Our favorite gear

Audiovox 96-Watt DC-to-AC Power Inverter; $30; www.shoptronics.com

Peter T. Brown, Partner, Waggle Labs

There's nothing worse than having your laptop run out of power at a crucial moment. I once lost the chance to do a demo for a very important client because my laptop battery died before our meeting at a sidewalk cafe with no available outlets. So I've started using this Audiovox power inverter to recharge my computer in the car. It plugs into the cigarette lighter, converts my car's 12-volt DC power into 110-volt AC power, and has a three-prong outlet that can be used by my laptop and portable printer. It's a lifesaver when I'm spending the day driving from meeting to meeting I no longer have to stop at a coffee shop and lurk around until I can grab one of the few seats near a power outlet. It's also great for my rock-climbing vacations, since I'm usually at the end of some dirt road miles from the nearest juice. Now I never have to worry about missing out on a business opportunity for lack of wattage.