Products to Make Trips Less Worrisome

Most travelers who frequently do business on the road will make the same New Year’s Resolution: to reduce their travel worries. Here are some new products that can make working on the road easier and less stressful.

Printing Software

Perini Software Corp., a Marina del Rey-based company specializing in products for mobile computing, has just released TemPrint, a program that lets portable computers print on any borrowed printer.

In the past, business travelers had to lug their own portable printers with them if they wanted a guarantee they could print documents at their destinations, said company spokeswoman Charlene Jaeger. Short of that, they had to locate the same-model printer their equipment was programmed to use.

With TemPrint, however, the traveling computer user doesn’t have to know anything about the borrowed printer. The software acts as an interpreter to tell the computer how to make the new host printer do its job. It works on any IBM or IBM-compatible computer.

Once the software is loaded into the computer, the TemPrint cable plugs into the printer and “probes” the printer for the information it needs. This eliminates the user’s need to know even the brand name of the printer he or she is going to use, Jaeger said. The product, which sells for $69.95, weighs 1.5 pounds and packs into an 8-by-8-by-1-inch case. For more information, call (800) 631-4141.

Computer Thief Alert

Most executives who travel not only have a sizable investment in the computers they carry with them but in the information that’s on board those computers. The last thing they want to worry about is someone walking off with their equipment.

Indeed, stealing portable computer equipment is a growth industry for thieves, said Wendi Goldberg, president of American Data Mart in New York City. American Data Mart, which specializes in securing office equipment, has just introduced a security cable for laptop and notebook computers. The cable, which attaches to a computer’s disc drive lock and operates with a key, can be looped around any stationary post.

“Things get stolen out of conference rooms all the time,” Goldberg said. “It’s embarrassing to have to charge your client for lunch and $6,000 for your computer, which disappeared.” The cable, called The Sentinel, costs $49.95. For more information, call (212) 755-0650.

Shopping With Points

Hilton Hotels Corp. has introduced a holiday promotion to help travelers searching for last-second gifts. Called “Hilton’s Little Shop of HHonors,” the program allows hotel guests to redeem frequent-stay points for gifts from “Harry and David,” a gourmet-food and gift company.

The program, which runs through Jan. 14, allows members of the Hilton HHonors guest reward program to redeem their hotel points for gifts ranging from bakery samplers to a Fruit of the Month club that will deliver exotic fruits year-round to a designated recipient.

Travelers can use all points or a combination of points and dollars, said Hilton spokeswoman Susan Whyte Simon. For example, a bakery sampler featuring baklava, lemon pound cake and chocolate chip cookies would set you back 5,000 HHonors points. One year of Fruit of the Month Club costs 115,000 HHonors points. Guests earn 10 points for every $1 they spend on hotel lodging, Simon said. On average, that’s 1,500 points per night. For more information, call (800) HILTONS.