A few of our favorite things: the editors point to 21 products that make their work easier

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1990 by Steve Chen, Crystal Waters, David Hallerman, Ted Stevenson, Lance Paavola, Bernadette Grey, Steve Morgenstern, Henry F. Beechhold, Edward P. Stevenson

Throughout most of the year we act as editors--choosing and reviewing products that we think will appeal to a majority of the magazine's readers. This month, however, we speak as individual computer users, not editors--and choose products that we use in our daily work and that contribute to our productivity.

We make no attempt here to pick the best products of the year. We do that every month in our reviews section, and ascribe four-star ratings to the picks of the litter. Instead, we simply asked ourselves. Which products do we own or do we use extensively that we couldn't live without?

Some products are new this year, some are time-tested warriors; some are expensive, some are budget items. We just prefer them--mainly because they allow us to do things we couldn't previously do, or couldn't do as well.

HARDWARE

MY ROAD (AND HAMMOCK) WARRIOR

Toshiba T1000SE ($1,699)

(MS-DOS notebook computer)

Toshiba America Information Systems, Computer System Division; (714) 583-3000; (800) 999-4273

I'm a busy guy. A lightweight, portable solution for transporting my work off-hours is a necessity. A few years ago, I thought I'd found the ideal solution in the Toshiba T1000. Unlike some other earlier attempts at portable computing, it was light and worked like a real MS-DOS computer.

Toshiba's upgrade to the 1000, the T1000SE, however, adds speed and outstanding display clarity to that winning mix. At a street price of just over $1,000, it packs a lot of functionality into a demure six-pound package.

DOS commands are in the system ROM. so the unit's lack of a hard disk isn't a problem for me. A handy, power-saving AutoResume feature lets met shut down without losing a file or exiting an application. I also use the optional 2400-bps internal modem ($349) for on-the-road computing.

But it's the T1000SE's double-scan CGA liquid-crystal display, probably the best display I've seen on a notebook, that really stands out. Characters are crisp and readable even when I take work to the beach or out to my new Mayan hammock in the backyard.

--MIKE ESPINDLE

JUST THE FAX, MODEM

The Abaton Interfax 12/48 ($395)

(Macintosh computer fax)

Everex Systems; (415) 498-1111

Since I purchased my Interfax at the beginning of the year, it has paid for itself many times over--allowing me to fax designs, invoices, and other information to clients and prospects directly from the screen. The results have been amazing, especially in combination with Adobe Type Manager, which allows me to transmit fully formed type even at large sizes.

Interfax software sends faxes in the background, enabling me to continue working in other applications, even though I use an SE without MultiFinder. And sending faxes is as easy as printing. I put my fax in an "envelope," address it, and off it goes.

The Interfax logs all completed transactions, which can be printed out for reference. Each fax directory can hold up to 800 names and numbers and be divided into "distribution lists." For example, I can send faxes to 50 people on a distribution list, rather than having to specify each recipient one at a time.

Although there are a number of fax/modems available, the Interfax won me over with a fine combination of hardware, software, ease of use, and value. The 1200-bps Hayes-compatible modem is an added bonus.

--CRYSTAL WATERS

NO-FRILLS FAX

Frecom Fax 96 ($195)

(Fax board for IBM compatibles)

Fremont Communications Company; (415) 438-5000

If you've been hesitant to buy a fax machine because of the cost of equipment or because you just can't stand to have another gadget hogging valuable desk space, Frecom has a solution for both problems. The Frecom Fax96 card, which lists for $195 but sells for about $170 on the street, simply plugs into a spare half-card expansion slot in any MS-DOS computer. A telephone cable completes the circuit to the world.

In addition to developing the least expensive 9600-bps fax card on the market, Frecom has provided a superfriendly graphic interface. In fact, it looks like the control panel on a stand-alone fax machine. When I press a key--G for Go, for example--the screen image of the key appears to move in and out like an actual fax key. Admittedly, this is a bit cute, but it does inform me that the action selected is under way and makes me feel as if I'm using a real fax machine. The color coding of the screen keys matches that of many fax machines: green for go, red for stop, and blue for other functions.

I print income fax messages on my laser printer, so they look better than printouts from a stand-alone fax machine (you can also use a dot-matrix printer). The Fax96 lacks a standard data modem, found in more expensive fax cards. That doesn't bother me, because I've already got a modem; why pay for a second one? All in all, the Fax96 is, as we used to say in the old days, swell.

--HENRY F. BEECHHOLD

THE KEY TO BETTER TYPING

Northgate OmniKey Ultra ($149)

(Keyboard for IBM compatibles)

Northgate Computer Systems; (612) 476-4400

It was in a fit of late-night frustration in my home office that I decided to try one of the Northgate keyboards I'd been hearing about for so long. The left-hand shift key on my standard-issue enhanced keyboard had stuck for the millionth time--forcing me to go back and make my millionth unnecessary correction--when I finally realized that a good keyboard was worth a lot to me. I called Northgate the next day.