My Mobile Office

Anytime I take a trip or even go somewhere like my parents house where I know I will be there for an extended period of time I usually end up taking my “mobile office” with me. The reason I do this is because as they say time is money and if I can get things done while I’m out why the hell not. All of the things listed are not essential, but are always good to have if I ever need them.

The first and most important thing in my mobile office is my laptop. All of my work is done on a computer so I definitely need to have one handy to get anything done. I currently have a Dell XPS M1210. The reason I choose the M1210 is because it is small (12.1 inches) and it can still play games too. I also like the integrated webcam in case I want to take any photos or video.

Next is the cell phone. If I am ever going anywhere and need to get a hold of someone or someone needs to get a hold of me I have my cell phone with me. I am using a Motorola RAZR v3 and although it’s getting old I still don’t have a problem with it. It is small enough to fit inside of my pocket and the call quality is great. I don’t need a cell phone that I can check e-mails on or that has a full keyboard because I really don’t TXT that much either. I am going to be looking for a new phone soon so any suggestions are welcome.

I always carry a flash drive with me. It houses default files for all of my sites, e-mail lists, and a few of my favorite MP3’s that I like to listen to when I’m working. I am using a 2GB Kingston DataTraveler Secure drive. What’s nice about it is that I can partition it with a secure side where I have important files like say passwords and my financial info and have the normal side where I have all of the other files. This is really good incase I lose the drive.

I always have an extra mouse around with me. If I’m doing a large amount of work the extra mouse is nice because using the touchpad can get annoying. I usually carry my Logitech MX1000 mouse that came with the MX5000 desktop set. It is very comfortable and wireless. The only thing is that it needs to be charged so I have to bring along the charging dock. So sometimes I will just bring along an extra mouse I have.

I always have extra cables with me. I carry an extra Ethernet cable, phone cable, and USB cable. The only one that I would really use is the Ethernet cable, but you never know when the phone cable will come in handy so it is always there. I also carry an extra PCMCIA wireless adapter incase the built-in wireless on my laptop decides to not work.

Finally I have always have a stack of business cards inside of the bag. It’s always good to have business cards with you wherever you go. I usually have a small notepad and some pens in there as well. I currently use 2 bags, it all depends on what I’m doing and where I’m going. The 2 bags I use are the Tom Bihn Buzz and the Tom Bihn ID. I’ve had these bags for well over 2 years and they are just like new. Sometime I take my camera along with me and I use my Lowepro CompuDaypack, which protects my D-SLR camera very well.

So that’s my mobile office, what’s in your mobile office?