Techno Cop

What’s in My Bag

First off, my bag of choice to carry my mobile gear is the Tumi Alpha Leather Pocket Bag (large). It is a slim leather bag with fair amount of pockets to store one’s doodads.

What’s inside the Tumi?

iPad Wifi 64 gig

Apple Bluetooth Keyboard

Bang & Olufsen A8 headset

Motorola Milestone

Nokia E72

Fisher Space Pen

Li’l Guppie multi-tool with a bunch of keys and the Lacie Iamakey 8gig flash drive.

All of the above fit snugly in the Tumi. Everything fits in a bag that is barely 2.5 inches thick. During days when I will be attending several meetings, I can still manage to squeeze in the bag the Adapx pen and Journal. The shoulder has been thanking me for the past month or so that I have lived with this setup. A setup that has been able to carry me through most of my day’s work.

What’s in your bag?

Plantronics 925 Bluetooth Headset

It has been a while since I bought the Plantronics 925 Bluetooth headset. With its multi-point technology, which allows simultaneous use with up to two Bluetooth devices, it is simply the best Bluetooth device I have ever used.

The 925 is extremely comfortable to wear and use.The combination charging/carry case is also stylish and convenient offering extended battery life without needing to hunt down a power outlet. Audio quality in all was completely satisfying for a headset.

 But the best feature that  I love the most is its ability to be carried in the lanyard that came provided. Despite its being very light, there are just times when I don't feel like carrying it in the ear. I could simply attach it to the lanyard and carry it around the neck just like a jewelry.

However way I decide to carry the 925, it sure is a head turner as it is pretty noticeable due to its long boom and innovative design.

Although still not a deal breaker for me, I am now having difficulty connecting to to cell phones, the N97 and E75, simultaneously. I now have to turnoff the Bluetooth connection in one before I could connect a headset to my second phone. This is something I never had to worry about when using the headset with the iPhone 3G and the E75. This is a minor distraction that I can live with given the high quality audio, the long battery life, and the sleek design of the device. It will stay as a permanent fixture in my gadget bag.

Highly recommended.

Yet Another Gadget Bag

In a recent post I wrote:

Back to the HK trip, my long-time friend and mentor, MARTIN CEPEDA, asked me to accompany him to a Montblanc shop to buy a pen. We went to the branch in Pacific Place and he went inside the store as I wandered through the other signature shops nearby. When he finally got out of the store, he was carrying a huge shopping bag with the store’s logo emblazoned on it. So I asked, “ boy, that must be a hell of a lot of pens that you brought there.” To which he replied, “Nope, this is my gift to you.”

As promised, here is what my friend got me from the MontBlanc shop;

It is an elegant messenger bag made from deer skin. It does not offer much support to a laptop that is why I always have to carry the Macbook Air in a Speck hard shell case. However, It is spacious enough to fit my daily mobile gear. Here is what I always carry with it:

L-R: MontBlanc Messenger bag, Macbook AIR, USB modem,  Minimax speaker,  Plantronics 925  bluetooth headset, notepad, VGA adapter, Nokia E71, iPhone 3G, and Bang & Olufsen A8 earset.

Netbooks- My Most Popular Posts for 2008

I recently reviewed my blog stats and determined the following to be the Top 5 most popular posts here in TechnoCop for 2008:

• How to Sync Outlook across multiple computers please note that this was updated here.
• Netbook OSX
• Netbook OSX Redux
• Netbook Bags
• Skype and the Nokia N95

With three of the posts being netbook related, this only proves to show that 2008 (especially the second half) was the year of the netbook. I am predicting that this is only going to get better for the Netbook in 2009. I believe that the attraction for the netbook centers on three of its key features: 1. Its lightweight and small footprint;2. Decent processing power and battery life; and 3. Its low price point.

In my organization alone, a good number of our power users are now carrying a netbook, though mostly in XP. However a considerable number are installing OSX simply because of the latter's unobtrusive behavior. All it takes for them to install OS X is to point them towards the right direction (read: who can do the install for them). This is by no means intended as a Windows bashing. I still use a tablet PC with XP Tablet PC. Even this blog was written using a PC software (virtual XP under Parallels) which I am presently trying out - Zoundry Raven blogging client. Need I remind you that I was once a Windows only fanatic until I tried OSX in early 2007 after being fed up with Vista? Even my favorite mobile technology blogger, James Kendrick of JKONTHERUN, has decided to stick to a single OS to make things more simple - Apple's OS X.

I find that OS X rarely grabs my attention when I am trying to work which is not what I experience with Windows. Don't get me wrong, Windows is a fine OS and works well and I am not saying OS X is better or that Windows is not good. I am just saying that for the way I work, OS X stays out of my way better than Windows.

I second that, Sir James.

My 2008 data tends to show the growing interest of netizens in anything netbook, first, and the OS X, second. It is just too bad that the DNA of the people at Cupertino would not allow them to produce laptop's at the netbook's popular price point and configuration.

Finally, allow me to answer the question I posed to myself in a previous blog, "what happens to my netbook with OSX now that I have a new Macbook Aluminum?"

Had I not sold the old and reliable black Macbook that in turn gave me the additional funds to afford a new unibody Aluminum, I was more than happy with the Netbook. But lugging daily the ALUM in the very same bags that I used to carry the Netbook, I find that the bulk and the weight of the Alum is not too bad after all. You add to that the tremendous speed of the 2.4 ghz 4g RAM ALUM, for me, it was like bringing with me everyday the all too powerful and dependable MacPro desktop sitting at the THQ. And so, on the 1st working day of 2009, I will make a co-worker jump up and down with joy.

From the very words of Sir James, "See Yah!"

My 2009 Digital Arsenal

Although I often refer to my collection above as my digital arsenal (since most of the items are in digital camouflage), this blog however is about the digital gadgets that I have used in 2008. You can scroll down this page to see what I am really talking about.

It’s a new year and I have reflected on all the gadgets that I have used during 2008. A lot more gadgets passed through my hands in 2008, but I have only written reviews on those that I have found to work best for me. I’d like to share some of my favorites with you. These are the gadgets that I have used and will continue to use in 2009:

• Nokia E71. One of the longest staying cellphones in the TechnoCop HQ (THQ). I just love its full qwerty keyboard in such a slim package.
• Iphone 3G in a Moleskine. It is one of the best selling phones in 2008. I only use it for voice calls and mostly for listening to music &audiobooks, and also for reading-ebooks.
• XMINI Capsule Speakers. Gotta love the powerful sound from such a tiny device.
• Canon g10 14.7MP DigiCam. This is what I use mostly for the pictures that you see here.
• netbook OS X. It is simply the favored gadget at my workplace.
• Macbook Alum 2.4 ghz 4 g RAM. The latest addition to THQ. This thing is fast and quite portable when compared to the old Macbooks.
• HP2710P Tablet PC. My primary gadget for notetaking and brainstorming in the office. The last remaining PC in THQ.
• Tumi Expandable Computer Briefcase. It fits all of my laptops.
• Waterfield bag for the Macbook and the HP2710P. When I extremely have to travel light.
• Samsonite PRO DLX Backpack. My everyday bag for the ALUM with all my daily gadgets.
• Capturx Digital pen. It has effectively become my Tablet PC replacement.
• Instant Power cellphone charger. The 'PowerCartridge' is a zinc-air battery which connects to your cellphone via a 'SmartCord' connector. The battery will charge your cellphone 3 times and is perfect for vacation, travel and emergency, or anywhere there is no power source available.
• Battery Geek power supply for the Macbook. It gives me additional 2-3 hours of computer time when on the road.
• Kensington SlimBlade Presenter Mouse. The most versatile presenter/mouse I have ever used. It hardly occupies space in any of my bags.
• Fujitsu Scansnap S510M. This scanner works like a miracle in OS X. I will blog about how fast I digitized an entire book with it.
• My DIY Computer Desk. My desk is tethered to the MacPro, scanner, and the Canon iP90v portable printer. For someone who works as hard as I do, I deserve some luxury.

The above may seem like a wish list from Amazon, but they have collectively made 2008 an extremely productive year for me. With all these gadgets working flawlessly as they have in 2008, I think 2009 will be the year where I will be less distracted by new gadgets. Needless to say, I have all that I need for much of my anticipated activities for this new year. Also, the ‘wallet’ will have a lot to be thankful for. So, Bring them on….

Netbook Bag

Okay, Okay, my bag collection is already bordering on the Imeldific. But with the proliferation of netbooks everywhere I go, I am sure a lot of users are wondering as to what is the best bag to carry their netbooks in.

In a recent blog, I wrote about how all my daily gadgets fit quite snugly in the TUMI Generation 4 Leather Organizer Tote. Last week, I started ON A NEW PROJECT which requires going to a lot of business meetings. I decided that it is time to use a bag that is more appropriate for business. The TUMI Small Expandable Computer Brief, which I had to get out of the attic, is just what I need. This will be my daily gadget bag for the duration of the current project.

Although it is just a tad larger than the Tumi tote, its being expandable allows me to carry a bit more stuff inside. Take a peek,

This TUMI is able to accommodate quite a load:

1. The netbook OS X
2. Tekkeon battery pack which provides 4 additional hours to the netbook. It also powers the iPhone thru USB.
3. The Capturx Pen and Journal, my tablet PC alternative.
4. My 'iBook', which is basically an iPhone 3G situated inside a hacked Moleskine.
5. USB HSDPA
6. The X-mini capsule speaker.
7. The hard to find wireless Nortek Flat WL 2.4 mouse.

The TUMI Computer Brief could indeed carry quite a load without being obtrusive. Mine is made of ballistic nylon.

P.S.

My iBook is a true conversation piece everywhere I go. I swear, people at the Bucks won't be satisfied with just a casual glance at the iBook. I will be close to retirement if only I could get a dollar every time I am asked the question. "Where did you buy your iPhone carrying case?"

New Gadget Coming

In a few days, a new gadget will be arriving in the Technocop Command Center. It is going to be very small which brings the question - which bag I should carry it in?

The regular followers of Technocop know that I have quite a collection of bags. My gadget bag for the moment being the Samsonite DLX Pro Medium, pictured above, which contains my daily gear.

But with a diminutive device coming, I think I could live with a much smaller gadget bag. Another trip to the attic revealed a great tote bag- the TUMI Generation 4 Leather Organizer Tote. I remember that I once used this with the old the Fujitsu P2110. After removing the tote from its cellophane wrap and applying a liberal amount of Armour All, it is practically brand new. You can click the image above to see it up close.

That's just the thing with good quality bags. Provided that you take good care of them, most especially while in storage, they should last you for a very long time. This particular tote bag was purchased way back in 1999 and you can see in the picture above that it is still like new.

So what will the new found tote be eventually used for? To find out, you will need to keep coming back here. Rest assured however that whatever it is, it is intended to improve my mobile productivity.

Let me just leave you with some clues...

• It is definitely going to be very small. 
• It will be used as a substitute for the 13" Macbook.

Will it have digital ink capability? Perhaps.

Please stay tuned...

What's in my bag?

If have a dollar for every time I am asked this question…  Never mind, let's just get on with it and get this over with.

As a mobile warrior, I need a minimum set of gear with me all the time in order to maintain my current level of productivity. 

I am an avid follower of GTD and it has been my practice to immediately act on things that would take less than two minutes to accomplish. Things like giving an officemate a copy of a file, opening a letter envelope, replying to an SMS message, etc. are better done immediately than having them clutter my to do list. Items that require more than two minutes but less than an hour could be accomplished in the car, at a coffee shop, right inside the meeting room or even a corridor without necessarily going to my office desk or my Techno-cop command center.

Being able to accomplish all these things requires instant access to certain gadgets. The items I now carry in my grab bag "SAMMY" - Samsonite DLX Pro medium, allow me to do my daily tasks even when I'm out of the workplace. Here is what's inside my SAMMY:

 

From left to right, front to rear:

Shure E3C earphones
Nokia N95 5 megapixel camera phone
Samsung i600 Smartphone with extra battery
Apple wireless mighty mouse
Huawei HSDPA modem
St DuPont lighter
Transcend 4 gig USB flash drive
Mont Blanc sign pen
Cigar holder (at the end of a long day, nothing beats a good cigar and a Starbucks espresso)
Emerson CQB-7B - utility knife
Waterfield pouch (cables, SD cards, remotes, vitamins, etc)
Multi-card reader
Battery geek with Apple power adapter
Moleskine large ruled notebook- my PigpogPDA
Firelite 100 gig fire wire drive

I find myself carrying SAMMY wherever I go 95 percent of the time. For the very few times that carrying a backpack are not appropriate, SAMMY is left in the car. I just carry with me a pen, my pigpogPDA, and the Macbook inside a waterfield sleeve.

After the Honeymoon

Last March 26, 2007, I decided to buy a Macbook Pro 15", my very first macintosh system, instead of upgrading my 2 year old Motion Computing LE1600 Tablet PC.

The day of reckoning has finally arrived. I believe that after one month of using the MAC OS X, I have enough experience to compare it with my OS of choice for a very long time - Windows. In this blog, I will try to weigh all the factors before finally giving you my decision whether I will continue using MAC OS X or ditch it in favor of Windows.

Let me first give you a run down of all the things I have done so far in Mac OS X using my Macbook 13.3" 2.0 Ghz 2gig RAM 200 gig HD:

1. After attending a 2 hour seminar on Mac OS X basics, I bought "Learning Mac OS Tiger Visually" and read that from cover to cover. I then data mined the web for any information about the OS. Every interesting find is saved right inside Firefox by using the extension Scrapbook.
2. I am happily using with it all the bags that I used to carry the old LE1600. I particularly enjoy carrying it with the Waterfield Sleevecase and the Victorinox Eiffel laptop bag.
3. I bought a mighty mouse, apple mouse pad, and keyboard for when I configure the Macbook as a desktop.
4. I also bought a Firelight firewire 100 gig external hard drive where a digital image of the entire laptop is burned every week or so.
5. The following software continue to reside and to be used at present:

   Quicksilver
   Firefox (with Scrapbook, Mozgest, JKN email, and Autocopy plug-ins)
   Skim (PDF annotator)
   Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
   Office for Mac
   Photoshop CS2
   Adium X
   Skype
   VLC
   Google Earth
   SuperDuper
   Callwave SMS Widget
   iWork 06
   Huawei  USB HSDPA Application
   Flash MX 2004
   CoreDuoTemp
   Zinio Reader
   Paralells virtual OS management
   Windows XP SP2
   Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint,Onenote)
   Acrobat 7.0 Professional
   Mindmanager Pro 6.0
   Text Aloud
   Camtasia
   Pro Show Gold
   AVG Free 7.0
   Zonealarm

I did not bother with the links as they could easily be googled. I also did not enumerate the countless others that did not survive the honeymoon and those that come standard in most any Macbook. But, for those that did, I must say that they are more than sufficient to handle my day to day computing needs.

And now, for my observations starting with the pluses:

• Stable. The MAC OS X is indeed a far more stable system than Windows OS. In my one month of use, I have yet to do a restart due to system unresponsiveness. The only time I had to do a restart was when I tried booting using a back up created by SuperDuper. Even the system profiler only reports a single error after I uninstalled Acrobat Pro from the Mac OS X side.
• Instant on and sleep mode. Provided that I shut down all running applications, the system goes to sleep as soon I click Sleep from the Apple menu. There were only I few times when it did not turn on upon opening the lid. In those cases a single press on the power button wakes it up instantly.
• Wireless. Whether using the USB HSDPA modem or the built-in Airport, the Macbook simply connects wirelessly every time without any issues. I did not even have to setup anything as it automatically prompts you for whatever network is available.
• Security. The Mac OS X seems to be more secure having had no experience whatsoever with any adware pop ups or even viruses. I just cannot explain the peace of mind that I enjoy when surfing the web under Mac OS X. However, I know that a significant contributory factor is that there are less people creating viruses for the Mac OS X.
• System Upgrade. The full system upgrade, about 183 gigs worth of file, also went very smoothly requiring only a single restart. This to me is simply awesome.  In Windows, it never fails that you will get prompted with "updates installed, system requires restart" when you least expect it (read: when you are on a deadline).
• Uninstall. Third party application uninstall cannot be more straightforward. Imagine just dragging to the trashcan the application and its support folders and you are done.
• Keyboard Shortcuts. I simply cannot explain in words the efficiency afforded me by the software Quicksilver. This software has done wonders to my productivity . With all the triggers that I have inputted into Quicksilver, I can now do things faster due to lack of distraction and instant access to everything that I need. I did not even bother memorizing the built in Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts except for a few. I simply created my own (ALT SHIFT W, opens Word, ALT - SHIFT E opens Excel,  CTRL SHIFT D opens the documents folder, etc).
• Parallels. This software which allows one to virtually run Windows or Linux side by side with the MAC OS X, for me is the Microsoft killer. I believe that many more like myself will be jumping over to MAC OS X because of this software.
• Peace of mind. I guess the peace of mind that one gets when browsing from a MAC OS X system is its most important attribute. Gone were the days when I wonder why a file or a link takes too long to open only to find the anti virus application doing a full scan or updating its database. I do not even have to worry anymore about other defenses like anti spyware/adware, etc. For as long as I am careful in picking the sites to visit, I do not think I will encounter any problems browsing in MAC OS X (fingers crossed).

The minuses:

• Size and weight. The huge MBP 15 inch greatly affected my mobility. I find myself just leaving it behind in the car even during meetings. After two weeks with the MBP, I had to replace it with a more portable 13" Macbook. The macbook is only 17% slower in the processing department and is good enough for my computing needs. Still, I find the Macbook to be a bit on the heavy side when compared to the sub 4 pound Windows-only sub-notes.
• Battery Life. A true road warrior nowadays need at least 4 hours of battery life before having to plug in. The actual sub 3 hours of the Macbook just wouldn't cut it. It is just swell that I have an external battery pack for added power - battery geek.
• PIM. Having resided in Outlook for most of my computing life, I still gave MS Entourage a try in handling my emails only. My rationale is not to allow the Windows side of the MBK to connect to the internet. I was still using Outlook because it just syncs flawlessly with my current mobile phone -the Dopod 838 Pro. After 3 weeks, I gave up on Entourage and went back to my tried and tested Outlook for all my emails, address book, calendar, notes and to do lists. I discovered that having two systems (Entourage and Outlook) is not doing my productivity any good. I just had to install in the XP side my favorite firewall and anti-virus software. I still haven't touched the browser in the Windows side, and I don't think I will anytime soon.
• Blogging client. This is more of just an extra from MS WORD 2007 than a shortcoming of MAC OS X. I tried using the MAC OS X trial version of ECTO blogging client until it expired.  The software is great insofar as doing what it is designed to do. However, a blogging client is already within MS WORD 2007 itself. Besides, the WORD blogging client interfaces very well with my favorite software for documenting any type of research - Onenote 2007. I decided to save the cash and just use what I already have available.
• Digital Ink. I do miss digital ink a lot. I haven't been to a lengthy meeting yet where it is just inappropriate to open the MBK. I did not have to worry about this before with the Tablet PC.

The Verdict. Despite the above shortcomings, the Mac OS X has greatly enhanced my productivity in front of the computer. I now find myself getting more things done with a lot less hardware or software induced distractions. For my computing style, the Macbook with XP under Parallels beats pound for pound an equally configured Windows only Laptop. Right now, I will choose my Macbook over any Windows only laptop.

Did it cost more? No, when I compare it to Tablet PCs of equivalent build quality. Was it worth it? Without a doubt. I now have more fun getting more done, and that is the real bottom line.

Things have indeed changed.

P.S. How about Windows Tablet PC and digital ink? Inasmuch as I miss digital ink, I am not about to let go of the positive experiences I am having with the MAC OS X now. But, give me a Mac with digital ink capability (Modbook) and I will never even look at any Windows Tablet PC anymore. I agree with my associate, Allan Jarlos, that sooner than later, all portables will have digital ink. For the time being, I can make do with my pigpogPda.

P.S.S. Prediction. With the phenomenal jump in sales of most apple products and the opening up of many new Apple stores the world over, there will be a whole lot more people like myself who will switch to the Mac OS X. Some will totally ditch Windows altogether while most will be running both either using Parallels or Boot Camp. This expected rise in the number of macusers worldwide will definitely attract a host of hackers to design viruses intended for the Mac OS X. I believe that this is one area that Cupertino never had to worry so much about before. I just hope they are ready.

 

 

 

Bags, bags, and more bags

Technorati Tags: bags, gadgets

Technorati Tags: bags, gadgets