A Mommy Story

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post courtesy of Best Buy. All opinions and tips shared here are entirely my own.

It’s summer and it’s conference season, with several blog conferences ahead for some of us. BlogHer is coming up next month, and then I’ll be going to the Type-A Parent Conference in September. I’d love to attend more conferences, but finding the time is always tough.

Back when I went to my first conference, many people dragged their laptops with them. There are still a lot of laptops at conferences now, but more often you’ll see a lot of smartphones and tablets, which are often good enough if you’re not planning to do any live-blogging of sessions or intensive post writing while you’re at the conference. (And really? Save your writing for when you get home and get out there meeting new bloggers instead!)

Finding corner to charge phones and check Twitter at BlogHer ’09. (Photo credit: Stimey)

I love my iPhone. It’s been the best for most of my needs at blog conferences. The camera is good for most photo-taking needs, all of my social media apps are right there, and I can even type out brief post ideas if needed. I still bring my laptop with me to conferences, but it usually stays in the hotel room while my phone does most of the hard work.

If you’ll be attending your first conference soon (or just going to a big gathering or vacation), here are a few tips for bringing your smartphone with you.

Back up your phone before the conference. Make sure all of the precious photos and videos on your phone have a backup copy somewhere safe before you travel. No one wants to think that they’ll lose their phone or have it stolen, but it does happen. Losing your phone far away from home makes it less likely that you’ll ever see it again, so be sure any data that is valuable to you won’t be lost with it.

The iCloud interface backs up a lot of your data, but if you take a lot of photos you may not have enough iCloud space for everything. You can choose to purchase extra iCloud space, but I think the easiest solution is to create a backup on your computer before you leave, making sure all of your photos are safely stored at home.

Consider a case for protection, and differentiation. We all know that cases are a smart idea for everyone, to protect your phone from damage if you accidentally drop it, knock it off a table, or get it wet. But at a conference, sitting with friends and a bunch of smartphones on the table? It’s really easy to get phones confused when there are three black iPhones in the collection. I’ve seen people accidentally grab the wrong phone from a pile of charging phones around a power strip, then have to track down the owner afterwards. It’s a frustration you don’t want.

A case can reflect your personality and set your phone apart from others. They come in just about every color and pattern now – even a glitter case. Best Buy has huge selection of cases – they’ve got hundreds of different cases, with varying levels of protection, so there’s a good chance you’ll find the perfect match for your iPhone. If you’re still worried someone else will have the same solid-purple case as you, slap a fun sticker on the case to make it yours without a doubt.

Bring your power cable. You don’t want to be halfway through the day and find you’re at 10% battery power, asking everyone around you if they have a power cord you could borrow, then trying to find an available outlet. If you have your own cord, it’s not as much of an emergency if you need a charge, and you don’t need to stick close to the person you’re borrowing a cord from.

Better yet, have extra battery power on hand. There are several portable battery packs available to recharge smartphones. One of my favorites is the Mophie iPhone case, which combines protection and extra battery life. It’s a case that’s a little larger than most, but contains a rechargeable battery pack inside it, doubling the battery life of your iPhone. If you don’t like keeping track of portable battery packs, the Mophie is a great alternative, since it’s already on your phone, recharging it without any cords or devices getting in the way.

My Mophie case has been lifesaver at conferences when I’m tweeting, sending text messages, and trying to look at the agenda to figure out where I’m going next. That much use drains the battery quickly, but the Mophie let me get through the entire day without needing to find an electrical outlet. If you’re considering a Mophie, check out Best Buy’s current online offer: they have 10% off Mophie cases until June 28.

And finally, a tip that is useful no matter where you are: close any apps that you aren’t currently using. Apps running in the background reduce your battery life, so close them if you’re not using them.

On iPhones, press the home button twice to bring up the currently running apps at the bottom of the screen. Touch an app icon and hold it until all of the apps start wiggling and a red circle with a white line appears in the upper left corner of the app. Then touch that circle to close any apps you don’t need open. Easy!

Smartphones aren’t cheap, so I do what I can to keep mine safe and in good working order. If you’ll be at BlogHer next month, you’ll likely see me and my iPhone in the crowd! Come say hi!

Disclosure: The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.