In Brief

By Owen Thomas

CLIP FILE Are we living in a post-PC era? Pundits at the annual Comdex trade show in Las Vegas last week argued yes, but many of the devices on display told a different story. Even Sony, which is making a big push into gadgets that connect to each other sans PC, still gives an occasional nod to the desktop computer. Its new Music Clip plays 2 hrs. of digital music on a single AA, but gets tunes, via USB cable, from a PC. Available in January, the Clip includes Sony's OpenMG Jukebox software to copy songs off CDs.

ALL MICROSOFT, ALL THE TIME What, me a monopoly? Judge Jackson's findings don't seem to have discouraged the rebels from Redmond. The two compact MSN Web Companions that made their first live appearance at Comdex may have been built by the European TV maker Vestel, but everything else about them is pure Microsoft. The Web-only terminals run Microsoft's slimmed-down Windows CE, connect with MSN Internet access and feature MSN Web services like Hotmail. Due out next year, they'll retail for $299 and up.

DICK TRACY LIVES Cell phones have got smaller and smaller, but your fingers haven't shrunk, making sleek mobiles like the Nokia 8860 frustrating to operate. That's why Samsung's new watchphone makes more sense than most miniatures. It uses voice-recognition software from Conversa to dial phone numbers and read e-mail in response to plain-English commands. Available late next year, it should arrive just in time to accessorize your Dick Tracy Halloween costume.

--By Owen Thomas