EXECUTIVE POWER TOOLS Photoillustration by David Rudes/BW; Photographs by Ted Morrison (Computer), Charly Franklin/FPG (Background), Michael Keller/The Stock Market (Computer Screen Sky) ''Wildfire, I'm depressed.'' ''Oh, you poor thing. Would you like me to call somebody who cares?'' You probably never expected to have a conversation like this with a machine. But every day, a few thousand cell-phone-toting executives in America are talking with a personal-assistant service known as Wildfire Communications Inc. Believe it or not, it's actually a computer you can call up that uses an irreverent woman's voice to communicate. Call out her name while driving in your car, and she'll set up a phone call, play back your voicemail, or route incoming calls to the front desk at your hotel. Offered as a feature on some wireless services, Wildfire can cost as little as $15 a month. Automated messaging isn't the only hip stocking-stuffer for mobile executives this Christmas. This is the year when small is not only beautiful but also powerful--whether it's a machine that sits on your desktop or fits in the palm of your hand. And oh, what the World Wide Web hath wrought: vast libraries of information and scores of digital bazaars at your fingertips in a world that, finally, is beginning to let you roam free, or at least out of the office. Looking for tools that make life on the go easier? You might need a service offered by a wireless carrier called Omnipoint Corp. (OMPT) that lets you use the same cell phone in 38 countries, including the U.S. Or if you just want to download lists from your PC, there's a credit-card-size gadget called Rex that costs $210. Step up to notebook computers, and some real wonders unfold. Sample Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL) new PowerBook G3, whose lustrous screen holds its own against desktop monitors. Need hard copy? Canon Inc. (CANNY) has a $349 printer the size of a cigarette carton that doubles as a scanner. Even if you're up to your teraflops in technology, you'll find the BUSINESS WEEK Buying Guide useful. It offers a wonders-and-warts evaluation of everything from digital books to helpful Web sites. So savor the sheer capacity these tools place at your fingertips. RELATED ITEMS EXECUTIVE POWER TOOLS COVER IMAGE: Technology Buying Guide HANDHELDS LAPTOPS DESKTOPS WIRELESS CYBERSPACE BANDWIDTH TOUGH ENOUGH? WARRANTIES TAMING E-MAIL TRAVEL SITES CITY GUIDES Return to top of story

Updated Nov. 5, 1998 by bwwebmaster
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