I just noticed that there is a new model of the Novag Citrine chess computer made with a smallish wooden board and pieces. This new model as an interface to play and store games on a PC and it has an interface with the Arena chess GUI application. It appears you can use it to play live chess on sites accessible with Arena.
The best part of this is that the price on line is around $329 with a full retail of $349. While this cant be used in a tournament hall for various reasons, it seems practical for in home play over the internet.
Has anyone used this device?