Travel Companions

When I hit the road on a business trip, I make sure that a few key accessories (aside from the obligatory laptop PC, Pocket PC, cell phone, digital audio player and digital camera) are in my bag. First off, to recharge all that gear mentioned in the preceding sentence, I toss in some USB-based retractable cables with appropriate connectors on the tethered device end. Whereas in the past I might have needed to drag along a bunch of bulky AC adapters, these miniature marvels from companies like Boxwave, Keyspan and Pocket PC Techs complement the one AC-to-DC converter that's still necessary; for my Dell Inspiron 700m. And AC- and cigarette lighter-to-USB adapters complete the scene, with minimal incremental heft that negates the need to keep the Dell powered up just to recharge something else.

Speaking of powering up the laptop, although I love my Sprint Connection Card, Wi-Fi bandwidth is preferable when it's available. Instead of punching the power button on the Dell to sniff for a nearby open hotspot, I press the 'search' key on my Canary Wireless HS10 Digital Hotspotter. Not only will it tell me if an 802.11b or 802.11g signal is present (and its strength), as competitors' products do, it gives me the network's SSID, what channel it's broadcasting on, and whether or not it's WEP- or WPA-encrypted. Canary Wireless's discussion forum FAQ is up-front about the HS10's inability to detect some manufacturer's access points; I still think it's way cool.

Sometimes, I confess, I've got multiple laptops with me at once, not just my primary Dell workhorse. Maybe the PowerBook's along so I can do some still or video photography editing. Or I've got the Fujitsu Lifebook-P2110 in the bag for live audio recording. Being short and skinny (and adverse to checked luggage at airports), I try to travel as light as possible, which means I'd prefer to have one laptop AC adapter do double-duty. Belkin'sUniversal 120W AC/DC Power Adapter (part # MP0003) does the trick, courtesy of its interchangeable Intelli-Tips. It runs off a two-prong AC wall jack, a cigarette lighter (found not only in auto dashboards but also under the seats of many airlines' planes) or an in-seat airplane AC connection, which means that I can use it in my '81 Volkswagen camper or on a domestic or international flight, too. Belkin doesn't list the Inspiron 700m as being supported by its Intelli-Tip series, but after eyeballing the visually identical Targus PAPWR200A and PAPWR300U (which did list the Inspiron 700m as supported) I took a chance and ordered a tip from them. I was right; it works like a charm.

What if external power isn't available? Then you need an extended-life supplemental battery. The American Power Conversion UPB80 isn't quite as user-friendly as the previously mentioned Belkin power adapter; you need to go through a somewhat complicated multi-step process to recharge and use it, and in order to mate it with your laptop du jour you need to not only swap tips but also manually reconfigure the output voltage setting. And its 8 hour operating life claim might be a wee bit overoptimistic, if my testing is any indication, although your mileage will vary depending on your PC's average power draw and what you're doing with it at the time (the UPB80 specs 80WH of charge storage capacity). But at 28 ounces and less than 1" thick, it's easily toteable, and it came standard with tips for all three of my laptops. And hey…..when you've got a project due and your PC's main battery is fading fast, the ability to do even a few more hours' worth of work is invaluable!

And when you get to the hotel room? Working at a desk at night, after sitting in a car, plane or train (or in a stiff chair in a conference room) all day, is such a drag. I much prefer kicking back in bed with the notebook PC on my lap. But invariably the CAT5 cable is across the room and too short to stretch to my spot of repose. That's where 3Com's OfficeConnect 802.11g Wireless Travel Router comes in. You can custom-configure its MAC address to, for example, match the address of your laptop's wired or wireless Ethernet adapter, so if you later roam elsewhere in the hotel you won't get double-charged for broadband service. And as the 'router' name implies, the 3Com unit is not just an access point or wireless Ethernet adapter, matching competitors' product features; it also lets up to 16 802.11b and 802.11g devices sip from the same broadband pipe. Only one wish; a built-in CAT5 LAN connection, so I could use my Sipura SPA-1001 VoIP adapter. But on second thought, that'd involve dragging even more gear along on my trip. Never mind; I'll stick with the cell phone.

What widgets have you found that ease your away-from-home time?