Digital Just Out - May 2003

CLEVER CLIÉ CLICKS

By now you may have given up looking for the UBA (Universal Business Adapter), but Sony's getting closer with its new CLIÉ PEG-NZ90 ($800, street), a PDA which features a 2-megapixel (1600x1200) autofocus digital camera with built-in flash. The camera has manual exposure adjustment, 2X digital zoom, redeye reduction, six different white-balance settings (including auto, daylight, and incandescent), MPEG video capture, and a self-timer. Sony says the high-resolution color flip screen allows for easy viewing and editing of images even in bright sunlight. The NZ90's Memory Stick slot is compatible with the new Memory Stick PRO, so video clips can be shot and viewed right on the screen. The NZ90 has a built-in MP3 player (headphones included), integrated Bluetooth (wireless connectivity to other Bluetooth-enabled devices), a Wi-Fi (802.11b) slot, a removable lithium-ion battery pack (unusual for PDAs), and a foldable docking station. For a complete list of the goodies, log onto www.sony.com.

ADD E-Z MOTION TO YOUR MOVIES

Mac owners: have you been thinking about upgrading from iMovie to a more expensive video-editing program just so you could animate your text? Save your pennies, because eZedia has just released eZediaMotion ($49, street), a plug-in for iMovie that features text animation. With eZediaMotion, you can create path animation sequences and composite multiple layers to sit right over your digital video footage. We can't guarantee the family will like watching your Disney vacation footage for the 100th time, but you can at least have professional-looking videos without a pro-level pricetag. eZedia-Motion is compatible with iMovie 2.1.1 or greater, and can be downloaded at www.ezedia.com.

SCRAPLESS SCRAPBOOK

If you're a scrapbooking fanatic who's tired of cutting up 13x19-inch inkjet paper because all you really need is 12x12 or smaller, you can retire those scissors. Epson recently started shipping its Matte Scrapbook paper in 12x12 and letter size, and its Semigloss Scrapbook photo paper in letter size. All Epson scrapbook papers are acid- and lignin-free for long life. And even if you haven't gone digital in the camera department yet, you might find these papers handy for adding your own backgrounds or elements to scrapbooks. To learn more, visit www.epson.com.