Road Tech

Any product manager will tell you that thorough field testing is one
important key to success. This trip has been a good test for some of
the tech that I have brought along. Here's the short list of what I
have used, and also what has been dead weight.
Blackberry phone: the Pearl has performed pretty well, logging most of
these blog entries. However I desperately wish I had a full QWERYT
keypad like my abandoned G1.
Canon Powershot: in addition to the celeb endorsement of miss
Sharipova I love the great pictures from this little camera.
Creative Vado HD Video camera: while I haven't posted any video
(mostly due to time constraints) I love the quality of this little
8GB, 720p camera.
Tripod: used one a lot in the beginning, but got lazy and just hold
whatever camera I am using.
Thinkpad laptop: a lot of bulk, but has been like butter for typing
compared to the blackberry. Mosly used when staying at an inn.
MP3 CDs: made from iTunes random lists, these have been great
soundtracks for the trip.
IPod: mostly used to listen to Audible audio books.
Deadweight: voice recorder, big mag flashlight, various cables, GPS
(however I use the phone GPS quite a bit), and some other odds and
ends.
For the most part my tech has worked pretty well. Having even a slow
connection to the internet has been critical to the success (and
sanity) of this adventure. Email access has been surprisingly reliable
and useful.
With the exception of the two repairs that were done, the truck (or
Huey as a friend so named) has done quite well. The humidity has
gripped ahold the deeper south I travel and right now it feels like
permanently sitting in a bathroom after a very hot shower. My air
conditioning works very well, but labors the engine and I can feel the
frame of the truck heat up to the point of discomfort underneath my
feet, so I keep it off most of the time. I know that looking back
some years from now I will be grateful to have not only seen a great
cross section of this country, but to have felt the breath of so many
different geographic areas pass over a sunburned left arm dangling
outside the window. A pretty low-tech solution for our natural need
to connect with the places we visit.

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Sent from my mobile device