We look at the latest technology to make working easier when on your travels

Packing for a business trip or off on holiday? These innovations will make your trip smoother and smarter.

Samsonite Ultimocabin carry-on case
With its new Ultimocabin collection, American luggage maker Samsonite is reinventing the carry-on case. As always, the cases are rugged and light, but the extra front pocket adds some convenience for those who need to quickly pull stuff from their case – anyone entering airport security, for instance. It can easily fit stuff you might want to pull out in mid-flight, and you no longer need to keep track of your passport and tickets while you’re strolling through the airport terminal: there’s a place for them right there.
€179

Acer Aspire Switch 10
Open up the Acer Aspire Switch 10 and you’ll get a full-blown Windows 8.1 PC with touchscreen controls to boot. Pull the keyboard unit apart from the screen, and you’ll still be working with a decent, albeit hefty, tablet. What works with the Aspire Switch 10 is its 1,366x768-pixel, 10.1-inch screen and its eight hours of battery life on a full charge. Just remember one thing when you actually use it on your lap: unlike a regular notebook computer, its screen is its bulkiest component, which makes the thing flip over when you move too much.
€329

LaCie Fuel
With its Fuel drive, French computer storage systems manufacturer LaCie has built the ultimate entertainment drive for those who are constantly on the move. If you like to provide for your own in-flight or hotel entertainment, you’ll never again need to upload new movies or music to your laptop or tablet the night before you leave with this 1TB drive. Not only does it store your files, it also delivers them straight to your device through its dedicated wifi connection, to up to five devices at once. And if you find an internet hotspot with it while abroad, it will share it with four other wirelessly connected devices as well.
€179

Apple iPad Air 2
When they released this latest entry in the iPad Air range last September, Apple proved why they’re still king of the tablet market. The iPad Air 2’s slender frame (just 6.1mm thick, weighing slightly under 1lb) comprises a powerful processor and graphics chip, an eight-megapixel camera, a fingerprint sensor and an extremely vibrant 2048x1536 screen. It won’t stop the perpetually raging battle between iOS and Android users (Samsung, for instance, is making headway in the tablet space), but it will certainly provide for lighter travel.
€499

IntoCircuit Power Castle
Afraid your devices will run out of juice during a long-haul flight? For less than €20, you can find external batteries in any electronics shop. But frequent travellers all over the world know which solution you really want to carry in your case. The Power Castle by American electronics manufacturer IntoCircuit keeps your smartphone charged for longer than a day without an electric outlet around, not to mention tablets, portable video game systems and other small electronic devices. A handy LCD screen at the bottom tells you exactly how much power you have left.
€30

Logitech Ultimate Ears Boom
If you want to listen to music while away from home, you’ll probably grab a good headset first. But when you’re somewhere semi-private, like in your hotel room or at the beach, you can let your tunes flow freely through the air with an external Bluetooth speaker. Swiss accessory manufacturer Logitech released a travel-friendly one with its Ultimate Ears Boom, a rugged, waterproof, acoustically solid, cylindrical speaker box that will also fit neatly into your suitcase. One of them delivers its music in virtual surround, but if you bring another one, they’ll work as a stereo set.
€199

Huawei Ascend P7
With a smartphone this good selling for under €500, we wouldn’t dream of suggesting a compact camera to buy. For all the quick travel snaps you want to take for Facebook or Instagram purposes, the Huawei Ascend P7’s built-in 13-megapixel camera will certainly do, and its 5-inch, 1080x1920-pixel screen shows them in all their HD glory. Also inside its sleek exterior is a selfie-proof 8-megapixel front-facing camera, the KitKat version of operating system Android, and a battery that promises up to 400 hours of standby time.

Nikon D750
Of course, if your trip takes you on vacation to a special place, you’ll want to take pictures that are a little better than an Instagram snap. Provided you have a minimum of photographic prowess to wield it, Nikon’s D750 single-lens reflex camera might be just the tool you need. It carries a 24.3-megapixel sensor, its light sensitivity goes up to 12.800 ISO, it’s able to take up to six images a second, and, in video mode, you can shoot full HD movies at 60 frames per second. And with wifi inside, you can instantly share your images online.
€2,199

This article was first published in The Bulletin Business Guide 2015