By Richard Mullins
The Tampa Tribune

The modern executive needs some serious power tools to boost the bottom line, travel the nation, and stay in touch with minions and henchmen.

But what’s the CEO-on-the-go to do for some fun? Here’s how to use executive gadgetry to keep yourself amused as you storm the battlefield of commerce.

Richard Mullins

Chat And Channel Surf

FOR WORK: It’s smart business to get a ridiculously powerful smart phone for reading e-mail, looking up data and barking orders back to the office. We’ve heard from several CEOs who gave PowerPoint presentations to clients using just their Blackberries. (A small screen, yes, but it helped close the deal.)

Price: Smart phones cost $120 to $400 depending on model, service provider and plan.

FOR PLAY: New smart phones can support live streaming TV from ESPN, Fox News and the Discovery Channel. Plus, sign up for TV relay service Slingbox and you can watch your TV back home via your cell phone. That means the Boston executive can watch the Red Sox when traveling in Los Angeles.

Price: TV service comes standard with some cellular data plans. Slingbox costs $179 to $249 for the box, $29.99 for the cell phone software.

Track Your Office And Offspring

FOR WORK: No CEO likes to be surprised by the news. Google has a simple alert service that sends you an e-mail every time a key word or phrase appears in the news on the Internet - such as your, your company’s or your corporate rival’s name and the word “investigation.” Sign up at google.com/alerts.

Price: The alert service is free.

FOR PLAY: It works with any word or term, so you can set up alerts for your kid’s sports teams or anything else. Imagine this scenario, calling them at college: “Hey, kid. Great game today. You schooled those losers!” Or this one: “Hey, kid. Next time you show up drunk in the papers, don’t wear a shirt with my company’s logo.”

Save Your Memory And Memos

FOR WORK: Thumb-sized memory drivesare a great way to back up key files, presentations or customer lists. Slip one in your pocket when traveling, and you won’t be out of luck if your notebook computer dies. Plus, prices keep dropping.

Price: You can buy a 1-gigabyte drive for less than $20.

FOR PLAY: The drives are perfect for keeping an extra copy of your Microsoft Outlook contacts if you switch jobs or the company announces you’re leaving “to spend more time with your family.”

Tip: To back up your contacts list, first open Outlook. From the “File” drop-down menu, choose “Import and Export.” Select “Export to a file,” then “Personal Folder File.” Choose “Contacts” from the list, click “Next,” and browse for your portable drive. Click “OK,” then “Finish.” If an additional screen pops up, just click “OK.”

Travel Nice And Travel Light

FOR WORK: When travel duty calls, the modern executive doesn’t carry cheapo luggage through the terminal. What if you run into a potential client at the baggage claim and you’re carrying a rumpled duffel bag from college? Very nice bags command top dollar.

Price: The LXT Discovery wheeled case by Tumi costs $995.

FOR PLAY:Don’t carry that bag at all. Baggage concierge services will pick up bags from your house and ship them to your hotel, or vice versa. Many hotel concierges will do this. Here are some private services: LuggageFree.com, UsxpLuggageExpress.com, LuggageForward.com.

Price: Sending a bag cross-country overnight ranges from $100 to $300.

Manage Your Inc. With Ink

FOR WORK AND PLAY: Consider going retro and leave behind the smart phone altogether. One of our favorite super-low-tech data storage devices is the Moleskine notepad, with its classy leather cover and flexible string clasp. Pick from basic journal, grid print, date planner and reporter-style flip pad.

Price: A 3.5-by-5.5-inch model costs about $9 at bookstores.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919 or rmullins@tampatrib.com.

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