Favorite tech for remote working and travel [Video] – 9to5Mac

Every year, more and more people are given the ability to work remotely. Some just set up an office in their homes, others bounce around coffee shops and coworking spaces, and others work while traveling. Even though I like to change up my work environment occasionally, I always make sure I have my go-to accessories to create a comfortable work environment wherever I am. Here are my favorite remote work accessories that everyone should consider!

Be sure to check out our hands-on video below to see all the accessories mentioned in action!

Since we are talking about working on the move, the key to many of these accessories will be that they must be portable or serve multiple purposes. The last thing we want is to carry around 50 pounds worth of gear. That defeats the purpose. So let’s get into this!

One aspect of working on the move is that you really can’t control what your desk situation will be like. One moment, it’s a small round table, then it can be a standing side table. So, I like to regain some of that control again by raising my laptop or iPad to meet my eye level to reduce strain. This folding laptop stand, by Plugable, does this while staying super compact.

• Provides 4 viewing angles: 60, 45, 30, and 25 degrees
• Supports laptops up to 16in in size and up to 11 pounds
• Supports tablets as well
• Made of vegan leather and grippy materials

The ease of use, its small and light size, the quality of the build materials, and the abundance of viewing angles make it stable in my travel work bag. The stand is currently available on Amazon for $24.99

You might begin to see a running theme here: I love tech that folds! This next accessory does just that. The folding keyboard by ProtoArc is a full-sized, chicklet-style keyboard perfect for remote work. It checks off every box I would want from a keyboard.

• Full-size keyboard with number pad
• Charges via USB-C with 5 months of standby time
• Connects to up to 3 devices
• Auto connects when opened, turns off when closed
• Scissor switch keys

Not only does this fold up to take up almost no space, but because it’s made of plastic, it’s also extremely light. Combine this with the laptop stand above, and you have a portable workstation that can be moved around anywhere! ProtoArc’s folding keyboard is currently on sale on Amazon for $35.99! I have owned this keyboard for over a year and it has held up great, even with my intense use!

The MX Anywhere series is a compact, low-profile mouse that works on almost any surface. It is perfect for home offices, coffee shops, and coworking spaces.

Specs:

• Compact design
• Track on virtually any surface
• Next-generation MagSpeed Magnetic Scrolling wheel
• USB-C Quick Charging
• Up to 70 days on a full charge
• App-Specific Profiles and Button Customizations
• Wireless Connectivity and Multi-OS
• Available in pale gray, rose and graphite

The MX Anywhere 3 for Mac takes some elements from Logitech’s MX Master series, and places them within the confines of a compact profile. Featuring Logitech’s popular MagSpeed electromagnetic scrolling technology for super-fast, effortless scrolling, the MX Anywhere’s scroll wheel can move up to 1000 lines in a second yet is precise enough to stop on a pixel.

Living up to its name, the MX Anywhere 3 allows users to work in various environments with its track-on-any-surface capabilities, including glass. This means you can easily switch from the desktop to the couch in the new work-from-home era. It’s on sale for less than $60 right now, so jump on it while you still can!

I recently wrote a whole review about this charger, but I had to bring it up again because I have been using it so much. This is the ideal charger for someone on the go. This charger is a no-brainer if you have the big three: iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. It, again, folds up to be super compact but can be unfolded to charge all three devices simultaneously and at fast speeds. This charger features Qi2 charging, allowing your iPhone to charge at its full 15W of speed!

It provides:

• 15W Fast Wireless Charging
• MagSafe Compatibility
• 5W Apple Watch Charger
• 5W AirPods Charger
• 30W Charging Brick: Ensures you have the power needed for fast charging.
• USB-C to USB-C Cable: A durable and reliable cable for all your charging needs.
• 3-in-1 Charger: The star of the show, designed to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously.

So, for under $80, you get the charger, a cable, a 30W brick, and a carrying case. But you also get a super high-quality folding charger that optimizes everything.

This might be my easiest recommendation for anyone who works in public or coworking spaces. Amazon has AirPods Pro Gen 2 with USB-C on sale for $189.99! That makes this an even easier recommendation. Airpods Pro has best-in-class noise cancellation and transparency modes. The battery will last you through a day full of Zoom calls and meetings. Then you have all the ecosystem benefits of auto-switching between your devices, simplified connectivity, and charging via MagSafe. So if you are yet to get your hands on these, I could no recommend them enough.

I wanted to give everyone an over-ear recommendation for headphones. I have been using the Sonos Ace since they debuted a few months ago. They are my favorite over-ear headphones on the market. They are lightweight, insanely comfortable, and have amazing active noise-cancellation and transparency modes. If you are in the Sonos ecosystem, they work even better.

I have a full hands-on review here if you want to get more information and see if they are worth the $449 price tag. They are on the premium side, with only AirPods Max being more expensive. But if I had to get a pair of premium headphones today, I would run to the Sonos Ace.

Final take

I believe remote work is here to stay and will just become more and more common. They key, for me, is to always have some essentials that create a comfortable work environment no matter the situation. I can be in a tiny crammed coffee shop table or on a beach somewhere. As long as I have these essentials, then I am in a good space.

As I said, be sure to watch our video to see even more fun accessories that were not mentioned here. But what do you think? What accessories do you use on a daily basis? Do you work remotely? Let’s discuss down below!