Hardware We Just Love

by CBS News Technologist "Digital Dan" Dubno

Last week, we extolled the virtues of software that changed my life. This week, my producer, Bob Bicknell, forced me to dig through the foot-high pile of assorted new electronics on my desk to reveal the hardware we love best. First some nice mice that exceed expectations; then a couple of super-lightweight computers and "communicators" that are so powerful, stylish, and easy to carry that I end up carrying all of them with me when they're not buried under my desk pile.

Gyration Mouse
This is truly a great device for a niche market. Aimed squarely at those who give business presentations, the Gyration mouse is an optical pointing device that doesn't require a cable… or even a table. The gyroscopic technology inside allows you to use the mouse like you would laser pointer… simply wave your hand and the mouse will shadow your movements across the screen. The high-end model will work from 100 feet away. Obviously, you're not going to see a teeny tiny cursor from 100 feet on a 15-inch monitor. But if you give presentations on large or projection monitors, this is a must. The $179 Professional model comes with presentation software, as well as a battery backup. Best of all, it also doubles as a great optical mouse. (Bob was just giddy about this one!)

Logitech MX-series optical mice
Three not-so blind mice… these offerings from Logitech promise more precise performance from an optical mouse (that mean it doesn't have one of those little balls inside, that often get mucked up with desk stuff and crumbs). The MX 300 is a solid optical mouse, with a scroll wheel. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but a good choice at $39. The MX 500 features the same high-precision optical technology, but offers a more contoured feel, plus buttons that can help you navigate around a web page without ever touching the keyboard. Just click with your mouse hand to go forward and back. This model is $49. For $79, you can get the MX 700, which features everything the 500 has, except the cord. This wireless model is the Cadillac of optical mice. All are PC and Mac compatible.

Secugen Optimouse
I guess it's a little paranoid to have a mouse that only I can use, but SecuGen's fingerprint-reading mouse is very "James Bond" and is a fun way to control access to my computer. SecuGen's Optimouse merges the best of an optical pointing device with a fingerprint reader and comes with sophisticated encryption software. With the Optimouse, I can encrypt documents so that only I have access to them or decide to give selective access to others. In addition, the mouse allows you to make the system useless to someone else who may purloin my blessed computer (unless he somehow also cuts off my finger.) As these biometric devices are increasingly being used to verify who you are, you'll see biometric devices being used in conjunction with e-commerce and e-banking applications… perhaps electronic voting and other applications where authentication is needed. Cost: About $150

Targus's Defcon Authenticator PC Card Fingerprint Reader
For laptops, if you don't want to carry the Optimouse, you can use Targus's sleek fingerprint reader in a PC card. Only authorized users will be able to access information with this authenticator card. It comes with software but is compatible with IBM's Client Security Software and Embedded Security Chipset… an advanced encryption hardware chip in some computers which basically means that even the National Security Agency should have one heck of a time reading your private files if you encrypt them. On the other hand, maybe they will cut off your finger… Priced at $199.

IBM X30 Laptop
I mentioned the "Embedded Security Chipset" which IBM has included in some of their more advanced laptops. Well, this little tiger has that too, and a whole host of other "gotta have 'ems!" What's outrageous here is that this Pentium III computer has a 1.2 MHZ clock speed and, get this, weighs just 3 ½ pounds. Did I mention that the souped up version IBM lent me has both 802.11b (WIFI) and Bluetooth wireless connectivity built in? Oh, the battery… and have I mentioned the battery? It lasts for about 4 ½ hours and if you're flying across the country, with the add-on battery you get more than eight hours (yes, I said "EIGHT HOURS") before you need to charge it again. I was amazed that, with such a light laptop (in a mean titanium frame), they still had the good sense to include plenty of USB and FireWire ports. Should you want to carry a host of DVD drives and floppy drives and other swappable devices, you'll need to take along the "ultrabay" docking port which is also light-weight and no big deal. This little Pentium III beauty is all I want in a computer and less! (Less weight that is.) But the price starts at $1999… so, in this case especially, less is more.

Toshiba e740
I've been somewhat scornful of Microsoft's Pocket PC platform years past because it once was "fat" and offered clunky features I didn't want or need. Slowly, the Pocket PC has transformed from ugly duckling to swan software. Toshiba's e740 is a great platform for this much improved Windows operating system. If you know how to use Microsoft Word or Excel or Streets& Trips, you'll now have all of the functionality in the palm of your hand. But the killer feature of the Toshiba e740 is the built in WIFI 802.11b link so you can email and web surf at very acceptable speeds. The screen is very bright, but brightness eats up the rechargeable battery. This sleek handheld computer comes with built-in Secure Digital™ and CompactFlash™ II expansion slots so you can easily add whopping storage or add-ons like GPS devices and the like. You probably will need some smarty-pants computer geek to help you set up the 802.11b connection for you, unless you are a smarty-pants computer geek yourself. I'm hooked on this now as my main organizer as it is joyous to synchronize with my desktop Outlook Contacts and scheduling software. I've even begun aggressively using the voice recording feature to make audio note reminders for myself. These audio notes show up, after synchronizing, right in Outlook. The Toshiba e740 is, ahem, a mere $599, so don't lose it.

Palm ZIRE
The Palm Zire is the latest offering from Palm. In the spectrum of Palm products, this is very entry level. It packs only 2 megabytes of memory and features one of the most petite Palm OS screens we've ever seen. Expansion options are also non-existent. That's the downside. The upside is that this stylish little device, which is great for students and people new to handhelds, costs only $99, and is available at your nearest office supply store. Do we wish they'd spent the few bucks more and gave it at least 8 megabytes of storage? Yeah. But chances are the eighth grader in your life who will use the heck out of this thing to keep track of phone numbers and calendar stuff won't care. And he'll still be able to play "Mine Hunt" and "Hard Ball" when he should be doing his school work.

Danger's T-Mobile Sidekick
This thing just plain kicks. This is actually a device made by a company called "Danger," and we think it's so cool, it's dangerous. It's called a "Hip-top," sort of a cross between a laptop and a handheld computer. The question is not "what does it do?", but rather, "what doesn't this thing do?" Let's just run down the quick list…it's a phone, it's a web browser, it's an AOL-compatible instant messenger, it's an organizer, it's an email machine, it's an address book, it's a color digital camera, it's a notebook and it's wrapped one of the slickest cases we've ever seen. The device costs about $200 and the service, through T-Mobile, formerly Voicestream Wireless, is about $40 a month. We were sad it couldn't make us coffee YET. I bet that's coming soon…