Your Technology

By Anita Hamilton

TURNING UP THE JUICE Tired of notebook batteries that fizzle after just a few hours? Electrofuel of Toronto electrofuel.com has developed the first 15-hr. backup battery. Called the PowerPad 160, it weighs only 2 lbs. and is just three-eighths of an inch. Made of a patented material, Lithium Ion Super Polymer, the PowerPad ($499) lies flat beneath your computer and plugs into the power port.

DIGITAL HIGHLIGHTERS You type on a computer, but many of the information sources you refer to--brochures, newspapers and dictionaries--are still on paper. To help convert the printed word into digital form for reports or homework, C Technologies and Siemens have developed digital highlighters. Simply swipe them across a line of text, and they will store data for transfer to your PC, via infrared or serial port. Both Siemens' PocketReader and C Technologies' C Pen 200 cost $200. FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE Step into the lush, futuristic world of Final Fantasy VIII, the latest installment of the blockbuster PlayStation series that has sold some 22 million copies worldwide. Gorgeous scenery with cinematic touches and realistic-looking characters make this epic tale of good vs. evil dazzle onscreen. Players take on the role of Squall, a military-academy student who must stop an evil sorceress from controlling the world. Along the way he battles monsters, solves puzzles and falls in love. The story line may sound familiar, but its stunning rendition is fresh and new.

--By Anita Hamilton