A pearl of a cellphone
Cool-looking cellphones don’t have to cost a bundle. Consider Virgin Mobile’s Oystr. Priced at just $30, the clamshell phone from Kyocera Wireless sports a metallic pearly white frame and an internal color display. Weighing a bit more than 3 ounces, the cellphone features text messaging, Web access and musical ring tones.
www.virginmobileusa.com, www.kyocera-wireless.com
Just the fax, ma’am
Sharp’s BroadbandFax can send or receive faxes through traditional phone lines and via e-mail when using a broadband connection. Using the unit’s built-in keyboard, you can type an e-mail address and then e-mail a fax to someone who doesn’t have a fax machine at home. The UX-B800SE also can send incoming faxes to your e-mail address, allowing you to access faxes when you’re on the road. The machine includes a copier, a phone, a 20-sheet document feeder and a built-in scanner that lets you scan and fax documents as PDF and TIFF files without a computer. Cost: $160.
www.sharpusa.com
File transfer made almost painless
Buying a new computer can be exciting – until you try to copy all of your important files to it from your old PC. Laplink’s newest version of its PCmover software can simplify the task. The Windows program can automatically migrate multiple users and their configurations from an old computer to a new one. It can move all sorts of files, including network, browser and firewall settings, as well as entire programs. The software can move these files even when the two PCs run on different versions of Windows. The Network Edition costs $30. The Standard Edition, which includes a USB connecting cable, is $50.
www.laplink.com
Scanner gives new life to old photos, negatives
Epson’s Perfection V350 Photo scanner improves the quality of old photos as you scan them. During the scanning process, it automatically adjusts the lighting and color balance on poorly exposed or faded photos, helping to restore prints to like-new quality. Capable of reproducing images with a resolution of 4,800 by 9,600 dots per inch (dpi), the Perfection V350 also can scan negatives and slides. Its fast-working automatic film loader can scan up to six frames of 35mm film strips at a time. Thanks to a hinged high-rise lid that can be opened up to 180 degrees, the scanner can handle oversized documents and three-dimensional objects, too. Cost: $150.
www.epson.com
