Finally! Done Packing!

Damn! Took me long enough! I think I spend more time thinking about packing, than actually doing it. Then I spend more time thinking about what I forgot. Anyway, it’s done, and I’m ready to go to Las Vegas! Got the room and flights all squared away. Counselled my staff on their fashion dilemmas. We’re good to go!

After I was done, I decided to find out how Moto was doing with his packing. He was struggling with his Pocket PC and ActiveSync. I was like, “Hey Moto! Don’t you have a good Smartphone or something that you can keep your stuff in?” It’s hard to believe that he didn’t have one device that he carried around that already had the stuff he needed for the show in it. But then again, as Technology Editors, we do tend to get overwhelmed with technology sometimes.

After observing Moto’s dilemma, I think I’ll have to keep an eye on my stash of gear this year, and really concentrate on convergence or cutting down on the technological clutter. For example, I have a Fido Hiptop (SideKick for those US Folks) and a Nokia 6670. The HipTop is the ultimate email device/contact manager, while the Nokia 6670 with it’s bluetooth, for handsfree calling, and contact management capabilities make it an excellent phone/PDA of sorts. Neither of them are perfect, but I know that in a pinch, either one of them would do.

I can no longer imagine that I used to carry a PDA AND a phone with me all the time. If you can’t have it all in one single device the size of a phone, I really don’t want it. I’ve also pondered going back to just a Notebook Only, but with all the reviews on hardware that we do, I don’t think I can take that extra step. I’ll have to start with trimming down on the number of systems I have. I think three computers is a few too many, when I only ever use one at a time. These are just a couple of examples of technological clutter that I’ve been pondering. There are more, which I’m sure you’ll hear about as I get to them.

I take comfort in knowing that both my HipTop and my Nokia 6670 are totally synced up without a fuss. The HipTop syncs over the air with a mouseclick, and my Nokia 6670 syncs in proximity to my computer thanks to BlueTooth. I should really keep my eye out at the show for something that accomplishes both, but I’ve got two capable backups that I use all the time anyway and they are solid.

So suitcase is packed. Got my laptop and accessories ready to go. My Nikon D50 is charged up, and I’ve got my compact backup camera. No MP3 or music player this year. I pretty much didn’t have time to listen to music, and I slept on the plane anyway last year, and we’re even busier this year. Business Cards, passport…uh huh… Cash! Right!

Well, that’s it from Canada. Next Post… Las Vegas! Maybe a quick post from Vancouver International if I can steal some WiFi