The New and Improved Mobile Office Gadget Bag
Posted by Ben Smith on Fri, Sep 26, 2008 @ 02:41 PM
Previously I described the mobile office tech gadgets that I've been carrying around in the gadget bag for the last few years. I've recently refreshed the bag as I've been transitioning from one platform to another over the past couple of months. Here's what's in the gadget bag now:
- Acer Aspire One
- Replaced Linpus Lite with Ubunty 8.04 (Hardy Heron)
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
- 8 GB SDD (enhanced with +4GB SD)
- T-Mobile Blackberry Pearl 8120
- 180 GB of external 2.5" USB drives
- Pharos BT GPS Receiver
Notice how much shorter the list is. I've gone from 7 to 4 in an effort to make room for newer mobile gadgets as they come out. Let's run down why each item is included in the bag now:
The Acer Aspire One is a fantastic little netbook that I picked up for $349. This is less than half the price of the Q1 and I was able to repurpose the RAM that I took out of the Q1 during an upgrade to enhance this little machine. It's zippy, easy to use, and Ubuntu runs fantastic on it. Battery life with the standard 3 cell battery is limited to about 2.25 hours and I am actively searching for the 6-cell extended battery so I can stop looking for open power outlets.
The T-Mobile Blackberry made it in since I wanted a cell phone that could work with WiFi and save on some cell minutes. The 8120 coupled with HotSpot calling makes for more calls, better service, and smaller bills. Additionally, a little Googling and hacking allows me to use the T-Mobile EDGE connection with the Aspire One with a USB tether. Not wireless like before, but for a Linux/T-Mo solution it works like a champ.
I still carry the same 180 GB of external drives (for now.) I'll be consolidating to a single 100 GB drive in the near future.
The Pharos BT GPS Receiver is the same receiver I've had, but I bought a used BT andapter for it on Amazon for cheap. MS Streets and Trips has been replace by Google Maps on the Blackberry (free, always updated, small, geeky.)
The current gadget bag doesn't have a 12-volt option, but since I'm traveling to Boston every week for a while and won't have a car, I figure this doesn't matter. The Aspire One gets charged with the small power brick that it came with and both the Blackberry and GPS get charged via USB from the Aspire One.