Inside my gear bag

Since I believe that a person can never have too many gadgets, I tend to overpack them when I travel. I haven’t quite made up my mind about whether I think it’s a problem yet, so when I began packing for my tour this afternoon, it wasn’t long before my table was covered with devices, chargers, cords, and accessories. I second-guessed some of my choices but eventually put everything I instinctively grabbed in my bag, partially because lugging around 10+ pounds of electronics is really only an issue at the airport (and compared to the length of my tour, the time spent at the airport is negligible), but mostly because I’m just a chronic overpacker.

I’m also a bit of a “rationalizer” so just like I did for CES last week, I’ve split up my gear into small groups according to how and when the items will be used. This makes the amount of devices I’m taking seem less ridiculous because you never have to look at a mountain of stuff.

For use on the MID Moves tour, I’m taking three MIDs/UMPCs with Intel Atom processors: the new OQO Model 2+ (1.86GHz Z540), the BenQ S6 (800MHz Z500), and my Willcom/Sharp D4 (1.33GHz Z520), which I’ve been using for the past six months. I haven’t decided yet which device I’ll use when (or how or why), but here’s a look at my setup for each.

When I use the OQO 2+, I’ll also have my Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 smartphone, Solio hybrid charger with mini-USB tip, AT&T USBConnect Mercury modem, and a flexible USB adapter so the Mercury can be positioned in different ways.

I used the Xperia X1 all during CES last week, so I know it performs well for mobile blogging tasks, casual photography and video recording, and basic smartphone functions. Its battery never failed me, but the Solio can top it off as needed throughout the day. The OQO 2+’s built-in 3G isn’t activated, which is what the Mercury is for, and I don’t want to tether to the Xperia X1 because of the battery drain. I don’t have an extra OQO battery or a way to charge it while on the go, so the X1 needs to have enough juice to serve as my back-up device when the 2+ dies.

The X1 is my daily-use smartphone, so I’m never without it. That’s why you see it again here in my BenQ S6 setup.

Along with a spare S6 battery, the X1 and MID will be traveling with a Bluetooth keyboard and my Tekkeon MP3450 portable power station with compatible charging tips for both devices. I don’t think I’ll need to charge the S6, especially since I have that spare battery, but I wanted something with more capacity to keep the X1 charged because I’ll be using power-draining software to turn the phone into a WiFi router. The S6 has a SIM slot that accepts my AT&T 3G SIM, but I need the card for my iPhone 3G (more on this below), which I may throw into my bag at the last minute sometimes.

The virtual keyboard on the S6 is pretty good for what it is, but it’s impractical and too slow for me to type anything substantial. Enter the external keyboard, which works nicely with the BenQ’s integrated stand and turns the system into a mini desktop.

My third mobile group consists of the Willcom D4 and the Xperia X1 and Solio charger with mini-USB tip you saw earlier. The D4 will get online via a Bluetooth X1 tether or the WiFi router software mentioned above. This ultra mobile PC is the biggest of the three devices so I’ll only take/use it on shorter outings, which is why the Solio is sufficient for the X1’s charging needs.

If I left Hawaii tomorrow with these items, my self-professed gadget-overpacker label might not seem justified. But wait. There’s more.

These are my airplane and hotel room gadgets: the 11.1-inch Sony Vaio TZ laptop (for my work on Pocketables and for longer articles here), Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet (for movies on the plane), iPhone 3G (for games and as a back-up in case something happens to the Xperia; I also like the Twitter and Brightkite clients on it), and SanDisk Sansa Fuze (for music on the plane). A 4GB Sony Micro Vault, Logitech VX Nano cordless mouse, travel outlets, and my favorite pair of canalphones (Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro, not shown above) complete my in-flight and in-room setup. Note: I’ve kept the cases, cables, cords, and chargers out of the photos because they’re boring and it just makes my overpacking look worse.

I know there’s a lot of overlap in terms of functionality, but I prefer using dedicated devices for what they do best. So even though every other device I’m bringing has music playback abilities, I “have” to bring the Fuze because nothing else sounds as good with my triple.fi 10 Pros.

And that’s a long look inside my gear bag. Actually, that’s everything that will be spread out between my carry-on luggage, messenger bag, and purse during the flight. Only some of that will be in the Tumi T-Tech Flow I’ll be toting around the theme parks.