TechWatch: DataBeacon, Adobe, Iomega

Whether you need a nifty storage solution or some hot software, this month's products have got you covered. Got any other candidates? Send them to [email protected].

Now, That's Smart!

Positioned as a .Net-based, Web-reporting and data-analysis solution for the midmarket, Databeacon Smart Client delivers enterprise-level, data-analysis capabilities at an SMB-friendly price. It's also billed as a good choice for organizations looking for fast deployment and easy integration with their existing IT infrastructures. Smart Client includes three information-extraction tools: a quick and easy report navigator for casual information consumers, a beefier version for more frequent data explorers and a high-end viewer, which supports interactive online analytic processing. Smart Client Pro adds a scripting language for creating custom-data profiles. The company is currently seeking software solution providers to add to its partner base.

DATABEACON SMART CLIENT, www.databeacon.com Price: $4,500 (standard), $5,900 (pro)

PHOTOSHOP TIMES FIVE

Desktop publishing professionals have long sung the praises of Adobe's Photoshop and Illustrator brands. Now, with its Creative Suite, Adobe may have figured out how to get them to embrace its InDesign page-layout program as well. Taking a page from Microsoft's playbook, the company has created the all-in-one-box approach to selling software, vis-a-vis Office. Take it all or pay through the nose. At $649 per application, it is a downright bargain to spend $1,229 for the five that are included in Suite Premium (InDesign, Illustrator, GoLive, Photoshop and Acrobat). Adobe also has streamlined how the applications play among themselves. Files translate from Illustrator to Photoshop without a hitch, toolbars are streamlined and similar, and keyboard commands remain constant (and editable). Quark, take notice: InDesign and Adobe are legitimate. --Scott Gormley

CREATIVE SUITE, www.adobe.com Price: $649 (single app), $1,229 (premium)

THAT'S NAS

Iomega, the ZIP drive originator that has spent the past several years branching out into other storage solutions, has launched a wireless network-attached storage device. Dubbed the Iomega NAS 100d server, it's billed as easy to manage and reliable, and comes with built-in 802.11 b/g wireless access and archiving capabilities. The wireless connection, which supports speeds of up to 45 Mbps, can be secured with the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol for protection against unauthorized access. Available in two capacities--160 GB and 250 GB--the stylish unit seems like an easy upsell for VARs intent on ensuring their customers don't get caught short on storage.

NAS 100d SERVER, www.iomega.com Price: $499 (160 GB), $599 (240 GB)