Audio mp3 player

Small gadgets really can contribute to productivity : TypeIt4Me, extension cord, MP3 player all have practical uses - Column

It's time to take a break from the "big issues" and talk about something that's still important, but more basic and definitely more fun.

As someone running a small business, I've encountered some bits of technology that I've found indispensable.

Let me start with something totally low tech -- the six-inch extension cord. So far I have five of them, and I love every one of them. Every now and then I even take one of them to a pub or social event and defy everyone to tell me what possible use a six inch extension cord could be. So far only one person has been able to figure it out in spite of multiple hints.

Give up? How many power bricks do you have (i.e., DC transformers for peripherals like scanners or hubs or cradles), and how many outlets in each of your power strips are covered up by each one?

I have at least a dozen power bricks for assorted peripherals -- each consuming about an ounce of energy. Each one covers two or three "normal" outlets in a power strip. The result is that I used to have power strips plugged into power strips plugged into power strips . . . you get the picture.

Buy some six-inch extension cords and two or three power bricks miraculously end up taking up only one spot in your power strip.

And now for something completely different.

One of the best pieces of shareware I've ever encountered is a Mac utility called TypeIt4Me. I'm sure there are counterparts in the Windows world but I can't point to one just yet.

The general idea is that we all end up typing some stuff over and over again. It might be just name, address and phone number, or possibly a favourite quote or URL. TypeIt4Me let's me store as many of these as I care to enter, and spells them out for me when I enter an abbreviation. For example, I'll enter "age" and it will be replaced with "Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill."

That's cool and incredibly useful in many situations.

Can it get any better than this? Do you have an MP3 player? I have two of them. The first one I bought was for music while jogging, since both cassette players and Discmans are useless for this, no matter how much anti-skip memory they offer.

But I bought my second MP3 player for audio books. My Rio 500 has 64MB of memory, which is enough to store about one hour of CD quality music. However, that same 64MB device will hold 32 hours of spoken word! I can take three volumes of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series read by Douglas Adams himself, plus a Steven King novel and still have room to spare. This is the ultimate commuter's solution, and a great way to spend any time when your hands and eyes are occupied.

Check out Audible.com for that one. The players are almost free if you sign up for a book subscription.

This leads me to a related gadget. I don't approve of people using headsets while driving any more than cellphones. But if you have an in-car cassette player, there are adapters for external devices like MP3 players to play through your car stereo. But who has a cassette player anymore?

The solution for those of us with CD players is a small radio-frequency transmitter that broadcasts from your MP3 player (or whatever) to the FM tuner in your car at an unused frequency.

So for your next commute you could listen to an overview of XML or George Gilder's explanation of why the Internet consumes more electricity than the entire country of Italy. Your choice.

Another small wonder that goes with me everywhere is my Xircom Rex. It's a credit card sized (actually PC card in dimensions) personal organizer that makes the Palm or RIM devices look like elephants. I keep mine in my credit card case without sacrificing much room for my actual cards.

No, there's no handwriting input or keyboard, but for a contact database, calendar and portable note transporter. This is a real gem. It even comes with synchronization software for not only conventional desktop software like Outlook or Palm Desktop, but also many Web-based PIM apps like you'll find on Yahoo! And, all for a price tag of about $70 Canadian.

Those are some of my favourite toys/tools right now, and they've all contributed substantially to my productivity. As I acquire any more of these small unsung marvels, I'll keep you posted.

Charles Whaley is a Toronto-based IT consultant and market analyst with Information Technology Enterprises. cwhaley@ITEnterprises.com