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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.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    The Third Rail battery pack slaps on easily.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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    Your iPhone slides in and on the Apple connector.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    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.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345070.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345071.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345072.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345073.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345075.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345076.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345078.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345079.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345080.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345081.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345082.png

    Here is the Fitbit Ultra retail package and included accessories.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345083.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345084.png

    The Fitbit comes in blue or pink.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345085.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345086.png

    The Fitbit Ultra sits in the dock to charge up.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345087.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345089.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345092.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345093.png

    Here is a sample of a typical short trip.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345094.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345097.png

    The Third Rail System retail package is green and black.

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345098.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345099.png

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

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345101.png

    Road warrior gear gallery image 1

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

  • 6345102.jpg

     

    Road warrior gear gallery image 2

     

    Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

    Caption by: Matthew Miller

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Matthew Miller

By Matthew Miller | February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST) | Topic: Hardware

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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.

Read More Read Less

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.

Published: February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST)

Caption by: Matthew Miller

1 of 31 NEXT PREV

Related Topics:

Hardware iPhone PCs Servers Storage Networking
Matthew Miller

By Matthew Miller | February 15, 2012 -- 23:06 GMT (15:06 PST) | Topic: Hardware

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