By my count, I had upward of 20 individual pieces of tech in there. That didn’t include my Nikon DSLR (and adapters and card reader), or my iPod and those of each carried by the wife and three kids. That’s a lot of stuff. We personified tech-laden.

Fast forward a few years, and I find myself on a road trip stripped of much of that tech – lighter in the load and more efficient in the process.

Instead of a laptop and a tablet, I have an Acer 710 Chromebook – and my iPhone. The Acer powers up as fast as almost any tablet (11 seconds by my measure), and offers upward of seven hours of battery life.

My iPhone with unlimited 4G is a personal hotspot. So gone is the USB Internet adapter (though one could argue a USB Internet connection is infinitely more secure than an wifi / hotspot connection.

With Google Drive and my Carbonite account, I no longer need (though I still carry) a flash drive for documents in development. Before I leave for a road trip, I upload docs to Drive. As if I really need to – Carbonite backs up and makes accessible every document I have.

I’ve never been a fan of Bluetooth. It works, and I know some people love it. I’ve just never embraced it. So, gone is the Jawbone I’ve carried for years. Instead, I use my iPhone’s speakerphone, or my wired headphones.

Much of this came down to a conscious decision regarding what I deem important enough to carry with me.  That’s what it is – a conscious decision. All that stuff makes digging for something I really need – like my car keys at the bottom of the or a flash drive – a challenge.

That said, laptop bags have to encourage organization. I’ve reviewed a lot of backpacks – some with cavernous spaces and others with lots of nooks, pouches and compartments ideal for putting stuff where it belongs.

What I kept represents the reality of a minimalist road warrior. Among my accessories, I have a cable lock, the mini-power strip and a flash drive. Gone is the tablet and laptop, replaced by the Chromebook and iPhone (with its personal hotspot).

My laptop bag now feels foreign in some ways. It’s lighter, less bulky – and more easily navigated when I go looking for the stuff I really need.

I now have more space for stuff that matters – like an uncluttered mind.

Enter Soundfreaq Sound Rise ($99). This alarm clock is a feature-rich AM/FM radio and sound dock that brings robust sound to the home office or corporate cube.

So feature rich is this clock radio that you’ll feel like you’re disrespecting its creators calling it such. Actually, the folks at Soundfreaq call it a “Wireless Speaker with Alarm Clock.”
Just look at the instruction card to know you’ve plugged in something more.

After all, an alarm clock needn’t be just be an alarm clock. And weak, tinny sound isn’t some requisite sonic offering. Soundfreaq brings robust sound and a catchy, effective design to the equation. The angled, 2.1 speaker configuration projects sound into the bedroom or office via Bluetooth, line in or 30-pin iOS dock.

When perched in the dock, the iPhone becomes the centerpiece on the Soundfreaq’s mantle. It’s an aesthetically pleasing presentation.

Watching a movie on your tablet? It’ll stream that audio, too. The universal USB port is for charging only.

Its monolithic, felt-covered cube design offers understated beauty. The Sound Rise features a backlit, touch-button interface where the white outlines of the backlighting make for a dramatic look, especially in a darkened or dimly-lighted room.

Of course, it’s an full-featured alarm clock, too. In fact, it outpaces most other alarms, what with a multitude of rise-n-shine – or snooze-a-bit – settings. It has dual chiming alarms with a bevy of day-of-week / weekend / weekday / every day repetition settings. The sleep timer with 15 to 190-minute settings.

Come to think of it, from sound to design to features, Sound Rise is unlike most other – ahem – alarm clocks in a multitude of ways. Its size makes Sound Rise a perfect fit for the home office, office cube or bedside table.

With so many features, you may actually want to read that Instruction Card, if only to make sure you’ve not missed anything.

Today, camera gear – in most cases reduced to a digital SLR with a single zoom lens and built in flash – has been replaced by tech, and lots of it. Tablets, Bluetooth earpieces, MP3 players with earbuds, and, of course, the ubiquitous appendage-like smartphone.

Those who knew better always had a vest or jacket with plenty of pockets for their stuff. Prosumer photographers – and those of us who self-identified as such – wore them on summer adventures.
For many travelers, SLRs have been replaced by digital devices. But they still need the pockets.

Now matter how much stuff you stash, SCOTTEVEST has a solution. The SCOTTEVEST Travel Vest features 24 pockets for whatever tech you lug. Wireless phone, tablet, wallet and valuables, and yes, even a small digital camera, will find a home. There’s a place for a pad and pen, ID and a passport; beside the extendable key holder is a strap for a water bottle.

All that, and there’re still pockets for 10 or so more items.

Woven into the lightweight poly mesh interior – and the overall design – is the company’s Weight Management System. This ensures a comfortable, balanced load, and the “No-Bulge” pockets help users avoid the tell-tale signs of the traveling geek.

Makers claim airport security becomes a simple remove-and-toss in an x-ray bin – without removing any gear. To hear Scottevest say it, “This vest holds so much, you’ll feel like you got an exception to the one carry-on rule.” (Do they make shoes and belts, one must wonder)

Their patented and licensed Personal Area Network (PAN) system accommodates the wiring into the garment third-party electronics – like headphones, microphones, cell phones and other wired devices.

Constructed of lightweight, breathable and machine washable brushed cotton, it’s thin enough to control an iPod right through the fabric. The exterior, available in black lava, navy and khaki, sports a Teflon treatment that repels water and stains.

The combination of fabric and design is something the people at SCOTTEVEST call Technology Enabled Clothing. Users will call it the ultimate in comfortable utility. Now, if only other carry ons could be this efficient. ($125; Scottevest.com)

One device is the Soundfreaq Sound Rise ($99; Soundfreaq.com). Ostensibly an alarm clock, that moniker does this device no justice. With a 2.1 speaker configuration that sound across the bedroom or home office, it’s feature-rich with functionality that doesn’t steal undue space on the night side table or desktop. We’ll review it separately in another post.

The device under review today is the Kohler Moxie shower speaker ($149; us.kohler.com). Sure, homeowners and the generally hygienic and well-kept among us will know Kohler as the maker of high-end plumbing products and fixtures.

With the addition of the Moxie, the company has proven itself worthy of a broader consideration, especially by the high-school set. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

This isn’t some suction-cup-affixed shower speaker that someone dropped $10 on for a secret Santa giveaway. This is a very cool innovation – one that brings new meaning to the phrase, “streaming audio.”

Moxie is a combo showerhead and built-in Bluetooth wireless speaker system. Silly-simple to install and ready to blast tunes in about 30 seconds, it can change one’s thoughts about the simple act of showering.

Once the showerhead is screwed in (pipe dope not included), pop out the cone-shaped speaker unit from the center of the head (both can operate independently and separately from the other). Charge up the speaker’s lithium ion battery via USB (one charge lasts about seven hours, the spec sheet says). Ready to play? Turn on Bluetooth transmission on your smartphone, tablet or MP3 player (or wherever your music resides). In a matter of seconds, the two have paired – from up to 30 feet away.

Adjust the volume on your player (save that one Bluetooth button, the speaker has no controls), pop the speaker back into the shower head – and you’re off to the shower.

Heck, even the shower isn’t required. Because it’s portable, take the speaker with you anywhere.

No weak stream here. The showerhead is manufactured by Kohler, after all, so you get up to 2.5 gallons per minute of flow through 60 nozzles – all in a streamlined design.

Want to know how cool this is? When our youngest daughter, 15, learned about our Moxie, she immediately commandeered our bathroom. We lost her for 45 minutes – as our water heater and South Florida’s water table struggled to keep pace. She warned we’d better buy more Moxies – or she and her two siblings all may well be commandeering our shower – and our Moxie.

Twenty-four years spent working from home, and today I had my first batch of Ramen noodles. Along the way, I’ve hit a few other milestones and had a few epiphanies. For you teleworkers out there, these may not apply – especially if you work for Yahoo! But here are 11 that come to mind. Have any to add? Reply to share your experiences or realizations.

- Ramen Noodles for lunch (not because they’re cheap, but because they’re easy. As Pumba said, “Slimy, yet satisfying…’)

- A kid crying in the background during a client call

- A dog barking during a conference call (and by ignoring it, effectively passing it off as coming from the home office of someone else on the call)

- A client asking for a video conference, and you not having shaved and sporting a tank top

- Finally buying a bona fide desk, and retiring that door across a stack of cinder blocks

- Being on a first-name basis with the mailman, FedEx and UPS guy (and knowing each well enough to recognize when a sub’s on the route)

- Sleeping through the night realizing deadlines will get met. If not…

- Realizing it’s OK to nap at 2pm – especially since you started your shift before sunrise

- Realizing it’s OK to take a walk or a swim, exercise or shoot hoops during the “work day” – because, hey, you’re on your time

- No longer being chided for your chosen career location (and quite possibly your career itself) being called “that little thing you do from home”

- The nooner

Got any to share? Have at it…

Like Paper Or Plastic, Scrunch or Fold: What’s Your Preference: Early Bird or Night Owl?

So it’s 8am on a Wednesday morning. I’m sitting on the can reading a recent issue of Rolling Stone – the one with Mad Men’s Jon Hamm on the cover, looking all smooth and retro and stuff. Damn, Josh Eells is a good writer.

The current picture is a sad state, though. No, not Hamm’s uber-cool cover shot. Not really the picture of me taking in the article while taking, well, something else.

Our house is vacant, save Stella and me. And I’m spending a few minutes in solitary after four hours in the home office writing, filing and billing.

The picture I lament is that I’m reading a magazine already a few weeks old (whose cover subject stars in a show I’ve never seen). And this is the first time I’ve cracked the cover to delve inside. I’m sure I have older issues of Rolling Stone and Relix magazine – not to mention books and ezines – piling up on the commode’s tank or the floor beside my desk or my night-table or my inbox – everywhere I might find myself reading, but invariably do not actually read.

Not one to dawdle (much) on the throne, I’m done before I knock off Eells’ first 1,500 words or so. I plop the magazine back down on the floor. And that’s it. I won’t revisit the tale (after trying to remember where I left off) for another 24 hours. I’m a pretty regular guy that way.

Regular is the operative word here. I’m up at 4am, maybe 5. Every. Single. Day. Weekends, holidays and vacations included. That means, by the time I’ve started to learn about Jon Hamm, I’m four hours into my workday.

The lamentable flip side: My lights are out by 8pm.  Oh, I may stay awake longer, but mentally, I’m worthless toast by then. Hell, a 16-hour day? What more do you want from me? Thank G-d my kids are old enough to not demand my attention (two are in college; the high-schooler who remains is cocooned with her laptop and iPhone and TV in a multimedia-infused “study session.” Ooooh-k).

Where does all this leave me? Bereft of balance. I subscribe to RS and Relix with the intention of reading the magazines – not just to fill our recycle bin every month or three.

Look, my day is triaged in a way that typically works for me – kinda. When I wake up at 4am, it’s NOT to read or piss away (figuratively speaking) a morning full of pent-up productivity. If I’m gonna rise at that hour, I’m damn well gonna get paid for it.

Not that I have much choice. The deadline demons and bugaboos who haunt my sleep challenge me to arise early and kick some deadline butt.

Sixteen hours later, the Sandman beckons. And I oh-so-willingly oblige. I’m a sucker for slumber – even if it’s before Prime Time comes on the tube.

So that leaves part of me hungry for more – that part of me that would prefer to finish the five-pager on Hamm, or knock off RS or Relix in a sitting (completely doable). Or to spend some quality time with the wife and kid.

It also left me wondering – what’s better. Early bird or night owl? If I were a late riser, would I get stuff done in the evening, when family’s about? Or is it better to be an early bird who has the pin-drop quiet of a home at rest to tap out a day’s work before the day’s even started?

Honestly, I don’t really have a choice. If one believes – as I do – that his circadian rhythm is as hard-wired as blue eyes on the child of two blue-eyed parents, then my father’s early-rising tendencies are now my own to grapple with.

Oh, woe is me, you’ll say. As man debates existential issues orders of magnitude beyond my time-challenged sleep habits – like WFT Reese Witherspoon was thinking when she tongue-lashed the Atlanta cop – I’m piddling around with what’s better, early or late.

It may not bedevil Don Draper, Hamm’s character and apparent alter ego – he of scotch-dripped liver and smoke-caked lungs. But I bet a few home officers out there ponder these issues as deadlines loom.

As for me, it’s back to the other throne – the one in my home office, the one where paying work gets done, where I ponder the big issues, the one where I wonder when I’ll ever get to discover how Jon / Don makes it all happen. I may never know. Lord knows if I don’t have time to read, watching some drama like Mad Men – Emmy wins notwithstanding – is way outta bounds.

Hell, no disrespect to the writers and cast, but I’d probably sleep through it anyway…

Long a security feature for GMail users (no surprise there), it’s now available to Dropbox users and those with an Apple ID. It’s good news, given word that an Apple ID security flaw was revealed recently.

With the opt-in service, after you enter your user ID and password, the cloud service will ask for the additional verification code. Check your phone, type in the code, and you’re in. It’s ideal for teleworkers and road warriors who could find their laptops or tablets susceptible to theft. If the computer had the log-in credentials, a thief could access their accounts. With two-step, unless the thief also gets the cell phone, the account generally is safe.

The premise is that someone trying to hack your cloud account likely won’t have access to your phone.

Some believe two-step authentication is a nuisance. The only time it’s been so to this writer is when I tried to log into Gmail (and Google Drive) while flying. Sadly, my wireless carrier didn’t provide service at 30,000 feet. Hence, the verification code was waiting for me when I landed.

Too late.

But the real nuisance – which hasn’t yet happened (hear wood being knocked?) – comes to those email or cloud users who get hacked with simple single-step authentication. That is, they use a user ID and password. While it’s not infallible, two-step can be a vital protective measure.

To simplicity’s sake, I only use two-step authentication for my laptop and portable devices. I don’t require it on my desktop (if someone were to break into my home and steal my desktop, I think I’d have bigger issues to worry about; besides, they’d probably be logging in via a different IP address).

But two-step is the next step for computer security. Alas, only for those who take advantage of the service.

Some advisers say to take every tax deduction you legally have available. Some home officers fear the resulting possible (mythical?) red-flag that could arise and draw a tax audit.

Regardless of one’s perspective, this year might strengthen the argument to take the deduction. The White House announced in January news on tax filing for home officing. The IRS for this tax year is allowing home-based workers to deduct $5 per square foot of their office space. As the news media reported (lousy photo notwithstanding), the total deduction would be limited to 300 square feet, or $1500.  The change takes effect for tax year 2013, or effective when home-based workers file in 2014.

Some suspect the move will simplify deducting home office space for the some 3.4 million Americans who claim the deduction.

Again, the general caveats remain:

- The space must be used regularly and exclusively for work. No in-law or guest quarters between 5pm-9am.

- This also applies to teleworkers. But telework generally has been acceptable for those who telework at the pleasure of the employer, not as a convenience for the worker.

- Check with an accountant or tax planner to discuss your situation. Read more about the existing IRS rules.

The new line of rolling luggage from ECBC provides a host of innovative features conceived to serve the road warrior or teleworker. Want innovation? How about a charging pack compatible with most devices? ECBC’s FastPass system for a quicker and hassle-free travel through the TSA nuisance? How about a traveling companion that’s as durable as a road warrior him or herself. ECBC’s Exclusive Luggage Collection debutes in May 2013 at www.EC-BC.com; prices range from $349-$399.

The products include…

The Sparrow – Rolling Garment Bag Carry On. The Sparrow Rolling Garment Bag Carry On combines impeccable durability with attractive, classic styling. Foremost among its myriad of features, this bag boasts ECBC’s hugely popular FastPass system, which is a “TSA compliant” front zippered flap for all your electronic gear. When unzipped, it lies down flat through security scanners while keeping your electronics securely housed inside the high-density foam compartments. It can hold up to a 15” laptop and has a designated pocket for an iPad, iPad mini and power cords. It also comes complete with a portable recharging unit that can charge your small electronic devices when you don’t have access to a power outlet.. The center compartment features a fold out garment section, which allows you to organize your dress clothes and keep them wrinkle free by leaving them on their hangers. The bottom is a hard-shelled opening for an ample amount of folded clothes. At less than 22 inches, the Sparrow Rolling Garment Bag Carry-On helps you combine everything in one bag for short business trips, without going through the hassle of checking any luggage.

The Falcon – Rolling Duffle. The Falcon Rolling Duffels offer all the high capacity convenience of a duffle bag, combined with the innovation of ECBC’s TSA compliant FastPass system. When unzipped, it lies down flat through security scanners while keeping your electronics securely housed inside the high-density foam compartments. The exterior is made from extremely durable 1680D Ballistic Nylon and is abrasion and tear resistant. They can hold up to a 15” laptop and has designated pockets for an iPad, iPad mini and power cords. It also comes complete with a portable recharging unit that can charge your small electronic devices when you don’t have access to a power outlet. The bags have a water repellent coating that performs flawlessly in all climates and it also features the highest-grade hardware, zipper pulls, self-repairing YKK zippers and rubberized wheels that roll smoothly and quietly. The molded bottom has built-in impact-resistant skid plates for maximum protection of your contents. The bags feature 2” expandability so you can pack more for your return trip, with interior compression straps to condense and stabilize your load. If you want the most versatile duffle carry on ever, the 22” Falcon Rolling Duffle Carry On is the one for you. If you usually pack more than a carry on piece will hold, the 26” or 30” Falcon Rolling Duffle is just what you need.

Pegasus – Rolling Backpack Carry On. The Pegasus Rolling Backpack Carry On has the unique ability to be transported as both a backpack and a piece of rolling luggage, based on what the circumstances require. Additionally, it boasts ECBC’s hugely popular FastPass system, which holds up to a 15” laptop and has a designated pocket for an iPad, iPad mini and power cords. It also comes complete with a portable recharging unit that can charge your small electronic devices when you don’t have access to a power outlet. The Pegasus also features an ergonomically designed hide-away shoulder strap system with adjustment points and sternum strap, and an extremely comfortable back padding design. The main compartment opens up, horizontally like traditional luggage, to make it easier for you to pack all your items. The Pegasus Wheeled Backpack Carry-On is super versatile and great for multi-activity trips when both a backpack and wheels could come in handy. So you decide, carry it on your back or roll it down the street.

I’m always on the hunt for cool tools for the home office and my remote work bag. I wrote some time ago about the Belkin Mini Surge Suppressor with USB Charger. Today, it’s found a home beside my bed to charge my iPhone and tablet while I sleep (we all know the home office doesn’t reside solely in the “office.”

Then, there are those applications that save my butt or streamline my workflow. Two are Google Chrome (actually, the host of Google products, from Gmail to Picasa, Docs, Drive, Calendar – and how they sync so seamlessly with smart phones), and data back-up service Carbonite and its various features and functions. I may still have sleepless nights – but they’re not from fear of data loss.

But new tools and tips come along all the time. Like this MediaBridge Portable Surge Protector. Or a small white board for jotting quick notes and deadlines. Or this profile of Jason Pontin from MIT and how he works.

What are your hacks, tips or tricks that make your home office a better place to work?