By Issie Rabinovitch
Tech products seem to be appearing on the market faster than a 3.0-GHz Pentium 4 can compute data. Some are more for entertainment than for work, but many have features you might find useful. CAmagazine has asked technology writer Issie Rabinovitch to test new products and write regular assessments for this column. Issie has been working with CAs in the technology field for years and, in choosing the products, he has your needs in mind. Issie rates each on a scale of one to three stars.
 good product strong product exceptional product
 RCA Lyra A/V Jukebox model RD2780
When it comes to digital entertainment, having an MP3 player is just the be-ginning. What the true en- thusiast needs is a highly mobile device that not only plays music, but also plays videos, displays photos and transports computer files.
That’s a description of this Lyra Jukebox model, which has a 20 GB hard drive, 3.5-in. LCD screen, a USB 2.0 connection and Composite Video Input/Output in a package that weighs 10.5 oz. and is much smaller than a notebook computer.
For starters, it does everything an MP3 player does. It also connects to a TV for recording and display purposes. (Programs can be recorded for later viewing on the Lyra, your TV or another set.)
The Lyra can be used as a portable photo album, which I enjoyed doing, but I found that my photographs were more impressive on a large-screen TV; this way, photos can also be enjoyed by many people at the same time. Photos can be transferred from a computer via the USB connection or by inserting a CompactFlash memory card. That’s a good option to have on a trip when you just have your digital camera and the Lyra.
I enjoyed using the Lyra both at home and on the road. It increased my entertainment possibilities in both settings. Price: $699.95
 Panasonic KX-TG5050F/WH 5.8 GHz Cordless Phone
This is the first 5.8 GHz cordless phone I’ve tried and a fine phone it is. The 5.8 MHz frequency, advertising claims notwithstanding, doesn’t seem to offer any particular advantage. In principle, 2.4 GHz cordless phones should suffer from interference by wireless Ethernet networks and other devices that use the same frequency but in practice I have not found that to be the case.
Since this is a digital phone, the security and voice clarity are good; your neighbours won’t be able to eavesdrop. Like all cordless phones, the handset needs to communicate with its base station; I was able to use the handset at distances up to 200 feet from the base station.
The KX-TG5050 is compatible with call waiting, call display and call answer. The backlit four-line LCD is easy to read, and the handset has a speakerphone — an indispensable feature for home and office use. The menu system for configuring and using the phone’s features is easy to navigate, without reading the manual.
The phone’s battery has an excellent 11-day standby life and a quick re-charge time. The styling is unexceptional and the size is somewhat large.
Price: $149.95, with possible rebates.
 IBM 256 MB Memory Key USB 2.0
Memory Key is IBM’s name for what is more commonly known as a USB Flash drive. These tiny devices, which weigh less than half an ounce and can be carried on key chains or worn around the neck as jewellery, are more dependable and are faster than floppy disks while offering far more storage space.
The Memory Key is particularly useful to anyone who regularly works on more than one computer. It can be used to store work files, photos, music files and anything else you want to have with you.
The Memory Key connects to a USB port on a computer and can be used instantly on computers with Windows 2000 or XP, but a small file must be installed on computers running Windows 98.
The 256 MB is enough storage to make this USB Flash drive useful; however, much bigger drives are available from other manufacturers. It includes a security application, which allows you to store information in a password-protected zone. That way, if you lose the Memory Key, your private files will remain private.
The Memory Key is a fine USB Flash drive but the competition offers similar units at a much lower price.
Price: $179. 
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