______________________ZD Net Update_______________________ v. 1 #4 12-11-95 Welcome to ZD Net Update, the free E-mail newsletter created especially for registered users of Ziff-Davis Interactive's ZD Net/World Wide Web Edition. ZD Net Update is a bi-weekly bulletin that alerts you to new and exciting developments on ZD Net. In this issue:

YAHOO, ZIFF-DAVIS ANNOUNCE PLAN TO JOIN FORCES PC MAGAZINE UNWRAPS ITS 1995 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE COMPUTING TRAILBLAZER HELPS YOU "BUY IT ONLINE"

* * * * * * * * * * YAHOO, ZIFF-DAVIS ANNOUNCE PLAN TO JOIN FORCES On Tuesday, December 12, Yahoo Corp. and Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. announced a strategic relationship that establishes a new, Web- driven publishing model for delivering content via print, online, and CD ROM. The relationship leverages the expertise and brand names of Yahoo, operator of the leading directory on the Web, and Ziff- Davis, the leading publisher of computer magazines and computing content online, including ZD Net. The new alliance is initially focused on two media products: Yahoo Internet Life and ZD/Yahoo Computing. Yahoo Internet Life is an interactive magazine based on one of the most popular sites on the World Wide Web. ZD/Yahoo Computing seeks to become the ultimate value-added, online directory of computing resources on the Web. Yahoo Internet Life combines a Web site, a print publication, and a CD ROM. Each issue of the quarterly magazine will include a CD ROM that contains virtually everything in the magazine as well as the software that users need to connect to the Web. The print version of Yahoo Internet Life will debut on newsstands in February 1996. Bill Machrone, Editor-in-Chief of ZD Internet Life and Ziff-Davis's Vice President of Technology, was named Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo Internet Life. ZD/Yahoo Computing will be the definitive online guide to finding and using computing resources on the Web. It will incorporate an enhanced version of The Computing Trailblazer, a popular feature of the ZD Net Web site that reviews computing sites on the Internet, as well as new features to help people find computing products, companies, and services. ZD/Yahoo Computing will be available in early 1996. For more information about the announcement, including a Shockwave file and VDOLive video clips, check out the ZD Public Relations site at: http://www.zdnet.com/pr/ * * * * * * * * * * PC MAGAZINE UNWRAPS ITS 1995 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE The holidays are fast approaching, you're faced with tons of folks who need gifts, and you have no idea what to buy them. How to get in the holiday spirit? Don't despair. Your shopping list may be long, but PC Magazine's list of gift ideas is bound to be longer. The editors at PC Magazine have gathered 101 of the best educational and entertainment products to hit the shelves since last holiday season. Nearly all of these products are Windows-based, except for the games, most of which run under DOS. For the youngest folks on your list, the Kids' Software section includes a selection of learning games covering all the basic subject areas, many of which star characters the kids will recognize. For those hard-to-please gamers, this holiday offers an abundance of riches in all categories: action and adventure games, arcade games and puzzles, strategy and simulation games, and sports games. Looking for something a bit less frivolous? Then check out the reference offerings and the selection of personal productivity software. For gadget lovers, there's a fun and funky array of PC peripherals that would look great on any desktop. And don't miss the list of 10 great gifts under $35. So forget about fretting over that holiday shopping list. PC Magazine gives you 101 reasons to celebrate this holiday season. Discover a little holiday cheer at: http://www.zdnet.com/~pcmag/issues/1422/pcm00154.htm * * * * * * * * * * COMPUTING TRAILBLAZER HELPS YOU "BUY IT ONLINE" Looking for an easier way to get your hands on the latest hardware and software? Why not go online? Introducing "Buy It Online," the newest category in The Computing Trailblazer, Ziff-Davis's guide to computing resources on the Web. Each of the nearly two dozen sites that are reviewed in Buy It Online offers a strong selection of computer products for sale, and many also enable online purchasing (which is likely to become a firm requirement for this category in the near future). Some of the sites provide links to manufacturers' sites and other Internet resources of value to their customers. Others are just plain fun to visit for their contests, downloads, and freebies. A few are works in progress that show great potential. What are the common characteristics that mark the better sites? For starters, secure credit-card transactions, up-to-date price lists, and catalog items that link to product information combining overview articles, feature lists, and tech specs. If you order computer products on the Web, please click the Feedback button tell the Trailblazer editors what your experience was like. Good or bad, Trailblazer wants to know about it. For the latest word on the best computing sites, including more than 300 (and growing) site-reviews under familiar computer headings, check out Trailblazer today at http://www.zdnet.com/~zdi/tblazer/ * * * * * * * * * * ZD Net Update is the official newsletter of ZD Net/World Wide Web Edition. It is compiled by Tom Schmidt (tom_schmidt@zd.com). Feel free to respond with news, notes, comments, or suggestions. To unsubscribe to ZD Net Update, point your browser to: http://www.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/ziffmail.pl/update and select "Unsubscribe to ZD Net Update."