The Technology I Own, 2011 edition

In 2009, I wrote about the technology I own.

In 2011, I own less.   My devices have converged and everything I need is available in two products:

1.  A Macbook Air 11" with 4G of RAM and 128 G of SSD running Mac OSX 10.7.2.  The only software I've added is Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.  Nothing more.

2.  An iPhone 4S on the Verizon network.   For 2012, I've concluded that CDMA is the best network in the US, while GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G is the best network in the rest of the world.   The iPhone 4S is the first Apple product that enables me to leverage both technologies.   I've retired all my still and video cameras, my dictation devices, and most importantly, my Blackberry.

Starting in 2003, I was one of the first adopters of Blackberry technology, carrying the trusty 850 which was basically a push email device that looked like a pager.

From 2003-2011, I've sent over 3 million emails from these devices.   Unfortunately, my current needs are more than text messaging.   I need to read complex documents, access numerous web resources, and run a rich array of local applications.

The simplicity of owning two devices is that I carry only two small power supplies, a VGA dongle, and less than 3 pounds in my briefcase.

The iPhone weighs 4.9 ounces

The Macbook Air weighs 2.38 pounds.

The user interfaces, software applications, and engineering on the two devices is very similar, which means a fast learning curve and great synergy.

It's amazing that in 2012 I will not own any music equipment, any video equipment, any camera equipment, a desktop, or a land line phone.   All I will own is an Air and a 4S.  

As with many things in life, less is more.

Two years from now, my parsimony of devices (2) may converge further to a single device.   My prediction is that it will not be a Blackberry, which by 2013 is more likely to be associated with fruit sellers than IT organizations.