Established in 1988 under the guidance of founding publisher and columnist
Michael Kolowich, the magazine was known for its irreverent style and annual "
Windows Superguide" and "
Notebook Torture Test" features. The latter feature involved baking, freezing, shaking, dropping, and splashing notebook computers from various manufacturers and then rating the machines based on which ones survived the "torture" and which ones failed. It also featured columns by
editor-in-chief Paul Somerson in January 2000 lost its ad market. The magazine is the recipient of the
National Magazine Award in the Personal Service category in 2000. It folded in 2002. ==References==