Trends in technology
You can watch TV, listen to music, and play the Internet at the same time

by Leslie Campbell
Northern News Services

NNSL (NOV 25/96) - Just when you thought it doesn't get better than this, along comes a mind- blowing, all-in-one-unit, including a TV, computer, remote control and CD player. It's called the Destination Line, from Gateway 2000.

"You can watch TV, listen to music, and play the Internet at the same time," said Kirby Marshall from SSI Micro.

"It's a computer with an integrated TV tuner and a 31-inch monitor -- the biggest monitor going," he said.

The system sports a wireless mouse and a wireless keyboard. All you have to do is curl up on the couch with the remote control and you'll be able to do just about anything you want.

And the software? The Destination package includes a 3D atlas, 3D Monopoly, solar system, MS Magic School Bus, MS Cinemania 96, MS Works 95, and much more.

By now you're wondering if you'll have to take out a second mortgage to buy the system. The price, depending on what you want, ranges from $5,500 to $8,500.

If you want something a little less expensive, you can go for the new sleek-looking, black-colored IBM Aptivas.

These computers have a space-saving design -- the tower of the computer has a long cable which means it can be stored in another place.

The higher-priced Aptivas have an infrared mouse, which means there's no cord attached and "the Aptiva is Internet ready, has a modem, lots of hardware and software, and every multimedia gimmick you can think of," said Paul Cluderay of MicroAge.


DTP and accounting: What's new



Desktop publishing and accounting software are well-established and pretty darn fancy already.

But that doesn't mean the developers are getting lazy.

Before the year's end, upgrades to several popular packages will be on the shelves.

New features with Adobe Pagemaker 6.5 include click-and-drag hyperlinks from the web, automatic graphic conversion from JPEG or GIF files, 15 new template designs, and automatic layout adjustment.

For those of you who like to keep abreast of your financial situation, a new version of Simply Accounting is available.

"It's useful for small business and personal computers and it's quite powerful, with easy set-up graphs," MicroAge's Paul Cluderay said.

"The new thing about this software is that it can be run under Windows 95."

There are also integrated software packs available. "Microsoft has a great program available called Home Essentials Package," he said.

It includes Microsoft Word for word processing, Microsoft Works for spreadsheets and data bases, Microsoft Bookshelf, a reference library, Microsoft Money, an Internet browser and, a personal finance manager. The package is priced at $159.