Your Technology

By Roy B. White

TWIST AND SHOUT People who like the extras on Sony's CLIE handhelds (and plenty do) are going to love the latest model. The CLIE PEG-NR70 ($500) has a color screen that flips up to reveal a keyboard and twists back down so you can cradle it like a regular PDA. There's more: a built-in remote that will operate TVs, stereos and DVD players; an improved MP3 player with better speakers; an integrated digital camera ($100). Will next year's model brew coffee?

OVER AND OUT Walkie-talkies get smarter every year. Audiovox's new GMRS two-way radios ($329 a unit) not only offer twice the range (as far as five miles) but also come with a built-in global positioning system. Take a pair on a camping trip to Yellowstone, and you'll be able to track your buddies and wayward children. Punch in the coordinates, and the GPS satellites can guide you back to base camp--or the nearest McDonald's.

NOW HEAR THIS Who needs stenographers? The Olympus DS-330 digital voice recorder ($149) comes with a docking station that plugs right into a computer. You can take oral notes with the DS-330 and dump your thoughts directly onto a PC or Mac (where any voice-recognition program can transcribe them). Leaves more time for important things, like lunch.

--By Roy B. White