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MICROPHONE LOOKS AS GOOD AS IT LISTENS

I admit I'm a sucker for anything that has a beautiful modern design and the Verse-704 microphone looks like something a Bang & Olfsen would be proud to claim as their own. But it's Labtec's and the Verse-704 is a graceful, functional mini work of art. Standing tall on its curved pillow-shaped stand, the Verse-704 ($39.99) is a long, slender, gently curved tube that arches toward you as it poises to hear your every word. It pivots from the point of connection at the weighted base so you can position the microphone at the optimum angle.

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) affords an easy and efficient way to connect devices to our computers. More and more peripherals such as printers, scanners, CD drives and the like now come with USB connectivity as the USB standard continues to replace the serial and parallel connections of yore. But USB is also being used by an increasing number of sound peripherals, namely speakers and microphones.

It used to be that speakers and mikes would connect to the inputs and outputs of sound cards on PCs and built-in sound jacks on Macintosh models. But as we continue to move towards everything digital, these analog devices are also slowly fading away as are the built-in connections for them. Buyers of newer Macs have already noticed the absence of microphone and speaker plugs and PCs may not be too far behind. As the technology continues to improve, digital sound offers better quality and control over analog.

The Verse-704 microphone features an all digital USB technology that yields a stunningly clear recording ability that I found to be superior to any analog mike I could find. The Verse-704 uses a unidirectional microphone that filters out background noise which is a good thing if you have a noisy computer fan or whirring peripheral. A combination mute and power switch on the base illuminates when the microphone is active. And as you must have guessed by now, it doesn't plug into your sound card or jack. It hooks directly into any USB port and works with Windows 98 or higher, and Mac OS 9.0.4 or higher.

If you're still bound to the analog world, don't despair as Labtec makes the Verse-514 ($14.99) that performs nearly as well, looks almost identical and sports the more traditional mini-plug at the end of its connecting cord.

www.labtec.com/noflash/gear/voice_pcmic.cfm

New Microsoft keyboard

Microsoft has just introduced their Microsoft Office Keyboard. The name may be a bit of a misnomer since you don't need the Office product to use the keyboard. It's 19 extra hot keys are additional buttons that proliferate the upper and left edge of the keyboard, and whose functions can be defined by the end user. For example, pressing buttons can send, forward and reply to an email. And if your computer is set up correctly, Sleep and Log Off Hot keys are a finger-press away.

The keys have a nice solid feel and the ergonomic palm rest at the base makes for comfortable typing. Another nice feature is the keyboard's integrated scroll wheel at the left edge. Normally, I use the scroll wheel on my mouse to scroll through an open window. But with the Office Keyboard, I can hold a cup of coffee in my right hand and scroll with the left. I think I'll dub this new action as "Scroll and Sip." What a nice way to surf the Internet.

The Office keyboard works on PC and Macintosh computers, comes complete with drivers for both platforms and sells for $64.95.

www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/keyboard/ok_info.asp