Companies offer options for a converged digital world
They are the latest in digital home entertainment, so new we're not even sure what to call them. They are Internet-enabled boxes you connect to your stereo system, TV and home network that are designed to play MP3s and Internet radio as well as host your music collection.
They are the closest thing to the "convergence" that the consumer electronics industry has been promising for years.
A reviewer from San Francisco looked at three of the newest on the market: Compaq's iPAQ Music Center ($1,000), Hewlett Packard's Digital Entertainment Center ($1,000), above, and ZapStation ($1,500) from ZapMedia. They all accept MP3 files from personal computers and, with varying limitations, the Internet. All three rip tracks directly from CDs and display on-screen guides on your TV.
The ZapStation comes equipped with a DVD-ROM, while the HP unit has a CD burner.
So who's the big winner?
Hewlett Packard for ease of use, smooth networking and stylish design. For those keen on video and Internet browsing outside the walled gardens Compaq and HP offer ZapStation has potential.
Palm speaks OS X
www.palm.com/macintosh/publicbeta/
Palm just released a beta version of its desktop personal-information management software for Mac OS X.
With it, owners of Palm organizers can synchronize their handheld computers to computers running Apple's new operating system without having to use older Palm software in a sometimes awkward compatibility mode. The new 4.0 release also available for Apple's older Mac OS 9 operating system is a free download at Palm's Web site.
PC security gets personalwith fingerprint scanner
Fingerprints, as everyone knows, are unique. Using that aspect for security purposes and not crime solving, DigitalPersona has developed U.are.U Personal, a fingerprint scanner for Windows XP.
The scanner, which retails for $69.99, uses your prints to secure your computer. It's a small box that installs via your PC's USB port.
With it, you can log on to your Windows XP account and, with the operating system's Fast User Switching function, easily flip between users at the touch of a finger. People who have not yet upgraded to Microsoft's latest operating system are out of luck.
Prints are stored and encoded as small files on your hard drive. They use a one-way encoding, so even if your computer is stolen your fingerprints can't be derived from the files. (Besides, if the thieves really want your fingerprints, they can just lift them off your keyboard.)
You also can use the box to encode individual files to your prints or automatically log yourself in to Web sites.
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