Although I’ve spent most of my childhood and all of my entire professional life tinkering with technology, I’m not what you’d call a gadget freak. I’ll admit that I was a very late-adopter of such necessities as a VHS player, cell phone, iPod, and flat screen TV.

So it was with some sense of incredulity that I watched the baggage screener at the airport inventory the contents of my briefcase (which is really my laptop case) on my last business trip.

Laptop, cellphone, BlackBerry, portable GPS, webcam, e-reader, iPod, video camera, microphone. Throw in a laser pointer, assorted DVI/VGA adapters, AC power chargers, USB drives, and interconnect cables — the screener must have thought I was MacGyver, or worse. Even I couldn’t believe it. Fortunately, I concealed nothing in my shoes or underwear, and no liquids were in containers larger than 3 ounces, so he let me and my traveling spyshop through.

But it got me thinking. With all of the technological convergence we’ve marveled at over the last ten years, why am I still carrying all this stuff? Shouldn’t convergence lead to fewer devices, not more? What’s going on here?

Sure, some of the devices I lug around have redundant features and functions. I guess I could shoot video on my cellphone, or make calls from my BlackBerry. For another monthly charge, there’s a GPS lurking in at least two of these techno-mutants.

I think what it comes down to is that technology changes faster than our ability (or willingness) to adapt our usage habits. There are always going to be so-called “early adopters,” but for the most part, it takes some time for the “conveniences” of convergence to really be integrated into our daily business and personal lives.

Then there are several impediments that add to the confusion. For one thing, there’s standards (or the lack of them, depending on your point of view). An example is the mini- DVI output on my MacBook, which requires that I carry adaptors to connect to any projector or monitor. And the power issue. Most of these devices run on a battery that requires recharging — none of them have the same storage capacity or use the same charger connector.

For me, one of the biggest issues is AV “quality of presentation.” The video quality of my camcorder is far better than my cellphone will ever dream of producing — disregarding the fact that the editing software that came with my camcorder only runs on a PC (and I have a Mac). Guess I could lug around a PC laptop, too. And my iPod/iTunes combination just plain works better than the music functions on any of my other portable devices. So, to be true to my Boy Scout training and be prepared for any tech event, my briefcase has become an electronic junkyard.

Maybe all of this will change once convergence is truly complete. In this fantasy world, real compatible audio, video, and networking standards will exist and proliferate. Plug and play will finally become an across the board reality. Technology companies will work together to deliver on the promise we all bought into — that technology would make our lives easier, not more cumbersome.

But until that day arrives, I guess I’ll just get a bigger briefcase.