IBM announced a ThinkPad with an integrated fingerprint reader. Sitting on the wrist rest below the arrow keys, the reader integrates with IBM's Embedded Security Subsystem, which includes a security chip and password manager. The reader and password manager work together to allow fingerprint identification and complex passphrases to be used interchangeably or in combination. The ThinkPad T42 notebook with fingerprint reader (a $50 option) starts at $1,700.

Start-up Sproqit Technologies announced Sproqit Personal Edition, an Outlook companion that lets users access their desktop PCs, applications and data from a handheld device via a direct real-time 128-bit SSL connection. Sproqit lets users access network resources, send and receive attachments, and access Outlook calendar, tasks and notes. It also works when the connection is terminated. Available this month, Sproqit works with Windows XP, ME, NT SP5 and 98 SE desktops, and with Palm Tungsten W, Treo 600, Pocket PC 2000, 2002 and 2003 devices. Pricing starts at $8.95 per month.

A group of communities across the country recently established the nonprofit organization Fiber Optic Communities of the United States. With 128 fiber communities in the U.S., as of April 2004, according to market research firm Render, Vanderslice and Associates, FOCUS aims to educate consumers on the life-enhancing benefits of optical access networks, specifically telework, distance learning, and telemedicine and health applications.