How many digital devices do you carry?

Fidelity Observer wants everyone to do a little exercise, right now. Think of the last time you travelled to the office, or went on business, and count the number of digital devices on your person. Look in your pockets, briefcase, or on your wrist. For most people, it's almost guaranteed that it's at least three, and as many as six or seven.

I went through this exercise myself on a recent business trip. It occured to me that the digital device explosion was getting out of hand, when I counted the following items filling my pockets and briefcase while I was packing. There were the following items:

1) Laptop
2) Mobile phone
3) USB flash drive
4) iPod
5) PDA
6) Digital voice recorder.

There would have been seven items if I had brought my watch, but I seldom do anymore because three of the other devices I am carrying -- the PDA, laptop, and mobile phone -- can tell the time. Bringing a watch would have been redundant.

The overkill doesn't end with telling the time. I was carrying five devices capable of playing back audio (the laptop, phone, iPod, PDA, and voice recorder), three devices with some sort of calendar function (laptop, PDA, and iPod) and several devices capable of serving as near-range flashlights (the phone, iPod, and PDA).

Did I need all of these devices? I certainly used them all, but probably could have gotten by without the iPod and USB flash drive. But they serve useful functions, too -- the iPod for entertainment on the plane, and the USB drive to backup and transfer crucial files on my laptop.

As people living in modern society, digital devices certainly can make us more productive as workers, or make life more enjoyable, but they can also be a burden -- not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of lugging the darned things around! It would be great if some of these functions could be effectively merged into a single device, so I wouldn't have to carry so many.

So do your own digital device inventory. I'd be curious to know -- do you think that you really need them, or are they more in the line of entertainment devices, or even status devices?

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