Like most of you, traveling is simply part of the job! As a Voice over IP Telephony and Call Center engineer, I'm on the road an average of 10 days a month. Most of these are day trips, but at least one involves one or more nights in a hotel.
I still take a laptop PC with me for presentations, invoice creation, and other things. But I've been leaving it in its case more and more, thanks to my Dell Axim X50v Pocket PC. From the perspective of a road warrior, the most important feature of the X50v is its built-in 802.11b wireless support. With this, I'm able to connect to virtually any wireless network—corporate or public—usually within one minute and without the hassle of unpacking my laptop and waiting for it to boot up.
Many enterprises now provide wireless access to their networks, but it's usually secured with encryption keys or certificates, which you'll need to obtain from the IT deportment before you can connect. In addition, there is a plethora of public wireless "hotspots" available, found in coffee shops, libraries, and even in entire downtown areas of large cities. Some are pay-as-you-go, but many are free of charge. Unfortunately, finding free hotspots when you're on the road can be a challenge. Before I head out, I check Wi-Fi Free Spot Directory (http://www.wififreespot.com), which lists free hotspots by state and city. Listings include the name and address of the business or organization providing the service, along with the address, phone number, and Web link (if available).
If you are new to the world of wireless connectivity, you might not realize how much it can improve your effectiveness when you're on the road. What follows is a diary describing how I used my Wi-Fi enabled Pocket PC on a recent day trip.
6:30 AM: Sync e-mail and other information
Before leaving on the trip, I go to my office to do a final download of e-mail from my corporate Exchange server as well as to synchronize Calendar, Contacts, and other files via ActiveSync. After syncing my e-mail I pack everything up and make my way to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for my flight.
8:00 AM: Online at airport hotspot
After arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth and getting through the security area, I make my way to my gate with nearly thirty minutes to spare. I unpack my X50v and start to triage the e-mail I downloaded earlier, as well as to check e-mail via Outlook Web Access, a Web-based front end for Exchange (Fig. 1). D/FW airport is a great airport when it comes to wireless connectivity. All of the terminals have T-Mobile hotspots and the airline clubs (American Airlines Admirals Club, etc.) have free Wi-Fi access available. The T-Mobile access can be purchased on a monthly or one-day use basis. I sign up for the T-Mobile DayPass option via Pocket Internet Explorer, and am online in minutes.
Fig. 1: Outlook Web Access gives me access to my Exchange Account via Pocket Internet Explorer
While I'm checking my e-mail, Ilium Software's NewsBreak (http://www.iliumsoft.com) is downloading the new content on RSS feeds I subscribe to. NewsBreak does this automatically when it detects a network connection, and displays a brief summary of the downloaded items (Fig. 2). The beauty of RSS is that it downloads a reasonable portion of the article or posting for you to read offline, but includes hyperlinks to the full article. You can tap on the link to download the full article (if you're connected to the Web). RSS feeds are a great way to bring news and other current information with you when you are traveling.
Fig. 2: My RSS subscriptions via Ilium's NewsBreak
8:30 AM: In the air—no Wi-Fi yet, but plenty of power
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