rates are...wait for it...cheap.
• Yes, you can dial 911. In fact, SunRocket supports E911, so the operator knows your location (helpful if you're choking on a walnut).
• Damn fine sound quality. A few echos now and then, but I get that on my landline.
• No contract, cancellation fee, or any other such nonsense.
  

Cons

• Doesn't work with TiVos, fax machines, and other devices that need a dial tone.
• Your sound-quality mileage may vary.

I hear this question a lot: "What if my cable modem goes out?" Well, what if the guys working up the street cut your phone line? That's been known to happen (in my neighborhood, anyway). If you have a problem, reach for your cell phone. For my money, rolling the dice on a few potential hassles is worth keeping more of my money.