Does it make sense to carry around two, three, or more portable computing devices? Select from:
Regular-size laptop; say 15"-screen or higher.
Skinny laptop i.e. Air at 13" or even 11".
Big tablet at ~10" as in current iPads.
One-hander tablet, typically at 7".
Handset, 3½"-5".
(My current load: 1, 4, and 5.) The choice will be increasingly in everyone’s face if the rumormongers are correct and Apple ships an iPad in the #4 slot.
Sidebar · Amusingly, back in 2010 I arrogantly claimed Apple will totally do a 7" device. Last fall, I sheepishly mumbled Clearly I’m eating those words. Now everybody is saying Apple will do it after all; treat this as wordpuke.
One Size Fits All? · I griped that the Nexus 7 doesn’t have a cellular radio. Dan Lyons said I can envision a time, maybe not so far from now, when I won’t carry a “phone” at all. If my Nexus 7 could make phone calls, I’d be there today. I chimed in gimme a good 7-incher with a mobile radio and bye-bye handset. I got lots of pushback and so did Dan, but I still think the idea isn’t insane.
First of all, and probably unlike Dan, I have direct experience. I spent several months back in 2010-11 carrying around the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, which may have only been Gingerbread, but included a first-rate phone, and my handset rarely left my pocket.
Second, much of the pushback I got was along the lines of “No pants pocket fit, no deal.” Fair enough, but do bear in mind that a large proportion of the male population wears garments that have big pockets: Suit jackets, vests, cargo pants & shorts. And just as many females carry a bag of some sort, plenty big enough for a 7-incher. (OK, a high proportion of my readers, both genders, are jeans-and-T-shirt folk, and I love ya, but yer geeks, all right? We’re talking civilians here.)
Bear in mind also that the tablets have better batteries than handsets, and play movies nicely, and display maps beautifully, and, well, lots of stuff.
Pluralities · But I’m sure lots of people will carry more than one device; which returns us to our opening question. Me, I use the big laptop because I do multimedia grinding. (But it does feel a little objectively weird to carry around an 11-inch computer and a 10-inch tablet.)
I use the small tablet because it makes my hands and eyes happy.
I carry a phone because it’s always online.
It Matters · Billions and billions and billions worth, probably.
Contributions
Comment feed for ongoing:
From: Janne (Jul 09 2012, at 21:36)
First, I used to do #2 and #5, always. Last year I switched to #4 and #5 always, with #1 only as needed (and usually tucked in my bag during travel itself).
7" tablet only is not insane. I've had the same idea; I was close to getting a Galaxy Tab and a Bluetooth headset for my next phone. But while it is normally fine, I realized there are times when it just doesn't work.
Go out for casual dinner in summer with my wife and I have no bag and no coat — that is, nowhere to actually put the tab. Bringing a bag just for the tab feels over the top, especially as I don't anticipate actually using it at all during the evening (dinner is for talking with your companions, not playing with your phone).
So, good idea, but not workable for my particular situation. A Galaxy Note might actually be a decent compromise; a single #4/5 choice in your list above. I've never used it, though, so I don't know. Or, have a tablet and headset, and a spare/backup phone synced with the same data for those times a tablet is just too large? Maybe.
[link]
From: Duncan Ellis (Jul 09 2012, at 22:05)
I am also a (1), (4) and (5) user - a Mac laptop (either my own MacBook or the MacBook Pro I got from my new job), a Kindle Fire, and a cheap Android phone.
When you were using the Galaxy Tab as a phone, were you holding it to your ear, using speakerphone, or connecting with a headset? I could certainly see using my 7" tablet as a phone if I had a Bluetooth headset worth a damn. Oh, and if my tablet actually had Bluetooth on it.
[link]
From: jrr (Jul 09 2012, at 22:08)
I've not held them both, but 4.65" Galaxy Nexus and 7" Nexus 7 don't seem differently-sized-enough to justify carrying both around.
I carry a 3.7" phone. I don't talk on the phone all that much, so replacing that with a tablet appeals to me, but I fall into that "pants pocket" category - I'm unwilling to add a bag or vest just to hold this.
I rather like the 10" tablet for couch use, but can't imagine using it out and about on the street. What's the maximum pants-pocket size for a future phone/tablet hybrid? 5.5"?
[link]
From: Terence (Jul 09 2012, at 22:10)
Well, I have #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5.
While I still don't know what to do with 1 to 4, seems to me 5 isn’t going anywhere - it's by far what I use the most, just because it's portable. And there's nothing a Galaxy Nexus can't do.
But I have incredibly reduced the use of the iPad now that I have the Nexus 7. It still lacks the books, mags and movies and some of the games and special content you can find on iTunes and the App Store. But you can make up for it with the Air 11" and the Kindle (which I also own).
And then you have the MBP 15". That’s became a desktop.
Looks to me the sanest config is the Air, a 7" tablet and a handset.
[link]
From: Ian McKellar (Jul 09 2012, at 22:18)
I'm doing 1/4/5 too with a MacBook Pro, Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus.
I don't think I just want a 7" tablet w/ GSM, I think what I want is almost the same 3 devices, but instead of a great large-ish phone I want a tiny, rugged phone with tethering, great battery life and an awesome camera. Unfortunately the only company that made those (Nokia) has gone down the wrong track...
[link]
From: Eric Dobbs (Jul 09 2012, at 22:55)
Someday I'd really love to have something like an Air except with a detachable touch screen, and the network connection would be delegated to my handset. I'd also prefer if they were a sort of mini-cloud unto themselves so (a reasonable subset of) my collection of apps could be accessed from any of them, even when the handset can't reach the Internet.
That would let me have a keyboard and multi-touch trackpad when I need to program and a touch screen for when I need to doodle or draw or read or surf, as well as something with a camera on it that I can pull out of my pocket when opportunity strikes.
Still a little out there, but doesn't seem that far away.
[link]
From: Gowri (Jul 10 2012, at 00:59)
Problem solved if you can have duplicate SIM cards, tied to the same number. One in the 7" device and one in a small/simple feature phone.
Then I could use a 7" tablet as a primary device, and anytime I can't carry the tablet (dinner with spouse etc), take the small feature phone.
[link]
From: Alice Wonder (Jul 10 2012, at 04:26)
I primarily use a laptop, a Thinkpad T520 with a dock that when docked, it is very much like a desktop. I also have a tablet but really only because I have to do testing from it, I am very dis-satisfied with Android as an operating system and refuse to use it other than for testing web apps. Phones, I like smart phones even less than tablets.
I'm sorry, but technology is suppose to assist us, too many people settle for being slaves to it and I won't be one of them. Laptop is good for serious work, everything smaller has serious shortcomings.
That's my two cents.
[link]
From: Janne (Jul 10 2012, at 04:42)
@jrr, I have a Galaxy Nexus and a cheap 7" tablet. The difference is enormous. Even though the Nexus has higher resolution I much rather read, game and surf the web on the tablet.
10", on the other hand, is too large to hold in one hand. That rules it out for using on the commute and for reading in many places.
[link]
From: Alastair Campbell (Jul 10 2012, at 05:43)
Currently I have 2 & 5, as an iPad didn't cut it, but I do keep changing my mind!
(Also, it might help to consider if people have a desktop as well, as that affects the decision between 1 & 2).
What I'd really like someone to invent is a cross between a basic phone and a my-fi. A pocketable device with a small screen and basic phone capabilities that is online all the time, and provides a connection for my other devices (bluetooth or wifi).
That would be the device in the regular pocket that you always have, and then the 7" tablet and/or laptop going in a bag or large pocket.
[link]
From: dr2chase (Jul 10 2012, at 05:51)
I am at (1) plus a cheap old phone, this one finally even having a camera.
Partly I am too cheap to pay for the data plan, partly I am a Mac fan boy stuck on T-Mobile, partly I am afraid that I will destroy whatever valuable stuff I put in my pockets. I've seen people typing quite effectively on their iPads, and I've seen (and used) the bluetooth iPad keyboards, but neither has quite done it for me.
In addition, having watched my wife and son deal with smart phones, I notice that they aren't that smart after their batteries run down, which seems to happen in less than two days.
Here's my 12-years-old predictions for the future of devices: http://incompetentsoftwarehucksters.com/futurepc.html (I bought myself the domain name for my 40th birthday, and quickly populated it. The stoner-toy-applet doesn't look right because of changes in Java scheduling since then).
[link]
From: TheOtherGeoff (Jul 10 2012, at 06:30)
I do think that for the 6.5Billion People who don't 'do technology' Option 1 as a 'portable' is out. And Option 2 as well,as most of those people, just don't need to 'maximize power/portibility.' Option 5 is critical. portability and connectivity. Almost all paths lead from option 5, and then sprout a pairing with 3, 1 or 2 pairing (in that order).
Option 4 is more about personal content consumption, imo. books, videos. It's much less about creation, and lacks the portability of a 'communications device'. For people who don't sport a briefcase/backpack/purse... people who are carrying 2 babies, or the food for 2 babies, this form factor has the lowest 'function value'
Option 4 is the 'tweener' It can do what 3 and 5 do, but not well. As technology progresses (battery duration), headsets and cameras will make this a very nice 'professional folio' discreet enough to have a visual conversation on mass transit, yet large enough to view both a picture of your communications partner, and also have views of news, search results, 'virtual' surroundings ('oh, I see their having a happy hour special at that pub up the block')for that '4 dimensional [remote, local, timeshifting, knowledge archive] integrated' life. But I see that in 3-5 years, when bandwidth is ubiquitous.
In my estimation... The world (those with less than $50,000 annual household income and not a 'tech/knowledge worker'), the 'stacking' of personal devices will be will be Option 5, then Option 3, (or visa versa).
Option 4 is an 'elite' option (the '4th device'), or a very 'entry level' option (can't afford both 5 and 3), jettisoned when one can afford Option 1/2/3 and 5 together.
[link]
From: Michael (Jul 10 2012, at 06:48)
I want a 5 that plugs into a 4, and then docks to make a 1.
[link]
From: ben (Jul 10 2012, at 10:40)
I was at [1]-only, for all intents and purposes; by the beginning of May I'd suddenly upgraded to [2]+([5] * 2).
Ideally I'd be at [2]+[5] with tethering-as-needed.
Then again, I'm a Web developer, so my needs are quite a bit different than those of an engineer or a salesperson: as I see it, I need to be able to work anywhere, anytime, and software matters a lot more than hardware as long as I can connect reliably to the Internet.
I find the notion of a 7" tablet appealing, especially if go back to a climate mild enough to justify wearing a jacket with pockets big enough to store one. However, when I consider what I would get out of such a thing, I realize that it would stay home, for the most part.
As for the civilians... I suspect they'd all leap at the prospect of a one-size-fits-all device, say a 7" or 10" tablet with voice recognition that, given Bluetooth, they can keep in their bag and use as a phone, then pull out for looking stuff up when the circumstances call for it.
If I could do that with an 11" ultrabook, well, that'd achieve Nirvana.
[link]
From: Kevin marks (Jul 10 2012, at 11:05)
Thanks to Google i/O largesse I'm currently carrying 1, 3, 4 and 2x5. This is handy as I'm in Schipol Airport for 2.5 hours and they have a 30 mind free wifi per device limit.
[link]
From: Nicolás (Jul 10 2012, at 12:58)
I've never liked laptops; they feel 100% compromise and I happen to not need a desktop OS on the go. I love my iMacs at home and work.
So untill very recently I was an iPhone-only guy (#5), but the internet was "too small" so I got myself an iPad (#3 & #5).
[link]
From: Nick Carr (Jul 10 2012, at 13:25)
Google Glasses and a PlayStation Vita
[link]
From: JiPé (Jul 10 2012, at 13:29)
I must say that my use of computers and mobile devices have change over the years. I used to have always a laptop with me and my phone. Since I have a desktop (iMac) at the office and home, I barely use the laptop (MBA 13"), preferring the iPad as my mobile computing device around the home or country house.
But the iPad is not mobile enough and too heavy for a comfortable use. It is always a struggle to find a comfortable position to use it for a long period of time. Deciding to bring it with you is always the question as it is too heavy and cumbersome. It is like a DSLR camera. You always hesitating to bring with you.
On the other hand my iPhone is always in my pocket and it is the device I use the most (even reading Books on it over my iPad, because it is more comfortable). This is my point and shoot camera. No tablet would ever replace your phone as a camera, 7" or 10".
I'm not sure if a 7 inches tablet would change my landscape of devices. It is still too big for a pocket and too small to be creative or to type comfortably.
[link]
From: Joaquin (Jul 10 2012, at 13:34)
I carry an iPhone and a 13.3 inch MacBook.
Any more and I feel burdened.
Walking around and heavy transit San Francisco really are true tests of what someone "really" needs.
I sometimes find that even the laptop feels like a bog.
[link]
From: Michael (Jul 10 2012, at 14:13)
I second what Nick Carr says about Google Glass. Wearable computing is likely where we are headed. That and a laptop of some sort will be all you need. I'm not personally a fan of the idea; I think they look goofy and I hate the always-in-your-face aspect. But the kids won't care.
[link]
From: Charbax (Jul 10 2012, at 14:17)
I've been doing #4 most of every day since 2010 using Archos 70IT/70bIT and #5 5" every day since 2009 using Archos 5IMT/5IT.
7" fits in every jacket pocket. You can stretch it to 8" only once plastics based flexible screens remove bezels and make devices thinner and lighter.
The 7" Tablet is going to be the most popular tablet in the world. I always said that, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq--yA15yF8
10" tablets are sofa-only because it makes little sense to bring 10" outdoors when you can fit a thin laptop for productivity in that same bag.
Passports and wallets are 6" diagonal, thus that is the limit for pants pocket size. Though 6"-something may be limited to the time flexible plastics based screens are ready, for now the glass-screen based limit is at 5"-something.
For when you need to be productive, you need a full sized keyboard at the least. It is possible to use foldable full sized keyboards with tablets. Think Microsoft Surface, but the keyboard being foldable and fit to cover the 7" tablets screen and the 7" tablet must have a kick-stand as Archos tablets have had since 2004.
Of course if you need full producivity a tablet can't possibly replace a full sized laptop. But I want $199 13.3" Chromebooks with keyboards and screens as nice as on $1000 ultrabooks, Google needs to use ARM on Chromebooks instead of Intel and get the price down now.
[link]
From: Toby J (Jul 10 2012, at 14:39)
I currently have [1], [3], and [5], with [4] on pre-order. I don't envision carrying them all at once, but it's nice to have the option of what I want to use & when. Not to mention my Asus Eee netbook laying around in a drawer somewhere :)
And since my [5] is a Nexus S 4G running CyanogenMod, I can easily tether for [1]-[4] if needed.
Now if Google would just buy T-Mobile and get rid of "voice minutes" in favor of Google Voice VOIP numbers and fat shared data plans for everyone, I'd be loving life!
[link]
From: Jason (Jul 10 2012, at 15:12)
1, 3, 5.
Forced to drop one of these, with work to do? The tablet.
Forced to drop one, while at play? The laptop.
A smaller tablet would be interesting, but so would a larger one!
[link]
From: Richard (Jul 10 2012, at 15:18)
This is a great post and a fascinating discussion.
One of the things that makes your particular post interesting to me is that you're the most "worldly" commenter on this I've read so far. Most of us are either Apple folk or Android folk or some other OS folk and that determines how we look at at least part of this question up front (it's the first filter we process through).
I'm certainly in the Apple is my first filter camp myself but it doesn't stop me from appreciating your post.
With all the talk about an iPad mini or whatever it will be called, it got me thinking about whether I'd have any use for it in my current collection of connected devices: 15" MacBook Pro (late model with SSD), iPad (3 wifi only) and iPhone (4S).
I have no clue whether it would take over one of my iOS device areas and it would be kind of fun to experiment and see. If it came in under $200 I think it might make me a 4 device person at least until I fond out through use or non-use that one of my devices had to go. Or, maybe in the end one needs (I'd need) 4 devices.
It's fun to sit back and let all of this happen. Hopefully it'll happen in a way that makes lots of people happy, including people in China.
[link]
From: Mike Cane (Jul 10 2012, at 15:53)
There is not a single notebook computer I like. Using a trackpad is just too alien and frustrating for me.
I have a prepay dumbphone for the rare voice and 911 calls. I have no pressing need for an expensive smartphone.
As for a totable tablet, I'd want the iPad Mini. I'm usually carrying a bag and that size would fit right in. I've been looking at the galaxy Tab 7.7 but that's very expensive. Maybe a Nexus 7... until the iPad Mini.
I notice you did not list a sixth device: an eInk eBook device! You know, some people are carrying *that* instead of a small LCD-screen tablet. I have a feeling an iPad Mini will replace many of those.
[link]
From: vas (Jul 10 2012, at 18:43)
I think you got it backwards RE geeks and civilians. No civilian, whether business person or teen, would be caught dead pulling out a 7" device to answer phone calls, send a quick email or text. It's patently uncool and positively geeky to do that.
[link]
From: J. King (Jul 10 2012, at 19:44)
I am much like Mike Cane above. I carry with me the cheapest, nastiest (but first and foremst cheapest) phone I could buy, and I've never owned a notebook computer and never will. I -do- have an iPod touch, which fits nicely in my pocket and goes with me everywhere. Most days that's simply to work, where I have wi-fi and use Opera Mini to get around the company HTTP filter, other times it's just in case I need to jot a quick note or feel like a quick puzzle or two.
I also carry a Kobo around (e-ink was a requirement for me, so no fancy tablet here), which goes with me to work and on long trips.
Does that make me a three-device person? Personally I don't think so. The phone is literally a lifeline, and the iPod I'd do without if I didn't work for a faceless corporation. The Kobo, however, is a constant companion.
I'd consider an iPad, except that I'd really have no way to carry it. Some men (and women) may have purses or satchels or gigantic pockets, but sitting in a wheelchair you really only have your pockets and the space between your legs in which to secure something; an iPad is too large to fit in any pockets, and too expensive, I think, to leave out in the open.
For me there's just too many factors for one device to fit all the niches.
[link]
From: Kevin Scaldeferri (Jul 10 2012, at 20:18)
I own 1,3,4,5. Most days I carry 1,4,5 with me. MacBook Pro for serious work; Kindle for reading on the bus; iPhone for phone, checking bus schedules, music, FB and twitter on the go.
For lightweight traveling (where I can completely check out of work), I'll go with just 3 (iPad) and 5 (iPhone). Although, I might then blow all the weight savings by also carrying a DSLR.
[link]
From: Achim (Jul 11 2012, at 00:59)
I carry with me #5; #1 only when needed. #3 typically stays at home. I think/hope for a padphone like concept to make a #5 into a #4 to #1 as needed.
Of course, this will take some time until a smartphone has the necessary horse power to replace a regular-size laptop. And the os & apps & os are not there yet too. But it does not seem to be impossible; maybe in a few years...
[link]
From: Daniel von Asmuth (Jul 11 2012, at 03:23)
I carry a digital wrist-watch... and some chip cards in my wallet.
[link]
From: John (Jul 11 2012, at 04:18)
For me, it depends on if I am travelling for work or pleasure, alone or with the family.
Flying solo for work, I borrow my wifes shuffle for use on the plane, to save the phone battery for when I need it, and I have to lug my shitty heavy crappy battery life work provided Dell laptop. But I also have my iphone stocked with a movie or two and music, podcasts, games etc.
Travelling solo for pleasure, iPhone, iPad and Camera.
Travelling with the family, will also lug the laptop as I will loose access to the ipad and the phone as I use it to pacify the kids 8)
[link]
From: christian (Jul 11 2012, at 04:56)
On my way, I use a smartphone for checking emails, looking up directions, using the shopping list and reminders, taking fotos and checking messages. It is for quick information purposes and for communication on my way.
In my bag, I always carry an iPad with me - for reading news, books, playing, surfing the internet when I sit down somewhere like on an airport, in a restaurant, cafe, in a park, and for writing short stuff like meeting protocols.
When I travel I also have a MBA with me - for use on static locations like hotel, apartment, classroom, so I can do some programming or other productive stuff.
I do not see how a 7" device could replace my smartphone and iPad - too big and bulgy for use when being on my way and too small for comfortably playing around or reading.
[link]
From: Ben Roe (Jul 11 2012, at 05:11)
Putting a 7" tablet in a suit pocket is a great way to ruin a decent suit ;-)
[link]
From: Sam Beal (Jul 11 2012, at 05:25)
I keep a dumbphone in my jeans pocket or my bike jersey. It's only purpose is communication.
10" pad is the ultimate content consumption device - but my wife & I consume content at home - carrying isn't an issue.
13" MacBooks for for work and everything "when" I am at one of my offices. Ditto wife.
Kindle is for reading.
Nexus7 pad might be good for the kids in my life but only if I can force them to spend time in the Khan Academy.
[link]
From: buzzintechnology (Jul 11 2012, at 06:26)
I have 13" macbook, ipad, fire, and iphone. But when it comes to travel I just can not leave my laptop and iphone. I could never carry any third device, irrespective of how attractive it is. Wish a tablet fully replaces my macbook (i can't get Air and dont like any netbooks:).
[link]
From: Steve Mortimer (Jul 11 2012, at 06:33)
It varies with the day, if its a weekday and I'm at work then:
Personal Mobile (Galaxy S2 Smartphone)
Work Mobile (Blackberry)
Kindle
Work Laptop (17in Screen HP)
MP3 Player (Cowon X7)
If its not a work day then:
Personal Mobile (Galaxy S2 Smartphone)
MP3 Player (Cowon X7)
If I'm travelling then I will almost definitely have my Kindle on me as well.
I don't own a tablet or personal laptop/ultrabook. I am giving serious consideration to getting the Google Tablet, but only for it's price point, the actual utility I would have for a tablet is very small and my Kindle/Smartphone combo already do everything I'd want from a tablet anyway.
[link]
From: Karl G (Jul 11 2012, at 06:54)
I'm pretty settled on 2 (13" MBA) and 5 (either S3 or One X). I have good vision and am willing to hold a phone closer to my face than a tablet so the larger size phones fill the gap for me.
[link]
From: Dan (Jul 11 2012, at 15:37)
Civilian here. I carry my Verizon Nexus daily. A 7 is too big for my cargo pants. My Streak 7 and XP netbook are at home, they rarely leave the company of my XP desktop. The last time I took my Nexus, Streak and netbook on a trip, the Nexus was still the only one used.
[link]
From: Anon (Jul 12 2012, at 01:34)
I used to have #3 and #5. But 10" was to big for everyday carry and it had no 3G. Switched to #4 & #5. Was perfect until a recent mishap (RIP HTC Flyer). Now only have #5 and honestly not missing having a tablet at all. (I have a desktop at home and at work and steal my wife's laptop whenever I really need it)
[link]
From: Peter Hanley (Jul 12 2012, at 04:35)
I do the 1/5 split (mbp/iPhone), but if the iPad was a phone I would go 1/3 and walk around holding the iPad on my shoulder like Radio Raheem.
"I NEED 20 MICKEY-FICKEY D BATTERIES, MICKEY-FICKEY! D, MICKEY-FICKEY, D! Uh, yeah, for my backup battery. Oh, you stock those solar ones? Niiiice."
[link]
From: Rod (Jul 12 2012, at 05:33)
For Work 1 and 3
for personal 2 and 5
I quite often end of always carrying 3 and 5 everywhere. I can do 90% of my personal stuff on my Galaxy S2 phone. So I don't know if I won the lotto I would ever get a 7" tablet. So saying if I won the Lotto I would at most have the phone and my little netbook/tablet 11" lappy. That would be it. The bare minimum and I would be very happy.
Work I have to have the 10" tablet for checking and responding to email. That is pretty much all I use that for. The big lappy is where their programming is done. I do my own on the netbook and it suits me fine.
that being said if I could get "everything" phone, gps, programming IDE, Graphics design program etc.. into the 7" form. I would drop them all for that. I think I could happily live there. Especially if I could hook it up to a bigger monitor and still work. with a full size keyboard.
[link]
From: bil (Jul 12 2012, at 06:22)
Laptops smaller than 15" aren't much use to me, my vision isn't what it used to be and I'm used to dual 24" displays on my main workstation. The 15" macbook pro is an ideal combination of size and weight.
I like the regular ipad, but don't have one precisely because even the things it's better for than the laptop I can manage on the latter. And I have an ipod touch, but it's too small for me really--I take it to meetings, use network utilities on it walking about my work. So the "mini" ipad would be ideal for me.
That being said, guilty of being a geek and I do wear cargo pants.
And one factor that's important is the person's size. I'm 6'4" tall, 280 pounds. I need to lose about 20 pounds, so the weight of the things I'm carrying is less concern--the more they weigh the easier it is for me to maintain or loss part of me, and if I'm bothered by their weight, losing some of me seems the better solution.
[link]
From: MikeL (Jul 12 2012, at 09:07)
I carry a backpack to work that contains:
One Windows XP laptop
One MacBook Air
A BlackBerry Playbook (very underrated tablet)
Two Digital voice Recorders
A Walkman MP3 player
and in my pocket an Android smartphone (which is essentially a mini-tablet).
And during the NHL season I often carry my old cassette type Walkman because it's the only portable device I have with an AM radio to listen to the play-by-play. :)
Mike
[link]
From: Ed Kish (Jul 16 2012, at 01:01)
I usually go with #3 & #5, since I'm not really a fan of bulky items or items that don't snugly fit in my hand, like tablets. Also, personally, I don't find tablets as gadgets of great use.
Ed
[link]
From: Alper (Jul 18 2012, at 03:44)
I too am a bit old fashioned and carry also a
#6 - MP3 player
besides #1 and #5
[link]
From: anonymous (Aug 08 2012, at 06:13)
i can see this working...carrying a 7" tab with cell phone, once everything can accept the same size SIM chip. you would buy your devices, and pay for service on your SIM chip (like Europe). Then, just transfer the SIM chip to the device.
Going on a date? bring your handheld with SIM chip. Heading to a meeting? bring your 7" with bluetooth headset. Heading into the office? bring your full size and/OR handheld.
[link]