Month: May 2004

Logitech Cordless MX Duo

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MX700Much as I loved my old Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro, it had been discontinued by Microsoft, and the media keys didn’t seem to work to well with the latest players. Also, it was white, and everyone knows that black (for computer accessories) is the new beige. So it was time for a change, and why not go wireless? I now have the Logitech Cordless MX Duo, a wireless keyboard/mouse combination, which also replaced my Microsoft Optical Trackball Explorer. The keyboard has (as most do nowadays) several programmable hotkey buttons and dedicated media keys. The mouse features a scroll wheel, forward/back buttons, continuous scroll up/down buttons, and includes a handy charging cradle (which also contains the wireless receiver).

Logitech also has a Bluetooth version of this package, but since I don’t have any other Bluetooth devices (except my iPAQ), I decided to save the extra money and stick with the 27Mhz wireless version.

Brother MFC-3820CN multi-function printer

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Brother MFC-3820CNMy old Brother MFC-7150 multi-function (color printer, fax, scanner, copier) was starting to get old. I hadn’t used it as a printer in months, maybe even years (it was at least before I got my Epson C80). It was still doing duty as my scanner, but that was about it, and it was time for a change.

Ever since I put in the home network, I’ve wanted to be able to scan over the network, rather than having to have the scanner directly connected to only one PC, so I decided my next multi-function would have to have network support. After surveying the field, I chose the Brother MFC-3820CN. For under $200, you get a flatbed/sheetfed color scanner, copier, printer, and fax machine. It also has media card slots to allow for printing photos right off Compact Flash, Smart Media, etc. The built-in networking capability allows me to print, fax, or scan from any PC on the network, and you can even scan to e-mail! Very cool.

hp iPAQ h1945

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hp iPAQI’m a long-time PDA user. I got my first Pilot 1000 back in 1996, then eventually upgraded to the Palm III. Over the summer of 2001 I left the Palm world for the Pocket PC, or Windows Mobile as it’s referred to now. My first iPAQ was the 3135 (black-and-white version) and then I inherited an older color 3760 model from a colleague.

Currently I have the hp iPAQ h1945, which is smaller and cooler than any PDA I’ve had before. The high-resolution, 64,000 color screen is still the best in the industry, it runs Windows Mobile 2003, and has built-in Bluetooth connectivity. The newer iPAQs forgo the old expansion sleeves (to add on Compact Flash support) for an integrated Smart Media slot (which I’ve never used, actually). This means I don’t really have a need for my IBM MicroDrive anymore, but oh well … it’s not the first time I’ve bought something for the “cool” factor and then never used it. 🙂