New Tech for Travel

My monthly trips to Texas add up and I finally realized that I should improve my jerry-rigged laptop accessories that always seem not quite right….and fragile too because they are cumbersome to pack. My husband helped me make some improvements.

He suggested that I buy a second Bluetooth mouse that I could keep in my travel bag rather than always needing to grab the mouse from my desk at home. I bought the same Microsoft Mobile Mouse (different color) that I use at home; it is flatter than most mice making it easier to pack.

I had been traveling with my desktop keyboard (I don’t like to use the laptop keyboard but that makes the screen too low to be comfortable for long) but the keyboard is too long to fit in a laptop bag. So – my husband purchased a keyboard that didn’t have a number keypad (Logitech MX Keys Mini) which easily fit in a traditional laptop bag. It is very easy to make the adjustment between the keyboards since the keys I use are the same size as on the longer keyboard!

The most different upgrade was a travel sized external monitor – a 13.4-inch Intehill 4K Portable Monitor. My laptop is a Dell XPS 13; at home I have two large monitors and don’t used the PC screen; but when I travel, I run apps in full screen mode on that 13-inch screen…so having a second screen means that I can work more typically…with more than one app in view! It won’t be exactly the same…but a considerably improvement. I tested out the connection and power…the monitor works with one cable between itself and the laptop. Easy! The cover for the monitor makes a stand but it didn’t seem stable enough so I will probably add a bookstand that folds flat to my bag.

Everything fits neatly into a bag I’ve had since laptops were considerably thicker. The laptop, external monitor, and keyboard fit in the padded interior; the cables, charger, and mouse fit an outer pocket; the folded book stand fit in an outer zippered area that was originally for paper!

 I am looking forward to trying my new tech during my next week in Texas!