What gadget is best if your writing a book on your trip

[LitePacking]

Ive started writing on a book. For some months later this year i be long distant touring for 3 or more months.
I dont want to drag with me a PC because i am a travel light fan. I know it exist small Pc`s today, but they also cost more the smaller they get..or..

Any tips?

[reiffert]

In re-reading Thoreau's Walden I learned he went through at least 5 drafts before sending it for publication. With a pencil. (probably his father's pencils, then the best you could buy)

Every thread about electronics, esp PDA, smartphone, mini-pc all seem to boil down to power availability. Just seems to me that finding a plug, watching power meters, paying attention to small keyboard spacing, backing up worries, etc would be detrimental to the writing process.

Now, if one were going to be in a motel every night, or could guarantee being able to spend evenings plugged in at a cafe or such..... then a plastic bag with a Moleskine and a couple of pencils might not look so good.

[Zero_Enigma]

To the OP.

I'm not biting your head off but just wanted to point out the topic spelling HERE. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49184877@N00/2091888035/) ;)

[Paniolo]

Are you writing about the tour or some other subject? If you just want notes on your tour paper/pencil or a mini recorder would both work.

Do you use a dynamo hub? With some custom electrical work you could design a recharging circuit for a laptop and run your dynamo for recharging during the day.

[zonatandem]

Ballpoint pen and paper's worked for me!
Write down key happenings in a few words so it can jolt your memory when you read the notes. Then you can do your first draft at your leisure after your tour.

[fordfasterr]

www.eeeuser.com

I suggest the Asus EEE PC.

It is just 2 lb, and comes pre-loaded with OpenOffice.org !

Boots up in less than 30 seconds, built-in wifi (wireless) and non-Microsoft OS !!!!!

[ks1g]

Paper and pen (or a bound journal book) is cheapest and the most reliable, and you can mail pages of notes to your home address as needed. A Nokia 800 tablet plus bluetooth keyboard (I have them) is extremely portable and you can email your notes and pictures to yourself or save to memory card. Current US prices are $230-ish for the N800 and under $50 for a keyboard. But you may dislike extensive typing on it. I'd bring mine with me, but I already have it and I'd still be worried about damage or theft.

The Asus EEE PC is a little less portable but probably easier to type with. A laptop with a larger keyboard is going to be easier to type on still, but even less portable and a lot more money. Weight of equipment, reliability when it gets bounced around all day in a pannier, and charging batteries are going to be issues. Solar or dynamo charging may work, do you want the hassle?

I'd go with paper and a small digital camera for photos. If you must go electronic, are there internet cafes or libraries or hotel "business centers" you can use from time to time to type you notes and journal entries? Less weight and cost, and you may get some interesting stories when you tell people what you are doing.

[BarracksSi]

To the OP.

I'm not biting your head off but just wanted to point out the topic spelling HERE. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49184877@N00/2091888035/) ;)

That one is MUCH easier on the eyes than this old standby:

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

:D

Bob's taken things further, I see:
http://www.angryflower.com/destro.html

[Zero_Enigma]

That one is MUCH easier on the eyes than this old standby:

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

:D

Bob's taken things further, I see:
http://www.angryflower.com/destro.html

Hmm.. I like Bob. :) I raise you with this (http://www.youtube.com/hotforwords). Warning work safe but 'risque'. No nudity but hey the coworkers might take away your artificial day light by huddling too close. ;)

[bfromcolo]

How about a Blackberry?

[BarracksSi]

How about a Blackberry?

Oh, god no (no offense intended for you, that's just my reaction to the Blackberry as a writing instrument). The keys are way too tiny and it's a pain to edit stuff.

If typing is the goal, you want something designed to fit your hands, not your pocket. If you're not going to carry a laptop such as one of the micro-thin Sonys or MacBook Air, or a PDA/phone/whatever with a good-sized foldout keyboard, you might as well carry a notebook & pen or pencil instead.

[bfromcolo]

Oh, god no (no offense intended for you, that's just my reaction to the Blackberry as a writing instrument). The keys are way too tiny and it's a pain to edit stuff.

You get used to typing on then after a while. Work makes me carry one. You can email it to your self to backup your work. Editing can be a pain compared to a PC, but easier then with pencil and paper. And your likely to be carrying a cell phone anyway. It can be charged with a USB cable, and if you have a generator hub there are circuits to do that.

[BarracksSi]

You get used to typing on then after a while.

Right, but you're not typing on it for hour-long stretches either, right? At least I hope you don't have to...

My 8100 Pearl isn't a fair comparison anyway since it's much too tiny for any substantial writing.

[n4zou]

I use a Palm TX PDA that works great. It has Wi-Fi so you can do all your Internet chores with it. It has an SD card slot and works fine with my HP camera SD card. I can take the card out of the camera and put it in the Palm and send copy's of photos and videos from the camera as e-mail attachments. Bluetooth keyboards work fine with the Palm as well. Typing with a real keyboard is much better than stylus pecking! DX has a folding 2XAAA battery powered folding Bluetooth keyboard.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.6443

http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_6443_1.jpg

Here is the circuit I use to power and recharge my Palm and a GPS unit from a standard bicycle dynamo.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r154/n4zou/bicyclechargingcircuit.jpg

The 4 diodes convert AC from the dynamo to DC.
The 4 Ni-MH batteries regulate voltage and current supplying nice clean current and voltage for the USB connector.
S2 electrically isolates the batteries from the dynamo.
S1 controls the 1-watt headlight LED and the LED taillight.
Unplugging devices from the USB connector with S1 open allows rapid recharging of the batteries.
The dynamo cant supply enough current to power USB devices and the Lights so you must disconnect USB devices when using the lights. The lights will not go out at stops but will be draining current from the batteries. The lights are setup with resistors to limit total current drain to 380mA allowing 120mA of recharging current to compensate for stops in traffic and hill climbing.

[Zero_Enigma]

N4zou,

My dad owns a Palm TX Xmas used and just wondering how the keyboard works with it? I also own a Palm Tungsten T2. Do you know if this works with the T2 or can help me find some confirmation that the keyboard works with the T2?

Seeing as it says any bluetooth device and Palm OS 5.0 and higher I would think my T2 will work. I'm looking for something that both of us can use. Staples.ca has a $99 bluetooth keyoard but it only works with Tungsten E, E2, Tx, and something else I forgot. My T2 is Palm OS v.5.2.1 .

[neilfein]

If you don't mind typing out your words of wisdom later on, consider a voice recorder. You can get them pretty inexpensively, but I take one of these on tour:

http://www.samsontech.com/images/productImages/h2_page/H2_solo-web.jpg

Awesome machine. It takes SD cards, picks up voices very clearly, and records in stereo or (oddly enough) quadraphonic stereo. It also doubles as an SD card reader, and does a decent job when I actually use it to cut demos.

[nancy sv]

I've heard wonderful things about the AlphaSmart. We would take one with us on our tour, except we will need to manipulate photos and stuff too. If we were only a short 3-month tour, we would definitely do the AlphaSmart!

[Zero_Enigma]

The voice recorder isn't a bad idea. I'm not sure how the Dragon Naturally Speaking programs are now a days and thier percentage of accuracy. I think I played with that back in 1997. Many moons ago. If you speak clearly into the recorder I'm sure later you can put the recorder into a quiet room, kick up the computer voice to text program, walk out and close the door and do something else while the computer takes over. When you hear the tape is not playing anymore then enter the room again and read what has been converted to text on the computer and do your editing then. I'm sureyou'll remember many details when you read what has been texted out even if there are word errors.

Just an idea.

[cyccommute]

Pencil, legal pad, envelops and stamps. Write every night, put it in an envelop and send it home. Type it when you get home. Writing is usually better when it's had some time to age anyway.

Advantages:

-no batteries to worry about
-no expensive equipment to worry about
-it's not as easy to use your keyboard when you run out of toilet paper

Disadvantages

-you have to type it up when you get home.
-you might run out of pencils
-paper burns
-you have to depend on the post office:eek:*

*They really aren't that bad;)

[jeff-o]

Here you go, the best of both worlds:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/08/genius-introduces-the-g-note-7100-digital-pad/

[n4zou]

N4zou,

My dad owns a Palm TX Xmas used and just wondering how the keyboard works with it? I also own a Palm Tungsten T2. Do you know if this works with the T2 or can help me find some confirmation that the keyboard works with the T2?

Seeing as it says any bluetooth device and Palm OS 5.0 and higher I would think my T2 will work. I'm looking for something that both of us can use. Staples.ca has a $99 bluetooth keyoard but it only works with Tungsten E, E2, Tx, and something else I forgot. My T2 is Palm OS v.5.2.1 .

Here is the link to a Palm Bluetooth keyboard guaranteed to be compatible as it's listed to work with the Tungsten E2.

http://store.palm.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2662538&cp=1157581.1797783&parentPage=family

http://palm.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3629220dt.jpg

[littlewaywelt]

Ive started writing on a book. For some months later this year i be long distant touring for 3 or more months.
I dont want to drag with me a PC because i am a travel light fan. I know it exist small Pc`s today, but they also cost more the smaller they get..or..

Any tips?

What about using a pda palm treo type phone where you can send email? You could upload to a blog by just sending an email to a certain address. You could also do work in word mobile, etc if you go the windows mobile route.

[pinkpowa]

+1 to the PDA + keyboard idea. I took my old Clie SJ22 and keyboard to Costa Rica. It lasted a whole week of blogging on a single charge (though I could have charged it at the hotel), and i could backup to the memory stick. Entire package is maybe a pound and the size of 2 clif bars.

-david

[markjenn]

I'd look at the Eee, but personally I think anybody serious about writing while traveling needs to pony up and carry the proper tools for the job and for most, that's a 6-lb or so laptop with a big enough keyboard and screen so that you can comfortably.... write. Hanging keyboards onto PDA's and the like is fine for an occasional email or updating a blog, but that's not writing a book which is a very difficult and serious activity that requires some serious committment to be successful and carrying a laptop seems like one of the lesser difficulties.

- Mark

[acidinmylegs]

I have an HTC Kaiser and a folding bluetooth keyboard. With both, I can [easily] type using Pocket Word and have internet access whether I am around a WiFi access point or not. Since the phone has it's own keyboard, I don't need the folding keyboard, but it makes typing more than a single line much more enjoyable.

[twobikes]

The American historian of the US Civil War, Shelby Foote, wrote his books with a quill and a bottle of ink because the slowness of the process made him think more about each word.

You did not say if you are using an airliner for part(s) of your travels. I do not like to use a laptop on an airplane. The space between seats is too cramped. And, if the person ahead of me suddenly thrusts his seat backward, it could crack my screen and ruin my laptop. I prefer instead to make notes with a pen while on the plane and then type text into my laptop while waiting in the next terminal.

It is a good idea to send what you have typed to yourself as an e-mail attachment, just in case your laptop crashes horribly or is stolen.

I have used a handheld Palm OS device and a keyboard on an airplane. It works well, especially if you can save work in a standard format, like Microsoft Word.

[TRaffic Jammer]

http://www.moleskine.com/eng/default.htm

[Pepper Grinder]

Dell Axim X51v Pocket PC. Doubles as a GPS (super handy!), video/music/picture player (video for off the bike, of course), a way to dump data from sd card to compactflash. Also does wifi for email and whatnot. Add a BT keyboard and you're set. There are probably better solutions, but this one works for me.

It's power hungry at times but there are ways to work around that, namely a dynamo hub.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3498/gpsqt6.jpg

[Crast]

I will also recommend the asus eee pc as someone earlier did:
http://eeepc.asus.com/global/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=eee+pc&x=0&y=0

It's a laptop priced at $300-$400 which is also extremely portable (for a size comparison, check http://unicap-imaging.org/images/eeepc_sizecmp.jpg) It fits easily in a small camelbak, something I've not been able to do with any other laptop.

I have one and use it in class for taking notes, though your mileage with the small keyboard may vary. I got used to it quickly, but I could see people with large hands having trouble.

[rhm]

Microsoft used to make and support an operating system for a device called a "Handheld PC." I have a NEC Mobilepro 790, which runs that. It's like a Palm, in that it's instant on, instant off; but it's bigger, and has a nearly full size keyboard. You don't need to interface it with a full size pc. Operating system is built in, can't be overwritten or corrupted. There's an internal memory but CF cards are the way to go. I have hundreds of pages of text saved on my 64 MB flash card. A fresh battery holds a charge for a week or two. I would NOT recharge it any way but the correct NEC charger; running it off a dynamo hub would be too risky for my taste.
I got mine on Ebay for a hundred bucks or so; sometimes you can find them on overstock.com or similar sites; I'm on my second one, in fact.
HP made a similar model, I think it was a jornado or something.

http://http://www.pocketpcmag.com/_archives/Jan00/images/NEC_MobilePro_770.jpg

[asquit]

FWIW -
A new programmer in my shop uses one of those little ASUS PCs,almost lives on it. it's a nice compromise of screen size-to-keyboard-to-portability. And he manages to do stuff across servers, in a couple windows simultaneously. Oh and you get actual documents out of it.
I had a palm Tungsten + plug-in keyboard for years. The action on that and the bluetooth keyboards were really comfortable , though the screen is so small, text wraps often (<80 col) . Pdfs and Word were silly, they were so small. Still, pocketability and the keyboard made it work, at least for 4-5 days at conferences. If you really need to minimize volume, it's OK. Backup by having an extra flash card .
HTH
Alex

[gpsblake]

I always believe in keeping it simple...... What I found is best is to write down in pen/pencil/crayon on a notepad, then visit a library every few days and retype on a blog that you can keep hidden from the public or make it journal available to the public.

I carry a PDA when touring but really for playing games when bored in the tent, it's just too slow and awkward for writing long entries.

One issue about carrying around a laptop would be finding spots to recharge the battery fully, I'm not sure how long they take. I guess if you getting a hotel room every night, it isn't a factor.

[TRaffic Jammer]

you could get a solar charger for a palm type device and ride and charge.

[n4zou]

you could get a solar charger for a palm type device and ride and charge.
Been there and tried that. Thats too much harassment as you must repossession the solar panel on every change of direction or it will not recharge the batteries. Considering how few absolutely straight roads there are anywhere except in the desert it's just about impossible to do any serious battery charging. A dynamo with AC to DC bridge reciter and control circuit works great day and night.

[Faust]

I've written a self-published book on a fairly esoteric subject. I used Microsoft Word to create the chapters (check spelling, create paragraphs, indentation, foot notes, index marks, etc.), table of contents, index, cover page, notes. I then created a pdf edition, with Adobe Acrobat Professional, for publication at Lightning Source.

All of this takes considerable learning, discipline, accuracy, and time. Do it right the first time, so that rewrites, and effort is minimized. If I were writing a book while on the road I would utilize a small laptop with Word installed. Adobe InDesign is a more powerful program for book creation, but considerably more expensive.

Although hundreds of thousands of books are written annually, perhaps 30,000 or so get published. I used Dreamweaver software to create an internet site, and have been selling my book internationally for a number of years.

Anyone interested can PM me for my site, or other self-publishing and/or writing information.

[markjenn]

All of this takes considerable learning, discipline, accuracy, and time. Do it right the first time, so that rewrites, and effort is minimized. If I were writing a book while on the road I would utilize a small laptop with Word installed.

Well said by someone who has been there. Some of these suggestions in this thread sound like tin-cans-tied-together-with-string as a substitute for a telephone. Anyone writing a book should be able to ante up to carrying a small laptop - if not, then you're just screwing around.

- Mark

[BarracksSi]

Just a note --

I then created a pdf edition, with Adobe Acrobat Professional, for publication at Lightning Source.

On a Mac, you can make a PDF of anything -- basically, if you can print it, you can PDF it. No need to buy Acrobat.
:beer:

[n4zou]

Just a note --



On a Mac, you can make a PDF of anything -- basically, if you can print it, you can PDF it. No need to buy Acrobat.
:beer:
OpenOffice documents can be saved in PDF format and costs nothing. I can save documents in Word format in OpenOffice Write and they pass across the Palm hot sink conduits without a whimper from the desktop even with Microsoft trying to prevent Palm software from doing that. I've found OpenOffice software is much better than Microsoft Office software. Download OpenOffice at openoffice.org.:D

[Halloween]

Ive started writing on a book. For some months later this year i be long distant touring for 3 or more months.
I dont want to drag with me a PC because i am a travel light fan. I know it exist small Pc`s today, but they also cost more the smaller they get..or..

Any tips?


I'm not even going to bother to look through the thread before I answer the OP.


First of all:

I hope you are (you're) writing the book in Norwegian, because your (that which belongs to you) English isn't quite good enough.

That's all.


Oh, OK... here's some more...



Don't write the book in English, and it might be good... maybe you can write in your native language.

If you want a book that sounds like some Viking who didn't have a good command of the English wroted it, then, go right ahead and scribble away.

Notebooks made from the trees (paper) aren't necessarily lighter than PCs filled with the batteries, but they cost a lot less.

All the great novelists of the past used paper (it's made from trees) for their manuscripts, so you can bask in the glory of traditionalism.

These days, you can even buy a ready-made book with blank pages. Just write something on the blank pages, and you'll have an instant book!


Or, you could just remember everything that happens while you're travelling light... and then write or type it down later.


If your memory isn't that good, just make stuff up... that's called "fiction".


You could save a lot of time and energy by just making the stuff up to begin with.


Have a nice trip.