TechWatch: Media PCs, Laptops, Monitors

Picture This

If hot graphics are too cool to be left to the gaming enthusiasts, then Nvidia may have just the ticket to put systems builders in the picture. The company has pulled together a bunch of hardware bundles that offer an easy path for VARs looking to create entertainment-class PCs running Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition software. Four different bundles—with graphics cards from Nvidia's GeForce or nForce series, TV tuners and multimedia software—are available. (Separately, Nvidia's graphics competitor, ATI Technologies, is offering its own bundled sets; see www.ati.com.)

MEDIA CENTER BUNDLE, www.nvidia.com Price: $800, $999, $1,199 or $1,399, depending on configuration

Going Biometric

IBM is taking security to the next level with the introduction of a ThinkPad that includes an integrated fingerprint reader. But the biometric ThinkPad model T42 goes a step further, adding an Embedded Security Subsystem to provide an additional layer of security by supporting encryption keys, electronic credentials and pass-phrases, and guarding against unauthorized user access. The fingerprint reader, itself, which is located on the wrist rest below the arrow keys, requires users to swipe their finger across a small horizontally oriented sensor to log on. And the basic T42 is a heckuva laptop, with a Pentium M 1.8-GHz processor, integrated wireless and a travel weight as light as 4.5 pounds.

THINKPAD T42, www.ibm.com Price: $1,699

Keeping A Thin Profile

NEC-Mitsubishi Electronics has updated its AccuSync family of LCD displays with several sleek monitors ranging from 15 inches to 19 inches. Aimed at the burgeoning SMB market, the new monitors feature stylish, thin-profile cabinets and NaviSet setup software, which enables users to easily adjust display settings through an on-screen menu. NEC-Mitsubishi's reputation for quality, along with a three-year limited warranty, should help make the LCDs an easy SMB sell. And don't forget to tell your customers that the displays come in any cabinet colors they want—as long as they want either black or white.

ACCUSYNC LCD92V-BK, www.necmitsubishi.com Price: $623 (19-inch model)