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hacker · 05-06-2006, 01:01 PM

I should just list the gadgets I'm in need of and let everyone pick and choose and pour over them. I'm a pretty intense gadget user, and I go through phases of consolidation. This year has been one huge consolidation phase, trying to eliminate wires, cruft and as many redundant gadgets as I can.

One great example of this consolidation is my Delkin DVD Burnaway, this thing is awesome and works flawlessly with Linux, Windows and OSX. CD/DVD burner/player, media reader, mp3 player, and works with or without AC power. You can burn CDs directly from the media card slots if you want, no computer required.

I've also snatched up four (yep, 4!) Ministack II enclosures from NewerTechnology. These hold a 3.5" drive (very tightly), and has a heat-controlled cooling fan (thermistor), 3 USB ports, 3 Firewire ports, and really works great. You can daisychain them as I do, or run them standalone. I don't have a Mac attached to them, so 3 of them sit on my desk next to my laptop and 1 is being used by my wife to hold our digital photos and a clone of our mp3/flac/ogg collection for her iPod/iTunes needs. I've got about 1.8Tb stored in all 4 of them.

I used to use a Logitech MX1000 Wireless/Optical mouse as my primary mouse, but I was frustrated because I couldn't really travel with it without bringing out that usb receiver. I disassembled it and noticed that its actually two separate parts inside, disconnected; AC/charger and the actual RF transmitter components. I could make it smaller by splitting those and putting it in a tighter usb enclosure, but... why go through the work?

Instead, I decided to buy a Logitech V400 mouse for travelling and use on the road. This thing has a SMALL transmitter. I can't stress how small this thing is, so here are two pictures of it (yes, that's really my hand).

As you can see, I have pretty big hands, and this mouse fits under my hand completely. Its smaller than I prefer, but... its one less wire on the desk!

So I'm trying to reconfigure my "remote" office environment, and this now has to include a lot more power while away from AC (so something like a Universal Battery is a must, though I haven't settled on one yet).

I also need a way to use all of my gadgets in countries with... how shall I say... "questionable" power quality. This means a surge protector (I have a very small Targus one already, but this isn't really a high-quality surge protector, and it only works with my laptop's PSU), power strips, multi-outlet tips, and a voltage converter. Oh, and it should also include the ability to power the laptop/phone/ipod from the airplane seats and automotive cigarette lighter too. Bonus points if it has a battery so I can charge it from the plane and use it to continuously power the laptop/phone/ipod when away from an outlet.

I have a Sima SST 325W/650W peak inverter that has a cigarette adapter and jumpers to hook directly to an automotive battery for power, but its a bit heavy/bulky for long travels. It works great for long drives several states away, but its not good for lugging around in luggage.

So in short, here's what I need, to round out my gadget collection for overseas/non-US travels:

Universal battery to power and charge laptop/phone/ipod while away from power outlets. Bonus if it works with airline power and automotive cigarette lighter adapters.
Multi-country power outlet converter, so I can use US gadgets with 120v power in outlets designed for non-US gadgets
Voltage converter, so I can plug something expecting 120v into something delivering 220v, without destroying it, and vice versa (plug a 220v device into my 120v power strips and outlets)

Pretty simple, right? <grin>

05-06-2006, 01:01 PM	#2
hacker Technology Mercenary Posts: 617 Karma: 2561 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: East Lyme, CT Device: Direct Neural Implant	I should just list the gadgets I'm in need of and let everyone pick and choose and pour over them. I'm a pretty intense gadget user, and I go through phases of consolidation. This year has been one huge consolidation phase, trying to eliminate wires, cruft and as many redundant gadgets as I can. One great example of this consolidation is my Delkin DVD Burnaway, this thing is awesome and works flawlessly with Linux, Windows and OSX. CD/DVD burner/player, media reader, mp3 player, and works with or without AC power. You can burn CDs directly from the media card slots if you want, no computer required. I've also snatched up four (yep, 4!) Ministack II enclosures from NewerTechnology. These hold a 3.5" drive (very tightly), and has a heat-controlled cooling fan (thermistor), 3 USB ports, 3 Firewire ports, and really works great. You can daisychain them as I do, or run them standalone. I don't have a Mac attached to them, so 3 of them sit on my desk next to my laptop and 1 is being used by my wife to hold our digital photos and a clone of our mp3/flac/ogg collection for her iPod/iTunes needs. I've got about 1.8Tb stored in all 4 of them. I used to use a Logitech MX1000 Wireless/Optical mouse as my primary mouse, but I was frustrated because I couldn't really travel with it without bringing out that usb receiver. I disassembled it and noticed that its actually two separate parts inside, disconnected; AC/charger and the actual RF transmitter components. I could make it smaller by splitting those and putting it in a tighter usb enclosure, but... why go through the work? Instead, I decided to buy a Logitech V400 mouse for travelling and use on the road. This thing has a SMALL transmitter. I can't stress how small this thing is, so here are two pictures of it (yes, that's really my hand). As you can see, I have pretty big hands, and this mouse fits under my hand completely. Its smaller than I prefer, but... its one less wire on the desk! So I'm trying to reconfigure my "remote" office environment, and this now has to include a lot more power while away from AC (so something like a Universal Battery is a must, though I haven't settled on one yet). I also need a way to use all of my gadgets in countries with... how shall I say... "questionable" power quality. This means a surge protector (I have a very small Targus one already, but this isn't really a high-quality surge protector, and it only works with my laptop's PSU), power strips, multi-outlet tips, and a voltage converter. Oh, and it should also include the ability to power the laptop/phone/ipod from the airplane seats and automotive cigarette lighter too. Bonus points if it has a battery so I can charge it from the plane and use it to continuously power the laptop/phone/ipod when away from an outlet. I have a Sima SST 325W/650W peak inverter that has a cigarette adapter and jumpers to hook directly to an automotive battery for power, but its a bit heavy/bulky for long travels. It works great for long drives several states away, but its not good for lugging around in luggage. So in short, here's what I need, to round out my gadget collection for overseas/non-US travels: Universal battery to power and charge laptop/phone/ipod while away from power outlets. Bonus if it works with airline power and automotive cigarette lighter adapters. Multi-country power outlet converter, so I can use US gadgets with 120v power in outlets designed for non-US gadgets Voltage converter, so I can plug something expecting 120v into something delivering 220v, without destroying it, and vice versa (plug a 220v device into my 120v power strips and outlets) Pretty simple, right? <grin> Last edited by hacker; 05-06-2006 at 05:54 PM.