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PRODUCT DESIGNS YOUR ELECTRONIC STORE

You've been thinking about bringing your business online to reach a potential global market. Or you have a product or service that you know everyone will want but you don't know even where to begin when it comes to creating an online store. Creating a business to consumer e-store can be intimidating to even those who are fairly computer literate.

There are electronic "mall" services that will rent you a virtual store in their cyberspace but you run some risks with these services. Since they process all of your orders and credit cards, it's possible that you may show up one day only to find they've gone out of business and have taken all your records with them. So no matter what service you choose, make sure that your computer remains the repository of all your financial transactions. It's alright and even necessary to use online providers for various functions but just make sure you at least keep duplicate records on whatever system you use.

Actinic Catalog is a once stop CD that offers a wide range of e-commerce solutions, all of which keeps your financial information on your computer. Actinic has set up a fairly simple system that lets even a novice set up an e-business with features such as credit card ordering and inventory tracking. Actinic Catalog lets you set up, design and run your e-store from one location. Right from the box, you are presented with several screens that let you define what you have to offer via a catalog. Your products or services are displayed in hierarchical order, listing colors, sizes and any add on components in any combination that's appropriate.

Using the included web design software, you can start with different design and color theme templates and customize everything to your specifications. You can create an unlimited number of product variations using radio buttons, drop down lists and other popular mechanisms that display everything in an easy to understand manner for your customers. The Preview feature lets you see the final product before you publish it to the web. Other features let you set up your network, select an Internet Service Provider, process orders, keep track of inventory so you can keep your stock levels updated, and process credit card orders.

Everything you need to run an e-store is here. Print packing lists and inventories, export order information, generate reports for pick lists, process orders completely or partially with support for back ordering, and support for over 30 currencies if you plan to go international.

Developing an online store can be intimidating and professionals can charge thousands of dollars to set things up. But if you want to do it yourself, you may want to give Actinic Catalog a first look and see if it's right for you. Requires Windows. $499.

www.actinic.com (877) 673-6365

Mini Mouse Still Roars

Although most portable computers offer some sort of mouse substitute such as a track pad or mouse stick pointers, many would still prefer using a mouse if we had the room. Enter in Atek Electronics' Super Mini Optical Mouse. The Mini Mouse measures only one inch wide and 2.5 inches long. Yet the tiny rodent offers all the features found on larger its larger relatives. First and most important, it's an optical mouse that works on most any surface. Optical assures a smooth operation with no mouse ball picking up dirt and sticking. It is small enough to conveniently carry in a laptop computer travel bag and to enable road warriors working in tight spaces such as airplane seats to use the mouse easily on minimal work surfaces, even right on the palm rest area of a notebook computer. The Super Mini Optical Mouse currently comes with a USB interface and works with Microsoft Windows Me, 2000, and 98 operating systems. A version with a PS/2 interface that also works with Microsoft Windows NT and 95 will be available early this year. Atek has not yet announced plans to make the mouse available for the Macintosh operating system. $49.95.

Atek Electronics, Inc. www..atekelec.com 1-800-221-8180