Writing Tools

Here is this year's set up that I'm using. I arrive at this set up after numerous failures in the past. Let me go through my experimentation in chronological order:

PALM PILOT
My first set up involved a Palm Pilot/Handspring device. I think that Jeff Hawkins made an excellent device. I still do. I'd do it there if I can. Too bad the keyboard is hard to set up. It does have excellent ToDo program, and even though the Notepad is limited to only 4K at a time, it doesn't really bother me. I used to type during laundry washing. The problem is the keyboard, and although it types fast, it requires a stable surface, making it a rather limited option.

Laptop computer.
I'm still using my old laptop running Windows XP. I think there will be a time where the laptop will die, though. The lower right corner has separated, and it is only a matter of time that foreign materials will enter the computer casing and cause premature death due to short-circuit. As far as using laptop is concerned, I think it's great. You can use Scrivener or WriteWay. Excellent programs. The downside is that on my old computer, the old WinXP took over 20 minutes to boot. That's way too long. Hibernate mode is faster, but still not fast enough. It's okay to use for heavy-duty writing at home (ideal condition), but not for rough and tumble life I'm living.

Digital Voice recorder
I had this brilliant idea of just recording my materials into a digital voice recorder. It works well enough on the voice recorder. I can listen well to the voice. The drawback is that I could not type fast enough to keep up with my speech. This despite the fact that it has adjustable speed setting. I set it up to half-speed, and still I cannot keep up. So, I have this idea of using Dragon Naturally Speaking. It didn't work. It just plain did not recognize my speech. So, I had to give up on the idea.

Netbook computer
Oh, dear. It seems that I have a tendency to spend money. I bought a Netbook computer despite already having a laptop! Over all, though, it boots incredibly fast, and I'm happy with the purchase. Unfortunately, the OS is Linux, and the keyboard and screen are rather small. What's worse, I don't carry it everywhere with me. So, that's not an option. I do carry it to enough places to know that it is a viable alternative to Neo Keyboard. If you think of using Neo, but afraid to spend the money for lack of screen, then seriously try doing it with Netbook computer.

Manual Typewriter
Yes, I do this in between Netbook computer and iPod Touch. Guess what? It didn't work. I really love working on the old manual typewriter. And if I have more time, I'd probably do it that way. I don't have time. I tried Optical Character Recognition, and it didn't work. So, I'd have to retype it by hand, and I don't have time for that. I have to give it up, which is a pity. I really enjoy typing up on the old manual typewriter, especially the desktop model, even though it loses speed compared to the short throw of the portable version.

Ipod Touch
Yes, I have an iPod Touch. I do not have an iPad. I also have portable keyboard. Actually, any bluetooth keyboard will work just fine. I have 2 bluetooth keyboards. One is foldable and fits in a pocket. The other is the Apple Wireless keyboard. The folding keyboard is unfortunately rather flimsy, so I don't use it much. Apple Wireless keyboard is excellent. I can type 80 wpm on it! Unfortunately, it doesn't come with keyboard carrier. Therefore it's rather inconvenient to carry. Also iPod Touch has a tendency to lose charge real quick. I would really love to have this combo work sometime in the future because it has some good software to write on. Script text editor, for example, exists on iOS, but not Android. I will have to visit this again in the future.

Kindle Fire HD
I have the Kindle keyboard, and Kindle Fire. I love both. The only complain that I have is that Kindle Fire does not have bluetooth keyboard interface. Well, Kindle Fire HD does have bluetooth interface, so I bought it. I have yet to regret my decision. I also bought Logitech Android keyboard. It works well enough to not require any surface. I do keep it in computer bag that I carry everywhere. So, it helps. The keyboard seems to eat batteries like crazy. If this is a problem, then I may resort to rechargeables. This is my current set-up.

That's years of experimentation. I hope you can do it quicker than me! Dragon Naturally Speaking is rumored to be better on version 12, so I may revisit the idea. Then again, I can now type as fast as I speak, so probably not. Practice makes perfect! It is really nice to be able to type as fast as I speak!