Kevin's mobile gear

It's one of the most often asked questions we get from readers: "What's in your gear bag?" Well, here's my list, but by no means do I think these items should be in your gadget bag. Yes, that sounds counter-intuitive, but personal computing is exactly that: personal. What works best for me and my needs might be utterly useless for you. With that understanding, here's my current equipment list. All items were purchased by me out of my own funds unless otherwise noted as evaluation units come and go and are always returned or given to readers in a contest.

As of November, 2007:

Samsung Q1P UMPC. This is the staple of my mobile lifestyle and it accompanies me nearly everywhere I go. I have made some tweaks along the way, such as installing Vista and upgrading the RAM to the maximum 2-gigabytes. Additionally, I spent $145 on a 6-cell extended battery, which provides 4 to 5 hours of computing time in addition to the 2.5 hours of the standard battery. I don't use a screen protector nor a case other than the included Samsung slipcase.

Asus Eee PC 4G, model 701 I bought this small sub-notebook as soon as it became available due to it's small size, two-pound weight and lack of a hard drive. The LED backlight screen is super-bright and the 4 GB of solid state flash memory is fine for an OS. Getting my 3G WWAN card to work with Xandros Linux on the device wasn't too bad and with a 3.5-hour battery life, it makes for a nice little blogging platform.

Stylus. This was provided to me by Microsoft in recognition for my MVP status. The heavy stylus is a triple threat: pen, stylus and laser pointer. I use the stylus daily, the pen never and the laser pointer when I want to mess with our two cats.

8 GB Apple iPhone with AT&T SIM. Prior to purchasing the iPhone, I used Windows Mobile devices for about 7 years; many of which were smartphones. Since my UMPC is never far away, my need for a smartphone has diminished and the iPhone does enough to get by. Like my UMPC, the iPhone is always with me and I find that I'm browsing the web on it much more than I expected due to the great browsing experience. I don't use a case for my iPhone, but I do have it wrapped in an invisibleSHIELD. I'm currently using the included headset & mic, but will likely upgrade to something with higher sound quality. Due to a family plan, I have the 700 minute iPhone plan with unlimited data and 200 text messages for $79.99 a month.

Sierra Wireless 875U AirCard with AT&T SIM. Well, you can't be mobile and productive without connectivity and this USB modem suffices for both. The 875U is relatively bulky, but provides me HSDPA speeds where available and falls back to EDGE in a pinch. I prefer a USB solution for data connectivity as I can use the solution across multiple devices. I have the unlimited data plan at $59.99 a month and might consider the unlimited AT&T hotspot plan for an additional $19.95 monthly.

ThinkOutside Sierra Bluetooth Keyboard. I snagged this for $98 and it's worth every cent. The keyboard folds into a small form factor yet unfolds to reveal a full-sized wireless keyboard. It pairs perfectly with my UMPC as well as other devices and provides me the option of a great keyboard when needed yet can be tucked away when I want to ink.

Motorola HS820 Bluetooth Headset. I call this "the frog" because of how it looks in the palm of your hand. It's well over two years old, but still works flawlessly with Bluetooth phones as well as for Skype conversations.

T-Mobile Dash. I purchased this for under $100 with a new T-Mobile plan, but it's now unlocked and used with the AT&T iPhone SIM as needed. This is one of the best Windows Mobile phones I've ever used and it got even better with a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6. If I'm carrying my iPhone, the Dash stays at home and vice versa. I don't feel the need to carry multiple phones.

Gadget Bag. You need something to carry around your gear and I settled on a bag from Booq. I've had it for a good three years and I don't believe they make this backpack model any longer. It's perfect for a notebook up to 12-inches in size and has plenty of pockets to carry additional items. Along with the above gadgets, the following are always in my bag: spare AAA battery, short USB cable, extra SD card, small cleaning cloth, and spare headphones.

Home office gear: coming soon.