Are we becoming IoT dependant?
On the eve of my overseas business trip, I am debating with myself about what to pack, making sure that I have everything I need for over ten days of business meetings and private time with friends.
On the eve of my overseas business trip, I am debating with myself about what to pack, making sure that I have everything I need for over ten days of business meetings and private time with friends. I am sure that many readers, seasoned travellers, have experienced this situation more than once. Matching the right clothes with the expected weather and business conditions! Sports shoes for the days when one feels guilty about all that wonderful restaurant food! And of course the right electronic devices to stay informed, both productive and for entertainment. Packing is no longer about clothes and shoes only, it is about tools and their accessories.
One size fits all? Not really
If everyone would run with the same power supply, that would be quite nice, yet, smartphone, tablet and laptop all require their specific cables and adaptors to charge. The USB charger is standard with the exception for the laptop - yet it is coming quite close to it with USB-C chargers.
Convenience vs. dependence
To me, the laptop is not an option; I have a very light notebook with USB-C power adaptor, quite compact and efficient although dongles are required to interface with the rest of my equipment. On this trip, I have decided that the tablet stays home as it is a duplicate of
the computer… I am sure that soon this will no longer be the question as convergence between notebook and tablet is just a matter of a few pieces of software. In the meantime, one less charger to take along.
This morning, my last dilemma was: do I take my trusted mechanical Rolex or do I keep my smartwatch on my wrist instead?
Let’s dissect this for just a second: I’ll be travelling through several time zones, I will hit the fitness centre, I will attend multiple meetings, I wish to stay in touch with my family in case of any emergency and not pop my smartphone out of my pocket each time there is a notification (how rude!) of flight gate change or delay…. the smartwatch probably is a safe take. Downside: I need an extra charger (plus plug adapter) and cable in my carry on. This IoT smart device has me carry just a little more than my trusted mechanical watch requiring zero cabling and recharging…am I getting dependent on my IoT device?
This is just about travel, where, I think, connected devices are the most used and had the steepest adoption curve. Next will come the car and the house... Expect a new article about that soon. And you? How dependent are you on your electronic equipment during travel? Do you carry more adaptors, chargers and cables than pairs of socks? What are your priorities? Full office in the bag or relying more on cloud data to access your information via mobile devices like a smartphone or tablet? Feel free to comment!
One size fits all? Not really
If everyone would run with the same power supply, that would be quite nice, yet, smartphone, tablet and laptop all require their specific cables and adaptors to charge. The USB charger is standard with the exception for the laptop - yet it is coming quite close to it with USB-C chargers.
Convenience vs. dependence
To me, the laptop is not an option; I have a very light notebook with USB-C power adaptor, quite compact and efficient although dongles are required to interface with the rest of my equipment. On this trip, I have decided that the tablet stays home as it is a duplicate of
the computer… I am sure that soon this will no longer be the question as convergence between notebook and tablet is just a matter of a few pieces of software. In the meantime, one less charger to take along.
This morning, my last dilemma was: do I take my trusted mechanical Rolex or do I keep my smartwatch on my wrist instead?
Let’s dissect this for just a second: I’ll be travelling through several time zones, I will hit the fitness centre, I will attend multiple meetings, I wish to stay in touch with my family in case of any emergency and not pop my smartphone out of my pocket each time there is a notification (how rude!) of flight gate change or delay…. the smartwatch probably is a safe take. Downside: I need an extra charger (plus plug adapter) and cable in my carry on. This IoT smart device has me carry just a little more than my trusted mechanical watch requiring zero cabling and recharging…am I getting dependent on my IoT device?
This is just about travel, where, I think, connected devices are the most used and had the steepest adoption curve. Next will come the car and the house... Expect a new article about that soon. And you? How dependent are you on your electronic equipment during travel? Do you carry more adaptors, chargers and cables than pairs of socks? What are your priorities? Full office in the bag or relying more on cloud data to access your information via mobile devices like a smartphone or tablet? Feel free to comment!
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