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[ TECHNOLOGY REVIEW ]

Pandigital’s PanTouch High-Definition Digital Photo Frame. PHOTO: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE

Touch-sensitive surfaces seem to be everywhere these days, so why not in digital photo frames? Pandigital has just released a line of frames with touch-sensitive functions.

The 10.4-inch PanTouch High-Definition Digital Photo Frame displays images at a healthy resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels and has no external buttons — you slide your finger along the matte frame to switch pictures and make selections. The US$250 device also includes a remote control and 512 megabytes of built-in storage.

Also in the PanTouch line are a US$120 7-inch model with 128MB of memory and a US$170 8-inch model with 512MB. All of them have versatile memory card readers and alarm clock functions.

The frames, which will reach stores next month, also play MP3 music files and video.

With the addition of a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth adapter, you can upload images wirelessly from a computer as well as from Bluetooth-compatible phones and PDAs.

While a touch frame doesn’t sound as cool as a touch screen, it definitely means fewer on-screen fingerprints.

The Discovery 925 from Plantronics. PHOTO: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE

Plantronics has been a leader in adding style to Bluetooth headsets. The latest in its Discovery line, the 925, aims to add even more style as well as substance, in the form of audio quality.

In fact, company officials would prefer that it not be referred to as a headset. They call it an earpiece, because they want consumers to think of it as a fashion accessory.

The ultralight U2E laptop from Asus. PHOTO: NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE

It comes in black, cherry or gold, with cases to match. These are the spring colors; the company says it will change the colors every season.

The Discovery 925 is available now for US$150, at plantronics.com.

The controls have also been simplified so that one button does most of the work, like turning the unit on and off. The same button answers and hangs up the phone. The volume control is the only other button.

Another form/function enhancement is the carrying case, which doubles as a charger. Without removing the unit from its case, you can connect it to a computer via USB or charge it using the included AC adapter.

Kodak is coming out with the Z1085 IS, a slim, 0.170kg camera with a 5X optical zoom and several built-in features to make snapshots look more professional.

In automatic mode the camera uses face detection and shake reduction to ensure that each shot is in focus. In fact, the face-tracking system on this model displays a green animated box that follows faces in the frame. Once a shot is taken, a bit of software automatically cleans up the image and reduces the effects of backlighting, which can darken images, or overexposure, which can wash them out. There are other scene modes for night shooting or taking pictures of fireworks or sunsets.

The Z1085 IS also takes high-definition video at 1280 by 720 pixels. Video can be recorded to the memory card and edited on a PC or watched on an HD television using an optional HD dock.

The camera has a 2.5-inch liquid-crystal display monitor and 32 MB of internal memory. It supports SD cards for memory expansion. It costs US$250 online and in stores.

While the average Kodak user does not care about ISO or shutter speed, it is nice to know at least someone is thinking about — and tweaking — these functions using built-in software.

Apple may be aiming at metalheads with its thin MacBook Air, but Asus is chasing the leather crowd. Asus’ ultralight laptop, the U2E, has black-pebbled leather on the top and the palm rest. The refined look is meant to evoke the days when travelers wouldn’t leave home without their leather valises and trunks.

The U2E is lighter than the Air, about 1.2kg versus 1.4kg, in part because of its smaller screen, about 11 inches versus 13 inches, and a tighter keyboard. The sides aren’t tapered to an edge like those on the Air, because the U2E comes with all of the standard connectors and a DVD-R drive. The square edges make it seem much thicker than the Air, although it is only a half-centimeter fatter.

The U2E costs US$1,999 now, but in a few weeks a version with a 32-gigabyte flash drive will go on sale. At US$2,699, that will be more expensive, but also 0.3kg lighter because it sheds the heavy metal of the hard disk drive.
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