Cable Cutters

By Wilson Rothman

Wi-fi may have been invented as a way to network PCs, but it is turning into a boon for all sorts of household products. Wireless networks let you shuttle pictures, music and video from device to device, anywhere in the house--or even in the backyard. Best of all, you don't have to rip open walls and ceilings to hide cables. For your pleasure, here's a sampling of the latest crop of wireless appliances.

GAMES TO GO Built for Microsoft's Xbox video-game machine, the MN-740 module lets you go online wirelessly and do battle against anyone, anywhere via the Web. $139

ALL TOGETHER NOW HP's wi-fi-equipped PSC 2510 Photosmart all-in-one peripheral can handle your faxing, printing and scanning needs--no pesky USB cord required. $400

WIRELESS CAMERA It's for pros, sure, but Nikon's D2H is the first to relay photos wirelessly to a PC. Future cameras may send snapshots straight to the TV. $4,450 with wi-fi option

MUSIC MANAGER Your MP3 files sit on the PC, but you want to play them on the stereo. Creative SoundBlaster Wireless can make the performance happen. You conduct it with the remote. $250

SCALABLE TECH This prototype bathroom scale from IBM and Sunbeam records your weight and sends it via wi-fi to a PC, where you can track your diet with graphs and pie charts. Not for sale

HI-FI, MEET WI-FI With a wireless card, the D2730 from GoVideo can pull music, photos and home videos from your PC, so that you can enjoy them from any room in the house. $299

PALMTOP Sony's UX50 Clie can hop on any wi-fi network to access e-mail and the Web. Or if you're out of range but own a Bluetooth cell phone, it can get to the Net via a phone. $700

PICTURE THIS Can't decide which of your photos look best on the wall? Rotate through them wirelessly from your computer with a 12-in. LCD frame from Wallflower Systems. From $599

EYE, ALONE An electronic eye that needs only a power socket, Veo's Wireless Observer can be accessed from the Web or set up--for $29 extra--to send snapshots of anything that moves. $299

WEB IN HAND Dell's first Axim drove down the price of no-frills Pocket PCs. The Axim X3 picks up the pace with a 400-MHz chip, 64 MB of memory and wi-fi for Web surfing at hot spots. $349

MORE, PLEASE Online you'll find other new wi-fi devices, such as a hot-spot "sniffer," a Web-powered remote control and a networked TiVo. Visit us at www.time.com/wireless