[W126 Coupe] OT:Road Wrrior Solution Sought

[Dick Spellman]

I am looking to understand the best mix of technology and software 
available today for the road warrior.  I need to quickly assemble the 
best 'all-in-one ' package that includes managing a database of customer 
contacts, cell phone calls, appointments, emails and gps locations while 
driving in a car.  In other words you might make a new contact, scan the 
business card into your contact management program alleviating the need 
to do a lot of typing, dial the customer phone number right from the 
contact software without touching the car cell phone using say Bluetooth 
and the system will also map your travels based on your schedules using 
a gps system in the car as well.  The gps will talk and give you 
directions from one appointment to the next based on your schedule and 
current customer location/address.

A nice touch would be for the system when queried to volunteer other 
similar business types that are within say some distance (5-25 miles) 
that you could tag and say get me there and the system would then manage 
your entire trip with way points etc using the gps system.

Figured I'd ask if an all-in one solution exists and if anyone can 
comment on the preferred platform for all of this.  In other words a 
portable laptop mounted to the car passenger area (easily packed to go), 
a PDA using Microsoft Active Synch, or some other PDA OS.  The contacts 
and notes need to be able to easily synch with a corporate server over 
the Internet with or without VPN set-up and update individual fields vs 
an entire customer record.  This may well be done from a hotel room or 
perhaps through the cell phone if the monthly costs make sense.

I was thinking of a laptop with GPS card, , business card scanner, 
cellular phone card and wireless capability, a power inverter and car 
tray bolted up that would allow easy viewing, big keyboard for typing 
while parked, and then the cell phone wired to mute the radio with a 
handsfree configuration and Bluetooth interface to the laptop.

Let's see what any of you knowledgeable road warriors think.

Thanks in advance.

Dick