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Gear
October 2000
Convergence in the flesh
| Burn baby, burn |
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Thanks to its IEEE 1394 interface, the Spressa i.LINK external CD-RW drive provides plug-and-play installation and speedy data transfers. The drive burns CD-R discs at 12X speed and CD-RWs at 8X. Sony, www.sony.com
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| Communication specialist |
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| The i550plus serves as a digital wireless phone, a two-way radio, a text pager, and an Internet access device. The handset’s two-way radio features let you chat instantly with one person or start an immediate conference call with an entire group. Motorola, www.motorola.com/iden |
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| Lift no finger |
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Pick up the phone, say “pizza,” and get connected to the local Domino’s without pressing a single button. That’s the promise of the vDot (voice dialing over tones) technology in Best Data’s 56K modems. The system uses voice recognition to recall pre-stored numbers, which it confirms with you before dialing. Best Data, www.bestdata.com |
| Private home theater |
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| If you’re not ready to invest in a full-blown home theater system, but still crave 5.1-channel Dolby Digital sound, take heart. WinDVD, a software DVD player for the PC, has received Dolby Headphone certification from Dolby Labs. Translation: theater-like audio through conventional headphones. InterVideo, www.intervideo.com |
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| Dial in |
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There goes another good excuse for being unreachable. The Digital Phone Card, a CompactFlash Type I device, allows Pocket PC handhelds to access the Internet via CDMA wireless phones. The card works with Motorola’s StarTAC, Timeport, Talkabout, and V.Series products. Socket Communications, www.digitalphonecard.com |
| Get high |
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| The $499 DISH HD Model 6000 satellite receiver lets you receive HDTV broadcasts from the DirecTV system. The device can output the video in full 1080-line glory to a high-definition TV, or downconvert it to standard definition if you’re not quite ready to invest in a high-priced display just yet. EchoStar, www.dishnetwork.com |
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| Roving eye |
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Unlike its PC-shackled forebears, the Pocket PC Camera can roam far and wide. When linked to the PC via its USB cradle, the $149 device has unlimited storage. Away from the desktop, it can capture 128 640-by-480-pixel images or two minutes of video in its 8 Mbytes of onboard memory. Intel, www.intel.com/pccamera |
| Value asset |
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| Targeting cost-conscious consumers, the Palm m100 offers a palatable $149 price tag and a choice of colorful face plates in colors such as Ruby Pearl (pictured). The handheld has a new Note Pad application that allows users to jot down freehand notes and doodles. Palm, www.palm.com |
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| Seeing double
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Both a DVD player and a hi-fi VCR, the DVR-5000 can conserve space in crowded entertainment centers. The $399 deck’s talents include recording a TV show while playing a DVD, recording non-protected DVD content onto VHS, and playing MP3-encoded CD-Rs.
Sensory Science, www.sensoryscience.com |
| World traveler
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The SpringPort Modem 56 GlobalACCESS plugs into the Handspring Visor PDA. The $149 device allows travelers to not only synchronize their data and access the Internet using a landline, but also to hook up to a GSM or packet-data cellular phone for wireless access. Xircom, www.Xircom.com
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| Get on TV
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With a regular TV and a phone line, the $350 InfoView system lets you engage in video conferences or monitor a remote location. The device requires no PC and sends video and voice via its built-in 33.6-kbit/sec modem. Innomedia, www.innomedia.com |
| Another entry |
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| National Semiconductor’s Geode platform is making it easier for a number of companies to get into the Internet-appliance market. The latest is Hong Kong-based monitor manufacturer Proview, whose iPAD mates a 15-inch display with National’s Geode GX processor to provide user-friendly Internet access. Proview, www.proview.net,
National Semiconductor, www.national.com |
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| Straight up |
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The AstraNET e3420 makes it easy for consumers to upload images directly to an online photo album, without saving the images to disk or building HTML pages. The $129 device comes with free Internet access and a one-year membership to ImageOL.com, including 50 Mbytes of online storage. UMAX Technologies, www.umax.com |
| Multitasker |
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| Powered by a version of the Linux OS, the Agenda VR3 can handle more than one task at a time. For example, you can write a memo while downloading email via the optional modem. The device starts at $149 with 8 Mbytes of RAM and 2 Mbytes of flash storage. Agenda Computing, www.agendacomputing.com |
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| Take it all |
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Why settle for a mere handful of songs when you could carry hours of music in the same space? The $199 SM-200C reads regular CDs and MP3 files burned onto CD-Rs and CD-RWs. Since an MP3 CD can easily hold more than 100 tracks, the player’s ability to display the artist and title comes in handy. Pine Technology, www.pineusa.com |
| Write on |
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| The VL-FD1U Viewcam, a digital camcorder, lets you use a stylus to enhance your video with doodles and handwritten annotations. The $1600 camera also offers thumbnail indexing, which helps you quickly access the footage you want to see. Sharp, www.sharp-usa.com |
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| The bell tolls? |
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We don’t hear the death knell for the VCR quite yet, but products like the DMR-E10 might eventually lead to that. The deck acts like a VCR but records MPEG-2-quality video on DVD-RAM discs. Why are we sure the VCR will stick around for a while? The DMR-E10’s MSRP is $3999. Panasonic, www.panasonic.com |
| Safe haven |
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| Palm users worried about losing precious data can soothe their fears with MemorySafe. The 3.5-ounce flash device comes in two flavors—one for the Palm V and another (pictured) for the Palm III, VII, and m100. You can choose between 2- and 8-Mbyte capacities for $45 and $65, respectively. Northstar Mobile, www.northstarmobile.com |
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| What’s in a name? |
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The CLIÉ (pronounced KLEE-ay) has a name that might make one wonder what they’ve been smoking in Sony’s marketing department. But it also boasts some compelling features. The $399 Palm-OS-based handheld sports an intriguing single-handed pointing device (the Jog Dial) and multimedia abilities including a video player. Sony, www.sony.com |
| Read me |
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| The REB1100 eBook can download new reading material directly via its built-in 56-kbit/sec software-implemented modem. The 17-ounce device can hold up to 20 books and is energy efficient enough to let you read its 5.5-inch screen for up to 40 hours. Thomson Consumer Electronics, www.rca.com |
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