Umbilicaled to an electronics lifestyle and lifelines - be it a cell phone, a portable music player, a laptop or a Nintendo GameBoy - we're a society informed and entertained by our battery-operated or AC-adapted toys.

Here's a not-nearly-complete guide to traveling with your favorite things and suggestions on how to keep them powered in Paris, Maine, or Paris, France.

•: They're not all created equal, which can be a problem, because of incompatibilities between the American cell phone system and the GSM system almost universally adopted around the world.

Apple sells a World Travel adapter kit that includes a set of six AC plugs with prongs that fit different electrical outlets around the world. It's designed to work with (and requires) the iPod USB Power Adapter as well as the white portable power adapter that ships with iBooks and MacBooks.

•Disposable power cells (AA, AAA and the like) are available throughout most of the civilized world, although they're generally more expensive in foreign lands and can be hard to find.

Rechargeable batteries are better for use in high-drain devices, such as digital cameras. The most popular kinds are lithium and NiMH; travel rechargers generally work on 100-240v systems.

•Power plug adapters (there are nine different plugs internationally) are a must; most power adapters will work with international current. For hooking into a phone line, computer travelers will have to deal with adapters as well, since they do not conform with our standard RJ-11 phone jacks.

With our increased reliance on connecting wirelessly, consider a device such as the Linksys Compact Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54GC (about $50). The router's antenna picks up the "hot spot" signals in airports and hotels, and up to four PCs can be wired to it for sharing. For security, the router can also encode all wireless transmissions using 128-bit WEP encryption.

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