While I'm waiting for my hair to dry, a small thought...
Way back in 1998 (I think), I began to look for a reasonably priced portable writing device so I could write wherever, whenever. I wanted one to take to work, to take on the road, to write in the car while on errands w/Chris...
All I really want is a word processor small enough to put in my purse or pocket, that I can transfer files to and from a PC on, and that I can have one whole novel on. Not four or five necessarily, just one. And I need a keyboard comfortable enough and sturdy enough to balance on my knees if I'm out in the woods behind my parents' house. I don't want an organizer/database/etc., just a word processor. I don't want to go on the Internet with this thing. I don't want to check my email. I just wanna write. :)
That's why I was so excited when QuickPad first made mention of the QuickPad Pro. I really like the regular QuickPad, but the drawbacks are no file transferrance and it only holds 70 pages of text. At the moment, it's good enough, but I find myself increasingly wanting more. I signed up to get a QuickPad Pro, but when they sent me one to evaluate, I winced. And it didn't work. I couldn't get that sucker to transfer files to save my life.
For one, it was blue. To be trendy, I suppose, they changed their QuickPads from basic black to blue. Yech. For two, the screen wasn't tilted anymore, so seeing what you were typing if you balanced it on your knees just didn't work. For three, it didn't work right, and they changed the on/off switch from having to push one switch three times to having to push two different switches. For four, it seemed very flimsy and not sturdy at all. I've written over 350,000 words using the QuickPad I have, and the only problem is an occasional sticking of the shift and/or ctrl key. For five, have I mentioned it didn't work? First off, I emailed them, then called them (They don't seem to be very organized over there, either; they didn't even know I had gotten an evaluation...) and they assured me it was a software problem and that they would email me the correct software. It never showed up. I waited and waited and waited, then finally mailed it back. Grrrr. Talk about crushing my hopes. *g*
(And don't talk to me about paper and pencil, either. I only write snippets of scenes on paper anymore; I get into the story a lot better when I'm not thinking about where my fingers are.)
So I've been looking. I asked for a Visor for Christmas, but didn't get one (short story is that I bought my hubby a DVD player for Christmas, or rather, my parents did in my name. I was supposed to buy the Visor/keyboard with the money I would have paid them back with, but I haven't yet.), and so I've been haunting ebay trying to figure out what I really want.
So far, the Psion Revo looks good, but I'd really like to try one out first. I want this purchase to last, not like the Compaq PC Companion that I bought for this purpose in 1998 and only used a handful of times. I still have that, and I should post it on auction. I spent $200 on that thing, and the first time I tried to transfer a novel, it lost pieces of it. sigh I doubt I could get $25 for it now.
Here's what I want:
A sturdy keyboard, and large enough to comfortably type on for an extended period of time.
At least 8 megs of memory, if not more. (I've been looking at the Diamond Mako on ebay, but I did a little searching and found out that it sometimes has battery problems. 16 megs of memory sounds really great, but I don't want to buy a product that has rechargable batteries and/or known battery problems.)
Under $150 used. (I'm poor, and the DVD player was $110, so I'm hoping not to have to spend more than that, really.)
So. I know people read this blog--does anyone have any suggestions?
Why these people can't just create a stripped down version of one of those "organizers", I don't know...
More later. I think my hair is dry enough to brave the dust again.
Jen
Why I haven't bought a Visor/Palm/Portable Writing Device Yet
Way back in 1998 (I think), I began to look for a reasonably priced portable writing device so I could write wherever, whenever. I wanted one to take to work, to take on the road, to write in the car while on errands w/Chris...
All I really want is a word processor small enough to put in my purse or pocket, that I can transfer files to and from a PC on, and that I can have one whole novel on. Not four or five necessarily, just one. And I need a keyboard comfortable enough and sturdy enough to balance on my knees if I'm out in the woods behind my parents' house. I don't want an organizer/database/etc., just a word processor. I don't want to go on the Internet with this thing. I don't want to check my email. I just wanna write. :)
That's why I was so excited when QuickPad first made mention of the QuickPad Pro. I really like the regular QuickPad, but the drawbacks are no file transferrance and it only holds 70 pages of text. At the moment, it's good enough, but I find myself increasingly wanting more. I signed up to get a QuickPad Pro, but when they sent me one to evaluate, I winced. And it didn't work. I couldn't get that sucker to transfer files to save my life.
For one, it was blue. To be trendy, I suppose, they changed their QuickPads from basic black to blue. Yech. For two, the screen wasn't tilted anymore, so seeing what you were typing if you balanced it on your knees just didn't work. For three, it didn't work right, and they changed the on/off switch from having to push one switch three times to having to push two different switches. For four, it seemed very flimsy and not sturdy at all. I've written over 350,000 words using the QuickPad I have, and the only problem is an occasional sticking of the shift and/or ctrl key. For five, have I mentioned it didn't work? First off, I emailed them, then called them (They don't seem to be very organized over there, either; they didn't even know I had gotten an evaluation...) and they assured me it was a software problem and that they would email me the correct software. It never showed up. I waited and waited and waited, then finally mailed it back. Grrrr. Talk about crushing my hopes. *g*
(And don't talk to me about paper and pencil, either. I only write snippets of scenes on paper anymore; I get into the story a lot better when I'm not thinking about where my fingers are.)
So I've been looking. I asked for a Visor for Christmas, but didn't get one (short story is that I bought my hubby a DVD player for Christmas, or rather, my parents did in my name. I was supposed to buy the Visor/keyboard with the money I would have paid them back with, but I haven't yet.), and so I've been haunting ebay trying to figure out what I really want.
So far, the Psion Revo looks good, but I'd really like to try one out first. I want this purchase to last, not like the Compaq PC Companion that I bought for this purpose in 1998 and only used a handful of times. I still have that, and I should post it on auction. I spent $200 on that thing, and the first time I tried to transfer a novel, it lost pieces of it. sigh I doubt I could get $25 for it now.
Here's what I want:
A sturdy keyboard, and large enough to comfortably type on for an extended period of time.
At least 8 megs of memory, if not more. (I've been looking at the Diamond Mako on ebay, but I did a little searching and found out that it sometimes has battery problems. 16 megs of memory sounds really great, but I don't want to buy a product that has rechargable batteries and/or known battery problems.)
Under $150 used. (I'm poor, and the DVD player was $110, so I'm hoping not to have to spend more than that, really.)
So. I know people read this blog--does anyone have any suggestions?
Why these people can't just create a stripped down version of one of those "organizers", I don't know...
More later. I think my hair is dry enough to brave the dust again.
Jen
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