Show & Tell: The Gadgets I Can't Live Without - March 2010

Larry Brown
PMP, CIOP, AIT, AIM - Senior Systems Engineer, Amica Mutual Insurance

As Senior Systems Engineer for Amica Mutual Insurance, Larry focuses on mobile business need and justification, workflow analysis, device and technology research, fitting the workflow with a tool or technology, developing new workflows and best practices, making purchase recommendations, doing CBA and ROI, and developing a deployment strategy fitting the workforce. In his spare time, Larry's an avid music fan, with a "paltry" 52,524 songs in his iTunes music library.

STRICTLY BUSINESS
Lenovo T500 laptop with Merlin EX720 EVDO wireless card.
There are still many things best accomplished using a full screen and keyboard, with mobility as an option.

INDISPENSIBLE TRAVEL TOOL
Blackberry Curve 8330m with TeleNav GPS.
It's an alarm clock! Calculator! Camera! VIDEO camera! Calendar! GPS Unit! Voice recorder! Address book! Phone! Bluetooth hands free phone! Browser! Oh, and it's my Email, too...

STRICTLY PERSONAL
Classic 160GB iPod with Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10 earphones.
I also have Cambridge Soundworks speakers/subwoofer on/under the desk at work, and Sennheiser noise isolating earphones so I don't disturb my wife while doing late night listening...oh ok, falling asleep!...to music.

OLDEST GADGET
Chunk of the Petrified Forest.
It serves as a paperweight. At 225 million years old, it's definitely the oldest. I also use a Sharp EL-1701C calculator with paper rolls for doing cost-benefit analysis, ROI and other number crunching.

ENTERTAINMENT
iTunes, iPod + AirPort Express.
I'm digitizing a lot of my music collection, and my iPod is now packed with over 29,000 tunes, but I need a bigger one, iTunes is up to 52,524 songs (127 days). AirPort Express allows me to wirelessly stream iTunes anywhere in the house.