Mobile Devices Buying Guide

For quick information lookup, email access, and staying in touch, a smartphone would be the best way to go, because they are the most pocketable computing devices, there are many devices to choose from, and you can access thousands of helpful apps for just about every purpose imaginable. The downsides are that smartphones cost a couple of hundred dollars and usually lock you into a 2-year wireless contract. The 4" screens are also pretty small and not as comfortable to read on as tablets, netbooks, or notebooks. Even smartphones with keyboards aren't conducive to extended typing either.

• Learn More: Choose the Best Smartphone for Work and Productivity
• From About's Smartphones site: Today's Best Smartphones

An interesting alternative to getting a smartphone is to get the iPhone Touch -- the 4th generation model is practically the same as the iPhone, minus the 3G calling, the 2-year contract, and a couple of hundred dollars. You could use VoIP apps like Skype to place calls over wi-fi (and if you don't have access to a wi-fi hotspot, you can bring your own wi-fi hotspot with you in the form of a mobile broadband device like the MiFi). So basically if you're looking for a cheaper iPhone, the iPod Touch could be your alternative. The same cons as for smartphones, however, also apply.

If you have a smartphone already, you might wonder why you need an ultra-mobile PC or mobile Internet device, since some of these devices -- they're technically tablets -- like the Dell Streak are only slightly larger than smartphones. Well, these pocketable devices do offer a little more screen realestate and some of them have full computing power, like the vivil S5 Tablet -- a smartphone-size tablet running Windows 8. The cons are that many of these devices don't have calling capabilities and prices can be anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to over $1000.

• More: 7 Best Mobile Internet Devices and Mini PCs

For a better viewing experience in still a slim portable form (slates can fit in briefcases and handbags), consider a tablet like the ever-popular iPad (compare prices) or the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab (compare prices). They have easier to use screens in sizes from 7" to 10", multitouch (and in the HP Slate 500's case, full pen inking) capabilities, and hundreds of thousands of compatible mobile apps or software. If you already have a smartphone, getting a slate may seem like overkill, but if you're looking for a second portable device and are choosing between a tablet or a netbook or an ultraportable notebook, the slate wins in terms of greater mobility and easy-on access. Prices, though, range from about $500 to just under $1000.

• More: Slate Tablets Comparison: iPad vs. Galaxy Tab vs. HP Slate 500 vs. BlackBerry PlayBook vs. Cisco Cius

Slate tablets are fun and productive mobile devices in slim and lightweight packages, but their lack of built-in hardware keyboards and, usually, traditional operating systems, may make most slates less suitable for business purposes. If you need to run applications that aren't web-based or available on a mobile app, look instead at netbooks for your secondary/travel device. These inexpensive (around $300 or so) mobile devices are heavier than tablets but they're still portable. In some particular cases netbooks can be used for business in lieu of a full-fledged laptop.

• More: Netbook Profile
• I'm fond of my Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t (shown) because it is kind of a cross between a netbook and a touchscreen slate (it has a keyboard, runs Windows 7 Home, and supports multitouch). For other netbook suggestions, check out About's Guide to Hardware/Reviews' selection of the Best Netbooks

For the mobile worker who needs to be able to do everything on the road that he/she can do on a desktop at the office, ultraportable PCs are the best option. They cost the most (usually well over $700) out of the items on this list, because they are really just lightweight and thin, but powerful, laptops.

• Of the ultraportables introduced in 2010 as of this writing, none may be as head-turning as the MacBook Air (compare prices) -- thinner and lighter than ever, and the 11" model is only a little bit larger than the iPad. Yet it runs OSX and has a keyboard. It weighs about as much as a netbook (2.3 pounds) but offers powerful processing power. Reviewed on About's Mac site