Best New Travel Gadgets

Want to make your next business trip a breeze? Travel+Leisure brings you the year’s top tech devices, from the latest smart phones (and mobile applications) to the newest netbooks, e-readers, and more. PLUS A sneak peek at what’s on the horizon.

SMART PHONES

Verizon’s new Tour has quicker Web browsing, international dialing, and a built-in GPS chip. It’s also our favorite phone for business e-mail because of the evenly spaced keyboard and top-notch text-messaging options.

Best app: VZ Navigator ($9.99 per month), with a built-in GPS system that offers 3-D maps, turn-by-turn directions, and real-time traffic data. verizonwireless.com; from $149.99.

T-Mobile MyTouch

T-Mobile’s latest iPhone competitor (known as “the Google Phone”) is a touch-screen mobile using Google’s Android operating system. Its virtual keyboard is a bit unwieldy for drafting a quick business update, but it works well for dashing off a short e-mail.

Best app: Google is set to launch a host of new ones next year. For now, we like Wikitude (free), which loads Wikipedia information on landmarks you are viewing through the phone’s camera lens, turning your live image into an annotated map. t-mobilemytouch.com; from $149.99.

iPhone 3GS

In the smart-phone category, nothing tops AT&T’s touch-screen iPhone when it comes to entertainment. But the newest model has also become a go-to device for business travelers, thanks to its wide array of travel apps. Best apps: Users love Urbanspoon (free), which recommends restaurants in English-speaking countries based on location. Other excellent options include Worldmate Gold ($19.99 per month) for flight status reports, maps to your hotel, and currency conversions, and Gate Maps ($0.99 per month), which gives you everything you need to know to navigate an airport. wireless.att.com; from $199.

NETBOOKS

Sony Vaio W

The matte surface of Sony’s 10-inch model makes it more comfortable to type on than most netbooks, but the tiny keyboard is better for smaller hands.

Best feature: Although the steeper price point may not appeal to the budget-conscious, the Vaio’s high-resolution glossy screen is excellent—perfect for people who work with digital images and video. sonystyle.com; $499.99.

Toshiba NB200

Shiny hinges, powder-coated finish: descriptions of Toshiba’s 10-inch NB200 read like ad copy for a luxury car. But they fit. Despite its affordability, it feels more expensive than other netbooks, with extremely responsive keys and a glossy frame. Best feature The nine-hour battery that will outlast red-eye flights—it’s as powerful and efficient as they come. laptops. toshiba.com; $400.

Asus Eee 1008HA

Asus—one of the first companies to release a small, inexpensive netbook with its famous Eee models—calls this 10-inch version Seashell. It comes with a superslim LED screen and nicely concealed connection ports as well as 10 complimentary gigabytes of online backup storage. Best feature: At just one inch thick, the Asus Eee is the skinniest of our picks. eeepc.asus.com; $430.

HP Mini 110

There’s more to consider than the floral surface design of this 10-inch netbook with an impressive antiglare LED display screen. The battery lasts almost four hours and lifts the device into a more ergonomic position, for easier typing. Best feature: Full-size keys, uncommon on netbooks, especially for a computer with such a low price tag. hp.com; $329.99.

Lenovo IdeaPad S12

Although Lenovo’s sturdy white laptop is not technically a netbook (it has a full-size keyboard, hefty 3 1/2-pound weight, and 12-inch screen), it’s still compact enough to compete in the category. Best feature Business travelers in particular will benefit from the inclusion of an ExpressCard slot, which allows for 3G wireless, Firewire, and extra USB ports, meaning you’ll be able to do work you’d otherwise accomplish only at the office. lenovo.com; $499.

On the Horizon: Netbooks

If you like the iPhone, you’re in for a nice surprise come late spring: Apple is rumored to be releasing a 10-inch, travel-friendly Mac tablet. With a curved back and large touch screen (there’s no physical keyboard), it looks like the iPhone’s big brother and functions in much the same way.

Sony, meanwhile, is investing in repopularizing 3-D technology, and its new Vaio laptops will offer sharper ways to view 3-D videos and movies.

Get ready for more superslim devices with energy-saving screens and longer-life batteries that you can charge on electrical pads rather than with cords—a host of tech makers, from Powermat to Duracell, have them in the works.

E-BOOK READERS

Sony Reader Touch Edition

Sony ups the ante on the Kindle with this six-inch touch screen that reads the most common file formats, lets you turn pages with the swipe of a finger, and can access more than 1 million public titles through Google. It’s ideal for people who want to make e-book reading a tactile experience. Caveats: The device only stores 350 books (you can purchase separate memory cards to hold more) and doesn’t download from the Web wirelessly—although Sony Reader Daily Edition ($299) does. sonystyle.com; $399.

Foxit eSlick

This affordable e-reader has a six-inch screen, the same storage capacity as the Sony reader, and a built-in MP3 player for audiobook and podcast fans. Caveat: The eSlick only reads PDF and text formats (no Sony or Amazon titles), so it’s best for execs who need a dedicated document reader. foxitsoftware.com; $259.

Cool-er

An option for the less serious e-lit consumer, the Cool-er is fun and affordable, though less fully loaded than our other picks. Like the eSlick, it only reads PDF’s, but does come with an MP3 player. We like its versatility: You can switch from portrait to landscape mode using the directional pad, which is located on one side. Caveat: The device lacks Wi-Fi and a keyboard, and the screen isn’t as clear as other readers. coolreaders.com; $249.

On the Horizon: E-Book Readers

Though it won’t be long before we’re reading e-books on our smart phones, the e-reader category continues to expand. IREX has just released the DR800SG ($399), a white eight-inch e-reader that works in conjunction with Barnes and Noble’s e-bookstore and Verizon’s 3G network for faster downloads anywhere in the world.

Next month, Plastic Logic will launch its own Barnes and Noble–compatible e-reader, this one letter-size and with a touch screen.

Microsoft is reportedly working on a color touchscreen version, code-named the Courier, which is expected to be introduced in late 2010.
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MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot

You can work virtually anywhere with this new personal Wi-Fi hot-spot device. Operating like a 3G modem, the tiny black gadget offers you and up to four friends in a 30-foot radius clear wireless Internet access for five hours wherever you can get a signal. verizonwireless.com; $99.99 with a two-year contract plus $39.99 a month for the basic plan.

Mophie Juice Pack Air

Always leave your iPhone charger at home when you need it most? The Mophie Juice Pack—the world’s thinnest iPhone case—happens to double as an extended battery—with 4 1/2 hours of 3G talk time, 20 hours of audio play time, and six hours of video life. mophie.com; $80.

Belkin Mini Surge Protector

Here’s the newest solution for setting up a mobile office in a hotel room that has just one available wall outlet. This three-plug surge protector, which could fit in an evening clutch, comes with two USB ports for charging a cell phone or MP3 player. belkin.com; $25.

Callpod Fueltank Duo

The new half-pound Fueltank Duo has adapters for nearly every cell phone, camera, MP3 player, and GPS navigation system on the market. Even better, it allows you to charge two gadgets at once. callpod.com; $70.

Super Talent Pico B 16GB

This water-resistant key-chain drive—it’s retractable and smaller than a postage stamp—comes with 16GB of reliable memory, quick download speeds, and a lifetime warranty. supertalent.com; $37.99.

Bose QuietComfort 15

Previous versions of Bose’s ubiquitous noise-canceling head-phones may have left a lot to be desired, since they failed to cancel out all surrounding noise. But this new, richly balanced set really quiets an airplane’s clamor, thanks to sound-sensing microphones located on both the outside and inside of its ear cups. bose.com; $299.95.

Iomega eGo Blackbelt 500GB

Wrapped inside a thick black rubber shell, this durable and portable hard drive functions without external power. Its storage capability exceeds that of most laptops (up to 500GB), and if you run out of space, you can get online backup free. go.iomega.com; $129.99.

On the Horizon: Travel Gear

Perhaps the biggest news in 2010 will be the launch of the new Android smart phones, including a model from Archos, a leading manufacturer of portable media equipment and iPod alternatives. The phone is expected to make its debut late next year with a thin, four-inch touch screen, an easy-to-use interface, and video capability.

Next year may also be the time to invest in a new camera, whether it’s the pro-level Leica X1, which delivers the power of a digital SLR in a compact size, or Sony’s less expensive 2010 Cyber-shot TX1, which lets you scan its lens across a wide area for up to 10 seconds to get one panoramic photo.

Expect a flurry of portable devices (with new travel apps) that take advantage of social media programs: the recently launched pint-size Twitterpeek allows you to update your status and connect with others wherever you are.

There are also better navigation systems in the works: Come January, check out TomTom’s iPhone-GPS system car kits and Garmin’s nuLink data connection, which merges Google and white pages searching abilities with real-time airline, traffic, and weather updates.