Technology and writing and everything in between.

I came across these typewriter key coasters while placing an order with one of my favorite online catalogs - Sundance.  Each coaster is stamped with a courier font letter of your choice and encased in glass at $8 a pop (two or more $7 each).  Order your favorite letter, piece together initials, or get creative and spell out something like LOVE or DREAM or QWERTY. These coasters would make the perfect gift and fit the decor of any writer.

Following up on our article - The Benefits of a Smartphone in a Writer’s World - we have gathered together a list of smartphone applications to help you stay productive. The links below are for BlackBerry applications, but most have an alternative for Palm and Windows smartphones.

And, let’s not forget the iPhone.  Do you realize there are over 50,000 iPhone and iPod applications  available through the App store to date (June 2009)?  It’s hard to even wrap your brain around the depth of innovation Apple has spurred by opening the pipeline to developers with one simple question in mind - If you could hold a computer in the palm of your hand, what could it do?  We’ve taken some time to comb through the App Store and come up with quite a few applications that can enhance a writer’s tool belt.

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Smartphones  are quickly propagating the cellphone landscape, making anyone who whips out a mundane flip phone appear slightly "out of touch".  The point of this article is to discuss whether or not the benefits of owning a smartphone are to the writer’s advantage.  But first, let’s answer a few general questions about the gadget.

What is a smartphone?
In a nuthshell it’s a cellphone that allows you to do a host of other things via mobile applications. 

What’s the difference between the iPhone, the Blackberry, and all the others?
In a word…OS (Operating System).  In order to access email, internet, IM, pictures, etc on your computer you need an operating system like Windows or OS X, right?  Same thing goes for  smartphones  - which are basically tiny, limited computers that allow you to easily make phone calls. The iPhone’s OS is derived from OS X.  BlackBerry has a proprietary OS created by RIM.  Treos either use Palm or Windows Mobile. In addition each carrier has limited operating systems on their less expensive smartphones (i.e. VZ Navigator).

Is the smartphone an imperative tool for writers? 
Let’s put it this way; you can live in a log cabin with no indoor plumbing or electricity and create the greatest novel known to man using a 1935 Remington typewriter.  So technically, technology isn’t imperative to a writer, but it does make life easier.  That’s exactly what the smartphone does for a writer - IT MAKES LIFE EASIER - for the reasons listed below:

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It’s pretty typical that people who love to write often love to read; and people who love to read can serve up some scrabble "woopass".   The Scrabble Premier Collector’s Edition from Restoration Hardware is so gorgeous your writer friend will likely dig out her old Scrabble set for routine play and reserve this collector’s edition for the well-heeled crowd. This is one of those thoughtful gifts that will never be forgotten.

Price:  $169

Smart Furniture takes an innovative approach to  a  staple in office furniture - the bookshelf.  There’s a lot of creative artistry that goes into book cover design, so why not display your books as…wall art???

The base of the Concealed Floating Bookshelves tuck indiscreetly between the pages, offering the appearance of a floating stack of books.  I can imagine an entire wall covered with floating books. Each shelf is made of powder-coated steel.  The large wall-mount is $11.50 and the small wall-mount is $8.99 and holds the same weight.  There’s your conversation piece; now just add wine.

If you want to mix it up, Smart Furniture also offers what they call a Flybrary.  Much like the  Concealed Floating Bookshelves, the books are suspended to the wall with invisible shelves, but the spine faces up.  Priced at $30, the Flybrary is engineered to hold up to 20 lbs.  For those of you taking a modern approach to your office setup, these creative bookshelves might be just the right touch.

One of the reasons we wanted to offer a review of sling bags is because most folks carry their backpacks like a sling, and yet there are so few laptop slings on the market.  There are millions of “casual professionals” toting computers in their daily commute, many of whom would like to be hands-free when mobile but don’t really care for the “backpack look”. The sling is a viable option for these folks, and in our quest to disclose the best laptop bags on the market, we may have uncovered a couple slings you weren’t aware of.

 

All of the bags chosen for this article series were chosen for the quality of the manufacturing, design, materials and functionality.  It’s not always about money, so we didn’t factor cost into our initial round-table discussion about which manufacturers to contact; we just wanted to contact the best.
 
Here at LitCentral Founders’ Blog we wanted to strive to do better than the mundane laptop bag reviews that inundate the web - offering a press kit, Photoshopped image and a cursory review.  In this three-part article series (What Bag Carries Your Geekd’m?) we lay hands on the product, take pictures and communicate the functionality and quality of these bags.  Part I of the series covers the best laptop and messenger bags.  Part II covers the best laptop backpacks, and Part III showcases some of the best laptop sling cases on the market.

Part III - Best Laptop Slings

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In 2005 Michelle and I co-founded LitCentral Inc. and we both needed bags that were professional, durable, and functional.  When your career choice requires that you constantly have access to a computer, you become very familiar with what the laptop bag market has to offer.   One thing is for certain, while quality often equates to higher price, a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily equate to quality.  A few years ago, I paid $100 for a Victorinox backpack and it lasted less than 12 months before the fabric started to unravel and the clips broke off.  You would think paying more for a recognizable brand would equate to quality – wrong!

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This article series is more of a laptop bag recommendation list rather than a laptop bag review.   Allow me to explain…

What does a software company like LitCentral know about laptop bags? Plenty. It’s the equivalent of asking a NASCAR driver what he thinks about tires. We already know who’s the best in the business and we’re dedicating the month of May to showing you what they’ve got.

All of the bags chosen for this article series were chosen for the quality of the manufacturing, design, materials and functionality.  It’s not always about money, so we didn’t factor cost into our initial round-table discussion about which manufactures to contact; we just wanted to contact the best.

Here at LitCentral Founders’ Blog we wanted to strive to do better than the mundane laptop bag reviews that inundate the web - offering a press kit, Photoshopped image and a cursory review.  In this three-part article series (What Bag Carries Your Geekd’m?) we lay hands on the product, take pictures and communicate the functionality and quality of these bags.  Part I of the series covers the best laptop and messenger bags.  Part II covers the best laptop backpacks, and Part III showcases some of the best laptop sling cases on the market.

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I wrote at length about the advantages of netbooks for writers several months after these gadgets first stormed the scene. With the current state of the economy, the Founders’ Blog is getting more and more inquiries about the capabilities of these new computers. In response, I’ve taken the time to graphically depict what a productive office setup might look like as it relates to gadgets/technology and the netbook.

Let’s quickly eliminate a few skepticisms about netbooks. While a netbook is not as powerful as a laptop, it is adequate for a writer’s needs. Can a netbook run MS Word? Yes. What about Final Draft? Yes. Movie Magic? Of course. Writers have it easy - we deal with text, the whole text and nothin’ but the text. And netbooks are perfectly capable of running text-driven applications. I do caution a few things: before buying, make certain you purchase a netbook with at least 1GB of ram if it’s running Windows XP and at least 2GB of ram if it’s running Vista. Keep pictures and music to a minimum unless you are using the netbook to transport the files to the web. [click to continue...]

I got up early last Saturday with the intention of dropping by Barnes and Noble to grab a cup of coffee and finish my latest issue of Portfolio magazine.  Michelle called to tell me she had picked up a copy of Peaks and Valleys, the latest Spencer Johnson book, the day before; so I thought I’d take a closer look at her purchase while I was at the book store. 

Just a couple hours later the remnants of my coffee were cold and I had consumed all of Peaks and Valleys.  What’s more, the book was so fantastic I bought it (even though I had just read every word from cover to cover).

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May is just around the corner and graduations are nearing.  Need the perfect gift for that English Lit grad leasing a new apartment or that quick-witted screenwriter finishing up film school? The Atelier polished task lamp is a memorable gift that sends the perfect message: Your future is bright. 

For those middle of the night "bursts of brilliance", gift them a journal or notebook to keep beside the task lamp.  I love the Jenny Bick refillable SMILE journal.  Just click on your task light and jot down your thoughts. 

Lamp Price: $229      Journal Price: $29 

Remember the in-school class trip to the library where you sat criss-cross and patiently listened while the librarian explained how to locate books using the Dewey Decimal System?  The Personal Library Kit is one of those great gift ideas for the writer friend with the plethora of great books constantly out on loan.  It’s old school fun and a thoughtful surprise for only $16.99 at Restoration Hardware.

Although I am an advocate of mobile computing for writers, I realize some folks just prefer a desktop or want to make due with what they have.  If you split residences, travel long periods of time, etc. and you find yourself needing to routinely transport your desktop setup, iLugger has a suitable solution for protecting your gear while en route.

iLugger manufactures large computer cases geared toward iMacs ranging from 17" - 24", plus extra compartments for keyboard, mouse and power supply.   If you’re chained to a Power Mac or a Mac Mini with a Cinema display, or even a PC; there are bags to accommodate these setups as well.

iLuggers come in a range of colors with removable straps, starting at $119.

You’re a writer, which means the majority of your work resides in text format.  Text takes up a relatively small amount of disk space when left in editable formats such as .doc, .rtf, .fdr, etc.  Thus, writers do not need a complicated backup system. 

I realize many of our readers are not so tech savvy, but for those of you who are adept at computing, please feel free to stop reading here.  This article is for those of you who are just trying to grasp the basics of all this "backup" talk.

Enter your local Best Buy and you will find no shortage of backup hard drives.  Some resemble a titanium brick or 007 device, while others are displayed in all the colors of spring boasting capacities of 500GB to 1 TB (1000 gigabytes).   As a writer, if you find yourself needing that much disk space then your last name must be Britannica.

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