A technologist retrospective

In three short weeks The Travel Technologist is scheduled to log off.

But don’t click away just yet. Although I’ll continue to cover travel technology elsewhere (more on that in a future article, I promise), I’m taking a moment this week to look back on a feature that’s lasted almost five years. A review of the most significant columns in the last few years-a Travel Technologist retrospective, if you will-reveals a few important truths about technology that you can use in your travels.

1998 – Backing up is hard to do. One of the most significant stories I wrote in my first year as a technology columnist was about the hardships of backing up data on the road. By most estimates, only about four percent of personal computer users regularly saved an extra copy of the files, spreadsheets, and messages they work on. The result: $4 billion and 37 million hours of lost employee productivity every year. “The problem is twice as bad for travelers,” I pointed out. “Our portable computing devices are susceptible to spills, theft, airport x-rays, and the elements. Plus, the information we collect while on the road is often priceless-a sales lead, a presentation finished in the hotel room at 3 a.m., or an e-mail with an important contact on it.” Sadly, the situation hasn’t changed much since then. Most travelers dismiss backup technology as irrelevant, until it’s too late.

1999 – The heavy toll of a ‘light’ laptop. The PC industry wanted all of us to believe that lighter laptops meant less weight to carry around. But as I discovered, less often means more. As the notebooks shrink, the number of accessories we have to carry around to accommodate them is growing. Result: strained backs from heavy carry-ons. “Consider the newest Apple PowerBook G3,” I observed. “I marvel at the laptop’s active-matrix display, built-in DVD-Video, wicked-fast 300-MHz processor, 64 megabytes of memory, and eight gigabyte hard drive. But I cringe at its weight: nearly eight pounds, which is about as heavy as a large infant.” Funny, but despite Moore’s law and all the innovations of the last few years, travelers still complain about their heavy machines.

2000 – Cell contracts anger travelers. In late 1999, I predicted that cell phones would become the primary technology used by travelers, eventually replacing laptop computers. Travelers agreed, but it soon became apparent that the cellular industry was intent on bilking these users. “Many frequent travelers [deal with] confusing, misleading, or even indecipherable contracts for service that often end up serving the carrier rather than the customer,” I wrote. Of course readers agreed with my conclusions, but did anything change? Not really. To the contrary, contracts for wireless service became even more Byzantine.

2001 – Do new laws persecute wireless travelers? This was the most important column of the year because it affected almost all of us to some extent. The New York State Assembly had approved a measure that made New York the first state to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. Motorists caught in the act of chatting while steering a car could get fined up to $100. It was the first of many such laws passed, and as I noted, “To road warriors who depend on cell phones, the clampdown looks like the beginning of witch-hunt.” If anything, these rules became more pervasive and more restrictive in the months following that column. Probably, that was because no one else really complained about the virulent spread of these misguided laws.

2002 – That’s not long-distance. The one story that sticks out is the first column of 2002, which underscored a problem as old as phones. Hotels overcharge guests for their telecommunications services and then surprise them with the final bill. Every year I’ve written something about this ever-worsening trend, and every year it shows no sign of improving. “Hotels say the surcharges are necessary because guests are tying up valuable phone lines, but that’s ridiculous,” I mused. “Only the most antique phone systems are incapable of handling the heavy users that stay online for hours at a time. And besides, if they were so worried about tying up the phones, then there’d be a charge for incoming calls as well. Imagine that.” I’ve got a feeling this will be a story in 2012 and when I’m ready to retire in 2032.

Speaking of which, my time is up for this week. In the next installments of the Travel Technologist, I’ll review some of the best letters, offer some of my personal tips for improving your tech travel, and finally, sign off.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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