Weak Factor: Ranging in weight from a little less than seven pounds to about eight pounds, these notebooks can be something of a burden.

Coordinates: Gateway 2000 Inc., www.gateway.com; IBM Personal Systems Group, www.ibm.com; Toshiba America Inc., www.toshiba.com

You Need: A machine that can run presentations and stand in for a desktop PC

Check Out: A full-size laptop computer ($3,000 and up)

Models in this heavyweight category are designed for users who want to replace their desktop computer with something that they can carry. Typically, these high-end machines boast a 366-MHz Pentium II processor, 64 MB of RAM, and a 4- to 10-GB hard drive.

A good example of a full-size laptop is Toshiba's Tecra 8000 ($3,999), which weighs about 6.5 pounds and comes with a 14.1-inch screen, a 366-MHz Pentium II processor, an 8.1-GB hard drive, a DVD drive, and a 56-Kbps V.90 modem. Computers in IBM's ThinkPad 600E series ($3,000 and up) have a smaller screen (13.3 inches), but they weigh in at just 5.5 pounds, and they too include a DVD drive.

Geek Factor: When you're on the go, these machines will keep you from feeling technologically bereft: They have plenty of space for all of your software.

Weak Factor: Get ready for a workout. Some high-end notebook computers weigh as much as nine pounds.

Coordinates: IBM Personal Systems Group, www.ibm.com; Toshiba America Inc., www.toshiba.com

Contributing Editor John R. Quain (www.j-q.com) appears regularly on CBS News's "Up to the Minute."

Action Item: Two for the Road

If you work on the road, you need to plug in -- to recharge the batteries on your laptop and to get online. Before you take another business trip, consider these two accessories. Power surges and telephone-line voltage spikes can ruin your laptop, so a surge protector is a smart addition to your travel bag. American Power Conversion's SurgeArrest Notebook Pro will warn you when a phone line carries excess current. And because the SurgeArrest handles multiple voltages, it works anywhere in the world.

Still using that 28.8-Kbps modem that came with your computer? You can jump-start your connection with Shark Multimedia's 56K Leopard Pocket USB Modem. This external modem doesn't require a power cord. Just plug the Leopard into a standard phone jack, and then connect it to a USB port on your computer. The modem also includes software that routes incoming calls to your voice mail.

Coordinates: $60. American Power Conversion, www.apcc.com; $80. Shark Multimedia Inc., www.sharkmm.com

Sidebar: Moving Pictures

If you're making a big pitch in a big room, you need a big screen on which you can show slides and video. Until recently, the only way to show clients the big picture was to haul around a bulky 12-pound LCD projector. Now there's a big-impact projector that comes in a small package.

The Lightware Scout is about the size of a briefcase, and it weighs just 5 pounds. By cramming the projector's components into such a small container, Lightware has sacrificed a certain degree of picture performance: The Scout's brightness is rated at 500 lumens, whereas some projectors can kick out 1,000 lumens. And its image measures just 800 pixels by 600 pixels, compared with the 1,024-by-768-pixel resolution that other projectors offer.

But the Scout's picture, which can be as large as 300 inches (measured diagonally), is more than adequate for most presentations. The projector includes a cable for your laptop, as well as S-Video and RCA cables that you can use to connect it to a VCR or a DVD player. That way, when you're not traveling, you can watch movies on a big screen in the comfort of your home.

Coordinates: $2,995. Lightware Inc., www.lightware.com

Sidebar: Cut the Cord

On your next business trip, wouldn't it be nice to sever some of the ties that bind you -- including the one that links you to a phone jack? If you're always on the go, check out these wireless options for getting online.

The Sierra Wireless AirCard 300 is for users of Windows H/PC Pro devices like the HP Jornada 820. This wireless modem fits into a Type II PC Card slot, it has a removable three-inch antenna, and it works well with the Pocket Explorer Web browser that comes with most H/PC Pro machines. The AirCard runs on a "cellular digital packet data" (CDPD) network. CDPD service is available through cellular providers like AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile, and GTE Wireless, and monthly fees range from $55 to $70.

Coordinates: $499. Sierra Wireless Inc., www.sierrawireless.com