A Holiday Guide To High-Tech Gadgetry

Craig Gates, executive vice president at Spokane’s Key Tronic Corp., feels lighter on his feet.

Until recently, Gates greeted co-workers and customers carting an armload of paper: organizer, phone list, business cards, to-do lists and notepads of action items.

No more. Gates traded the paper mound for a technological gizmo the size of his hand called a Palm Pilot. Introduced last year by 3Com, the Pilot is one of the hottest tech-toys on the market.

Dubbed a “personal digital assistant,” the Pilot features an electronic calendar, datebook, to-do list and memo pad. Using the stylus, it allows for handwritten note-taking.

First there was the mainframe computer, as large as the state of Montana. Then the desktop personal computer hit the market, signifying a great leap onto the information highway. Computing became more powerful and more ubiquitous, requiring less hardware for fewer dollars. There are now computers that fit into your palm and eventually into a wristwatch.

These new technologies are transforming conventional communication devices in the home and office. The rising popularity of the Internet and its largest component, the World Wide Web, has yielded a host of Internet-related hardware and software, such as WebTV, a set-top box and Internet service that brings the Web onto your television screen.

“There is a trend called convergence, where the barriers will diminish between the technologies of television, stereo and the Internet,” says Future Shop’s public relations manager, Eric Ommundsen, from the company’s headquarters in Canada.

The most fundamental change in the future of information is that almost all of it will be digital. Photographs, films and videos are being converted into digital information, which has profound implications for home entertainment.

The home theater concept is burgeoning with digital video-disc systems bringing movie-studio quality into the family room. Images are sharper and brighter and the sound is clearer. Television screens are sporting new designs in cinema-format, with flatter and wider screens for better picture resolution. Screens continue to get bigger without compromising picture quality, and thinner, too. In 1998, look for television screens that are 3 to 4 inches wide and can be hung on the wall.

Electronics for the home and office are increasing our efficiency as we work, plan and communicate. These devices are helping to manage finances, time, tasks and social life.

Too bad they don’t promise to improve your golf game … yet. For the gadget-junkies - the ones who must have the latest, hottest, sleekest, smartest, newest electronic gadgets on the block - there is plenty on the market to ogle. Digital appliances are faster, smaller and cooler than ever. Here’s a sampling (manufacturers’ suggested retail price is quoted):

Dimage V Digital Camera, by Minolta ($795)

Real estate brokers, among others, will enjoy the convenience of a digital camera. Rather than requiring film, the digital camera records images on a memory card which acts like a miniature version of a computer floppy disc. The memory card can be downloaded into a computer and the photo cropped or inserted into a page of text. Using a color laser printer, the image can then be printed with impressive resolution. Approximately 16 images can be stored in the highest resolution mode, and 40 images stored in the standard mode.

DVP-S7000 Digital Audio Disc Player, by Sony ($1,199)

For the demanding audio- or videophile, DVD is the next generation of home video entertainment. The DVD platform brings the movie theater experience into the home with brighter colors, sharper pictures and outstanding audio quality through digital technology.

A digital video disc (DVD) looks like a compact disc (CD), but instead of playing music only, it can deliver more than two hours of movies, concerts and other visual programming. The DVD outperforms video, since it can be played hundreds of times without picture degradation and you can jump from scene to scene in a split second without needing to rewind.

Sony is one of the highest rated systems available, able to play CDs and DVDs. Its picture approaches studio quality and the sound is superb because of the new audio system called Dolby Digital Multi-Channel Surround Sound. Movies are available for purchase in DVD format for about $20, with the selection of movie titles growing rapidly.

Palm Pilot Organizer, by 3Com ($299)

At 5.7 ounces, this is one of the most popular personal digital assistant (PDA). It is the same size as a wallet and intuitive to learn. The organizer lets you key in thousands of phone and fax numbers, e-mail and home addresses. The to-do list can be coded according to categories you create. The calendar will flag dates to help you remember deadlines, meetings and trips.

A favorite feature is its Graffiti language, a format that users quickly learn to enable the Pilot to record handwritten notes and memos. The Hot Sync technology instantly synchronizes and backs up the data on your Pilot with data on your PC. Popular with doctors, executives and busy moms, the Pilot becomes a portable extension of the home or office computer.

WebTV set top box and Internet service, by WebTV Networks Inc. ($199-$299)

One of the first products to blend television and the Internet is from WebTV Networks Inc. The WebTV set-top box sits atop the television, hooking into the TV and existing phone line. Using a remote-control device and wireless keyboard, the user connects onto the Internet with a single click to combine television viewing with Internet Web-browsing, e-mail and a host of personalized content features. After purchasing the hardware, customers are billed a flat rate of $19.95 per month to use the WebTV network service.

GPS Receivers by Eagle, Magellan and DeLorme companies ($150-$700)

Whether you hike, bike or ski, GPS can tell you where you are, where you are planning to go, and how to return. An acronym for Global Positioning System, GPS is a collection of satellites that orbit the Earth and transmit highly accurate, worldwide positioning and navigation information to a handheld receiver.

When you plan your next hike, you can find coordinates of turns, rest stops and campsites from a GPS map and input these waypoints into your GPS receiver. This is your route and as you hike, GPS can tell you your speed and bearing. It will show the distance to your next waypoint and whether you have strayed from your chosen path.

Or, if you like to head off on a new trail without pre-planning your trip, you can use GPS to save your route and waypoint information for the next time you make the journey.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WHERE TO FIND THEM Featured products are available at area electronics stores, including Future Shop, Acme TV, Lloyd’s TV & Appliance, Magnolia Hi Fi, Huppins, Office Depot and Radio Shack.