InformationWeek

January 29, 2001

Technology At Home

Raymond Walker,
Director, Schwab's Explorit Lab

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aymond Walker is the main conduit for adoption of innovative technology at the electronic brokerage unit of Charles Schwab & Co. and the director of Schwab's Explorit lab in San Francisco, where employees try productivity gadgets. He totes a portable office because it makes him better at his job--inspiring fellow workers to use technology to better serve customers.

Photos by Richard Morgenstein "My mobile office can pretty much fit under my arm and can go wherever I want to go, and I have to go to people," says Walker, who carries a book-sized travel kit he calls "an office in a bag." His bag of tricks includes a Timex Beepwear alphanumeric watch-pager, a Rave MP3 player, an eyeModule digital camera, a NeoPoint browser-phone, a Palm VII, and, the most essential item, a Handspring Visor with a Targus collapsible keyboard.

The best part of Walker's setup is that he works just about as hard and as long as before, "but it's on my terms--I get to do work when I have the opportunity," he says.

The drawbacks? "My boss found out I can work wherever I am," Walker says. "That, and constantly needing new batteries."

--John Rendleman

Photos by Richard Morgenstein