Your Technology May 20, 2002

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LITTLE BIG SHOT Are you a sucker for multipurpose gadgets? Try this one on for size. It's a four-in-one digital camcorder, camera, MP3 player and voice recorder from Panasonic. The SV-AV10 ($449) can store 30 min. of MPEG-4 video or 880 digital stills on a single 64-MB memory card and display them on a 2-in. flip-out LCD screen. The whole thing is not much bigger than a deck of cards.

FINGER FREE If you are serious about keeping your computer files safe, the Targus Defcon Authenticator ($120) may be for you. It's a biometric security device that scans your finger (you choose which one), memorizes your fingerprint and locks out all impostors.

PHONE FUN Pictures in the wallet are so 20th century. The new, cool way to carry snapshots of your dog or your daughters is in--what else?--your cell phone. Attach the Sony Ericsson T68i phone ($300 to $400, available this summer) to a special snap-on camera module, and it can click and store up to 200 digital images. You can even beam pictures to other T68i phones or e-mail them to a PC. With so much to look at, who has time to talk?

--By Roy B. White