Technology Bytes: The Best and Latest Travel Gadgets

Laptops

Despite it’s slightly higher price, Baer favored the Sony Vaio W for its high-resolution screen, as well as the Toshiba NB200, which features a remarkable 9-hour battery life.

He also highlighted the Asus Eee 1008HA, which is the first I’ve read about it – known as the “Seashell”, it comes with 10 free gigs of online backup storage and is just an inch thick. Despite technically only being a rumor, the Mac tablet also snuck its way onto the list.

E-Readers

Unsurprisingly, the Kindle II made the cut, despite a small complaint about the keyboard (guarded by a stormtrooper above). Sony’s Reader was also there – at a higher price, it lets you access over a million Google titles, but only holds 350 books and doesn’t allow wireless downloading.

I found it odd that Barnes & Noble’s nook wasn’t even mentioned by name – with a color touchscreen and the ability to read any of the company’s eBooks free in the store, it’s definitely one to consider (even if you can’t have one by Christmas).

Accessories

A tiny personal wi-fi zone offering five hours of service, the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot was my favorite on the list. The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a great, more affordable gift for any iPhone users, doubling as a case and extended battery.

And high-tech travelers will definitely appreciate the Iomega eGo Blackbelt, a 500 GB portable hard drive that can operate without external power.