Comments on: Evil Downside of Better Mobile Devices: More to Carry & Choose

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:30:23 +0000

Valid point, Joe, but the Consumer Electronics Show is spread out on nearly 2 million square feet – and that’s just in the convention center. Individual vendors hold press events and private meetings at virtually every hotel on and just off the Strip in Las Vegas. I once tracked my daily walks at CES and came up with an average of more than 6 miles walking per day. Yup, it’s an extreme case and proper planning helps, but every ounce you carry counts against you so compromises must be made.

Of course, that’s just one specific example. My bigger point was that device functionality is converging faster than ever yet there are still subtle quality differences that cause the “best” device to be one of many. But ultimately, I think you’re right: I’m just too much of an enthusiast! :)

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:27:32 +0000

Forgive me, but I think the writer here is quite misguided. If you’re taking professional photos you bring a dslr camera. You don’t have “problems navigating” the crowds with it. You learn what real photographers learn. You research where the products you want to shoot are, and you get there before it gets too crazy. You contact companies ahead of time, and secure a time to shoot, etc. If you have a proper smartphone it will take as high (if not higher) quality photos than a point and shoot camera. Those devices are for people who don’t have smartphones.

This is just one example, but I think I could go on for nearly all the examples listed as to why there almost always is a “best choice” that will allow you to reduce your number of devices to 3 or less.

Now, bringing cords around is still an issue, even with 3 devices, but that’s where organization (and rubberbands) can help!

I think the author is just too much of an enthusiast about all his (admittedly cool) mobile devices, and suffers from too many choices! :D

By: TateJ

TateJ — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:21:13 +0000

I know your ind Kevin. I normally carry my work provided laptop and blackberry plus my personal iphone and Motion M1400 Tablet PC.

I keep one personal calender and task list with both work and personal stuff on them. My calender and task lists are accessed by my personal tablet or the iphone using my hosted exchange account. Our IT department will not provide tablets or let me put my tablet on the network so i take notes in onenote on the tablet and then sync them at the end of the day to my work laptop. We are not allowed to use our blackberries for personal calls. Plus web access is easier on the iphone.

Its a clunky system, but it works for me.

I am waiting to see if the Asus EEENote is anygood. I’m hoping it will replace my old heavy tablet pc for note taking. If not, I might have to get one of those HP500s.

By: jeo4long

jeo4long — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:05:41 +0000

Yes James. I am on the same boat as you. It seems the more I get the more I am not satisfied on what I have for my mobile needs. I just recently acquire Nokia N8 with the hope that it will combine my mobile phones and point of shoot camera needs (I use Canon SX200is which quality is superb and of course I have Canon SLR that I use time to time) but find that I can’t still live without my Blackberry as most of my friends are with BBM. So I end up carrying two phones :(

The more I carry the iPad the more I feel how big the device is and really tempted to get the Galaxy Tab instead. However all the reviews out there does hold me back a bit and probably waiting for Blackberry Playbook instead (since I am married to my Blackberry pretty much).

The next acquisition that I am planning to have is the new Macbook Air 11 inches. I still have my MacBook Pro and Sony TZ and both have serve me well. I am hoping with the new MBA, it will consolidate the 2 laptops that I have (where I love the Mac OS but definitely love the portability and the long battery life of my Sony TZ – btw, my Sony TZ is the hybrid SSD and 250G hard drive model).

I guess there will never be one perfect devices and our quest to continue finding a better device will continue forever :)

By: Jahan khan Rashid

Jahan khan Rashid — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:01:53 +0000

Galaxy Tab and Xperia X10i for me, they are both always connected to the web anyway so no need for a mifi, The cameras and vids are good enough on both for me for the snaps/clips i need to take. I have uk plug sockets in my car for fast charging and never need to take the tabs power supply with me if im out just for the day, the phone on the other hand sometimes needs a quick charge after half a day. it would be nice if a smartphone lasted a full day of heavy usage on its own battery.

By: Shane

Shane — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 04:32:23 +0000

Years ago, I remember carrying a handheld Garmin GPS, a Palmpilot, and a cell phone. I used to think it would be cool for those devices to converge. And now look at what we have! Awesome progress!

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 19:03:01 +0000

Netbook in the backpack, and a stock ROM Verizon Wireless Windows Mobile phone with WMWifiRouter, and a spare battery, works great. If Android supported ad hoc networking, it would be great to add a unlocked Froyo Dell Streak to the mix

By: theoffswitch

theoffswitch — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:52:16 +0000

Great article! I’ve taken a different approach. As someone who has had an ever-present laptop on my shoulder and smartphone in my pocket, I decided that neither were necessary or even adding much to my life or productivity/connectivity in the truer sense. So I sold the laptop and the iPhone and got a smartphone that I lobotomized with a month-to-month voice/text only plan. Google SMS services and Facebook/Twitter Text mean that I can do the basics while not spending my out and about time staring at a screen. Then I take my iPad for times when I think time sensitive email needs to happen. Otherwise people can call me or it can just wait. I feel about 200 lbs lighter!

By: HG

HG — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:52:01 +0000

Hey Kevin, I see your not taking the iPad to CES2011. Maybe you’ll get the Galaxy Tab. ;-) I’m enjoying the Tab I got last Saturday, but I am still using my iPad. The Tab will be more for on the go use instead of the iPad. Can’t wait for Honeycomb so it can be more tablet friendly. Not that Froyo is not, but things could be more tablet friendly. They need to update the copy/paste on Android to make it easier to do that. On iPad I just tap and drag to highlight to select and copy.

By: Netwiz

Netwiz — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 17:59:15 +0000

That’s great! I still want the annual post though, along with pics. And don’t forget to tell us what gear bag your using. :D