What's the point of installing a network if you can't do something cool with it? So go ahead and add the Philips USB PC Video Camera. The two-tone, egg-shaped camera looks like something George Lucas designed. Better yet, it's very easy to install. Just plug the single cable into a USB port on your computer and run the software. You can then take snapshots of that prototype you're working on and send them to your laptop using your zippy network, or use the camera to hold a video conference over that shared, high-speed Internet connection.
Coordinates: $80. Philips Electronics, www.pcstuff.philips.com
Most standard PCs don't come with Ethernet interfaces, which means you have to install a network interface card inside your PC. Fortunately, 3Com has a solution that doesn't force you to pry the cover off of your system. The 3Com USB Network Interface snaps into a Universal Serial Bus (USB) on the back of a PC and connects to a standard RJ-45 Ethernet plug on the other end. Just run the Windows 98 software-driver program, and you're on the network in less than 10 minutes.
Coordinates: $75. 3Com Corp., www.3com.com
If you need to do lots of black-and-white printing, the network-ready hp LaserJet 2100TN is the way to go. The 2100TN is designed for a small network of about a half-dozen PCs. The printer can hold 600 sheets of paper; it kicks out 10 crisp pages per minute; and it includes software that tells you when the machine has run out of paper.
Coordinates: $999. Hewlett-Packard, www.hp.com
Email
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Buzz Up!
LinkedIn
