In Brief

By Anita Hamilton

BABE MAGNET Next time you head to the beach, you might tote along this cool-looking boom box. The $200 ZS-X7 from Sony is not only splash resistant, it also comes with a handy shoulder strap and a sturdy stand to keep it from tipping over in the sand. Antiskip technology is built into the CD player, a car and a boat adapter are included, and an all-black model is also available. With any luck, and with the volume up, it will get enough curious stares to help you break the ice with at least one hot beach babe. Or beach boy.

OYEZ! OYEZ! Now you can get the latest rulings on abortion, civil rights and cyberlaw straight from the source. The U.S. Supreme Court has just launched its official website at supremecourtus.gov where the full text of its decisions will be posted by noon on the day they are announced. The court's calendar, schedule and rules will also be available. But if you want to make sense of the legalese, you may be better off visiting Northwestern University's Oyez Project at oyez.nwu.edu where detailed analyses of rulings are posted as well.

PALM WARS Microsoft's new Pocket PCs (described at left) will soon have more than Palm to compete with. Next month Research in Motion, whose two-way pager won accolades last year for its compact size and wireless stock-trading capability, plans to release its own $500 handheld. The Blackberry 957 will feature an organizer, address book and note-taking features. Wireless e-mail service will cost $40 a month. While the RIM will link to corporate e-mail, a monochrome screen and paucity of extras could make it a tough sell.

--By Anita Hamilton