What Gadgets Keep Me Going.

In wake of the release of the new 3G-capable iPhone and the content I’ve been spidering about the Android SDK (Google phone) I’m going to let you in on a few of the things I use almost daily. This article also comes to you per suggestion on Skribit from Paul Stamatiou which has received some other votes. I’m adding the programs I use because to be honest, I don’t carry many gadgets around.

Firstly and most importantly, I have my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry 8830 “World Edition” phone. After using a generic LG flip phone for two years, when my contract was up for renewal I had come to the conclusion that I was ready for a smart phone or PDA. Research In Motion had a new, fairly powerful, handheld and what appeared to be the most capable for what I wanted to be able to do; so far it’s done a great job.

So what was I looking for in a new handheld? Firstly, a QWERTY keypad. You don’t understand the want for this until you’ve been using “T9″ or some other predictive text on a standard numeric keypad for two years and have a chance to toy with a friend’s QWERTY keypad. The next thing I looked for was a fast Internet-enabled phone. I was wanting to be able to have the ability to do quick wikipedia, imdb, Google, weather, or various other queries. I also wanted to be able to receive email for my quickly moving DJ business so I could stay on top of bids and questions as they came (quick response is the easiest way to capture clientele). Thirdly, I wanted to have a phone that was supported well and extendable for Google Apps powered domains because everything except the actual website for RockShow DJ is hosted on Google servers (Calendar, Documents, Email). The possibility of travelling outside the country or the possible need for a second phone number made the World Edition a versitle choice. I sacrificed the ability to use it as a camera, but any place I go that I need to take pics I’ve got my work cell with me (hacked Moto Razr V3c), but typically if I’m wanting to take pictures I’ll carry my next gadget with me.

My DSLR is a Nikon D100 I bought used in great condition. I’d been looking for a decent, well-priced camera for a good month before I came across a good deal on ebay for a used D100. As a photography nerd, my only issues with it are totally my fault. I don’t have any good lenses for it (the lens I use is a 35mm-70mm Nikon lens used with my dad’s N8008). However, I have a few on my Amazon wish list I’m looking at that would cover the bases. The features built into the new lenses will make it a lot easier to use on the DSLR, for one the aperture is a pain in the ass on the old lenses and digital compensation doesn’t help it much. A lot of my current photos are either over or under-exposed without any healthy mediums to make it look as good as what the camera is capable of.

Of all the other gadgets I have there’s really only one more that “keeps me going” and I’d say it’s a laptop I’ve got on loan from my girlfriend. Dell released a super small form factor laptop in their Latitude series, model “X1″. I’ve got it dual-booting the latest updates of Ubuntu Hardy Heron and Windows XP SP3. I don’t carry it around much, but it’s great for sitting on the couch watching tv and Stumbling, watching for email, or  working on my server during commercial breaks.

Now, for all the Computer and Web Applications I use daily or multi-weekly at least.

1. Mozilla Firefox - Tabbed browsing, StumbleUpon, reliable browser
2. Mozilla Thunderbird - Email client I’m comfortable with.
3. Pidgin.im - Open Source AIM/GTalk/Yahoo/MSN/IRC client
4. Putty - SSH/Terminal client
5. SQLYog - MySQL Query and Database GUI
6. Visionapp Remote Desktop - Tabbed RDP client, great for managing multiple Windows servers.
7. XFire - Tracks my gaming (I’m a stats whore)
8. Cacti - RRDTool MRTG-like frontend (more stats whoring). To see my home server’s stats you can use the login guest:guest home.n00tz.net/cacti.
9. Google Analytics - Web Visitation Stats for n00tz.net, daltongamers.net, and thatmollygirl.com (STATS STATS STATS!)
10. Torrentflux - torrent management via web interface (I like Azureus’ webGUI better, but this is better for multiple users)

Got something you can live without? Let me know!

Tags: Amazon Wish List, Blackberry, D100, gadgets, Google Apps, Nikon, RockShow DJ, Software, web