Pager, phone fax, computer -- all in one

A small California start-up company, EO Inc., has unveiled the first "personal communicator," a hand-held device that combines the capabilities of a pager, phone, fax, computer and electronic organizer.

The device, to be available in the second quarter of next year, will be priced from $1,999 to $3,299, depending on options.

In addition to AT&T, EO is backed by two Japanese companies, Matsushita Electric Industrial Corp., which makes Panasonic products, and Marubeni Corp., a Japanese trading company. The machines will be made in a Matsushita plant in Chicago.