Portrait of a OS

by Liz Levy


MAGIC WAND
The RemotePoint RF, from Interlink Electronics, is a USB remote, perfect for PC presentation givers. The remote has a 100-foot cordless range with no line-of-sight restrictions and no interference from fluorescent lighting like other infrared devices. Using RemotePoint RF, the user has “point and click” command of a PC through a 360-degree “mouse” button. RemotePoint RF requires Windows 95 or 98, an available USB or PS/2 port, a 3.5-inch disk drive, and 5MB of available hard drive space.


Interlink Electronics; 800-340-1331; www.interlinkelectronics.com; $249


PRINT EMERGENCY
If a printing emergency arises, no need to panic, just hop onto ImageX.com. The site’s Small Business Printing Center allows users to quickly design, proof, and order business materials like letterhead and business cards. Several templates and color schemes are available. The site also offers promotional pieces such as coffee mugs and mouse pads. Most orders are sent by UPS ground, and take three to seven days to receive. Other shipping options are available.


ImageX.com Inc.; 800-959-7845; www.imagex.com; prices vary


ELECTRONIC WHITEBOARD
Whiteboards are great presentation tools, but they don’t offer a way to save the valuable information you write. eBeam from Electronics for Imaging converts any conventional whiteboard into a digital capture device so users can save the information as electronic images. eBeam works with standard dry erase markers, which users pop into an electronic sleeve. This allows writing to be picked up by two small receivers, which clip onto the corners of a whiteboard. Notes and diagrams can be saved into documents, spreadsheets, e-mails, and Web pages. The eBeam software requires Windows 95/98/NT 4.0 (other platform users may view the electronic images by installing a client viewer).


Electronic for Imaging Inc.; 877-GO-EBEAM; www.ebeam.efi.com; $500


BEGINNER PBX
Are you supporting multiple employees off of one or two phone lines? PremiseNet offers a great sharing solution with MAXX, its PBX (private branch exchange) telephone system. MAXX plugs directly into a standard telephone outlet and works with any type of telephone to offer up to eight password-protected voice mailboxes off of one or two phone lines. Users can customize the system and access their voice mailboxes while someone else is on the phone. Features include auto attendant, call blocking, and caller announcement. MAXX also automatically routes calls to individual mailboxes based on caller prompts or caller ID information, and routes faxes to fax machines. Maxx can support up to 12 devices, including phones, fax machines, or computer modems.


PremiseNE, Inc.; 877-PBX-7171; www.premisenet.com; $799


LANTASTIC
For those new to the networking game, the LiveWire SOHO Networking Kit is a good starting point. The kit contains everything needed to set up a small, high-speed Local Area Network (LAN). An Ethernet network allows the sharing of peripherals, including printers and modems, along with files, among all computers on the LAN. Included is a five port 10/100 dual-speed hub with an uplink port and LED indicators, two 10/100 PCI Networking Interface Cards (NICs), and two 25-foot cables. The networking hardware works with DOS, WIN 3.X/9X, and NT 4.0.


New Media Technology; 949-597-0888; www.newmediatechcorp.com; $99.99


NEXT GENERATION CORDLESS PHONE
The “hands free” cordless phone from Plantronics allows users to roam the office free from the tether of wires. The CT10 cordless telephone comes with a lightweight headset, and a small (3 inches high, by 1.75 inches wide, by 1.75 inches deep) remote dialing unit that clips onto a users clothing, or can be held. The 900 MHz telephone has a 150-foot cordless range and it offers six hours of talk time and 80 hours of standby. The remote unit features a full telephone keypad with flash, redial, and 10-number memory. The base of the phone plugs directly into a standard telephone outlet and the unit is backed by a one-year warranty.


Plantronics; 800-544-4660; www.plantronics.com; $129.95

Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing addresses the technology needs of small businesses, which are defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees and/or less than $7 million in annual sales.

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