With my new job, I’m going to be spending a lot more time on the road. I hardly traveled at all when I was on staff at a church, but that’s changed now that I get to help organizations with developing and implementing a comprehensive web strategy.
As such, I’m trying to get a mobile office routine down that works. The nerve center of that routine is, of course, the laptop and assorted accessories. Since I make my living presenting, computing, writing and sharing, the laptop makes or breaks me.
I hopped on board the MacBook Air train and can honestly say, in tandem with Michael Hyatt, that it’s the best computer I’ve ever owned. I never thought I’d see the day where I thought MacBook Pros looked ancient, but after owning an Air for a few months, the Pros look (and feel) like dinosaurs. Eesh.
Along with the lappy, I’ve listed some items down below that I consider must-haves. Here they are, in no particular order:
Here’s what you’re looking at:
- InCase 13″ Nylon Case for MacBook Air. The pocket is key.
- MacBook Air Charger. Must have power. Duh. Winning.
- Extra Winterfresh Gum. For post-presentation Q&A! Nothing’s worse than a speaker’s nasty breath. Ugh.
- iPhone Cable. For emergency tethering sessions.
- Cheap Sony Earphones. They work. They sound decent. I’m not crushed if they get left behind. Ya heard?
- MiniDisplay Port to VGA Cable Adapter. Option one.
- MiniDisplay Port to DVI Cable Adapter. Option two.
- TRENDnet USB to 10/100Mbps Adapter. The one drawback to the Air is lack of ports. This bad dad lets me have Ethernet connectivity via USB port.
If you travel, what am I missing? What’s a no-miss for you? I’m always looking for suggestions to make my life on the road a little bit easier.
Here’s to mobile productivity!
.png)
What size MacBook Air do you use? I am contemplating dumping my Dell Win7 laptop for a Mac. I am wavering back and forth between a 13″ Air and Macbook Pro. You mentioned the Pro’s now look ancient, why is that?
Oh, I would also add a flash drive of some kind just in case you have connectivity and can’t get to the cloud drive…
Jerry … I’m rocking the 13″. I think the 11″ is too small.
The Pros look ancient in terms of their size. Having used the Air for awhile, picking up a Pro literally feels five times heavier (that’s because it is.)
Flash drive is a great call. Making that addition now!
Hey Justin,
Not sure if you use any Adobe Creative Suite software… do you know if the Macbook Air can run photoshop and let’s say illustrator effectively? Are you using your Macbook Air as your “main” computer or are you using a combination of computers? Just curious… Thinking about getting a
new Mac.
Not sure about the Air’s specific ability to run those programs, but I can tell you this is the quickest, fastest and what feels like the most powerful computer I’ve ever used!
This is my main computer. I use it in tandem with my iPad to get some serious work done. It’s fun!
I concur, it’s the fastest computer I’ve used thus far. It stands to reason, if you do lots of I/O it will definitely handle it really good. I have been editing video with FinalCut Pro X and using Aperture. In both instances, the applications feel very fluid.
Hi! Just wanted to say I popped over from your sister’s site after your guest post! I don’t have any tips though. Looks like you’ve got it covered.
Very nice! I have a random question. What program do you use to place the numbers on your photos? I’ve been looking for a similar effect to use on screenshots, but haven’t had much luck. Thanks!
That is the genius known as Skitch. http://www.Skitch.com –> Couldn’t blog without it!
Brilliant!!! Thanks!