A laptop computer can be your m ost important
travel companion because of its sheer versatility:
JOHN HRYNIUK
Road warriors
Essential mobile office gadgets
for the 21st century
IF YOU’RE PLANNING A TRIP for business, pleasure or both, today’s digital devices can help you stay
productive, entertained and in touch with friends,
family and co-workers back home.
Just remember the three important L’s of travel
tech: little, lightweight and long battery life.
Computing on the go
Laptops can be used for work (create and edit documents, presentations and spreadsheets), for play (PC
games, DVD movies, digital music) and for surfing
the Net, sending and receiving e-mail and text-mes-saging. Look for a model with built-in high-speed
wireless connectivity so you can also log on to the
Net at broadband speeds when in a “hot spot,” such Marc Saltzman, a leading high-tech reporter,
as a café, hotel or airport. contributes to more than three dozen
Some folks prefer a tablet PC to a laptop com- prominent publications, appears on radio
puter for its smaller and lighter form and greater and TV, and is the author of 13 books.
battery life. What’s more, many prefer writing on a
touch screen with a stylus pen to using a standard CDMA (Bell Mobility, Telus Mobility). Because GSM
keyboard and mouse interface. That said, some tablets is the most commonly used wireless platform world-
are considered “convertibles,” as they can be turned wide, Rogers subscribers will find it easier to get
into a laptop by twisting the screen around to reveal service overseas. Make sure the phone is a tri-band
a keyboard. or quad-band, which means it’s compatible with
If you’d rather carry a pocket-size computer, the three or four frequencies, respectively. The Nokia
Mio 168RS personal digital assistant (PDA) lets you 6010m MuchMusic Edition “pay as you go” phone is
work on Word and Excel documents, check calendar a decent GSM pick, and music lovers can benefit
appointments and contact information, and play from exclusive ring tones, games and graphics, and
digital music. Unlike most other PDAs, this one has other goodies. Bluetooth wireless headsets for
built-in GPS technology to help you get from point hands-free cellphone calls make conducting phone-
A to point B. Other navigational features are auto- in-motion business all the easier.
matic route recalculation (should you get lost), de-
tailed street and address coverage of Canada and the A break from business
United States and a listing of points of interest, When you’ve had enough of work, the latest
including restaurants, gas stations and ATMs. Apple iPod ( 60 GB version) is a perfect companion,
as it holds up to 15,000 songs, up to 25,000 photos
Palm-size solutions or 150 video clips such as camcorder footage, TV
“Push e-mail” solutions, such as Research in shows and music videos. You can also subscribe to
Motion’s BlackBerry products, are handy business podcasts, downloadable audio shows from the Net
accessories, as they’ll vibrate or ring when you’ve that can be copied to the device. Many hotels even
received an e-mail. Compare this to “pulling” your let you dock your iPod in the clock radio to listen to
e-mail down to a device, as with cellphones, which your music.
requires you to first log on to the Net to read your Other travel tech diversions include portable
mail. With a BlackBerry, you can also reply to a mes- gaming machines (Game Boy Micro, Sony PlayStation
sage right away by using the intuitive thumb key- Portable or Nintendo DS) and portable DVD players
board. Further streamlining your necessary carry such as the Panasonic LS55, which lasts an estimated
gear, a BlackBerry handheld also serves as a cell phone 10 hours between recharges. C
and PDA.
Ask Marc
Saltzman
Q: A friend of mine says
you shouldn’t work out
with an iPod because
you can damage it. Is
this true?
Dana G.
Thornhill, Ontario
A: Apple iPods come in
two flavours: hard-drive
players (iPod, iPod Mini)
and flash-memory players (iPod Shuffle, iPod
Nano). Because they
have no moving parts,
flash-memory players
are better for activity;
these lighter and smaller
players won’t skip, and
you won’t do damage to
the drive. Hard-drive-based MP3 players,
however, still have moving parts, so it’s better
to treat them gently. If
you want to exercise
with a hard-drive player,
then place your iPod in
the drink holder of a
treadmill, for example,
which won’t do damage
to the unit.
AMY CAN TRELL
Question for Marc?
Send your technology and
computer questions to:
Q&A with Marc Saltzman
The Costco Connection
415 West Hunt Club Road
Ottawa, ON K2E 1C5
Or fax to (613) 221-2283,
or e-mail to
connection@costco.com
Please include
“Marc Saltzman Q&A”
in the subject line.
Marc will answer
selected questions in his
column. He regrets that
unpublished questions
cannot be answered
individually.
Can you hear me now?
There are two main cellphone network platforms
in Canada: GSM (Rogers Wireless, for example) and
FROM THE CANADIAN EDITION
The Costco Connection
Members will find a variety of mobile electronics, including laptops, PDAs,
cellphones, MP3s, iPods and more, at their local Costco and on costco.ca.
