TIMM is a TV. TIMM is a monitor. Stop -- you're both right. This 20-inch, .58-mm dot-pitch display takes TV/monitor packages to another level. It includes a built-in stereo TV tuner, 500 lines of TV resolution (a 640-x-480-pixel resolution in monitor mode), and a remote control for all TV and computer-related features. $999. 201-628-8000.
Panasonic KXL-D742.
Commuter computing's first fully portable quad-speed CD-ROM drive connects to your PowerBook via a Type II PC Card SCSI interface. The drive weighs just 14 ounces and has di-mensions of 5.5 x 4 x 8 inches. $499. 800-742-8086 or 201-348-7000.
AppleVision 1710.
Along with a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 pixels, this bright, well-focused 17-inch monitor also boasts some of the best monitor-control software we've ever seen, including a self-calibrator and an adjustment for ambient lighting. Apple Computer. $1,039. 408-996-1010.
Maxoptix T4-2600 Optical Drive.
This 2.6-GB, backward-compatible 5.25-inch magneto-optical drive supports 650-MB, 1.3-GB, and 2.6-GB media formats, and it ships with one 2.6-GB cartridge. The drive's maximum throughput is a peppy 4.6 MB per second. $2,550. 510-353-9700.
SupraFAXModem 288PB.
This internal modem is one of the speediest for PowerBooks (models 100 to 180c). It has a data-transmission speed of 28,800 bps, a fax speed of 14,400 bps, and Caller ID capability. Its flash ROM allows easy upgrades from several venues, including the World Wide Web. $269.95. Supra. 800-727-8772 or 360-604-1400.
Optiquest V775.
This 17-inch flat-screen monitor has a dot pitch of .26 mm and a max-imum resolution of 1,600 x 1,280 pixels. OnView controls make adjusting screen im-ages easy, and ViewMatch technology matches the color of screen images to that of printer output. $895. ViewSonic. 909-869-7976.
Best Data Products Smart One 2834VLXMAC.
This V.34 modem has integrated voice-mail, including re-mote access and up to 999 voice-mail boxes. $180. 818-773-9600; http://www.bestdata.com.
Software
Big Business 2.0.
This new version of the MacUser Eddy Award-winning business-management tool offers improved Internet access and import/export functions. By exporting files into formatted HTML, users can even design their own Web pages (using a one-touch button that physically creates the pages). $389; upgrade, $99. Big Software. 415-919-0200.
Business Law Partner.
Created by a band of attorneys to make life easier on us layfolk, this utility has templates for over 50 legally binding documents, a Quick Finish three-step audit prompt, even an online interview that performs as your attorney. For the price of a quarter hour with a live lawyer, you can now intimidate on your own. $29. Quicken. 800-811-0458.
Dramatica Writer's DreamKit.
A writing assistant for even the most organized aspiring novelists and playwrights, DreamKit has various tools, such as the Dramatica Query System and the Story Engine -- prompts that help you organize dramatic intent, characters, or a constantly changing plot. Priced so low that even a writer can afford it. $149. Screen-play Systems. 818-843-6557.
Ashlar DrawingBoard.
This user-friendly design package anticipates your ideas by using artificial intelligence to interpret mouse movements and then provides vital drafting statistics. Integrated Parametrics technology allows users to create shapes and duplicate them by using different dimensions. $250. Ashlar. 408-746-1810.
Discribe V1.0.
The first CD-ROM-mastering software that employs a CPU's hard drive as a virtual CD-ROM drive to simulate actual CD-ROM per-formance. Allows for direct copying from CD-ROM to CD-R. Supports most 1x, 2x, 4x, and 6x CD-Recorders. $399.95. CharisMac Engineering. 800-487-4420 or 916-885-4420.
CyberSound VS.
Turn your Mac keyboard into a high-quality MIDI-compatible synthesizer, and make sweet music on your computer. CyberSound VS comes with 512 sounds created with a variety of synthesis technologies. It even has an integrated sequencer and complies with General MIDI, General Standard, OMS, and QuickTime. $199. InVision Interactive. 800-468-5530 or 415-812-7380.
Paper Animal Workshop.
The latest in technorigami, from the maker of the Greatest Pa-per Airplanes, this CD-ROM teaches kids the difficult task of creative paper folding. You can print designs (with fold lines) for a dozen dif-ferent animals or simply "fold" virtual patterns on your monitor. $25. Strategic Alliance Partners. 800-711-0582.
Day of the Tentacle.
This adventure-game sequel to the Maniac Mansion CD-ROM puts players into a world inspired by the classic cartoons of Chuck Jones. The goal? To prevent mutated pet tentacles, created by an evil scientist, from taking over the planet. Sounds like a goal we can all get behind. $30. LucasArts. 415-472-3400.
