|
|
| TECHNOLOGY |
The Well-Wired Traveler
There's no shortage of nifty new gadgets competing for the hearts (and wallets) of today's business traveler. Here's how to separate the hype from the truly helpful.
by Mike Langberg – SkyGuide GO – 08/01/03
"You can't take it with you" still applies to the afterlife, but no longer restrains the business traveler looking for mobile technology. There is almost no computing or communications task you can do in the office that you can't now do on the road.
Just because it's possible to acquire all kinds of portable technology, however, doesn't mean you should. Careful planning and an appreciation for how various devices perform is essential to keep from becoming an Information Age turtle, crawling through airports with 50 pounds of gear strapped to your aching back.
Here is a look at state-of-the-art choices, as of mid-2003, in five key categories of mobile technology.
Laptop computers
Laptops, also known as notebooks, are a prime beneficiary of Moore's Law, which states the computing horsepower of microprocessors doubles every 18 months without any increase in cost—a law that seems to cover equally rapid development in related components such as hard drives and color LCD screens. Today's laptops can tackle even the most intense tasks, such as video editing, that were once reserved for desktop systems.
The endless debate about the perfect balance of features, weight and price continues, and probably won't ever be resolved. But, for now at least, the best choice seems to be in the middle of the pack. The current crop of laptops divides into three broad categories: "desktop replacements" at seven to eight pounds with all the features found on a conventional desktop, including a floppy drive and 15- to 16-inch LCD screens; "subnotebooks" at three to four pounds that achieve featherweight status by eliminating the internal DVD or CD drive and offering screens at 12 inches or less; and "two-spindle" notebooks at five to seven pounds with 14-inch or 15-inch screens. Two spindles, in this case, refers to the hard disk and DVD or CD drive without a floppy drive.
Two-spindle models dominate the mobile market because they offer large screens for easy viewing without excessive weight, and because a DVD/CD-RW drive provides both the pleasure of watching movies on the road and the crucial ability to share large files by burning a CD on the spot. Subnotebooks, on the other hand, are suboptimal for heavy typing, because the keyboards are shrunken. And if you need to carry the external CD-RW drive that comes with most subnotebooks, you cancel out the weight advantage.
After several years of little fundamental change, the laptop market is also getting a fresh shot of energy from three new technologies.
First is Wi-Fi wireless networking, also known as 802.11, wireless Ethernet or wireless LAN. Wi-Fi adapters that slip into the PC Card slot cost only $50, while more and more new laptops have built-in Wi-Fi. The older 802.11b version of Wi-Fi is enough for high-speed Internet access at wireless-enabled corporate campuses, hotel meeting rooms and airport terminals; the newer and faster 802.11a and 802.11g versions aren't yet necessary in public spaces. The nation's biggest public Wi-Fi network is run by T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com/hotspot) at many Starbucks coffee shops, Borders book stores and soon at Kinko's copy shops. Unlimited access costs as little as $29 a month, with pay-as-you-go service at $6 an hour.
Second is the Tablet PC initiative from Microsoft. After repeated failures to design a successful pen-based computer, Microsoft may finally have found the right formula. Laptops running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition look and function just like any other Windows laptop, with one big bonus: You can use a stylus to write on the screen, for taking notes and for controlling any Windows application. This makes it possible to take the laptop out of your lap—you can cradle a Tablet PC in one arm and write with the other arm, making them usable in many situations where it's impossible to sit down in front of a conventional laptop. Tablet PCs are also affordable, with most models costing less than $2,500.
Third is Intel's new Pentium M processor. Introduced on March 12, 2003, the Pentium M is the first Intel chip designed from the ground up to run a laptop. The designers came up with all kinds of tricks for extending battery life and cutting down weight, giving two-spindle laptops four to five hours of running time, and up to eight hours with optional extra-capacity batteries—within reach of the long-sought goal of all-day mobile computing. Intel is heavily promoting its Centrino system, which includes the Pentium M with built-in Wi-Fi, but any well-designed Pentium M laptop should deliver longer battery life whether or not it carries the Centrino logo.
Versa LitePad Tablet PC
$2,399
NEC (www.necsolutions-am.com/mobilesolutions)
Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition allows computer makers to build notebook computers that actually work like old-fashioned paper notebooks, with users holding a stylus to write on the screen instead of typing on a keyboard. NEC's Versa LitePad isn't much bigger or heavier than a paper notebook, at 9 inches wide by 12 inches long by .6 inches thick and 2.2 pounds. Yet it's a full Windows computer with a 10.4-inch color screen, low-voltage 933 MHz Pentium III processor, 256 MB of RAM, a 20 GB hard drive and an integrated 802.11b and 802.11a wireless LAN.
PowerBook G4 with 17" screen
$3,299
and PowerBook G4 with 12" screen
$1,799
Apple Computer (www.apple.com/powerbook)
Despite its tiny 3 percent share of the worldwide computer market, Apple Computer continues to win raves for design innovation. The new PowerBook G4 with 17-inch screen is the largest display currently offered in a notebook. Too big for even a first-class tray table, the giant screen is a plus when making presentations. At the other end of the scale is a highly portable and featured PowerBook with a 12-inch screen.
VAIO Z1RA notebook computer
$2,399
Sony Electronics (www.sony.com/vaio)
Intel's new Centrino mobile technology—combining a processor specifically designed for long battery life on the road with customized supporting chips and built-in wireless LAN—finally gives travelers the long-sought goal of all-day computing. Sony's VAIO Z1RA is fully equipped at 4.7 pounds with a 1.5 GHz Pentium M processor, 14-inch screen, 512 MB of RAM, 60 GB hard drive and DVD/CD-RW drive. Battery life of 4.5 hours doubles to 9 hours with an optional double-capacity battery.
Cell phones
There's nothing simple about mobile phones. Rate plans can't be understood without wading through pages of fine print, there are dozens of models to choose from and new third generation—or 3G—data services are balky and poorly designed.
So don't be swayed by fancy advertising for phones or 3G services. The first and most important part of the buying process is identifying the wireless carrier with the best quality of service in the places where you travel. If you regularly go overseas, look for a U.S. carrier using the GSM standard that's popular in Europe and parts of Asia; the three nationwide GSM carriers are AT&T Wireless, Cingular and T-Mobile. The other widely used format is CDMA—offered by Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless—which currently outperforms GSM in handling 3G tasks, but is only popular in the U.S. and South Korea.
Two recent innovations that can be useful are color display screens and Bluetooth. Color screens are backlit, making them much brighter and more legible than their monochrome predecessors. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology, limited to about 30 feet, that eliminates the wire between headset and phone. With a tiny Bluetooth headset nestled in your ear, your Bluetooth phone can stay in your purse or briefcase—you only have to tap the headset to answer incoming calls.
Nokia 3650 wireless phone and HDW-2 Bluetooth wireless headset
$199 and $119
Nokia (www.nokiausa.com)
Stick it in your ear. That's the future of cell phones, as a wireless technology called Bluetooth supports tiny cordless headsets. Leave the Nokia 3650 in your purse or briefcase, and put the featherweight HDW-2 in your ear. No more must you grab madly for the phone when it rings; just tap the headset to answer incoming calls.
T-Mobile Sidekick
$299
T-Mobile USA and Danger (www.t-mobile.com and www.danger.com)
Designed for socializing by Generation Y rather than business, with a funky flip-out screen uncovering a tiny keyboard, the Sidekick is a mobile phone that nonetheless does a credible job of displaying e-mail and runs AOL Instant Messenger. Compact and light at only six ounces, you'll need sharp eyesight for the small text displayed on the color screen. Avoid last year's model with a hard-to-read monochrome screen.
Portable projectors and printers
Forget overpriced hotel business centers when you need to print or scan a document. Portable printers now weigh as little as two pounds, yet offer near-laser quality, and portable sheet-feed scanners weigh even less. Services such as eFax (www.efax.com) let you send and receive faxes through electronic mail, with your portable scanner to capture documents and your portable printer providing hard copy. You'll have all the functions of a regular fax machine, while adding as little as 3.5 pounds to your carrying case.
We've all seen flustered presenters who can't make their laptop connect to a borrowed LCD projector; make sure your killer PowerPoint presentation unfolds as planned by bringing along your own projector. Models with enough brightness to fill a large conference room now cost less than $1,500, while bulb life has been extended from a few hundred to a few thousand hours. Ultra-portable models cost more, but weigh only two pounds. Almost all models are now whisper quiet, a welcome relief from the jet-engine roar of some early LCD projectors.
i70 Color Bubble Jet Printer
$249
Canon USA (www.usa.canon.com/consumer)
Printing on the road no longer requires a long wait for fuzzy output. The i70 offers high resolution and near-desktop-printer speed of 13 pages per minute in black and white, and nine pages per minute in color. Yet the unit weighs only four pounds and runs for two hours with an optional lithium-ion battery. For those who want to lighten the load even further, Canon's BJC-55 weighs a mere 2.1 pounds.
LP120 portable projector
$2,799
InFocus (www.infocus.com)
Putting on big-screen presentations no longer requires lugging a massive LCD projector. The two-pound LP120 is an engineering marvel that delivers an impressive 1,100 lumens, enough for a large meeting room, in a package not much bigger than a paperback book.
PDAs and communicators
The basic personal digital assistant—intended for storing phone numbers, appointments and to-do lists—could be an endangered species. The industry seems determined to convince people they need fancy "communicators" that combine the function of a PDA with a wireless phone. However, most communicators are burdened with compromised designs that make them too PDA-like to be good phones or too phone-like to be good PDAs.
So don't feel compelled to get a communicator if all you need is a PDA. There are still good, inexpensive PDAs on the market. The most affordable is the monochrome Palm Zire at $99, but color-screen PDAs are now available from Palm and Sony for under $300. Microsoft's PocketPC has lagged Palm-compatible PDAs in part because of high cost, but a new generation of PocketPCs from Dell and Viewsonic, among others, is closing the gap with color-screen models also moving under $300.
Can't decide which way to go? Palm-compatible PDAs are still out front in reliability and ease of use, while PocketPC is the best fit for heavy users of Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office. If you're interested in a communicator, first make sure it's available from your wireless carrier of choice—many communicators are offered by only one national carrier—and then test it carefully in the store to make sure you're comfortable with how it works.
Blackberry 6710 e-mail phone
$499
NEC Solutions (www.necsolutionsam.com/mobilesolutions)
Blackberry wireless e-mail devices are so addictive they're sometimes called "Crackberry." The 6710 combines a big-screen Blackberry with a mobile phone. The PDA and Web features aren't the best, but Blackberry still can't be topped for e-mail on the go. Offered in the U.S. by AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile; Verizon has a similar model called the 6750, and Nextel has the 6510.
Tungsten W
$499
Palm (www.palm.com)
Palm's latest wireless PDA, offered in the U.S. through AT&T Wireless, runs on the advanced GSM/GMRS network also found in much of Europe and Asia. A built-in keyboard makes it easy to respond to e-mail, while the battery provides a robust 10 hours of talk time. Phone calls require using a headset or an optional $39 "audio phone flip cover" that adds a microphone and speaker.
Dell Axim X5 PocketPC
$199 and $325
Dell (www.dell.com/axim)
Microsoft's PocketPC platform has been slow to erode the overwhelming market share of Palm-compatible PDAs in part because PocketPCs were much more expensive. Dell erases the price gap with its two Axim X5 models, now offering the new Pocket PC 2003 operating system along with bright color screens at price points comparable to Palm. The seven-ounce X5s aren't lightweight, but they have powerful processors, lots of internal memory, can play MP3 files and have Compact Flash slots for additional storage or a wireless LAN card.
Treo 300 communicator
$399
Handspring (www.handspring.com)
Of the many efforts to create a hybrid "communicator" that works as both a PDA and a cell phone, the Treo 300 is the closest to success. Compact and weighing only 5.7 ounces, the Treo is a fully functional PDA running the Palm operating system, a mobile phone and a wireless data device for e-mail and Web browsing. Offered in the U.S. by Sprint PCS; the similar Treo 270 is sold by Cingular and T-Mobile.
Accessories
Don't forget the simple stuff when traveling. Many hotels still don't offer high-speed Internet access, so you'll be connecting your laptop to a phone jack. The wall jack is often across the room from the desk, so always carry a 25-foot phone cable. Cell phone headsets, which cost as little as $10, keep your hands free for taking notes or looking up information while talking. If you're going to work for long periods on your laptop, buy an optical mouse for $20 and throw it in your bag to give yourself a break from hard-to-use touch pads and trackpoints. A
TravelPower Case
$99
American Power Conversion (www.apcc.com)
Charging mobile devices on the road can be a high-wire act as you scramble to plug in your computer, cell phone and PDA. The TravelPower Case cuts through the clutter, with a single concealed charger that hooks to three devices tucked inside. The synthetic leather case comes with plugs for AC, car and airplane. There's also a ballistic nylon version for $129 with 30 percent more interior space.
theBoom noise-canceling headset
$149
Ume Voice (www.umevoice.com and www.theboom.com)
The Army's Blackhawk helicopter pilots use noise-canceling microphones to be heard clearly over the din of whirling blades. The same technology is built into theBoom, blocking everything from the murmur of crowds in an airport terminal to the whine of jet engines. People on the other end of cell phone calls might think you're sitting in a quiet office instead of struggling through the tumult of modern business travel.
Cruzer portable data storage device
$39 to $109
SanDisk (www.sandisk.com)
"Thumb drives," data storage devices the size of a thumb that plug into a computer's USB port, are the newest way to take files on the road. The Cruzer stands apart from the competition as the only thumb drive with removable memory, holding postage-stamp-size SD memory cards ranging from 32 to 256 MB. One Cruzer and a few SD cards can provide more than enough room for every vital piece of digital information you need during trips.
FlyLight USB Notebook Light and FlyFan USB Fan
$19 and $24
Kensington Technology Group (www.kensington.com)
Does frequent travel leave you feeling hot under the collar and alone in the dark? The FlyFan USB Fan plugs into your notebook computer's USB port to provide a cooling breeze, while the FlyLight USB Notebook Light provides illumination for those night flights when the cabin lights are off and the overhead lamp is burned out.
Mike Langberg is personal technology editor of the San Jose Mercury News.
Back to top
|
|
|
|
