What’s in Kevin’s CES Gear Bag?

Image 1 for post Why are MSI Wind netbooks crashing Apple routers?( 2008-11-18 19:18:54) I see that James already shared the kit that works for him, so I’ll briefly explain what I’m taking and why. My bag will surely be lighter as two items James is bringing aren’t necessary for the way I work, which underscores a fact we often repeat here: everyone works differently and therefore everyone has different mobile technology needs. The two items in question? The card reader and travel router. A good two years ago, I standardized my flash memory card needs with unique SanDisk SD cards. These cards snap in half to expose a USB interface, which provides me the best of both worlds. I get SD compatibility for my very mobile devices but can easily transfer data to any of my computers. Since I have my own EV-DO card that I pay for, plus an HSDPA review unit, 3G and WiFi ought to be plenty for me. I don’t need to share my connection with anyone and if I do, I can use Internet Sharing software in a pinch. I suppose the router might be nice for in-room Internet service, but with 3G, I should be good.

macbookSo that brings me to my computer. Last year, I exclusively used an Asus Eee PC 701 to cover the show. I actually did bring a Samsung UMPC as well, but that stayed in the room. This year, I’m debating between the MSI Wind netbook and the Apple MacBook. The Wind would be ideal, but I only have a single, 6-cell battery for it. I have two batteries for the MacBook and I’m routinely getting five hours of run-time on a single battery. It’s darn near impossible to consistently find an AC outlet at CES, so I’m on the fence here. The deciding factor may be how much video and how many photos we shoot because the processing power of the MacBook will get the job done quicker.

As far as photos and video, I’m definitely taking the Kodak Zi6 HD camera I just bought. The quality of my test video was fairly good and using the previously mentioned SanDisk SD card, I can easily transfer the vids through USB. I can also take 3-Megapixel stills with it, but without a true optical zoom, I’ll likely bring my Canon XSi DSLR. Using the same SD/USB card, it’s a snap (literally!) to transfer photo files.

Of course, I’ll have my first-generation iPhone with me as that’s what I carry every day. Actually, that’s a third item that James is bringing that I won’t take: an extended battery for my phone. Since my iPhone doesn’t support the power-hungry 3G signal, I can easily get by on EDGE all day and then some. Maybe I’ll stick the Solio Classic on the hotel window to get some free juice from the sun while I’m out there.

All in all, this is relatively light load to cover a show with nearly 2,000,000 square feet of floor space. I’ll have one computer, one phone, two very light 3G adapters, a DLSR and a pocketable HD camera for sure. I’ll have AC adapters in the room, but won’t be carrying those around; especially if I take the MacBook and second battery. Doing so will add a good two to three pounds of weight, but the ability to work away from power outlets for ten hours might be worth it.

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