The take-away office

• Stuart Ridley
• 4 July 2008
• Page 1 of 2 : single page

The portability promise

In its simplest form, portable computing has been with us since 2700BC (or thereabouts), when Ancient Greeks, Chinese and Egyptians used the handheld abacus. Okay, so the ‘computing’ was basic, but designers of popular abaci back in the day knew mass uptake in the business community demanded a device that was:

• Comfortable to use and lightweight
• Intuitive to operate with minimal training
• Robust enough to withstand a few bumps
• Affordable.

Flash forward to the end of the second millennium and marvel at the clever technologists who made the following promises:

“We shall now consider how we can design a very simple machine that will think. It will be so simple and so small in fact that it could be built to fill up less space than a grocery-store box… It may seem that a mechanical brain is of no great practical use. On the contrary, it can be used to stimulate thinking and understanding, and to produce training and skill.”

“A new personal business computer, the size of a suitcase… will fit under an airplane seat, weigh 24 pounds and sell for $1795, including all hardware, case and $1500-worth of software.”

The first promise was made in 1949 by Edmund C Berkley, who released the specifications and instructions for building his SIMON computer in 1950. Adam Osborne made the second, when he announced the Osborne 1 Personal Business Computer at the West Coast Computer Faire in 1981.

While neither innovation is portable by today’s business standards, they helped drive demand for increasingly lighter, smaller and smarter devices for business.

PROJECTORS – present your great ideas anywhere

Projector manufacturers have really refined their products to meet small-business demand for highly portable, affordable and versatile models capable of delivering a sharp image.

The newer, lighter models are hugely popular with designers, consultants, developers and salespeople of all kinds. In some consumer markets they’re already kicking the power-hungry monster projectors that once dominated home movie theatres and corporate boardrooms to the kerb.

The two keywords to remember when you want a truly portable and useful projector just happen to rhyme: brighter and lighter.

Price range: $1000–$3000

Standard features:

• Compact and lightweight, typically 1–3kg
• Relatively bright globe for the unit size, at least 1000 lumens and up to 3000 lumens or more
• Easy real-time adjustment of the projected image with simple and responsive remote and built-in controls
• Strong, protective carry bag

Desirable features:

• Wireless connectivity with one or more PCs
• Multiple inputs
• Displays images directly from more than one kind of memory storage format such as USB or memory cards
• Ambient light compensation, which automatically adjusts brightness and contrast so the projected image is clear and sharp in daylight or bright artificial light
• Quick start up
• Quiet fan

Look out for: alarming differences between manufacturers in the lifespan and replacement cost of the lamps. Replacement lamps can be very expensive.

ULTRA PORTABLE NOTEBOOKS – not just for laps

If you frequently walk or catch planes to get to meetings, you already know a notebook weighing more than a few kilograms starts to, well, weigh heavily on your shoulders and carry-on baggage limit. Fortunately, you’ll find several great value ultraportable notebooks that deliver power and functionality despite weighing less than 2kg.

Price range: $1200–$2700

Standard features:

• Lightweight, typically 1.4–2kg, and thin (yes, some new ultralight notebooks fit in a courier envelope)
• Small screens, usually 12.1–13.3 inches
• Dual-core processor and at least 1GB RAM to run popular applications smoothly
• 160GB hard drive
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• USB ports
• Strong protective carry bag, though you’ll probably want to find a more attractive and versatile model.

Desirable features:

• Built-in mobile broadband connectivity, or a PC Card or ExpressCard slot, for internet access on the move
• Internal optical drive for burning and reading DVDs
• Separate video and sound cards (not built into the motherboard) to really enjoy high-quality images and audio in both entertainment and creative applications
• Decent speakers
• Multiple inputs for accessing data on memory cards
• Choice of video output ports for connecting to high-definition projectors or screens.

Look out for: short battery life, overheating and flimsy case likely to warp or break.

HANDHELDS – pocket-sized computing and communications devices

Handhelds these days can be divided into two basic camps: the pocket computer or personal digital assistant (PDA), which is popular in the hospitality, service and retail industries and the smartphone, which has seen widespread take-up among tradespeople, couriers, consultants and salespeople.

Go for the former if you don’t need a handheld computer to do double duty as a mobile phone. Of course, if you love your current slim mobile phone but need something better for work, keep the smaller phone with fewer features for your personal life. And don’t forget: sometimes you will want to switch off.

Price range: $500–$1200

Standard features:

• Trimmed-down versions of common productivity applications
• Audio and video capability
• Keyboard (physical or touchscreen)
• Mobile email access

Desirable features:

• Fast mobile broadband access (3G or HSDPA)
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Mobile web access
• Ability to open and edit common file types, such as PDF, Word documents and mp3 audio
• Simple connectivity to your work PC or notebook using USB or Bluetooth
• GPS receiver, currently the hottest trend in smartphones
• Slim form, making it easier to put in an out of your pocket – and more comfortable when it’s in there
• Quality in-built digital camera (3 megapixels or more)
• Stereo speakers
• Large touchscreen for quickly accessing favourite applications
• Many manufacturer and third-party accessories

Look out for: short battery life; uncomfortable keyboard and fiddly controls; flimsy casing; and high replacement cost for power units.

GPS – find your next customer on time

Anyone who has to make deliveries or visits to irregular customers or locations probably already owns a GPS device. Put simply, digital maps and location services have revolutionised day-to-day travel in a wide range of industries, from couriers to salespeople and professional services consultants.