The Software Developer's Trove

Hardware

For your laptop

I've found having a portable stand for my laptop is indispensable. I'm very happy with the NEXSTAND™ K2. The stand is sturdy, lightweight and adjustable. I use it in combination with an external keyboard, see the home office section. You can buy it from the manufacturer or buy it from Amazon (Germany).

I like adding a second monitor to my laptop, even when on the go. I bought a ThinkVision M14 Portable USB-C Monitor, and it works great. The monitor has two USB-C ports, and you connect your power supply to one and you laptop to the other. The power supply will power both the monitor and your laptop. You can buy it from Amazon (Germany).

The customer I'm currently working for requries me to use a laptop that they provide. This is common practice among big companies. The reasoning is that they can secure and control the laptop, which is why I'm only able to access the customer's network and servers from this laptop.

One consequence is, that Bluetooth on the laptop is disabled. Because of that, I have to connect a wired keyboard in addtion to the mouse (with an USB receiver) and wired headset I'm already using. But as the laptop, like most modern laptops, only have two USB ports, I needed a small portable USB hub. I got the Anker™ 4-Port USB 3.0 Ultra Slim Data Hub, and it's perfect for what I need. The version I have seems to be an older version with a short cable; the cable on the current version is three times as long. I actually prefer the shorter cable. I bought mine from Amazon (Germany).

I prefer to use my keyboard rather than my mouse, e.g. I use keyboard shortcuts and use the command line a lot. For years I've used a ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with TrackPoint (or the ThinkPad Compact USB Keyboard with TrackPoint). For me it's important that the keyboard is small and flat; that it has a TrackPoint and that it has exactly the same layout as the keyboard on my laptop. You can buy it from Amazon (Germany), but that is with a German layout. I buy mine from whatever danish webshop is the cheapest.

I don't use my keyboard for everything, and even though I like using the TrackPoint, I also use a mouse. I like a mouse that is small and simple, and the ThinkPad Precision Wireless Mouse fits the bill. It has two main buttons (left and right), and a wheel that doubles as a third (middle) button. The wheel also proved left and right click buttons, these work extremely well when browsing the internet: e.g. if you want to go the previous page, just left-click the wheel. You can buy it from Amazon (Germany).

Mouse Mat Steelseries QcK Heavy Gaming Mouse Pad XXL You can buy it from Amazon (Germany).

For your Smartphone

Smartphone Stand

UGREEN Portable Cell Phone Stand Holder

USB Power Cable

Baseus Rapid Series 3-in-1 Cable (Micro, Type-C + iP)

Miscellaneous

USB Charger

Panasonic eneloop BQ-CC87 charger