New Products for Mobile Workers -- January 2007

One Speedy MacBook
Fasten your seatbelt--Apple's new MacBook Pro is up to 39 percent faster than its predecessor. The source of speed is the Intel Core 2 Duo, which packs the power of two processor cores into a single chip. But there's more to the MacBook than speed--it supports hard drives of up to 200 GB. And with the MacBook's built-in iChat AV and iSight camera (see the tiny bezel just above the screen?) users can video chat with three people at once. Price: Starts at $1,999. www.apple.com

Think Your Way to Better Meetings
The new ThinkTank 1.1 from GroupSystems offers support for virtual meetings with as many as 50 participants. It can provide guidelines for organizing information and help business leaders to better manage discussions. Users can launch ThinkTank from a chat window, and meeting leaders can use drag and drop menus to organize the session. Price: Starts at $54 per participant per month. www.groupsystems.com

Transfer My Calls
3Com's new 3108 wireless phone is ideal for workers rarely at their desks. The session initiation protocol—based phone works with 3Com's NBX Version 6 IP PBX for small and medium-sized businesses, its VCX IP PBX for large enterprises and with any IP system that is SIP-compliant. There's access to voice calls, wireless email and data applications. Roaming workers can receive calls on their mobile that were directed to their desk phones, transfer calls, contact a receptionist and retrieve office voicemail. The 3108 also is designed to make or accept calls from anywhere within range of a wireless hotspot. Price: $415. www.3com.com

Small But Powerful
Don't be fooled by its size. The BenQ MP510 ultra-portable data projector is a giant in its field. Smaller than a sheet of paper and weighing 5.9 pounds, the MP510 is best for business applications and mobile presentations. And you don't need a dark room or a projection screen to use it--a special wall color correction feature ensures that colors are displayed accurately on greenboards, blackboards or cubicle partitions. Plus, with a 22db sound level, the projector does all these things without so much as a whisper. Price: $499. www.benq.com

A Pearl of a Smartphone
Now available from Cingular, the Pearl is equipped with all the features users have come to expect of a BlackBerry: email, Web browser, access to enterprise applications and, of course, phone service. But also tucked inside the smallest and slimmest BlackBerry yet are an MP3 player, digital camera, capabilities for voice and data services in 115 countries, Cingular Push to Talk service and a GPS-based wireless navigation service with 3D maps that turn, move and stop with the vehicle. There's even a Fuel Finder to locate gas stations with the lowest prices. Price: $199.99. www.cingular.com