Gorillapod gives flexibility
REVIEW | Lets you mount items on a tripod that turns the way you need
Most of you reading this are all too aware that it's been many years or even several decades since the nature of your Spring Break travel activities moved from MTV to, say, MSNBC. Out went the consumption of alcohol through novelty delivery systems; in went an all-consuming worry that Stacy won't Blackberry the Q3 projections to you in time for your 1:30 at Corporate.
The good news is that you still get to celebrate all of the hassles of airports and hotels.
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No, wait, scratch that: the good news is that there are some quite cool and affordable little doo-dads that make traveling with technology substantially less eye-gouge-ey.
At the top of my list: the Gorillapod Go-Go. The Gorillapod looks like an alien hand, with three long fingers composed of at least a half a dozen rubberized knuckles each. The big idea is that in addition to standing it up as a table tripod, you can also bend the legs into any position and make it grip around whatever steady fixture is available.
The original Gorillapods fit into any device with a tripod mount. But Joby (www.joby.com) has taken the smallest edition of this winner and added a simple but transformative improvement: a set of swappable device mounts that allow you to use the Gorillapod with any device whatsoever. The Go-Go (shipping later this month for $34.95) comes with the standard tripod mount, plus an adhesive shoe for permanent mounting onto any device, plus a suction cup that allows a steady but temporary fix to any device with a smooth, flat surface. If you already own a Gorillapod, the mounts are available separately for $12.
It's definitely in that category of ''just buy it; you'll find a use for it before too long.'' During my trip to the University of Colorado last week, the Go-Go turned my iPhone into a seatback video screen on my flights; acted as a tripod for the pocket digital recorder I record my talks with; it even worked as a mobile mount for my GPS that was far more packable than the window suction cup that the unit shipped with.
One of the most troubling bits about traveling with tech gear is that they rather arrogantly insist on regular doses of electricity. Hotels believe that giving you one outlet at the base of a lamp represents caliph-like indulgence, and when bad weather packs airport terminals with stranded fliers, trying to get a power outlet for a few minutes is like trying to get a T-bone away from a rottweiler.
There are two solutions that I keep in my carry-on. The first is Monster Cable's intensely clever Outlets-To-Go power strip (mon stercable.com). It delivers four or six outlets, and the fact that they're arranged so that you can plug a fat power brick into each one is nice enough. But they're fitted with a stubby wall cord that wraps around the strip once and then plugs into one of its own outlets, resulting in a package that slips easily into any pouch or pocket.
The 4-outlet model is $20; it's $30 for 6 outlets.
The other solution is to simply take your electricity with you. I've used APC's UPB10 Mobile Power Pack for a good while (apc.com). It works a treat for phones, media players, and games. It's a thin, shirt-pocket-sized battery with a USB port. Once you've charged it up, and it'll serve power to any USB-powered device you plug into it; you'll go from a dead phone back to normal operations in just the time it takes for you to thank God you didn't pack the phone's charging cable in with the checked baggage. It lists for $70, but Amazon stocks it for $45.
Granted, the ability to charge your phone no matter where you are is a bit of a letdown compared to wet T-shirt contests. But at least your current spring break activities don't come with a risk of acquiring either an embarrassing tattoo or a lifetime of alimony payments.
Andy Ihnatko writes on technology issues for the Sun-Times.
