Chances are good that if you happen to work in technology or you're a consultant, that you may be working remotely or from a home-based office at some time soon - or perhaps you already do. If so, there's loads of cool technology around these days that will make your life much simpler and make you more productive. The following are 10 gadgets and pieces of technology that I suggest for any remote worker.

1. 10 Must Have Gadgets and
Technology for the Remote
Office
Technology for the Home-based Worker
@gletham

2. 10 Must Have Gadgets for
the Remote Office
Chances are good that if you happen to work in technology or you're a
consultant, that you may be working remotely or from a home-based
office at some time soon - or perhaps you already do. If so, there's loads of
cool technology around these days that will make your life much simpler
and make you more productive. The following are 10 gadgets and pieces
of technology that I suggest for any remote worker.
@gletham

3. 1. Large Display / Monitor
Having a large Video display is crucial, and luckily, nice and cheap these
days. Get yourself a 27" monitor or perhaps an iMac with a killer 27"
display. You'll appreciate the screen real estate when multi-tasking or
streaming a webinar or other online event and most important, your eyes
will appreciate it. About the only time when large screens aren't desirable
in my mind is for your laptop. You may crave a big display when on the
road, however, if you plan on toting a laptop around with you for several
days you'll really appreciate the 11" netbook over the 17" Samsung brick!
@gletham

4. 2. Tablet
You may think that an iPad is a luxury and just a "toy", however, as a
mobile worker I have no doubt that you'll quickly fall in love with your
laptop and pretty soon will never be caught dead without it. My iPad2 has
replaced my netbook almost entirely, the battery always seems to have
some juice. An iPad coupled with a dropbox account, some headphones,
and a coffee is all you need to be productive any time and any place. Bonus,
the iPad is an amazing tool to give someone a quick demo or show off a
video too
@gletham

5. 3. Smartphone
The other device I'd be absolutely lost without is my smartphone as is the
case with most people reading this I'm sure! I won't pitch brands here as
we all have our own preference. I use an Android, touch smartphone
(Galaxy S II) which has served me well for 2 years now. I have an
additional 16 GB memory card inside (always try to max out your memory
if possible) and can be reached any time, any place. I also have another
spare, unlocked smartphone for International travel.. this is priceless!
Having an unlocked device means you can drop in a SIM card when you
travel.. so imagine going to Europe and you simply buy a 30 day card, voila,
you are now online. For you Canadians who go to the US for business, you
can pick up a SIM card at T-Mobile for relatively cheap and have data
access immediately without getting killed on roaming fees.
@gletham

6. 4. Video
Video is all the rage, I'm sure you are well aware of this. Most home-based
workers will at some time be asked to take part in a video conference, a
webinar, Google+ hangout or other live or recorded web event. Don't be
caught off guard by being invited to hangout with someone online and
having to explain that you don't have a video camera! Most modern laptops
and notebooks come equipped with a video camera for video conferencing
or Skype etc... Depending on what you want to accomplish you may have a
need for a higher quality video camera that will provide you with the ability
to easily create a video demo, live stream or video webcast. Tools like
Skype, Facetime, Google+, YouTube hangouts, uStream and other video
services will definitely be your friend when working remotely. Consider
also a decent portable video camera...
@gletham

7. 5. Microphone
Many computers or devices will come with an internal microphone for
recording. However, for a Google hangout, or for creating a recorded
presentation you'll likely want a decent quality microphone. You have
many choices available and you also may with to purchase a headset /
microphone combination. Don't be stuck without the ability to record
audio... for huge cost savings I also suggest using Google calling or a
similar VOIP calling service for all your calls - you'll need a microphone for
this.
@gletham

8. 6. Speakers / Headphone
Headphones are no brainer for the at home worker. There will be times
when you need to listen to a call, a video, a webinar or ?? and there may be
some annoying background noise like family members or maybe a
construction worker outside your door... a headset will save you! If you
plan on doing professional quality audio/video recordings or maybe you
just love music, consider a high-end set of headphones as a treat - perhaps
some Dr. Dre beats or a pair of Bose headphones. if anything, you'll
appreciate them the next time you have a layover in an airport or a crying
infant sitting near you on a plane! @gletham

9. 7. Wireless Peripherals
Think wireless when purchasing gadgets... you can't go wrong! Get
Bluetooth or WiFi wireless enabled gadgets and technology whenever
possible... you never know what kind of configuration you may wind up
mashing up. I have a BlueTooth Speaker, WiFi tablet, smartphones,
headphones and more...
@gletham

10. 8. Audio Cable (3.5 mm)
I need sound.. I typically need some noise or music streaming in the
background but I also have a need to listen in on webcasts, Google
hangouts, and other live events... I also use Google calling for most of my
phone calling. Having the ability to stream all of my audio through a high-
end speaker is awesome and very simple to do. Chances are good that
almost all of the latest Audio devices will support a 3.5 mm audio jack so
having a cable around to connect will be a life saver. I use my cable to
connect the iPad to my stereo and wireless speaker, I can also reconnect
my computer and run the sound through my stereo system - very handy!
Note, I also have a variety of USB male/female configuration cables that
have all been handy at some time
@gletham

11. 9. Memory
At some time you will need to share a file, documents, images or ?? and a
cloud service like Google docs (Drive), dropbox or other may not be useful.
I always have USB flash drives in my backpack and perhaps the most useful
form of external memory is an SD card with a MicroSD adapter. The
memory will be supported by almost any device and will prove very handy
to you... be sure to get at least an 8 GB card or splurge for a 16GB. One of
the handiest gadgets I have is a cool USB/MicroSD adapter... imagine
plugging your MicroSD from your smartphone into any USB drive - handy!
@gletham

12. 10. Power
When you work from a home-based office chances are pretty good that
you'll be traveling for your work. You may not be flying around the World
(although that would be cool), however, you will be making client visits,
working from other locales like airports, the library, coffee shops, co-
working establishments and others. You'll need power so don't forget about
this! Keep batteries charged up in your devices, keep some AA and AAA
batteries on hand for those portable gadgets, and invest in auto charging
cables for your smartphone and tablet. I also have a couple of portable
international chargers for travel (don't be forced into buying one at the
airport one day) as well as extra cables for my smartphone (if you have
USB supported devices this is best as they can all share the same cable
hopefully). Finally, buy yourself a small power bar or other extension cord
to share with others when you happen to be stuck at a busy spot with no
outlets... you'll make friends fast! Note, Apple also has a cool, World travel
adapter
@gletham

13. Other Tips and Articles
● Amazing Social Media Visualization - TweetPing Maps The World's Twitter
Activity in Real Time
● Social Media Tips – 10 Useful Add Ons To Enhance Your Instagram Experience
● Twitter Building the User Interest Graph to Appeal to Advertisers
● Improving your Web SEO and Twitter Reach With Hashtags #SocialTip
#Twitter
● 10 More Twitter add Ons For the Business User
@gletham

14. Image credit
OpenClipArt
● LCD Monitor
● Tablet
● Smartphone
● Video
● Microphone
● Headphones
● WiFi
● Cassette
● Flash Drive
● Plug
@gletham

15. EMAIL ME
Go ahead and blast me an email if you like
gletham@gmail.com
@gletham

16. Glenn Letham
@gletham
about.me/gletham
@gletham