Cyberscope

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By Newsweek Editors

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Now, this is a personal digital assistant. The latest in space accessories from NASA talks, understands and monitors temperature and atmospheric pressure like the Tricorder on "Star Trek." But what makes it way cooler than earthbound PDAs is that the Personal Satellite Assistant looks and moves like Luke Skywalker's Jedi training remote in "Star Wars." On a shuttle mission or aboard the space station, the PSA will float, hover and zoom, thanks to 12 fans that propel it in zero G. Its video cameras, wireless technology and voice software will let the silicon astronaut scout for danger (seeking the source of smoke, say) and answer questions ("What am I scheduled to do now?" "How do I repair this widget?"). "I think of it as the parrot on the pirate's shoulder," says PSA inventor Yuri Gawdiack. "It's there to be consulted, but isn't in the way." Unlike, oh, R2D2. LAPTOPSA Portable for The Rest of Us

In the laptop industry, thin and light are usually synonymous with expensive. No more. Sony's newest portable, the slim (one inch thick) and trim (three pounds) VAIO SR33, costs just $999 after a $100 mail-in rebate. It comes with a 600 MHz Celeron processor, 128 megabytes of RAM and a 10-gigabyte hard drive. One thing to keep in mind: the SR33 is "legacy free," euphemistic code for no serial or parallel ports, only modern connectors like USB and Fire-Wire. But since most of today's peripherals and accessories--digital cameras, inkjet printers, flatbed scanners, digital video camcorders--use those connectors, it shouldn't be a problem. At $999, there's no need to let suits with expense accounts have all the fun. Are You This or Are You That? If not hot... then what? Last year's "Am I Hot or Not?" craze spawned Webwide existential brooding--and dozens of imitators from amiredneckornot.com to AOL's Rate-a-Buddy feature. No wonder hotornot.com cofounder James Hong is seeking a trademark and patents. "It's almost comical that we have to take the business of 'rating people' so seriously when the point of the Web site is vastly more lighthearted," he says. At amigodornot.net, put yourself in the pantheon with Bill Gates and Elvis. Skewer celebs at amiannoyingornot.com, where Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton leads, for now. Or steer clear of "BMWs, tanned skin, [and] Britney Spears" at amigothornot.com. Of course, the 'Scope would be a 10 at amicyberornot.com. GAMESReally Mad Max

It's gritty, violent and absolutely overflowing with sappy, tough-guy detective-novel dialogue. It's Max Payne ($40; Gathering of Developers, godgames.com), a great new 3-D action game for Windows. You play the title character, an undercover New York City cop whose wife and child have been murdered and whose cover has been blown. In order to take revenge on an underworld kingpin, Max hunts down bad guys in amazingly photorealistic city settings. The cinematic styling of the game is undeniably slick, with a "Matrix"-like "bullet time" feature (which slows down everything so you can dodge bullets). Be warned, however: this game, rated M, is not for kids.

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