(MONEY Magazine) – TAKE A MEMO If you have lots of ideas but no time to write them down, the new Olympus DS-150 digital voice recorder (left) is the perfect companion. As small as a candy bar, the DS-150 stores up to 160 minutes of voice memos. But what really sets it apart comes later: Once you connect the recorder to your PC via the cradle that's included, IBM ViaVoice speech-to-text software will translate your memo into text. It lists for $199, but I found one at www.onvia.com (800-331-2822) for $182.

POD PEOPLE Want portable Net browsing but hate the heft of a laptop or the limited content of a PDA or cell phone? Then consider the ePodsOne tablet (www.epods.com; 877-463-7637). This $199 Windows CE Net appliance has an 8 1/2-inch display and touchscreen keyboard. My pet peeve is that you must use ePods as your ISP. In order to get the best deal, you can prepay: The machine and one year of Net access is $650; after that, the monthly fee will be $19.95.

LIGHT AND EASY Scanners have long been the peripheral you could do without. The rap: They're bulky, expensive and tough to use. The new $199 CanoScan N1220U from Canon (above) smashes that stereotype. The smartly styled scanner is just over an inch thick and weighs 3.3 pounds, less than most laptops. Its 2,400-by-1,200-dots-per-inch resolution creates exceptionally sharp scans, which you can easily edit with software that's included. The flexible lid lets you scan thick items. And this PC- and Mac-compatible USB scanner runs off your computer's power.

CAN YOU BUILD A BETTER MOUSE? To look at the $10 mouse that comes with your computer, you might wonder "what's there to fix?" After all, a mouse is simply a tool for pointing and clicking around a computer or the Web. Yet at times the standard-issue mouse is just plain user-unfriendly, prone to skips and jams and awkward for lefthanders. That's why peripheral makers keep designing new mice. I tested several of the more intriguing ones and found four reasons to spend more for a mouse.

You have trouble manipulating a conventional mouse. If you're lefthanded or if you find gripping a mouse painful or difficult, the solution may be a stationary trackball mouse. My favorite is the great-looking Marble Mouse USB from Logitech, which fits equally well in your right or left hand. The ball's motion is extremely smooth, and the side buttons are easy to reach. An added benefit with a trackball mouse: It doesn't take up much desk space. The mouse lists for $29.95, but I found one for $21.99 at www.computers4sure.com.

You love your iMac but hate your iMouse. Until recently, every iMac came with a ridiculous hockey-puck shaped mouse that tended to turn in your hand. Finally, Apple has come up with a solution: the elliptical Pro Mouse, which is standard on new iMacs and G4s. The glow-in-the-dark Pro Mouse uses a beam of light instead of a ball to move the cursor, which gives you greater precision. Current Mac owners can buy one for $59 at www.apple.com. (Note to Steve Jobs: Give a discount to Mac users stuck with the puck.)

You prefer the precision of a pen. I've long yearned for a way to sign letters that I fax and e-mail. My solution: the Graphire cordless USB mouse and pen set from Wacom (left). What makes the combo so cool is the pen, which you can use in lieu of a mouse. You also get an impressive array of software, including Adobe PhotoShop LE and Pen Office (for PC only). The Graphire lists for $99, but I found one selling for $74 at www.computers4sure.com.

You miss your mouse on the road. I haven't forgotten laptop users who hate track pads and point balls. Neither has Targus, which has just released the USB-PS2 Optical Scroller Mini Mouse. This little silver (or black) gem--one of the few mice designed for laptops--fits neatly into a laptop case and plugs into a USB or PS2 port. Like the Pro Mouse, it uses precise optical technology instead of a ball. The Mini Mouse, slated to hit computer stores in mid-August, sells for $49 at www.targus.com.

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