System Simplifies Business on Road

Business travelers often take their high-tech tools on the road, from the cell phone trilling in their briefcase to the laptop computer that lets them check their e-mail from a resort hotel.

But when it comes to sending a fax or printing out a report, these digital road warriors usually have to rely on the concierge or are at the mercy of the hotel’s business office hours.

Logic Micro Center in Irvine has developed a way to automate on-the-road office needs. The Irvine company’s Business Anywhere Center is a stand-alone station, a sort of Kinko’s shop in a box.

The system includes a Pentium PC with Windows 95, access to CompuServe and America Online, a laser printer, a fax machine and a photocopier. Users select which piece of equipment to use, then swipe a credit card through a card reader. They are charged by the minute, from 49 cents for the PC to $1.49 for the fax.

Tucked in a corner of the Country Side Inn in Costa Mesa, the automated center almost blends into the plush wall.

“It got off to a slow start when we put it in five months ago, but things are slowly picking up,” said Charles Knowlton, general manager of the hotel. “It helps us because people can send a fax or print a report at any time of day or night, whether the front desk is busy or not.”

Several other hotels in Southern California have picked up the portable center, including the Embassy Suites in Santa Ana and the Hilton Hotel & Towers at Los Angeles International Airport. Logic Micro hopes to expand its client base into other high-traffic areas, such as airports and corporate complexes.

P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com.