Your Technology Oct. 30, 2000

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NETPLIANCE I-OPENER Targeted at senior citizens, the $299 device's main appeal is its ease of use. You can surf the Web via a flat 10-in. screen, but what you really get with the $21.95-a-month fee is ready-to-read content from sources like ESPN and Mr. Showbiz. It quietly goes online three times a day to check your mail and news so you can catch up without tying up the phone. Coming soon is an instant-messaging function. Finally, you'll be able to show Grandma the true meaning of chat.

COMPAQ IPAQ Part of the MSN Companion family, this is one of the sturdier (and costlier) Net appliances: $199 with a $790, 36-month commitment to MSN. You'll have no trouble typing on the wireless mini-keyboard, and the 10-in. monitor is crisp and easy to read. The downside is that if you're not online, it functions as nothing more than a digital picture frame. At least you get to choose the photo.

CIDCO MAILSTATION While this little black box is strictly text only, its $99 price (and $9.99-a- month service fee) is one of the lowest in the class. It will automatically download mail and Yahoo content like weather and news, so you don't have to wait for updates. Not exactly portable, but at least easily movable, it runs on AA batteries when unplugged.

NADAPC ICEBOX More entertainment appliance than Internet power tool, it comes free with a $790, 36-month subscription to NadaPC's dial-up service. Features include a wireless keyboard that looks cool but isn't so easy to use, plus a DVD/CD player. If you don't like watching Casablanca on the too-small, 9-in. screen, it's easy to hook up the machine to your TV.

--By Wilson Rothman