Gadgets to go: just enjoy. That's the message these gadgets seem to send at first. But don't be fooled—each boasts powerful technology and features

Latin CEO: Executive Strategies for the Americas, March-April, 2002

KODAK EASYSHARE DOCK AND EASYSHARE DX3700 CAMERA

Kodak's EasyShare Dock makes transferring photos from digital camera to computer easier than dropping off film at the photo shop. The hard work only has to be done once: installing software drivers and a photo editing program on your computer (everything is included). Once we'd filled up the DX3700 cameras 8 megabytes of internal memory, we set it in the dock, pressed a single button, and watched while photos rapidly moved to the folder we had designated. The whole process took less than five minutes. The dock also comes with a rechargeable battery pack for the camera; place it in the dock to recharge the batteries. The DX3700 is a capable 3.1 megapixel camera, taking photos that print nicely up to 8 X 10 inches. Its internal memory can be supplemented by various memory cards - a particularly good feature if you take lots of photos on the road. We were disappointed by the camera's lack of a zoom lens, but other EasyShare cameras (which also work with the dock) offer better zooming, and Kodak even offers a 4-m egapixel Easy Zoom.

www.kodak.com EasyShare DX3700 Camera: US$249.95 EasyShare Dock: US$79.95 1-52-55-99-1705

BELLSOUTH PREMIUM SYSTEMS 2.4 GHZ MULTI-HANDSET PHONE SYSTEM

For starters, this sleek cordless telephone is lovely to look at, comfortable to hold, and offers clear audio. The base features a decent speaker phone as well. Its niftiest trick is the ability to add three more handsets to the system without needing additional phone jacks. All you need is a power outlet for the charger. Then, rooms that previously had no telephone wiring now have permanent cordless phones. Each handset's well-lit three-line display offers a dial-by-name directory. We had a hard time getting used to one "feature"--the requirement to press a Talk button to dial a number. But we enjoyed using the intercom to call people in other rooms without using a telephone line. It can also function as a room monitor. The system menus can be viewed in English or Spanish.

www.bellsouth.com. Base and handset: US$200. Additional handsets: US$130 1-404-986-1013

SONY DCR-PC115 DIGITAL HANDYCAM

Sony's OCR-PC115 is only slightly larger than a man's hand and weighs just 580 grams. So we were skeptical about its recording abilites. We shouldn't have been. The quality of this digital video camera (which records on 60-minute mini-DV tapes) is among the highest of the consumer models we've tested. It also takes still photos, which can be recorded either on a Sony Memory Stick or the tape. After filming, we connected the camera to our computer's USB port (the DCR-PC115 also has a faster Fire Wire connection) and downloaded still shots and movie clips. It alt worked smoothly (and Sony supplies video-editing software). The lox optical zoom lens was complemented by 120X digital zoom. We shot in near-darkness with Super NightShot, and wound up with clear greenish-and-black footage. We liked the cameras fully rotating LCD screen, which let us look through the viewfinder while our subjects watched themselves being filmed. The cameras abundance of features--one display shows remaining tape and battery time--makes for a steep learning curve, and its small size may cause larger hands a bit of fumbling. But the learning investment pays off in lasting memories.

http://www.sony-latin.com/handycam US$2,000 1-305-260-7800