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6 Tech Gadgets Every Blogger Dad Needs On The Go

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I’ve been to enough conferences over the past 20 years as a writer/blogger to know what you carry with you can make or break a timely story. There have been numerous events when I ran into someone really interesting, and needed to capture the conversation in the moment. So for Father’s day, I offer my suggestions on the tools I use and tips I’ve learned over the years to make the best of such moments.

Today, practically anyone can become a news source as a blogger. It makes the meeting more memorable, saves the conversation to be re-shared with others if allowed, and can have a side benefit of adding to your social reputation. To that end, here are my suggestions for Father’s day: a short list of useful gadgets and items to help that well traveled business dad to get that story.

Here’s the short list of the carry-no-bag solution I prefer:

  • A Smartphone with a great camera
  • A Monopod camera / smartphone stand
  • An external Condenser Microphone
  • Batteries, batteries, and more power
  • A laptop
  • A Jacket or Coat that can carry it all

Your Best BUD

Every businessperson needs Business Utility Devices (BUDs). In days of yore, this used to be an actual person, perhaps even an entourage of people to do some of this work, limited to the rich and powerful. Decades ago we shifted to computers and more recently, laptops, and started doing more of the work ourselves. What we get for access to such resources, we give up in needing to develop our own skills and do the work ourselves. It’s a mixed blessing.

Your best BUD these days is a smartphone. I cannot imagine life without it any more but I go as far back as remembering when companies still received the latest news by Telex, and then later fax. Email still survives today, and there are so many other ways. What you need is a versatile device that can handle it all.

I prefer the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the new Samsung Galaxy S4, but the iPhone 5 works well too. What matters more are the right features:

  • A great phone camera that works in low-light, and should be at least 5 megapixels. You need low-light adjustments for not just evening shots, but indoors quite often. It should also have a flash that you could turn off. I use the low-light setting without a flash on my Samsung S3, so that the pictures do not look washed-out because of the flash.

  • Wi-Fi is great, but 4G is necessary, especially if you can set up your phone as a hot-spot for your laptop or tablet if necessary. I use that a lot while blogging or tweeting during keynote sessions when others curse the Wi-Fi network overload during such events.
  • The phone’s microphone works in a pinch but an external condenser microphone is simply much better and gives a physical cue to your interviewee on who is being asked to speak at the moment. A good microphone can be quite costly but keep in mind the portability aspect (size and weight). This one from Audio Technica works for most uses.

I need more power

A sign of our times: battery life continues to hound us. I spend close to 6 real-time hours on a call or using the device on an average day, without the time to recharge them. Combine this will multiple devices and international travel and you get a small forest of cables. Batteries are a centerpiece of a well-stocked business bag:

  • A phone case battery such as the Mophie Juice Pack I use for my S3 can usually can double the talk time, and doesn’t require a juggling act to take a call, and is rechargeable by USB.
  • A second larger battery but still portable that can connect by cable as backup, and USB rechargeable
  • A wall adapter that can multiple the power ports and includes USB power connectors as well as a surge protector
  • An international power port adapter. When traveling I usually rely on the laptop to become the charger (via USB) to various devices, but I always keep a travel adapter as well to have physical connectors to the different power ports across the world regions.
  • Adapters are not the power transformers to convert 110/220 volts. I’ve learned to check after at least one occasion during a rush through an airport to get a new one, when they get lost, only to find out that they are only an adapter and not a transformer. Laptops can be much slower to charge other devices, but it is convenient and often less bulky than a transformer. However transformers are necessary for camera battery chargers and other devices like electric shavers. If you have need of one, Connair makes one that is both transformer and adapter in one.
  • As a final backup, PowerGen’s dual USB charger works well as a car charger for cellphones. They work for most common smartphones and are easy to stash away. Tip: If you don’t want to accidentally leave it behind in the rental car, get the white one which is much more noticeable.

If you want better video

If you plan to use your smartphone to record video, you simply cannot do without a monopod. You know what a tripod for a camera is; a monopod has only one extensible leg.

Regardless of what the software on your device can do with digital stabilization, nothing beats physical stands. All video recording needs some stabilization. Except for rare individuals, holding your camera or smartphone in front of you, no matter how still it appears, you will most likely sway your arms and move around. Watching the video creates uneasiness, even nausea, for viewers.

To stabilize the camera, you can rest the foot of the monopod against your thigh or your belt. iStabilizer offers a great one for under $35 that works for any smartphone, as well as some light camcorders like GoPro.

Smartphones can record video, but I still find that the quality diminishes significantly especially lighting and can be different between video and camera quality. The Nokia Lumia 920 has great camera and video features although I’m not a fan of the Windows mobile environment. The GoPros are nice but they are more designed to be affixed and left on to record, rather than too much manual use. I have seen people with GoPro’s attached to their chest or helmet-cams for interviews, but I think that is a little awkward in business situations.

Rather, my preference is for an actual camera or video camera that is highly portable. Friends recently showed me the newer Samsung NX2000. It is very capable and although not pocket-sized for my taste, I would sacrifice bulk for all its capabilities. The Wi-Fi transfer capabilities are useful for moving them to a laptop for editing. If you prefer a video camera, I’d suggest the Canon Vixia HF M50 or newer M52, which also has Wi-Fi and is small and compact.

You will certainly need memory cards to go with all these, and I prefer to standardize on SDHC cards all around. Don’t forget that a multi-card holder is also essential rather than loosing all those SD cards in your pockets.

The Laptop

Regardless of how easy tablets are, I still prefer to edit and produce content on my laptop. I carry both an Apple iPad (regular, not the mini) and a 13” Apple MacBook Air with me on travel. The iPad has a cellular modem as well as Wi-Fi and is handy for most purposes, but I still use the laptop to write out posts, edit photos and video. Call me old-fashioned but I like to write out long-form posts rather than just tidbits. I chose the Air for its lightweight yet enough battery life and processing power for most of what I do.

Carry it all

It has gotten so much easier over the years, with the rise of converged devices, and we no longer need a shoulder bag to carry everything you need. With SCOTTEVEST, I now have all the pockets I might ever need to do so. Depending upon your fashion style, you might opt for the Sport Coat, the Transformer Jacket (turns into a vest).

What’s so great? It has 20+ pockets of various sizes to carry all the cables, devices, and accessories that you need. They even have a way to integrate ear buds into the collar that can plug into your phone inside your jacket—it comes in handy to listen to the audio level while recording or just listening to music otherwise. There is even one that can fit an entire iPad.

Don’t underestimate this last point. Carrying an iPad in your hand even in a sleeve greatly increases the chances of dropping or knocking it against something. There is an inconvenience though when you sit, and need to hang the jacket somewhere or take the iPad out. If you use some of the larger items like the Canon camcorder then you’d have some bulky pockets. It’s one of the reasons why, most of the time, I just make do with my smaller camera or smartphone. Still, I prefer that to carrying a case or a bag.

I’m glad all this generally weighs less than 10 lbs. all together and can be stored in assorted pockets. I carry these with me when I can which helps me capture those ever elusive insightful moments of brilliance that one can capture in the energy of conferences and events.