Chances are, you aren’t working solely from an office anymore. You’re also working from home, another city, on the road, and perhaps even from your car. In this era of telecommuting, it’s important to be equipped with the appropriate tools—portable gadgets that make working easier and more efficient wherever you are. Cell phones and laptops are only the beginning. Ample high tech mobile office tools are available in today’s market to assist you in whatever job you do.

Netbook
Netbooks are an ultra light and small version of the laptop. They are used primarily for internet browsing, email, and other web-based applications that don’t require loads of hard drive space. They are often significantly cheaper than traditional laptops, so if your work can be done online using web-based applications, they might just be the portable computer for you.

What type of web-based office applications exist? Plenty! From online fax services to photo editors, spreadsheets, word processors, and more, many offices can function without software at all. Check out these posts for specific online applications.

“Five Free Office Applications to Aid Computer Users”

“Web-based Computing Tools for Your Mobile Lifestyle”

Smart Phone
Cell phones aren’t merely cell phones these days. Now they are smart phones. Smart phones, such as Apple’s iPhone and the Blackberry Storm, offer advanced computer-like capabilities including keyboards, large screens, internet access, and plenty of software applications. Many people use them as their PDA, or Personal Digital Assistant.

For an example of some applications offered on the iPhone, read “Mobile Office Tools for iPhone and iPod Touch Devices.”

Portable Printers
If you find local business center print services a hassle, or internet-based printer options aren’t your thing, a portable printer might be the way to go. Though expensive, portable printers will allow you to print maps and directions, contracts, spreadsheets, documents, and other important business papers anywhere you go. They connect to your computer wirelessly via Bluetooth or WiFi, so no linking cord is necessary. Portable printers are great options for business people who frequently travel via car (such as a real estate agent), as they are not yet small enough to be great flight companions.

Portable Projector
Do you travel to give presentations? If so, you’ll undoubtedly find a portable projector handy. Most portable projectors weigh less than 5 pounds and offer numerous easy-to-use options, so you don’t have to fiddle with the projector at your destination. Or find out the place you’re presenting doesn’t have a projector at all…

For more information on Portable Projectors, read “Top 5 Portable Projectors Under 5 Lbs.”

USB Flash Drive
Offering compact, removable and rewriteable storage space up to 128 GB, USB flash drives come in numerous designs and styles and slip easily into a computer’s USB port. USB flash drive makers offer something for everyone—literally. You can buy a USB drive shaped like a guitar, a shoe, your favorite video game character, a severed thumb, or a Lego Block. Most USB drives weigh less than an ounce, making them ultra portable and suited to the mobile office worker.

You may also be interested in the USB Battery Charger from Useful Things, which allows you to charge two AA batteries.

USB Power Inverter
USB Power Inverters, such as The Smart AC 120, plug into your vehicle’s outlet and allow you to charge laptops, cell phones, game consoles, small power towels, and other AC devices. They also come equipped with a USB port for charging USB devices. Power Inverters are also available without the USB drive option.

Bluetooth
As more and more states ban cell phones while driving, Bluetooth capable hands-free devices are becoming a necessity. Put simply, Bluetooth technology is a small computer chip that allows a user to connect devices wirelessly using a radio frequency. Bluetooth technology allows cell phone users to wear an ear piece that’s not connected to their cell phone, yet still make and receive calls from their cell phone. That’s not all Bluetooth can do, however. Use Bluetooth to network between computers, wirelessly connect between your computer and external device, such as a mouse or printer, connect to the internet, sync your mp3 player with your car radio, and more.

Mobile Broadband and WiFi Access Cards
When you’re traveling, it can be hard to find secure and reliable internet access. To solve this problem, purchase a mobile broadband device for your laptop and subscribe to a plan (through Verizon, for example). If you don’t want to pay for a plan, try a WiFi access adapter card to help you locate free WiFi hot spots. Some WiFi adapters allow you to pick up signal within 1,000 feet of a hot spot, so you can work in your vehicle or other space while still taking advantage of the wireless connection.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.