3Com Wireless Bluetooth PC Card
Canon PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH
Dukane ImagePro 8048 DLP projector

Bluetooth has been looming on the horizon for a long time. The wireless networking technology can finally be found in products such as 3Com's Bluetooth PC Card, a Type II PC card that's compatible with almost any laptop.

The technology is designed to link small groups of users in ad-hoc, peer-to-peer networks. Bluetooth devices periodically scan their surroundings for devices within range, so all that's needed to join the network is to get close enough to it. Up to seven devices can be in a network at once.

The included 3Com software allows you to select a level of security appropriate for your surroundings, so if an individual isn't granted admission to the network, he or she can't access other Bluetooth-enabled devices. In a trusted environment, you may not require any authentication; in public, you can make your laptop undiscoverable, meaning that other Bluetooth devices can't see it. Bluetooth can operate with 128-bit encryption, so you don't need to worry about transmissions being intercepted.

To protect the small antenna in the Bluetooth PC Card, 3Com uses its XJACK design. The antenna pops out of the card and its short mast is flipped up for best reception. An option to shut the card down when the XJACK is pushed in (allowing the notebook to be transported without worrying about snapping off the fragile antenna) conserves power.

We received two 3Com Bluetooth cards to review. The installation process was straightforward; we put one in a Windows 2000 laptop and one in a Windows Me laptop. 3Com includes its Bluetooth Connection Manager software, which provides all the control you need to configure the card and connect to other devices.

Bluetooth is a relatively low-bandwidth technology with a theoretical maximum throughput of 720 Kbps. In our tests, throughput averaged around 350 Kbps, which is about eight times faster than a typical analog modem connection. As a point of reference, it takes a bit less than 30 seconds to transfer 1MB at this speed. This data-transfer rate was maintained at the specified 30-foot range, where there were few obstructions between the two laptops. Pushing the range limits led to slower throughputs and failed transfers.

A Bluetooth-enabled laptop can browse the Internet or another network with the help of an access point. 3Com says its PC Cards will function with an access point up to 100 yards away. The laptop can create a wireless dialup connection using a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. Since no physical connection is needed, the computer can connect transparently through a phone in your pocket or bag.

Bluetooth and 802.11b should not be considered competing technologies. Bluetooth is optimal for quickly connecting users in an ad-hoc network for relatively low-bandwidth applications. It's designed to be highly mobile and affordable. 802.11b uses a stronger radio signal that is intended to replace or extend a wired network. To that end, it offers significantly more bandwidth than Bluetooth. It operates on the same 2.4-GHz band, but the potential for interference is relatively low.

Bluetooth is a transactional protocol, rather than the always-on solution most 802.11b users are familiar with. This means that users initiate specific tasks, such as a file transfer. A Bluetooth device keeps track of the devices around it, but it doesn't maintain a constant link.

3Com is one of the first to market a technology that has been sitting on the hype burner for quite a while. Despite the possibility of Bluetooth peacefully coexisting with the 802.11b standard, it remains to be seen how widely the technology will be adopted. 3Com's cards impressed us, but a few more hands will be dealt before the future of Bluetooth is certain.

Wireless Bluetooth PC Card
Price: $149
Company: 3Com Corp.
(800) 638-3266
www.3com.com

Canon PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH

Canon has always been known for the high quality and advanced engineering of its cameras. The Canon ELPH series of 35-mm film cameras has been wildly popular, as it packs high technology into an extremely compact stainless steel case.

With the PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH, Canon employs the tiny ELPH form factor, replacing the film-oriented optics with a high-quality 2.1-megapixel (MP) CCD. The result is a digital camera that fits easily in your shirt pocket (it's only 3.4 x 2.3 x 1 inches) and turns out great snapshots. Weighing approximately 6.8 ounces, the PowerShot S110 won't weigh you down.

The camera achieves its small form factor without skimping on anything. The controls are simple to operate while providing vast flexibility. There is an optical viewfinder and a 1.5-inch color LCD panel, which can be used to frame the shot or review stored images. Well-labeled buttons at the bottom of the LCD let you adjust settings, while a control wheel at the top of the camera is used to set the operating mode. Metering is performed through the seven-element lens, which provides a 2X optical zoom. With a shutter speed that can be automatically set between one second and 1/1500 second, the PowerShot S110 has one of the fastest shutters available on a digital camera.

With its fully automatic point-and-shoot capability, Auto Mode provides excellent photos. You can shoot in Continuous Mode, storing up to 2.5 images per second and in 20-fps Movie Mode, with a resolution of 640 x 480.

Software includes ArcSoft's PhotoImpression and VideoImpression editing for Windows-based PCs, as well as Apple QuickTime 4.1, Canon Remote Capture 1.4, and PhotoStitch 3.1 for both Windows and the Mac OS. Canon ZoomBrowser EX 2.7 and PhotoRecord utilities are included for Windows users, and ImageBrowser 1.7 is included for Mac users.

Photo quality was excellent on the indoor and outdoor test images we shot. We printed on a variety of printers, including the Canon CP10 portable dye-sublimation printer that Canon touts as an accessory for the PowerShot series. We also printed on a Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 1218i photo ink-jet printer using HP's glossy photo paper. Enlargements of up to 5 x 7 inches were almost indistinguishable from film-based snapshots, while 8 x 10-inch enlargement quality depended upon the subject matter.

At $599, Canon's PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH is one of the most expensive 2.1-MP cameras. Even Canon's own PowerShot A20 2.1-MP model, which has similar features, costs $200 less. But, the PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH is a unique camera. It's tiny, with the look and feel of fine equipment.

The included 8MB CompactFlash card is too small if you'll be using the camera's highest resolution. At the maximum image size of 1600 x 1200 pixels, you can store only seven JPEG photos in the 8MB card. That's a common circumstance with almost every digital camera. We recommend that you spend a bit more and get a 64MB card. The PowerShot S110 is not compatible with the Microdrive marketed by both IBM and Iomega.

For the frequent traveler, the PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH is the perfect companion. It has very good resolution, excellent lens and image quality, and is small and unobtrusive enough to carry anywhere. That easily justifies its premium price versus similarly equipped products.

PowerShot S110 Digital ELPH
Price: $599
Company: Canon USA, Inc.
(800) OK-CANON
www.usa.canon.com

Dukane ImagePro 8048 DLP projector

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a technology commonly found in portable projectors. It uses a solid state Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) invented by Texas Instruments. This module has thousands of small mirrors, each corresponding to a specific screen pixel. Each tiny mirror is attached to an electronic actuator, or hinge, which tilts the mirror to a pre-defined angle. In the same manner that a particular pixel on an LCD panel is turned on or off, a particular pixel "mirror" on the DMD module is appropriately angled to reflect light to the display or not. A color wheel spins between the light source and the DMD.

For the most part, DLP technology has been more widely used in ultracompact, ultralight portable projectors. Dukane's ImagePro 8048 is an exception. It is fairly compact and fairly light, measuring 11.2 x 10.9 x 3.9 inches and weighing 6.7 pounds. Part of the reason for this size differential over many of the smaller DLP-based projectors comes from the unit's light output. At 1,300 lumens, the ImagePro 8048 is brighter than many smaller DLP models. Some of the projector's bulk is taken up with a larger light source and heftier cooling capability. The 8048 has built-in audio, with a 2.5W amplifier and speaker, which adds to the size of the model, as well.

Our review unit came with a cable that attaches to the projector with a DVI connector, and has a USB connector and a VGA connector on the end that connects to the laptop. The ImagePro 8048 provides S-Video- and composite-video inputs, as well as an audio connector to attach the input to your laptop's sound card output. The projector's resolution is SVGA, or 800 x 600. The ImagePro 8048 automatically scaled the image when our laptop booted at its default setting of 1024 x 768. The projector also came with a nicely padded carrying case.

A wireless mouse provides easy control of the display, as well as manipulation of the cursor on your laptop. A front elevator foot and rear turn-wheel foot let you raise and/or level the image. Focusing is manual, achieved with focus and zoom rings on the projector. A well-illustrated manual makes setup and use easy. The manual shows a ten-foot diagonal image with the projector 20 feet away from the screen.

We tested the Dukane 8048 ImagePro by attaching it to a Compaq Presario 1600. Resolution on the Presario 1600 was set to 800 x 600 to go with the maximum resolution of the projector. The image was set to project on a 38 x 42-inch piece of white foamboard with the projector seven feet from the board. Testing was conducted in moderate room light. We ran the DisplayMate Multimedia Edition Projector script to ascertain image quality and resolution, as well as to measure light output across the screen with the target image provided by DisplayMate. Light output, which is measured in lux, was measured with a Circuit Specialists LX-101 Lux Meter. One lux is the amount that one lumen illuminates one square meter of space.

We found that the meter measured 1357 lux at the center of the display, and between 1230 and 1270 lux at different measurement points around the display. There is not a 1:1 correspondence between lux and lumens, but it is close enough to assume that the Dukane ImagePro 8048 is putting out close to the stated light output. The close correspondence of the measurements around the screen indicates that the lens is projecting a relatively even image. Image quality on all tests was excellent, with good contrast and no stuck pixels. We easily viewed the test images, a presentation, and a DVD movie in normal ambient room light.

The Dukane ImagePro 8048 isn't inexpensive, but it is reasonably priced for a DLP-based projector that provides a very high light output. On the downside, the ImagePro 8048 is heavier and larger than many other DLP-based projectors (though lighter than many laptops), and is limited to 800 x 600 resolution. If you don't mind the size and heft, and don't need native XGA resolution, you'll be happy with the quality and brightness of the image and the other features the projector provides.n

ImagePro 8048
Price: $4,995
Company: Dukane Audio Visual Division
(800) 676-2485
www.dukane.com

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