Smartphones' Memory Problem -- and Fix
There's no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I've received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about browsers' antivirus capabilities, smartphone memory, Wi-Fi router speeds and the limits of burning songs from iTunes.
If you have a question, send it to me at
mossberg@wsj.com, and I may select it to be answered here in Mossberg's Mailbox.
Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Q: Does the Firefox browser that you recommend contain antivirus capabilities?
A: No. I know of no Web browser that includes the ability to block, detect or remove viruses. For that, you need separate antivirus software, which every Windows user should obtain and keep updated. You should also run a strong firewall program and an antispyware program.
Firefox does omit some of the features in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser that digital criminals have misused to place malicious software on computers. This doesn't mean that Firefox is perfectly safe. As it has become more popular, some vulnerabilities in the new browser have been uncovered, and it's likely that digital criminals will get better at exploiting these vulnerabilities. Still, on balance, Firefox is more secure than Internet Explorer.
Q: I am thinking about upgrading to the new Treo 650 smartphone from PalmOne . But I would like to know if the company ever fixed the memory problem you wrote about with the initial Treo 650 units?
A: Yes. Sprint, the cellphone carrier that launched the Treo 650, has -- just this week -- issued a patch from PalmOne that supposedly remedies the memory problem. I haven't tested it, so I can't say if it works.
The memory problem, which mainly affected power users, didn't impair the basic functionality of the phone. But it caused databases, like address books and digital dictionaries and maps, to take up more room on the 650 than the same files had occupied on the earlier Treo 600 model. The patch issued this week revises the way the 650 manages memory so these large files take up less memory. It may not restore the full efficiency of the older memory system, but it should ease the problem significantly.
Q: I just signed up for DSL broadband service with a maximum speed of 1.5 megabits per second. Which type of Wi-Fi wireless router should I buy in order to handle the maximum speed -- the "b" type or the "g" type?
A: Either type has enough capacity to handle the top speed of your new service. The "b" routers top out at 11 megabits per second, and the "g" models can go up to 54 megabits per second, though they drop back to the speed of "b" if you have any "b" equipment on the wireless network.
Q: If I buy songs from the iTunes Music Store, or one of its competitors, can I record these songs to blank CDs in order to make music CDs that can be played in my home CD player?
A: Yes. Song files purchased from iTunes and other legal download sites can be recorded, or "burned," to CD an unlimited number of times. And, they can be combined with any other songs, either those you purchase or those you create from your own commercial CDs. These CDs you burn can be played on most home, auto and portable CD players. The only limitation is that you can't burn the exact same collection of songs, in the exact same order, to CD more than seven times.
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Because of the volume of e-mail I receive, I can't routinely answer individual questions by e-mail, or consult on individual problems or purchasing decisions. I read all questions I receive and select three each week to answer in the column.
Firefox是否具有防病毒功能
在我们大多数人拥有的大件电器中，再没有什么比个人电脑更令人费解、更变幻莫测的了。每个人或许都有些关于电脑的问题，而《莫博士信箱》将为您提供帮助。
本周我将回答读者提到的与网络浏览器的防病毒功能、Treo 650智能电话的存储、无线保真(Wi-Fi)路由器的速度以及将从iTunes上买来的歌曲刻录到CD上等有关的问题。
问：你推荐的Firefox网络浏览器是否具备防病毒功能？
答：没有。我所知的所有网络浏览器都不具备阻挡、检测和移除病毒的功能。因此你需要另外安装防病毒软件，每位Windows操作系统的用户都应该安装防病毒软件，并且还要不断升级该软件。你还应该安装功能强大的防火墙软件以及反间谍软件程序。
网络黑客们利用微软(Microsoft)Internet Explorer网络浏览器的一些功能扩散电脑病毒，而Firefox就没有这些功能。但这并不意味著Firefox就是百分百安全了，随著越来越多的人使用Firefox，它的一些安全隐患也被暴露出来，并很有可能会被数字罪犯们利用。不过总体而言，Firefox还是比Internet Explorer更为安全。
问：我在考虑购买PalmOne新的Treo 650智能电话，但我想知道该公司是否解决了你曾提到的、最初一批Treo 650存在的存储问题？
答：这个问题已经解决。斯普林特公司(Sprint)本周刚刚发布了一个PalmOne提供的补丁程序，就是要解决这个存储问题。我还没有对其进行测试，因此无法作出评价。
存储问题主要影响的是那些需要用到大量内存的用户，不会损害这款智能电话的基本功能。不过它会导致相同的通讯录、数字字典和地图等数据文件在650中占用的内存要大于其在较早的Treo 600机型中占用的内存。本周发布的这个补丁程序修改了650的存储方式，使那些大文件占用的内存减少。此次改进可能无法让存储效率完全达到旧机型的水平，不过它可以显著降低存储问题的影响。
问：我刚注册了数字订户线路(DSL)宽频服务，最高网速可以达到每秒1.5兆。为了配合这样的网速，我应该购买哪种Wi-Fi路由器，是“b”型还是“g”型？
答：这两种类型的路由器都足以处理你提及的最高网速。“b”型路由器处理的最高网速可达到每秒11兆、“g”型路由器处理的最高网速可达每秒54兆。不过如果你的无线网络中有“b”型设备，“g”型路由器的最高网速会降至与“b”型一样的水平。
问：如果我从iTunes Music Store或其他网上音乐商店购买歌曲，我能将这些歌曲转录到空白CD上吗？因为这样我就能在家里的CD机上播放了。
答：可以。从iTunes和其他正规音乐下载网站购买的歌曲文件可以无限次被转录到CD上。你还可以把这些歌曲与其他买来的、或是自己CD上的歌曲一起刻录在同一张CD上。不过，这样做有一个局限：相同一组歌曲按照同样的顺序最多只能被刻录到CD上七次。
