On the road again? Then don't forget to pack these tech essentials. We take a look at the latest and greatest mobile gadgets that will keep you connected—and keep your business one step ahead

Entrepreneur,  Nov, 2004  by Heather Clancy

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PLUGGED IN

If you're like me, one of the first things you do when you check in to a hotel is look to see what sort of connectivity you have in your room. The prospect of downloading presentations or spreadsheets via a dial-up connection is downright horrifying for anyone who has experienced the other side.

Clearly, major chains believe providing in-room high-speed internet access is becoming de rigueur. Marriott International has pledged to offer high-speed access at all of its Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Spring Hill Suites and TownePlace Suites hotels by the end of this year. For some parts of its chain, the access is free. For the Marriott and Renaissance properties, the company charges $9-95 per day for access, plus unlimited local and longdistance calls, which can add up quickly otherwise. Elsewhere, Westin Hotels & Resorts has begun offering a similar package for $16 per day, throwing a complimentary"technology" concierge into the price in case you have trouble configuring your computer to work with the service.

If you're not sure whether your hotel has what you need in terms of connectivity, the GeekTools website (www. geektools.com/geektels) may be of assistance. You may also be able to fred a hotel with the services you need on your travel route by checking the hotel locator provided by STSN at www. stsn.com/hotel_locator.php.

STSN is the high-speed access service provider for approximately 1,900 hotels in North America, Asia-Pacific and Western Europe--with more than 265,000 guest and businessmeeting rooms. Marriott is one of STSN's clients, as are the Hilton and La Quinta chains. Lately, STSN has been adding wireless services to the mix and now maintains these services for about 850 properties--another trend expected to accelerate in 2005.

If your hotel room makes you stir crazy, and your travel finds you spending lots of time in a certain region, like Boston, New York City or Orange County, California, you might consider looking into a service such as TechSpace, which offers drop-in space and connectivity space to telecommuters and business travelers. Its membership plans include VirtualSpace, priced at $150 per month per person, and then $15 per hour; or FlexSpace8, which lets you work two days per week in its facility for $350 per month per person. Both plans require a one-time setup fee of $75.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The wireless dialogue will dominate the mobile computing world over the next 12 months, according to Atwal. One of the biggest trends for road warriors to watch will be an ability to transmit data, and possibly voice, between Wi-Fi hot spots and the cellular carriers' much widerarea services. In theory, your notebook cell phone or handheld will be able to send and receive transmissions that hop from Wi-Fi network to cellular connection transparently, depending on which provides the best signal strength, security or fees.

After all, personal preference is what mobile computing is all about. "The people who travel the most get the latest technology. Then we migrate them down," says Beckstrom of Momentum Marketing, describing his company's technology investment policy.