If you’re the sort of person who spends more time in the departures lounge at Heathrow than in your own living room, the Motorola Timeport is the silver-clad savior you’ve been waiting for. Released in 1999, this is the first true “World Phone,” meaning it’s a tri-band GSM beast that can handle 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz frequencies. You can literally step off a plane in New York, turn it on, and it will actually find a signal without you having to sacrifice a goat to the telecommunications gods. It’s a serious tool for serious people, and its sleek, metallic finish screams “I have a gold card and I’m not afraid to use it.”
Technically, the Timeport is a powerhouse of utility, featuring a high-contrast Optimax display that is readable even when the sun is reflecting off the Mediterranean. It’s got a built-in infrared port for syncing with your laptop, a voice memo recorder that can handle up to three minutes of your most profound jet-lagged thoughts, and even a basic WAP browser for when you absolutely need to know the share price of BP while standing in a queue. The battery life is respectable, offering about 210 minutes of talk time, which is just enough to explain to your boss why the Tokyo deal fell through. At 140g, it’s got a reassuring heft, and while the menu system is still that slightly baffling Motorola “Personality” interface, the sheer convenience of having one phone for the entire planet makes it the ultimate executive accessory.