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Microsoft's new IntelliMouse
Explorer dispenses with the mouse pad, so students are
free to mouse wherever their hearts desire. There's also
no mouse ball, which means there's nothing to collect dirt
and wear out. Instead, the $75 mouse uses optical tracking
technology that bathes the mousing surface in a red glow,
spaceship-style. Right on, Bill.
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Everyone knows you shouldn't judge a book by its cover,
but when it comes to Apple's new iBook
laptop, it's hard not to fall for the Tangerine or Blueberry
exterior. It would be a mistake to miss what's beneath the
surface, though, where the features are aimed straight at
the classroom: an option for wireless Internet access, a
lithium-ion battery with up to six hours of use, a built-in
56K modem and 10/100BASE-T Ethernet port -- and a handle
just like its spiritual predecessor, the eMate. The AirPort
wireless LAN option allows a classroom full of iBooks to
share wireless access to the school's wired Internet connection
via a single $299 AirPort Hardware Access Point, which plugs
into the network and transmits up to 150 feet at a zippy
11 Mbps to iBooks equipped with $99 AirPort Cards. A 12.1-inch
active matrix screen, 300 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 24x
CD-ROM drive, and 3.2 GB hard disk drive round out the package.
There's only a single built-in mono speaker, and the standard
32 MB of RAM is on the low side, but the unit supports up
to a total of 160 MB RAM. The verdict: A steal at $1,599.
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If you're going to print in color, why settle for a printer that
comes only in dull grey? The $279 Epson
Stylus Color 740i makes it possible to color-coordinate your
school's color ink-jet printer with the flavor of your iMacs --
whether it's Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime, or Strawberry.
And, oh yeah, it prints great, too.
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