Cybergoodies for your schools
March 1997

Web tube

Will the Internet absorb television, or will television absorb the Internet? Sony's WebTV Internet Terminal is here, so you be the judge. Just connect this set-top box to a telephone line and a TV in the classroom, and you've got instant web access on a big screen for less than $350. But don't be a surf potato.

Wireless within

Don't drill holes and pull wire between classrooms if you don't need to. Leave the asbestos where it is and go wireless instead. Digital Ocean's Starfish II Ethernet Access Point ($2,500) and Manta Ethernet Remote Stations ($799) allow students to roam freely from classroom to classroom with Macintosh computers, all the while connected to the net at 2 Mbps.

Break the speed barrier

Forget the hassle and expense of ISDN. Along comes x2 technology by U.S. Robotics, a clever hack of the phone system that boosts analog modem download speeds to 56 Kbps on dial-up connections to specially equipped Internet access providers. Surf faster!

You can take it with you

Why stay tethered to a bulky laptop all day long just to liberate the information held captive in your desktop PC? The Compaq PC companion weighs less than 14 ounces, yet gives you instant access to your Windows 95 Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, contacts, and appointments -- wherever you are. Insert a PC Card modem and you're set to surf the web and check your Internet e-mail, too. From $499.