Posts Tagged laptop
Boingo Wireless subscriptions bring Wi-fi freedom to travelers
In case you haven’t heard, Wi-fi is all the rage these days. But what is not all the rage is providing it for free. Airports and hotels rake in big bucks by charging hefty fees for their Wi-fi signals, but there is a voice of reason for frequent travelers. Boingo Wireless is the industry’s leading provider of software and services worldwide and serves as a roaming partner for thousands of hotel and airport Wi-fi services among others.
Since sampling this service, I have been hooked. Despite traveling with my iPhone, there are times when I need to connect with my laptop and have little interest in spending $9.95 for a half hour of Internet usage. Boingo Wireless has packages good for a month or a year, for example, that make frequent travelers’ Internet use far more user-friendly.
A recent positive change to the offering is that members with the monthly plan can now log into multiple devices with a single account. This includes up to two devices simultaneously with additional devices possible for $5 each per month.
In addition to airports and hotels, Boingo has signals in restaurants, shopping areas, sporting arenas, convention centers, and other public hot spots.
Boingo will broadcast its own “Boingo Hotspot” SSID and fully manage the end user experience through walled garden sales pages and gateway hardware or make it available to roaming partners iPass, KT, NTT Communications, Optimus, Orange France, Skype, Sprint, Swisscom, Telefonica, TeliaSonera, and Verizon as part of Boingo’s neutral host approach to managing Wi-Fi hotspots. The latter is what is especially valuable for international travelers.
At the moment, Boingo has a total of 60 airport Wi-Fi networks under management including top 25 airports Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, London Heathrow, New York John F. Kennedy, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, and Houston George Bush Intercontinental, as well as European airports London Gatwick, London Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton, Aberdeen and Zurich.
Signing up for this service pays for itself after forking over for a few nights of Internet in hotels each month (maybe after one night), and it takes the sting out of connecting to email or the Internet for short periods of time. It is one of my traveling power tools that I have come to rely on across the globe.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear on January 9th, 2012
Toddy Smart Cloth by ToddyGear
ToddyGear Smart Cloth
While I like to think that my hands are always clean, it’s quite surprising when I turn off my iPad or iPhone and see the black screen covered in fingerprint smudges. They were not there when I was using it or perhaps I just could not see them?! Like eyeglasses, smart phone screens, with their touch screen technology, are particularly sensitive and should be cleaned with only a certain type of cloth to protect the screen.
Whether the smudges are the result of finger swipes or residue from snacks being eaten at the same time, the Toddy Smart Cloth does a brilliant job of removing dirt from any surface. Before I began using it, I was cleaning the screen with paper towels or even my shirt. This could have actually been scratching the screen or desensitizing it to the touch screen technology that I have come to know and love.
The Toddy cloth is small enough to wad up and stuff in a briefcase pocket and use when needed. It comes in a variety of stylish fabric designs adding a bit of flair to the screen-cleaning routine. One side is a decorative silk while the other has a microfiber surface allowing gentle swipes or more substantial scrubs to absorb oil, dust and smudges without harming the screen.
It has a patented antimicrobial coating that prevents the spread of germs and bacteria, which is especially important when traveling. The cloth also works perfectly to wipe smudges from my laptop, desktop computer, and even my eyeglasses making it the perfect all-in-one travel accessory.
When I return from a trip, I toss it in the washing machine to clean it. One of the most exciting features is that it can be imprinted with the photo or logo of your choice making it a great gift or corporate giveaway. The Toddy Smart Cloth goes with me everywhere now and is affordable enough to get one for different travel occasions or business situations. They can be purchased directly from Toddy Gear or on Amazon.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on September 19th, 2011
Verbatim Tuff-N-Tiny USB Drive
This teensy travel accessory from Verbatim is the heftiest lifesaver I can carry with me. After having a few laptop challenges (everything from a stolen laptop to one that would not turn on at all), I quickly realized the need to protect my data by either emailing it to myself or storing it on a USB drive. The problem I kept having is that the thumb nail drives kept falling in between other things in my bag and became hard to reach. The benefit of this tiny drive is that I can place it on my keychain making it much easier to find in a hurry.
It is created from a durable material that makes it resistant to water and dust while also protecting it from external damage. It still has a lifetime warranty for unforeseen circumstances and is compatible with all USB drives.
As the smallest USB drive that I have ever seen, it is not clunky to have on my keychain and does not stick out from the side of my computer very far. Larger USB drives are easy to knock out of the socket if you are constantly moving your computer on a cramped airplane traytable or hotel room desk so this smaller version gives added comfort.
On the underside of the drive, it appears that the USB contacts are open to the elements that could lead to damage, but the protective plastic coating keeps it secure. A bonus lanyard allows it to hang freely from your cell phone or other handy device that you might carry all the time. For me, it serves as an excellent reminder that I need to constantly back up my data onto the drive so it is an extra bonus. It also makes it easier to keep track of since this device is very small.
There is a password protection feature on the stick for those using Windows operating systems. This small business tool packs a big punch storing 16GB of material in its tiny brain. It can be purchased from Verbatim directly or on Amazon for under $30.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on September 12th, 2011
Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser Mouse
My laptop is always at my side, but my hand and wrist can get tired from curling it up on the edge of my computer. Since testing out this small Smartfish Whirl Mini Laser mouse, the aches that could very well be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome tendencies have subsided. The current design of keyboards was never created with your joint health in mind. They prevent complete circulation and flexibility, which is what leads to the feeling of discomfort.
This is where the Smartfish mini laser mouse helps to improve upon that deficiency. It features a comfort pivot system that follows the natural position of your hands. For travelers, the small size of this product is what makes it so endearing as it takes up little additional room in your bag (the bulky size of other mouses has kept me from traveling with them in the past).
Smartgish Whirl Mini Mouse
The mouse is easy to sync with your laptop as it just requires a few minutes of setup by plugging it into the USB port on your computer. It pivots forward and backward and side to side giving it the same range of motion that your hand would naturally have. Other computer mouse products have a simple fixed position motion that adds to the strain on your hand and wrist. Dubbed ErgoMotion, the pivot system on this mouse gives it an immediate response time while maximizing comfort due to its light weight.
The scroll wheel rolls in four different directions. It’s stylish too thanks to a range of color choices like red, blue, and black. Overall, the mouse measures in at about 6 inches wide and 4 inches across. It is 2.4 GHz wireless allowing more responsive action to your hand motions and uses two AAA batteries as a power source. After having used it vigorously for a month, the battery life has been very impressive.
Compatible with both PCs and Macs, this mouse makes a perfect gift for work colleagues. It is available at many electronics retailers, but also directly from Smartfish Technologies’ web site www.GetSmartfish.com and the price tag of just under $50 is very reasonable. As I strive to upgrade my comfort and productivity levels when I travel, this ergonomic mouse is a step up for both my joint health and my work routine.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on August 1st, 2011
Protect your iPad with the Defender by Otterbox
I remain unconvinced of the perfection of an iPad as a travel computer, though I do think it’s one of the best ways to make your friends look at pictures of your vacation. I have a first generation iPad that I bought for a project and I do enjoy using it as a reader, a browser, and for pestering my friends with photos of penguins. I find Apple hardware to be a bit hothouse flower in nature, the pretty brushed metal surfaces get smudged, the touch screen gets scratched. Their machines are just a little too delicate.
There’s a whole array of companies cashing in on the fragility of these devices. Indeed, if you’re going to drop the cash on an iPad, you want it to last, of course. And if you’re going to haul your iPad with you around the planet, you really should find a way to protect it. That’s where Otterbox’s Defender comes in. The Defender wraps your iPad in bumpers and hard plastic, and includes a screen protecting sheet. Pack your iPad in this superhero suit and it’s ready to go out into the world.
Getting your iPad suited up is a little bit tricky. You’ll need to follow the instructions in exactly the order they’re presented, otherwise you’ll find yourself trying to get the iPad back out of the case to apply the screen protector. This isn’t easy, in fact, it’s so counter-intuitive that a number of people have made YouTube videos showing you how to remove the case. Once I’d watched three videos too many, I was able to remove the iPad, no problem, and then, apply the screen connector before putting the case back on.
The case adds substantial weight to your iPad, there’s no two ways about it. You can carry it around without the easel base that also comes with it, but I found that I liked the base for two reasons. One: It’s quite nice for table top reading. Two: Flipped over, it makes a nice full case for your iPad. It protects the screen even further when it’s not in use.
The rubber bumpers around the edges have protectors for all the buttons and jacks; you won’t get the dreaded fluff in the headphone jack situation using the Defender because the jack is covered over when it’s not in use. (The phone cases have this feature, too, and it’s a good one.) The silicon surface is very non-slippery to the touch — your iPad won’t fly out of your hands or slide across the table, and even the easel has grippy little foot pads.
I feel a lot more secure schlepping my iPad around when it’s wrapped in this protective housing. The Defender runs about $80 dollars directly from Otterbox and comes in two models, one for the first generation iPad, one for the iPad 2. They’re slightly less on Amazon and eBags, so check prices there, too.
- Learn more: Protecting your Gear: Otterbox Cases
- You’ll need a bag, too: Briggs and Riley Excursion Field Bag
Posted by Pam in Business Gear, General Gear on June 24th, 2011
