The Zyxel Prestige Wireless VoIP phone (model name Zyxel P-2000W V.2 VoIP Wi-Fi Phone) is one of the first WiFi VoIP phones to hit the shelves just at the time when people were really digging into the word ‘mobility’. But does the gadget deliver?

The Zyxel Prestige wireless VoIP phone enables users to receive or conduct phone calls anywhere they are as long as they are within the range of IEEE 802.11b or 11g wireless access points.

One of the Zyxel P-2000W’s strongest features is its range. Many users have reported that it has detected access points that some of their other wireless gizmos haven’t found. Officially, Zyxel claims that its operating range is up to 300m out-doors and 75m in-doors and so far, users are not defying that claim.

However, is the Zyxel Prestige Wireless VoIP phone’s strength also its weakness? Its sensitivity clocks in at -82 dBm@11Mbps, with the antenna’s output power at 14 + 1dBm. This assures users that the antenna is indeed powerful and can detect and connect to many access points. The downside is that the phone takes so much power that it drains the battery… fast. Some users claim that it only provides 11 hours of standby time and 1 hour of talk time.

Although not very important for the purposes of a wireless VoIP phone, it’s also noteworthy that the Zyxel P-2000W only has an earphone jack. That is, you cannot use it with a headset with microphone.

Other features:
- Supports G.711 and G.729 voice compression technology, enabling it to successfully reduce bandwidth consumption caused by voice traffic.
- Direct IP-to-IP call and ad-hoc Intercom mode support. The Zyxel P-2000W offers a direct IP-to-IP call feature when users configure a remote IP address in its built-in phone book.
- Another strong point of the Zyxel Prestige Wireless VoIP phone is that it is based on SIP v2 (Session Initiation Protocol version 2.0) open standard, which means that the unit is compatible with most SIP-based providers, IP-PBXs and other standard SIP-based client devices. As far as looks are concerned, the Zyxel Prestige Wireless VoIP phone is pretty ‘cool’. It features a bright blue backlight keypad and a blue backlight 112×64 pixel LCD.

Overall, the Zyxel P-2000 is a great deal for those who would want to take advantage of cheap VoIP rates and services without having to log on to their PCs.

The world of gaming and upgrading video cards is ever-changing. So, what do you choose when faced with price or practicality? If you choose practicality, then there are some options out there for you that won’t hurt your bank account. One option is the Connect 3D Radeon 9550SE, which offers value for the casual gamer and PC enthusiast. This ATI 128mb video card offers somewhat powerful graphics that take care of lighting and texture, which frees up the CPU for other tasks.

Some common features that this ATI video card comprises are:

• Smoothvision™ 2.1
• Smartshader™ 2.0

Smoothvision™ 2.1
Smoothvision™ 2.1 technology utilizes Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering techniques to offer users a new level of image quality. It allows for 6X gamma sampled MSAA and adds 6:1 color compression.

Smartshader™ 2.0
Smartshader™ technology enables users to reach faster speeds, which offers the ability to experience complex movie-quality effects. It providers up to four, always on, full precision DirectX 9 pixel shaders and allows for up to 3.9 billion shader operations per second. That ensures fast and flawless special effects in all types of applications.

Specifications

• GPU/VPU - RADEON 9550se
• Maximum Resolution - 2048 x 1536 @ 85Hz
• Video Memory - 128MB
• Memory Type - DDR SDRAM
• Memory Bandwidth - 6.4GB/sec
• Interface Type & Speed – AGP, 8X
• Connector(s) - DVI, TV/S-Video, VGA

While this card isn’t the most popular choice or even the best in its price range, it does maintain some advantages. Though it does not include as many features as other brands, it offers an upgrade in technology for the elements that it does include. This allows for a better, overall gaming experience. Some users have been able to play games, such as Doom 3, on the highest settings without any glitches. This ATI 128mb video card comes with a heatsink, but the addition of a fan allows it to run slightly cooler and be extremely overclockable.

In addition to the features listed above, the Connect 3D Radeon 9550SE does have Videoshader™ which helps with the seamless integration of pixel shaders within video processing. This graphics card has good features for the price and is well-suited for most productivity tasks, including the casual gamer. Priced around $60, it is relatively inexpensive compared to other mainstream 3D 128mb AGP video cards on the market. This package contains one cable, a manual, one CD, and a composite adapter, which makes this card a good recommendation to anyone who wants to update their graphics power while saving a little money.

If you are looking for a strong performer at a reasonable price, the EVGA GeForce 6600LE could be the choice for you. Many PC enthusiasts purchase this 256mb video card as a temporary purchase, believing that they will keep it for a couple of months until they can replace it with something else. However, once purchased, they find that this card meets their needs and exceeds their expectations.

EVGA GeForce 6600LE is one of the mainstream products from NVIDIA. It is boxed and bundled as simple as it can get with a video card, a DVI to VGA adapter, an S-Video cable, a driver CD and a manual. But don’t let the simple packaging fool you. It has unmatched features and stability to ensure that your gaming experience is a “best-in-class” performance. It allows for maximum setting graphics on almost any game without missing a beat.

EVGA video cards have attained “Designed for Windows XP” certification. These video cards have passed rigorous testing and take full advantage of all the features and capabilities of Microsoft Windows XP. In addition to its standard features, the GeForce 6600LE 256mb video card offers three key features.

CineFX 3.0 Engine
The CineFX 3.0 Engine offers full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, which enables complex special effects. It is the only GPU in its class with this support capability. The PCI Express doubles the bandwidth of the AGP 8X bus and delivers over 4 GB per second in both upstream and downstream data transfers.

UltraShadow II Technology
UltraShadow II Technology enhances the performance of bleeding-edge games that feature intricate scenes with multiple light sources and objects. It offers more than 4X the shadow processing power over the previous generation. The 64-Bit texture filtering and blending creates a new level for picture clarity and quality.

Intellisample 3.0 Technology
Intellisample 3.0 Technology offers ultra-realistic visuals and no jagged edges at fast speeds. It extends performance and quality gains to higher resolutions and anti-aliasing levels. DVC allows users to adjust color controls digitally to create a balance with the lighting conditions of their space. This allows them to achieve perfect, vivid colors in any environment.

Specifications:

• GPU/VPU – NVIDIA GeForce 6600LE
• Video Memory – 256MB
• Memory Type – DDR
• Interface Type – PCI Express
• Connector(s) – DVI, TV/S-Video, VGA
• Multiple Monitors Support – Yes

The 6600LE, unlike its sister product the GeForce 6600, only features 4 pixel and 3 vertex pipelines. However, it does operate at higher clock-speeds even though the memory operates at the same speed as the 6600 model. The EVGA 6600LE also offers NVIDIA® SLI technology which, depending on the application, can deliver 2X the performance of a single GPU. When you are in the market for a new video card, the EVGA 6600LE and 6600 should definitely be compared and considered.

If you are looking for an affordable video card that will provide the performance you want without the hit to your wallet, the PowerColor ATI Radeon 9250 video card is able to deliver. While it may not be the fastest or the flashiest in the world of gaming, it is a quiet and quality graphics card that provides stable and superb image quality at an affordable price. This ATI 128mb 8x AGP video card is part of the PowerColor GameFX Board Series that includes a full range of graphics cards that will fit almost any computer owner’s needs.

For those who would rather go the more practical route, the PowerColor ATI Radeon 9250 will take you where you need to be at the price that you want. It offers features like Smoothvision™, Fullstream™, Hydravision™ and Smartshader™, which are among the best in ATI technology. However, with every benefit, there comes a downfall. While it is priced right, this video card will not allow every game to be played with maxed out graphics settings.

Aside from the price, PowerColor offers four features that set this video card apart from the rest in its category.

Smoothvision™
The Smoothvision™ feature supports a High-Performance anti-aliasing mode and a High-Quality anti-aliasing mode. Smoothvision™ delivers sharp, clear textures without sacrificing frame rates. Also, users have the ability to choose from 10 different anti-aliasing modes, as the Radeon 9250 allows users to choose between 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and 6x sampling in both High-Performance and High-Quality mode.

Fullstream™
To compliment the Smoothvision™ feature, this ATI 128mb AGP video card offers the latest advancement in video processing technology. The Fullstream™ feature is a hardware-accelerated filtering method that improves the performance and visual quality of streaming video playback without putting extra stress on the CPU. In addition to the de-blocking of internet video streaming, the 9250 also offers industry-leading DVD playback.

Hydravision™
Another feature of the Radeon 9250 video card is Hydravision™. Hydravision™ is multi-monitor management software which enables you to tailor your desktop to meet your needs. This is a great solution for those who would like to maintain effortless organization of multiple display configurations that will increase efficiency, productivity and enhance the overall gaming experience.

Smartshader™
The best feature of this specific ATI 128mb AGP video card is its Smartshader™ feature. Smartshader™ is a new technology developed by ATI and it helps the 9250 handle the 3D experience. This feature allows game developers to create immersive, life-like worlds. They will be able to model the surface and material qualities of 3D objects with a new level of realism.

Specifications:

• GPU/VPU - RADEON 9250
• Maximum Resolution - 2048 x 1536 @ 85Hz
• Video Memory - 128MB
• Memory Type - DDR SDRAM
• Memory Bandwidth - 64bit
• Interface Type & Speed – AGP 8X
• Connector(s) - DVI, TV/S-Video, & VGA

If you are looking for a video card that allows you to run games with almost every video setting on high, then you might want to take a look at the Leadtek GeForce 6800GS video card. At a good price and with a good performance rating by users, this card can handle the job. Supported by many of NVIDIA’s standard features, this video card offers the CineFX 3.0 Engine, UltraShadow II technology, Intellisample 3.0 technology and more.

CineFX 3.0 Engine
The CineFX 3.0 Engine offers full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, which enables complex special effects. NVIDIA SLI™ technology blends the increased bandwidth of the PCI Express™ bus architecture hardware and software features within the NVIDIA GPUs and MCPs to create unbeatable PC performance. Depending on the application, NVIDIA SLI™ can deliver as much as 2x the performance of a single GPU configuration.

UltraShadow II Technology
UltraShadow II Technology enhances the performance of bleeding-edge games that feature intricate scenes with multiple light sources and objects. The superscalar 16-pipe GPU design offers more than 8X the shadow power of the previous generation. The 64-Bit texture filtering and blending creates a new level for picture clarity and quality.

Intellisample 3.0 Technology
Intellisample 3.0 Technology offers ultra-realistic visuals and no jagged edges at fast speeds. It extends performance and quality gains to higher resolutions and anti-aliasing levels. The nView hardware and software technology allows users flexibility for multi-display options and end-user control of the desktop experience.

Specifications:

• GPU/VPU – NVIDIA GeForce 6800GS
• Maximum Resolution – 2048×1536 @ 75Hz
• Video Memory – 256MB
• Memory Type – DDR
• Memory Bandwidth – 22.4GB/sec
• Interface Type – PCI Express
• Connector(s) – DVI, HDTV, VGA

When you review the specifications, you will see that the 6800GS and its sister product, the GeForce 6800, are very similar. The difference is in the clock speed, which makes this model a little bit more competitive in the performance market than the 6800. However, unlike most top gaming performers, this video card has Home Theater Video Quality, which delivers topnotch video performance, DVD playback, and television encoding and decoding.

Anymore, a quality video card is available at an affordable price. Quiet fans and excellent graphics are standards. While some users have commented that this card has overheating issues, this can be fixed by adding an additional cooling system. Nonetheless it is something that should be taken into consideration. Overall though, most users have been quite happy with this product.

With video cards being at the heart of computer gaming, most gamers know that this hobby can be an expensive one. Gamers everywhere regularly spend hundreds of dollars upgrading their graphics power to stay with the times. So do you choose to stay with the mainstream and budgeted or do you go with the uncompromising and expensive?

EVGA GeForce 6600 is the mainstream product from NVIDIA. It is boxed and bundled as simple as it can get with the video card shipped in a plastic “bubble bag” inside the box. The package includes the video card, a DVI-I to VGA adapter, an S-Video cable, a 9 pin HDTV Connector, a driver CD and a user’s guide. But don’t let the simple packaging fool you. It has unmatched features and stability to ensure that your gaming experience is a “best-in-class” performance.

EVGA video cards have attained “Designed for Windows XP” certification. These video cards have passed rigorous testing and take full advantage of all the features and capabilities of Microsoft Windows XP. In addition to its standard features, the GeForce 6600 256mb video card offers three key features.

CineFX 3.0 Engine
The CineFX 3.0 Engine offers full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, which enables complex special effects. It is the only GPU in its class with this support capability. The AGP 8X enables more complex and detailed textures and the uninterrupted data flow allows for seamless game play.

UltraShadow II Technology
UltraShadow II Technology enhances the performance of bleeding-edge games that feature intricate scenes with multiple light sources and objects. It offers more than 4X the shadow processing power over the previous generation. The 64-Bit texture filtering and blending creates a new level for picture clarity and quality.

Intellisample 3.0 Technology
Intellisample 3.0 Technology offers ultra-realistic visuals and no jagged edges at fast speeds. The new rotated grid sampling pattern takes visual quality to a new height. DVC allows users to adjust color controls digitally to create a balance with the lighting conditions of their space. This allows them to achieve perfect, vivid colors in any environment.

Specifications:

• GPU/VPU – NVIDIA GeForce 6600
• Video Memory – 256MB
• Memory Type – DDR
• Interface Type & Speed – AGP, 8X
• Connector(s) – DVI, TV/S-Video, VGA

In addition to those key features, this 256mb video card has an integrated HDTV encoder and NVIDIA PureVideo technology, which allows you to turn your computer into a high-end home theater. The nView technology allows maximum flexibility for multi-display options. To sum it up, most users would say that this card is simple and well priced. The 6600 is a good value because it has a lot of the features and similar performance to the last generation’s high-end products. All of this is available to users in a smaller card with lower power requirements, quieter cooling and a lower price. It is definitely something to consider.

If you are looking for a simple way to enjoy live TV anywhere at anytime, then you may have found your solution. The Kworld NBTV100 PCMCIA TV tuner allows you to watch TV from your laptop. You even have the option of hooking it up to your home video entertainment system through the additional AV and S-Video input. Much like TiVo, you can pause live TV with the TVR application and schedule recordings, even when in suspend or standby mode.

Along with being able to watch live TV, you can also make personal movies by converting video files from avi, mpg, etc. with the MPEG Converter. You can also edit and customize your video files with the MPEG Editor. After you convert and customize your videos, you can burn your own copy onto DVD/VCD/SVCD with DVD Burn.

Specifications

• Interface: PCMCIA CardBus
• Video Input:
  - TV Input - 75 Ohm (UHF/VHF) TV Antenna
  - Composite Video
  - S-Video
  - RF jack
  - RCA jack
  - 4-pin Mini-DIN
• Audio Input: Connect to External Video Device
• Audio Output: 3.5mm Audio Cable to Sound Card Line-In
• TV Receiving Frequency:
  - 55.25 – 855.25 MHz (NTSC)
  - 48.25 – 863.25 MHz (PAL)
• Dimensions: 137mm(L) x 55mm(W) x 15mm(H)

There are some minimum system requirements however, such as a Pentium 4 1GHz or higher processor. You also need at least 128MB of memory, a graphics card that supports Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or above, and Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP to name a few. This card offers what is says it does and is a good option for the money. However, if using this for your home entertainment system, one should be aware that it does not support HDTV.

The practically priced package comes with the card, a TV connector, a multi-cable for AV/S-Video and Audio input, the installation CD and manual, and the PVR-PLUS User Manual. The TVR application applies a user-friendly interface with powerful functions and the software included allows users to have some fun with their home videos. If you are looking for a mobile TV tuner and a little something extra, the Kworld NBTV100 PCMCIA CardBus is it.

If you are looking for a complete digital media system, the ATI All-In-Wonder® 2006 Edition offers you a good package at a reasonable price. This video card isn’t just about high performance gaming though. In addition to gaming, this card offers features such as TV on your PC, video editing software, interactive programming guides, and input/output capabilities for multimedia devices such as DVD players, VCRs or camcorders.

The ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 Edition joins Radeon™ 9600 technology and 256MB of memory with many of its standard features. This video card has Smartshader™ 2.0 technology, which allows users to experience complex movie-quality effects. It also features Smoothvision™ 2.1 technology with state-of-the-art Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering techniques to provide new levels of image quality. For the latest advancement in video processing, ATI offers Fullstream™, which is their hardware accelerated filtering method that improves the performance and visual quality of streaming video playback.

Specifications:

• GPU/VPU – Radeon 9600
• Maximum Resolution – 2048 x 1536 @ 60Hz
• Video Memory - 256MB
• Memory Type – DDR
• Interface Type & Speed – AGP, 4X, 8X
• Connector(s) – CATV In, TV/S-Video, VIVO
• Multiple Monitors Support – Yes

Many users purchase this card to support their self-built media system computers. The software included allows for an inexpensive home video system and the multimedia aspects of the card are what take center stage over its gaming capability. While it will work on an older system, you and your computer will be happier with this purchase if you have at least a 2GHz processor. The ATI 2006 edition is the more affordable of the All-In-Wonder cards. It doesn’t have the over-the-top graphical performance as some of the All-In-Wonder cards, but for the price, it still reflects the quality multimedia features that ATI puts in their A-I-W products.

This video card provides the availability to pause live TV, much like TiVo, and comes with a program that allows you to browse cable channels and set parental controls. Additionally, there is a feature called Thruview. This allows you to watch TV while typing on your computer or surfing the internet. There is also a DVD and CD player included, as well as a FM Radio tuner that allows you to record or listen to the radio.

The bottom line is that this card does what it says it is going to do and has a lot of good video features to back it up. For the most part, ATI stays with what works in their A-I-W products. It is relatively easy to use and straightforward. The All-In-Wonder 2006 Edition won’t do the kind of job that a full media center PC with all the bells and whistles would do for a home theater system, but it does hit closer to home in terms of value and need.

This ATI Radeon 9550 video card represents good value for money and has no reported vices.

This 256MB AGP video card is affordable and provides a very good graphics for virtually any game. While this is without doubt a budget priced card, for the novice to mid-level gamer this would be an ideal upgrade to their computer.

For anyone capable of taking the cover off their PC, this board is an easy installation. Taking the usual precautions against static discharge, this just plugs into a spare slot. Load up the ATI Catalyst software included and you’re ready to experience smooth fast graphics. The card also includes an S-video output, which you can use with a suitably equipped TV.

The latest games are increasingly demanding of the graphics, with movie quality effects becoming the norm, and adding this card produces a noticeable improvement in response and smoothness of the video, adding to enjoyment of the game play.

Graphics are very processor intensive, and the Radeon 9550 visual processing unit on this card boasts some of the latest tricks to take care of the complex calculations associated particularly with the creation of 3D images. These include the trademarked technologies of SMARTSHADER 2.0, which allows complex effects at faster speeds and SMOOTHVISION 2.1 which uses the latest anti-aliasing techniques. ATI’s CATALYST control center allows for detailed configuration, and the FULLSTREAM technology helps improve streaming video.

The 8550 chipset on the card takes care of the heavy calculation work associated with providing the best possible graphic output. The memory included, 256MB, is more than on some budget cards, and improves the overall performance.

What does this mean in practice? In use, the card produced very impressive cinematic quality graphics, with a noticeable enhancement of the latest demanding games. This means that game play becomes a more immersing experience, and greatly increases the value of your existing games. The Radeon 9550 chip is claimed to be optimized for the most-demanding 2D and 3D next-generation games and applications, without imposing strain on the existing CPU.

This ATI video card will also improve all the visual output. DVDs can be played with excellent quality. Unlike some other video cards, this one stayed substantially cool in use, which also helps with the longevity of the product.

From a weakness point of view, this card is still running an AGP 8x bus, perfectly adequate for this level of graphics improvement, but bound to be overtaken by PCI Express, at twice the speed, or other new standard in due course. On the other hand, using less than the very latest technology also has some benefits in terms of cost and reliability.

In summary, the ATI Radeon 9550 256MB video card is a nice card and well worth the price. While it’s not the state-of-the-art, some people don’t need the difference in performance of the latest technology found in much more expensive cards. If you’re one of those people, this card is recommended.

At a midrange price, this video card delivers superior performance and is a good buy for game addicts.

The characteristic X-shaped box contains the video card, drivers, cables and adaptors, and also includes a game CD to demonstrate the performance. The card also includes an S-video output, which you can use with a suitably equipped TV.

This XFX NVIDIA 6800 GS video card was released just in time for the 2005 holiday season, and is a marked improvement from the previous offering, although some were expecting that the next announcement would be based on the 7800 series of graphic processing unit. In performance, however, the XFX 6800 GS doesn’t disappoint.

The unit is “overclocked” out of the box, meaning that the components have been carefully selected to allow the processor to run faster than its nominal speed. There is also scope for tinkering around to check out whether the card can be run faster still than the factory setting. The 15% increase in speed from standard makes a big difference to the way the card performs.

The features include state-of-the-art technologies which work together to provide unparalleled realism to the latest games, giving movie like realism – in fact, one of the features is called CineFX 3.0 Engine. Other features include simulating multiple light sources four times faster than previously.

Antialiasing and 64 bit texture filtering and blending are, of course, also provided at lightning speed. The unit uses the PCI Express bus architecture to deliver graphics at double the speed of the lesser AGP 8x, and it shows.

The card is not stated to be very demanding of the basic system into which it is installed, so any recent computer is able to take advantage of the powerful graphics. The computer needs a Pentium III or Athlon, only 64MB of memory is stated as the minimum, and 50MB of hard drive space. However, the better the computer, the more performance you will realize – we found that Doom 3 on ultra high resolution really needed about 1.5 GB of ram to give the best output.

The card runs surprisingly cool, although the fan can be a little noisy when driving hard in 3D. It’s hardly noticeable on idle however. The other point about this card is that it is really long, and although we didn’t have any conflicts it does come close to other parts in the computer.

In summary, this card is very good value. It could be beaten technically by a 7800 based unit, but then you would be paying about another $100, and it’s unlikely that you would notice much difference. The XFX NVIDIA 6800 GS is a video card requiring serious consideration by the avid gamer.