Palm

[historian]

I'm starting a new thread so as not to clutter up the Procrastination thread.

Sean, thanks for the info re Palm but I'm afraid it's not for me.

I can't read my writing after it gets cold so the chances of a machine being able to are rather remote, I fear.

I wish someone would invent a gadget like a calculator, only with letters instead of numbers and a smidgeon of memory, for taking notes.

Thanks, Sean for the welcome, too. I don't think I'll be participating much as a new novel is gestating but I really like Absolutewrite.

historian

[Old Hack]

I wish someone would invent a gadget like a calculator, only with letters instead of numbers and a smidgeon of memory, for taking notes.

historian

How about one of these? This is a link to a discussion in the "Take it Outside" section:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23383

[historian]

Thanks ever so much. Sounds like just what I need. I'll have a look in Staples.
historian

[Flapdoodle]

I'm starting a new thread so as not to clutter up the Procrastination thread.

Sean, thanks for the info re Palm but I'm afraid it's not for me.

I can't read my writing after it gets cold so the chances of a machine being able to are rather remote, I fear.

I wish someone would invent a gadget like a calculator, only with letters instead of numbers and a smidgeon of memory, for taking notes.

Thanks, Sean for the welcome, too. I don't think I'll be participating much as a new novel is gestating but I really like Absolutewrite.

historian

Get a 2nd hand Jornada 680/690 off Ebay. It's easy to use, with a decent sized keyboard. On other hand, get hold of a Psion series 5mx. Pretty good device.

[DamaNegra]

The alphasmart looks good, but the screen is awfully tiny! I assume it can hold one line of text, but I think it will be a lot of trouble if I want to go back, say, 30 pages to check on something. Just a thought.

[Sharon Mock]

I currently use a Psion Netbook (http://cgi.ebay.com/Psion-Netbook-Excellent-condition_W0QQitemZ5838800785QQcategoryZ14405QQrdZ 1QQcmdZViewItem) and love it to death. There's an updated version with an 800x600 screen, but for the price I'd rather go with the Fujitsu Lifebook P1500D (http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P15D). It's less expensive, more or less the same size, and it runs Windows XP (= Microsoft Word, much as I hate the program).

In the United States, at least some CompUSA stores carry the Toshiba Libretto U100 (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1788009,00.asp). It's tiny (the size of a mass-market paperback -- the ones above are closer to a trade paperback), but I think most people would find the keyboard unusably small for writing.

None of these are inexpensive solutions. The Alphasmart products offer the best bang-for-the-buck that I know of. (You can also buy a handheld computer and a keyboard -- this is what my husband uses for most of his writing. But a good portable keyboard will add up to $100 to the price of the package.)

(Why, no, I can't resist the urge to talk about my NetBook at any opportunity. Why do you ask?)