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Last-Minute High-Tech Gifts

From Super Cell Phones To In-House Intercoms, Consider Giving The Gift Of Communications


By Russell Shaw, Contributing Writer
December 10, 1999, 2:42 p.m. EST

For many of us, the holiday season is a time where we promise to do a better job of keeping in contact with the ones we love, like a lot, or do business with.

IBS illustration by Melissa WarpTechnology can help us to do so. Devices that make it easy for us to stay in touch with each other make great gifts this time of year.

We'll help you round out your gift options. Let's talk about digital phones, smart phones, two-way pagers, hand-held PCs with keyboards, intercoms, and, why not, satellite phones.

Many of us have had cellular phones for some time now. Not so long ago, the sound at the other end of the line was only slightly more audible than the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander. And good luck trying to configure it to act as a pager, as well.

Nokia 6160 PCS phoneI've been using a digital Nokia 6160 PCS phone (pictured at left) for some time now. I like its ability to remember up to 199 names and numbers, as well as its calculator, clock and calendar functions. You can also configure it to act as a pager. The Nokia 6160 sells for around $250.

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Motorola PageWriter 2000XTwo-way pagers let you send messages as well as receive them. You can keep track of appointments and even get brief news alerts over the Web. They cost around $350-$400.
Here are two good ones:

  • The Motorola PageWriter 2000X (pictured at right) can store up to 10,000 messages, weighs less than a half-pound, and costs around $350.

    RIM Inter@ctive Pager 950

  • The RIM Inter@ctive Pager 950 (pictured, left) holds 12,000 messages or 2,000 contact entries, tips the scales at about 5 ounces, and is tagged at around $350.

    Ring-Ring: It's Your E-Mail

    the pdQ 1900MHzSmart phones have built-in browsers that will let you send and receive e-mail, from your loved one ("When are you coming home"?) or your client ("The meeting has been pushed back till Monday"). They are becoming common in Europe and are starting to make their appearance here.
    Here are two recommendations:

    NeoPoint 1000

  • Qualcomm's pdQ 1900MHz (pictured at right) weighs 10 ounces, is compatible with PalmPilots and synchronizes data with your computer, date book, address book, e-mail and Web browser. Missing that phone number? You can look it up here. At $800, it's a bit pricey, but that's to be expected of a brand-new product. It should come down soon.

  • Is that a bit too pricey? The NeoPoint 1000 (at left) has a built-in wireless modem, its own Web browser, and can send and receive e-mail. It costs $400.

    Don't Call Them Big Palmtops

    Hand-held PCs with keyboards are not palmtops, like the Palm III connected organizer or the Casio Cassiopeia . Neither are they miniaturized laptop computers. They are their own species, with modems, Web access, and better docking capability with PCs than ever before.

    Psion Series 5Hand-helds generally weigh three pounds or less, about half as zaftig as laptops. The cost ranges from slightly less than $1,000 to half that.

    The Psion: Series 5 Handheld Computer (pictured, above right) is a tiny, 12.5-ounce device that comes with a built-in spreadsheet and Web browser. It costs only $499, but doesn't come with a modem. That will cost you another $125 or so.

    Psion Series 5The HP Jornada 680 from Hewlett-Packard (left) weighs a pound, costs $900 and comes with built-in software that lets you open up and read e-mail attachments -- like those digital pictures of your new grandchild.

    Communication Within The House

    a cheap intercom systemA number of years ago, my grandmother had a small stroke and then came to live with us. Our home had three floors, which made communication tough. We ended up using a barebones, low-tech intercom system.

    If we were making that choice today, we'd look at products like the IM-4406 Intercom . It costs a bit more than $900. Sounds like a lot, but if you have a family situation where such a tool is needed, you won't pause to consider the price.

    If you're only looking for communication between two points, such as the kid's room and your bedroom, you can get by a lot cheaper with something like the NOVI WI-2C 2 Channel FM Wireless Intercom, which sells for less than $50.

    Never Out Of Range

    satellite phoneOK, now let's really have some fun. Does your significant other or business partner travel to exotic parts of the globe where conventional cell phones would poop out? Is your daughter in the Peace Corps, for example? For $4,000, you can get a Satellite Series 9500 Portable Phone. You won't be incommunicado anywhere on the planet.

    With these gifts, when you tell them, "Keep in touch," they'll know you mean it.

    Copyright 2001 by TheBostonChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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