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Commute on the bus: Get the gear you need
Today's poll:
Which gear is a must have?
Which gear is a must have?
MP3 player
Tunes not only provide you with background entertainment for your commute, they'll also ensure that you don't have to hear the person next to you talking on his cell phone about his personal woes.
Tunes not only provide you with background entertainment for your commute, they'll also ensure that you don't have to hear the person next to you talking on his cell phone about his personal woes.
Editors' top hard drive MP3 players
Headphones
The stock headphones that come with your MP3 player probably offer subpar sound and let in ambient noise (see above). Pick up a sweet-sounding pair instead.
The stock headphones that come with your MP3 player probably offer subpar sound and let in ambient noise (see above). Pick up a sweet-sounding pair instead.
Cell phone
Gabbing on your cell phone while riding public transportation isn't polite, but sometimes it's necessary--work doesn't always begin and end at the office. Try to get a cell or smart phone with SMS so that you can text instead of talk.
Gabbing on your cell phone while riding public transportation isn't polite, but sometimes it's necessary--work doesn't always begin and end at the office. Try to get a cell or smart phone with SMS so that you can text instead of talk.
PDA
Since you're letting someone else do the driving, why not take care of a little business along the way? Pick out a feature-packed PDA, and you might be able to skip the office entirely.
Since you're letting someone else do the driving, why not take care of a little business along the way? Pick out a feature-packed PDA, and you might be able to skip the office entirely.
Handheld gaming device
If the morning ride is your time to get a jump on the day's tasks, the afternoon commute is the perfect time for some fun. Getting your game on is a great way to unwind before you get home.
If the morning ride is your time to get a jump on the day's tasks, the afternoon commute is the perfect time for some fun. Getting your game on is a great way to unwind before you get home.
Commute on the bus: Make your gear work
Using public transportation to get to and from work spares the environment from excess carbon monoxide, but it also means you have no control over what time you get to work or get home, and you're subject to sometimes-obnoxious fellow passengers. Luckily, the right gear can help you drown out your surroundings as well as take advantage of the fact that your eyes don't have to be glued to the road ahead of you. Here, find the answers--and ask the questions--on how tech can make your commute easier.Top tips to make your gear work for your commute
FAQ 1: What are the best cell phones for text messaging?
FAQ 2: What are the best feature-packed PDAs for employees working on...
FAQ 3: I'm looking for an MP3 player that supports lossless audio. Can you...
What are the best cell phones for text messaging?
Submitted by audiogoddess, CNET forums
by Kent German, senior associate editor
Well audiogoddess, if you frequently use your cell phone for texting and e-mailing, I would suggest a mobile with a full QWERTY keyboard. Rather than pecking at standard keypad, a full keyboard will enable you to bang out long messages quickly. You still use your digits, of course, but the tap dance won't be as tedious. Most smart phones--including the Treo 650 (GSM or CDMA) and the Samsung SCH-i730-- have full keyboards, but you don't need to go this route. If you're looking for a more basic handset that won't break the bank, you have a few options:
Submitted by audiogoddess, CNET forums
by Kent German, senior associate editorWell audiogoddess, if you frequently use your cell phone for texting and e-mailing, I would suggest a mobile with a full QWERTY keyboard. Rather than pecking at standard keypad, a full keyboard will enable you to bang out long messages quickly. You still use your digits, of course, but the tap dance won't be as tedious. Most smart phones--including the Treo 650 (GSM or CDMA) and the Samsung SCH-i730-- have full keyboards, but you don't need to go this route. If you're looking for a more basic handset that won't break the bank, you have a few options:
Enlarge videoCommute on the bus: Make your gear work
Using public transportation to get to and from work spares the environment from excess carbon monoxide, but it also means you have no control over what time you get to work or get home, and you're subject to sometimes-obnoxious fellow passengers. Luckily, the right gear can help you drown out your surroundings as well as take advantage of the fact that your eyes don't have to be glued to the road ahead of you. Here, find the answers--and ask the questions--on how tech can make your commute easier.Top tips to make your gear work for your commute
FAQ 1: What are the best cell phones for text messaging?
FAQ 2: What are the best feature-packed PDAs for employees working on the go?
FAQ 3: I'm looking for an MP3 player that supports lossless audio. Can you...
What are the best feature-packed PDAs for employees working on the go?
Submitted by kathykmac, CNET forums
by William O'Neal, senior editor
Right now, I'm using the Audiovox PPC6601 offered by Sprint, and I love it. It's a Pocket PC-based smart phone, it offers compatibility with Word and Excel, and it's great for surfing the wireless Web. You should be able to access your company's Outlook public folders by using VPN, but this may take some tweaking to get working. Similar to devices such as Palm's Treo 650, the Audiovox PPC6601 ships with redirector software that enables you to access your corporate e-mail while on the go. Of course, if your company has Exchange ActiveSync enabled on the server side, you may not necessarily need the redirector software. While the battery life isn't very long, the battery is user replaceable. Furthermore, the PPC6601 boasts a nifty slide-down QWERTY keyboard and voice-recording features. Alas, it lacks a fingerprint reader, but this may be something that you can pick up aftermarket.
Submitted by kathykmac, CNET forums
by William O'Neal, senior editorRight now, I'm using the Audiovox PPC6601 offered by Sprint, and I love it. It's a Pocket PC-based smart phone, it offers compatibility with Word and Excel, and it's great for surfing the wireless Web. You should be able to access your company's Outlook public folders by using VPN, but this may take some tweaking to get working. Similar to devices such as Palm's Treo 650, the Audiovox PPC6601 ships with redirector software that enables you to access your corporate e-mail while on the go. Of course, if your company has Exchange ActiveSync enabled on the server side, you may not necessarily need the redirector software. While the battery life isn't very long, the battery is user replaceable. Furthermore, the PPC6601 boasts a nifty slide-down QWERTY keyboard and voice-recording features. Alas, it lacks a fingerprint reader, but this may be something that you can pick up aftermarket.
Commute on the bus: Make your gear work
Using public transportation to get to and from work spares the environment from excess carbon monoxide, but it also means you have no control over what time you get to work or get home, and you're subject to sometimes-obnoxious fellow passengers. Luckily, the right gear can help you drown out your surroundings as well as take advantage of the fact that your eyes don't have to be glued to the road ahead of you. Here, find the answers--and ask the questions--on how tech can make your commute easier.Top tips to make your gear work for your commute
FAQ 1: What are the best cell phones for text messaging?
FAQ 2: What are the best feature-packed PDAs for employees working on...
FAQ 3: I'm looking for an MP3 player that supports lossless audio. Can you recommend any?
I'm looking for an MP3 player that supports lossless audio. Can you recommend any?
Submitted by Andy B., via e-mail
by James Kim, senior editor
I know where you're coming from; lossless files sound better than lossy files such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. Except for the iPod Shuffle, all Apple iPods play back Apple lossless as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. You will also find FLAC (an open-source lossless format) compatibility in the aging and hard-to-locate Rio Karma, as well as the Cowon iAudio M3 and the Cowon iAudio X5. The only MP3 players that support WMA lossless are actually the Windows Mobile-powered Portable Media Centers. Check out this list of lossless-compatible players.
Submitted by Andy B., via e-mail
by James Kim, senior editorI know where you're coming from; lossless files sound better than lossy files such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. Except for the iPod Shuffle, all Apple iPods play back Apple lossless as well as uncompressed WAV and AIFF files. You will also find FLAC (an open-source lossless format) compatibility in the aging and hard-to-locate Rio Karma, as well as the Cowon iAudio M3 and the Cowon iAudio X5. The only MP3 players that support WMA lossless are actually the Windows Mobile-powered Portable Media Centers. Check out this list of lossless-compatible players.