For quite a while, I have been a ‘gadget girl’. I love researching all the latest gadgets I could use in my daily life. This is most evident by the number of cooking appliances I have in my laundry cupboard (they wouldn’t fit in the kitchen). From personal experience, I’ve found that there are a few must-have gadgets for women on the go.
Charge your device via your handbag
This is a fantastic Australian invention called the Hustle Bag, devised by the husband and wife team of Lisa and John Winters. They are specially designed bags and wallets with a built-in power pack that can charge a smartphone up to 4 times (a must when working from early morning till late at night). It is fitted with a Micro USB connector (for most smartphones except iPhones), as well as connectors for iPhone 4 and 5. The bag itself is charged via a charge pad (that comes with the Hustle Bag), which is AC powered.
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Find lost items
There are gadgets on the market that help you keep track of your items (or pets). Usually a small sticker or piece of plastic, they simply attach to (or slip into) whatever you want to track. They’re great for those who always are losing their keys, phones, wallets or simply need reminding of where their car is parked. Another useful application is for travellers to put them in their luggage, as some of the products will alert you on your mobile phone when they are near.
StickNFind is one product and Tile is another (due to ship in the Australian Autumn 2014). Both sync with mobile apps, which are used for tracking.
Broadcast your music
photo credit: Theen …
I own two Bluetooth popup speakers, the MOSHI Double Bass Burger and AirBeatz Portable Wireless Speaker. These are brilliant for listening to music on the go, as I simply need to turn them on and connect my phone via Bluetooth – no annoying cables required. These are small and can easily slip into a handbag. There are also larger bluetooth speakers (see here for reviews).
Listen to your music
Retrograde headphones are back (not just the ear buds) and I must admit they are vital on any flight especially when you have important work to get done or even just read a book in peace. In my view, it is essential to have noise-cancelling headphones for travelling (there are ear bud versions as well).
Popular brands such as BOSE, Sony, Beats, all produce these headphones, and CNET has just updated their review of these brands. They aren’t particularly cheap, but anything that lasts a long time and delivers outstanding sound is well worth it. I have owned a pair of BOSE Quiet Comfort 15 since 2007, and they are amazing at removing noise, especially on crowded trains. They are also exceedingly comfortable.
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Track your fitness
Ever wanted to know how many steps you have walked or calories you have burned? The FitBit Force is the latest to come out in the range of FitBit products. I had a FitBit Flex and loved using it, as it gave me motivation to hit those 10,000 steps every day. The FitBit Force is due on in Jan 2014 in Australia. Check out the latest review by PC Mag on this new product.
(Editor’s note: We’ve done a round-up of fitness devices previously, if you’re curious about other options).
Transport your gadgets in style
A must for any businesswoman or entrepreneur is to have a stylish laptop handbag whether for your PC/Mac and iPad. I find it so much easier to go to a business meeting with clients with my laptop handbag rather than a backpack. I love the Zafino range for both laptop handbags and rolling laptop bags as they are both stylish and extremely practical, with lots of pockets – a must in any laptop handbag. I also love that it is an Australian brand developed by Mindi Chisholm from Sydney.
There are many more gadgets out there worth looking into, but these are the ones I own and use on a regular basis. They have, without a doubt, made my working life (and life in general) much easier.
What items do you find invaluable when travelling on business? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Featured Image: LoKan Sardari. Other photos kindly provided by the companies.
Megan Iemma
Technology Coach and “IT” girl Megan Iemma is a thought leader in the world of technology and its uses. An educator and techno geek, Megan combined her passions for education and technology and founded Tech Coach HQ working with businesses and their teams to improve processes and embrace the productivity technology has to offer.
