Best- Great stuff - tested and approved in our top-secret labs.
NIGHT-VISION SPOTTING SCOPES
First Class:
Hitek International CyberEye 003
While folks in uniform get the most sensitive scopes, the rest of us can night-stalk with top commercial gear like CyberEye 003, a single-eye spotter without the bulk or expense of binocular design. An uncertified gen-3-grade intensifier tube delivers a system gain of around 3,000 that turns deep-woods darkness into green-tinted clarity, and the IR illuminator lets you snoop in caves without disturbing inhabitants. The 16-ounce, metal-cased CyberEye has a camera-style C-mount, so you can replace the wide-angle optics (1x, 40-degree view) with your favorite zoom lens. A socket underneath fits tripods or rifle mounts.
CyberEye 003 with IR illuminator: $3,195. Hitek International: (800) 546 4448, +1 (650) 363 1404,www.nightsight.com.
Business Class:
ITT Industries Night Quest 150
A leading manufacturer and retailer, ITT sells gen-2 and gen-3 tubes to other scope vendors; its own Night Quest 150 uses a gen-2. With a minimum system gain of 2,000, this tough, plastic-clad scope is practically worry-free: It's waterproof, it floats, it takes AAA batteries (most others need 3-volt lithium), plus auto-shutoff conserves power, and bright-source protection prevents tube damage even in broad daylight. Like CyberEye, the 17-ounce Night Quest has a 40-degree field of view, at 1x magnification.
Night Quest 150: $1,595. ITT Industries: (800) 448 8678, +1 (540) 362 8000,www.ittnv.com.
Coach:
Night Owl Optics Night Odyssey NONO3
Though US companies no longer produce gen-1 tubes, Russian output has flooded the market and made night vision far more affordable. The 16-ounce Night Odyssey can't approach gen-2 or gen-3 clarity, but its reported system gain of 1,400 does nice work, especially with the IR illuminator. While 3x optics mean 12-degree tunnel-vision, a sharp image, easy focusing, and comfortable design raise this handsome scope above the competition.
Night Odyssey NONO3: $350. Night Owl Optics: (888) 644 4886, +1 (212) 229 0297,www.nightowloptics.com.
RUGGEDIZED LAPTOPS
First Class:
Amrel Rocky II Plus
Top ruggedized laptops - including the sky-high gear traversing Mount Everest - meet MIL-STD 810E standards, which subject devices to repeated drops, spraying water, vibration, sand, heat, and freezing. The mil-spec magnesium Rocky II Plus leads the pack, especially when the 9.5-pound portable is set up with a backlit keyboard, a 12.1-inch sunlight-readable color touchscreen, a 400-MHz Pentium II, a 10-Gbyte hard drive, and 256 megs of SDRAM. CD-ROM, DVD, and CDPD wireless modem modules swap in and out. Dual battery chargers and a vehicle docking station round out this battle-ready asset.
Rocky II Plus: $9,690. Amrel Systems: (800) 882 6735, +1 (626) 303 6688,www.amrel.com.
Business Class:
Itronix X-C 6250 Pro
How does Itronix recommend you clean its 6.9-pound X-C 6250 Pro? In the dishwasher. Santoprene shocks and a rustproof magnesium frame protect the 10.4-inch color screen, glowing keyboard, 266-MHz GXm processor, 6.4-gig hard drive, and 128 Mbytes of RAM. Rubberized plugs guard all ports, and the CDPD cellular modem, microphone, and speaker support both data and voice communications in the field. Meanwhile, the phone line analysis system lets you play Wichita lineman.
X-C 6250 Pro: $5,995. Itronix: (800) 441 1309, +1 (509) 624 6600,www.itronix.com.
Coach:
Melard Technologies Scout2
Encased in rubber-coated magnesium, the 5.5-pound Scout2 All-Terrain Subnotebook has a 7-inch backlit color touchscreen, an AMD K6 233-MHz processor, 64 megs of RAM, and a 4.3-Gbyte hard drive - ample power for most uses, although editing on-scene video footage will need to wait. Cellular data, voice, and wireless LAN modems communicate everywhere. While Panasonic's Toughbook 27 is faster, Scout2 takes more punishment.
Scout2: $4,165. Melard Technologies: +1 (914) 273 4488,www.melard.com.
HOME CALLER-ID PHONES
First Class:
CIDCO Smart Phone CL990
Pre-caller-ID, answering the ring was even riskier business. Today, phones like Smart Phone CL990 unmask nuisance callers long before they've got your ear. The handset's backlit three-line display accesses a 50-entry directory that identifies by name both incoming callers and people you're dialing. You can roam cordlessly up to 2,500 feet from the base, while the 900-MHz digital spread-spectrum connection ensures privacy. Dedicated keys on the speakerphone integrate with all major telco-subscriber message centers for full voicemail control; you'll have no worries about access numbers, code sequences, or prompts.
Smart Phone CL990: $249.99. CIDCO: +1 (408) 779 1162,www.cidco.com.
Business Class:
Casio MA-240 Phone System
A natural for the small/home office, Casio's cordless MA-240 Phone System handles two phone lines, stores 30 name-number pairs, and has a 300-foot range. But its most unique trick is juggling up to 12 handsets. The system comes with one - it's light, comfortable, and has a two-line display. And you can add more handsets just like it, at $99 apiece. Each has a belt clip and headphone jack to allow hands-free talking, plus you can ring the other handsets, to make the system work as an intercom.
MA-240 Phone System: $199. Casio Communications: +1 (310) 320 9810,www.casiophonemate.com.
Coach:
AT&T 960
The AT&T 960 helps keep pesky telemarketers at arm's length, though it also forces you to stay within the cord's reach. The speakerphone base has a four-line display that accesses a 28-number phone book and lets you review a 99-entry incoming-call history. For voicemail subscribers, a message-waiting light means never having to pick up to listen for that fast broken tone. And if you're overcome by the urge to wander, you can always splurge and add a 25-foot phone cord.
960: $79.99. AT&T: (800) 222 3111,www.telephones.att.com.
