As meeting planners well know, technology can be a frequent
traveler's best friend. The following gadgets, all of which lay claim to
such distinction, are highly recommended after having been subjected to
the rigors of real-life business travel.
FoxLv2 Bluetooth portable speaker $199; soundmatters.com
The
gadget landscape is littered with portable speaker systems, but this,
the foxLv2, is to our knowledge the only one designed by a former NASA
scientist. That's right, Dr. Godehard Guenther, who has Ph.D.s in
nuclear physics, astronomy and physical chemistry, founded Soundmatters
and designed this miniscule hi-fi device.
More to the point,
this thing rocks. And the very fact that a speaker this small can
produce punchy bass and clear mid-tones without the distortion you'd
expect is a continuing source of astonishment -- whether listening to a
smartphone, iPad, iPod or whatever other music player you favor.
The
little powerhouse uses an innovative design that essentially turns the
rechargeable battery into a woofer, which is responsible for the rich
bass sound. The sound quality is shockingly good even when streaming
music wirelessly via Bluetooth -- we had no problem pairing the speaker
with either an iPad 2 or an iPod touch, though we did get hear the
tiniest bit of distortion when pumping up the volume to the maximum.
The
foxLv2 Bluetooth also connects directly to a headphone jack using a
basic audio cable (included), should your player not sport Bluetooth,
and in that case can play tunes at a higher volume. Now, it won't play
as loudly as our fallback Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere portable iPod/iPhone
speakers ($99.99) -- which, for the record, we still love -- but the
foxLv2 speaker really is a different beast. At 5.625 inches long by 2.25
inches tall, it takes up a fraction of the space as the Logitech and is
far more likely to make the cut in a road warrior's carry-on bag. It
even ships with a universal travel adapter kit for overseas use, as well
as a soft protective pouch.
The speaker has a built-in
noise-canceling microphone, turning the unit into a hands-free
speakerphone when paired with a smartphone. With the touch of a button
you can answer a call and pause the music.
The foxLv2 Bluetooth
speaker isn't cheap, but its amazingly good sound, innovative design and
solid build make it worth the investment. – Michael J. Shapiro
IoSafe Rugged Portable Hard drive$199 (500GB, in either USB 3.0 or FireWire 800/USB 2.0 configurations); iosafe.com
Anyone
experiencing sluggish, quirky laptop performance would do well to check
the available free space on their internal hard drive. If you're
transporting a lot of multimedia on your computer -- particularly videos
-- that space fills up. Portable external hard drives can be a great
solution, freeing up space on the laptop's internal drive and providing a
high-capacity solution for important files. The problem: Hard drives
can be delicate, fussy instruments, and not all are suited to the rigors
of travel.
And then there is the ioSafe Rugged Portable drive.
This 5.75- by 4-inch handsome metal brick can spend up to three days
underwater, fall from heights of up to 10 feet, withstand crushing
pressure of up to 2,500 pounds, spend an hour immersed in diesel fuel
and weather storms of sand, dust and freezing rain. Dry it off, get it
back to room temperature and plug it in to your computer, and your files
are guaranteed to be safe and ready for use.
We subjected
the USB 3.0 version to the more typical stresses of planner life; which
is to say, we threw it into assorted suitcases and carry-ons and
transported it to a variety of locations and temperatures, making sure
to drop it on grimy city streets a few times as well as to expose it to
the surf and sand of Pacific resort destinations. Then we handed it over
to a three-year-old boy.
In the end, after running the gauntlet
of travel, elements and child, all data survived. We needed only to
wipe off the little shoeprints and plug the drive back in.
Most
important, what the ioSafe drive offers is peace of mind for the well
being of valuable files. After several months (and counting) of use, we
haven't encountered a single problem with either performance or file
corruption. But because disasters do occur, ioSafe includes data
recovery service with these drives -- a one-time, any-reason recovery of
files, including shipping and replacement hardware. – Michael J.
Shapiro
Menotek Flexible Bluetooth Keyboard$29.99; menotek.com/101899.html
Thanks
to this rubbery, flexible, waterproof keyboard, which can be rolled up
and stuck in any bag, we've discovered a way to (occasionally) travel
light and laptop-free. We've successfully paired the item via Bluetooth
with an iPad, a fourth-generation iPod touch and an iPhone 4 -- so if
you want to lighten up even further, you can leave the iPad at home,
too, and type away on your iPhone.
This very review was written
on the Menotek keyboard, with the Pages app for the iPad. The keyboard
is a touch smaller than a standard one, but it doesn't take long to get
used to it. And when we need to do a lot of typing on the road, we
prefer the feel of this keyboard vs. the iPad's screen. The keys aren't
as solid as on a standard keyboard, but, again, it's not enough of a
difference to hinder note-taking. And, since it's waterproof, wiping off
spilled coffee is a breeze. For meetings, this keyboard is just
perfect. – Sarah J.F. Braley
Incipio Smart Feather Ultralight Hard Shell Case for iPad 2$34.99; myincipio.com
Apple's
Smart Cover for the iPad 2 is pretty nifty and, let's be honest, hard
to pass up when purchasing a new iPad. But a cover does not a case make,
and that's a pretty big drawback when it comes to protecting the shiny
tablet.
So we checked out a more solid solution, Incipio's
Smart Feather case for the iPad 2. Made exclusively for use with Apple's
Smart Cover, the Smart Feather is a 1mm-thick form-fitting
polycarbonate shell that fits snugly to the bottom of the iPad with a
satisfying snap. It's perfectly molded to the contours of the iPad, with
cutouts for the camera, speaker, side lock and volume control. It grabs
the Smart Cover's magnetic anchors as well, reinforcing the Apple
cover's hold and keeping it securely in place.
The Smart Feather
protects the iPad from scratches, and its solid build and snug fit at
least give the impression that the iPad is better protected from drops
and bumps. You need never remove it, and its thin profile adds almost no
extra bulk to the svelte tablet. The Smart Feather will set you back
$35, though, on top of the $39 you'll have already laid out for the
Apple Smart Cover. Is it a worthwhile investment to protect a $500-$800
piece of technology, or a cleverly designed ploy to eke more money out
of your wallet? Perhaps all of the above. And it looks pretty, too. –
Michael J. Shapiro