Clever gear, packed to go - travel gadgets

Nation's Business, March, 1996 by Hal Morris

From stain-remover sticks to satellite navigation systems, gadgets for travelers cover the map.

For photo expert Rhon Engh, appearance is important, and not just in pictures. When he travels on business, Engh is always prepared to remove any mealtime splatters on his shirt or tie with a marker-size stain-remover stick "I never leave home without one," he says.

Indeed, the $3.85 stick that removes greasy stains from fabrics has been a "dynamite seller" for three years at Magellan's, according to John McManus, president of the catalog company. The privately owned firm specializes in several hundred travel essentials and is based in Santa Barbara, Calif., where it also operates a retail store.

The stain remover is among must items--many of them not at all high-tech--that make life easier and safer for road warriors like Engh, who owns PhotoSource International, in Osceola, Wis.

Other top Magellan's items for business travelers include:

* Desk-drawer tools--stapler, scissors, pen, staple remover, carton opener, hole punch, tape measure (to 40 inches), and pencil sharpener--all in a 5-ounce, 4 1/2-inch-long "multiworker" kit for $16.85.

* A battery-operated, pocket-size tone dialer ($12.85) for use in places where rotary (pulse) phones are still in operation. The user places it on a telephone mouthpiece and then pushes buttons to generate tones to access "press 1" menus, financial accounts, and answering machines.

* Among popular products tailored for use in hotel rooms is a $99, 1 1/2-pound, battery-operated machine that emits sounds such as rainfall, a waterfall, and the surf to mask sleep-disturbing noises--and also serves as an alarm clock. Another item is a fold-up steam, spray, and dry travel iron ($34.85 and about a pound and a half).

* Popular with solo women travelers who stay in hotels are security items such as a battery-operated doorstop ($9.75) that sounds a siren alarm if someone--intruder, say--tries to open a door against it. Another device is an adjustable security wallet ($11.85) that is worn around the neck and hidden inside a sweater or blouse.

Items on the high-tech side include the pocket-size Voice Organizer with 1,024 kilobytes of memory ($229.95) from The Sharper Image. The device stores voice-recorded appointments and up to 400 telephone numbers. To review a day's schedule, for example, the user simply speaks the date to hear the playback

"Voice-powered technology is extremely popular, and the voice organizer is among our top 10 sellers," says Sydney Klevatt, senior vice president of marketing for San Francisco-based The Sharper Image, which sells through catalogs and 80 U.S. retail outlets.

Most popular with international travelers, especially those who take along laptop computers, are grounding adapter plugs ($7.85 to $9.85) designed for use in various countries, says McManus of Magellan's. "We go through these by the thousands."

Personal-protection devices are grabbing attention as well. The Sharper Image offers the Air Toser ($249.95), a 20-ounce, flashlight-size device---similar to the Taser used by police--that emits electronic pulses that temporarily incapacitate an attacker. Also available is a pager-size personal-safety siren ($29.95), which can be concealed up a sleeve or worn on a belt, doubling as a flashing fore-and-aft beacon while walking or jogging. Need a name and title in a hurry? Among 'electronic pocket organizers is a compact unit with 64 kilobytes of memory and a screen that displays up to six lines for names; addresses, memos, and telephone numbers. It's available at Radio Shack ($90) and some office-products and electronics stores.

A larger version, found at Office Depot ($100) and similar outlets, holds up to 2,000 names and telephone listings in its 128-kilobyte memory and includes a clock, a calendar, a schedule with alarm, and a calculator.

Weather-wary travelers can stay on top of conditions by dialing one of three main National Weather Service frequencies on Radio Shack's calculator-size, 4.4-ounce Weatheradio ($20).

For those who fear getting lost when driving to an unfamiliar destination and don't mind spending about $3,000 (installed) to get directions, there's Sony's NVX-F160 Mobile Navigation System. It uses satellites to pinpoint a driver's location within 100 to 700 feet of actual position. Location is constantly updated on a street-by-street, CD-ROM-based digital map on a 5-inch color screen. The unit also contains an address finder.

Not all travel aids are found in catalogs or specialty stores, however. Returning to his rental car on a frigid winter day in Detroit, business traveler Engh had a difficult time unlocking the door. No problem. He simply lit a match, heated the car key, inserted it into the frosty lock, and presto!-the ice in the lock melted, and the key worked.