Your Technology Apr. 8, 2002

TWIST AND SHOUT People who like the extras on Sony's CLIE handhelds (and plenty do) are going to love the latest model. The CLIE PEG-NR70 ($500) has a color screen that flips up to reveal a keyboard and twists back down so you can cradle it like a regular PDA. There's more: a built-in remote that will operate TVs, stereos and DVD players; an improved MP3 player with better speakers; an integrated digital camera ($100). Will next year's model brew coffee?

OVER AND OUT Walkie-talkies get smarter every year. Audiovox's new GMRS two-way radios ($329 a unit) not only offer twice the range (as far as five miles) but also come with a built-in global positioning system. Take a pair on a camping trip to Yellowstone, and you'll be able to track your buddies and wayward children. Punch in the coordinates, and the GPS satellites can guide you back to base camp--or the nearest McDonald's.

NOW HEAR THIS Who needs stenographers? The Olympus DS-330 digital voice recorder ($149) comes with a docking station that plugs right into a computer. You can take oral notes with the DS-330 and dump your thoughts directly onto a PC or Mac (where any voice-recognition program can transcribe them). Leaves more time for important things, like lunch.

--By Roy B. White