Your Technology

By Anita Hamilton

GATEWAY BEATS BILL GATES

The Justice Department's lawsuit against Microsoft may be trouble for Bill Gates, but it could help business for Gateway. In an industry first, and with Microsoft's grudging assent, the PC maker is offering new customers the Windows 98 operating system and a choice of either the Microsoft or Netscape browser. (To get that choice, customers must pick Gateway's Internet service over those of AOL and other providers.) Also, those paying for their PC in monthly installments starting at $50 can trade up to a faster model two years later.

G-RATING THE INTERNET

Software for filtering out smut has got downright sneaky. Prudence from Blue Wolf Network in Berkeley, Calif., keeps a hidden log of all websites kids visit so parents can monitor them on the sly. Meanwhile, Surf-Watch Educational Edition at once blocks X-rated sites and diverts kids to educational sites such as the Children's Television Workshop and the Tech Museum of Innovation.

CD-ROM BUSINESS CARDS

Business cards are getting an upgrade for the digital age. Now image-conscious digerati can replace their old paper versions with plastic cards that pop into any CD-ROM drive and play a multimedia presentation. Sold by Digital Card in New York City, the wallet-size CD-ROMs can hold as much as 18 MB of data or 2 1/2 min. of video, and cost $1.50 to $3.50 apiece.

--By Anita Hamilton