Panasonic PowerDrive2 and Plasmon PD/CD. Able to read CD-ROM as well as optical media, these drives give users compatibility with existing CD-ROMs while providing them with removable-storage capabilities (see New on the Menu, March '95, page 27). Both drives can act as regular quad-speed CD-ROM drives and can also read from and write to 650-MB phase-change optical discs. Internal, $895; external, $995; 650-MB disc, $59. Panasonic, 800-742-8086 or 201-348-7000; Plasmon, 800-445-9400 or 408-956-9400.
La Cie VIP Scan. This tiny scanner is designed to read business cards. Bundled optical character recognition (OCR) software recognizes text on business cards and then links it to an address book; Now Software's Now Contact comes free with the scanner. $199. 503-520-9000.
Adtron SDDS. This SCSI-based system lets Macs use hard drives, flash RAM, and other items that are in the PCMCIA-card format. The 3.5-inch SDDS supports Type I, Type II, and Type III cards. Internal, $350; external, $425. 602-926-9324.
Polaroid Polaview 105. Sporting 24-bit color and a motorized 1.6-to-1 zoom lens, this polysilicon active-matrix LCD projector weighs 23 pounds; is powered by a metal-halide lamp; and supports multiple video inputs, including NTSC and PAL formats. A backlit remote control is also included. $9,495. 800-816-2611, ext. 970.
Samsung 17GLsi. Along with a maximum resolution of 1,152 x 870 pixels, this 17-inch multisync monitor offers on-screen, one-touch controls. $999. 800-933-4110 or 201-229-4000.
Dayna BlueStreak. The BlueStreak family of networking products takes advantage of the high-speed networking protocol Fast Ethernet. The BlueStreak 10/100 NuBus ($325) and PCI ($225) cards can automatically switch between 10-Mbps and 100-Mbps speeds. The BlueStreak 10BASE-TX Hub ($1,799) is an unmanaged 12-port hub. 801-269-7200.
Software/
DragStrip 2. 0. Improving on the Finder, this utility gives users the ability to launch programs, open files and folders, and run scripts from buttons located on floating palettes. Version 2.0 of DragStrip adds AppleScript support, pop-up folders for moving and copying files, and many new display options. $60; upgrade from version 1.0, $20. Natural Intelligence. 800-999-4649 or 617-876-4876.
DiskGuard 1. 5. The new version of this disk-security package adds support for the IDE-based drives found in some Macs, folder-level security, and System Folder protection, as well as an After Dark-compatible password-protected screen saver. $80; free upgrade for users of version 1.0. ASD. 909-624-2594.
Mission Code: Millennium. This educational CD-ROM brings kids into a futuristic world in which they command a time machine. Zipping back through history, players are given 16 "missions" to place historical objects back in their correct time period. Players are helped along by animated robots and live-action actors. $35. Virtual Entertainment. 617-449-7567.
Paparazzi! If viewing the celebrity pictures taken by Hollywood photographers isn't enough for you, there's always this CD-ROM-based game. In Paparazzi!, you take the role of a tabloid photographer, following simulated stars and catching them in compromising positions. And if you're good at this game, maybe there's a career awaiting you at the Weekly World News. $50. Activision. 310-473-9200.
Homes and Interior Design. This set of 3-D objects is geared for home designers who use Specular's Infini-D application. Homes ($129) is a collection of four 3-D home models. Interior Design ($65) is a collection of more than 50 furniture objects for populating 3-D homes. Replica Technology. 716-337-9621.
ModelOffice Letters. Businesspeople who don't have the time or the desire to write letters, memos, or speeches can mine these three packages for source material or use them as templates. Model BusinessLetters ($69) features 400 ready-to-use letters and memos. Model SalesLetters ($69) contains 300 sales letters. Model Speeches ($89) includes 150 speeches. Each program contains a searchable database and a built-in word processor that can export text as plain ASCII or as RTF files for import into the word processor of your choice. ModelOffice. 800-801-3880 or 512-302-3888.
Art Screens: The Impressionists Collection. Fine art comes to your monitor with this screen saver, which features 40 impressionist paintings by artists such as Cezanne, Gauguin, van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir, as well as 20 musical excerpts from composers such as Chopin and Liszt. $27. Trident Software. 703-243-0303.
