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![]() Using a laptop PC, the right software, and the latest cellular data communications technology, you don't have to leave your office behind when you travel. There are always going to be times when you are away from your place of work and need to get back in touch urgently If you've ever needed to send a fax from a boat, check your electronic mail while waiting for a plane, or cruise the Web while sitting in a café, well, here is the news you've been waiting for: at last, it's possible! All you need is a properly set-up laptop or notebook PC, a cellular phone, a fax modem (with cellular interface), and the right software. Have computer, will travel When looking for a computer that you can use while travelling, there are a few issues to consider: The speed of the processor, amount of RAM, and capacity of the hard disk. Look for a system with at least a 100MHz 486DX processor, 8MB of memory, and a 500MB hard disk. Anything less is likely to leave you feeling constrained in the near future. A system such as this gives you the computing power necessary to communicate with Microsoft Windows 3.1-based applications and with the advanced capabilities of Microsoft Windows 95. Windows 95 features such as direct cable connection, Briefcase file synchronisation and remote dial-in capabilities make it the best platform for mobile computing to date. PC Card (aka PCMCIA) expansion slots. These allow you to add credit card-sized hardware components (such as fax modems, network cards, and sound cards). A PC Card slot can be the best way to add a fax modem to your laptop computer, providing you with the highest performance and often the simplest installation procedures (especially when you are running Windows 95 with its Plug and Play feature). The overall flexibility of the laptop's expansion system. The best new laptops offer the ability to install all kinds of options, including an internal CD-ROM drive, a second battery, and a second hard disk or floppy disk drive. The thoroughly modern fax modem. Once you've decided on your laptop computer, you should then consider the kind of fax modem you need to be able to communicate with it. The modem has to be powerful enough to offer a number of features, including the ability to communicate at the highest data rates (14.4 Kbps or 28.8 Kbps), send and receive faxes, and integrate well with your laptop computer's hardware and software configuration. If you are going to use the modem exclusively with your laptop computer there are really only two types to consider: a credit card-sized modem that fits into a PC Card slot or an external 'pocket modem' that plugs into the serial port. Can I help you, modem? Whichever of these two modem types you select, decide whether you want one that supports only standard land-line communications or one that can also provide direct connection to your cellular telephone. Your choice depends first on your cell phone (not all cell phones provide a data-connection port to support modem use) and second on how you plan to use the modem. Hard cell, soft cell Cellular/land-line PC Card fax modems are designed to work with standard phone lines and modern cell phones. Many of these also support special 'cellular control' standards to improve the speed and accuracy of data transmission over cellular networks. Typically, these modems will be able to switch between land-line and cellular mode depending on which 'initialisation string' you issue. If you are likely to have reasonable access to standard land-line phones, you may not actually need cellular phone support. You'll just have to limit your dial-in times to when you are at your hotel or in someone's office. Access all areas If complete mobile data access is a must, you need a cellular phone and a way to connect that phone to your fax modem and computer. You should buy or lease a mobile phone that provides direct-connect support for data communications. The most popular makes of cellular telephones offer such support as standard equipment. Whichever phone you choose, you need to make sure your laptop's fax modem is compatible with it. Your best bet is to ask the retailer selling you the phone which modems, or modem interfaces, are offered for use with that phone. The other consideration is the standards supported by the data-communications port on the phone. Look for widely-supported standards that are designed to allow you to maintain maximum data-communications integrity. Making the connection As long as you have a cellular phone with a data-connection port, you don't necessarily need a cellular modem to connect the phone to your computer. If you already own a portable fax modem, you can buy a data port connection box instead. This commonly allows any standard land-line data communications to be connected to the cell phone. Using the mobile system Once you have either a data port connection or a cellular fax modem, you can use your cellular communications system exactly as if connected to a standard land-line. The only difference is that with the cellular fax modem, you will probably need to ensure you specify the correct initialisation string. Also, the data port connection sometimes requires you to power up your devices in a particular order. Summing it up Using a mobile system with a wireless connection to your electronic mail, fax, and other data services can be greatly liberating. It means that you can do all your work where and when you want to ![]() Calling card support If you have a calling card from your long-distance telephone service provider, you may be able to use it when making long-distance cell phone calls with your modem. Many modern communications-software packages (including the dialing functions in Windows 95) support calling cards, so check your software to ensure that you can enter your calling card sequences into your modem dial-out information so you get the most competitive rates when making long-distance data calls. Did you remember your spare battery? Make sure that you have spare, charged batteries for both your cell phone and your laptop computer. There's nothing worse than running out of power when you are sending a vital document or e-mail message. Lighter fuel Use your car's cigarette-lighter adapter to power your devices when you can; there's no need to run down the batteries of your laptop or cell phone if you can use power from your car. In some cases, it is also possible to charge batteries with cigarette-lighter adapters. Modem busy - computer not idle! Check out the power-management settings on your laptop before sending long files. Many power-management systems automatically switch the computer into 'suspend' mode when you haven't touched the keyboard for a long time. However, they often do not check whether the modem is busy. You don't want your laptop to close down during a file-transfer because it thinks the computer's idle. Popping down to the local Get local access numbers for your online services before you leave. It is much cheaper to dial into your electronic mail or online service provider from a number local to where you're staying than to go via long-distance. Small is best Use ZIP or another file-compression utility to compress files before sending. This reduces the time it takes to send a file, and therefore the cost of the cellular air time to send it. The fax of the matter If you need hard copy of your work, use a fax machine as a printer. Most major hotels allow their guests to receive faxes, so you can use your fax modem to send a document to the fax machine at the hotel's front desk, thereby getting a hard copy of your work without a portable printer. Some hotels, however, do charge to receive faxes. It's always wise to check with the hotel on its policy before you start sending yourself huge faxes | ||||
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