Burlington

Many employees -- frustrated that their companies are unwilling to pay for the laptops, cell phones and other electronic devices that they want on the road -- are spending their own money to get them.

Nearly 40 percent of professionals recently surveyed by researcher In-Stat paid for a laptop that they regularly carried. Cell phone users often picked up their bill. And company-provided personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are relatively rare, says the survey, released today.