Products for your wired world
Editor's Note: Send new product announcements to [email protected].Audio
Connect Your Receiver to Your PC
Yamaha released the RP-U200, a five-channel receiver and processor that works with computers. For example, the RP-U200 processes digital-format sound from a PC, eliminating radio frequency (RF) interference that can occur from processing sound through a PC's sound card. Surround processing circuitry includes Dolby Digital 5.1- and DTS 5.1-channel decoding, Virtual Dolby Digital, and Yamaha's Silent Cinema feature, which puts full surround sound through conventional two-channel headphones. The receiver facilitates recording and can handle analog-to-digital, digital-to-digital, and digital signal processor (DSP) recording. Other features include a 9-band and 18-step digital equalizer, a remote control, and a headphone jack.
The RP-U200 is compatible with PCs through a USB cable and costs $499. Contact Yamaha at 714-761-7300, 800-889-2624, or http://www.yamaha.com.
 |
Imaging
Take Pictures with Your Watch
Casio announced the WQV3D-8 and the WQV3-1, two new camera watches that can transfer full-color images to your PC. A 25,000-pixel color CMOS sensor lets you capture as many as 80 digital images. A built-in 16-gray-scale monochrome LCD panel serves as both the viewfinder and a playback monitor. The wrist cameras feature five alarms that you can set up to display a specific image when the watch hits a certain alarm time. You can use the watches' internal software to transfer and view an image. You can also transfer images between two wrist cameras.
When you record an image, you can input as many as 24 characters of memo text so that you can store phone numbers next to pictures. The In, Out, and Dusk recording modes let you configure the wrist camera to suit your shooting conditions. A record timer lets you select to release the shutter in either 2 seconds or 10 seconds.
The WQV3D-8 watch has a silver metal band and costs $269. The WQV3-1 watch has a black resin band and costs $249. Contact Casio at 800-836-8580 or http://www.casio.com.
Wireless
Access Your Personal Information
AirSpeak announced FLAIR, a handheld PC (H/PC) access device that lets you immediately access your personal PC information. FLAIR uses the 802.11b standard to operate over a combination of wired and wireless LANs. The handheld device lets you use a touch-screen to access your desktop information. The FLAIRView software technology provides a mirror image of your desktop. The device weighs 3 pounds and features high resolution and a 12" screen display. FLAIR operates and displays your PC without actually transferring files. You can use third-party VPN and encryption software with the device. FLAIR takes the document image from the desktop PC much like a fax transmission. Any changes you make to the information are saved on the desktop, so even if you lose FLAIR, nobody has access to your private files.
FLAIR costs $1985. Contact AirSpeak at 408-779-4656 or http://www.airspeak.com.
 |
Gaming
Play Games Online
Microsoft announced the Xbox, a video game system console and controller that includes an internal hard disk that you can use to store game information. The Xbox also features a 733MHz Intel processor and is Internet-capable, so you can play broadband games. The console comes with four game-controller ports that enable multi.player gaming, and features built-in rumble capability to enhance the gaming experience. You can purchase other peripherals, ranging from game pads to voice-activated headsets. The system also includes a front-loading DVD tray and an NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU). Game developers including Capcom, Eidos Interactive, INFOGRAMES, Sega, and Tecmo have announced Xbox support.
You can purchase the Xbox starting November 8, 2001, for $299. You'll need Internet access, broadband service, and hardware to play broadband-enabled games. Broadband capacity is scheduled to go live the first half of 2002. For more information or to receive updates on the console, visit http://www.xbox.com.
