There are no longer challenging situations for cellular technology, unless you are on a business holiday. Whatever the event, you will need to keep connected and productive while on the plane, the hotel, the convention center, and anyplace in-between. Here are some favorite travel gadgets to help make your business trip more productive.
Whether we are posting news on holidays, try uploading 1080p hands-free videos in the midst of a convention or chatting with our toddlers through Skype, there is nothing more important than staying connected through a cloud management system. A 3G or 4G hotspot is the perfect way to get your notebook and other devices connected, such as those brought by other people in your travel party.
For trips within the U.S., we love the Liberate ($99.99 w/ contract) because of its blazing fast 4G, all-day battery life and easy-to-use touch screen interface. It can connect up to 10 Wi-Fi-enabled devices. When traveling overseas to technology shows in Europe or Asia, we always rent a hotspot or USB modem from XCom Global, which offers unlimited 3G downloads around the world for only $14.95 per day.
There is nothing better than having a second monitor at your desk for multitasking, so why not get the identical productivity on the road? I always package the 14-inch Lenovo LT1421 in my bag and use it as another display. As an example, I will edit a photograph on a single desktop while I write a news post on the other. Since the 1366 x 768 resolution screen weighs only 1.6 lbs and gets data and power over a single USB connection, I will carry it in my bag and use it from the media centre, my hotel room, or anywhere I have access to a desk.
After this spring, Lenovo is coming out with a new-and-improved model named the ThinkVision LT1423. For $349, the 13.3-inch LT1423 weighs exactly the same as its older brother but provides a sharp 1600 x 900 display and touch / pen support. A wireless version will follow in the summer for $449.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much juice. While most external batteries bill USB devices only, the Energizer XP18000 supplies your notebook, phone, tablet or even your camera with a whopping 18,000 extra milliamp hours of additional energy. When walking around a trade show, I slide the XP18000 in my notebook bag’s inner pocket and connect its cable to my laptop so that it could charge as I walk from one place to another. Better still, the battery doubles as an AC adapter, so you can control both it and your laptop over a single link.
The life of a business traveler is filled with multitasking, so why buy the ideal phone for performing two jobs at the same time. Samsung’s Galaxy Notice II ($299 with two-year contract) not only lets you take accurate notes with its stylus, but also lets you to use two applications simultaneously on its huge 5.5-inch screen. By you can even write an email when watching a movie, or you might look at a restaurant review on one side of the screen when looking up instructions in Maps on the opposite side, making it the best mobile job management system to have whilst on holidays. Other highlights include a quad core chip, a quick 8-MP camera along with Samsung’s plethora of special sharing features. On top of that, this super phone lasts over 9 hours on a charge, the longest of any handset we have tested.
Occasionally on a trip, you just need to leave your luggage in your hotel room while you go out to dinner, without leaving all of our gear behind. The Scottevest Fleece 7.0 ($160) has 23 unique pockets, including one that is deep enough to get a tablet computer and another that holds your eye glasses. The sleeves come off to make it easier to wear in warm weather. A new quick draw pocket allows you get your smartphone through the clear touch fabric, and there is even a journey documents pocket with a locking zipper pull.
Sure you could take photographs with your smartphone, but if you require quality photos for a business presentation or, in our case, a news post, you want a DSLR camera. Sony’s mirrorless Alpha NEX-5R not only shoots high quality 16.1-MP shots and 1080p video, but also allows you to instantly share those images via Wi-Fi after editing them with one of those camera embedded programs. Attach a zoom lens to capture close-up photos of the corporate keynote or throw on the macro lens for detailed product photography.