The Ultraportable Revolution

Since the core technology we need on the road keeps losing weight, mobile professionals have an interesting choice to make: Enjoy the lighter side of life, or fill the bag with more tools?

In this article, we provide suggestions to fill your bag with more hardware. When you add everything up, the actual weight isn't that much greater, but the budget has certainly increased!

Must Have

Ultraportable Notebook

We have to love the computer hardware industry for chasing the mobile executive market with increasingly lighter laptops. In 2004, laptop weight dipped below the three-pound mark for fully featured, powerful computers that perform wonderfully on the road. Of course, all the top models have integrated Wi-Fi and still include multimedia players and recorders, so we're not losing on productivity or entertainment.

What's next? Watch for the release of the one-pound wonder, Flipstart, from Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. This mini-computer with full Windows XP functionality is getting plenty of buzz in the industry.

• Budget: $1,500 – $3,000
• Bag: 2 – 4 pounds

Nice To Haves

Portable Printer

The latest wave of portable printers averages about four pounds. The extra load may be well worth it for long trips, particularly if the agenda includes printing recently signed orders or reviewing long documents. Some of the new models even have car power adapters and optional Bluetooth, so road warriors can print the latest news from your laptop or PDA while sitting in the parking lot waiting for the next meeting.

• Budget: $150 – $300
• Bag: 2 – 5 pounds

Portable Projector

There was a time when most of us would have balked at the idea of adding a projector to our travel tech gear. They were simply too bulky and too pricey. Size and budget friendliness has hit producers in this category as well. The current market includes projectors as lightweight as 2.2 pounds and $700. This may not be a bad addition for mobile professionals who often spend days perfecting their PowerPoint documents!

• Budget: $650 – $2,500
• Bag: 2 – 8 pounds

External Battery

Intel and its partners are working towards all day computing -- 8 hours of battery power -- in the next generation of Centrino-enabled mobile computing products. However, computers can last longer today by merely bringing along an extender.

• Budget: $200 – $400
• Bag: 2 – 4 pounds

No-Calorie Extras

Because these extras simply replace the things you'd be carrying along anyway, the only question is how they hit your budget.

Wi-Fi Locator Keychain

Desperately seeking wireless connections? Why not trade in your old keychain for a new model -- one that will identify the strongest Wi-Fi signals before you unload and boot your computer. Of course, this is only necessary if you're not yet carrying one of the new Wi-Fi enabled smart phones.

• Budget: $50 – $100

USB Keychain

Put up to 512MB of your most important data on your keychain, and perhaps you can leave all the other components behind!

• Budget: $50 – $150