BusinessPro

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

The modern home office often is bedeviled by a timeless nemesis: the dust bunny. Whether under the desk or other home office furniture, behind the technology (like the printer, the fax machine, the monitor, for example), or anyplace else, dust and debris can gather to cause unsightly clutter and allergic reactions.

Cleaning the workspace can be vital to ensuring an attractive appearance, a clean office and fewer allergens and triggers that cause sickness.

When a power outage revealed recently that my battery backup was kaput, I decided to get a new backup. I also took the chance to change and better organize the wiring behind my flat panel monitor and beneath my desk. I essentially cleaned up the rat's nest that had taken form around my space – and untangle the mass of cables that attracted dust bunnies and an unsightly mess.

My new APC Back-UPS Pro 1300 seemingly came with a mental retuning. The introduction of this device didn't just mean I had more time to power down devices in the event of a blackout. It gave me a whole new outlook on home office cleanliness.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com

This dispatch is from BestStuff technology and home office contributor Jeff Zbar, who's on a three-week family road trip through the American West. Whether you're a road warrior, a home-based business owner, a teleworker, or just a family in search of the freedom of the road, enjoy Jeff's commentary. Want to learn more? Hit www.chiefhomeofficer.com.

Power and peace of mind – two essential elements for any home office / road warrior. Even teleworkers and traveling families need security and safety. The two elements: Power – to charge or run various devices. And peace of mind to know your stuff won't become some thief's stuff.

To master these two basic needs, I always carry two items in my laptop bag: A Targus mini-surge suppressor / power strip, and a Kingston portable cable lock.

When on the road, my laptop is my power tool. It keeps me productive and busy, and helps us find restaurants, attractions, mileage from one place to the next. Losing it would be lousy for business — and my faith in mankind.

I leave nothing to chance. With a cable lock, I affix the laptop to a permanent object — a table, a large chair (within the frame, not around the legs – duh!), even a bulky lamp.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

It's well-established that the home office is no cube in the corporate hive. Its feel, funk and accoutrements are distinctively NOT Facilities Management-Approved. The Good Housekeeping Seal has a totally different definition in the home-based workspace.

That said, and beyond the two-line portable phone, the wireless headset, the ergonomics (keyboard, foot rest, and Aeron chair), the 5-Hour Energy, and the licorice Jelly Bellies, what makes your home office a place of comfort and business? My elements would include…

- iTunes. For the right audiophile, music can be great for the work or creative process. I have 2,600 tunes queued up on iTunes with an old pair of Altec Lansing speakers. They're weaker than I'd like. So for those times I want more, I plug my synched iPod into the mStation tower. Great highs and lows for full and balanced sound – especially at those times when it's just me and Stella the terrier and no one else to complain (it also includes a remote control — another killer tool for any home office device). Ahh, a little Black Crowes came on just as I'm writing this…Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

Traditional computer security measures often are not enough to protect your laptop and netbook.

Laptop security risks include insecure public wireless networks, laptop theft, laptop search, about which you don't worry with your desktop computer. Whether your laptop is stolen, your privacy can still be at risk by simply traveling with your laptop.

However, good laptop security does not have to cost money. The following are seven easy-to-use, useful and free applications that can help protect your laptop, your sensitive data and your privacy.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

A funny thing happened while I was reviewing the new Verizon Droid smart phone for Home Office Highway and Chief Home Officer.

I never made a call.

With 10,000 available apps, Verizon's 3G network, and Google's Android 2.0 operating system, there's a lot to do with a phone without ever making a call. In fact, that's why I may never buy one.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com

After two weeks on the road, it's the simple observations that bring clarity to the home office adventure. Like…

- Sponsor or no, the Verizon Mifi 'personal hotspot' won the day — hands down. It was a true fan favorite and winner of the HOH'09 Product of Choice. Hey, anything that keeps the hoards from beating me up for my Internet connection is worthy of praise. Teleworkers and road warriors alike will find this tool extremely useful.

- Yes, family, we WILL survive two weeks without a TV. And we did. We talked, played more Yahtzee and Racko than we ever thought possible, and watched burning embers in the fire pit. And yes, we surfed the Web. A lot. Truth be told, we watched a few DVD movies on Zack's HP laptop. But that's NOT TV.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com

Call it a leap of faith.

Every time my family travels on Home Office Highway, I load up a flash drive with documents, files and notes for stories and columns in progress.

This year, except for a flash-drive built into a card reader for my camera, I brought no portable drive.

All my documents, files and notes were / are stored in the Cloud. Notes for my columns, interviews for pending stories, even all the notes related to our destinations, RV parks and other trip details were stored either to Google Notes, Gmail or Google Docs.Read more

By Jeff Zbar
www.homeofficehighway.com

More on the MiFi...

It's every home office, telework and road warrior's lament. At least those with kids (and a wife in search of 'net-time): How to get online, without attracting attention from the little scoundrels, who'll then want the Internet-connected laptop for their own.

Of course, RV parks across America promise "Free Wifi." Good luck finding a network that works...

Here's one review of the MiFi personal hotspot. Specifically, Daniel Terdiman said of mobile hot spot, it "converts the carrier's EV-DO signal into a Wi-Fi connection that up to five people can share. I had already used the MiFi to provide a signal for the iPod Touch at the very beginning of the trip so that, while sitting on a boarding airplane, I could download a large file from iTunes...Now, I realized that by turning the MiFi on and sticking it in my back pocket, I could become, in essence, a walking hot spot, allowing me to get online on the iPod Touch, no matter where I was. That meant that I could use the Skype app to make a phone call, run several other apps for one reason or another, and look up good places to eat using the device's browser..."

My two cents: This device has made working remotely seamless and breezy.Read more