Writers' Geek'dm (Geer & Gadgets)

QWERTY computer keyboards have been accessible by consumers since the dawn of PCs (personal computers).  Sure, desktop keyboards have become more ergonomic and sleeker, but the shape of the keys has remained consistent until  now.  Well…sort of.  The new chiclet keyboard is mimicking fashion - meaning you have to go way way back to find the design in certain gadgets manufactured in the 80’s. 

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The Founders’ Blog has written in-depth about the advantages for writers of multiple monitors or even just an extended monitor.  Remember the goal with having large extended monitors is not to expand a single window 24" (or however big your monitor), but rather to open multiple windows inside of the allotted space.  This dynamic speeds up productivity, allowing a writer simultaneous access to multiple apps and the internet. 

To speed up the process of positioning two windows to fit within a single screen, Windows 7 has included windows management functions within the OS. You simply drag a window to the top or sides of the screen, and it will be maximized or resized to take up only half of the screen.

The most recent Mac OS X Snow Leopard does not offer the windows resizing feature, but you can purchase a shareware product called Cinch for $7 and accomplish the same thing.

To view videos showcasing the benefits of resizing windows check out the following links:

Windows  7

Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6

Remember the pencil sharpener attached to the edge of the chalkboard in your 2nd grade classroom? Probably not, but X-Acto, the company most likely responsible for that product is seventy-five years old and still going strong. For those of you who like to kick it old-school, you can still get a brand new vintage-looking pencil sharpener. 

Check out the X-Acto 1001 Ranger 55 heavy-duty pencil sharpener.   All-metal construction with steele dual cutters will ensure your pencils are sharp and ready to scribble your brain droppings all over the place.  Mounting screws are for wall or desk mount.  Purchase at a reseller for about $29.99: Click Here

X-Acto also manufactures a vacuum mount sharpener complete with chrome and a sturdy build. Available at numerous resellers ranging from $23 - $29: Click Here 

I was grasping for a terse explanation of the OtterBox Commuter, thinking what niche does this case fill(?).  OtterBox’s own marketing lingo sums it up - "It’s protection without the bulk."  Ah yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking - well almost - because you have to include the benefits of a hard outershell amongst its top attributes. 

A lot of folks do not like to carry their phone in a holster on the hip.  They prefer to ensconce the case inside a leather pouch that they can then drop in a bag or large pocket.  However, their justified fear is that it’s just a matter of time before they fumble the naked Tour while taking it out of the pouch and drop it on the ground.   What follows is a mild cardiac arrest as they check the device for damage!

Enter the Commuter case….

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Fisher Space Pen - Packed with technology, the Space Pen is, without exception, the best pen on the market for travel.  The website offers a large selection at very reasonable prices.  When purchasing, keep in mind most writers will utilize the clip accessory for attaching the pen to journals. Starting as low as $9 - Fisher Space Pen Co.

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This November we’re giving away product samples at LitCentral Founders’ Blog.  Throughout the year we conduct numerous product reviews for some of the finest tech products on the market. Our goody box is piling up with product samples, and the season for giving is fast approaching.  The product samples have been used for testing purposes, but are in excellent condition.  Items include ergonomic mice, laptop bags/backpacks, Field Notes and an OtterBox BlackBerry Tour case.

It’s as easy as 1 - 2 - 3 to win.   Here’s what you need to do to enter:

This week we’ll be giving away an Otterbox Impact case.  To learn more about the case click on the linked photo above.

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No need to check the calendar.  It’s true.  We are fast approaching 2010 and still the most you can hope to get out of a laptop battery is 3 - 5 hrs.  “But, but…” I know, I know, there’s a robot on Mars and a man on the moon. Go figure.

Until manufacturers can figure out the short-lived battery dilemma, external batteries remain the only key to unfetter the mobile writer.  We’ve all seen the chaos that can ensue over the lone outlet jack in the airport terminal or Starbucks cafe.  It’s an ugly site and quite frankly, degrading as much as it is ridiculous - human beings hovering over a single outlet jack like a squirrel burring a nut for the winter. Rise up from the muck and mire people and go forth hauling 20+ hours of battery life with the HyperMac extended battery.

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This blog has written at length about the advantages of tablet PCs (TPC) for writers.  In fact, the lack of writers’ awareness regarding various technologies that enhance productivity was the impetus behind LitCentral starting this blog.  Lump TPCs into the “technology that enhances writers’ productivity” bunch. If you are the type of writer that likes to map out your novel or script with handwritten notes, 3×5 cards, and Post-it stickers the TPC is a great solution.   Using software applications like OneNote and Evernote with your TPC,  you can write directly on the screen,  capturing all of your handwritten notes (all in one place) and never run out of ink or paper.  

When I first became interested in the TPC over five years ago, you could expect to pay a minimum of $2000 for the cheapest of models, and up to $4500 for the crème de la crème.   Today, prices have dropped considerably with certain models starting at $799.

LifeBook T4310

Fujitsu is one of the oldest manufacturers of tablet PCs, helping to pioneer the hardware platform over 20 years ago.  They offer the largest selection of TPCs, and recently joined the family of multi-touch tablet PCs with the introduction of the Lifebook T4310. Most tablets are built around a “mobile” platform with light weight hardware (2.4 lbs - 4 lbs) and small 12″ screens.   The T4310 is no different.  It offers the latest dual digitizer technology with pen input and multi-touch interaction, a modular bay, bi-directional display hinge, and the performance of Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor technology.

Starting at $1049, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4310 isn’t the cheapest TPC on the market, but it does not compromise on quality or technology. My only gripe is that I would prefer it have a faster FSB (1066 MHz vs 800 MHz).  Available for order late October.  Go here for more info.

Horchow is offering a different spin on old and new technologies with a bluetooth wireless traditional handset.  If you don’t want to be bothered with batteries or recharging, there is also a $68 non-wireless handset that you plug directly into your cellphone. 

I have my BlackBerry Tour and my office phone at my disposal when I’m seated behind the desk.  Often I’ll route BB calls to the office phone for the sheer comfort of it all.  The design of the traditional handset actually has some practical ergonomic value.  Think about it… You never look like an idiot searching for the pin-hole mic when the person on the other line claims "I can’t hear you; are you covering the hole?" And best of all, you can press it to your ear with your shoulder and have ample use of both hands. You might ask, "But Robin, don’t those conveniences already exist with modern bluetooth headsets?" Okay you have a point, but a hackneyed point. Everybody and their grandma has a bluetooth headset growing out of their ear, but the mix of old school with modern technology could be the new black . 

For those of you who want a little green in your work environment, the Horchow bamboo-like keyboard and mouse offer an interesting eco-friendly approach to computer hardware.   It will  set you back a cool $78 but you’ll look good writing that next blockbuster.   PC compatible only.  BTW…check out Horchow for great writer gifts in general.  The holidays are fast approaching, ya know! 

Leather and technology are an odd combination, mixing old world with new age.   However, Restoration Hardware has put together a handsome combination of the two eras in the form of a steamer trunk office.  When I came across this desk piece I thought it might be ideal for some of our readers. Writers so often love the nostalgia of  traditional  office settings, but don’t want to be fettered by antiquated technology. 

The Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk is a reproduction of an antique steamer trunk with over 3,000 hand-hammered brass nail heads.  If your main room doubles as an office and entertaining space, you can literally close up shop, allowing for privacy and additional room for guests.   Window placement in your loft or house might cause "glaring issues" with your computer screen at certain times of the day.  The Mayfair Steamer stands on wheels for easy mobility - so you can position your office away from the sun, the kids, or your spouse???  

Price: $3995

 

Let me begin by describing the writer’s meme - and by all accounts it is a meme, particularly for fiction writers. 

You sit in front of a computer for blocks of hours, but you’re not really "present".  Your body is there in front of your computer, but your attention, your vision, your emotions - are carrying on in a world inside your head.  This world is the place where your characters reside.  There’s a time warp that’s almost indescribable.  You feel as though you’ve been writing for 30 minutes but the clock shows you’ve been at it for hours.  Quite often, the only thing that pulls you out of this world is a numbing in the wrist or a sharp pain in the back.   

Enter the benefits of ergonomics for writers.  ANYTHING that helps you stay in "that world" is a good thing.  That world is where you are at your best.  In that world you are not creating, you are an observer…a journalist.  Your character’s thoughts, feelings, actions and dialogue are coming through you, and the keyboard and onto your computer screen.  The longer you stay in that world, the better writer you become (remember my article on Outliers?). 

So often when purchasing computer equipment, ergonomics is considered an afterthought - and ergonomic mice – well they are like the "after” gadget.  Just like the backup hard drive "after" your system has already crashed.  Or the protective eyewear "after" you’ve scratched your cornea.  Or the brain bucket “after” you have spilled your brains on the asphalt.  I have been using the ergonomic mice described below for over a month, and I realize the mindset surrounding ergonomic mice should not be an “after”thought at all.  They should be more reflective of seatbelts. What I mean by this is, “Would you buy a new car that didn’t come with seatbelts as standard equipment?”  Heck no!  

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The folks at OtterBox have taken on the challenge of keeping our hand-held gadgets protected.   Having recently purchased the BlackBerry Tour and being notoriously rough on cell phones, I was excited to receive OtterBox’s solutions - the Impact and Defender Series - for protecting one of the most important gadgets I own. 

Last May I raved about the OtterBox rugged laptop 7030 case which unfortunately has been discontinued, as OtterBox is now concentrating their product line primarily on hand-held technology.  I can understand the shift in focus, as it further underlines the ever-increasing, important role smartphones are playing in our hectic lives.

I have been a consumer of smartphones since 2004 when I purchased the Treo 300.  Since then I’ve owned seven different smartphones including Treos, the XV6700 and BlackBerries.  With each phone I desperately searched for the perfect case, and inadvertently became what is referred to in the gadget world as a "casewhore".  That’s fine, I wear the badge proudly, and claim pundit status when it comes to protecting my smartphones.

With that said… I’d like to introduce to you two of the best rugged cases on the market for the BlackBerry Tour:

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So you finally bit the bullet and purchased a smartphone eh? There’s so much to learn about your new gadget and this "tethering" thing seems to be all the rave.  But what exactly is tethering?

Wikipedia defines tethering as: ‘using some type of mobile device to gain internet access on another device’.  Your smartphone (i.e. BlackBerry, iPhone, Treo, Palm Pre, etc) can access the internet via your cellphone plan, right?  You can then use that same internet connection to access the internet on your laptop by way of tethering (connecting) your smartphone to your laptop.  Got it?

Tethering isn’t new.  I’ve been tethering for about three years via the BlackBerry. For those of us who understand how to tether, the excessive cost of wireless PC cards and separate internet data plans are quickly becoming a way of the past.

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There are so many things to remember when packing for an extended stay.  Whether you plan on writing when you settle in wherever you’re going, or you want to take advantage of writing time mid-flight or in between flights, make certain your gear bag has all the geekd’m you need.

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Laptops seem to have found a diet that works, and it’s a really good fit for writers. "Ultra portable" laptops fall within certain dimensions to be deemed such.  Display size varies between 11" - 13" and the unit weighs as little as  2 lbs but no more than 4 lbs.  Realize there’s a sector of ultra portable, low performance, cheap computers called netbooks and there’s also a sector of ultra portable yet powerful laptop computers.  This article refers to the latter.  Netbooks are a low-cost alternative for mobile writers, but if you can afford the whole enchilada - go for more power.

A powerful laptop weighing around 3 lbs can galvanize your productivity because you won’t think twice about taking it with you.  The easier your access is to your laptop, the more likely you are to write.  The more you write, the better you write.  This is why ultra portable laptops are a FANTASTIC GADGET FOR WRITERS!

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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. Google has also entered the smartphone market with its Android operating system. In addition, each carrier has propriety operating systems on their less expensive QWERTY cellphones (i.e. VZ Navigator) that don’t quite qualify as a "smartphone" because of the limitations of the OS.

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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