Eudora E-Mail: In March, Qualcomm will release Eudora E-Mail 4.3 in three modes to succeed Eudora Pro 4.2 and Eudora Light.Sponsored mode (free) has prominent ads; Light mode (free) has fewer ads and functions; Paid mode ($50) has no ads. Get the beta at http://www.eudora.com.
-- 4.7G-byte DVD-RAM: Panasonic and Hitachi will unveil a second-generation 4.7G-byte (9.4G-byte, double-sided) rewritable DVD-RAM drive by March. The Panasonic kit with SCSI-2 interface will sell for less than US$700.
-- VMware 2.0: VMware's $299 application lets you simultaneously run multiple OSs--including Windows 9x, Windows 2000 and Linux. You can also run apps for one OS in another. Look for it in March at http://www.vmware.com.
Tidbytes
Another IE Spruce-Up: Internet Explorer 5.5, now in beta, adds a print preview (long part of Netscape Navigator) and more tie-ins with MSN.com. Download it at http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/webtechnology/ie/iepreview.asp.
Instant Internet: Phone cards are old hat: ICopious.com's Silent Access prepaid Internet cards and software will hit stores by late March. Prices for the 5-, 10- and 25-hour cards remain unknown. An as-yet-unnamed telco will provide connectivity.
Site to See: Paypal.com
Want to send money to someone who can't take credit cards? Confinity's PayPal (http://www.paypal.com) is a free personal-payment service that allows registered users to send money by debiting a credit card or bank account. To make a payment, you simply enter the recipient's e-mail address and the outgoing amount. PayPal then alerts the payee by e-mail. The recipient must register at the site and set up a PayPal account to collect the funds as a direct deposit to a bank account or a check mailed from PayPal. Confinity is backed by Deutsche Bank and Nokia, which should allay security concerns.