4 Tech Gadgets Every Busy Executive Needs

culled from:americanexpress.com

Look around you: Does your office look like something out of the last century? Your technology might be to blame. If you don't have even one cool tech gadget to speak of, we have four tech picks perfect for the busy executive. Buy one, buy all or drop a hint to your significant other: The holidays are coming up, you know.
Secure Flash Drive

Okay, it's not the sexiest gadget out there, but in today's data-hacking-happy world, you can never be too safe, especially if your data isn't stored on the cloud, or in some other shared computing resource. A secure flash drive encrypts the data stored on it, and resists malware such as keyloggers and Trojan horses. It's a tiny but fierce addition to your technological arsenal.

Top brand names include Corsair, IronKey and LOK-IT, with storage ranges of 2 to 8 GB. Look for platform independent models that allow connection to any computer, and to peripherals like projectors, scanners and printers.
Portable Battery Backup

Searching through a tangle of cords to find the right charger for a specific mobile device before losing your call/data/connection is a uniquely 21st-century problem, and even tech-savvy executives deal with it on a depressingly regular basis. The answer? Get a portable battery backup. It looks like your average plug, but stores up to four times the energy needed to recharge a smartphone and can connect to most USB and outlet chargers.

ZAGGsparq 2.0 has gotten solid reviews at sites like CIO.com and Paracoda. Look to the HyperJuice Mini for extensive color choice or InstaPark Mercury to go green with solar charging.
Portable Projector

In the early days of high tech, executives would have to create their presentations with whatever projection equipment they would ultimately use in mind. As technology advanced, and having a projector in an office conference room became standard, executives had to make sure they arrived with the right cables to connect their laptops to whatever projector the host had on hand. Today, everyone can carry around their own portable projectors, which fit in the average laptop bag and can project a high-quality image in the 70-inch range visible even in regular lighting.

When looking for a projector, shop both "portable projector" and "pocket projector," as some shops still define "portable" as something a bodybuilder could theoretically carry across a parking lot. You're looking for something about the size of a flashlight, remote control or deck of cards, such as the iGo Pico or Vivitek Qumi series.


More of a toy than a true productivity tool, this device beams visible laser light onto any flat surface to depict a keyboard. The same lasers detect finger motion so the display responds as if the user were typing into the device.

This isn't for writers, coders and other folks whose key job duty requires regular typing. Users of that sort complain that the lack of tactile feedback slows their work. But for a tech-loving executive, who wants the keyboard ability every now and then it'll work just fine. Celluon is the leading manufacturer of projection keyboards this holiday season. Its Laserkey looks the most futuristic, while its MagicCube Bluetooth model comes recommended for tablets.