PC Expo Roundup

DEJA VU The hottest machines at PC Expo in New York City last week looked suspiciously similar to a PC made by the one big company that didn't show, Apple. Daewoo Telecom's Future Power, for example, unveiled an all-in-one Windows PC called the E-Power that comes in five flavors, er, colors--amethyst, ruby, topaz, emerald and sapphire. Bad news for Steve Jobs: E-Power will ship at about two-thirds the price of the iMac.

EYE CANDY Want to swap that tired old computer monitor for a pair of virtual goggles? Now you can afford to. This binocular headset from Colorado MicroDisplay and Daeyang E&C was one of the stars of the show. It offers SVGA-quality graphics and feels about as heavy as a pair of regular glasses. The price tag is pretty light too, a relatively meager $800. You won't be able to see your boss walk in, but he won't be able to see you playing games, either. LOOK, MA! NO WIRES Still trying to hook your laptop to your cell phone when you're on the road? Instead of wrestling with a kluge, try plugging in a wireless modem like Sierra Wireless' AirCard 300 for Windows. PC Expo was packed with products like this, all betting heavily on a cable-free future. AirCard's advantage is that it automatically connects to a digital cellular network--or even a LAN--when you boot up, and it has a funky-looking antenna as well. The only catch: cellular can't operate at speeds faster than a tortoise-like 19.2 kbps. For now, the wireless experience is strictly for low-intensity surfers.

--By Chris Taylor