﻿ 19 essential tech gadgets for any seasoned business traveler | Page 16 | ZDNet

19 essential tech gadgets for any seasoned business traveler

19 essential tech gadgets for any seasoned business traveler



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  • Kindle Paperwhite (e-reader)

    For those not hooked up to their smartphones or plugged into a movie, there's always the humble e-reader. Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite is simple, easy to use, and can pack hundreds of e-books into a tiny and compact e-ink display. It also lasts days on battery, so long as the in-built Wi-Fi connectivity is turned off. It's considered one of the best e-readers around by sister site CNET Review's team.

    Image: CNET Asia

  • Canon PowerShot SX260 HS (point-and-shoot camera)

    Canon's point-and-shoot camera is one of the best snappers around, suited for almost every kind of photographer, whether casual or advanced. It boasts excellent photo and video quality thanks to its 12-megapixel CMOS sensor. Its battery life isn't great, but for the price, the quality, and its compact nature, it's ideal for taking those quick photos that you would likely miss if you had a larger digital-SLR packed away.

    Image: CNET

  • iPod touch (entertainment device)

    The latest 2012 fifth-generation iPod touch is a thinner, lighter "iPad for your pocket," as described by CNET's Reviews team. It includes a 4-inch high-resolution display perfect for keeping you company on the road with a clear audio quality, or entertained on a flight with a sharp and crisp display. And for the low $299 price point, it may be lacking the phone function, but who needs that at 30,000 feet when you're disconnected from the world anyway?

    Image: Apple

Topics: Travel Tech, Mobility


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  • All this?

    Too much redundancy. Remember, when travelling, less is more.
    • A few obvious eliminations from this list of dead weight

      You have a smartphone that works world wide, it has a camera and plays music and videos... Ditch the redundant phone, iPod, and point and shoot camera. You brought a tablet keyboard therefore you have a tablet so dump the e-reader otherwise you don't need that keyboard. There are lots of smaller wifi devices that airport monster has to go.

      One thing you definitely forgot on this list... You will need a Sherpa to carry it all.
      • Not true

        an e-reader makes complete sense. A Kindle is relatively thin and has practically zero power consumption. The battery lasts about a month. If you remember to charge both your iPad and Kindle before leaving home and your connecting flight gets delayed a few hours your iPad's battery will be dead by the time you've boarded the airplane while your Kindle's battery won't need a top-up for weeks after you've returned home. Also, back in the day we used to carry books with us on trips, remember? A 7 inch tablet and e-reader combined take up less space than a single book.
        Andrej Petelin
      • and a point and shoot camera...

        on vacation with friends it was always the guy with the iPhone that kept saying "my iPhone can't take a good shot here..." (low light, backlit, needs fill flash, needs optical zoom etc.) while I kept snapping away making nice shots with my Nikon!
  • All this?

  • Odd mix and some really odd choices

    A GridIt actually takes up a lot of space and is relatively clumsy. A better choice is, oddly, a toiletry bag or a roll up makeup bag which has a collection of zipper pouches and a large pouch that can be rolled up.

    There are two power supplies in this kit and an external battery. You can combine all this into one with an Energizer EnergiToGo 18000mAh battery which can provide a USB port and power to a 5V and 19V at the same time. In the hotel, you charge it while using it, saving the need for two chargers.

    What's missing, oddly, is a power strip so you can plug multiple devices in on their own chargers. If you get a MonsterPower 300, you get three sockets and two USB ports (1A and 2.1A) in a very compact device. Combine it with a outlet adaptor and you can plug your devices in without multiple adaptors.

    The Nokia spare phone should be unnecessary but since North America just can't play nice with the rest of the world, unless you're on AT&T or Rogers/Fido you're screwed. If you are on AT&T or Rogers/Fido and you use a modern phone as it will support 2100MHz. You will have to get it unlocked though, if you want to buy a SIM. Which is actually an accessory completely off the list: Don't use your local phone carrier in other countries unless you want a HUGE shock on your bill. If you're in Europe, almost every airport and train station (and convenience store) now sells MVO SIMs. They take a few minutes to set up and are *cheap*. Lebara, the one I use, costs around 9 Euro with a call credit and for another 15 Euro you get 1GB data that's good for a month. You can top up on line or buy a top up credit code in many convenience shops.

    The pocket projector is NOT a 'necessity'... and that's not actually a good choice. A better choice is the Phillips PicoPix or a Qumi Q5. The PicoPix is small enough to put in your pocket, can be used standalone (has built in battery and can play music/video without a connected computer) as well as for connection to a computer. It's a bit more expensive - but it far far more useful.

    An iPod AND a phone (and your main phone)? Redundant much? Phone + pocket battery = long play time in a smaller number of devices. Similarly, P&S camera isn't a bad idea, but you also have cameras in your phone and tablet. I would get a bit higher end camera and then use the phone as the backup.

    Skip the GorillaPod. It's really almost useless in any real world situation.

    That Airport Extreme looks HUGE. I know Apple makes a smaller one - but there are tons of 'plug in the wall' devices like this. ASUS sells a multifunction router/AP that's about the size of a pack of gum.

    The way I see it - with a little thinking, I could eliminate about 1/2 of the stuff on this list while getting more functionality.
  • Gotta love 'em...

    Gotta love doo dads whose usefulness depends on their not becoming too popular. Those colorful luggage tags are great... as long as no one else on your flight has one on his bag. My mother ties a ribbon to her suitcase when she travels. That used to help distinguish her bag from all the others, but these days when I go pick her up at the airport our routine at the luggage carousel goes something like this:

    ME: "Which is your bag, mom?"
    MOM: "Oh, it's easy you can't miss it. It has a ribbon tied to the handle"
    ME: "So this one, then?"
    MOM: "No, no... a green ribbon"
    ME: "Oh, OK.... [wait a bit then] OK, so this is your bag?"
    MOM: "No, no, the ribbon on my bag is darker green."
    HE: "Ah, ok this one then?"
    MOM: "No, that ribbon is too long, the one on my bag is shorter."

    And on and on it goes...
    • Or, buy the ugliest luggage you can find in a horrible color

      and failing that, invest in a beeper, with one of them attached to the luggage? I just found this: http://www.amazon.com/Click-Receivers-Wireless-Keyfinder-Batteries/dp/B009JJKZSK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379354752&sr=8-2&keywords=beeper+remote
  • What in the world is "essensial" in the list???

    Almost everything in this list is nothing but useless junk adding unnecessary weight that you have to carry around.

    Even the power converters are unnecessary ... unless you stay on the crappiest hotels in town. Pretty much every hotel today have power converters built-in to the rooms or can provide them if you ask for one.
  • big screen, small package

    the small projector is pretty damn cool!
  • Thanks!

    That Grid-It Organization system looks great.
  • Universal Plug Adapters

    The ones illustrated are the wrong type for a traveler. Those shown are supplied by the Hotels.

    The one you need is the opposite viz. it has multiple plug configurations and only needs one socket configuration (the one shaped like the one in your home country)
  • Actually

    Given the security states new policy of seizing the laptops, phones, cameras of anyone they consider to be a political protestor, terrorists or just someone they don't like. I suggest we all stop using these devices.
  • Things we use EVERY trip

    and I am glad we bought: The luggage scale, iPod touch and distinctive luggage tags. I know the touch seems redundant but, load it up, and it makes a great movie player for the kids (OK parents) leaving the iPhones free for other things. Yes, there is always wifi or cell phone streaming but I find that much less reliable for movies than a preloaded touch. The power stuff is largely redundant for most situations I have run into though I generally don't do international travel.
    • Oh yes

      I would get the 64GB 3rd gen iPod touch. They are under $100 on ebay and get the composite AV cable set. Yes you could do HDMI with the newest iPod, trouble is: the movie files are HUGE to make it worth using HDMI and some hotels still don't have TV's with HDMI inputs, where almost every one I have stayed at has composite.
      • Or get a NEW Nokia 520

        its $100 new, plus $40 for an expansion MicroSD. Best part is that no one will steal it. You could leave it on the counter at an air port for an hour and no one will give it a second glance. Thieves love Apple products, but couldn't care less about a piece of junk Nokia. With a replacable battery and replacable MicroSD, you could have enough power to take you around the world without recharging.
        A Gray
        • I cannot

          I do not know if it has "equivalent" support. I am suggesting the touch as a portable entertainment center that can hook up to TV's and doesn't require, but can use, local wifi for that purpose. Does that Nokia have a market to download purchased or rented movies? Does it have composite AV cables? It should have these things or we are talking apples and oranges.
          • 520 can buy videos

            Can't get a video cable for it, but you can put the memory card in a card reader/media player that will plug into most TVs and take up less room than composite video cables.
  • Ha, "The most common 10" devices"

    Why not just say its built for the iPad? just about every gadget out there is built for the iPhone or iPad. why be all vague about it?
    A Gray
  • have you ever travelled?

    everybody who has travelled knows that Chromecast cannot login to hotel WiFi and you need your own WiFi bubble to use it, and so on. A lot of dead weight in the recommendations.
    Wondering if the author ever stayed in a hotel or even ventured outside his country?