"What is in my bag" posts are pretty common these days, originally, I posted one of these lists on my (old), personal blog, nearly two years ago, but since then I have been pairing it down a bit, so I thought I would revist the topic.
Today I am much more mobile, and as such, I often look for smaller faster items that are easier to carry with me, and ultimately, use. This week I am undertaking the act of replacing a number of items at once. This list, in essence will be two list, what I have been using to date, and what I expect to have by the end of the week. In a couple of weeks I will revisit the post and tell you how all has faired in the real world.
What I carried with me until recently:
Dell X200 Leather Briefcase
Dell Latitude X200
Casio QV-R51 digital camera
Palm Tungsten
U2 iPod (b/w)
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 Case Logic Pro Sleeve 40 CD Case
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I know, redundant)
1 business card case
1 Dell power cord/transformer
1 palm charger
1 USB cable
What I intend to carry at the end of the week:
Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack
Apple 12" PowerBook or Sony 10" T-Series (still trying to make up my mind)
Casio EX-S500
Audiovox 5600*
iPod Nano (4gb)
Versa Charger
2 USB cables
2 PQI iStick 1gb flash drives
1 8.5 x 6.5 Daily Planner (I still like having some paper)
All in all, my main goal was to eliminate weight, and ultimately have my 'kit' fit into a smaller package, in this case the Tumi Flow Shoulder Pack, which is a very small package indeed. Yet, with these changes I feel I have gone smaller with the camera and the iPod, and eliminating a transformer and the Tungsten all together, and finally breaking even with the new laptop. As for laptops, I am a Mac guy, but feel comfortable with Windows, yet I am leaning towards the Mac because I really don't like the hassles, security issues, crashes, and viruses Microsoft Windows brings to the table, especially when mobile.
When I speak of laptops, I must also address the software I use, this in itself is the most functional aspect of a laptop, and the actual 'stuff" I use to produce this motly collection of websites, as well as function in my 'other' business as a Systems and Sales Automation Consultant.
The software I currently use on a daily basis, and will continue to use if I choose the PowerBook is:
MS Office
Safari
Mail.App
iCal
iSync
iChat
Missing Sync
Adobe GoLive
Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe Illustrator
Mars Edit
NetNews Wire
ecto
As for my current selection in phones, the Audiovox 5600, I am not pleased with a number of things. The 5600 frequently drops calls, it has very quirky menus, and many settings windows have check boxes are missing labels for the specific option. I expect to move back to Motorola phones when the new Q releases, I may even dump the the conveniences of Windows Mobile all together and use my old Motorola V3 RAZR because as a phone, it works beautifully.
Note: This entry was originally posted on Bam 2 Media, on 9/13/2005.
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