Peripheral LUXURY

If you dont think you really need a digital photo frame for your showcaseeven though it can double up as a digital clock-alarm-calendarthis can be put to use as a mediaplayer to carry to your bed. Since it comes with 2GB internal memory,you can tuck in some movies along with your photos and music. But I would have loved this little gizmo to come with a chargeable battery so that I can take it one my long train journeys home. The sound reproduction,through small speakers at the back of the unit,is pretty decentfor better effect you can plug in a headphone.
The frames also come with advanced editing features that allow users to create photo slideshows with visual effects,dont expect much from this feature though. Media can be saved on to the frame through an USB,or using the multiple memory card options.
_Nandagopal Rajan

PENNING A MAGIC
Collating data from numerous forms will be much easier and faster now,thanks to the Xcallibre digital pen. This wonder pen can transfer handwritten notes from paper forms to your back-office database along with graphics and pictures within a few minutes. It is used like an ordinary pen,but on paper embedded with unique dot patterns. As you fill the customised form,a camera in the pen registers its movement across the surface of the dotted pattern and creates a digital image. The encrypted data is then transferred and submitted with the help of a designated PC or a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to a database or receiving PC for processing.

The Xcallibre software sends a confirmation message to the mobile when the information arrives and instructs the pen to delete its local cache. If the form hasnt been filled correctly,the software sends a message advising the user to correct the errors. The forms processor server,with a handwriting recognition enhancement library,ensures a good accuracy percentage. Other errors can be edited on the PC.
Shambhu Sahu

DREAM AT A PRICE
The Pure-Fi Dream is at the very pinnacle of technology,bringing home the best of digital music in a very small package. It is an iPod doc,an AM/FM player and music alarm all rolled into one. It is a wonderful iPod dock with great sound reproduction,an interface made with the Apple cuties in mind and a remote that does most of the work for you. The song display and backlit controls,even on the remote,are very thoughtful.

However,surprisingly the speakers ran into severe turbulence lets not say noise every time I tried to increase the volume beyond a point. Setting up the device is also a bit of a hassle,and the FM tuner is the only feature you can use without poring over the manual. Thankfully,universal dock adapters for most iPod models have been provided with the unit,but you will need to use yours,or get a new one,for the newer models. The alarm is a great feature with a large-size snooze button that has been designed with sleepy souls in mind. But the power adapter,almost as big as the unit,is a big put off. Moreover,I dont know how many will be willing to pay Rs 17,995,more than the iPod Touch,for a dock. But go ahead if you were looking for a cheaper option for the Boses SoundDock.

ACOUSTICS ON THE GO
A regular hands-free unit cannot do full justice to the potential of Bluetooth. So,I was awestruck by the clarity of sound the Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile could spew out from its four tiny speakers,feeding on my Walkman phone a few feet away,all via Bluetooth. In fact,it would be insulting to call the Pure-Fi Mobile a set of speakers for you mobile phone,laptop or iPod,it is far more than that. My Goliath like music system was put to shame by this little Davidit will easily fit into your laptop bagwho packs a punch much beyond good acoustics.

Once synced,it can turn into a full-size speakerphone with dedicated buttons for accepting,ending and muting calls. The built-in mic ensures there is no voice drop even when you are a few feet away. Logitech claims it can play music from your phone within a 10-meter radius,but I did encounter some disturbance after about three feetcould have been interference from electronic/electric fields. But when in full sync it is impossible to make out that the music is being transmitted wirelessly. It can also connect to your laptop through Bluetooth or USB and to your iPod using a 3.5 mm jack provided in the box.
However,Logitech has not yet mastered the art of pricing for India and the Pure-Fi Mobile costs a steep Rs 10,995.

VIEW TUBE
Small,but great form
The Acer Aspire Revo,the first ultra small form factor PC to feature the NVIDIA ION graphics processor,is a revolution in desktop computing. Apart from its low energy consumption and reduced dimensions it consumes just a litre of space it has the graphic capability worthy of a true multimedia PC. Buyers have the choice of a Serial ATA Hard Drive of up to 1TB and up to 4GB of DDR2 memory. Its VESA mount offers vertical adjustment ensuring that the power-on button,webcam and memory card reader are always perfectly accessible from the top of any LCD display used. The Revo comes preloaded with Vista Home Premium and is Windows 7 Ready,has an ET style webcam,wireless keyboard,wireless mouse,stylish stereo speakers all coloured white and costs Rs 25,235.

A clicker for the kids
YOUR pre-schooler can start contributing to the family photo archives if he gets his hands on the latest Kidizoom cameras from VTech. The 2-megapixel model,the Kidizoom Plus,has a 2x digital zoom,a movie mode with sound,256 MB of memory and an SD memory slot. Theres a binocular-style optical viewfinder plus a preview screen that works with direction keys to serve up five surprisingly fun arcade-style games. An onboard photo editor transforms photos into jigsaw puzzles,and,surprisingly,the photos aren8217;t too bad. The cheaper 0.3-megapixel Kidizoom has the same features minus the optical viewfinder. Both cameras include a Macintosh/Windows photo editor,a crude auto flash,USB and AV cables to connect to your computer or TV,and run on four AA batteries.

Bose keeps it simple
STREAMING music from a computer to a home sound system is old hat,but many consumers have been intimidated and bedeviled by the requirements of the connections,whether through a wireless network,a wired Ethernet cable setup or some other complex configuration. But at Bose,methodology conforms to the venerable KISS adage: keep it simple,stupid. The idea is that SoundLink,a speaker box,which looks much like the Bose SoundDock system for iPods,receives a wireless signal from a transmitter that plugs directly into the computers USB port. Bose says the link is long-range and works through most walls and floors. It also has a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack to power the speakers for up to three hours.

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