COMPUTERS
|
Details
Written
up In
Computer Active's Excellant Webguide If you
wish your website to be
added to this list call 0870 199 3871 or
email : info@chardnet.co.uk
Dixons
www.dixons.co.uk |
|
| Dixons
sell
a reasonable range of computers,
laptops, handheld computers and
add-ons
including printers, modems and
scanners online. The site lets you
compare
several products at once so you can be
sure you're picking the best one
for your needs. The prices are
competitive and there's next-day
delivery
on some products. You'll also find
some useful online guides to topics
including handheld computers and
digital TV. |
Jungle.com
www.jungle.com |
|
| Not
only is the Jungle site home to a good
selection of computer products
but
it's also the place to buy audio CDs,
videos and computer games. The
site
is friendly with the jungle theme
running throughout its pages. Special
offers and discounts are plentiful and
you even rack up loyalty points
every time you buy a product from the
site. The range of computer
products
on sale is good, prices are keen and
you're linked to more information
and, in many cases, independent
product reviews. What's more, delivery
is free. |
Microwarehouse
www.microwarehouse.co.uk |
|
| This
good looking site is packed full of
computer products stocking
everything
from printers to palmtops to PCs to
software and printer supplies.
There's
free delivery to UK addresses and the
prices are keen. The Notifier
option
is useful - if a product you're after
is out of stock it sends you an
email
as soon as it's back in stock. |
Simply
Computers
www.simply.co.uk |
|
| Simply
Computers
has built up a good reputation as a
discount mail order
company
specialising in selling computers,
notebooks, printers, software and
just
about every kind of add-on for your
home computer. The prices are
really
competitive and the selection of goods
is impressive. It's also worth
keeping
an eye on the site for its regularly
updated special offers. |
21st
Store
www.21store.com |
|
| This
site is home to all things
gadget-related and it's a boy's idea
of
paradise.
You'll find palmtops and every kind of
add-on for you personal
organiser,
useful stuff like global positioning
systems and bizarre products such
as binoculars that let you see in the
dark. The prices are not
especially
cheap but the range of items on sale
is always interesting. |
Applestore
www.apple.com/uk |
|
| Fancy
one
of those cute little Apple iMac
computers or perhaps you've taken a
liking to the new multicoloured
notebooks, the iBook. These candy
coloured
lovelies can all be bought direct from
the Apple UK website, along with
a selection of Apple accessories and
software. You can alter the
specification
of the computer to match your needs
(such as the size of the hard disk
and memory). All the background
information you need is there and
there
are no pushy salesmen hassling you to
buy. The final price you'll pay
is
listed clearly including VAT and
shipping costs. |
Dabs
Direct Online
www.dabs.com |
|
| Dabs
Direct is known as one of the
best-value mail order suppliers of
computers,
peripherals and software. And make no
mistake, the prices are keen on
the
Web site too. The pages are nicely
designed with plenty of clear photos
of the products and lots of attractive
special offers. There's a huge
range
of stock and you can search by
manufacturer, product type or by
price.
Delivery is free in the UK. |
Dell
www.dell.co.uk |
|
| Dell
was the company that started all this
selling PCs over the Internet
malarkey
and now most of its business is done
from its website. You build your
computer
entirely to your own specification
deciding on the amount of memory,
the
type of processor, the size of the
hard disk and so on. As you add
items
to your computer the price is
automatically updated. If you want to
do
a bit of pre-purchase research you can
read the independent product
reviews
of Dell PCs. Check out the Refurbished
Outlet of the site for some
second
hand bargains. Once you've ordered
your computer you can even keep
track
of its delivery progress from this
site. |
|
| COMPUTERING
|
Ars
Technica
www.arstechnica.com |
|
| Despite
a
rather dubious sounding name, Ars
Technica is a great resource for
the
PC enthusiast. At the lower end of the
spectrum are hardware reviews,
guides
to upgrading, and basic PC news.
However more hardcore subjects are
covered,
such as a description of how to go
about over clocking your PC. The
sites
very well designed, and layed out in
such a way that information is
easy
to access. Everything is split into
categories so that you can quickly
jump to the information that you are
interested in. A great site for
people
of varying technical knowledge. |
Illustrated
Guide to the PC Hardware
www.karbosguide.com |
|
| Most
great ideas are simple and simplicity
is what Karbo's Guide to PC
Hardware
has in abundance. The opening page
lists just about everypart of your
PC
and invites you to click on the link
to find out more. Behind the links
are easy to understand explanations of
how your PC's components work,
together
with illustrations to help you
understand. Recently the developer
have
added one more, very useful section, a
dictionary, or glossary, of
computing
terms, so you can find out what all
the geeks are talking about. |
The
PC Guide
www.pcguide.com |
|
| If
you
want to know how a part of your PC
works, this is the place to look.
The
site is devoted to explaining just how
each component and peripheral
works
in the most minute detail. However
most users will find the extensive
optimisation
and troubleshooting guides far more
useful. So if you want to soup up
your
PC, or it simply is not doing what you
want it to do, you may well find
the answer here. |
Sharky
Extreme
www.sharkyextreme.com |
|
| Sharky
Extreme
has a killer instinct when sniffing
out the latest hardware
news
and product reviews. It database of
hardware reviews is hard to beat
and
it is constantly added to with
products that few other sites manage
to
get hold of. Add to this a great set
of guides on things like
overclocking
your processor or what kind of memory
to choose and you have everything
to help you put together an excellent
machine. |
BX
Boards
www.bxboards.com |
|
| Referred
to
as 'mobos' by computer nerds, BX
Boards is all about motherboards.
If
that still leaves you in the dark,
this site is probably not for you.
The
newest motherboards are reviewed and
also other hardware such as sound
cards and graphics cards. One other
big section is the over clocking
tips,
which shows enthusiasts how too eek
out the maximum performance from
their
hardware. Group tests are another
highlight of BX Boards, which gives
you
the chance to find out the best
product to suit your needs. Also, the
daily
news section keeps you right up to
date. |
Tom's
Hardware
www.tomshardware.com |
|
| Tom
Pabst has a reputation for getting
hold of hardware long before anyone
else does and then reviews it
meticulously, giving you the benefit
of
his
well thought out and well researched
opinion. The information on the
site
always gives you lots of background on
the kit reviewed and there are
plenty
of easy explanations of how and why
things work well or do not work so
well. You can always pick up plenty of
hints of how to make your PC
work
to its optimum by following Tom's
advice. |
Cprogramming.com
www.cprogramming.com |
|
| C++
programming is serious stuff, only for
those who are well and truly
dedicated.
Cprogramming.com is a resource site
purely for the aforementioned
dedicated
people. As you'd expect this site is
not much to look at, in fact the
homepage
logo is the only graphic you'll find
in the entire site. To the
dedicated
programmer this is nigh on perfection,
no frills; just straight
information.
That's what Cprogramming.com excels
in, C++ help and information for
every
level of programmer, from beginner to
big boss. |
Webopedia
www.pcwebopedia.com |
|
| Webopedia
is
basically a glossary of computing
terms. So if you are unsure what
SCSI
stands for or exactly what the
difference is between burst and
sustained
transfer rates you will find it here.
Perhaps more useful is the list
of
links to other useful sites which will
either give you more detailed
explanations
or will give you hints and tip on how
to get the most out of your PC's
performance. |
Ars
Technica
www.arstechnica.com |
|
| Despite
a
rather dubious sounding name, Ars
Technica is a great resource for
the
PC enthusiast. At the lower end of the
spectrum are hardware reviews,
guides
to upgrading, and basic PC news.
However more hardcore subjects are
covered,
such as a description of how to go
about over clocking your PC. The
sites
very well designed, and layed out in
such a way that information is
easy
to access. Everything is split into
categories so that you can quickly
jump to the information that you are
interested in. A great site for
people
of varying technical knowledge. |
Illustrated
Guide to the PC Hardware
www.karbosguide.com |
|
| Most
great ideas are simple and simplicity
is what Karbo's Guide to PC
Hardware
has in abundance. The opening page
lists just about everypart of your
PC
and invites you to click on the link
to find out more. Behind the links
are easy to understand explanations of
how your PC's components work,
together
with illustrations to help you
understand. Recently the developer
have
added one more, very useful section, a
dictionary, or glossary, of
computing
terms, so you can find out what all
the geeks are talking about. |
The
PC Guide
www.pcguide.com |
|
| If
you
want to know how a part of your PC
works, this is the place to look.
The
site is devoted to explaining just how
each component and peripheral
works
in the most minute detail. However
most users will find the extensive
optimisation
and troubleshooting guides far more
useful. So if you want to soup up
your
PC, or it simply is not doing what you
want it to do, you may well find
the answer here. |
Sharky
Extreme
www.sharkyextreme.com |
|
| Sharky
Extreme
has a killer instinct when sniffing
out the latest hardware
news
and product reviews. It database of
hardware reviews is hard to beat
and
it is constantly added to with
products that few other sites manage
to
get hold of. Add to this a great set
of guides on things like
overclocking
your processor or what kind of memory
to choose and you have everything
to help you put together an excellent
machine. |
BX
Boards
www.bxboards.com |
|
| Referred
to
as 'mobos' by computer nerds, BX
Boards is all about motherboards.
If
that still leaves you in the dark,
this site is probably not for you.
The
newest motherboards are reviewed and
also other hardware such as sound
cards and graphics cards. One other
big section is the over clocking
tips,
which shows enthusiasts how too eek
out the maximum performance from
their
hardware. Group tests are another
highlight of BX Boards, which gives
you
the chance to find out the best
product to suit your needs. Also, the
daily
news section keeps you right up to
date. |
Tom's
Hardware
www.tomshardware.com |
|
| Tom
Pabst has a reputation for getting
hold of hardware long before anyone
else does and then reviews it
meticulously, giving you the benefit
of
his
well thought out and well researched
opinion. The information on the
site
always gives you lots of background on
the kit reviewed and there are
plenty
of easy explanations of how and why
things work well or do not work so
well. You can always pick up plenty of
hints of how to make your PC
work
to its optimum by following Tom's
advice. |
Cprogramming.com
www.cprogramming.com |
|
| C++
programming is serious stuff, only for
those who are well and truly
dedicated.
Cprogramming.com is a resource site
purely for the aforementioned
dedicated
people. As you'd expect this site is
not much to look at, in fact the
homepage
logo is the only graphic you'll find
in the entire site. To the
dedicated
programmer this is nigh on perfection,
no frills; just straight
information.
That's what Cprogramming.com excels
in, C++ help and information for
every
level of programmer, from beginner to
big boss. |
Webopedia
www.pcwebopedia.com |
|
| Webopedia
is
basically a glossary of computing
terms. So if you are unsure what
SCSI
stands for or exactly what the
difference is between burst and
sustained
transfer rates you will find it here.
Perhaps more useful is the list
of
links to other useful sites which will
either give you more detailed
explanations
or will give you hints and tip on how
to get the most out of your PC's
performance. |
|
COMPUTING
HELP
|
ASP
Help
www.asp-help.com |
|
| When
fully functional computers are without
a doubt the most important
labour
saving device created by mankind
to-date. But when things go wrong the
owner or user is dragged in to a whole
world of frustration and
despair.
That's where ASP Help comes in,
providing a searchable, categorised
online
resource for all active server pages
problems. ASP Help features
reviews
and articles written by those in the
know with regards to ASP
technology
and programming. |
HelpMe.com
www.helpme.com |
|
HelpMe.com
is
an online support centre with a
difference. The site wide search
facility
enables you to conduct a search by
company or product then select a
more
specific title from a hyperlink list.
This makes it really quick and
simple
to find the help you need.
HelpMe.com
is
no designer's
dream but having said that it's not as
boring as the average functional
site and the content is very
comprehensive, covering almost every
product
on the face of the Earth and then
some! |
No
Wonder! Technical Support
www.nowonder.com |
|
| It's
annoying to be faced with a problem
that you can't fix, and then be
faced
with the expense and hassle of
resorting to a technical support line.
No
longer do you have to suffer this with
the help of No Wonder. The site
offers you free technical support.
Choose the platform that you are
running
on, type in your problem, and you'll
have a response sent to you within
24 hours. Not enough for you? Then why
not try the online message
boards
as well? It's a great site, and easy
to get into, as befits a problem
solving
page. |
Computer
Don't Bite
www.bbc.co.uk/education/cdb |
|
| As
seen
on TV! Computers don't bite is the BBC
educational guide to computers
with
Carol Vorderman. The site is split
into five sections including details
of the BBC's campaign itself and
information for teachers. The main
section
'Webwise' caters for Internet users at
all levels offering an
opportunity
to get an introduction to the Internet
or to perfect your surfing
skills.
As you'd expect from the BBC, the
quality of this site, in both content
and design is very high. It is also
quick and easy to use, an obvious
necessity
considering the target audience. |
PC-Help
Online
www.pchelponline.com |
|
| PC-Help
Online
does not strictly belong on the help
and advice category, as it
does not provide direct help or advice
itself. The site is basically a
huge searchable database of names,
addresses (including Web addresses)
and contact details for every
computer-related company imaginable.
The
philosophy is that it will save the
consumer a great deal of time and
effort
searching the Web for the details
they're after if they can go to one
central
resource for the information. |
PC
Mechanic
www.pcmech.com |
|
| The
PC Mechanic is a reference site for PC
users. It includes a rather
nifty
guide to building yourself a PC, and
free technical support via email.
Beyond this you can visit the
discussion forums which are split into
sections
depending on the equipment that you
are having trouble with, and
download
some useful utilities and helpful text
files. It's a great site, and
stands
a good chance of either helping you
out, or at least teaching you
something
new. Particularly impressive are the
discussion forums, which have a
huge
amount of postings in them, and if you
can't find something of use in
there,
then heaven help you. |
Help-Site.com
help-site.com |
|
| Help-Site.com
contains
categorised computer manuals, hints
and tips. There are
numerous
sections ranging from DOS through to
Windows NT, each includes sub
sections
detailing more specific aspects of the
main category. Design wise it's
nothing to write home about but it's
quick, very simple to use and more
than likely has a titbit of new
information for even the most savvy PC
users. External links to other sites
of interest and a few chat forums
means that a visit to Help-Site.com
will almost definitely be worth
your
while. |
PC
Show and Tell
www.pcshowandtell.com |
|
| PC
Show
and Tell is beginner level help on a
wide range applications and
subjects.
On your first visit to the site you'll
have to download a site-specific
player to run the tutorials available.
You can then search the site by
the name of the product you're having
problems with and then watch a
simple,
easy to understand tutorial, hosted by
a frog by the way! |
|
E-COMMERCE
|
ebizplan.com
eBizplan.com |
|
| Though
e-commerce
is in its infancy, consultancies are
already springing up to
help companies get online and get a
competitive advantage over their
rivals.
EBizplan will work with you to develop
e-commerce business strategies
and
e-business plans - plans that could
make the difference between
surviving
and thriving on the Internet.
Everything is covered, from research,
to
website design and management, dealing
with orders and maintaining a
customer
database. |
Consumer
Protection - E-commerce and the Net
www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm |
|
| A US
Government site, but then if you wait
for the good old UK to come up
with
a list of tactics and strategies for
making the most of e-commerce
while
avoiding the pitfalls and security
snags, you'll be waiting a long
time.
Nothing flashy, just a solid list of
reports on '12 scams most likely
to
arrive via the Internet', online
auctions, secure transactions via the
net and so on. |
The
E-commerce Advisor
www.ecommerceadvisor.com |
|
| With
an eye on the little guys who could be
the next Internet start-up
millionaires,
E-commerce Advisor is aimed at website
owners who are new to Internet
marketing.
Containing articles, tips, and
resources, its line is that 'the
Internet
is a great place to make a living - if
you know what to do!' The first
thing the site does is disabuse you of
the notion that it's easy to
build
a successful business on the Internet. |
E-commerce
Times
www.ecommercetimes.com |
|
| Where
the
Network payment and digital cash site
is informative but dry as
dust,
E-commerce Times takes a much
punchier, news-driven approach.
'Everything
you need to do business on the web' is
the site's catchline and you
certainly
won't be sold short on what's
happening in the business, which big
players
are going online, and legislation by
governments worldwide, all aimed
at
smoothing the path for companies to
get on the web. |
Electronic
Commerce Guide
ecommerce.internet.com |
|
| This
site has the muscle of IBM behind it,
and there are few global
corporations
with more to gain from the burgeoning
of e-commerce. This is an
excellent
starter point for businesses wishing
to push their trade onto the net,
start-up firms, or just the interested
observer. |
Network
payment and digital cash
ganges.cs.tcd.ie/mepeirce/project.html |
|
| No-one
knows
exactly how e-commerce will develop,
the one sure thing is that
with
each year that passes in our new
millennium, there will be an
exponential
surge in the amount of business
transacted online. But how will we pay
for our goods? And when we pay, how
can we be sure that our credit card
numbers are safe, that our purchases
are confidential and that the
stuff
will actually arrive? |
Sell
it on the web
www.sellitontheweb.com |
|
| Much
more of a novice's guide than
E-commerce Times, Sell it on the web
won
Netscape's "rave of the day" award
back in March 1999. You can see why.
Colourful, cleanly laid out and easy
to navigate, it makes the business
of selling online seem an exciting
opportunity rather than a scary
venture.
Free books! Free reports! Free
business opportunities! Free
everything
in fact, and excellent free advice on
design and marketing. |
Web
Commerce Today
www.wilsonweb.com/wct |
|
| A
free
twice-monthly electronic newsletter
about Internet marketing and doing
business on the Web. Circulation
passed 80,000 subscribers worldwide in
December 1999. As well as reading the
current issue you can search
through
the 68 back issues for particular
features - email newsletters, how to
get a top-line listing on search
engines, building site traffic or
dealing
with reader feedback, for example. You
can even brainstorm ideas with
other
Web entrepreneurs. |
|
INTERNET
PROVIDERS
|
Alta
vista
www.altavista.co.uk |
|
| Alta
vista is yet another search engine,
reinvented as a Web portal. By
incorporating
regular news services, email and
shopping they have increased their
functionality
and stickiness ten fold. |
AOL.com
www.aol.com |
|
| As
we
wrote this, AOL had just merged with
TimeWarner to make one of the
largest
companies in the world. As you might
expect, AOL knows its business
well
and has a long track record for
providing excellent online content. |
Free-online
www.free-online.net |
|
| One
of the first free services on-line. A
very efficient service with few
problems. |
Freeserve
www.freeserve.co.uk |
|
| Freeserve
was
the third Internet service provider to
offer free, unlimited access
in the UK. Distributed through Dixons,
this is now one of the largest
Web
portals for every day home users. |
The
Globe.com
www.theglobe.com |
|
| The
Globe can offer all the features and
added extras of other Web portals
but with one simple but highly
effective difference: the text is
larger
and the pages aren't over crowded.
This, in itself, makes Globe.com one
of my favourites, as it is
comparatively so much easier to use. |
Ic24.net
www.ic24.net |
|
| Free
internet service provided by the
Mirror Group of Newspapers with no
connection
charges on weekends. Has good news and
sports content. |
Lineone
www.lineone.net |
|
| Lineone
is
free to join and offers free Internet
access and up to 1000 minutes
of Internet phone calls free to every
member. The Lineone website also
contains regularly update news
headlines, online shopping, an
Internet
search facility. |
Netscapeonline.co.uk
www.netscapeonline.co.uk |
|
| The
free service which is part of the AOL
stable.Mainly distributed through
Woolworths |
Snap
www.snap.com |
|
| Offering
free email, online shopping and a the
opportunity to tailor the content
of Snap to suit your needs, as well as
a very comprehensive and easy to
use, categorised Web search facility,
makes Snap well worth a visit. |
Compuserve.com
www.compuserve.com |
|
| Compuserve
was
one of the first free Internet service
providers on the market,
giving
it a firm foot hold in homes of users
world-wide. With free services
like
email, personalisation of the homepage
and up to date news headlines
under
a multitude of topics, it's no wonder
they're still near the top of the
pile. |
Tesconet
www.tesco.net |
|
| What
do Tesco know about being an ISP, we
hear you say! Apparently, quite a
lot. Tesconet's main focus is online
shopping, but the comprehensive
list
of sections, each containing a website
of the week and related sites
makes
Tesconet one of the most user friendly
ISP's around. |
Virgin
Net
www.virgin.net |
|
| Richard
Branson played a lot of Monopoly as a
child, consequently he has a
finger
in every pie. In the case of Virgin
Net this is definitely a good
thing:
Jobs, music, travel, news, it's all
here. |
X-Stream
www.x-stream.co.uk |
|
| This
was the first company to offer both
free internet and also a service
through
a free 0800 numbe. However one has to
put up with adverts at the top of
the screen which makes it awkward to
click onto screens on the bottom
of
the page. |
Yahoo
UK
www.yahoo.co.uk |
|
| Practically
everyone with access to the www has
used Yahoo for some reason or
another.
Initially a search engine, Yahoo is a
now a gateway for online
shopping,
news, email and a whole load more.
Only problem in my opinion is that
the
pages are cluttered with excess
information. |
Zoom
www.zoom.co.uk |
|
| Zoom
is distributed through high street
clothes stores such as Burtons and
Principles.
Zoom is not a bad little package,
including free copy of IE5 and
Outlook
Express 5 on the set-up disc. As a
portal they provide a wide range of
functions and features. |
WHSmith
Online
www.whsmith.co.uk |
|
| We
associate
the high street WHSmith stores with a
good service and a comprehensive
range of products and their online
presence certainly upholds this
conception
with competitions, online shopping and
all the features of the best
ISPs
available. |
|
|
