Reviewing the Nokia 770
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 the Nokia 770, hard-drive storage and Jumbles programs for Windows Mobile.
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Q: In your review of the Nokia 770 hand-held computer last week, you said it was very slow. I can only assume that you were using the old operating system, not the new 2006 version, which is much improved. Is that true?
A: No. I was using the new 2006 operating system, and also was using virtual memory, which is supposed to speed things up. I got the unit directly from Nokia, which configured it. Even so, I found that, with the notable exception of the very nice Web browser, the 770 ran many programs, especially its email program, so slowly as to be dysfunctional. I can only assume it needs a more powerful processor, or a software rewrite, or both.
I have heard from a handful of enthusiastic 770 users who were disappointed or angry about my review. These folks are either gadget geeks; or fans of small, mobile computers in general; or fans of the open-source Linux operating system, which the 770 uses. Some wish I had reviewed the product from their perspective. But, as with everything I review, I try and take the perspective of a mainstream, non-techie, non-enthusiast consumer who just wants digital products to work well. That's my mission, and I'm sticking to it.
Q: I am buying an iMac for my wife, and am wondering how much memory and hard-drive storage is enough. She is actively involved in digital photography and will soon be doing a lot of digital video work. Should I get one, or two, gigabytes of memory? Should I opt for a 250-gigabyte hard disk, or a 500-gigabyte model?
A: Since she'll be working with videos, and with large numbers of photos, which take up a lot of storage and a lot of memory, I would buy as much memory and as large a hard disk as you can afford. I wouldn't advise two gigabytes of memory or a 500-gigabyte hard disk for an average user, even one doing light photo and video work, but it sounds like your wife will be going well beyond that.
Q: Can you tell me if there is a "Jumbles" program that I could install on my ViewSonic Pocket PC?
A: There seem to be several Word Jumble games for Microsoft's Pocket PC platform (now called Windows Mobile). You can find them online at a number of places, but a good place to start is Handango.com, a site that sells programs for hand-held computers, including those running the Pocket PC and Palm operating systems. Just go to Handango and type in "Jumble" and a list of programs will appear. Many even offer free trial downloads.
从普通用户的角度点评诺基亚770
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。
本周我将回答读者关于诺基亚770手持电脑、硬盘存储空间、适用于Windows Mobile的Jumbles程序等问题。
问：在上周对诺基亚770手持电脑的评测中，你认为这款设备的运行速度太慢了。我猜测你用的是老版操作系统，而不是已有很大改进的最新2006版。是不是这样？
答：不是。我用的就是最新的2006版操作系统，还启用了按理说应该能提高运行速度的虚拟内存功能。我测试的这款770是诺基亚公司提供的，他们对这款设备进行了设置。我发现即便这样，770在执行许多程序、特别是邮件程序的时候慢得就像瘫痪了一样。不过它的浏览器还是很棒的。对于执行速度慢的问题，我只能认为770亟需配备一款更强大的处理器，或者重新编写软件，再或者双管齐下。
我听说一些770的忠实用户对我的评测结果颇有微词。这些用户大多是科技业的怪才、小型移动电脑的爱好者、或者是开放源代码的Linux操作系统的支持者。他们中的一些人希望我能够从他们的角度来评测770。但是，正如我的其他点评一样，我尽量尝试从对科技并不精通的普通消费者的角度去评测这些设备，他们希望的是数码产品能正常运行就够了。这是我的职责所在，不能放弃。
问：我准备给我的妻子买了一台iMac电脑，我想了解一下多大的内存和硬盘才算够用。她非常喜欢数码摄影，而且很快就会从事大量的数码视频工作。我应该选择1G，还是2G的内存？我该选择250G的硬盘还是500G的硬盘呢？
答：既然她需要处理视频及大量的图片，而这些会占用大量的硬盘及内存空间，因此我建议只要你承受得了，内存和硬盘越大越好。对于普通用户或者只需处理少量图片及视频的用户而言，我不会建议他们购买内存2G、硬盘500G的iMac电脑，但是如果你的电脑配置比这个还要高级，那你的妻子处理起那些任务来将游刃有余。
问：有没有可以安装在我的ViewSonic Pocket PC上面的Jumbles程序呢？
答：有几款使用于微软Pocket PC平台（现在叫做Windows Mobile）的Word Jumble游戏。从不少地方都能找到下载网址，但我向你推荐Handango.com。这个网站出售可在采用Pocket PC和Palm操作系统的手持电脑上运行的程序。登录这个网站，键入Jumble字段，就可找到一串程序。许多程序甚至还提供免费下载的试用版本。
Walter S. Mossberg
