In Brief: Oct. 25, 1999

ROAD PHONE While everyone else hawks wireless phones, Imagitel is going retro with a new portable phone that has-you guessed it-a cord. But there are some nifty advantages. On the road, Imagitel's Millennium phone can be plugged in to avoid high hotel long-distance charges. Or you can turn one over to your away-from-home collegians with prepaid long-distance service in hopes they'll call. The catch? Imagitel is the provider, though its rates (9[cents] per min. at home, 19.9[cents] away) aren't too bad.

VOX POPULI What will Bill Clinton do when he's out of office? Maybe he'll tool around Voxcap.com The new website is a wonk's dream. Not only is it a forum for policy discussion on national issues, it also points you toward activist organizations like the Sierra Club and helps you send letters to your local newspaper or Representative right from the site. So far, discussions have been low volume, but perhaps they'll heat up soon with posts like "Ex-Prez in N.Y."

SAY IT WITH MUSIC Now that virtual greeting cards from sites like Blue Mountain Arts are all the rage, what's next in techno-hellos? Well, for one, there's a new customizable birthday card on CD-ROM. For $9.95 you can create a disc with music, backgrounds and animation tailor-made for your pals or kinfolk, picked from a catalog of offerings at greets.com The personalized CD-ROMs also include extras such as lists of celebrity birthdays and a horoscope for that very special person.

--By Bill Syken