I once went to a press conference without my laptop. You might wonder how that's even possible, but in the fury of CES (and with a bag that's already heavy) it's easy to rush out of your hotel room forgetting even the most valuable of your tools. Now, I keep a list of everything I need ahead of time, even if it includes the most obvious of items (like my MacBook), and I double check it before I head out for the day. Here's what I bring along.
2012 13-inch MacBook Air
My MacBook Air has powered many a blog post here on this site, and I obviously can't get any work done without it. I use it for its lightweight design and amazing keyboard, though am considering a more powerful machine for my next upgrade. I really like some of the new Windows laptops out there (Lenovo's Yoga stuff is really compelling), though may soon opt for a MacBook Pro with Retina. In any case, this is the machine that gets it done.
Samsung Galaxy Camera
I use the Galaxy Camera for filming videos. It shoots a nice clean video, and the file sizes aren't too big to quickly edit on the MacBook Air when I need to. I also like that it has decent battery life, so I'm not constantly worrying if it's dead, and that it takes a good photo if I don't want to whip out my DSLR. Speaking of the Galaxy Camera, I'm pumped to see the Galaxy Camera 2 during CES.
Nikon D3200 DSLR
I bought this ahead of my honeymoon this year and I love it. I caught some flack for picking up a Nikon from some Canon lovers, but I really like this camera. It's super easy to use, takes some great shots, and didn't break the bank. I'm still learning some tricks, but it doesn't require too much tweaking when I need to shoot a quick hands-on gallery from the hip.
Mophie Juicepack Air
I actually went and bought a Juicepack Plus because it has a larger battery, but it didn't work with my iPhone 5s (no idea why) so I exchanged it for a Juicepack Air. I've been using Mophie's products for years, and I love them. CES seems to kill my cell phone batteries faster than anywhere on earth, so I always need the extra juice. It charges up the iPhone quickly, gets me through a full day, and doesn't add too much bulk that it's cumbersome to carry.
iPhone 5s
No real explanation needed here. I own the iPhone 5s and like using it to stay in contact with folks over iMessage. It offers decent battery life, has a great camera, and has access to all of the apps I need. I have the 16GB model, though, which is my only regret. I should have been more patient at launch and waited until the larger capacities were in stock.
HTC One
I'm back on the HTC One. I'm a huge fan of the Moto X and Nokia Lumia 1520 these days, so I'll probably bring those along to, but the HTC One has a special place in my heart. The aluminum build rocks, the speakers are great and the battery life is also solid.
Nexus 7
I sold my iPad mini (again!) and I miss it terribly. Still, I love my Nexus 7, particularly because its form factor reminds me of a paperback book. I mostly use it as a Reddit machine, but I'm sure I'll watch a few movies on it during the flight out to CES, too. I just wish it had a real cross-platform messaging client like iMessage. Google's getting there with Hangouts/SMS integration, but it's not nearly as seamless and solid as iMessage.
Fitbit Force
Somewhere along the line I went from cross country runner to overweight blogger guy. I like to blame working at home, but it's really that I need to exercise more. I'm trying to do so with the Fitbit Force, which keeps me aware that I'm not moving enough. I'm hoping to hit a lot of new goals during CES, especially with all the walking we're going to do.
Pebble Smartwatch
I usually wear a regular watch, but during CES I'll be wearing a Pebble smartwatch. I love getting Hangouts notifications from the rest of the TechnoBuffalo staff right on my wrist: that way I know it's important and know what needs to get done ASAP. I also really like that there are watch faces with detailed weather info on them, and that I can choose specific apps for alerts (like CNN) so I can always be up on breaking news.
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