A boob tube … with no tube
Philips’ 150MT pulls double-duty. This 15-inch LCD can display sharp pics from your PC or, with the flick of a switch, a television broadcast or videotape.
For keen multi-taskers, a picture-in-picture button lets you watch CNN as you word process (unlike some competing models, the TV picture appears in a resizable window). Unplug your 150MT from your computer, and it will function as a standalone TV — and one that’s flat enough to hang on your wall like a picture. Built-in speakers offer modest surround sound, while an S-Video connector offers an avenue to beefier audio.
Whether you’re watching Shortland Street or peering at a spreadsheet, an LCD is always more soothing on your eyes. If you want to take a step back from the web, the 150MT also offers 100-page functionality for good old Teletext.
The 150MT sells for $2499, a very tasty price tag for an LCD/TV combo; www.philips.co.nz
Simpler can be better
Not everything’s perfect on Bill Gates’ side of the PDA fence. Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system (used by HP, Compaq, Casio and Toshiba) can seem like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. (Question: when was the last time somebody actually showed you a PowerPoint chart on a handheld?) And while a colour screen can dazzle, it can also chew through a battery before lunchtime.
Enter Hand-Spring’s Visor Neo, which runs on the simple yet elegant Palm OS. Its cradle lets you sync with diary and to-do software on your Windows PC, or one of the thousands of apps written for the Palm platform. Standard memory is just 8MB, so you’ll want to add an optional module to the Neo’s Springboard slot to pump it up for digital music or wireless web access.
While the screen is a dull greyscale (the better to eke out days of battery life), the Neo’s case comes in three translucent choices: red, blue or “smoke”.
From $659; www.handspring.co.nz
Power in your pocket
Need a new rocket for your pocket?
Toshiba’s Pocket PC e570 is a top-shelf PDA that features lite versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer for business. And if you need to take a memo, the e570 has excellent handwriting recognition, plus a voice recording app. When it’s time to knock off, the e570 can double as an MP3 player or e-book reader.
The 65,000-colour display guarantees a good impression when you show off that sales chart or baby photo (baby photos are the colour PDA’s killer app, in case you hadn’t realised).
My only gripe: the screen is front-lit; back-lit is better for indoors.
The e570 has both CompactFlash and Secure Digital slots for adding more memory or a modem, and 64MB of memory — enough for some industrial-strength corporate connectivity (or really high-resolution baby snaps).
From $1794; www.toshiba.co.nz