ATI
Radeon X1800 XT CrossFire Edition: $599
www.ati.com

ATI'S Radeon X1000-series more oomph. After all, NVIDIA was already shipping its highly-capable GeForce 7800 GTX in sophisticated SLI configurations. Meanwhile, the ATI X1800 XT merely caught up to its competition, besting it in some situations and losing in others. Worse still, CrossFire technology, the SLI equivalent, wasn't yet ready.

Amazingly enough, ATI seems to be back on its feet now. All of the X1000-series cards are shipping and the second generation of CrossFire is ready to roll out. Why the big deal? Well, for the first time in more than a year, ATI can go head-to-head with NVIDIA at every level, top to bottom, and serve up a compelling sell.

At the high-end, that involves ATI's new Radeon X1800 XT CrossFire Edition. While architecturally identical to the standard X1800 XTs out there, this new board comes with a revised compositing engine designed to marry the outputs of two cards on a single screen. The previous engine, used on Radeon X800-series cards, maxed out at 1600x1200 and 60 Hz. This one scales up to 2560x1600.

Performance in CrossFire mode is, as you might expect, impressive. But it takes a special combination of settings to really make the technology shine. Naturally, it'll require a discerning gamer to really appreciate those settings—even more so when you consider the $599 asking price. Factor in a vanilla X1800 XT at $589 and you're talking an easy four digits.

Socket
CompactFlash Connection Kit with Bluetooth: $116

If your pocket come with Bluetooth but does sport a Type I CompactFlash slot, Socket's Connection Kit will get you up and running through a Class 2 Bluetooth radio capable of transmitting up to about 30 feet. The kit comes with drivers and connection wizards to get you started. Moreover, its integrated antenna doesn't stick out when installed; it's contained completely within the CompactFlash form factor.

Socket's product page lists several supported phones and Bluetooth profiles. However, any Windows Mobile device with the requisite slot should work just fine. The only real downside is a fairly steep $116 asking price, which is about a third the cost of a brand new Pocket PC with Bluetooth built-in.

Maxtor
Shared Storage Plus 300GB: $399
www.maxtor.com

Maxtor had the right Shared Storage Drive. The network-accessible repository was perfect for SMBs and SOHO users interested in NAS-like features at more mainstream prices. Good looks and a slim form factor were just icing on the cake.

The storage market is brutal, though, and it takes more than just one good product to succeed. That's why Maxtor went back to the drawing board, intending to improve an already-competent network solution. The resulting Shared Storage Drive Plus centers on the exact same hardware, but spices things up with a new firmware package.

Fresh functionality includes a UPnP media server, which can be used to stream audio or a promotional video in a retail storefront. An automatic backup utility grabs files from client systems according to a defined schedule. And finally, you have the traditional shared network storage capability, extendable to a max of 20 users. Even cooler, Maxtor isn't charging anything extra for the Plus drive. You can still get the 200GB model for $299 and the 300GB version for $399. An even more attractive upsell is the just-released 500GB drive selling for $499, which drives down your customer's cost per gigabyte.

If you've already sold Shared Storage Drives, be the bearer of good news. Anyone who purchased an appliance before the Plus model emerged is eligible to receive a free upgrade, adding the new features at no extra cost. Direct your customers to Maxtor's Web site (www.maxtor.com), where they can sign up for an email notification when the upgrade package is released.

Motorola
Homesight Wireless Easy-Start Kit: $299
broadband.motorola.com

Security is a big deal whether you're at home or the office. Until now, most network-based setups have consisted of rudimentary cameras. Motorola's homesight Wireless Easy Start Kit is a much more advanced concept, incorporating traditional cameras and adding door sensors, power adapters, and mounting hardware. At the same time, Motorola is pushing ease of use by claiming the system installs in about 30 minutes.

The System Controller, which monitors connected sensors and cameras, plugs into a USB port and utilizes a broadband Internet connection to transmit information to your home PC or online cell phone. Like any other security camera, you can program recordings at timed intervals or only when motion is detected.

The Wireless Easy-Start kit comes with some fairly basic components. But Motorola also sells several other optional pieces to fortify your security configuration. Extras include wired cameras, a wireless siren, wireless repeaters, temperature sensors, a wireless power controller, and water sensors. The system has enough bandwidth to accommodate three wired cameras, 12 wireless cameras, and 16 sensors.