Oct 2000 Volume 81 Number 10 "serving the protectors"
By Mike Horsfall

WINDOWS MILLENNIUM EDITION

With the release of Windows 2000 earlier this year, many PC owners thought the new operating system would be the sequel to Windows 98.

This is not the case. Windows 2000 is designed for installation on a network PC, and is not necessarily for home use. The latest Microsoft operating system for the home PC is Windows Millennium Edition, or Me for short.

Those of us eager to have the most up-to-date PC will jump at the chance to upgrade from Windows 98/SE, but the features of this new operating system should convince all PC owners to seriously consider an upgrade.

Additional information will come after more involved testing, but Windows Me is set to please. Australian consumers can purchase retail versions of Windows Me at an estimated retail price of $380 for the full product, or $206 for the upgrade.

KODAK DIGITAL MEDIA

Perfectly suited to Windows Me is another high-quality product in the range of Kodak digital cameras, the DC5000 Zoom. Rugged, weatherproof and feature-packed, the Kodak DC5000 is extremely versatile and will cope with the more challenging environments that cameras face every day.

Designed to suit the workplace environment, the DC5000 is IEC Class 4 weatherproof, Cass 5 dust-proof and has a tough rubber and hard shell body with large controls that can be easily operated while wearing gloves. These features make the DC5000 particularly suited to a range of users, including police officers, constructions workers, engineers and the like. It is not indestructible, but certainly tough enough to suit the rigours of family use.

Not content with making a very rugged digital camera (that looks, feels and acts like a traditional camera), Kodak has also ensured the DC5000 is up to date in the technology stakes. The camera has a 2X (30-60mm equivalent) optical zoom lens, 3X digital zoom, auto-focus and flash, and captures images at resolutions from 896 x 596 pixels to as high as 1760 x 1168 pixels (2 megapixels).

The Kodak DC5000 retails for about $1,349 and is worth every dollar. Included in the price is:

• An 8MB picture card.
• Four AA batteries.
• USB.
• Video and serial cables.
• A lens cover and filter.
• Neck strap.
• Two CDs of software.

It’s a great package at a great price. Visit www.kodak.com for more information.

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATORS

Flight Simulator 2000 (FS 2000) has features guaranteed to whet most critical desktop pilots’ appetites. With two separate versions, FS 2000 will allow the player to choose flying any one of 16 different aircrafts. It uses the same aircrafts as those in FS95 and FS98 plus four new ones, the Concorde SST, Boeing 777-300, Mooney Bravo (Professional Edition only) and the Beech King Air 350 (Professional Edition only).

With enhanced graphics, the aircraft detail is quite spectacular, bringing a very realistic cockpit view to the PC monitor. The professional edition contains 12 highly detailed cities across the globe, including New York, London, Paris, Rome and Tokyo.

Pilots are provided the ability to choose the type of weather they wish to fly in - basic or advanced. New weather effects include rain, lightning and snow. There is even an option to download real weather conditions from the Internet.

The suggested minimum system requirements aren’t really worth considering. The game is optimized for Pentium III processors, but will run acceptably on most systems with at least a Celeron 450 with 64 MB of RAM and a 16 MB 3D video card. Even then, with full detail displayed, the game may be somewhat lethargic.

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/games/fsim for more information. Here you’ll also find the 20+MB patch which, although not necessary, will enhance graphics smoothness and detail - including shadows.

Those without the system necessary for FS2000 may wish to consider Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series, which simulates mission-oriented combat during World War II. Here, pilots can choose from Free Flight, Quick Combat, Missions, Campaigns and Training Missions. Included in the package is a detailed pilot’s manual, which also includes historical data, and plane descriptions and specifications.

Although less advanced, Combat Flight Simulator is still full of action and features good quality visuals. While a year or so old, the game will still provide exciting gameplay and visuals, with much less drain on resources - the minimum recommended processor is a Pentium 133 and 16MB of RAM.

A visit to http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs will prove useful to the combat enthusiast. Surprisingly, there are no game patches, but a number of mission add-ons and other game editors to fully customize your copy of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator.

COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2

Visit http://www.microsoft.com/games/combatfs2/ for the latest information on Combat Flight Simulator 2: WWII Pacific Theatre. Here, aspiring sky jockeys can get in-depth information about the game, including a features list, screenshots, detailed maps, and interviews with renowned WWII pilots from the Pacific Theatre.

PASAweb   Index & Search   Top of Page   Comments   Email to Editor

The Police Journal Online is an official publication of the Police Association of South Australia and is published monthly. Editors of kindred publications can seek permission from the Editor to re-publish any Police Journal Online article. Copyright 2000  The Police Association of South Australia sustance