Swatch's Beep Box, pitched toward Netcentric teens, serves as a lifeline to the Web - and, coincidentally, the company's extensive chat room. The podlike device has a trackball for navigation, backlight, and vibration mode. You can send pages through an 800 number, or your online buddies can page you until you're back in front of the keyboard.
Some companies are proud to produce vaporware.
In fact, AIS, the Italian manufacturer of 3Desk, has the perfect way to make you see objects that don't really exist. The illusion is aided by a pair of LCD shutter glasses, quadraphonic sound, and a wireless tracking device that changes the object's shading and placement to match a VR trooper's perspective. The server room has become a crucial stop on corporate tours, symbolizing 21st-century staying power. Even Martha Stewart has a server in her basement, for crying out loud. This means your machines should not only work well, but also look good.