Biz bits

on the go

Wireless hubbub

Belkin CableFree USB Hub

The latest step toward a wireless world, Belkin presents the world’s first wireless USB hub. With no need for intrusive cables connecting to computers, the hub allows you to wirelessly connect to all your USB peripherals, including printers, scanners and hard drives, at speeds more than 100 times quicker than Bluetooth (which means MPEG2 or HDTV streams can be broadcast in real time). Now you can roam the office with your laptop and always be in contact with all your essential gizmos. $129 www.belkin.com

Big time

Sony Micro Vault PRO Hard Disk

While some companies are focusing on making their portable drives more stylish, Sony is focusing on making them faster and more useful. Smaller than a deck of cards, this portable hard disk holds a mind-boggling 8GB and plugs directly into your USB port with a unique swivel connector. The Micro Vault PRO was designed specifically with the traveling professional in mind, and features pre-loaded Auto Sync software that automatically syncs file changes made on the PC’s hard drive. $229 www.sony.com

Smarter cell

Palm Treo 700w

One of the most eagerly awaited business phones, Palm’s latest smartphone combines the technological prowess of the Treo line with the compatibility and familiarity of the Windows operating system. The built-in Microsoft applications (including Office, Explorer and Media Player) and easy linking to Windows Exchange 2003 servers means that taking your digital life on the road has never been easier. And by utilizing Verizon’s high-speed EvDO network, downloads have never been faster. $399 (after $100 instant rebate with a two-year service agreement) www.palm.com

the word

Take control!

Mind Over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness
by Eric Tyson (CDS Books, $21.95). Out now.

The key to both business and personal success is keen money-management skills. Author Eric Tyson tackles some of the biggest barriers that people erect in their lives that prevent them from finding such success and the fulfillment that comes with it. From poor investment trading practices to workaholism to avoiding money matters out of fear and the all-too-common “spender married to a saver” phenomenon, Tyson gives practical solutions to solve the money problems that seem to plague so many.

CEO soundbyte

Sir Howard Stringer – Sony

Each year, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas unveils the world’s newest gadgets and systems that power them. This year’s show focused on convergence, the hope that dissimilar technologies and formats will come together, allowing consumers to share many kinds of content between their various products.

A leader in convergence, Sony brings together digital imaging, computing, gaming, film, music and much more. In his keynote, Sony Chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer addresses the future of convergence.

“Today, the relationship between content, technology and the consumer is being turned upside–down. Or, more accurately, right–side–up. Content is no longer pushed at consumers. Content is pulled by them—pulled when they want it, pulled where they want it, how they want it, and often even in the precise format in which they want it. The whole world is essentially plugged in and turned on.

It has been said that owning content is a handicap for Sony, which is a company primarily dedicated to electronics. The recent copy protection issues at Sony BMG have once again brought this to the forefront. But it is surely too cynical to assume that Sony BMG was intent on punishing the consumer rather than protecting content and the rights of the artist. It is appropriate, I believe, for all of us to worry about content protection, even while recognizing that some of our efforts to address it may prove problematic.

“Entertaining the Future” is not merely a slogan. It is our mission, and our passion. Sony’s unique marriage of content and technology enables us to understand the creative process, consumer desires and the technologies that unite them. No other content company has Sony’s intuitive grasp of technology. And no other technology company has Sony’s intimate understanding of the creative demands and possibilities of content.”