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Flat-Panel TV/PC Monitors
Sometimes it takes a while to get a product right, and the latest wave of flat-panel LCDs has finally hit the mark. Along with lower prices, these displays offer high resolution (1,024 x 768), integrated TV tuners, remote controls, and VGA inputs for connecting to your PC. The 15-inch monitors also serve as DVD movie screens.
FIRST CLASS
Marantz LC1500
All flat-panel monitors have built-in speakers, but Marantz's hi-fi audio is better than most. Just plug a cable wire into its 2.75-inch chassis for superb sound and striking images. The 21-pound swivel display has a digital comb filter, a circuit that cleans up color and light signals as they exit the tuner, preventing broadcast imperfections - a bonus for plain-old TV fans. It accepts direct input from high-end DVD players (480 progressive scan) for the clearest picture.
LC1500: $1,899. Marantz: +1 (630) 741 0300, www.marantz.com/hifi/america.
BUSINESS CLASS
Samsung LTM1555
This LCD monitor is the most flexible of the bunch. The 2-inch-thick display weighs about 9 pounds and has lots of inputs:S-video for sharper images and composite video for low-end DVD players. Its picture-in-picture feature operates with two different sources, so you can crank out spreadsheets from your PC while keeping an eye on 24. Comes in standard and widescreen flavors.
LTM1555: $1,400. Samsung: (800) 726 7864, www.samsungusa.com.
COACH
Philips 150MT
This flatty packs in solid features for a nice price. As with the Samsung, it has picture-in-picture for multitasking work and play at your desk. Or if you'd rather, use the wall bracket to hang the 150MT in your kitchen and tune in Katie and Matt as you brew the morning java and check email. Its progressive scan for watching DVDs is an unexpected perk for this class. However, the screen is dimmer than the rest, and the industrial design disappoints. After all, when you're installing anything at home, aesthetics counts.
150MT: $799. Philips: (800) 531 0039, www.ce.philips.com.
Shortwave Radios
Free, far-flung content thrived on shortwaves long before the Web - and it still does. The best radios provide continuous coverage, letting you grab signals carrying everything from political propaganda to ham-radio convos. Digital tuners are key, as is the ability to receive single sideband transmissions - where all the really fun broadcasts are.
FIRST CLASS
R.L. Drake R8B
The R8B looks more like a rack-mount server than a radio. A speaker on top amplifies signals in the 10 kHz to 30 MHz frequency range. Pull in those shortwaves with Windows software, which you can get off the Web: Just connect your PC to the receiver via the serial port in back. The device doesn't take batteries. But it stores up to 1,000 of your favorite channels. Since there's no FM reception, you'll need your old transistor for Top 40.
R8B: $1,379. R. L. Drake: +1 (937) 746 4556, www.rldrake.com.
BUSINESS CLASS
Grundig Satellit 800 Millennium
Everything about the Grundig is extravagant. Its huge numbers stand almost an inch high on the readout. The tuner lets you move the dial in small increments. And the radio's receiver automatically locks into a midrange frequency for better amplification. In addition to AM, FM, and shortwave, the Satellit 800 can store 70 presets and troll VHF bands, where pilots converse. It plugs into the wall or runs on six D cells.
Satellit 800 Millennium: $500. Grundig: (800) 872 2228, www.grundigradio.com.
COACH
Sangean ATS 505
Cheap shortwaves start at $20, but they get only a few bands. Sangean gives you a real receiver in a shiny, portable package. Like all the radios here, it has a jack for an external antenna - de rigueur if you insist on stringing at least 50 feet of wire outside the house to pick up distant transmissions. When you visit an unfamiliar city, let the radio scan the airwaves and retrieve the 12 strongest signals. Then save 'em, and up to 33 more, on the Sangean's 45 channels.
ATS 505: $149. Sangean: +1 (626) 579 1600, www.sangean.com.
All-in-One Machines
The latest all-in-one machines - those compact and affordable printer-scanner-copier-fax combos - keep your cramped home office, well, less cramped. These units often trade top speed and performance for convenience, but unless you're a professional photographer or graphic designer, you'll hardly notice the difference.
FIRST CLASS
Hewlett-Packard PSC 950
This multifunction device is really all you need. About the size of an open phone book, the PSC 950 kicks out prints of up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi. For typical printing and copying, expect quick output - 12 pages per minute for grayscale and 9 for color. When using a best-quality setting, expect to wait twice as long (you'll be rewarded with good snapshot clarity). Unlike most, the 950 has a built-in modem and accepts a memory card directly from digital cameras.
PSC 950: $400, replacement ink cartridges $65. Hewlett-Packard: (888) 999 4747, www.hp.com.
BUSINESS CLASS
Compaq A3000
The A3000's print resolution is the same as the PSC 950's, but this unit photocopies and outputs color less swiftly. Unlike other models, this baby has a handy control panel for easily changing copier and printer properties. If there's more than one computer in your home office, this machine's networked printing capabilities are a plus. It's also one of the few in this class that lets you scan items directly into graphics applications like Photoshop - a huge time-saver.
A3000: $200, replacement ink cartridges $80. Compaq: (800) 282 6672, www.compaq.com.
COACH
Lexmark X73
Why pay for features you won't use? This bargain unit covers all the basics and offers quality where you need it most. For instance, scan densities are better than those from HP's PSC 950, and, like the Compaq A3000, you can send scans to your PC for faxing and emailing. However, the X73 performs slowly, delivering9 ppm in grayscale and 3 to 5 ppm in color. Still, it's suitable for college students and others who want to avoid repeated trips to Kinko's.
X73: $149, replacement ink cartridges $70. Lexmark: (888) 539 6275, www.lexmark.com.
