As multi-purpose devices continue to become more prevalent in our world, we’ll occasionally update you on some of the hotter items available. Today’s post is such a case, with the i-mate K-JAM mobile phone/Pocket PC/web cam/Skype receiver. This multi-faceted jewel is ideal for the ultimate in multi-tasking. It’s so multi-functional it has 3 different names!

Okay, so the several different names don’t have to do with how useful the thing is. They’re all essentially the same phone rebranded by a few different companies. In any case, this is a top-notch PDA phone. Dai-Kyu Kim, CEO of Zapr gives us a good rundown of the i-mate’s twin, the HTC Wizard:

I travel frequently to Korea and Japan, and I quickly grew tired of dealing with the rental and prepaid cell phones I used for communicating while overseas. The HTC is actually a tiny computer with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a 180-degree swivel touchscreen, a “qwerty” keyboard, 128MB of ROM, 64MB of SDRAM, and a 520-MHz processor. I now get my e-mail instantly, and the HTC Wizard quickly transmits text and video messages. This phone is an international superstar, and it’s worth every penny.

The K-JAM comes with the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, and is packed with all the mobile office applications needed to make working on the road fun and simple. As most PDA phones go, they certainly don’t give these things away for free, but the “you get what you pay for” motto stays true with the K-JAM. You’re going to pay a lot, and get a lot out of it. Basically, if this beefy little phone doesn’t have enough horsepower for you, you’re likely to be holding a full-blown laptop up to you head the next time you get call.

Despite being in the “digital age,” there is still a whole lot of paper being passed around the office. Whether it’s not appropriate, not convenient or just plain laziness, a barrier seems to exist for a lot of companies in converting from paper to electronic documents. Hewlett-Packard came up with the 9200c Digital Sender to get rid of all those excuses.

The 9200c is all about business efficiency. It converts documents to PDFs and turns them into searchable text with OCR technology. The 50-sheet document feeder lets you queue up scanning jobs so you don’t have to stand around feeding each page by hand. Security is another feature of the Digital Sender, as it provides a secure method for sending documents as well as the ability to blank out the hard drive on the device after each transmission. Craig Garner, CEO and Chairman of Coast Plaza Hospital, and an attorney to boot, says this about the HP Digital Sender:

It looks like a fax machine, but it will scan your important paper documents and convert them into PDF files that you can archive or e-mail with the touch of a button. The world of law is still far from paperless–as are big industries like real estate, health care, and insurance–so the ability to go from paper to digital is critical. Most of my colleagues find PDFs more secure than Word documents and faxes for revising contracts, and my Digital Sender always gets them sent quickly and cleanly.

With a retail price of $3199, the 9200c Digital Sender is not likely to be seen in a lot of small businesses. But with all the features and time-saving capabilities packaged into it, a company with a lot of administrative work will definitely see the benefits it provides. Even if you’re not into all the environmental mumbo-jumbo about saving trees with electronic documents, the benefits of this machine are sure to cover the cost.

No, no, no! Not EDDIE Money the rock star! We’re talking about the Panasonic P900i cell phone along with the Edy money-transfer service. Both are available through wireless provider DoCoMo in Japan. Unfortunately, Panasonic no longer sells cell phones in the U.S., nor is the Edy service currently availabe in the States. While there will always be new phones coming out, DoCoMo’s partnership with Cingular could result in the Edy service eventually becoming available a litte closer to home.

Through DoCoMo’s 3G Foma network, Edy provides “e-money” to subscribers, allowing them to purchase items at convenience stores, coffee shops and other retail outlets. Currently, there are over 30,000 such participants. Founder and CEO of Neotony, Joi Ito has this to say about his P900i and Edy combo:

The Web browsing and e-mail are noticeably faster than on my previous phone, which didn’t use DoCoMo’s advanced Foma network, and the P900i supports Flash and Java applications. The phone also includes a mobile wallet feature that allows you to pay for things with your phone and Edy e-money. I actually used it to buy an iced coffee yesterday. Several buildings that I go to regularly are Edy-fied–convenience stores, coffee shops, parking garages, etc. The Foma network allows me to roam in countries like Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Australia that use UMTS, a compatible 3G technology.

We’re looking forward to the day when we can stop seeing how much money we actually spend on Starbucks each morning and just have it discreetly tucked away into our monthly cell phone bill. Bring it on, Edy!!

This is pen is out of this world! Okay, not really, but despite the design being around since the 1940’s, it wasn’t until NASA started using the pressurized version of Fisher’s bullet-style pen in 1967 that it became so famous. Granted, some of the fame can be attributed to the urban legend that says NASA spent millions of dollars developing a pen that could write in zero gravity, underwater, on glass and more.

Well, truth be told, the creation of the space pen was handled entirely and independently by Fisher Pen and it’s still widely popular today. It’s smooth, sleek casing and small form factor provide the best of both style and portability. Merlin Mann from 43folders.com agrees:

The design is ingenious: When you place the cap on the end, the pen gains about an inch in length, making it quite comfortable to use. Because nitrogen forces the ink out of an airtight cartridge, you can write against any surface—a wall, a ceiling, or the back of a helpful colleague as you scribble a last-minute note. These things also last forever: In five years, I’ve replaced my current pen’s cartridge just once (and that was because I wanted to try a different color ink).

Your next business trip may not be to the moon, but you’re still likely to impress if you take out your Fisher Bullet Space Pen to sign that next credit card slip, contract or vendor agreement. If you’re interested in collecting these high-quality pens, Fisher also offers plenty of variety to choose from. With an estimated shelf life 100 years, it’s likely you’ll retire before you ever need to replace this pen.

This curvy doodad is essential to anyone doing regular PowerPoint presentations. Atek’s Tote-Remote allows up to 30 feet of roaming distance to let your unhinge your vice-like grip on that safety blanket called a podium and really deliver that extra presentation punch to your audience. With the USB base using a radio frequency to communicate with the controller, you don’t need a clear line of sight during your presentation, so get out there!

Cathy Lyons, Executive VP and Chief Marketing Office at Hewlett-Packard, shares this about her Tote-Remote:

The lightweight, wireless Atek lets me control my PowerPoint slides while giving me the freedom to roam the stage. And it’s simple to set up: I just plug a small receiver fob into my laptop’s USB port. With only three buttons, it’s almost foolproof. One stops and starts the presentation, one is for page navigation, and one activates the built-in laser pointer. My Atek has become like a security blanket—I pop it into my bag whenever I hit the road.

See, it even replaces the podium for that extra bit of nerve calming security the next time you’re standing in front of a few hundred people. Chances are Cathy presents in front of at least a few thousand people at a time, so most of you are likely to have it a bit easier than her already. If the Atek Tote-Remote can work for her, it can certainly work for you. Get the point?