Sherman's Travel

We’ve all been warned: “don’t lose your laptop.” Every employee at every company is told at some juncture that the information stored on their computer is tremendously important, and it would be damaging on a number of levels if that data were lost. In the past, backing up one’s work computer had been a royal pain. For starters, no one wants to take the time to back up a work machine during personal time, and secondly, many organizations have operated without a clear plan for managing these backups.

Today, however, it’s easier than ever to back up a phone, tablet, and even laptop. Thanks to the “cloud,” there’s little left to do besides choosing a service provider and installing their software. There are companies today that will hold backups of your machine on vast storage farms far, far away from you. You simply upload your data from wherever you have an Internet connection, and it’s stored safely in an offsite location. Besides making it easy on you, it also allows you to retrieve backups even if your laptop is outright destroyed. Read more

It’s not often that Microsoft launches an entirely new operating system, but that’s what happened recently with the introduction of Windows 8. Specifically, the user interface was overhauled completely to focus on “tiles,” and Microsoft engineered this system to work nicely with touch panels. Yes, Windows 7 machines can be found with touch panels, but those looking for a far more polished experience should be eying one of the fresher alternatives.

I discussed the pros and cons of Microsoft’s own Surface RT tablet in a prior piece, but the fact remains: some business travelers simply aren’t in a place where they’re able to ditch a full-fledged notebook. For those of you out there in need of a laptop refresh, and wondering which of the latest and greatest will give you the best Windows 8 experience, I’ve got a few recommendations. Read more

By now, most business travelers have come into contact with an iPad. Even if not, you’re almost certainly familiar with the product and the concept. It’s a sleek, highly mobile computing device, and increasingly, consumers are opting for an iPad instead of a laptop when the time comes to replace the latter.

I’ve spent entirely too much time on both laptops and iPads over the past few years, and I fully understand how daunting the idea of swapping one for the other truly is. After all, the iPad doesn’t run a “real” operating system, doesn’t have a USB expansion port, and lacks a conventional keyboard. At a glance, it seems as if attempting to use an iPad in place of a laptop may be a recipe for frustration and disappointment. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Read more