Road Warrior Overhaul – New Products to Keep You on Track

Recently, my bag was completely over-loaded with electronics and their respective cords; books and magazines; meeting materials – no wonder traveling is so stressful – even without the inevitable delays. Not to mention the strain on my back. So, now that I have streamlined and gotten myself organized here are some of our latest tips for road warriors - good for everyday commuting or your next trip out of town.

My final stop before boarding a plane is always the newstand where I load up with newspapers, magazines and maybe even a book. I refuse to get stuck reading reading the in-flight magazine because I've sat on the runway at O'hare for two hours and ran out of things to read before my flight even departs. Kindle will not only keep you loaded with reading material it will also save your back. Users can sign up to have newspapers delivered automatically each morning which turns out to be cost effective – and easier to read on the subway too! Available magazines include Forbes, Fortune, Time and more. And when you get finished with the serious stuff – load up a book – choose from a vast variety from Amazon.com at a fraction of the list price for the digital version. Current price on Amazon.com is $349 and Kindle devotees will tell you it pays for itself in savings on subscriptions and books…not to mention saving your back!

I get lost – a lot. There I said it. Put me in a new city and I can barely find my way out of the airport. When rental car companies started offering GPS devices inside the cars I jumped onboard. But the cost can add up and a couple of times the device wasn’t working correctly and yep - I got lost! Time to invest in my own. The Navigon 5100 is small enough to tote along even on a day trip (there is also a protective hard-shell case) and it is loaded with features such as traffic information (free for life included), Zagat ratings for nearby restaurants, route selector (scenic, fastest, shortest, etc) and more. No more excuses for being late!

There is nothing much worse than watching the battery life on my phone or iPod slowly die while I sit with not an outlet in site. So, we checked out Solios chargers including the Solio Classic Universal “Hybrid” Charger which works with mobile phones, iPhone™, Bluetooth® headsets, smartphones/PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS and more. Additional tips and cables are also available.The web site has acomplete list of device compatibility but unfortunately, these products will not power up your laptop…yet.

And, this durable TREAD case – made from the tires of South American trucks – will protect your charger (or iPod) as it sits in the bottom of your bag.

This is what many have been waiting for – Apple’s newest laptop (also out just in time for you to add this to your holiday wish list!) which is packed with power and will look sharp when you whip it out in your next meeting. The smaller version, the 13-inch MacBook touts an aluminum enclosure for protection (also perfect for people like me who are notoriously hard on laptops and take them everywhere), an ultra-thin backlit display and a glass trackpad which make take some getting used to but let’s face it – looks cool!