Stories by: Harry McCracken

Steve Jobs is, among many other things, the great denier. Second mouse buttons, floppy drives, 56-kbps modems--for decades, he's been perfectly willing to release producrs that lack one or more features that are standard equipment on everyone else's computers if he thinks they're unnecessary or offend his design principles or aesthetic sense.

With its new MacBook, Apple has filled out its Intel-based portable line with an entry-level model. But this mobile Macintosh packs so many clever, practical features into its compact case that using it never feels like a compromise.

With its new MacBook, Apple has filled out its Intel-based portable line with an entry-level model. But this mobile Macintosh packs so many clever, practical features into its compact case that using it never feels like a compromise.

If you need evidence that the much-predicted convergence of computers and consumer electronics may finally be upon us, consider this: the latest devices from PC heavyweights Compaq and Hewlett-Packard are now competing head-to-head for a place in your stereo system. Following HP's recent announcement of its Digital Entertainment Center, Compaq unveiled its similar iPaq Music Center at PC Expo/TechXNY in New York last week.

Your local supermarket probably lets you pay for purchases by swiping your credit card through a reader. Why not give home PCs the same capability? That's the idea behind Compaq's new Smart Credit Card Internet Keyboard, announced here this week at PC Expo/TechX NY.

Microsoft office 2000 is here--in spirit. True, the upgrade to the 800-pound gorilla of office suites won't ship until the second quarter of this year. But in the meantime, Microsoft's site is hawking a beta version it calls a "Preview." Available now, nearly feature complete, and surprisingly stable, the Preview provides a solid picture of what to expect in the final version.

Epson's do-everything photo printers