Planning for Vacation: Can You Leave the Office at Home?

I once said way back in the 30th anniversary issue of Marketnews Magazine (can you believe that was six years ago!) that this industry is like Hotel California: you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. While the statement was in reference to people who may have left to pursue other opportunities, or perhaps even have retired, I've been thinking a lot about it in reference to a shorter-term split: vacation!

By tomorrow afternoon, I'll be basking in the sun on holidays, and while it will be easy to leave the office at home, it also won't be. Anyone who works in this industry, and especially in Canada, knows how tight-knit it is. Everyone knows everyone, and a week is like a year in terms of how quickly things move.

Once you leave the office, you might physically be at home, but you often come in contact with so many things that remind you of work: watching TV and observing the picture quality. Listening to the audio system in a restaurant and thinking about how awful it sounds. Checking your BlackBerry under the dinner table while your wife shoots you a dirty look. Enjoying some fun family time with the kids on the Wii gaming console. While some are able to leave work behind more effectively than others, this industry is so ingrained in everyone's daily lives, that it's hard to do so entirely.

So while I work hard to prepare for my 2-week absence, I find myself wondering how often I'll feel the need to connect. Will I be frantically searching for WiFi zones to jump online? Last year, I managed to cope, although I did find myself a bit twitchy at times. This year, however, I'm outfitted with a BlackBerry (the Bold, of course), which might make surfing online a bit more tempting. Will I be checking our Website properties to see what's going on while I'm away? Will I hear about a big news story and think "darn, I hope we've covered that!" Will I be in the middle of dinner only to have a random thought pop into my head: "We should do this at Canada Night this year!"? Or perhaps be reading a book (Hug Your Customers, no doubt) under a beach umbrella only to look up and think: "That beach scene would be perfect for the article on tech for the summer in 2009".

Chances are the answer to these questions is both yes and no. The truth is that once you're actually away on vacation, leaving the office behind becomes easier and easier with each passing day. Don't you think? But let's face it: as much as you want to deny it, work is always in the back of your mind.

As for me, I'm not actually going to a hotel in California, but I will be checking out for a few weeks. In my absence, Lee Distad, Marketnews custom A/V contributor (author of the Custom Corner column both online and in print) will be taking the reigns and guest blogging here. You might also see a few more tales of woe from Marketnews and here's how! Associate Publisher John Thomson.

Enjoy their insightful and interesting commentary; and I look forward to rejoining the team in a few weeks!

Underestimating the Power of Secondary Features

Have you ever spent tons of money on a birthday or Christmas present for a young child, only to find that he/she is more fascinated with the box it came in? I've noticed a similar situation when it comes to high-tech products and the "average" consumer. Sometimes the feature that you just gloss over during your presentation, or worse, don't even mention, is one that's likely to pique the customer's interest.

This Father's Day was a case in point for me. We arrived at my parent's house, where my dad was overly enthusiastic about showing us a new discovery he made about his flat-panel TV and DVD player. When he puts in a music CD, the track titles come up on-screen, along with a standard play/pause menu, controlled via the remote. He had no idea, but absolutely loved the ability to pop in a CD, sit on the couch, and scroll through some tunes! My mom is planning a party with the girls next weekend, and she plans to set up her background music using this newly discovered method of theirs. Of course they don't really have any speakers, but let's take things one step at a time...

We often overlook simple functionality like the ability to play back CDs and control them using your TV. The same goes for features like being able to play back photos on the big-screen, or even connecting the TV to a computer and surfing the 'net using the flat-panel as an oversized monitor.

These hidden gem features go way beyond just TVs and DVD players. Lots of consumers don't know that you can use the same flash memory card in a digital camera that you can in an MP3 player or a digital camcorder, for instance. I'll bet lots of dads that received iPods this Father's Day (or Father's Days past) don't realize they can also play back photos and video on the device. Or what about that portable iPod dock? I'll bet many owners don't even know that they can connect other things, like a different portable player, speakers, or even a CD player attachment, to that nifty device using an AUX input on the back.

It's amazing how much we take for granted that the consumer knows. If you're selling technology products, learn to read the customer and gauge what features he/she might like, and might not care about. It doesn't hurt to say "did you know that this product X and can also do Y?" You might just be surprised at the response.

Business Travel: Is First Class Worth it?

I've never flown first class until today (or rather, yesterday) and wow, does it ever make the difference between a crappy flight and a truly enjoyable experience. Despite my tired eyes and aching back, I've almost forgotten that, while I'm getting ready in my hotel room in Japan to head out for dinner, people back in Toronto are either still deep in slumber, or just getting up to begin their day!

I've always wondered why those tickets are exponentially more expensive than economy class. Sure, you catch glimpses of drinks being served, and comfy pillows through the curtains if you're sitting near the front, or see highly exaggerated scened in movies where flight attendants are dancing on tables with hiked up skirts and tied up, low-cut tops. But is it really worth that much more money? The truth is that the experience is, simply put, what flying should be all about. Before the plane even took off and I was settled in, an attendant (male in pants; sorry, it isn't like the movies!) was offering up champagne and orange juice. While arranging my little alcove of space to my liking, I realized that wow, there was a power outlet to charge up my gadgets if I needed to. A roll-out LCD (just for me) provided movies, TV, news, and even games. Yes, the underside of the remote control can be tilted horizontally to serve as a gaming remote! OK, so I didn't actually use it, but that is pretty darned cool. Then came my fav experience of all - the adjustable lounge seating that rolled all the way back such that I was able to comfortably sleep (or at least) rest for the 12.5-hour flight. All of this was topped off by fantastic food (real food, not the kind that comes in packages), and a little care pack with booties (so I could take off my heels, but still roam around the plane), toothbrush and toothpaste, and some other niceties. Now this is flying.

Sure, you'll fork over tons of extra cash to fly this way, so it's likely not a frequent occurence for many. But just in case you were wondering, it is worth it. Well worth it. Once wireless Internet access becomes common in planes, business class will become even more enticing.

As for Japan, this is my first time visiting and although I've only just arrived and haven't seen much yet, I'm excited to see how the other side lives. This truly is one of the technology epicentres of the world. My first indication? I plugged my notebook in via Ethernet, and wham, I'm connected to the 'net. No cumbersome log-in headaches or entering the room number 50 times so I can be charged for every 24-hour period. OK, so it's probably not this way in every hotel in Japan. But it's a nice change from the sometimes technologically-challenged western world.

Stay tuned!

What Will They Think Of Next?: Power More Gadgets in the Car

My boss brought to my attention a neat gadget mentioned in today's edition of the National Post, and the first thing that came to my mind was "that's neat - why on earth didn't I think of that?" It's a 12V adapter from a company called Maxsa that plugs into the 12V socket in your car, and has three 12V outlets attached to the end of it. This means that, rather than only being able to connect one device in the car, you can now connect 3!

You might ask yourself why you'd ever need to do that, but I've found myself in situations many times where I could have used something like this. The most common instance is when both myself and my passenger want to recharge a cell phone during a long road trip. Other times, I'll be using my portable GPS unit to navigate to a destination (plugged in, since I always forget to charge it up!), and my partner will want to unplug it so he can charge his cell. When it comes to parents, I can imagine that there are tons of ways they could find such a gadget useful to help entertain the kids on long drives. It comes with a 16-foot extension to reach to the backseat; and can handle a maximum load of 120-watts.

Of course, many of the latest vans and trucks come with extra outlets in the back anyway. But for small car owners like myself, I'd love to have something like this in my glove compartment.

[Photo courtesy of www.maxsainnovations.com]