TechWatch: Displays; Backups; Handhelds

If you want to break out of the mainstream, take a look at the first LED display from NEC, a computer from Two Technologies that supports RFID and a yellow backup appliance from Anthology Solutions.

A Stunning Monitor At a Steep Price

Have a client trying to burn through the rest of his IT budget before year's end? Then point him to NEC's 21-inch SpectraView LCD2189WG, the industry's first LED backlit desktop monitor, according to NEC. The display, which costs $7,000 and weighs more than 40 pounds, will appeal to those with deep pockets in graphic design, prepress, medical imaging and video production. What differentiates the LED from today's typical fluorescent, lamp-based LCD or CRT display is that it uses a combination of red, green and blue LEDs to produce a white-light backlight, providing a broad array of colors without degrading luminance. After giving it a test drive, VARBusiness senior art director Scott Gormley says the monitor did provide stunning color, but at its current price tag, weight and form factor, he'd have a hard time justifying the purchase. Like any new technology, though, you can bet this is a harbinger of new and more affordable products to come.

SpectraView LCD2189WG, www.necdisplay.com Price: $6,749

Backup Sees Yellow

These days, even the smallest of businesses needs ways to securely back up its file servers. A new backup appliance from Anthology Solutions may be small--about the size of a toaster--but it's no ordinary backup system. The signature yellow box, aptly called the Yellow Machine, is a network-based appliance that integrates NAS and RAID 0/1/5. The inaugural model, the P400T, can be configured with two, three or four hard disk drives, in addition to a non-RAID single-disk mode. In total, it supports 1.6 TB. The device offers data security through password protection, permissions-based access at multiple levels, an embedded firewall that supports deep-packet inspection firewall, e-mail recording and blocking, and locking drive bays. It also supports server-based backup, Web-based configuration and management, and comes with a built-in eight-port LAN switch.

Yellow Box P400T, www.anthologysolutions.com Price: $1,499 (fully loaded 1-TB configuration)

Handheld Computer Supports RFID

With a growing number of solutions that gather data using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology now in pilot or production, customers will be looking for more flexible ways to scan the information generated from the RF tags. The new JETT-RFID+ scanner from Two Technologies functions much like a traditional handheld computer used to scan UPC-based bar codes. JETT-RFID+ can be customized for uses as varied as warehouse inventory control, field service and health care. The ruggedized computers read RF tags based on key ISO standards, and can read, write, encrypt and authenticate data. The Intel XScale-based JETT-RFID+, which runs the Microsoft Windows CE Net 4.2 operating system, is field-upgradable.

JETT-RFID+, www.2t.com Price: $2,062 (varies based on quantities and customization)