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Jul. 26, 2004 This videophone may set standard

It costs $300, and you can tap into a broadband Internet connection


The videophone has emerged in numerous incarnations over the years, but for one reason or another, no single standard or device has captured the public's imagination.

That could change with the advent of VoIP, or voice over Internet protocol, a technology standard that has made Internet telephone service a reality and could help untangle the red tape of phone service.

The Packet8 DV326 videophone, from 8x8, is a VoIP telephone that has the features of conventional phone service plus built-in videoconferencing. Plug the DV326 into a broadband Internet connection and you get both, using a single connection point, service provider and interface.

The device has a 5-inch TFT screen and offers conventional features such as voice mail, call waiting and caller ID. Calls, whether to other DV326 units or to ordinary telephones, are initiated by dialing a phone number.

The DV326 is available at 8x8's Web site (www.packet8.net) at a cost of $300 for one and $500 for two, after rebates. The calling plan, which is also provided by 8x8, costs $30 per month. Service includes unlimited calls within the United States and Canada; international calls to another DV326 are also included but to other phones cost extra.

An important feature of the DV326 is portability: If you are traveling or you move, you can carry it with you.

"Wherever you plug in, if anyone calls your phone number, that phone will start ringing," said Bryan Martin, chief executive of 8x8. -- NEW YORK TIMES

Framed pictures from your computer

Digital picture frames have been around for a while. But a new version from PhotoVu, the PV1910, taps into your wireless network for pictures to display on its 19-inch LCD screen.

Once you have configured the frame within your network, you can direct it to specific files in your computer and it will draw the pictures in those files through the wireless connection and display them. No more memory limitations: If a picture is on your computer, it can be on the wall.

The PV1910 can be controlled by any computer running Windows, Macintosh, Linux or Unix. No special software is needed, but the computer has to be turned on for the frame to work. The software that controls the frame is reached through your Internet browser.

The PV1910 is compatible with virtually all digital cameras and can display images up to 12 megapixels in size. It costs $1,299 at www.photovu.com. -- NEW YORK TIMES