Technology That Knocks Our Socks Off

T.C. Doyle
Senior executive editor

Jennifer D'Alessandro
Executive editor
Here come smart cards,again. This time, though, it looks like they may actually take off,especially in the airline industry. Encrypted with a biometric trigger and loaded with all your personal data, these cards could have frequent fliers liberated from hours-long waits at airports. For a long time, these devices have been thwarted by cultural bias; Europeans have accepted smart cards, while Americans seem to prefer change jangling in their pockets. That could be changing, though, as IBM and Sun have renewed their interest in the technology recently. And, according to the SmartCard Alliance, card shipments to North America doubled to 31.2 million in the first half of 2002. It may be their time has finally come.

Gayle Kesten
Sections editor
Instant messaging (IM) dispels Sigmund Freud's theory that adults have to outgrow the notion of instant gratification. I have a question, I need an answer, and I'm going to stop you in the middle of whatever you're doing on your computer with a pop-up box demanding your attention right now. But seriously, used for the right reasons and in the right ways, IM is the

simplest, most time-saving app I've ever downloaded and used to communicate with colleagues across the coast or across the hall. Granted, there are interoperability and security issues to be resolved, but IM's business implications are clear. Even Freud would be proud.

Jeffrey Schwartz
Senior editor
If you're looking for the perfect PDA, the decision will largely come down to how you define perfection. If you take price and communications out of the picture, the Palm and Microsoft PocketPC platforms are both compelling options for enterprise customers,much more so than previous versions. I've test-driven the HP iPaq 3970 based on PocketPC and was impressed with its resolution and support for Word, Excel, Internet Explorer and multimedia. I've also looked at the new Palm Tungsten, the best Palm offering to date. Its biggest appeal right now may be its multiplatform support. For me, it's a tough pick.

Robert Wright
Associate editor
Whenever a machine speaks back to me, I'm invariably transported back to the first time I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey. But last summer at PCExpo/TechXNY, I quickly discovered the AdomoMCS, a voice-recognition system from Cupertino, Calif.-based Adomo, is no HAL 9000. The best way to think of AdomoMCS is as a voicemail system for your e-mail, providing speech-enabled access to Microsoft Exchange. You can engage the interface anytime or anywhere by dialing into the machine,a flat, metal case that sits on top of a server. The voice system is smooth and reads commands without having to speak one syllable every five seconds. It opens and reads requested messages, and provides a number of functions, such as dictation for new messages or replies, and even downloads and faxes attachments. The AdomoMCS solves a crucial problem for road warriors and remote employees who don't have laptops or can't access a data connection at their current locations.