SQL Business Intelligence Professional

So as a consultant, I am always trying to provide additional value.  Daily, in my current role, I have a lot of conversations with clients, partners and others with a commensurate number of tasks, ideas, concepts, etc.  Of the many tools that I have deployed in the last couple of years to combat paper chaos one of my favorites is my mini audio recorder.  While I still carry note-cards in my jacket pocket, this thing is great for getting something out of my head and into my digital filing system.

When an item that is not time-specific (Calendar entry) or a simple task (entered as an Outlook task for work or reQall item for personal tasks) then it will likely become a memo on my voice recorder.  The level of detail that I find myself using for these MP3 Post-It notes sent to my future self far surpasses anything that I would put on a 3×5” note-card.  When I plug it in to dump the audio, I can drag and drop the files into OneNote 2010 for immediate classification and “findability”.

The device also carries its own weight from a function to ounces ratio.  It weighs all of 4 ounces (estimate) with the required, single AAA battery installed.  While I carry a small USB charger for the two AAA batteries that I swap for long trips, a replacement is as close as the front desk of most hotels.  The big bonus is the device does not contribute another charging cable/cord to my travel burden.  The integrated USB connector allows me to dump the native MP3 files from the device to my Windows laptop.  NO ADDITIONAL DRIVER REQUIRED!  I already carry the USB charger for my spare wireless mouse battery.

The exact model number is Sony ICD-UX70.  Don’t know if it is still available.