What Does A Blogger Take To Cover A Show?

We all see and follow the tech blogs that cover industry events and live blog Apple Announcements. But what tech do they take with them to do all this? Very rarely do we get to peak behind the curtains to see what they are using.

So I thought I would write about what tech I take with me to cover outdoors events like The Outdoors Show at the NEC. This kit has grown and changed since I started blogging. By that I mean I didn't start out with all this stuff, IIRC my first show I live blogged I used only an MDA Pro (it's a PDA/Smartphone).

Phone: iPhone 3G

I love my iPhone, it is a dream blogging device. Mainly due to the apps you can put on it. Using the free Wordpress app I am able to write a blog post and attach a photo without having to rely on a third party (as I did previously) to post a photo from the show floor. But I can also update social media sites as well such as Facebook and Twitter if I want with the appropriate app. I also have a voice note app on there that I can record notes on or do an audio interview with. Oh and it makes phone calls apparently as well ;-)

But all the above on the iPhone takes power, and eats up the battery. So to increase the battery life so I can get through the day I have just got a mophie juice pack.

Camera: Olympus SP-565UZ

I don't have an DSLR at the moment (that is planned, but way off in the future). But as folks have seen I have been getting some pretty decent photos with this camera on my walks (see whitespider1066.com for examples). So this is the camera I will be using at the moment.

Video Camera: Flip Mino

What a great little video camera. Not much I can say about this really. It showed it's worth last year at a trade show I went to when I was able to capture demos on the stands. If it arrives in time there maybe a second video camera going along as well which will allow me to record in HD!

Laptop/Netbook: Compaq 702 10.2-inch Mini Note

Last year I took a eee pc with me. It is a nice little netbook (it has a new home to go to), so I have replaced it with this XP based netbook from Compaq. Built in webcam, able to use Windows Live Writer, if need be I can do a quick video edit, or crop a photo. The netbook allows me to write longer better posts, and get them up. Last year the eee pc was used in the evening to write up that days blog entry ready to go up when I got home or net access (I spent two days at the show last year, and screwed up with no net access at the hotel).

Notepad and pen

Well you still can't beat the old pen and paper. It's the format I have been making my pre-show notes on ready for the day.

Well I hope that has given folks found that brief list helpful and informative.