Tech add-ons to make travel lighter and smarter

Posted on October 6, 2007
Filed Under Gadgets, Software, Uncategorized |

If you are one of those who rarely hits the road without packing in your gadgets, chances are you have your share of sob stories to share. Right from batteries going on the blink just as Murphy would have ordained, to your shoulders and back caving in under the burden you could well have avoided carrying.

[Versions of this post were published in The Hindustan Times and Rediff.com recently. The content of the combined pieces are reprinted here]

Here’s a lowdown on ways to make travel not only exasperation-free, but also pleasurable in many ways.

Why carry a laptop when an iPod will do?
Unless you need it during the journey, why not leave your laptop home next time you are travelling? And carry everything you need from your laptop - software applications, personal settings, files, preferences – in your pocket.

MojoPac Logo Ringcube’s MojoPac software allows you to that – by virtually transporting your desktop environment into any USB device like an iPod, a cell phone, a portable drive or even a USB stick. You can plug this into any Windows PC – in another office, in a cybercafé or in your hotel’s business centre - after that and work on it as if it were your own PC. You don’t even need to load any personal software onto this host PC. And when you plug out, there will be no trace of your ever having been on this computer. Go back and sync to your laptop again –everything get updated as if your computer was always with you.

Price and Availability: The Freedom version is free, and gives you most of what you may need. There are paid Deluxe and Enterprise Suite editions too with additional benefits. Download at www.mojopac.com.

Staying connected
But if you have decided to lug your laptop around, you would want to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Instead of powering up your computer to check availability of signals, which can be quite awkward if you are popping into cafes to do so, get hold of a Wi-Fi finder to locate the signals for you before you need to open your laptop. Popular brands include IOGEAR and StarTech.

Prices start at around $17 (Rs. 680) and can exceed $100 (Rs. 4,000) depending on features. Might not be easy to find these in India, but pick up one next time you are flying overseas.

Packing a power punch
On the move for extended stretches of time means your gadgets would need to take a break to soak in some power. Here is some stuff from APC India to pack in some power into your devices:

Plug-and-Play external battery UPB60I: Compatible with most laptop brands and models, can provide up to six hours of additional power depending on the machine. Costs about Rs. 13,000.
Mobile Power Pack UPB10 to provide a charge to your mobile devices including phones, PDAs and iPods. Fits into the pocket – you can even leave the unwieldy chargers home if it’s a short trip and use this pack for recharging. Costs around Rs. 3,900.
Travel Power Adapter with International Plug Kit TPA90DCI to simultaneously charge your mobile phone, PDA and laptop from a single airplane, car or mains power outlet. Has USB charging ports too, and comes with four international plug adapters to give you worldwide adaptability. Priced at Rs. 6,779.

A dash of entertainment on the go
Not available in India yet, at least officially, but more and more people seem to buying the Archos pocket entertainment devices for use when travelling. “The AV 504 portable media player with 160 GB hard disk carries all my music, pictures and several movies for the long haul flights. I can also review work documents on this device in PDF format. Sometimes, I record TV shows through the Archos and watch offline,” says one of its ardent users Ravi Kiran, CEO, South- Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group. With many models to choose from, Archos players vary between $200-600.

Don’t forget your expense report
If you have been out on a business trip, managing all your expense receipts and reports for submitting to accounts later can be a job in itself. Gopal Ramasamy, VP of Outsourcing of the Hyderabad based Intelligroup has found a solution. “I use a portable scanner called neat receipts (neatreceipts.com). It has the capability of automatically creating the expense report for me for each trip. The device scans my bills and, using proprietary OCR technology, automatically identifies the date of the receipt, the amount and the vendor name and stores the image as an attachment. When I am done with the trip, it generates a full detailed expense report for that specific trip including cost center classifications like entertainment, mileage, hotel, food, car rentals etc. I can get these reports in a variety of formats including PDF,” he says. Starts at $100 (Rs. 4,000), will need to be picked up abroad.

USB Massager
Travelling and working on a laptop for long hours can cause stresses in your body – so why not get yourself a massage? This rubber massager can get to work for you; it only needs to be plugged into your computer’s USB port for it to draw power from. The ball vibrates at 3600rpm, and the nobbly bits are really good at working on those aches and pains. You could try to massage your palms, neck, back and shoulders, or even put it on the floor and rest your feet on it! Many brands are available in the market; prices start at about $20.

SB Reading Light
Ever wondered why no one has made keyboards that light up? Till the time the answer does not come to you, pick up one of these metallic, flexi-bodied lights which draw power from your USB port for use when there is poor ambient light. Costs around $8.