Go Go Gadget
By Mana Tominaga
There's more to the wireless market than Palm VIIs. The following selection of various emerging technologies and gadgets could help make your work seem a little more like play.
SyberSay's SoniCrystal is a lightweight earpiece with acoustic vector noise cancellation and adaptive speech filtering. In English, that means it blocks background noise pretty effectively. As CEO Steve Puthuff says, "We're only a few months away from cell phone users never having to lift, open, or dial a cell phone."
SoniCrystal Wireless is compatible with cell phones, cordless phones, computers, PDAs, and other appliances. It also allows for secure two-way communications.
MicroDisplay MicroMonitors are display systems with configuration for individual applications. If you're squinting at email on a cell-phone screen, these tiny, liquid crystal displays may be easier on the eyes.
Sony's prototype digital still camera weighs a mere 26 grams, with dimensions of 21.5 x 62.6 x 13.0mm, making it the world's smallest digital camera. It has a built-in LCD that uses the Memory Stick Duo (64MB) to hold about 1000 images—image size: VGA (640 x 480 dots). Check the Sony site for updated product information.
Apple's AirPort Base Station uses a physical connection to access the Internet and wireless connections to communicate with AirPort-enabled computers. The base station has an RJ-11 connector for the built-in 56Kbps V.90 modem, and an RJ-45 connector for its built-in 10BASE-T Ethernet connection. AirPort uses the IEEE 802.11 Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) standard.<>
