David J. Danto
Principal Consultant,
Collaboration/ AV / Multimedia / Video / UC
Dimension Data
Director of Emerging
Technology
Interactive
Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance
eMail:
David.Danto@DimensionData.com Follow Video &
Technology Industry News: @NJDavidD
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The Traveler’s Toolbox – Update
“What do you have in this thing?” is what colleagues often ask me when they attempt
to lift up my flight carry-on bag (my “personal item” as it were.) Last year I published a couple of
blogs that listed a number of devices and tools that I keep with me when I
travel. Things change rapidly in
technology, and my bag has a bunch of new items this year, so here is an
update.
· How smart is your
phone? As a real “techie” I have used
what is now called a smart phone for nearly 20 years. (Yes, they’ve been around
that long – with things like WAP enabled
browsing and camera accessories
that had to be external.) Nowadays I use
an iPhone for my communications. Is it
the best or smartest device available – no – but as opposed to all those years
of using a weird or unique device I can now get a spare charger or case at any
convenience store in any city I happen to be in. One major downside of the iPhone though is
it has very poor battery life. It
usually doesn’t last the day for a heavy user.
I found the best accessory to resolve this is a case with an additional
battery built in. After trying many, I
found the best one for the iPhone 5 was this
one made by Lenmar. I was so hooked
on this great product I wouldn’t upgrade to the iPhone 6 until Lenmar came out with a battery case for it. They finally did. They call it the Maven - and it’s just as good as the
prior one was. Again, it more than
doubles the life of my iPhone, and in addition, it allows you to charge and
sync the phone while the case is still on (which is a critical difference as
many cases don’t let you pass-through the data.) It also lets you use a standard micro USB
connector for charging / docking instead of the odd and expensive Apple
Lightning connector. And the most
important point is that the micro USB slot is built very well - as opposed to
many of the available battery cases where it gets loose, breaks or stops
working within a few months.
· As a consultant that helps architect complex Unified Communications and
Visual Collaboration systems I usually have to have a fully functioning
notebook PC with me when I visit clients.
I certainly don’t travel out of state without one. But when I don’t want to have to unpack…and
boot-up…and find power…I prefer to use something smaller to be productive. I’ve upgraded my iPad2 to an iPad Air. It is a terrible device for composing
PowerPoint presentations or drafting designs, but when all I have to do is read
and respond to emails, browse the web and take notes it is fantastic. Forget typing on the screen though – Apple
has never got the key spacing correct so sentencesbhavebBsorNsbinsteadnofnspacesballnthebtime.
To solve that problem and make the tablet a fantastic device for taking notes
I’ve upgraded to the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio. It replaces lousy covers, has a magnetic bar
that supports the iPad at a good working angle, and lets me touch-type almost
without looking. It’s an absolute
necessity if you want to make the iPad a productive tool in meetings.
· Now that the iPad, iPhone, battery case and keyboard are all upgraded,
the multi-tap USB charger I was using was not powerful enough to power and
charge more than one device at a time – it needed to be upgraded too. Now I use this
little gem from Tech-Matte with five ports and the ability to push 2.4 amps
out of four of them simultaneously. I
carry two of these in case I need to plug devices in at two locations in a
hotel room (desk and nightstand) but I don’t need to carry any other mobile
device chargers on any trip. All that
for about $20 each on Amazon makes it worth it to grab a few and keep them on
hand in case I want to turn any spot in my office into a charging station.
· When I’m on the road I often participate in audio conference calls and
videoconferences from wherever I happen to be.
That is one of the basic tenets of Smarter
Working - “work is what you do, not where you go.” I couldn’t do that without a super-powerful
headset that works with my mobile phone, works with my PC, works with my iPad
and stays available all the time. I
still get that using my Plantronics
Voyager Legend UC. A year later
there is still no better Bluetooth headset on the market. It is an absolutely awesome, top of the line
device that can connect to two devices simultaneously (and store many more
off-line connections), has easy-to-use, intelligently located control buttons,
feels great over my ear, has a case that
charges it when stored, and – on top of all that – can work with physical
buttons or voice controls. Do you carry your headset’s “pairing”
instructions with you when you travel? Of course you
don’t – and should you have to pair it to a new device it can drive anyone
crazy - but not with the Voyager Legend.
With this unit you just turn it on, press the voice command button and
say “pair me.” It couldn’t be easier to
use or give a better experience. The
only update here is that if you’re one of the people who doesn’t like an
over-the-ear headset (despite how comfortable this one is) Plantronics has just
come out with a Voyager
Edge UC version that gives you just about all of the same features in a
lighter model that supports itself inside the curve of your ear.
And finally, one thing I’ve
added to my toolbox is a 2 ounce bottle of hand sanitizer. With all the recent news of pandemics, flu
viruses, outbreaks, etc. I’ve become a little paranoid about the shared
surfaces I use in airplanes and rental cars.
The first thing I do when I board or get in the driver’s seat is take
out the bottle, squirt a blob into my hands and wipe-down the steering wheel,
gear-shift, knobs, tray-table, armrests, etc.
I’m not really sure how much it helps but it does make me feel
better.
Please
let me know if you find these tips useful and/or if you have any of your
own. I’ll keep putting them together for
future blogs.
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This
article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own,
personal opinions. David has over three decades of experience providing problem
solving leadership and innovation in media and unified communications
technologies for various firms in the corporate, broadcasting and academic
worlds including AT&T, Bloomberg LP, FNN, Morgan Stanley, NYU, Lehman
Brothers and JP Morgan Chase. He now works with Dimension Data as their Principal
Consultant for the collaboration, multimedia, video and AV disciplines. He is
also the IMCCA’s Director of
Emerging Technology. David can be reached at David.Danto@Dimensiondata.com
or DDanto@imcca.org and his full bio and
other blogs and articles can be seen at Danto.info. Please reach-out to David if you would like
to discuss how he can help your organization solve problems, develop a
future-proof collaboration strategy for internal use, or if you would like his
help developing solid, user-focused go-to-market strategies for your
collaboration product or service.
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prevailing fair use statutes.