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Gear
September 2000
Convergence in the flesh
| Pics and hits |
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The $699 FinePix 40i combines a digital camera with an MP3 player. The device features a USB port, which allows quick downloading of music and rapid uploading of pictures. The camera can also capture up to 80 seconds of video on its SmartMedia storage device. Fuji Photo Film, www.fujifilm.com |
| Ultimate jukebox |
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| The DAS-750 stores up to 350 hours of digital music on its 20-Gbyte hard disk, then plays the music through any home stereo or boom box. Via its Ethernet connection, the $995 unit can also pump different music into different rooms simultaneously. Lansonic, www.lansonic.com |
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| Print that
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The C-211 ZOOM mates a 2.1-megapixel Olympus digital camera with instant photo-printing technology from Polaroid. The $799 unit can produce a fade-resistant hard copy in 15 seconds using Polaroid 500 instant film, which sells in 10-shot packs for $9.99. Olympus, www.olympus.comPolaroid,
www.polaroidwork.com
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| Extended jams
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The RaveMP 2300 digital audio player uses Iomega Clik! disks for storage. A 40-Mbyte Clik! costs about $10, meaning you can buy roughly 400 Mbytes worth of Clik!-based storage for the same cost as a single 32-Mbyte flash-memory card. The $299 player ships with two disks. Sensory Science, www.sensoryscience.com |
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| Untie me |
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The NIC (New Internet Computer) sells for $199 and, unlike many Internet appliance offerings, doesn't come burdened with a long contract indenturing you to a single Internet service. The machine features a 56-kbit/sec modem, has a 266-MHz processor, and runs Linux as an operating system. The NIC Company, www.thinknic.com |
| Just like the CIA |
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Small enough to be concealed inside a car, TravelEyes uses GPS technology to record the movements of the vehicle. Later, you download and analyze the data on a PC. The vendor suggests innocuous uses like recording business travel, as well as ethically questionable applications such as tracking the movements of a spouse or teenager. Advanced Tracking Technologies, www.traveleyes.com |
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| More and less |
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The GlobalPC offers more than a stripped-down Internet appliance (it includes productivity applications and can download additional software) but less than a full-fledged PC (it doesn’t run Windows, uses a TV for display, and costs only $299). Aiming to attract PC newbies, the machine will appear in retail stores such as Wal-Mart. MyTurn.com, www.myturn.com |
| Go direct
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| Digital photographers who are tired of fussing with flash-memory cards or USB cables can find relief with the $1300 MVC-CD1000. The camera’s built-in CD-R drive burns pictures directly onto a 156-Mbyte, 3-inch disc, which holds up to 160 1600-by-1200-pixel images. Sony, www.sony.com |
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| Fly by FireWire |
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The Astra 6450 ($299) speeds 600-by-1200-dpi scans to a Macintosh or PC via IEEE 1394. PC users don’t even need a FireWire-equipped PC, because the package includes a PCI FireWire add-in card. UMAX Technologies, www.umax.com |
| Forward looking |
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| The Zoom CableModem complies with DOCSIS 1.0 (data over cable interface specification) and can be upgraded to support the newer DOCSIS 1.1 revision as it’s adopted. The device has a 10BaseT interface. Zoom Telephonics, www.zoom.com |
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| Land grab
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The DISH DVD Model 5422 frees up real estate in crowded living-room entertainment centers by combining a DVD player with a DISH-Network satellite-TV receiver. Like most DVD players, the $399 machine also plays CDs. EchoStar, www.dishnetwork.com |
| Hang 10 |
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| The 2E500-H-W wireless broadband gateway connects to an ADSL link and allows up to 10 users to access that connection simultaneously without wires. The device incorporates HomeRF wireless-networking technology. Cayman Systems, www.cayman.com |
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| No more hassles |
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The Modem Blaster DSL Model 7410 claims to pave the way for easy DSL installation. The device connects to a USB port, operates under Windows 98, and works without a POTS splitter, all of which eases the setup process. Digicom, www.digicomsys.com |
| Three ways |
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| The Airstation, an 11-Mbit/sec wireless-LAN access point, comes in three versions: a model that connects to existing wired LANs ($279), a version with a built-in 56-kbit/sec analog modem ($299), and a router version that connects to cable or DSL modems ($279). Buffalo Technology,
www.buffalotech.com
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| Let there be peace |
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Capable of distributing either a cable of DSL connection among multiple PCs and/or Macintoshes, the FriendlyNET FR3004 router ($185) doesn't force you to take sides. The device offers firewall protection and four Ethernet ports. Asante Technologies, www.asante.com |
| Long player |
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| The in-dash CDC-MP3 ($350), which controls a trunk-mounted CD changer, plays not only regular CDs but also CD-R/RW discs encoded with MP3 files. A single CD can hold upwards of 125 songs in MP3, so you’ll be able to keep your hands upon the wheel for many miles before reloading the changer. Aiwa, www.aiwa.com |
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| Talk can be cheap |
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Routing calls over the Internet, the $249 InfoTalk lets you place free calls to other InfoTalk devices and low-rate calls to regular telephones in more than 200 countries. The machine doesn’t require a PC, only a dial-up Internet account. InnoMedia, www.innomedia.com |
| Gregarious |
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| The Dual eFilm Reader-5 never met a flash-memory card it
didn’t like. The $89.95 device accepts both CompactFlash and SmartMedia cards, and can transfer files from one to the other or to a PC via its USB cable. Delkin Devices, www.delkin.com |
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| Either or |
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The Elura 2MC packs two types of storage media into its diminutive body. You can record still or video images onto the camera’s MiniDV tape, or save still photos onto a MultiMediaCard flash-memory device. The $1799 camera also includes FireWire connectivity. Canon, www.canon.com |
| And then some |
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| A new lineup of DirecTV satellite receivers delivers more than just TV. The $400 SAT-T60 (pictured) offers 30-hour video recording via the TiVo service. The $700 SAT-HD100 can receive HDTV signals via DirecTV. The $300 SAT-A60 incorporates Wink Enhanced Broadcasting, an interactive-TV system. Sony, www.sony.com DirecTV, www.directv.com |
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