A Geek Goes Flying

This little $9 case is the perfect thing to throw in a tote bag and keep all the expensive little nick-knacks from wandering off. Mine’s holding: AirPods Pro 2 in their charging case  Apple Pencil (I still have Lightning iPads, so...) USB C to Pencil Adapter Stylus pen and a rOtring disposable USB C to C data + power cable (also useful for, e.g., side loading my Kindle on the go) USB C to Lightning adapter Short USB A to USB C cable USB A to USB C adapter USB C to USB A adapter USB C to micro USB B adapter Watch charger

I have an old (9 years?!) iPad Pro 9.7" that’s still in immaculate condition. It runs a little slowly these days, and the battery life has degraded, but for getting productive stuff done during random intervals during the day, it’s still a contender. I had it equipped with a Zagg keyboard case ‡ , but after about 2 years of light use, the hinge split on the keyboard part, and I figured it was time to try something else. Priced at $149 when it was a current SKU , the Apple Smart Keyboard for this old iPad is now available for $35 “renewed” on Amazon . Attaching to the “Smart Connector,” it doesn’t require a separate battery to be charged, it doesn’t rely on flaky Bluetooth, and like most Apple tech, it ‘just works.’™ The feel takes a  lot  of getting used to (it’s not a typical “chicklet” keyboard, it’s ... weird ...), but once you do it’s quite serviceable. It folds up to prop up the iPad in landscape orientation at a recline, that makes it a decent writing-on-the-go platform,...

I have the AirPods Pro (first generation), and love ’em, especially with Comply Foam tips to keep them in my ears and enhance sound isolation (which helps with noise reduction). But keeping the replacement tips somewhere where I’d find them again - a challenge. So I picked up this UGREEN Square Earbud Case and a set of these Mini Pill Organizers to keep everything organized. It’s a tight fit but it works: AirPods Pro in UGREEN case with spare tips AirPods Pro in UGREEN case, showing pill organizer with spare tips I also have a pair of regular AirPods I got as vendor swag that I like well enough, and even moreso with these cheap silicon ear tips (without them, the AirPods will fall right out of my ears). Unfortunately, unlike the AirPods Pro, the AirPods won’t fit in their case with these tips on, so they have to be removed frequently. Which begs the question - where to keep them when they’re off? In another mini pill organizer, of course. I grabbed another one of the UGREEN cases ...

When my AirPods Pro are working, they’re great. They sound great (especially considering their size), calls are clear, ambient noise is a little weird but much appreciated when walking the dogs along streets, etc. I like ’em. But the left unit will randomly stop working mid-song, or won’t connect at all, or ... Sometimes it’s solved by putting it back in the case and taking it out, or putting both back in the case, or doing a full reset ... Frustrating and annoying! Also, they were over $200 when I got them (they’re $179 now), and I don’t want to lose them out and about. After a disastrous experience with an older Klipsch headphones/mic setup (the person I was on the video conference could barely hear me over all the background noise), I decided to change things up and go a different route in my EDC kit . (One more thing to keep charged, sigh. Was really hoping I could find a good wired setup, but seems not to be a thing.) After reading through a few reviews, I decided on the Edifier ...