Your Technology

By Anita Hamilton

E-MAIL FROM A PAY PHONE

Technology was supposed to make our lives simpler. Instead we're stuck with 40-lb. monitors, beeping cell phones and a rat's nest of cables. Now JVC and Sharp are making truly simple handheld devices for sending and receiving e-mail. Users just type a note, dial a toll-free number on any phone, then hold the device up to the mouthpiece while short, modemlike screeches indicate that messages are being transmitted. Available this fall, JVC's $100 HC-E100 and Sharp's $150 TelMail require a $10 monthly fee.

A RUG FIT FOR A MOUSE

Longing for a touch of elegance in your office? Had your fill of plastic mouse pads? Then you might want to step up to Lextra's MouseRugs ($20 at www.mouserug.com and museum stores). Patterned after Bokhara, Indian and Persian rugs--and decorated with fringe--MouseRugs are made of nylon fibers that feel cozy and help keep dirt from gunking up the mouse ball. Matching floor rugs not included.

HERE COME THE POKEMON

Beanie Babies? Ho-hum. Tamagotchis? No way. This year's toy craze could well be the Game Boy game Pokemon ($30), which challenges kids to collect up to 150 funny-looking creatures with names like Charmeleon and Squirtle while traveling through a mazelike virtual landscape. Each Pokemon has different strengths and can help players capture more creatures in battle. With more than 9 million Pokemon games sold in Japan, Nintendo is betting that U.S. kids will be equally impressed.

--By Anita Hamilton