In Brief

By Lev Grossman

SQUARE PEG Apple's distinctive Power Mac G4 Cube, which made such a splash in industrial-design circles when it debuted last summer, has gone the way of the dodo and the Apple Newton. The Cube--a full-fledged Mac packed into a gleaming clear plastic case 8 in. on a side--looked at first like another computing coup for chairman Steve Jobs, but it never quite caught on. It was too expensive (about $1,300) and too low powered, and users complained that its touch-sensitive power switch caused unintentional shutdowns. At least we still have the flower-power iMac.

WILD CARDS Apparently the folks at Topps were cleaning out the attic and found a bunch of collectible memorabilia--in other words, they struck eBay gold. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the company's first baseball card, Topps will be auctioning off the contents of its archives on eBay throughout July, including such priceless treasures as a 1966 Green Hornet sticker featuring the young Bruce Lee.

BOY WONDER Move over, Palm, there's a new boy in town. It's called Cyberboy, and it's the e-gadget to end all e-gadgets. For $349 you get a full-fledged PDA with a built-in digital camera, a webcam, an MP3 player, an FM radio and a voice recorder--all in a case the size of a cigar box. Cyberboy is made in Taiwan, but it will be available in the U.S. within the month. For more information, check out www.cmcia.com

--By Lev Grossman