Hot Disks 12/04

Stay In Touch: Don't lose touch with your PC when you're out of the office. I'm InTouch 3.6 from 01 Communique allows you to securely access your PC from any web browser, using the I'm InTouch portal, including browsers on PDAs and cell phones. You can run programs (including Outlook) and access and transfer files between both PCs. I'm InTouch will also send a text message to your cell phone any time you receive an e-mail on your PC. The service is priced at $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year.

Password Protection: Secure your Windows-based PC with Dekart's Logon software. The $39 application lets you store all your Windows passwords on the portable storage device of your choice, such as a smart card, a USB drive or a hardware token. You then connect the device to your PC and type in your PIN, and Logon automatically enters your passwords for you. Logon offers either two- or three-factor authentication and can be configured to work without hardware.

Website Builder: Get information posted on your website quickly and easily with Contribute 3.0, Macromedia's updated content creation tool, designed to let nontechnical users publish information to sites and corporate intranets. The $149 application ($79 for the upgrade) includes a license to Macromedia's new server-based Contribute Publishing Services system, a central management tool for the IT staff. Contribute 3.0 integrates with other Macromedia applications, including Dreamweaver MX 2004.

Liane Cassavoy freelances from her home in Brookline, Massachusetts.