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The changing face of travel gadgets

Posted on 12 Nov 2009 at 15:14

Paul Ockenden looks at how the technology that trails him on holiday has changed in recent years

There’s no need to pack any modems these days since most business-class phones allow you to set up a data connection via Bluetooth, and if you find yourself without mobile reception and have to resort to the analogue phone system, most laptops have the requisite phone port built-in (so long as you brought that skinny little modem lead that came in the box but you’ve probably never used).

Actually, the laptop I’m taking with me – the fabulous Sony TT – also has a WWAN or mobile data facility built in, so you can just slip a SIM card into a slot behind the battery and you have an instant data connection.

More importantly, although Sony bundles lots of T-Mobile bumph with this machine (at least here in the UK) and includes a “free trial” T-Mobile SIM card, the WWAN hardware inside the laptop isn’t actually locked to any network.

That means as I head off to Cornwall I can take with me SIMs for all the five UK networks, knowing that if there’s any chance of a sniff of a mobile signal I’ll be able to use the Sony to grab onto it.

That also means that if I can’t get reception on my BlackBerry (which is SIM-locked to T-Mobile) where I’m staying, I might find another network and be able to make and receive calls via Skype.

The Sony TT is a brilliant little laptop. It’s slightly bigger than a typical netbook, with an 11.1in screen, but it packs a proper Intel Core 2 Duo processor rather than a weedy Atom so it’s easily up to the toughest of business tasks, and yet I still get well over six hours from the standard battery.

That’s long enough that I haven’t felt the need to invest in an extended battery, which is a good job because in typical Sony style, a beefed-up battery costs an eye-watering £250.

Despite the expense of its peripherals, and the fact that I know I’m likely to get burned should I ever need to contact Sony for support (based on previous experience and emails from readers), I just can’t help liking the TT.

Its carbon-fibre chassis is strong yet exceptionally light, and I find its ergonomics are spot-on. The 1,366 x 768 screen resolution is okay, although a bit of a comedown when you’re used to a high-resolution desktop or WUXGA laptop.

However, it’s streets ahead of most netbook screens, and its keyboard is pretty good too. If you’ve only seen photos of Sony’s Scrabble-tile keyboards, I expect you think they’re awful to type on – as I certainly did before I actually tried a VAIO equipped with one.

But start using one and you’re likely to be blown away by just how usable they are – I reckon that I can type faster and more accurately on the TT than I can on any of my other laptop or desktop machines, so I’m a Scrabble-tile convert!

As for those other gadgets I took on my previous trip, these days I tend to carry just a single camera – a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 that’s almost as small as my old point-and-shoot but takes pictures nearly as good (but not quite) as my old SLR, and also takes pretty decent quality HD video.

That’s three of my older gadgets replaced with one neat new one. Likewise, there’s no need for the GPS or speed camera detector because my BlackBerry handles both duties via the free Google Maps app plus a neat little download called Trapster. The BlackBerry’s also good for a quick game of Tetris or Freecell, so the phone has become four gadgets in one.

Not only is my gadget count reduced but so too is the need to pack all those damnable chargers: the laptop obviously needs its own (which thankfully is as svelte as the machine itself), and my BlackBerry simply plugs into the laptop via a micro-USB lead when it needs a boost. The camera does need its own charger, so that’s just two in place of the previous nine.

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