PCWorld.com's Mobile Computing Tips: Work From Your Car; Notebooks That Travel Light

Hands-free phone cradles, OnStar caveats, superlight notebooks.

James A. Martin

Feature: Keep Your Hands on the Wheel

With so much uncertainty in the air, it's likely many business travelers are opting to drive instead of fly. If it hasn't happened already, the nation's highways are about to be riddled with harried executives with a mobile phone in one hand and a bucket-size cup of coffee in the other, steering with their Brooks Brothers-clad kneecaps.

In the interest of public safety, here are a few suggestions for being productive on the road.

Go Hands-Free

It's easy to keep both hands on the wheel while you yak--and in New York state, it's the law. I recently tested three hands-free mobile phone cradles that plug into a cigarette lighter and feature external speakers and microphones: the $60 Navigator Plus, the $130 Sharper Image Car Cell Phone System with Hear-It-Again Digital Recorder Technology, and the $90 Dock 'N Talk.

Unlike professionally installed phone cradles, these devices are portable, so you can use them in, say, a rental car, then pop them into your own car when you return from your trip. They're also less expensive than professionally installed cradles, which cost around $225, including installation. The best of the lot was the Navigator Plus. It's relatively small and easy to carry, and it ingeniously uses your car speakers as its own (you simply tune your radio to an FM station to listen). If you're looking for a low-cost way to put your mobile phone within easy reach, the Navigator Plus may be your best option.

These devices have some serious drawbacks, however. They don't stay firmly in place as you drive, most are cumbersome to carry, and their audio quality is fair to poor: Most people I spoke with while testing these devices said they had trouble hearing me. As a result, your best bet is to spend the dough for a professionally installed cradle if you confine much of your mobile phone use to the car. If you move around a lot while on the phone, get an ear bud instead. They're inexpensive (often about $20) and slip easily into a pocket when not in use.

Go Wireless

If you spend a lot of time on the road, consider a wireless device such as a BlackBerry, Pocket PC, or Palm VIIx. You might also want to consider a Web-enabled phone such as a Sprint PCS model.

You can send and receive e-mail and do some limited Web surfing with each device (but not while driving, please). The least expensive option is a Palm VIIx ($199) and the wireless Palm.net network (monthly fee: $10 to $45). But cellular networks such as Sprint PCS wireless offer the widest coverage areas.

For the latest news on handhelds, go to the PCWorld.com Handhelds and PDAs page.

For the latest on wireless devices and services, visit the PCWorld.com Wireless page.

Buy an OnStar-Equipped Car

If you're in the market for a new car and plan to drive a lot for business, consider investing in wheels that come with OnStar. General Motors subsidiary OnStar is an in-vehicle safety, security, and information service that uses GPS and cellular technology. OnStar grabs your e-mail, news, weather, and other information off the Internet and reads it to you. However, experts question the safety of using these devices while driving. For more on this subject, see "GM Says OnStar System Is Safe." OnStar offers a list of vehicles that include its technology at its Web site.

Notebooks

Travel Light With Sony

The last thing you need when traveling--whether by car, plane, or train--is a heavy laptop. At under 5 pounds, Sony's VAIO PCG-SR33 subnotebook is the lightest entry in PC World's Top 15 notebook roundup. The price is light, too: $1099. As a bonus, GoAmerica is offering VAIO buyers a wireless PC Card modem and one month of free service if they sign a yearlong contract. The GoAmerica modem's 19-kbps transfer rate is OK for wireless e-mail and limited Web browsing. The service reportedly covers 80 percent of the country and costs $60 a month. GoAmerica's offer is good through January 31, 2002.

Another Lightweight Contender: NEC's MobilePro

Weighing under 2 pounds and costing only $899, NEC's new MobilePro 790 is potential catnip for weary business travelers. But be forewarned: Based on Microsoft's Windows for Handheld PC 2000 operating system, the MobilePro is a more of a cross between a PDA and a subnotebook rather than a full-bodied computer. For the latest pricing, try our Product Finder tool.

Best Places to Buy a Notebook

It seems like you can buy notebooks just about anywhere--from garage sales to Amazon.com. Based on our tests, though, your best bet in retail is Gateway Country. Dell.com is tops online, or by phone. Both companies have well-informed sales people and let you customize your computer--as long as you're buying their respective brands.

Handhelds

Are Mobile Phone/PDA Combos Worth the Dough?

Handspring recently introduced two mobile phone/PDA models in an attempt to jump-start demand for combination devices. Handspring's Treo communicators will be available next year at $400 for a black-and-white screen and $600 for a color model. Are consumers willing to spend hundreds of dollars and accept the trade-offs that combo devices impose? While some experts say yes, others aren't so sure. "The idea of combining a PDA and a phone has not taken the consumer world by storm," Allen Nogee, senior analyst at Cahners In-Stat, recently told PCWorld.com. For more information, see "Handspring Slashes Price of Combo PDA/Phone."

Edit Excel Files on a Palm

DataViz's enhanced Documents To Go Professional Edition 4.0 lets Palm OS users read and edit Excel files, download e-mail messages (including attachments) to a Palm, and view the text of PowerPoint presentations and PDF files. As always, you can read and edit Word files, and version 4.0 adds a handy text-formatting bar at the top of text documents. In our tests, viewing and editing documents with Documents To Go 4.0 on a Palm was easy, reliable, and convenient--though not surprisingly, scrolling through a large Excel file on a tiny Palm screen went beyond tedious. The $70 price and $50 upgrade fee are a bit steep, but the program is included on Palm 500 series and m105 devices. Regardless, Documents To Go 4.0 is worth the money for busy mobile professionals.

You can download a trial version from the DataViz Web site. To get the best price online, visit the Product Finder.

Make Your Palm Display Easier to Read

Palm screens are hardly expansive, but you can make your To-Do lists and other information more legible just by increasing the font size. Here's how: Open a Palm application (such as Calendar), tap the menu button, select Options, then select Font. Choose either a small, medium, or large font, and click OK. The new font size will become the default, and your eyes will thank you.

Mobile Services

You've Got Mail on Your PDA

The BlackBerry has won fans for its always-on wireless e-mail connection. E-mail messages come directly to the BlackBerry; you don't have to first launch a connection, then retrieve messages manually, as with Pocket PC and Palm VII devices. But the BlackBerry is about to get some competition. Motient's new MobileModem $259 pager-modem and wireless service ($50 a month) attach to a Palm V and automatically turn the device on when e-mail is delivered. All you have to do is tap, read, and if necessary, reply.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: Are you flying with a notebook computer or other gadget in your briefcase? Here's what you need to know about new security procedures at airports and on planes.

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