Home Office: More World Class Awards, the Best of the Best

Origami boulders and products, products, products.

Steve Bass

Last week I took a couple of potshots at the World Class Awards. I found alternative products, things that I thought were better than those we gave the award to. Lightning hasn't struck, and my boss has been unusually quiet (a bad sign). So here are more winners--and my alternatives.

Before We Start: CeBIT America

I don't know why PC World decided to give the awards in June (I certainly wasn't asked). My suspicion is it gave us the chance to jump on a plane and have some fun in New York.

We used to give the awards at PC Expo, but that show was moved to the fall; the big spring computer shindig is now CeBIT. Well, this year's event wasn't as big as expected. Like most trade shows, the organizer's prediction is invariably greater than the numbers at the door. In this case the estimate was off by 25,000 attendees.

We were there in force to dig up the hottest--and the coolest--products on the exhibit floor. Want examples? How about having fish swimming inside your computer chassis? Or what about pushing your Wi-Fi signals another 75 feet with Buffalo Technology's 54G Wireless Repeater? The article's "CeBIT America '03: Picks and Pans" and it's not in New York, not in Los Angeles, but right here.

Dig This: You land on a Web page that's not working and you get a 404 error message. But there are error messages and error messages. This one will make you LOL.

World Class Products--and Alternatives

Winner: Instant Messaging Software. I'm excited that Cerulean Studios' Trillian Pro got the trophy. It's an instant messaging tool for businesspeople that doesn't hassle you with ads, pop-ups, and other annoying distractions. Trillian's straightforward, and it makes it a snap to fire off quick communications. There are dozens of free plug-ins available: I use one to manage my Internet Explorer Favorites, and another as a handy little pop-up reminder.

Winner: Web-Based E-Mail Service. OddPost is perhaps the neatest Web-based e-mail program since Hotmail first came on the scene years ago. Like Trillian, it's a businessperson's tool--no nonsense, no ads, no pop-ups. We review it in "E-Mail Evolves." OddPost costs $30 per year, and you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

Winner: Antivirus Software. Symantec Norton AntiVirus Pro 2003 is popular, that's for sure. But about a year ago, PCWorld.com's Scott Spanbauer told me about AVG. Officially known as AVG Anti-Virus System Free Edition, this little puppy happily protects me, my e-mail attachments, and all my downloads. If you try it, make sure to disable your existing antivirus program first

Winner: CD and DVD Mastering Software. Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator 6 carried off the prize; but sorry, kids, I like Nero Burning ROM better. It sizzles: The interface is clean; the wizards can be quickly pushed aside; and there's tons of technical info, something you'll enjoy if you're a tweaker. You can download a free trial of the current version 5.5.10.20, and read about the upcoming version 6.0 in "Nero All-in-One Authoring Updated."

Winner: M-Audio Revolution. Move over Creative, you've got competition. Everyone I talk with at the Pasadena Users Group who's tried the Revolution raves about the sound. We reviewed the card in "Great Sound, No Hassle."

Winner: No-Class Award. Oh my, how can one company shoot itself in the foot so often? Intuit rewarded its TurboTax 2002 customers with a bug-ridden product activation feature, which the company finally killed; see "Intuit Abandons Product Activation" for details.

Mr. Lasky Tries a High-Tech Hotel

PCWorld.com's Michael Lasky met me at a recent trade show in Los Angeles. Besides the show, his ploy for getting a company-sponsored trip was a plush assignment from the news department to stay at the ultimate high-tech palace, the Hilton's Garden Inn. The hotel has a special suite decked out with (among other goodies) a 42-inch flat-screen high-definition Panasonic plasma television, free broadband Internet access, and a Jacuzzi bath with its very own flat-panel TV. Did I forget the heated toilet seat/bidet?

Michael, a black-belt schnorrer [Note to Editor: someone who knows how to play the angles], stayed for free--then got paid to write about it. You'll be amazed at what else the suite had when you read "A Night in the Hotel of the Future."

Dig This: You haven't seen it on the Home Shopping Network. Amazon.com doesn't have it. And it's just too weird for words. It's the original Origami Boulder.

Hey, You Annoyed?

PC World asked me to write another article about computing annoyances. I know you have things that tick you off, and I want you to send 'em my way. You can do it by signing up for a Yahoo Groups list that lets me easily collect your annoyances and pass along some solutions. Or you can send your annoyances the old-fashioned way, by e-mail.

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