I am in the middle of a heavy travel schedule and I seem to be carrying around more and more electonics to support my office on the road. I laid everything out on the hotel room bed and … it is getting to be a little ridiculous.
But for your amusement, here are the electronics in my briefcase on nearly every business trip:
A- Power cord for computer.
B- iPad 2. This is sometimes optional, but it is required for the classes I teach at Rutgers. The iPad comes standard issue for all students, so when I’m teaching, I pack it. It is also handy for reading while working out or hanging out at the hotel bar.
C – Toshiba Portege R835. Please … no lectures about Macs! For my work, this computer is perfect. It is extremely light, durable, boots up quickly, and has a nine-hour battery life. I love this laptop. This is my rock. All of my writing is done on this computer.
D – Kodak Zi8 HD video camera. I always carry this with me in case I have an opportunity for a great interview. This device packs a wallop in a small package and it was less tham $150. Fantastic picture quality and it has a very handy built-in USB jack that pops out of the bottom for easy uploads. Sometimes I also carry a small tripod but left it home this trip.
E- Remote for video camera. With this, I can switch the thing on and off remotely so I can set it up and go. This saves editing. Every video I have published on {grow} has been done with one take and no editing. Just don’t have time for it! The remote did not come standard. I got it off Amazon.
F- iPod. I know I could use my iPhone, or even my iPad for music, but I just like the idea of carrying 10,000 songs with me at all times. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep in hotels and the iPod is what I need to settle my mind. I know I can leave it behind, but I won’t.
G – Shure noise reduction headphones. These cost more than the iPod. Why? Because life’s too short for grainy music. And when you’re in the airport, those crying babies, annoying beep-beep-beep golf carts, and ridiculously loud gate announcements all fade away so you can concentrate on writing. Good headphones are a little luxury I allow myself!
H – External Flash Drive. I carry two with me actually because I’m paranoid about losing data.
I – Energizer brand external battery for iPhone. I am a heavy data user and the battery life on the iPhone does not last the whole day so I always carry some reserve power.
J – Charger for reserve battery.
K – External mouse. I don’t use this very much but it comes along for the ride.
L – iPad/iPhone charger.
M – Targus “clicker.” I don’t know what the offical name for this is, but this is what moves the Powerpoint slides along. Very well-crafted device. Has internal compartment for an extra battery and the USB thingy. I have to figure out a way to stop losing these things. This is the third one I bought this year and they’re not cheap.
N- Sony external microphone. If you buy a video camera, make sure it has an external microphone jack. This mic works well but I didn’t buy a long enough cord. This is only like four feet long. I need one about 10 feet long!
Missing from photo – iPhone 4. It was missing because I was taking this photo with it! The iPhone4 is the greatest productivity device known to mankind. It does everything except take quality videos.
So now I would like to hear from you. What does your blogging arsenal look like? Any key tools I’m missing? Any you would take away to make my bag lighter!! : )