(MONEY Magazine) – What's new

Every summer at the PC Expo, computer makers hype a host of new products that most consumers won't want or need. But this year, I found one thing that merits all the hype: Intel's Dot.Station Web Appliance (below), a machine that lets you go on the Net, send e-mail, keep a calendar, write yourself notes and--here's what clinches it for me--make a phone call.

The Intel Dot.Station passes my ultimate test: I'd buy one for my mother. She would be able to read e-mail, go on the Internet or look at digital photos of her grandson--all she wants from a computer at home.

Alas, there's one catch: The Dot.Station may never see the light of a retail store. In what's a sign of how consumers will get their hands on the coming wave of Net appliances, Intel plans to sell the Dot.Station to businesses such as brokers or Internet service providers. They, in turn, will give you the machine or sell it to you at far below cost if you make a long-term commitment to their service. I think this device is bound to draw more than a few suitors. Just watch.

Phone envy

Of all the Web-enabled cell phones I've seen, the coolest, most compact one is the new $199 Samsung SCH-8500 (right) from Sprint PCS (888-211-4727; www.sprintpcs.com). At two inches by 3 1/2 inches by one inch, this beauty is just a bit bigger than a pager. Flip it open, and you'll see that the backlit screen, which holds five lines of text, is easy to read, indoors or out. The phone doubles as a personal organizer, complete with a to-do list, calendar and alarm clock. Oh, and in case you need to make a call, the SCH-8500 happens to be a first-class cell phone, with voice-activated dialing, caller ID and text messaging.

Best sites for computer help

Funny how PC makers are happy to be your friend right after you buy a computer, gladly providing all the technical help you need. After a year, though, if you want to talk to a warm body about why your screen often freezes or why you get an error message every time you try to print--and haven't spent a couple hundred bucks for an extended service plan--have your credit card handy. If your warranty has expired and you didn't buy a service plan, Compaq charges $36 for a technical rep to clear up a problem. Tech help from the good folks at Apple will run $49. (Dell, on the other hand, offers free lifetime support.) Fortunately, several websites provide an impressive level of support for a very reasonable cost. Below are the most helpful ones I've found.

www.pcsupport.com. This site is perfect if you want an ongoing tech safety net--anything from news of software upgrades to help defragmenting your hard drive in order to recover wasted space. For $36.50 a year, you get unlimited advice by e-mail, a real-time onscreen chat or a service called Fix My PC, in which a technician actually takes control of your computer via modem. PC Support, however, isn't immune from tech glitches of its own: When I used it to correct a problem with my machine's Dynamic Link Library (which connects programs and files), my chat session was cut short.

www.expertcity.com. If you need help with a single problem, this site can be less expensive than paying for a year of tech support. Within minutes, computer experts from around the world bid to solve your problem for anywhere from nothing to $15. As with PC Support, you can let technicians fix your machine online.

www.pcpitstop.com. If you want a free computer checkup, this website is the place to go. You will find out if your Internet browser is out of date, for example, or how much available RAM you have. Plus, the site will conduct routine maintenance, such as defragmenting your hard drive or scanning your machine for viruses, for free. For the moment, however, PC Pitstop works only on Windows PCs running Internet Explorer 4 or above. Netscape users, you're out of luck.

www.macfixIt.com. The free advice available at Apple.com is impressive, but if you're looking for a free second opinion on all things Mac, you can't beat MacFixIt. You'll find links for updating your software and downloadable fixes for bugs. But what makes this site special are the useful suggestions for Mac users from Mac users. A few months ago, I was having a problem with my new iMac. Every time I tried to send a fax, my modem threw a fit. After posting my problem at MacFixIt, I found that there was a conflict between software that came with the computer and one I had loaded. I killed the preloaded program and bought a substitute. My iMac and I have been friends ever since.

Email your technology questions to tech_enthusiast@moneymail.com.