Q. One of my big problems with all these cords? There aren’t enough outlets to plug in everything when I’m on the road. How do you handle this?

A. Well, I have to start by saying that the MoGo mouse does, of course, charge in the PC card slot.

Have you thought of converting to using a powered USB hub instead of power cords? Obviously, you always have to carry the adapter along with your laptop. But if you buy a portable USB hub, you can use it to recharge your cell phone, your PDA, your iPod, external hard drive or storage… frankly, most every business gadget I can think of.

It’s a little slower than plugging directly into a power outlet, but the cables are much more manageable.

And converting to using USB can be a lifesaver if you are traveling by car a lot and for on-sites where outlets are at a premium.

Just remember that the USB hub you buy should be the kind that needs an outlet. (Yes, a cord.) The non-powered ones aren’t usually strong enough to charge things. And you will want to test it before your next trip.

Good luck.

Q. I want to use my Bluetooth headset on a plane to listen to movies on my laptop. One airline says I can’t, a flight attendant on another said it was fine once in flight. Is it?

A. That’s a great question. The answer is not clearcut. In fact, what devices are legal on commercial flights has been topic of heated debate for years. (Phones, PDA’s, iPod’s, etc.)

My simple response has always been - do what the Flight Attendants tell you.

But if you’re truly curious about the law, then here’s the more complicated response.

The use of electronic devices on planes is actually governed by several organizations, chief among them the FAA (Federal Avaiation Administraion) and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).

The FAA says, basically, “no portable electronic devices during take-off and landing and at the pilot’s discretion otherwise.”

The FCC restricts what bands can be used (such as those used by Bluetooth ). Unless the FCC has applied restrictions to the band, the decision is back in the hands of the pilot and flight crew.

Bluetooth’s official website doesn’t speak to the issue.

Most people, like the fictional Toby on the West Wing pilot episode, can get pretty frustrated by the seeming inconsistency of the rules and application. “We’re flying in a Lockheed eagle series L-1011. It came off the line 20 months ago and carries a Sim-5 Transponder tracking system. Are you telling me I can still flummox this thing with something I bought at Radio Shack?!”

If you feel that way, too, may I recommend a little light reading? Or: FAA rules regarding electronic devices

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On Fridays, MoGo Mobility’s Elizabeth will seek to answer your MoGo (and non-MoGo) technical questions.

Elizabeth is a professional writer & geek with most of the last decade spent in senior management at a leading global IT provider. Thousands have attended her seminars in the US & Canada on subjects ranging from basic TCP/IP networking to high-end data storage solutions.

Got a question? Ask Elizabeth.

Tags:advice, airweb, Bluetooth, cell phone, cell phone on a plane, cords, FAA, fcc, help, hub, mogo, not enough outlets, pilot, plane, power, regulations, rules, Toby, USB west wing quote

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Here’s five quick and easy solutions to protecting your laptop and its data from prying eyes and sticky fingers. These are suggestions meant for the most common and blunt security threats; shielding yourself from worms, spam, and spies (oh my!) are posts for future days.
Without further ado…

1) Before you leave, Disable Auto-Logon.

I know, it’s convenient to be able to power up your laptop and have it automatically go into your system.

But this is a major invitation for a security breach. So when you travel, disable it.

How? If you’re running Win2000 or WinXP, Microsoft has the following instructions:

- Go to START and select RUN
- In the script box, type “control userpasswords2″
- In the dialog box that appears, make sure that ‘Users must enter a username and password to use this computer’ is checked
- Click ‘OK’

Instructions for other Microsoft operating systems HERE.

2) Along those same lines? Use Strong Passwords.

Although this seems obvious, the truth is that we are creatures of habit. Which is why so many of us STILL aren’t using strong passwords regularly.

So go ahead. Change your login password right now. If you need to write it down and put it in your wallet, feel free. The point is is to make it hard for a thief and/or hacker to get at your data.

Unsure what a “strong password” is? Wikipedia has a good definition, here. Unsure if you can create one? There is a random strong password generator here.

3) Lock access to your laptop.

Your car and house have keys, shouldn’t your laptop? Securikey is a system (about $130 at MacWorld) that gives you two USB ‘keys’ to lock your laptop. You install their software (works for most Mac and PC systems) and from then on, you have to provide a password AND have one of the USB keys in the laptop’s port before you can access your system.

The USB keys are pretty durable and designed to hang on your key-chain.

4) Lock your laptop.

We all know a co-worker or fellow road warrior who has stepped away from whatever temporary office they’ve been using only to come back and find their laptop gone.

A simple $40 laptop lock would prevent about 90% of these thefts.

So go ahead, buy one. (like Kensington’s). It takes up very little room in your bag and can mean all the difference.

5) Use a privacy screen.

I can’t tell you how much proprietary and private information I’ve been exposed to over the years in various coach seats at 15,000 feet.

40% of those surveyed, like me, will admit to seeing what they are not meant to from time to time. The rest? Well, maybe they have portable blinders.

Privacy filters for laptops run about $40 - $125. If you’re like me, you’ll soon get in the habit of leaving it on all the time, even back in the home office (because prying eyes can be anywhere.)

Tags:access, auto logon, laptop, lock, microsoft operating systems, notebook, privacy, proprietary, protect, road warrior, Securikey, security, security tip, strong password USB

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