Gadget guy Phil Baker reports on some recently introduced gadgets specially designed to use while on the road.
MiFi 2200 Card
The Novatel MiFi 2200 device is a new product available from Sprint and Verizon that creates a Wi-Fi hotspot wherever you go.
Instead of searching for an internet cafe, you just turn on this credit card-sized device to provide a Wi-Fi connection for up to five computers or other devices.
The MiFi contains a high-speed modem that connects to a 3G cellular data network and then links to your device using Wi-Fi. It works in a 30-foot maximum radius.
The MiFi has a rechargeable battery and works for three to four hours between charges. It charges using a supplied USB charger, and does function while charging.
I’ve been a user of add-on data modems for years, but the MiFi offers a number of advantages. No drivers need to be installed or maintained in your computer; it works with all types of devices that have Wi-Fi, and supports multiple devices simultaneously. You can bring it along to a meeting for others to share, or even connect to an iPhone or an iPod Touch and make calls using the Skype or TruFone apps on the Verizon or Sprint networks.
The major disadvantage is the need to keep yet another device charged when you’re on the road, and drag along yet another charger. In my brief tests, the unit had download speeds of 550 to 750 kbps and upload speeds of 120 to 220 on the Verizon network, which gave three out of five bars of signal strength.
Sprint and Verizon each charge $100 after rebates for the 2200, with a two-year commitment. Monthly rates are $60 for up to 5GB of data, which is equivalent to 1.7 million emails without attachments, 1700 songs or seven full-length movies.
Want to find more gadgets that can be a big help on your travels? Check out the Travel Gadgets & Gear section.
Casio’s Edifice Solar-Atomic Chrono World Time Watch
Anyone that likes gadgets can get their fill with some of the latest watches from Seiko and Casio, which sport tiny multi-function dials, micro-motors, LCD displays and spinning hands. Casio’s new Edifice (Model EQWM1000DB) is a case in point.
It’s a very sharp-looking stainless steel model with a grey dial and red markings. It has a variety of functions on its two-level dial face. There’s a stopwatch (up to 24 hours), a world timer (29 time zones), a countdown timer, and an alarm. It’s also solar powered and designed to self-update around the world using multiple built-in radios, which connect to time signals in the United States, UK, Germany, Japan, and China several times a day.
Unfortunately the Edifice was so difficult to set up, that it required 40 minutes on the phone with a product manager to get it working. I was unable to set the time, and the radio would not work. It turned out that it had gotten out of sync and needed to be reset so the home city was in the United States.
Check out the Top 10 Multi-Time Zone Watches for Luxury Travelers.
Even with help, resetting the time, date and year required some non-intuitive gyrations that were not documented in the matchbox-sized user manual. While the watch is a masterpiece of technology, you should only consider buying it if you love solving puzzles and have a strong magnifying glass handy. $450 www.casio-intl.com
If you do travel with more than one watch consider the compact leather watch cases from Wolf Designs. About the size of an external hard drive, it protects two watches while traveling. $24; www.wolfdesigns.com.
New Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b noise-reducing headphones
When my daughter asked me to recommend noise-reducing headphones, the obvious answer was one of the Bose models that sell for $300 and $350. But I knew from the research I did for my book From Concept to Consumer that these products have a huge markup – about 10 times cost!
So I did some investigating and discovered Audio-Technica’s ATH-ANC7 model. There were close to a thousand reviews on Amazon, most of them five stars, and it was the number one selling product in the category.
Best of all, it was selling for about $150 (list price $219). In a side-by-side test with a Bose unit, it performed slightly better for noise reduction, but was not quite as comfortable. I bought one for my daughter and one for myself.
Now Audio-Technica has come out with an updated model, the ATH-ANC7b, at the same retail price ($219), but with larger, more comfortable ear padding. In my testing on a few recent flights, it was more comfortable and had similar noise reduction and audio performance to its predecessor. And it’s a much better buy than Bose.
Check out Travel Gadgets For Music-Lovers.
iZel
The iZel (myizel.com) is a sturdy, attractive and cleverly designed portable easel for iPhones, iPods, Blackberrys, and other handheld devices.
It’s perfect for watching video or movies on a flight or on a desk or table.
It folds out into its easel shape for viewing, and folds flat for storage. It supports a range of devices in both portrait and landscape positions and at two different angles.
By Phil Baker. You can read Phil’s blog at blog.philipgbaker.com, and click here to check out his book, From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas into Money (FT Press, October 2008).
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