Fringe Dwellers

Sun Herald

Sunday August 20, 2000

JOHN HAMPSHIRE

Outside the usual range of peripheral devices like printers and scanners are some tricky products designed to enhance your life in the cyber zone. JOHN HAMPSHIRE reports.

HERE you are, the PC is finally up and running exactly the way you want it. Now there's a minute to catch your breath and take a look around the computer shop.

And unless you already know someone with some of these gadgets, you'll suddenly realise there's a whole world of devices spawned by computer technology which can change the way you work and live.

Here are some of the most useful around at the moment, plus one that's on the way.

Palm IIIc

Personal digital assistants or PDAs have been rather slow to take off, even if industry leader Palm has sold millions of units globally. But change is in the wind: more powerful devices and mobile phones that let users check their e-mails, track stock prices and connect to the internet are creating a burgeoning market.

PDAs come from several makers and provide scheduling, diary and note-taking functions as well as internet connection, but we've chosen market leader Palm to discuss because it has dozens of accessories to choose from. Palm's latest version, the IIIc - the "c" stands for colour - has better processing power, increased battery life and 8MB of RAM. By using the supplied stylus and tapping on the screen, you can open an e-mail, write a memo or make a to-do list.

Price: $899.

Source: Widely available, or check www.palm.com.

Kodak PalmPix

If you decide to get a Palm PDA, here's a brilliant little add-on. Kodak's PalmPix camera module transforms a standard Palm into a full-colour, pocket-sized camera which also works with the mono screen Palms. The PalmPix clips onto the base of any Palm III unit and captures quite good quality colour images, with the Palm screen as a slightly fuzzy viewfinder and image display. The images are readily transferred to a host PC, which then lets you use the accompanying software for photo editing and slide shows. A cheap and very simple way to get a snap.

Price: $349.

Source: Widely available, or check www.kodak.com.au/AU/en/.

QuickLink handheld scanner

Entering information into your PDA isn't always easy when you're away from a PC, especially if you're talking about lots of text. The QuickLink is one answer to the problem. This handheld "pen" scanner can be swiped over text, which is displayed on the unit's LCD screen. Press a couple of buttons and the QuickLink will beam the text directly to your organiser via the infrared port, or to your PC via the cable for larger downloads. It can store up to 1,000 pages of text.

It's a little tricky to use, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly - and even if you have to clean up the text a bit, it's still heaps faster than the alternative.

Price: $379-$399.

Source: Widely available. Call WizCom on 1800 092 000 or check www.wizcom.com.au.

Little Devil USB modem

Despite all this talk of wireless Internet connections, the vast majority of users still need a cabled modem. This can be quite a drag if you're on the road a lot with a laptop. The AusLinx Little Devil packs the wallop of a high-speed device in a case smaller than a packet of cigarettes at 9.5cm long by 6cm wide and 1.5cm deep. It weighs 50g. It uses universal serial bus (USB) technology to connect to your computer, doing away with all the hassles configuring the standard com ports. The Little Devil works on any PC with a USB port, including the Apple iMac.

Price: $149.

Source: Widely available.

Grand Ultimate 2000

Sending images from PC to television (and vice versa) is something we've been able to do for a while now, so it's not exactly leading edge stuff. But it usually means buying a top end - and therefore expensive - graphics device or card.

Yet most of the hard work for the card is in capturing video, so if all you want is one-way traffic, from your PC to the TV, then this little plug-and-play (meaning that it's no fuss to install) item is a much cheaper and very satisfactory alternative.

Why would you want to send your PC monitor display to a TV?

The most obvious answer is to watch video CD-ROM and DVD movies through your computer disk drives, instead of having to buy a dedicated unit for the TV. This function alone is enough for many people.

Price: $299.

Source: David Reid Electronics, 127 York Street, Sydney. Phone: 02 9267 1385.

WebPAD wireless internet access unit

There is growing interest in easy-to-use, take-anywhere devices that provide access to the Internet, ranging from WAP mobile phones and interactive TV set-top boxes to WebPADs (personal access devices), The chip maker National Semiconductor is launching its clipboard-sized WebPAD "by Christmas" and expects to sell strongly in the home and Internet cafe markets because of the simplicity of installation and use.

The units will appeal to households which may not need or want a full PC set-up, yet which would like an Internet connection.

Price: Like mobile phones, you'll get the device for free and sign up for a contract for about $20 a week.

Source: Distribution arrangements to be announced.