MOBILE PHONE

SkyQube—Don’t know VoIP yet? Learn it. Love it. It will be the wave of the future. Allows you to make super-cheap phone calls via the internet. Singapore’s Qool SkyCube combines VoIP with your cell and landline services to automatically determine, and utilize, the cheapest of the three services every time you call anywhere, from anywhere. Traveling overseas? You can use with a local SIM card to save buko-bucks in roaming and long distance charges. Also texts. Cost: $150. Available: TBA.

Samsung SCH-U740—Finally, the cell phone I’ve been waiting for…almost: a compact flip phone, with a full QWERTY keyboard. Flip it up one way for the keyboard and texting, another way to use like a normal phone, with traditional phone keypad. It also has Bluetooth, camera, video, music, etc. Problem is, it’s only with Verizon, which has expensive email plans and comparatively negligible service overseas. Cost: TBA. Available: By April.

LAPTOPS+

Ultra Mobile PC’s—These were the talk of the show this year: touch-screen computers that are somewhere between your laptop and PDA, size- and functionality-wise. For non-Mac users, “UMPC’s” are a nice lighter-weight travel alternative to a normal laptop, although the $1600+ cost seems to make that selling point much heavier. Until prices drop, Apple’s new $600 iPhone, which is somewhat similar, but smaller, seems like a steal. Available: UMPC’s: Now, iPhone: June.

NEC ShieldPRO—The memory still pains me: 3 am, writing furiously. Deadline in 5 hours. An entire Big Gulp-sized glass of water falling onto my laptop…Needless to say, I didn’t make the deadline. But if I had a ShieldPRO Tablet PC back then, I wouldn’t have had to worry—this rugged baby can survive falling off your desk, a Burning Man dust storm, temperatures of -4 to 122º F…and a whole bottle of water poured right on it. Cost: $2600. Available: TBA.

POWER

WildCharge—No more packing five chargers for your trips. This mousepad-sized device allows you to charge all your portable devices at once, simply by setting them on it. Cost: $50, holds 3-5 small devices; $100 for one that holds your laptop, too. Available: 3-6 months.

MOBILE OFFICE

DocuPen RC700+—Pen-sized color scanner that can scan an entire page in less than 4 seconds. PC and Mac-compatible. Cost: $299.99. Available: Now.

Epos Digital Pen—A real pen that transfers your writing/sketches to your computer as you’re writing--use Windows, and you can then transform your scribble into neat type with just the click of a button. Cost: Under $80. Available: May.

I-Tech Virtual Keyboard—This is honestly one of the coolest gadgets I have ever seen--turns a table, or any flat surface, into a laser keyboard. Leave the laptop at home, and just link this to your PDA (wirelessly, of course) for ultra-minimalist typing on the road. Cost: $179.99. Available: Summer or Fall.

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About the Author: A former Hollywood producer and now 2nd-generation travel professional, Susan Michelle travels the planet as the “face” of the fashion-forward Compass travel lifestyle brand. For more articles, tips, and hot spots from Susan, and community with fellow Cosmopolitan Travelers, visit: http://www.CompassTravel.info. To write Susan directly, do so at: Susan-Column@ CompassTravel.info.

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