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ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
http://www.elliott.org

April 25, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Have Gadgets, Will Travel
* Question of the Week: Mapping it Out
* Help! Our May Fundraiser Starts Next Week
* Clarification
* Traveling With Your Tablet PC
* The Tablet PCs are Turning
* This Week in Travel
* Uniformity
* Icelandair Rocks
* Baltimore - or Washington?
* Flashback: Gadgets on the Go
* Mad As Hell and I'm Not Going to Tech it Anymore
* Assault and Batteries
* Tech Help Isn't Everything - It's the Only Thing
* Is Your Laptop Available For a Steal?

>> First Off <<

** Have Gadgets, Will Travel
If you're a luddite, you might be tempted to skip this week's issue of Elliott's E-Mail. After all, there are two stories on traveling with a Tablet PC and a flashback that's focused entirely on being on the road with gadgets. But resist the temptation. A Frank Steward's essay on uniforms is incredibly funny, and Charlie Leocha's take on the "new" Icelandair is worth a read, too. And in our weekly troubleshooter column, I answer the burning question of whether Baltimore is actually in DC. You don't want to miss that one.

>> Underwritten By <<

** EasyTravelAir
The must-have travel accessory If you've fumbled with your ID while taking off your shoes and coat, emptying your pockets, and removing your computer, you'll find getting through airport security a lot simpler and less stressful with the Security Pouch. Purchase the travel-warrior-tested Security Pouch online special only $10 or call (800) 282-1469 to order at $14.99 each. Order now.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Mapping it Out
If you travel - especially by road - you know the value of a good map. But not all maps are created equal, especially if they're computerized. What kinds of mapping software, like Microsoft's MapPoint, or Rand McNally's Road Atlas Road Travel Software, have you used? Do you have any tips for making the most of the software when you're traveling (especially when it's for business)? Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Remember, your story could mean free luggage. It did for Ed Kummel, our March winner.

> Trying to e-mail me? Please read this first.

** Help! Our May Fundraiser Starts Next Week
The information in Elliott's E-Mail comes to you for free every week. The newsletter is delivered to you for free. Your travel problems are solved at no cost. But there are expenses to cover, and twice a year - in May and October - we reach out to you to ask for your assistance. Next week we start another fundraiser, and we've lined up the best premiums yet. > Remember, you can always get a head start by clicking here.

** Clarification
In some editions of Elliott's E-Mail, a link to the NPR story about monkeys at Fort Lauderdale Airport was incorrect. Here's the right link.

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Traveling With Your Tablet PC
Whenever Alan Pearlman fires up his Hewlett Packard TC1100 Tablet PC in court, he braces for the stares. The Northbrook, Ill., attorney takes notes during a trial, schedules appointments, and even makes printouts of documents, thanks to a wireless printer at his desk. "After court, I have to spend 15 minutes talking to the other attorneys about how this thing works," Pearlman says. "One thing I've learned in using a Tablet PC is that, as an attorney, I have to change the screen color to yellow, to make everyone more comfortable. That way, they think I'm using a legal pad - until they look twice." The novelty may wear off soon. Two out of every five business users will prefer either a "convertible" or "slate" model Tablet PC by 2007, according to The Meta Group, a Stamford, Conn., market research company. > Details in Power Trip.

** The Tablet PCs are Turning
Times change - and so have Tablet PCs. The newest crop of these fledgling devices capitalize on the best portability features of their finicky predecessors while adding on wireless functions that make them more practical. And, although most of them are priced for business use, a U.S. News test of four models found there's plenty of appeal to the home user even if the devices haven't quite cleared every hurdle. > In US News & World Report.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

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>> This Week in Travel <<

News, opinion and analysis from Elliott's Travel Notes.

> Security Screeners Perform Poorly (4/23)

> Hotel Rates Poised to Climb (4/22)

> Hotel Chain Restricts Online Booking (4/21)

> US Airways' Siegel Resigns (4/20)

> Start-Up Travel Sites Take Off (4/19)

> See archived blog postings or catch up on today's news.

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** Uniformity
The comedian Dennis Miller once said, "If you are at work and wearing a name tag, then somewhere along the line, you probably made a serious error in career choices." When I heard this, I was at the airport, and not only did I have a name tag on, I was wearing a tie that matched the curtains on the aircraft. I started to look back on my life and couldn't actually remember a job where I didn't have a name badge of some kind. Even when I was in a jazz band, our shirts and jackets had our names embroidered on the chest. > In A Frank Steward.

** Icelandair Rocks
I haven't flown on Icelandair since the early '80s. Back then, Icelandair was the cheapest way to cross the Atlantic. The airline flew stretch DC8s out of Luxembourg with bus connections to about a dozen cities around Europe. It wasn't always the easiest way to travel. But it was always a deal. Some of us called it the "Hippy Airline." Plenty of students packed the planes in both directions. And Iceland sold lots of Icelandic wool sweaters at the rustic terminal in Keflavik. > Read more in Cheap Charlie.

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Baltimore - or Washington?
Say you book a nonrefundable flight to Washington, but discover that you're not really flying to Washington? What if your travel agent refuses to fix it? That's the problem one reader has when she buys a ticket through discount travel site Hotwire. She discovers her ticket actually goes to Baltimore, some 30 miles from Washington, and she's disappointed that the site didn't disclose her actual destination. Did Hotwire screw up, and if so, what does it owe her for the trouble? Find out, plus learn how to avoid getting your wires crossed when it comes to airports. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Flashback: Gadgets on the Go <<
What happens when you take your technology on the road? Here's a flashback of columns about the grind of being on the road with gadgets:

** Mad As Hell and I'm Not Going to Tech it Anymore
What ticks you off about technology when you travel? Is it those surprise hotel phone surcharges that no one told you about when you checked in? How about your crash-prone computer operating system? Maybe it's your crappy cell phone? You know. But do you know what your fellow road warriors think? If you're interested - and don't lie to me, I know you are - then skip those statistically meaningless polls and ignore the tidy sound bites delivered by the overpaid analysts in cheap suits. Just click through this column's archives. A pointless exercise? Not if you want to have a better trip. > In The Travel Technologist.

** Assault and Batteries
Call it assault and battery, 21st century style. You're on a trip. Your camera, cell phone, or personal digital assistant runs out of juice. Wham! There goes your productivity. It happened to Lawana Holland on a recent visit to Senegal. "We had gone cross-country from Dakar to Niokolo-Koba Park in the southeastern part of the country. I was looking forward to taking photos of antelope, baboons-and the looks on my very urban friends' faces when they saw their huts for camp," recalls the Washington illustrator. "I was using a digital camera, and my rechargeable batteries died on me. Of course I had left my recharger back in Dakar, and it wouldn't have been useful anyway since there were no outlets." > In The Travel Technologist.

** Tech Help Isn't Everything - It's the Only Thing
Interested in buying a new laptop? If you travel a lot, chances are you'll check the price, peripherals, and programs, like any other computer shopper. Maybe you'll pay close attention to the PCs weight. But then, when you've had a chance to mull everything over, you'll buy a new machine based on…its technical support. That's what Ron Greenberg does. "IBM's service and warranty is tops in my book," says the San Ramon, CA, data processing manager. Big Blue's portables are considerably more expensive than rival computers, but that doesn't matter to Greenberg. He cares more about turnaround time on repairs (usually less than a week) accessibility of support staff (the company issues a local phone number for help when he's overseas), and flexibility (IBM once sent a technician to his home for an emergency, same-day fix). > In The Travel Technologist.

** Is Your Laptop Available For a Steal?
On a recent trip to Portland, Ore., Mary White and her husband, Greg, lost "everything" on a single afternoon. No, they haven't opened a new casino in town. White was attending a chess convention with her children Steven, 11, and Kristin, 9, and she left two Dell Latitude notebook computers in her room at the Portland Radisson. When she returned the PCs were gone, along with two video cameras, a Game Boy and Greg's electric razor. "They cleaned us out," says the New York Internet consultant. "We lost $11,000 in hardware - and I can't even estimate how much the information on the computers was worth. One of the laptops was so new that I didn't have a chance to back anything up." In The Travel Technologist.

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** Toursaver.com
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** Dream of Italy
Do you know where to get the best deals on designer duds in Italy? How to find a reasonably-priced, well-equipped villa rental? Which Roman restaurants have to best views of the Eternal City? The readers of Dream of Italy, the bi-monthly subscription newsletter do! The newsletter reveals the hidden secrets that can make your next Italian vacation unforgettable. > Find out more.

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