Road trip survival with Powerbag, Third Rail, Fitbit, and TripIt

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    I travel quite a bit and after a couple of recent trips, one to CES in Vegas and another for a very successful tug refloating in California, I thought it would be worth sharing with you some of my favorite gear that stood out among the crowd. You can check out photos of a Powerbag pack, Third Rail iPhone battery pack, Fitbit fitness tracking device, and TripIt travel software in this gallery.

    Check out my full ZDNet Mobile Gadgeteer post for detailed thoughts on using the gear on road trips.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Powerbag allows you to charge up to 4 devices at once.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Third Rail battery pack slaps on easily.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Your iPhone slides in and on the Apple connector.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    As you can see not much size is added when your iPhone is in the Third Rail system.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The speaker sounds great when you have the Third Rail case on the iPhone.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    A microUSB port is part of the Third Rail system. There is also a switch to toggle on the battery.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The battery attaches to the back to charge up your iPhone.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Here you can see where the battery attaches. You simply set it on the back and slide it down to lock it in place.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    There are openings for all the buttons and ports on the Third Rail System.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The battery is very light and has a capacity of 1,250 mAh.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Here you can see there are two microUSB ports to charge.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Third Rail is to the left of the iPhone 4S.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Third Rail is not nearly as thick as the Mophie Juice Pack Plus.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    A small adapter is included that lets you plug in your own USB cable.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    You can use the battery pack to charge up other devices.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Here is the Fitbit Ultra retail package and included accessories.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    A holster is provided so you can attach the Fitbit to thicker belts and other gear.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Fitbit comes in blue or pink.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Fitbit Ultra comes with a dock that you can sync up wirelessly.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Fitbit Ultra sits in the dock to charge up.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    I usually place the Fitbit Ultra in my small jeans pocket, similar to what is shown here.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    To track our sleep you need to attach the Fitbit to the included wristband.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    TripIt released a new version for iOS that includes a What's New screen.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Here is a sample of a typical short trip.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    You can also manage your points in the new TripIt iOS version.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Third Rail System retail package is green and black.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The back of the Third Rail retail package shows the details of the battery pack.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    This is what you will find in the Third Rail System package.

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Road warrior gear gallery image 1

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Road warrior gear gallery image 2

     

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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I travel quite a bit and after a couple of recent trips, one to CES in Vegas and another for a very successful tug refloating in California, I thought it would be worth sharing with you some of my favorite gear that stood out among the crowd. You can check out photos of a Powerbag pack, Third Rail iPhone battery pack, Fitbit fitness tracking device, and TripIt travel software in this gallery.

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I travel quite a bit and after a couple of recent trips, one to CES in Vegas and another for a very successful tug refloating in California, I thought it would be worth sharing with you some of my favorite gear that stood out among the crowd. You can check out photos of a Powerbag pack, Third Rail iPhone battery pack, Fitbit fitness tracking device, and TripIt travel software in this gallery.

Check out my full ZDNet Mobile Gadgeteer post for detailed thoughts on using the gear on road trips.

Caption by: Matthew Miller

1 of 31

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