(New Products compiled by Dave Raffo)

If Columbus tried sailing the Panasonic PanaFlat PF17, he'd plummet right off the edge - this monitor is so flat that it actually appears concave. Panasonic uses Pure Flat tube technology to eliminate distortion and reduce light reflection. The PanaFlat PF17 (15.7 viewable inches) has a 0.24mm slot pitch and 1600x1280-pixel resolution, and uses a high-resolutionpre-stretched slot-type shadow mask.

The PanaPerfect control system lets you digitally customize size, color and geometry of the picture through 19 on-screen display functions. The monitor measures 16.6 by 16.2 by 17.2 inches and weighs 41.8 pounds.

Panasonic has also added a 21-inch model to its line of monitors designed for graphics and desktop publishing. The PanaSync S21 has an ultra-fine 0.25mm dot pitch and works at a 95Hz refresh rate. The display offers 1600x1200-pixel resolution at 75Hz.

PanaFlat PF17, $1,299;
PanaSync S21, $1,699
Panasonic Computer Peripheral Co.
800-742-8086, 201-348-7000

You don't have to worry about scratching or smudging the Mitsubishi PrecisePoint line of monitors; the touch-screen displays are designed to let your fingers do the walking. A light touch will do the trick, since these analog displays respond to even the slightest pressure.

The all-glass screens are scratch-resistant, shatterproof and gasket-sealed to keep out water, dirt and grease. The PrecisePoint 8905 is a 20-inch high-contrast CRT, the PrecisePoint 8705 is a 17-inch unit and the PrecisePoint 5800-a flat-square monitor-comes in at 15 inches. All three touch-screen models offer a 135MHz bandwidth and support a typical noninterlaced resolution of 1280x1024 pixels at a 75Hz refresh rate.

PrecisePoint 8905, $3,200;
PrecisePoint 8705, $2,000;
PrecisePoint 5800, $1,500
Mitsubishi Electronics America
800-843-2515, 714-220-2500

If you stare at a monitor for eight hours (or more) a day, you don't have to be brilliant to grasp the importance of a good display. The Philips Brilliance Monitors include a 21-inch model for high-end graphics users, and 17- and 15-inch monitors for general business use.

The Brilliance 201 has a 19.99-inch viewing area, and 1600x1280 maximum resolution at an 80Hz refresh rate. The Brilliance 107 has a 15.9-inch viewing area, and a 1600x1280 maximum resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate. The Brilliance 105 has a 13.77-inch display, and a 1280x1024 maximum resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate. The 15-inch monitor has two front speakers.

201, $2,499;
107, $999;
105, $499
Philips Consumer Electronics
800-835-3506, 423-521-4402

Dealing with CAD and other high-end graphics is complicated enough; your monitor shouldn't add to the problem. The MAG InnoVision DJ702 17-inch monitor features the JAG Control on-screen display. Push a dial to activate the 25-adjustment menu, turn it to highlight your adjustment, push it again to select the option and then turn it to make the adjustment.

$949
Mag InnoVision
800-827-3998, 714-751-2008

So you want to make movies but lack a Hollywood-sized budget? At less than $50, Kai's Power GOO image-manipulation software can make you a Spielberg on a shoestring. Power GOO feeds your multimedia creativity, helping you create liquid images and manipulate them in real time by smearing, smudging, stretching and fusing. You can save progressive transformations of the images to a keyframe palette and animate them in real time as a "GOOvie," QuickTime or AVI movie. The program can also help produce images for presentations, the Internet or color printing, or for output to image software and hardware for further manipulation. You can bring images into GOO from CD-ROMs, scanners, the Internet or other sources.

$49.95
MetaTools
805-566-6200, fax 805-566-6385

Sony's entry into the PC market could accelerate the inevitable merging of computers and consumer electronics. The Sony PCV-70 and PCV-90 aren't your everyday gray-flannel office gear. The purple casings display the letters VAIO, which stand for video audio integrated operation-Sony lingo for products that merge analog and digital capabilities. The PCV-70 has a 166MHz Pentium chip, 16MB of RAM and a 2.1GB hard disk. The PCV-90 ships standard with a 200MHz Pentium, 32MB of RAM and a 2.5GB hard disk. Both models feature a 28.8Kbps DSVD modem, 8X CD-ROM drive, MPEG decoding and a software bundle.

For $599, you can get the optional CPD-100VS 15-inch Multiscan Multimedia monitor, which has built-in speakers and a subwoofer in the base.

From $2,000
Sony Electronics
800-352-7669, 408-432-1600

The Fractal Design Expression natural-media vector-based illustration program resulted from the Fractal/Ray Dream merger. The program lets you mimic the natural look of traditional art tools in vector illustrations. It offers three classes of strokes. Natural-Media strokes mimic traditional artists' tools such as brushes, pencils and pens. Graphic elements are individual vector illustrations similar to vector-based clip art. Multi-view strokes contain several views of the same subject for the creation of special effects.

$449
Fractal Design
800-846-0111, 408-688-5300

DragonDictate 2.5 is a speech recognition program that works with Windows NT as well as other Windows platforms. With DragonDictate, you can enter text, data and commands into any Windows application by voice. The software has a 60,000-word vocabulary, and its MouseGrid technology lets you place the mouse pointer on a specific location on the screen with a few commands. DragonDictate also reads your text back to you.

Personal Edition, $395; Classic Edition, $695; Power Edition, $1,695
Dragon Systems
800-TALKTYP, 617-965-5200

Improve your portable storage capacity and take better advantage of magneto-optic drives with the Fujitsu DynaMO 230 Portable PC Card. The 3.5-inch 230MB MO drive for portable computers is battery-powered, and the PC Card connector has an 8MBps interface transfer rate. The device weighs less than 1 pound.

$499
Fujitsu Computer Products of America
800-626-4686, 408-432-6333

Thanks to its Connectivity Kit, you can synchronize data on the Texas Instruments PS-6965Si personal organizer with what's on your PC. The kit consists of a docking station that hooks up to your PC's serial port with Windows-based software. The PS-6965Si has 256KB of memory and a six-line display with an Indiglo night light.

$239
Texas Instruments
800-842-2737, fax 817-774-6074