As much as I love Star Trek and everything Sci-fi, and consider myself a nerd, mostly of movies, and a dork… in just about everything else, I have to admit that my technological skills have been lacking.
I may refer to my smart phone as a tricorder, but straight up, I rarely use it for anything more than a camera that makes phone calls.
However, during my recent road-trip and trip overseas, I decided I wanted to change that.
I own several nifty gadgets that rarely see the light of day. I have a classic iPod, that I might just sell on eBay after reading of their odd value. I have an iTouch, that has music on it that I don’t have in my library (don’t ask). I have a video camera that I used to film 3 nutrition classes I offered about 5 years ago, a couple weeks after I bought the camera and never used it again. I have a coming 5 year old smart phone that I love and have used to take zillions of pictures and videos. Add to this small list a laptop and a nook tablet.
While preparing for my recent trip, I had all these gadgets packed up and ready to be carried to the TARDIS (had been calling it the shuttle craft, but my old minivan was the shuttlecraft, and this one is blue, so TARDIS seemed to fit better), and I had a moment of clarity (it happens) and realized I was being silly. I had not used any of these gadgets in months or years, what made me think that on this trip I was going to use them? I had my landing party (3 dogs) with me and I really thought that would be all I really wanted to handle.
And for the most part, I was right.
I took the tricorder, of course, and the tablet. I had anticipated using the tablet at the airport and on the plane. I did play a game of sudoku but the dozens of great books that I had loaded went untouched. I also had not used the tablet extensively to get onlline and so when it came time to do so in Prague, I had trouble and so just used my friends iPad mini.
My tricorder was set on airplane mode so that I could use it as a camera, which is much better than the actual camera I had bought just before the smartphone. I was very happy… or at least content, with the pictures I was getting until standing right next to my friend who was taking the exact same picture with her iPhone. But… it wasn’t the exact same picture. Hers were way better.
That’s when I started to question whether it was time to upgrade. <gasp>
Assuming there are a handful of other oddballs like me out there, whose first mode of transportation is a TARDIS (minivan or some such similar vehicle) a shuttlecraft (the moped) or a horse (uhm… just a horse), I thought I’d share my thoughts.
I was seriously looking at the iPhone 6+ with grand ideas of using it as my traveling captain’s log, but I do take a LOT of one-handed pictures as the other is grasping a steering wheel or reins, so I decided to go smaller.
After a month and a half of reading articles and reviews and forums, I decided on the Galaxy S5. However, unlike other reviewers, I have nothing negative to say about the Apple or HTC lines or anybody else. All good products. You would probably be very happy with any one of them assuming it is not a lemon.
My goal is to get a microsd card, 128 gigs, and put all my music on it to have access through my new tricorder (the Galaxy S5, in case you are getting lost in my alter-ego lingo), and sell my iPod. One less gadget.
That brings me to applications. I only recently learned about some great applications for a writer and speaker (a storyteller like myself). One is Evernote, which as I write I am downloading to my old tricorder and my new tricorder so that everything sincs up.
On my list of apps to research is:
- a good GPS, so I don’t drive through two states that are really not on my way between points A and B.
- Possibly a video editing tool for the tricorder and tablet.
- Maybe a music playing something or other. Clearly this one needs more research.
I invite you to share application suggestions, particularly for speakers and writers and travelers.
I am a humorous and inspirational speaker and writer, but Storytelling is my love. I am an open-networker and invite you to connect. Please feel free to join the conversation on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @Dachia .
The above was originally published on LinkedIn.
Photo supplied by FrameAngel and freedigitalphotos.net