Back to Recommended List Table of Contents
| INPUT DEVICES | Vendor | Price | In brief (issue reviewed) | Box score |
| Keyboard
Microsoft Natural Keyboard |
Microsoft Corp. 800-426 9400 | $99.95 | Ergonomic, wrist-saving design at an affordable price point. (10/94) | 4.5 |
| Keyboard
NMB ConcertMaster RT-9100W |
NMB Technologies 818-341-3355 | $99.95 | Keyboard and audio controls with built-in speakers. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| PRINTERS | ||||
| Ink Jet
Canon BJC-610 | Canon Computer Systems 800-848-4123 | $499 | Great output, separate color cartridges and the Windows Printing System. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| Ink Jet
Canon BJC-4100 | Canon Computer Systems 800-848-4123 | $349 | Brilliant color at 720x360dpi; comes with the Canon Creative CD-ROM. (12/95) | 4.5 |
| Multifunction Office Machine
HP OfficeJet 350 | Hewlett-Packard Co. 800-752-0900 | $599 | All-in-one with new AutoPrompt wizard-like software to perform every task imaginable. High-quality output. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| Multifunction Office Machine
Multifunction Office Machine | JetFax 415-324-0600 | $2,995 | Combines a plain-paper fax machine, copier, scanner and printer in one device. (12/95) | 4.5 |
| Page
HP LaserJet 5SiMX | Hewlett-Packard Co. 800-752-0900 | $4,899 | Handles the demands of a large workgroup with ease and style. (1/96) | 4.5 |
| Page
Okidata OL810e/PS | Okidata
800-OKIDATA | $1,439 | If you're looking for a smaller-sized printer, this one is close to the top of the list. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| Page
Panasonic KX-P6500 | Panasonic
201-348-7000 | $499 | Takes up very little desk space and gives you 1200dpi output. (2/96) | 5.0 |
| Workgroup Page
HP LaserJet 5M | Hewlett-Packard Co. 800-752-0900 | $1,799 | 1200dpi printing at 12ppm; includes drivers for most network OSes. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| Workgroup Page
Okidata OL1200/PS | Okidata
800-OKIDATA | $1,839 | Well-designed desktop printer, with a variety of options for excellent printed output. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| Mass Storage | ||||
| CD-ROM Changer
NEC MultiSpin 4X4 | NEC Technologies
508-264-8000 | $199 | Has front buttons that let you access specific discs directly. (4/96) | 4.0 |
| CD-ROM/EIDE
Philips PCA62CR 6X CD-ROM |
Philips Electronics
408-453-7373 | $150 | Adds zip to multimedia and is a snap to install. (4/96) | 4.0 |
| CD-ROM/EIDE
TEAC CD-56E | TEAC America
213-726-0303 | $199 | Fast, reliable and affordable. (5/96) | 4.0 |
| CD-ROM/Portable
Backpack 4X CD-ROM | Micro Solutions
815-756-3411 | $449 | A parallel-port external CD-ROM drive with sound. (2/96) | 4.0 |
| Fixed Hard Drive
Quantum Fireball 1280 |
Quantum Corp. 408-894-4000 | $240 | A solid performer that offers easy configuration and detailed instructions. (1/96) | 4.0 |
| Removable Hard Drive
Iomega Jaz | Iomega Corp. 801-778-1000 | $499 | Removable media, but two-thirds as fast as a fixed drive. (8/96) | 4.0 |
| Removable Hard Drive
SyQuest EZ135 drive | SyQuest Technology
510-226-4000 | $239 | Uses removable, $20 3.5" cartridges that hold 135MB--and it's fast. (12/95) | 4.5 |
| Tape Backup
Tandberg PantherMini 4600 |
Tandberg Data 805-579-1000 | $629 | Speed and performance leave you no excuse for not backing up. (6/96) | 4.0 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| SCSI Adapter
BusLogic FlashPoint LT |
BusLogic
408-492-9090 | $199 | The FlashPoint LT complies with the newest standards for SCSI hardware. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| UPS
Opti-UPS 1000E | ViewSonic Corp. 909-869-7976 | $489 | Easy-to-use software and a replaceable battery. (8/96) | 4.5 |
| UPS
TouchMaster UPS TM-420 | Tripp Lite 312-755-5401 | $249 | Attractively designed UPS plus power director provides space-saving peace of mind. (7/96) | 4.0 |
| UPS
UPStart | SL Waber
609-866-8888 | $199 | Saves data and shuts down apps in case power goes south. (8/96) | 4.5 |
| Wireless Connectivity
NetBeamIR LAN Access Point | Hewlett-Packard Co. 800-533-1333 | $289 | Instant wireless network connectivity at up to 4MB per second. (6/96) | 4.0 |
| MODEMS | ||||
| External Telephony
Hayes Optima 288 V.34/V.FC | Hayes Microcomputer Products 770-840-9200 | $379 | Offers power and versatility. (2/96) | 5.0 |
| External Telephony,
Voice Sportster Voice 28.8 | U.S. Robotics
847-676-7010 | $279 | Reasonable price, great performance and a terrific software bundle. (8/96) | 5.0 |
| Internal
Amquest Hypermodem | Amquest Corp. 207-772-6342 | $129 | Makes moving to the information age a smooth voyage. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| Modem/E-Net Adapter, PCMCIA
Motorola Marquis | Motorola Mobile Computing
800-4A-PCMCIA | $499 | Combines easy installation with flawless performance. (2/96) | 5.0 |
| Modem/E-Net Adapter, PCMCIA
Ositech Jack of Diamonds | Ositech Communications
519-836-8063 | $509 | V.34 modem, cellular modem and 10BaseT Ethernet in one card with excellent performance. (4/96) | 5.0 |
| MONITORS | ||||
| 15-Inch
Nokia Multigraph 449X | Nokia Display Products 800-296-6542 | $625 | One of the best 15-inch images around. (6/96) | 4.5 |
| 17-Inch
EIZO Nanao FlexScan F2-17EX |
EIZO Nanao Technologies
310-325-5202 | $1,098 | If you use CAD or image-processing programs, this is the monitor to buy. (6/95) | 5.0 |
| 17-Inch
Samsung SyncMaster 17Glsi | Samsung Electronics America 201-229-4000 | $919 | Produces a high-quality, accurate image and has a great keypad. (10/95) | 5.0 |
| 17-Inch
17GA Perfect Sound Multimedia |
ViewSonic Corp
909-869-7976. | $749 | Serves up great images with sound and style. (12/95) | 4.5 |
| 20-Inch
ArtMedia TN2185T | ArtMedia USA 408-980-8988 | $1,888 | A near-perfect image, and it supports 1280x1024 resolution at 77Hz. (5/96) | 5.0 |
| 21-Inch
Samsung SyncMaster 21GLs | Samsung Electronics America 201-229-4000 | $1,999 | Great picture and calibration as easy as falling off a log. (8/96) | 4.0 |
| 21-Inch
ViewSonic PT810 | ViewSonic Corp. 909-869-7976 | $1,895 | A picture about as good as it gets, with a 19.5-inch viewable area. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| MULTIMEDIA | ||||
| Digital Camera
RDC-1 Color Digital Camera | Ricoh Corp. 702-352-1600 | $1,699 | Takes still or motion video with audio clips, and saves the resulting data on SRAM cards. (4/96) | 4.5 |
| Kit
Diamond Ultra Kit 8000 | Diamond Multimedia Systems 408-325-7000 | $349 | The first multimedia kit to offer an 8X CD-ROM drive. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| TV Adapter
PCA20TV | Philips Electronics
408-453-7373 | $329 | Makes it easy to add TV to your PC. (8/96) | 4.0 |
| SCANNERS | ||||
| Page
Logitech PageScan Color | Logitech
510-795-8500 | $399 | 24-bit scanning; a good value for small offices. (2/96) | 4.5 |
| Page
Primax DeskScan Color | Storm Primax 408-522-1200 | $399 | Inputs everything from single pages to business cards, in true color. (3/96) | 4.5 |
| Page/Document Management
Visioneer PaperPort Vx | Visioneer 415-493 9599 | $299 | Specializes in organizing monochrome documents. (1/96) | 4.0 |