Backbone Magazine - Technology on the go

	A rough-road warrior’s notebook Panasonic Toughbook CF-W5 If you also want to take a notebook hiking, check out the CF-W5. At 2.4 pounds it is easy to lug on a business trip and its alloy casing—reportedly 20 times stronger than standard ABS plastic casing— and shock-mounted hard drive make it a good choice for a pleasure trip through the Rockies. The CF-W5 comes with a built-in DVD drive, a 60GB hard drive and a battery rated at 11 hours. It retails for $2,695.
	Add a Bluetooth speaker to your car Kyocera Wireless Portable Speaker with Headset Bluetooth headsets are still cool but, really, everyone already has one. Take your mobile accessorizing to the next level with this Bluetooth headset/speaker combo. The headset works as usual: walking down the street you press the button to answer the phone and begin chatting. But in the car, slotting the headset into the speaker makes it into a wireless speakerphone. The Kyocera unit retails for US$89.99.
	Wireless movies and music Archos 604 WiFi Microsoft’s Zune media player has been getting a lot of ink lately—even though it’s not yet available in Canada—but there are other noteworthy products out there, including this Archos unit. The 604 has a 4.3-inch touch screen, it plays music and video, displays photos and can record from TV with an add-on gizmo. And its on-board Wi-Fi lets you surf and stream music or video from a PC. The 604 WiFi retails for $500, with some online outlets selling for less.
	Phone music, better speakers LG FUSIC Cellphones now store music, which is good. But you still have to use headphones or the phone’s crummy speaker, which is bad. The FUSIC, available from Bell, has a built-in FM transmitter so owners can play stored music through a car or home stereo. The phone is white but comes with four interchangeable face plates. It costs $179.95 on a three-year plan.
	Take your smartphone hiking OtterBox 1920 Smartphones, we’re told, are indispensable: they store business documents, let us call people, and manage contacts, appointments and e-mails. So there’s no point leaving them behind when we go hiking, biking or rock climbing. At US$129.95, the OtterBox 1920 isn’t cheap but it is crushproof and water-resistant while still giving access to all the unit’s functions. The 1920 fits Palm Treos and the company makes cases for other models.