The business traveler is a hard one to shop for – you don’t want to give them something that will make them have to work harder, but you also want to be sure you give them something “cutting edge”. So, we’ve collected a sample of some of the best business travel friendly products on the market.
If you need other ideas, check out our gift guide for the iPad/iPhone owner.
Toshiba Portege R705 ultra-portable notebook
Unless your office supplies you with a corporate laptop, you’ll be on your own when it comes to shopping around for the perfect machine. As far as we are concerned, perfect is how we describe the Toshiba Portege R705. At a tad over three pounds, this machines has it all – built in optical drive, HDMI, VGA, plenty of storage space, eSATA expansion port and impressive battery life. Combine this with a price tag under $1000, and you’ll understand why we like it so much. The R705 lineup includes all kinds of combinations – including models with a fingerprint reader and processors options up to an Intel i7.
Price: from $899
Product page: Toshiba Portege R705
iDapt charging kit
Traveling with more than one gadget? the IDAPT line of device chargers can take care of all your needs in a single product. With a variety of charger plugs, this product can be placed on a desk, and just one outlet, you’ll have all your gadgets at 100% before you know it.
Price: from $34.99
Product page: IDAPT
Pogoplug
Ever been on a trip only to discover that you forgot to copy a really important file to your laptop? Pogoplug could be the one product you need to fix that for good. Plug the Pogoplug into your network (or let it connect to Wi-Fi), attach a storage device, and you instantly create a network storage system that can be reached anywhere in the world. Access can be gained through a browser, desktop software or one of the various mobile clients.
Price: $99.99
Product page: Pogoplug
Sewell VGA adapter
Got a laptop without a regular video output? The Sewell VGA to TV adapter can turn your VGA signal into a normal composite signal, which means you can then watch Netflix movies or PowerPoint presentations on the old hotel TV.
Price: $34.95
Product page: Sewell Direct
Black Box retractable cable kit
With six different laptop cables and accessories in a single kit, the Black Box retractable cable kit has everything you need to be a real efficient road warrior. Includes USB and Ethernet cables, a retractable power cord, headphones, LED light and an optical mouse.
Price: $38.95
Product page: Black Box
Pelican 1510LOC rugged overnight laptop case
Scared of the airlines breaking your laptop or other gadgets? Teach them a lesson with the Pelican 1510 rugged overnight laptop case. When your luggage has its own “pressure relief valve”, you just know you are dealing with something special. If you are concerned about its strength, just remember that the U.S. Military trusts these cases with their weapons.
Price: $200
Product page: Pelican cases
Briggs & Riley BRX line
Looking for some budget friendly luggage that doesn’t scream “PowerPoint presentation master”? The BRX line from Briggs & Riley has it all – great looks, rugged frame and tons of internal storage space. Plus, because the top isn’t rigid, it’ll expand nicely.
Price: from $160
Product page: Briggs & Riley BRX line
Gogo Inflight Internet 6-pack
What better product to treat the road warrior to than the ability to get even more work done inflight! Of course, inflight Internet access through Gogo Inflight doesn’t always have to involve work – just don’t tell the boss.
Price: $49.95
Product page: Gogo Inflight pricing options
[Photo from Flickr/Peterbartsch]
Jawbone ICON headset
Lets face it; business travelers love their Bluetooth headsets. Anyone that has sat at an airport staring at all the people walking by will know how important the headset is in the road warrior arsenal. So, if you are going to wear a headset, at least let it be a decent one. One great contender? The Jawbone ICON headset. Besides fantastic sound quality, the ICON also supports Jawbone apps and different voices for text to speech.
Price: $99
Product page: Jawbone
Balanzza Mini luggage scale
Sooner or later, even the best packer will need to hand their bag over to the airline to be checked in the luggage hold. For these times, a portable luggage scale could mean the difference between just under, or just overweight. And sadly, overweight means costly charges. The Balanzza can weigh bags up to 100lbs and hooks to almost any piece of luggage.
Price: $24.95
Product page: Balanzza
Wilson Electronics MobilePro signal booster
Being stuck in a bad hotel for a business trip is no fun, but things get worse when you are stuck somewhere with little to no signal. Suddenly, you are not just physically in the middle of nowhere, and when your Blackberry displays “no signal”, you’ll be in for a long stay. Thankfully, the MobilePro signal booster kit by Wilson Electronics can turn any dead zone into a 5-bar location. Its internal antenna picks up your signal, and boosts it to a magnet mounted antenna outdoors.
Price: From $184.99
Product page: Wilson Electronics
Livescribe Echo Smartpen
If the switch to “all digital” hasn’t made you any more efficient, consider the Livescribe Smartpen. This pen records your writing, and records audio in meetings or more. Best of all, the pen can be outfitted with handy pen based apps. Once written, you can transfer writing and recordings to your computer, or send them out on the web to Livescribe or Evernote.
Price: from $149.95
Product page: Livescribe store
The Art of Shaving travel kit
Just because you are on a business doesn’t mean you can’t pamper yourself a little. The Art of Shaving kit contains everything you need for a professional style wet shave, plus a stainless steel Gillette razor.
Price: $150
Product page: The Art of Shaving
AAXA M2 portable projector
During the day, you can give presentations, and at night, you can use this projector to watch a movie. The AAXA technologies M2 portable projector is one of the best on the market, with a 100 lumen LED lamp, hi-def resolution, HDMI input and a built in 1GB media player, things don’t get more compact or more entertaining. But the best part? Its insanely low price!
Price: $369
Product page: AAXA Technologies
AVIIQ laptop stand
Not many travel products can claim German engineered hybrid composite materials and “lightest in the world” in a single product. But the AVIIQ laptop stand does work hard to justify its $79.95 price tag. When not in use, this laptop stand folds up into a neat little package and unfolds into a full size ultra-light stand.
Price: $79.95
Product page: AVIIQ Laptop stand