7 travel gadgets, from Sennheiser wireless headphones and a ‘paper’ tablet to powerful chargers and routers, for productivity on the road
- Now travel restrictions have been lifted in most places, gadgets like Twelve South’s laptop stands and NuPhy’s portable keyboards can help us work from abroad
- The ReMarkable 2 notepad allows the taking of digital, storable notes, while the Jabra Speak2 75 is a great traveller’s speakerphone for making business calls
Has humidity caused your noise-cancelling headphones to disintegrate? Has your travel router bricked while in storage during the pandemic?
As you take to the skies again for work or play, these seven gadgets will help you travel comfortably and productively.
1. Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones
The latest flagship product from Sennheiser, the Momentum 4 wireless headphones come with a refreshed design and large, 42mm (1.7-inch) speakers for best-in-class audio.
As well as having a premium look and feel, the headphones’ low-friction hinge mechanism promises long-lasting comfort. This makes them suitable for long-haul flights, and they have an incredible 60 hours of battery life.
You can personalise the sound profile and adjust the active noise cancelling setting using the Sennheiser Smart Control app.
A variety of features make the Momentum 4 easy to use: touch gestures to control music playback and a Smart Pause feature to automatically pause your music when you take them off. And when you finally tire of them, the ear cups of the headphones swivel flat to fit in the bundled hard case for storage.
Price: HK$3,049
2. ReMarkable 2 ‘paper’ tablet
The ReMarkable 2 is a unique tablet engineered to mimic the experience of writing on paper with the versatility of digital notes, which makes it perfect for travellers. The 10.3-inch (262mm) monochrome display is based on e-ink (electronic ink) technology – known for its visual similarity to ink on paper.
The writing stylus, which requires no charging or pairing, works via electronic induction for 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Together, the high-friction stylus tip, clean user interface and slim 4.7mm form factor give a writing experience that is remarkably similar to that of writing on a paper notepad.
The software powering the ReMarkable 2 has also improved substantially since the release of the original ReMarkable in 2020, and the latest tablet can access files from Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive.
Files used and synced in the last 50 days will be stored for free on a cloud, where they can be accessed from a mobile or desktop app. An optional subscription to the company’s Connect service allows unlimited note storage and other features.
Price: HK$3,066 (with Marker stylus)
3. GL.iNet Beryl AX travel router
The GL.iNet Beryl AX is a powerful, compact Wi-fi 6 travel router for fast, wireless internet that comes into its own when using hotel rooms on your travels.
It comes pre-installed with support for more than 30 VPN services, granting remote workforces or employees on business trips a convenient way to securely access corporate resources regardless of the device they use.
The router is powered using a Type-C USB port that can connect a USB battery pack, and is equipped with a 1.3GHz dual-core processor.
It has a 2.5G WAN port and a 1G LAN port, and its integrated Wi-fi antennas can be folded down for safekeeping. Its underlying open-source OpenWrt operating system can be customised with thousands of plug-ins.
Price: US$99
4. Ugreen 140W Nexode charger
Bag space is important on a trip. Despite its small size, the Ugreen 140W Charger is among the most powerful chargers on the market. This is made possible by its use of gallium nitride (GaN) technology instead of the more common silicon.
The Nexode 140W charger is 22 per cent smaller than Apple’s 140W MacBook Pro charger.
Its three ports allow for the charging of up to three devices simultaneously, including two laptops. Under the hood, proprietary thermal monitoring technology protects the charger against overheating. Its folding prongs make it perfect for jet-setting travellers.
Price: US$65.99
5. Twelve South Curve Flex
The Twelve South Curve Flex is the ultimate portable laptop stand. Whether working at a hot desk, in an office cubicle, or in a dingy hotel room, take your productivity to the next level with this versatile metal stand.
You can use it as a classy wedge to position your laptop at a better angle for typing, or elevate the top of your laptop by up to 12 inches for eye-level video calls.
Alternatively, use a wireless keyboard and align the Curve Flex with an external monitor for ergonomics that will be the envy of your colleagues. The Curve Flex folds flat and comes with a soft travel sleeve so you can take it everywhere.
Price: US$79.99
6. NuPhy Air60 portable keyboard
The NuPhy Air60 is an ultra-slim mechanical keyboard for the road. The “60 per cent keyboard” discards the number pad and function row for a laptop-like footprint without sacrificing typing comfort.
Like most good mechanical keyboards, it comes with the option of swappable keyboard switches, depending on whether you prefer quietness, a tactile experience, or loud clicks when typing.
A customisable backlight and two RGB light bars on each side round off the sophisticated look of its matte aluminium frame.
Toggle via shortcut keys between three different Bluetooth devices, the included wireless dongle, or wired USB. The optional NuFolio V2 case wraps protectively around the Air60 and incorporates a clever clasp design to support a smartphone or even an iPad 12.9-inch tablet to get work done.
Price: US$99.95
7. Jabra Speak2 75 speakerphone
The Speak2 75 speakerphone is the consummate business speakerphone from Jabra, with attention given to every detail. From its aluminium detailing to fabric speaker cover, its outstanding audio is further enhanced with support for full duplex audio for the best possible call experience.
The speakerphone has a full-range 65mm speaker and a built-in microphone quality indicator that indicates how well your voice is being picked up by four beam-forming microphones.
Connect via Bluetooth or hook up your laptop using the integrated cable that you can coil around the body for safekeeping.
When used wirelessly for calls, the built-in battery offers up to 32 hours of use.
Price: US$369
