My 8 handbag gadgets : stuff I cannot live without
This post is about the gadgets that literally travel everywhere with me - the daily gadgets that stay on my person, or in my handbag, and I will feel incomplete without. It is a relatively short list because I have excluded a lot of things that travel in my rucksack - those are mostly work related and I would not carry them, say if I went shopping to a mall on a weekend. But these gadgets are my slightly worn, scuffed and much loved companions. I'd like you to meet them.
1. Fitbit Ultra
I wrote about my Fitbit purchase in December and I have to say that in practice, it's working well as a constant companion and measurement device. I do not take it off even when I sleep and I am wearing it as I type. It has survived the washing machine once and has been dropped twice but recovered!
Fitbit is now graduating to a cool looking wrist band but I still find the clip-on device more unobtrusive and I can wear it on any formal or casual dress.
2. Galaxy Nexus
This was my pick for budget smartphone earlier this month. I do buy whatever I recommend. I am a happy owner of the Galaxy Nexus since a year, and looking forward to running Android 5.0 next month. I have no real reason to upgrade from this awesome phone.
3. Swatch steel watch
This green steel watch from Swatch is a classic fashion accessory. It does not talk, display a stop watch, measure temperature or do anything cool. It exists to look good on my wrist and does a great job of that. It's four years old, and you will still find it in some Swatch outlets. Clearly, it never went out of style!
4. iPad 2 (32 GB, Wi-Fi + 3G. Two years old)
It has grown on me with time. Though I still do not work on it, I have gotten used to carrying it for presentations, sales pitches and client meetings. I often use it in preference to taking a print out for my own use. I have not upgraded to later versions simply because it still works well and it has an awesome battery life. It's lighter than the later iPads too!
I am not posting a separate picture, as it has been used as the base for all the other gadgets I photographed. And no purchase link, as it is discontinued since last year.
5. Cowon D2 (8 GB Flash MP3 player with 16 GB memory card. Four years old)
I have replaced the screen connectors once, the buttons twice, but it still works good. It's a fantastic portable dictaphone and I use it to record my research interviews as a back up for my more expensive Sony dictaphone. It also pairs well with my headphones and with my Audio Engine speakers.
Flipkart still stocks a slightly later version of this device for Rs. 7500 and I would advise you to buy one before all MP3 players generally die off. It's one of the best I have owned, and I have owned a few.
6. Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi headphones (Two years old, USD 200)
This is my third pair of Triple Fi's. I bought the first pair in Singapore in 2008 at the princely sum of USD 350. I got them replaced free under warranty once and then they gave way again. I re-purchased them off Amazon courtesy some dear friends in the US. And this time, they look set to last another three years. Sometimes I want to change, just out of sheer boredom. But over years, I have begun to take for granted the purity and delicacy of the sound that these blue beauties turn out. Every now and then I plug into some allegedly 'high end' headphones in malls and I realise how muddy they sound. And I am grateful for what I have!
You can find a pair on Logitech's India site for Rs. 21,000 but you can definitely get them cheaper if you buy them abroad.
7. Croma portable charger
Purchased for Rs. 1300 three months ago, this indispensable device is capable of re-charging my phone from near zero charge to 30% in about 20 minutes. It is indispensable when I am on the move, in a train or a cab, or at a coffee shop without a power point. It saves me every now and then. In case you are wondering, it comes with connectors for virtually any type of phone you can imagine including the old 'thin pin' Nokia phones.
8. Jabra EasyGo bluetoooth headset
It's my third or fourth headset but Jabra's famous patented ear gels make this by far the most comfortable one I have ever worn. I can have this on my ear for 6 hours plus and not get fatigued. Rs. 2000 on Flipkart and worth it just for the comfort.
9. The handbag
It's not a gadget, but it looks geeky so here is a picture. Rs. 1500 from Dharavi.
1. Fitbit Ultra
I wrote about my Fitbit purchase in December and I have to say that in practice, it's working well as a constant companion and measurement device. I do not take it off even when I sleep and I am wearing it as I type. It has survived the washing machine once and has been dropped twice but recovered!
Fitbit is now graduating to a cool looking wrist band but I still find the clip-on device more unobtrusive and I can wear it on any formal or casual dress.
2. Galaxy Nexus
This was my pick for budget smartphone earlier this month. I do buy whatever I recommend. I am a happy owner of the Galaxy Nexus since a year, and looking forward to running Android 5.0 next month. I have no real reason to upgrade from this awesome phone.
3. Swatch steel watch
This green steel watch from Swatch is a classic fashion accessory. It does not talk, display a stop watch, measure temperature or do anything cool. It exists to look good on my wrist and does a great job of that. It's four years old, and you will still find it in some Swatch outlets. Clearly, it never went out of style!
4. iPad 2 (32 GB, Wi-Fi + 3G. Two years old)
It has grown on me with time. Though I still do not work on it, I have gotten used to carrying it for presentations, sales pitches and client meetings. I often use it in preference to taking a print out for my own use. I have not upgraded to later versions simply because it still works well and it has an awesome battery life. It's lighter than the later iPads too!
I am not posting a separate picture, as it has been used as the base for all the other gadgets I photographed. And no purchase link, as it is discontinued since last year.
5. Cowon D2 (8 GB Flash MP3 player with 16 GB memory card. Four years old)
I have replaced the screen connectors once, the buttons twice, but it still works good. It's a fantastic portable dictaphone and I use it to record my research interviews as a back up for my more expensive Sony dictaphone. It also pairs well with my headphones and with my Audio Engine speakers.
Flipkart still stocks a slightly later version of this device for Rs. 7500 and I would advise you to buy one before all MP3 players generally die off. It's one of the best I have owned, and I have owned a few.
6. Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi headphones (Two years old, USD 200)
This is my third pair of Triple Fi's. I bought the first pair in Singapore in 2008 at the princely sum of USD 350. I got them replaced free under warranty once and then they gave way again. I re-purchased them off Amazon courtesy some dear friends in the US. And this time, they look set to last another three years. Sometimes I want to change, just out of sheer boredom. But over years, I have begun to take for granted the purity and delicacy of the sound that these blue beauties turn out. Every now and then I plug into some allegedly 'high end' headphones in malls and I realise how muddy they sound. And I am grateful for what I have!
You can find a pair on Logitech's India site for Rs. 21,000 but you can definitely get them cheaper if you buy them abroad.
7. Croma portable charger
Purchased for Rs. 1300 three months ago, this indispensable device is capable of re-charging my phone from near zero charge to 30% in about 20 minutes. It is indispensable when I am on the move, in a train or a cab, or at a coffee shop without a power point. It saves me every now and then. In case you are wondering, it comes with connectors for virtually any type of phone you can imagine including the old 'thin pin' Nokia phones.
8. Jabra EasyGo bluetoooth headset
It's my third or fourth headset but Jabra's famous patented ear gels make this by far the most comfortable one I have ever worn. I can have this on my ear for 6 hours plus and not get fatigued. Rs. 2000 on Flipkart and worth it just for the comfort.
9. The handbag
It's not a gadget, but it looks geeky so here is a picture. Rs. 1500 from Dharavi.
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