Before You Go
1. Take your iPod instead of your laptop. An iPod
(and other portable USB storage devices) can hold
computer files, Outlook data, Internet Explorer
favorites, desktop wallpaper, and in some cases,
applications. Connect the iPod to a borrowed PC, and
voilą--it's like having access to your own computer.
Later, sync the iPod with your PC back home. The
Migo ($30) and MojoPac ($30) utilities each provide
this capability.
2. Get your faxes as e-mail attachments.
Send2Fax.com charges $2 per month plus 15 cents per
page to forward faxes as PDF files in e-mail.
3. Post a reward in case your laptop is lost. Raise
your chances of being reunited with a lost laptop by
registering it with StuffBak.com. You'll receive a
sticker to put on your notebook, informing others of
a reward for its return. To contact you, the finder
dials the toll-free number on the sticker or goes to
the StuffBak Web site. A $6 sticker provides two
years of free return service.
4. Pack your laptop bag with five essentials.
Pack your laptop bag with five essentials.
Photograph: Robert Cardin
You should always take (A) a grounded (three-prong)
extension cord with at least three outlets so you
can recharge multiple gadgets; (B) blank CDs, for
transferring files to another PC or burning tunes to
play in the rental car; (C) an RJ-11 phone cord,
because you never know when you'll need one; (D) an
ethernet cable, for the same reason; and (E) your AC
adapter, with airline and car power adapters.
5. Research your seat. Before booking a flight, head
over to SeatGuru.com. Charts reveal which seats on
domestic and international flights have the greatest
width and pitch and provide in-seat power ports.
On the Road
1. Get directions on your phone. The free Google
Maps for Palm, BlackBerry, and other smart phones
shows nearby businesses, gives directions, and
delivers real-time traffic info (in 30 U.S.
markets).
Get directions on your phone.
Photograph: Robert Cardin
2. Use your phone as a modem. Most Bluetooth phones
(and some others) include data-modem capabilities,
enabling you to use your phone to connect your
laptop to the Web wirelessly. Check with your
carrier for a connection kit and compatible data
plan.
3. Go to an airline lounge to stay connected. If
there's no hotspot at the airport, you can often
connect through a lounge. With a Priority Pass you
gain admission into 500 lounges in some 300
airports. Standard membership is $99 per year plus
$24 per visit. Also, some clubs now offer $50 day
passes.
4. Find a hotspot. Listing more than 120,000
hotspots worldwide, JiWire.com is the place to go
when you're sniffing around for a Wi-Fi connection.
And its Hotspot Helper software ($25 per year; free
ten-day trial) lets you locate hotspots offline,
too.
5. Create your own hotel hotspot. Some hotel rooms
still offer only wired broadband access. But a
portable router--such as Apple's AirPort Express
($129) or Linksys's Wireless-G Travel Router
($100)--lets you create your own wireless network,
so you're not shackled to the uncomfortable
guest-room desk.
News and NEW ......
Toshiba will put on sale in Japan in late
February the first laptop PC in the world with
support for the write-once HD DVD-R optical disc
format.
The G30/97A will be an upgrade of existing models
of Toshiba's hefty Qosmio G30 entertainment laptop.
Some of those models already contain an HD DVD
reader and are on sale in major markets worldwide.
The computer is based on an Intel 2-GHz Core 2
Duo processor and has a 17-inch wide-screen display
with 1920 by 1280 pixel resolution, which means it
can show high-definition images from HD DVD movie
discs. The 10.6-pound machine also features a 320GB
hard drive, digital TV tuner, and HDMI output.
Toshiba hasn't announced a price for the
computer, which will run the Windows Vista Home
Premium operating system. International launch plans
have also not been announced.
To coincide with Toshiba's launch of the Qosmio
computer, Hitachi Maxell will begin selling HD DVD-R
media. A single-side 15GB disc will be available
from January 25 for around $12. NEC Plans Blu-ray
Laptops
Another rival PC maker is also offering blue
laser disc compatibility in a new machine running
Vista.
NEC, which has been straddling the format battle
fence, will put out in February two laptops with Blu-ray
Disc support. The LaVie C will come out February 9
for about $2570 and the LaVie L will come out
February 23 and cost around $2487. Both will be
based on Windows Vista Home Premium.
The drives will be read-only models suitable for
playing back Blu-ray Disc movies and other
prerecorded content but not in full high-definition
resolution. The computers have 15.4-inch widescreen
displays that only offer 800 pixels of horizontal
resolution. Full HD images have 1080 picture lines.
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