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Gear
April 2000
Convergence in the flesh
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Distribution center
The HomePortal 1000 lets you split and distribute a single DSL connection to multiple PCs. You can connect your kingdom using your existing phone lines (thanks to HomePNA 2.0 compatibility) or use wireless links. The device combines a DSL modem (full-rate or G.Lite), a hub, a router, a firewall, and a web-browser interface that you use to manage your network. 2Wire, www.2wire.com
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Greeting card
The Personal Network Card lets portable PCs say hello to each other and other devices through a Bluetooth wireless link. A handheld PC equipped with the CompactFlash card could trade files or carry on a chat with another handheld, send files to a Bluetooth-capable printer, or browse the Web via a linkup with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Socket Communications, www.socketcom.com
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Stream sharer
The SpeedStream 5260 combines a DSL modem and an Ethernet bridge, allowing you to share a high-speed connection between one or more PCs or other networked devices. The modem offers a 10BaseT Ethernet port and simple setup. $349. Efficient Networks, www.efficient.com
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Say no to NIC
The Waveport USB-to-wireless LAN adapter lets you add a PC to a wireless LAN without opening up the PC box to install a NIC (network interface card). You simply plug the adapter/wireless node into the PC's USB port. The device supports the IEEE 802.11b standard for 11-Mbit/sec communication. Inside Out Networks, www.ionetworks.com
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Web ready
Simultaneously a 1.9-GHz PCS mobile phone and a personal organizer, the LGI-3000W incorporates a 1.6-by-2.3-inch touch-panel display and support for the Phone.com microbrowser. The 6.5-ounce device also offers voice-activated dialing, voice recording, and synchronization with PC software such as Microsoft Outlook. Sprint PCS has signed an agreement to offer the device for its network. LG InfoComm USA, www.lginfocomm.com. Sprint PCS, www.sprintpcs.com
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Media central
Intended as the centerpiece of a home-theater system, the ZapStation combines a conventional DVD/Video CD/CD player with a full-fledged Internet appliance. Working through ZapMedia's portal site, you can download, catalog, and store up to 7000 MP3 songs on the unit's hard disk. You can listen to Internet radio through your stereo. You can play streaming net video on your big-screen TV, amass a library of up to 14 hours of downloaded digital video, surf the net, and send email. You can also rip music from CDs onto the machine's disk, then download it to your portable player. ZapMedia.com, www.zapmedia.com
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WYOU
Sick of the same drive-time radio blather, but don't have time to go to broadcasting school to become a program director? The Command Audio service can help (but only if you live in Phoenix or Denver, for now). The $11.95/month service offers audio versions of Business Week, Time, and Wall St. Journal features, plus other interest-specific content and traffic reports. The CA1000 ($199, pictured) automatically receives and stores the latest updates of your favorites, then plays them through its own speaker or—via a cassette adapter—your car's stereo. Command Audio, www.commandaudio.com. Thomson Multimedia, www.thomson-multimedia.com
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I really want to direct
Hopefully, IntroDV 1.1 won't turn you into a tyrannical Hollywood director. But it will let you take raw footage from your DV-format digital camcorder and edit it into home movies that include frills such as dissolves, wipes, and theater-style credits. You'll also be able to distribute your masterpieces over the Web in QuickTime format. The $199 package includes the editing tool and an IEEE-1394 interface card and cable. Digital Origin, www.digitalorigin.com
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The modem has landed
The stylish HomeConnect Cable Modem External is built according to DOCSIS (data over cable service interface specification). The device supports a range of features, such as tiered service levels, real-time audio and video streaming, and concurrent voice transmission. A CD-ROM tutorial guides even novice users through installation. 3Com, www.3com.com
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Drool factor
The 8890 (pictured) and 8860 mobile phones provide long talk time, a clock that can automatically set itself to local time as you travel, and other practical features. But more importantly, the flashy chrome-covered handsets are bound to inspire severe envy in everyone around you. Both phones also work with the LPS-3 Loopset, a hands-free earphone/microphone accessory specifically for people who use hearing aids. Nokia, www.nokiausa.com
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Are you being served?
The JetDirect 70X home print server steps in when computers dispersed around the house need to share a printer. You plug the device into the printer, and then into any phone jack. Then PCs throughout the house, equipped with an add-in card and some software, can send print jobs to the printer via your phone lines. $99. Hewlett-Packard, www.hp.com
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Fetch it
Stop lugging that backbreaking notebook around. With a piece of software called MobileDoc, you can carry a mobile device like a phone or a two-way pager, but still have access to all the documents sitting on your office PC. When you need a sales proposal, for example, you whip out your handheld and scroll through a list to select the desired document. Then you issue a command that tells your office PC to fax or email the document to a nearby fax machine or Net terminal. MobileDoc will appear in Motorola two-way pagers (pictured) and Nokia mobile phones. Xerox, www.xerox.com
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Plug and play
Snap the MP3 Handsfree digital audio player onto your mobile phone, plug the earphones into your ears, and you're set to jam your tunes between calls. When a friend phones you, the player automatically mutes the music, and you speak into a small microphone on the earphone cord. The phone acts as the controller and power source for the tiny player, which holds 30 minutes of music. Ericsson, mobile.ericsson.com
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Touch typing
To enter text on most phones, you must press each key multiple times; for example, you have to press the 2 three times to get a letter C. But if your phone (such as the Neopoint 1000 pictured here) includes the T9 text-input system, you just type away. The software scans a database to guess which word you're typing. For example, if you press 4-3-5-7, you most likely want "help" rather than "gels." But the system also places less likely words on a menu of alternatives, just in case you did intend to type "gels." Tegic Communications, www.t9.com
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Overachiever
With 3.34-million-pixel resolution, a 3X optical zoom, and a 1-cm macro mode for extreme close ups, the RDC-7 digital camera aims to satisfy professional photographers. In addition to still pictures, the camera records voice annotation, captures video in motion-JPEG format, and includes a special black-and-white mode that lets it act as a document scanner. Ricoh, www.ricoh-usa.com
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