Gadgets to Outfit Your Mobile Office
Mobile professionals make use of innovative tech tools to help them work productively in their cars.
By Dennis McCafferty
Posted Jan. 8, 2008, at 1 p.m.
Business is on the go more than ever these days, and many professionals spend relatively little time within the four walls of a corporate environment. Instead, they turn their wheels into a mobile workplace, enabling them to manage documents, appointments, e-mail and other essential tasks while they're on the go.
Of course, this brings up valid safety concerns. The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents more than 2,100 technology products companies, is raising awareness about the need for proper use of in-vehicle gadgets with its Watch The Road campaign. Among other features at the campaign's site, there's a map that details states' laws governing the use of electronics while driving.
"These products are really a hit, and people are gravitating more and more toward the car as a mobile office," says the association's Jennifer Boone, who oversees the campaign. "But you need to use these products safely. If you're going to send a fax or e-mail a PDF document, we suggest you pull over.
"If you need to make or take a phone call, you should take advantage of the wealth of hands-free devices that are now on the market — whether they use headphones or are built into the car itself. [These products] give you a great option to do business while keeping both eyes on the road."
The Complete Car Office
When it comes to tech tools, there are many options that allow business people to do just about anything without ever leaving their cars. Here are some of the tasks that mobile professionals routinely handle in their "office on wheels."
Safe calling: While the safest way to have a conversation on the road is to pull over, some professionals find that taking a call while driving is an unavoidable business reality. If so, Bluetooth solutions from Alpine, Clarion, TomTom, Magellan and other companies offer hands-free options with a display screen, call answer/end and other options. (Prices start at $79.99.)
Dictation automation: Did you ever take a business call on a mobile phone and regret that you couldn't jot down the important information because you were driving? With Copytalk's Mobile Scribe service, you can dictate client meeting notes, follow-up memos and other information by phone, and the transcriptions will be converted to text and delivered via e-mail to you or other specified addresses. The cost for an unlimited number of dictations is $79.95 a month.
Document management: ScanR lets you turn your camera phone into a scanner, copier and fax machine. You simply photograph information on a whiteboard or in a document — contracts, receipts and even business cards — and send it to scanR, which will save your scan online or send it to your e-mail address as a PDF file. The base-level version of the service is free, but a premium service is in the works.
When it comes to expense reports, you may want to suggest to your boss a product called CyberShift, the first automated, network-connected tech tool that allows for expense-report management via the BlackBerry. But you can't buy this product on your own; CyberShift must be accessed via licensing agreements with employers.
Printing options: HP sells a portable DeskJet for $300, and wireless Bluetooth adaptors are available starting at $99. "Many road-warrior types I know have installed compact wireless printers in their trunks," says Mariano Lora-Ospina, a business technology consultant with Best Buy for Business, which sells these items. "The wireless aspect allows, for example, insurance adjustors to develop a quote while walking back to the car, and then have the printout ready and waiting when they get to their parking space."
Unifying Numbers: Let's face it, when you're constantly using tech products to keep connected while on the road, you have a lot of numbers to keep in your head — and that can get overwhelming. A product called Innoport is trying to reduce this problem by unifying your office, cell, e-mail and fax number access to just one number. It also provides virtual faxing, which enables you to send documents as attachments to your e-mail. Offered by Intellicomm, Innoport is available with prices that start at $9.95 per month.
Charging tools: You can't work for hours on the road without a charger, but, fortunately, there are a variety of products available to help. For example, the Smart AC 120 USB Power Inverter ($39.99 at ThinkGeek) plugs into a car's cigarette lighter and charges laptops, DVD players, cell phones, TVs and any other standard AC-powered device.
The APC Universal Power Adapter can power notebook computers at the same time as a phone, PDA or MP3 player, via a USB power port and splitter cable. It currently sells for $99.99.
Some companies provide in-car chargers for the iPhone. These include XtremeMac's InCharge Auto, which sells for $19.95. And InCharge also works for iPods.
Wi-Fi access: Stay in the car and still get work done with gadgets like hField's Wi-Fire ($79), which attaches to a laptop via USB. With a 1,000-foot range, this complete Wi-Fi adapter — it's not just an antenna or a booster — allows you to work in the peace and quiet of your car instead of taking up space in a connected but noisy coffee house.
Integrated communication system: The Ford Motor Company, in conjunction with Microsoft, is now rolling out Sync, an advanced in-car communication and entertainment system that will allow fully integrated, voice-activated access to satellite radio, digital audio/video, text messaging, e-mail and other uses. It's going to make its debut in the 2008 Ford Focus, Fusion, Five Hundred, Edge, Freestyle, Explorer and Sport Trac; the Mercury Milan, Montego and Mountaineer; and the Lincoln MKX and MKZ.
The technology, which is exclusive to Ford through 2008, will be expanded to all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles in the near future. For many vehicles, the Sync package will be standard, but it will sell at $395 when bought as an option.
Getting organized: You can organize your on-the-go office tools with The Gadget Bag ($39.99 at ThinkGeek), which allows you to safely store your laptop, PDA, digital cam, etc., in four detachable compartments.
These are just a sample of the many productivity tools available for professionals whose car is more than a mode of transportation — it's an office on wheels.
Bio: Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer with extensive experience in the automotive field. He has written for Chrysler magazine, UAW-GM People magazine, Dodge Tomorrow magazine and Corvette Quarterly. He also wrote the NASCAR coverage for USA WEEKEND magazine.
Safety First: Securing Your Mobile Office
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