Tips about making presentations and caring for your technology while traveling.

Presentations on the Road

• Make a Lot of Presentations on Your Business Trips? Proxima, a world leader in the multimedia projection industry, recently launched , a brand new eCommerce store and the first site of its kind specifically designed to service the needs of presenters. The site offers the world's best presentation products at competitive prices, on-line leasing, advice on how to keep presentations on track and audiences interested, news and stories from seasoned pros, free downloads to make presenting easier, and technical product evaluations from experts in their respective fields. For more information, click on http://www.proxima.com.

Laptops and Other Devices

• Safeguard those PDAs. Don't be too cavalier about the security of your PDA/Pocket Organizer, especially if you've entered all sorts of sensitive information--credit card numbers, bank account numbers, telephones security codes, personal identification information, etc. If your PDA falls into the hands of a skilled thief, you may be in for months of mischief. Treat your palmtop with the same care as you do your laptop. Security experts suggest the following:
  • Labelthe back and battery compartment of the device with your last name and telephone number
  • Protect proprietary information by using the password-protected option on the device
  • Back up the data at least weekly, depending on its use.
  • Know where your organizer is at all time
• Safeguarding Your Laptop. Three-quarters of business travelers bring a laptop with them on the road. According to safety experts, laptop theft is the fastest-growing crime against travelers. Here are some tips for keeping yours safe and sound:
  • Use a laptop case that doesn't advertise that it's a laptop case--in other words, don't use one labeled Compaq or Dell.
  • Never, ever check in your lap top. When going through security checkpoints, always wait until the person in front of you clears his or her bags from the conveyor belt before you put your laptop down on it.
  • When you're not using it onboard, put it on the floor in front of you, unless the overhead compartment is so full that the case won't get tossed around.
  • At airports and hotels, don't let it out of your sight, even for a minute.
  • Consider getting laptop insurance, not just to cover the cost of replacing the hardware, but for the information stored in it. In 1999, a typical insurance premiums cost $69 for losses of up to $5,000, according to the National Business Travel Association.
  • A company called Absolute Software makes a product called CompuTrace that can actually track down a computer thief. Install CompuTrace on your laptop, and the software triggers the modem to place calls to the tracking center once a week. If your computer is reported stolen, the tracking center traces the calls and contacts police at the location where the call was placed. (The thief is unaware that the modem calls are being made.) CompuTrace is available free from Absolute Software, but there's a $60 monitoring fee per year. For more information www.computrace.com.
• Conserve Your Laptop's Battery Power by using peripherals whenever you can. Zip drives and portable printers use their own battery power, conserving you laptop's juice. International Mobile Connectivity Tips. Wonder whether your mobile phone, modem or transformer will work wherever your travels take you? There are several websites, including TeleAdapt www.teleadapt.com, Mobile Computing Magazine www.mobilecomputing.com and Roadnews.com that offer voluminous amounts of information and cogent advice on keeping mobile communication channels open (and working).
• Palmtop alternative. Don't like palmtop computers but still want to transfer your notes from paper to PC? The CrossPad portable digital notepad is the size of a legal pad, and at 2.2 pounds and 3/4" thick, lighter and thinner than a laptop. With bundled software from IBM's Ink Manager series you can store all your notes, search by key word or date, convert some handwriting to text, and fax your files. For information: www.cross-pcg.com.
• A New Productivity Tool for Travelers is the new generation of digital recorders, whose speech recognition technology allows you to dictate e-mail messages, notes, and letters when you're away from your computer, then easily translate the audio files into text files. One product to consider: the Olympus DS-150, which weighs a mere 2 oz. and can store more than an hour's worth of messages. For info: www.olympusamerica.com,or call 800-347-4027.
• A New Way to Lighten Up is The Clik! PC Card drive, the latest computer gadget from Iomega Corp. It's a small, lightweight removable storage drive that pops into the PC card slot and has room for 40 MB of files - 25 times as much data as a floppy disk can store. No more need to pack an external disk drive, computer cable and battery. For information: <www.iomega.com>.
• Small Enough to Fit in a Pocket. With a C Pen, you can scan research materials, store business cards, hotel and e-ticket reservation information in something small and light enough to fit in a purse or shirt pocket. It reads 100 characters per second, stores up to 100 pages of text, and offers wireless (IR) data transfer to your PC. Suggested retail price: $199. For information, call 877-ASK-CPEN or http://www.cpen.com.