TechWatch: Docking Stations; Flash Memory Watches; Webcams
Toshiba Tablet Multi Dock, www.toshiba.com Price: $368
Digital-Video Surveillance
Tiny Webcams are cropping up everywhere these days, but what makes the series of cameras from Axis Communications worthy of a closer look is the software that stands behind them. Axis has been doing cameras for many years, and this latest crop includes a wireless camera (the 206), a megapixel camera (the 210) and a camera that gets its power from Ethernet cabling. The series works with Camera Station software that can record the video feed and, more important, search through the data for particular events or parts of an image that have changed. That is perfect for VARs who are implementing security solutions and want to incorporate this into an existing data network. I had some problems getting the dynamic DNS to work through my firewall, but once that was taken care of, the camera could be seen by anyone across the world.
Axis 210 Network Camera, www.axis.com, Price: $499, Camera Station, Price: $999 for 10-camera license
A Watch That Makes You Feel Like '007'
I can't help but feel a little like James Bond when I put on the DiskGo watch. The "accessory," which comes in 128-MB or 256-MB models, contains an internal USB flash drive and comes in two different versions--a black band contains the USB connector, while an aluminum band has a separate USB cable that you have to hook up to the computer. The black watch is the better idea. It's lighter and everything is self-contained, so you can take your files with you and have access no matter where you are. The silver version gives you one more way to lose a connector cable and not have access to your files.
Peripheral Enhancements' DiskGo Watch, www.edgememory.com Price: $80