Doing The Job On The Go

Nation's Business, Sept, 1998 by Tim McCollum, Albert G. Holzinger

Decision-making authority is both the blessing and the curse of entrepreneurship.

Fast-acting small-business owners, by reserving to themselves the authority to make key business decisions, often succeed where larger, more bureaucratic firms fail. sometimes, however, important decisions have to be made at inopportune times--at night and on weekends, between weekday client visits, or during out-of-town business trips, for example. Hence, pagers, mobile phones, and portable computers and organizing devices have become small-business necessities.

This special report describes new mobile tools engineered To meet the needs of entrepreneurs.

From highly capable notebook PCs to convenient business-information organizers to wireless phones with paging and electronic-mail capabilities, these technologies help small-business people get the job done while they're on the go.

Computing

No matter what your computing needs are while you're away from the office, there's a notebook computer that can meet them effectively.

Nowhere is computer-industry innovation more apparent than in the notebook category of PCs. The power and features of notebook computers now rival those of desktop PCs. Even more amazing, notebooks are generally becoming smaller and lighter while still adding functionality.

Notebooks gained a turbocharge this spring when Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., began producing versions of its Pentium II processors optimized for portable computers. Now, these Pentium II processors are standard in most high-end notebooks as well as in some value models.

A notebook featuring Intel's somewhat-less-powerful yet highly capable Pentium MMX processor can be purchased for less than $2,000.

For those who are constantly on the move, there is a wave of thin notebooks that weigh as little as 3 pounds and cost between $2,500 and $5,000. Instead of having extra features built in, lightweight notebooks usually come with a wafer-thin component called a slice; it connects to the bottom of the computer and houses a CD-ROM drive, speakers, a bay for an additional hard drive or battery, and PC-card slots for a modem or network-connection device.

Most current high-end models--often referred to as 'desktop replacements"--are packed with features such as 32 megabytes (MB) or more of memory for fast, simultaneous operation of programs; a floppy-disk drive; a fast CD-ROM drive; a capacious hard drive for storing large amounts of data; stereo sound; and at least a 12.1-inch dual-scan or, even better, TFT (thin film transistor) display.

Moreover, almost all of these notebooks come with modular bays that allow users to add a second battery or hard drive or optional components such as a DVD (digital versatile disk) drive. DVD drives can play conventional audio CDs, CD-ROMs, and special new disks that can hold up to 17 gigabytes (GB) of video, audio, or other data-enough for a 133-minute movie.

Many new notebooks also come with built-in or plug-in PC-card modems for data communications.

Following is a selection of notebook computers in the value, lightweight, and high-performance categories. With the exception of the PowerBook from Apple Computer Inc., which runs the Mac OS, these notebooks run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT operating system. Also featured in this section are a few of the countless accessories that can prove useful to business travelers.

Value

Compaq Armada 1700

Compaq's Armada 1700 is a powerful system for users who need a high level of functionality at an affordable price. This system features a 233-megahertz (MHz) or 266MHz Pentium II processor; 32MB of memory; a 4GB hard drive; floppy-disk and 24-speed CD-ROM drives; a 56-kilobytes-per-second (Kbps) modem; and stereo sound.

An internal bay can accommodate a second hard drive or battery. An optional DVD drive can be substituted for the standard CD-ROM.

The Armada 1700 comes with either a 12.1-inch or 13.3-inch TFT display. The lithium-ion battery provides up to 2.5 hours of use between charges, and an AC power supply is built in to the system so there is no need for an external battery charger. Price: $2,869 and up at retailers or direct from Compaq.

Dell Inspiron 3200

Inspiron is Dell Computer's line of notebooks engineered for home and small-business users. The Inspiron 3200 models sport 233MHz and 266MHz Pentium II chips.

They contain a wealth of features, including 64MB of memory, a 3.2GB or 4GB hard drive, and a 12.1-inch or 13.3-inch TFT display. The floppy-disk and 24-speed CD-ROM drives can be removed to accommodate a second battery or hard drive.

The Inspirons have tremendous multimedia capabilities, including lightning-fast 128-bit graphics accelerators and stereo speakers. Some models include a 56-Kbps modem, and a combination modem/network-connection device is available as an option. Price: $1,999 and up direct from Dell.

IBM ThinkPad 380

IBM's venerable ThinkPad line includes a new value-class notebook packed with computing features. ThinkPad 380s are available with a 233Mhz or 266MHz Pentium II or a 166MHz, 233MHz, or 266Mhz Pentium MMX processor.