Not long ago, there were few choices in computer hardware. If you had a monitor, systems unit, printer and modem, you pretty much had everything.

But more recently, there's been an explosion of small hardware add-ons, commonly known as computer peripherals. Examples include scanners, digital cameras, microphones, speakers and personal digital assistants -- just to name a few.In general, these devices serve one of two functions: helping you get information into your computer, or helping you get it out.

In addition to the growing variety, these peripherals share another characteristic. They tend to be relatively cheap as computer equipment goes -- generally under $300 and frequently under $200.

As a result, small peripherals are increasingly popular gift items for computer enthusiasts, for whom software was once the only relatively affordable gift choice.

What follows is a sampling of new peripherals, many of which were on display last month at Comdex, the computer industry's annual trade show in Las Vegas.

One word about costs: The prices here are either the suggested retail price, or the "street price," an estimate of what the device will actually cost in retail stores. But be aware that substantial discounts can often be found by shopping around.

Product: TelMail TM-20

Maker: Sharp

Price: $149

Web: www.sharp-usa.com

Need e-mail anywhere, anytime? TelMail could be your answer.

This snappy little device lets you send and receive e-mail using an ordinary telephone.

Just dial the phone, then hold TelMail to the receiver. Your mail comes and goes through an acoustic connection. Works from any phone in the world.

The device requires a subscription to the PocketMail e-mail service, which costs $9.95 a month for unlimited messaging. The first month is free. Faxes are 25 cents extra for U.S. service, $1 for international destinations.

TelMail features a separate e-mail inbox and outbox, an address book, calendar/scheduler and memo function.

Battery life is 50 hours with two AA batteries.

Product: Zip 250

Maker: Iomega

Price: $199

Web: www.iomega.com

Iomega's hit removable storage product just got hotter.

The latest edition of the Zip drive, just announced at last month's Comdex trade show, now uses removable disks capable of holding 250 megabytes of data.

Better yet, the drive is backward compatible with existing 100-meg Zip disks. In other words, all your old Zip disks -- assuming you own any of the 100 million such disks already sold -- will work in the new drive.

Because of its new high capacity, the Zip drive is a better choice than ever for backing up data and storing bulky files, such as graphics, sound and video clips, and desktop publishing documents.

The drive is available with a parallel port connection for PCs and a SCSI connection for Macintosh computers. Software is included.

And if you don't need that much space, older-style Zip drives holding 100 megs per disk are still available at about $99.

Product: SpeechMike

Maker: Philips

Price: $70

Web: www.speech.philips.com

Your computer wants you to talk to it.

Internet telephony, voice-recognition software, audio e-mail, video conferencing -- the applications are growing daily.

But if you want to talk, you've got to have something to talk into. That's where the SpeechMike comes in.

SpeechMike serves as a high-quality hand-held computer microphone. And that's only the beginning.

SpeechMike includes a built-in speaker, so you can hear as well as talk. It's also got a trackball for controlling your PC's cursor.

Want more? Go for the SpeechMike Pro, which includes all of the above plus play, pause, record, fast forward and backward controls for use in dictation. The extra functionality raises the price to $150.

Product: CanoScan FB320 flatbed scanner

Maker: Canon

Price: $79

Web: www.ccsi.canon.com

Canon's making a splash with a sleek new line of inexpensive color scanners.

At the low end is the CanoScan FB320, which scans 30-bit images at a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch).

Computer users will appreciate the scanner's thin design and small "footprint," which is a fancy way of saying it doesn't take up a lot of space on your desk.

Scanners are great for creating graphics-rich Web pages and printouts, such as greeting cards and fliers. The CanoScan comes with its own image-editing software to help you with those chores.

For those needing better performance, there's the CanoScan FB620. It's identical to its cheaper cousin, except that it can scan at 600 dpi.

Product: Pocket Viewer PV100

Maker: Casio

Price: $129

Web: www.casio.com

With the success of 3Com's Palm Pilot, practically everyone in the computer industry is trying to create a similar product. In Casio's case, that's the affordable Pocket Viewer PV-100.

The hand-held device has got a memory like an elephant, storing 3,000 contacts, 3,000 appointments, 1,500 expense notations and 150 memos.

Other functions include a to-do list, clock, calendar, alarm and calculator and more. For an extra $20, you can get a cradle that connects your PV-100 to your PC and the Microsoft Outlook scheduler software.

(Casio also makes versions that interact with Lotus Organizer, Lotus Notes, ACT!, GoldMine, Ecco Pro and DayTimer. Prices vary.)

The device weighs just 4.8 ounces and runs for about 55 hours on two AA batteries.

Product: Backpack Bantam portable CD-ROM drive

Maker: MicroSolutions

Price: $249

Web: www.micro-solutions.com

If you're stuck with a PC or laptop that doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, the Backpack Bantam may offer the solution.

Thin, lightweight and rugged, the Backpack Bantam still offers the performance of many of its bulkier competitors.

The device, which links to your computer's parallel port with a short cable, is a 24-speed drive. It weighs just 23 ounces, including the universal power supply that comes standard.

For an extra $50, you can get a version that has a built-in sound card, so you can plug in external audio speakers. It only weighs 1 more ounce.

Product: CardScan Executive

Maker: Corex Technologies

Price: $279

Web: www.cardscan.com

Here's the solution to every traveling businessperson's nightmare.

CardScan allows you to feed that mass of business cards you collect into a small electronic device. And in seconds, the cards are scanned, sorted and dropped into a database where you can find them again when you need them.

Sure, there are lots of scanners on the market. But this special-purpose device actually does the job it advertises and does it well.

Data collected with CardScan can be moved quickly into most of the popular organizer/scheduler programs, including Microsoft Outlook, ACT!, Lotus Notes, PalmPilot, Lotus Organizer, GoldMine and more.

Comes with a 30-day unconditional guarantee.

Product: SideWinder Freestyle Pro

Maker: Microsoft

Price: $74.95

Web: www.microsoft.com/sidewinder

Take your PC gaming to a new level with this special controller device from Microsoft.

SideWinder Freestyle Pro picks up where traditional joysticks leave off, giving the user new powers to control their play in arcade-style flying and driving games.

Internal sensors respond to tilting left, right, forward and back -- making the device perfect for games featuring a 3-D landscape. Separate buttons allow weapons control.

Product: PC Dash

Maker: Saitek Industries

Price: $69.95

Web: www.saitekusa.com

View Comments

Memorizing scores of keyboard commands can be taxing for even the most experienced computer user. PC Dash aims to end all that.

Hook this device up to your PC and it will reduce many complicated mouse and keyboard commands to simple keystrokes.

Good for both business software -- such as spreadsheets and word-processing programs -- and games.

Pre-written "command sheets" that come with the device, or can be downloaded over the Internet, help speed the programming process for commonly used software.

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