Tech Watch

By Wilson Rothman Monday, Sept. 27, 2004

Style Watch: Rattan Revolution

Diversions: All Talk

Food: Season to Taste

Outdoors: Comfy Camping

If you're so addicted to TV that you feel withdrawal pangs when you're outdoors, Microsoft wants to help. It released two new portable media centers—built by Creative and Samsung—in September, with a third by iRiver out this month. Each has a color screen and a hard drive that can store music, pictures and video. It may prove difficult to enjoy a full-length movie on a nine-centimeter screen, but you will have other media from which to choose: Microsoft has partnered with content providers CinemaNow and Major League Baseball (just in time for the World Series). The Creative 20-gigabyte Zen or the Samsung Yepp YH-999 are available for $500 per piece from Amazon.com. Prices for the iRiver, available in both 20- and 40-gigabyte models, haven't been released, but expect them to start from about $700.