30 March, 2009

My Top 10 Freelancer Gadgets for 2009


To say that herding together the top ten gadgets for 2009 freelancers used is a break-sweat job is an underestimation. For one, the difference between a freelancer and a regular waged earner employee is nothing sort of the regularity of the pay, although an over-the-edge industrious freelancer may contest otherwise.

Essentially, both artisans perform similar role, the full-timer, chartered by the company he works for in a regular pay out, while the freelancer is contracted by companies of varying scale and remuneration clauses. And since both may share the same purpose, I would rather compile the ensembles of these gadgets out of the adjunct of mobility, all and sundry.

It would be so, because freelancers solely rely on the spry impositions of their handiworks, often
achieved by the handy assimilation of their tools and technology. They are the road warriors of today, the shapers of tomorrow, and a stickler to anything light, compact, and versatile.

Let’s see the gears that move their dexterity:

1. Apple MacBook Pro
While the MacBook Pro lacks score cards in the minuscule department, its sheer computing power is sure to wow the freelance graphic artist, photographer, and multimedia artists.

Sporting an Intel Core 2 Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB memory on 16-lane PCI Express, and a fast SATA technology, it prevailed to be one of the “must have toys” of the performance imperious graphic artists. And not only does it perform well, it also has the following output to boot: ExpressCard/34 slot, Dual-link DVI, VGA adapter, FireWire 400 port,
two USB 2.0 ports, optical digital and analogue audio I/O. Not compact enough, but still portable, MacBook Pro redefines mobility without compromise in its performance.


2. Samsung NC110

This is a top notch technology for mobile mavericks, all because of its outstanding mobile feature, a high-capacity battery that could stand the entire day of computing use.

The one-upmanship of having practically 10hours(9.3hours, to be exact) of battery usage is claimed by Samsung amidst the whole slew of low-powered netbooks in the market. This 10.1 inch screen wonder continued to enthrall freelance writers due to its 93%sized-keyboard, dodging off the gripe of most compact sized netbooks.

Samsung NC110 is powered by Intel Atom CPU and incorporated with 1.3megapixel webcam for you to have video conversations-cum-brain storming with the entire editorial board, while you are away and have a comforting sip of coffee at a Starbucks corner.

And you needn’t worry about battery life after, you still have an ample of them for you to revise, over haul, or rewrite your article before the juice runs out.












3. Olympus E-420

Coined as the small wonder in the family of digital SLR’s, the Olympus E-420 is sure to stun heavy wallop in terms of performance delivery. This is probably one of the smallest, if not the smallest, dSLR in the world, yet despite its frugal size, it manages to yield a 2.7inch LCD into the
camera. Having a professionally aristocratic, textured finished build quality, it provides exorbitant of comfort to the hands of freelance photographers.

Rafts of features includes 10.0 megapixel sensor, True Pic III processor, face detection and shadow adjustment technologies, a Live View monitor function that permits composing and capturing images, manual controls as well as auto and 18 pre-programmed scene modes, and a 100-1600 ISO sensitivity range.


Whoever thinks size is a trade off of decent professional camera should think again.


4. Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive


Toshiba, an indomitable, powerhouse name in the field of computing once again brought us the finest of its array of products. This time it’s an external portable drive with a rugged antishock aluminum casing to withstand normal wear and tear in the life of a freelance multimedia or content management specialist.

Available in capacity variants such as 100GB, 120GB, 160GB, and 200GB, it can already support OS’s Windows XP/Vista and Mac OS X 10.3.9.

Ideal for those freelancers stern in archiving their works while constantly on the go, the Toshiba USB 2.0 External Portable Drive is housed in a semiruggedized casing, with internal air-filled bladders cushioning the drive mechanism and isolating it from the outer metal casing, taking the beating of a daily run and use.

5. Nokia E71


Nokia has the uncanny ability to churn out model after model every quarter or two, getting us snowed under an avalanche of their newest after the newer offerings. But who could ignore such a lovely, professional looking QWERTY thumboard phone. With an arresting metallic seduction slapped into its slim body, this is probably one of the thinnest and sexiest Nokia phone to date.

Notable features include320x240 QVGA display for a sharp-splendid view even in outdoors, a 3.2megapixel camera if you’re taking random shots on moving subjects, in cases of cursory moments.

It also has a GPS, WiFi, and A2DP Bluetooth, for every connectivity access that you need, whether connecting directly through the web or wirelessly synchronizing to your workstation. And being a business centric device that it is, it also comes with the whole gamut of PIM(personal information management) functions such as office application and email. Indeed, this phone has got all the superlatives of features needed for all types of freelancers.


6. Planon Docupen RC805


This nifty device would probably make James Bond spy gadgets a
run for their lives.

This latest breakthrough from Planon is a second iteration of their
first monochrome handheld scanner, this time offering the public
with full colors.

Accordingly, RC800 is capable of storing 100's of pages into its memory and it takes just seconds to scan a page with different scan modes to choose from: black and white, standard color or high 24bit color and the resolution from 400 to 600 dpi.

Now you need not bring the entire newpaper and crop the needed material/article at home, you can easily scan it and just download the scanner’s memory to your laptop through USB port. You can easily scan color documents, pictures and import them into Paperport software, included in the software.

How cool and neat, isn’t it?


7. Canon PIXMA iP90v

Coffeemate to your coffee, milk to your cereals, and a Canon PIXMA iP90v to your laptop, wirelessly bound to each other.

This printer is compact and lightweight for you to tuck it into your laptop bag’s divider pocket. This PictBridge compliant printer has the ability to instantaneously print while being connected to your digital camera on a USB cable. But if you prefer wireless method, it also is IrDA and bluetooth-enabled.

Apart from the compact, handy exterior ideal for freelancers who are always mobile, it will also produce amazing print out results: pleasing color saturation, smooth gradients, and impressive details in the
photo elements.

With Canon PIXMA iP90v, not only you’ll be taking your specimens with you, you’ll also be bringing the convenience of your darkroom as well.


8. Swiss Army SwissFlash USB

MacGyver move over, will lyeah.

This is a freelance electronic technician’s best friend. It’s a pretty much straightforward multi- purpose tool that has the auxiliary premium for saving schematic diagram and any data through its USB drive.

This is a proliferation of technology, practicality, materials, and quality design, rolled into one.
What’s worth mentioning is the skillful integration of the high-output white LED light which is extremely bright, and due to redundant LED design does not generate any heat.

Now you don’t need to grope and rumple your way to the dark spots of your working area just to look for that missing screw, just flash the light, seek and you shall find.

9. Garmin nüvifone M20

There’s more than meets the eye of this snazzy device.

The powerhouse union of the two of the best devices in their respective worlds
now brought us the powerful device of tomorrow. Asus, known for their excellent
rudiments of pocketpc phones espoused Garmin, the pioneer trailblazer of the
best GPS navigational systems in town, bringing this equally formidable force to reckon with.

It’s a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional phone that has a dual-band 3.5G/tri-band GSM phone with Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11 b/g) and Bluetooth. Coursing in a 2.8 inch display with VGA (640x480) resolution, built-in microphone and speakers, built-in 4G/8G My Storage, and ActiveSync for Outlook, Microsoft Office, and multi-media synchronization, this is a perfect mate of those freelancer whose office is practically wherever that leads him.

Lost? Can’t get your way to your client? Worry no more, it comes with preloaded maps and points of interest (POIs): hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, malls, bars, fuel stations.
It’s a concierge, albeit digitally at your fingertips.


10. SmartBro USB Kit

Station locally, but operate globally.

That would be the favorite motive and a guiding principle of today’s
freelancers, as they can virtual propose their service portfolio to the other
parts of the world via SmartBro 3G/HSDPA/GPRS Modem kit. It comes with post paid and prepaid plan, what good is a laptop with the seamless
connection to the world wide web.

What’s laudable with this tool is that it isn’t geographically dependent to the
location of the access point. As long as there is a Smart signal, there is a channel for data packets available for you to use. The USB modem itself has read-only storage, so the drivers for Windows and OS X (Tiger and Leopard) are included. Just plug it to your USB port and run the SmartBro software in your laptop and you’re good to go.

It’s an on-demand broadband service, wherever, whenever.
/JRC