Magazines > Computer & Internet

Advantages: Geared towards casual gamer, plenty to do on the demo DVD
Disadvantages: Geared towards casual gamer, expensive, lacking features

...mostly issues of the monthly Official PlayStation Magazine (OPSM), of which I have about over a years worth. It wasn't my preferred PlayStation publication; at a fiver it wasn't cheap - I felt the quality can be a mixed bag at times - but I liked to sample different games from the demo CD. At the time with news of the PlayStation 2 in it's early stages and the number of new PSOne releases being on the low side, attention was being shifted to the ...
...- for the PlayStation 2 Official Magazine-UK (OPS2) shows that they are down by about two thirds in comparison to OPSM, despite the popularity of the PS2. It would be about 7 years before I buy an Official PlayStation Magazine via OPS2. What made me consider buying that issue (#82, February 2007) was the playable demo for two football games, as well as a games directory - which I would find handy - put together from that very issue. At £5.99 it is ... Read review

Advantages: Simple and clear advice, Interesting articles, Product Reviews
Disadvantages: Adverts, Reviews sometimes too short

Computer Active (I'll call it CA) is a monthly PC/computer/technology magazine that can be found in most newsagents and supermarkets. It currently costs £1.59, which I feel is reasonable and seems to be cheaper than many other computer magazines, although it used to cost £1.35 before prices started to shoot up all over the place. The magazine is usually just over 80 pages long and contains varied articles for the reader relating to new development ...
...Although I'm no beginner when it comes to computers, I still find CA to be my preferred computer magazine even though it may be aimed at a broader category of computer users ranging from beginners to the more advanced. The language used is simple and easy to understand. Something that makes CA stand out is that throughout the whole magazine, there's always a Jargon Buster section for each section defining all the technical terms used in the articles. ... Read review

Advantages: Unashamedly internet biased magazine
Disadvantages: Occasionally misses the mark for me

...it's eleventh year of publication .net is still one of the UK’s best Internet focused magazines. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the internet itself was the best medium to publish information, news and tips about the internet, and to a limited extent, that’s probably true. Curious, then, that something as old fashioned as a printed monthly periodical could survive in the midst of such overwhelming odds, not to mention the vast range of PC ...
...advertisers want to reach. .net achieves this by a carefully balanced mixture of ‘current news’ ‘technical tips’ and reviews of new products. But then again, everybody else is trying to do the same! What I especially like with .net is the fact that it concentrates mainly on internet content – but isn’t scared to pay more than a little attention to layout. The pages are clearly thought out – a mixture of bold graphics, inset summaries, step by ... Read review

Advantages: easy to read, good reference material
Disadvantages: targets wide audience so quite generic

We subscribed to web user through a good offer and we thought it would be pretty run of the mill. My hubby and I are both technical people and I thought that I wouldn't find much in here that I wasn't already familiar with. However, I read it everytime it drops through the door because I think has such a wide range of information even if you are a techie! It is quite easy to overlook the simplest things - like how to correctly configure spam filters ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent writers, honest, good technical knowledge
Disadvantages: Getting thinner every year, expensive

...was an avid reader of PC Format. The reviews were irreverant, informative and inspiring. My only problem with it was the half dressed chicks on the cover who I found a little, excluding. I'm a female tech! I don't want to see some girl in a bikini holding the new Intel chip. Over the last year I've picked it up a few times after losing interest in computer media in general. I work around it for 8 hours and more a day, I was getting a little saturated. ...
...content. Sadly, they're not doing that at the moment. I think the online gambling insert was thicker than the actual magazine itself. Sadly, I think PC Format is doomed to fold in the near future and that's owed to some misguided notions on readership and how to save money. ... Read review