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PCs aren't your only option when it comes to fast, powerfulservers. They aren't cheap, but a 500 MHz Macintosh Server G4is about as quick as they come. Two firewire ports, two USB portsand four PCI slots make the G4 very expandable. Mac OS 8.6 andAppleShare IP come pre-installed. The standard 256MB RAM isexpandable to a mighty gigabyte, while an 27GB hard drive providesa lot of disk space. A DVD-ROM drive and 10/100BASE-T ethernet arebuilt-in. The whole shebang is customizable online at the Applesite.
Macintosh G4 Server
- Apple Computers
- (800) 795-1000
- Street price: $3,499
Volcanic Velocity
If you have a need for speed that your computer peripheralsaren't living up to, Lava Computer has a PCI card to help youon your way. The LavaPort-Plus is a serial and parallel portaccelerator. The card comes equipped with two serial ports thatoperate up to four times faster than standard ports. One parallelport is up to three times faster than standard. Any serial orparallel device, from an external modem to a scanner, benefits fromthe enhanced port speeds. Windows 95/98/NT drivers areincluded.
LavaPort-Plus
- Lava Computer Manufacturing
- (800) 241-LAVA
- Street price: $95
Case In Point
Looking for more protection for your mobile machines than nylonor leather can offer? You could try the Zero Halliburton Z5aluminum notebook case. Sleek business styling highlights the looksof this case, but its real strengths are in the areas of protectionand security. Not only is the Z5 well-padded, but it can alsohandle more than 1,000 pounds of pressure without opening. All thisin a case that weighs 5.5 pounds and measures 13-by-18-by-4 inches.A triple-digit combination lock protects your investment. A varietyof compartments and file pockets store your extras.
Z5
- Zero Halliburton
- (800) 250-5524
- Street price: $199
Long-Term Projections
If you've ever gone projector shopping, you understand whyProxima's $1,999 Lightbook 30 qualifies as a budget projector.Even with its relatively low cost, it offers some invaluablefeatures. Weighing in at under 10 pounds, it's portable enoughto take on the road. Stereo speakers, a backup lamp and 800 x 600SVGA resolution are enough to power any presentation. The Lightbook30 is compatible with both Windows and Macintosh desktops andnotebooks. A wireless remote control, carrying case and one-yearwarranty are included.
Lightbook 30
- Proxima Corp.
- (800) 447-7692
- Street price: $1,999
Picture-Perfect
It may be time to toss your old 35mm camera. The Olympus C-2000Zoom is one of a new breed of digital cameras that can accommodatelarger images via 2 megapixel technology. The C-2000's 1600 x1200 pixels of resolution translates to true photo-quality images.It helps to have a similarly high-resolution printer to takeadvantage of the camera's capabilities. A 3X zoom is built-in,along with adjustable ISO setting, shutter speed, aperture andexposure compensation. Removable SmartMedia cards store images inJPEG or TIFF format. The C-2000 is compatible with Windows 95/98/NT4.0 and Macintosh OS 7.1 or higher.
C-2000 Zoom
- Olympus America Inc.
- (800) 622-6372
- Street price: $899
Across The Great DVD
If 120MB SuperDisks and Zip disks don't offer enough storageroom for you, Philips offers the DVD+RW with a whopping 3GB perdisk. That's enough room for up to 9,000 megapixel digitalimages or for backing up a good chunk of your hard drive. TheWindows-compatible DVD+RW also reads CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs andDVD-ROMs. The estimated price for a DVD-RW disk is $30. This fallmarked the first shipments of this latest addition to high-capacitystorage.
DVD+RW 3GB
- Philips
- (800) 531-0039
- Street price: $699
