Thanks guys. All the ideas sound interesting. :)
I am thinking of using the MAX II to do a data logger. The MAX II G parts have low power consumption and I can use the User Flash Memory to store the data. Probably I can use the data logger to record the temperature at a specific interval.
Also, I can write a Visual Basic program to interface with the MAX II to read out the data. Previously I did use the RS232 serial communication to interface the PC with a microcontroller. But now I am thinking of using USB as the communication interface to read out the data from the MAX II. I will probably need a FTDI chip as well. Anyone tried the MAX II + USB interface? I think that would be cool. Thanks. :)