Last week, I reviewed some of the less expensive holiday gifts you can give the wired traveler in your life. For those of you who dismissed my suggestions as too cheap, don’t fret. Here’s a chance to show your love by reaching deep into your pockets and plunking down serious cash for one of these gadgets.
As always, I’ve reviewed each of these items personally, except where noted:
GOLDEN GATEWAY: Let’s start with the bread-and-butter of business travel, the laptop computer. I wanted to review at least four ultralight laptops for this column, comparing the features side-by-side. But it wasn’t meant to be. Only Gateway sent me an evaluation unit in time to test it, with promises from IBM and several other manufacturers to send their PCs “as soon as they’re available.” I believe Gateway’s eagerness to let me test the Solo 3350 CS reflects the company’s overall attitude regarding customer service. (I should note that this isn’t the first Gateway that I’ve tested – about a year ago, I evaluated the FireAnt and liked it.)
As far as portables go, this Gateway is remarkable. It weighs only 3.65 pounds, but it packs a punch: a 600 MHz Pentium III processor, a 10GB hard drive, and a crisp 12.1-inch TFT Active Matrix XGA color display. I also got to take the new Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition for a spin. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between ME and Windows 98 Second Edition, but I’ll follow up with a more detailed review of it, as well as the 3350 CS, as soon as I’ve had a chance to take this laptop on the road. Price: $2,778. I told you this wasn’t going to be cheap.
LUGGAGE LOVERS: I put luggage in the “expensive” category because the discounted stuff not only falls apart quickly, but also alienates the recipient. Face it: If you want to give luggage, it’s going to cost you. A top-of-the line Brenthaven computer case featuring its “SoftDrive” wheels that lessen the bumps on the road retails for $369. Tumi’s virtually indestructible wheeled garment bag, which holds three to five suits, has outside access corner pockets and a removable laundry bag inside, will set you back $750. (I tested an earlier model of this luggage.)
INSURE THIS: Not all baggage is created equal. Swiss Army’s laptop bags, for example, come with $1,500 of laptop insurance, which is believed to be a first-of-its-kind offer in the business. I particularly like the thoughtful pouch for the cellular phone, which is very much in the tradition of the Swiss Army brand. The “Matterhorn” model, which is a more youthful kind of carrying case, sells for $79 (I considered including this in last week’s story, but I didn’t want to split up the luggage category). The WebPak, a more serious notebook carrying case made of black ballistic nylon, retails for $230.
THREE-IN-ONE: While we’re on the subject of baggage, I wanted to mention the Upright Virtual Office from Atlantic Luggage which combines a laptop carrying case, accessory pockets and a conventional luggage compartment in one. Prices range from $99 to $169. The models feature side-entry access (no more having to rummage through one compartment to get to something you need) and ballistic fiber. Although I thought they were a great idea, I should note that these bags are strictly for overnight purposes – don’t try an extended stay with them.
HIP MP3: In last week’s column, I mentioned that DVDs make ideal stocking stuffers. But if you want to give something portable and entertaining – and you’re also loaded – try an MP3 player. I was pleasantly surprised by Iomega’s HipZip digital audio player. It ’s cool to look at and uses very portable 40MB disks that fit between 10 to 12 songs. (If you remember my review of the Clik! drive last year, you’ll recognize the disks.) While I had a hard time getting the system set up at first, I found that a little patience paid off. The HipZip retails for $299.
ANALOG? DIGITAL? What does it matter? A competing product to the HipZip is Digisette’s Duo-MP3. What’s neat about this device is that it’s shaped like a conventional audiocassette – meaning that it plugs directly into any stereo and works as if it were a regular tape. Setting it up is a little more cumbersome than the HipZip, but it costs less – just $249 – and heck, it works just about anywhere. How did they get it so small? Instead of disks, they use 32 megabytes of built-in flash memory to store the songs. Pretty nifty. I asked a close friend who works in the music industry to evaluate both products, and she came back with the same verdict I did: if only the HipZip worked in conventional stereo, it would be the perfect digital audio player.
MORE MEMORY: A year ago I reviewed the Hewlett Packard M820e, an ultraportable readable/writeable CD-ROM drive. I berated the product because it wouldn’t plug into my PC, chastising HP’s publicists for asking me to review it when they knew full well that I couldn’t. Well, I take it all back. I’ve since taken a closer look at the drive. Although it’s been eclipsed by the newer 9600se (price: $382) it should still be said that this CD drive is among the easiest to work with and most versatile of the peripherals I’ve tested. Each CD holds an impressive 650MB. Want more? Try Maxtor’s 80 GB hard drive, a lightweight add-on that works with the new IEEE 1394 interface (that’s 30 times faster than USB, for those of you who haven’t read a computer magazine lately). Not only is the $399 unit aesthetically pleasing, in a kind of iBook way, but it’s also very plug-and-play. If your laptop isn’t FireWire compatible, I would consider Apricorn’s Dual Igniter 400 which helps those of us laptop users in a USB world make a rather painless leap to IEEE 1394. Cost: $139.
Well, I did it again. Tried to squeeze too many gifts into too small a space. Next week, I’ll wrap up my gift-themed series of columns with a look at the three digital video options. See you then.
For those of you who missed last week’s column, click here to get all the details on those cheaper gifts.
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