Small Wonders

Power tools make your job easier. You can sit there with a screwdriver and twist and twist until the screw is in place, or you can whip out your cordless drill and get it done in a jiffy. We're going to look at a variety of handy computer tools that can make your business life run more smoothly. Let's pass on the big standard hardware like desktops, printers and monitors and instead take a look at some lesser-known gadgets. Remember, big help sometimes comes in small packages.

Before you even create your first office document, you need to think about (and have plans for) backing up your data. Start-up entrepreneurs often overlook this vital task, especially if they're mobile warriors to boot. You don't always have easy access to a Zip drive or CD burner when you're sitting in Starbucks. For laptop owners, Toshiba) offers a low-hassle solution in the form of its $249 5GB PCI hard drive. This tiny wonder slides out of the way into an empty Type II PC card slot and works with the included Iomega QuikSync software to back up your important files while you're working. Setup is simple, and backup is seamless. You can also choose to save a number of revisions you can go back to later. If you don't use this system, be sure you use some kind of backup device.