Entrepreneurs more than likely don’t have an office. They work from remote locations, coffee houses, their couch, bed, car, using their laptop, desktop, mobile phone, tablet, or any smart device they have with an internet connection and that enables them to connect to their chosen ecosystem of social media and website. 

Here is a list of the favorite gadgets I swear by that are truly remarkable and have made the 18k miles flown this 2018 a bliss keeping me as productive and as productive as possible. 

Chargers

We depend on our smartphones and tablets to stay connected to clients, family, socialites and the latest greatest with how is Tony Stark going to save us in Avengers 4 (maybe that last one is just me.) 

These two chargers mentioned here are my favorite ones. For plug-in options the Belkin has always delivered the best options and customer service ever since I had my job at Apple back in 2007. The fact that you obtain the wall and car charger plus an independent USB + (the one for your device) connection is great! The cable is resistant, strong and long. All three qualities that make it superior to Apple’s original charging cable IF that is your phone type. Apple knows how to design stuff. Especially how to design it to break it so you buy more. Capitalism?

For those who love wireless charging, I know I do, I present you this option. In my household I am an iPhone user (of course!) and my wife is an android phone user (I’m not sure why yet.) Our phones have the option to charge wirelessly and when I was looking for options I was reminded by a good friend that Anker makes really great products, which is true. I decided to pick this one up because of the review and I was not disappointed. 

In our kitchen I have setup what I call a “charging stating. We have a multiplug with two USB 2.1 A plug-ins. Each has a Lightning connector and a USB-C, but then we have the Anker Wireless Charger. You will always find one of the iPads, one of the phones,  or other gadgets charging and whenever we go and get coffee, a quick bite, do the dishes or something we just set the smartphone on top of the charging pad, leave it there and it is charging. Keep in mind that it will not charge as fast as plugged-in but hey it does the job and you don’t have to be using cables!

Headphones

Being an Audio Engineer is both a blessing an a curse. You know how to identify good sounds and you know how to identify bad sounds. The problem is…which one you think are the most common?

When I find headphones that I truly like, basically, I marry them. I do not want to be apart from them and I always want them by my side. I do not want to use any others. 

Here are my current and favorite headphones. 

Beats Studio 3

When the Beats by Dre came out I was working at Apple Retails Stores in Orlando, FL. I thought that they sounded too bassy for my taste. It represented and targeted a very good demographic, people who were into Hip-Hop, RnB, EDM. 

I have always been into Rock, Metal, Classical and enjoy my pop music. But if the only thing I can hear is Bass and I can not appreciate other sounds then just forget about it. 

When this new generation came out, a friend was very adamant that I try them out. I started researching them a lot. I was also never a fan of the design. Too big in my opinion. But I just decided to go for it. 

Now all I can say is…WOW!!! I bought the Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones Shadow Gray because they looked cool. Pairing them with my iPhone 8 Plus, AppleTVs (yes multiple across the house) and my Mac was a bliss. The first thing I did to test them was to listen to Call of Ktulu by Metallica in S&M recorded in 1999. I was able to listen to every single detail. Then Master of Puppets kicked in and that was it. I could listen to the crowd, the bass drum, the bass guitar, the riffs, the orchestra, everything, and then I looked up and realized my wife was talking to me but I haven’t realized because of the noise cancelling. 

So when I took my next trip first thing I packed were my Beats. I decided to test them to the extreme. What is the worst thing that could happen on a 4hr plane ride? You got it! Crying baby!

Amazing how I enjoyed listening to music, watching movies on the plane and playing Nintendo Switch on the plane, all while the baby was crying and I didn’t hear anything. When I landed – mind you I take redeye flights to maximize time and productivity during my travels – I was still fresh and didn’t have a headache, ringing in my ears or anything that would cause a headache. 

EnacFire E19

I saw a friend using the previous version and I assumed they were BOSE wireless buds.When we got to talking and he recommended on Amazon I immediately looked them up. Reviews were mixed. But I trust my buddy when it comes to technology. 

Ordered them without second guessing myself. They are really sleek looking, kinda makes me feel like a spy, provide really good sound when it comes to music, podcasts, and while on the phone. 

Their nose cancelling is very good, although I preferred the Beats definitely. But for a day to day walking around the city without carrying anything too bulky, being in the gym lifting weights, running or something of the sort this is a great piece of technology.

The carrying case actually charges the buds and you can use the right independently. The controls can pause, skip or backtrack a song and even access Siri – although it is kind of a hassle, to be honest, I am happy with these headphones and use them daily when I am out on the mall, family gatherings, or even just walking my dog.  They are not too bassy, they don’t sound flat, for podcasting, power metal, heavy metal, symphonic metal, hip-hop, EDM, phone calls, audiobooks, they are simply great. 

USB Hub 

I am an Apple User. Every Mac is now with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports which is better/worse. Better because through one port you can transfer huge amounts of data and many things and worse because dang it what the heck do I do with all my USB flash drives, and peripherals. Now I need dungles, and bungles. 

The benefit of this hub is that it is small, compact, a nice length cable and it is only $14.99 on Amazon. I have been using it and wherever I go, I take it with me. Sometime I don’t even use it in my computer but for other people who forget to bring their own or need to plug more than one device at a time. 

USB C Dock

When I got my Macbook Pro with only USB C, I started to look for options to maximize the ports. Most of the posts and articles suggested docks. Some of them didn’t convince me and some of them were just not very sexy looking design wise. Others were just snap on the side and that was it. Plus I would still have to use my own charged. 

Henge Docks, were different. The bring all the connections you need, a charging port, a SD Card slot, turning your notebook into a workstation with the connection to a display and ethernet as well. 

The beauty about this device is that you can set everything here and is just plug and play. This is excellent for conference rooms, for the entrepreneur who has a home office, or for his office and doesn’t want to be carrying his charging cable back and forth. You just unplug the cable from the dock to the MacBook Pro and that’s it. Simple!

Webcam Covers

Now, I am not the type of guy that is paranoid about “big brother is watching.” But after taking several courses about cybersecurity and ethical hacking, I decided to take care of certain things in my household and make them more secure. Something simple was: Webcam covers. 

These little three pack is simple enough to protect your computer, your tablet and your phone. Which is just what you need. The question is, why would you ned it right?

In a time and age where anyone can become anyone important, at any point in time, it is best to be careful and not let any window of opportunity to let people sneak in to your analog life from your digital one.