Staying in touch with new technologies is hard work.

Because the computer industry moves so quickly, evolution has gathered together a short list of the latest and most exciting technologies (we even found some that are not going to be available until later this year) with a brief explanation of what they will do for you.

Microsoft's amazing Xbox game player is at the top of the latest "must have" list.

This "extreme" games console, delivering twice the power of a Playstation2, is Microsoft's first attack on the highly-lucrative dedicated game player market and, at first glance, it looks like they may have a success on their hands.

Technical specifications on the Microsoft Xbox are high. With a 733Mhz processor, a super-fast graphics chip, a 100Mbps Ethernet connection and an eight gigabyte hard drive that remembers what stage of the game you were at before you last turned it off, the Xbox is a pretty cool piece of kit.

Bluetooth has been hyped as the best of the new wave of data-transfer protocols. Essentially, it is a hardware- independent wireless con-nection allowing data from one piece of kit (phone, computer, etc.) to be transferred to another. Imagine being able to print without connecting the printer to your computer.

Uses include PDA (personal digital assistant) links which let you download books to your palm device and digital cameras sending your pictures direct to your printer without any cables or connections.

With a range of around 100 meters, Bluetooth could be built in to all kinds of electronic and electrical equipment from fridges, microwaves and toasters to the latest computer networks.

Microsoft Whistler is the code name for the latest incarnation of the Microsoft operating system. Don't hold your breath, as it is unlikely to be with us for a while yet.

Early reports suggest it will offer much the same as we have had before but may deliver marginally more stability.

Affordable flat-screen monitors will be with us soon, according to the vendors. This has been on the cards for ages but, as yet, I have not seen a flat-screen that was worth having for less than £1,000. Leading brands include Nokia who have developed some of the sexiest screens on the market.

Sadly, the price of Nokia flat-screen monitors reflects their extreme desirability.

Anoto is an electronic pen that can send handwritten notes directly to a user's computer via Bluetooth.

Invaluable for doctors (and all those who need to make notes but do not have the ability to carry a bulky notebook computer around with them), patient notes can be sent directly to a ward- based computer.

MacOS X is the latest operating system from Macintosh that offers enhanced on-screen design capability and even has built-in email software. MacOS X should make setting up an internet connection and email on a Mac easier than ever before and that just has to be a good thing.

No doubt Mac have heard all their end-users cursing and spitting as they try to get connected.

Electronic books are becoming a seriously viable proposition as Adobe launch their new and much-vaunted "open standard" method of storing digital book data.

Most users are aware that whether you start with text files, paper documents or web sites, you can preserve their original appearance when they are converted to Adobe PDF.

Documents created with Adobe ePaper Solutions can be reliably distributed via the web, intranets, e-mail, or CD-ROM for viewing and printing on any computer system.

Although based on Adobe's excellent PDF format (the most widely-used electronic document format in the world), the very latest Adobe technology will even allow you to safeguard the contents of a file until you are ready to release it to a recipient - in other words, after payment has been made.

For more PDF information, see www.adobe.co.uk