Mobile Writers: Do You Really Need a Laptop?

Written on September 14, 2007 – 9:30 am | by Wordpreneur |

Full blown laptop computers are undoubtedly incredibly useful tools, and for “mobile” writers, quite indispensable and de rigueur.

Maybe not if all you need to do is write.

Haven’t you wondered why you need to shell out bucks in the higher hundreds (or more) for a laptop if all you want to do is reap the benefits of a portable machine with decent word processing software and a full-sized keyboard (or close to it)? Me too.

Besides cost, I figure there are also at least three other practical reasons to see if there are any laptop alternatives out there for us serious working writers:

• Longer battery life. Laptops are to battery power what vacuum cleaners are to loose dirt… they suck it all up. Although improving, laptop juice still doesn’t quite last long enough out of the box (ask any intercontinental traveler).

• Quick startup time. With laptops you’re usually faced with an off-to-on waiting period of just-too-freaking-long. Nature of the beast, but something that, in my opinion, takes these machines a lot further away from quick notetaking Nirvana.

• Durability. Toss your bag across the room and it’d still be a good bet that the pen and paper inside can be used for writing. Try that with a laptop. Not that I expect to find a portable word processor that will survive the across-room-toss test, but I’m hoping that maybe there’s something out there that’ll better survive typical banging around from normal use (still not recommended for laptops, would you believe), or maybe even a short drop or two to the floor. I put this “need” under the “wishful thinking” category, fyi.

Am I asking too much? Why? Many of these features pretty much fall under the definition of basic portability, don’t you think?

In any event, at the end of the day, all I really want to see is if there’s a truly portable writing tool out there with a full-sized keyboard, adequate word processing software, and a price that is no-brainer low, or close to it… at least way lower than what they’re asking us to pay for even entry-level laptops.

Well, I’ve found and tested two possibilities.

The first is built to work with the ubiquitous PDA, which I’m guessing you probably already have and carry around with you regularly anyway. I’m talking Palm Pilot in my case. I bought the Palm full-sized keyboard for around $60 new (you can find used for less on eBay… I’ve checked). Ingeniously designed, the full-sized keyboard folds in half and compacts Transformers-style into a flat, thin and smallish rectangle, about the size and girth of one of those old, elegant silver cigarette cases. Throw the thing into its small black water-resistant pouch, tug and cinch the drawstring, and calling it transportable is an understatement.

Use, however, isn’t quite as convenient. You’ll need to open up the keyboard, pull up its “antenna”/backrest, and place your PDA on top. Your PDA doesn’t physically connect with the keyboard; it “communicates” wirelessly (but, to its credit, easily). The set up works, but forget about the convenience of typing on your lap or some other “no flat firm surface” non-desktop use. Getting write-ready is also enough of a hassle that you’ll no doubt bypass the keyboard’s use if all you’ve got are small pockets of time… like on short flights that don’t give you too much of a “window” for electronic device use. Taking sporadic notes? Forget it. You’d do better long hand or letter tapping with the PDA stylus.

Software is where the Palm PDA/keyboard solution shines. Mine came with a copy of Dataviz Documents to Go which lets you work with MS Word and Excel files. I don’t know if they still bundle this app with the keyboard, but individual copies go for only $30-50, if memory serves.

Moving documents between your Palm and PC is as easy as “synchronizing” your data (something all Palm/PC users should know how to do anyway).

Screen size may turn you off though. What do you expect? All you’ve got is a tiny PDA screen, with really tiny fonts. Very sharp, yes, but tiny nonetheless. Sure, you can change your document’s font size, but if you’re like me and prefer to have as much text visible on the screen as possible, you won’t have much room to play with. But, again, the text is sharp. I’ve got bad eyesight, and I can work with this set up for hours on end.

If the battery lets me, that is. The battery on my Palm E2 isn’t a marathon runner, not by a long shot (color screens, like what the E2 has, eat up more power and a single charge lasts only about a third of, say, the monochrome screened Palm Zire 21). In real world terms, that’s about 3 hours tops. And that’s pushing it. If battery life is an issue (which means it’ll also be an issue for you with a laptop), then opt for a PDA model that works off of batteries (just bring extra) or get some kind of portable battery pack that lets you charge your PDA (and other electronic devices, like your cell phone) anywhere.

The PDA approach is no doubt workable, and a fair alternative to getting a laptop for your portable writing needs. Unwieldy though. Especially compared to the second tech alternative I tried…

…the NEO by AlphaSmart. About the size of half a full laptop — just the keyboard half. It sports a full-size keyboard with an extra row of labeled special function keys, and a small 2″x7″ LCD screen that takes up part of the unit’s remaining space above the keyboard.

That’s it. One unit. And a pretty dang sturdy one at that. Instant on — hit the on/off key and it’s ready to go in about a second — makes it great for taking notes or sporadic, often brief, “opportunity” writing sessions. I am, in fact, typing these very words on a USAir flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Miami, using a NEO on the small tray in front of me. Earlier paragraphs were pumped out literally on my NEO’d lap, waiting for my flight at Charlotte airport’s Gate 44.

No problem; I know the NEO’ll be up to the task and will easily endure being banged around caseless in my carry-on bag. It’s also more than strong enough to get squeezed in and out of the tight and barely adequate gartered pocket of the seat in front of me on the flight. Exactly 14 hours before Charlotte’s Gate 44, I flew in to DC’s Reagan National from Brussels with — you guessed it — the NEO serving me the same exact trouble-free way on that flight… and the few days prior… not to mention the flight to Brussels to begin with.

The keyboard of this machine is incredible. It’s a “real” keyboard in look, feel and sound. My writing zooms right along, as quickly as the words hit my fingertips. No feel compromises or smaller form factor adjustments here; this is the real thing.

Besides the keyboard, another thing you’ll probably really love about the NEO is that “power” is about as trouble-free as it’s going to get — three (3) penlight batteries (yup, you read that right, penlight, aka AA which stands for, at least to me, “Available Anywhere”). But that’s not the half of it. Those three batteries represent — ta da! — 600+ hours of NEO battery life. Thank the NEO’s low power consumption LCD screen and electronic data storage (no hard disk moving parts to eat up precious AA juice). Heck, I haven’t worried about my NEO’s batteries in weeks.

The last thing I really love about the NEO is something I call a serendipitous feature: Since it isn’t a laptop, there’s nothing on it that will distract me from the writing that I need to do. No Solitaire, Hearts, Internet or any of the other infinite time sucker uppers on the typical PC that tease my short attention span. There are software “applets” you can load onto your NEO, but I’ve never cared enough to check them out. I got the NEO to write, and by jove, that’s what I use it for.

At only $219 direct, I think the NEO is the best and most convenient portable, full-sized keyboard word processing machine for serious writers available. AlphaSmart (NEO’s maker) has a sure winner here.

Of course, there are a few things I wish the NEO had. Such as very basic Internet connectivity to let writers email or transmit plain text messages/files at the very least. Interestingly enough, I’m not interested in full email or Web capabilities — probably the worst time sink known to 21st century mankind.

Also, I’d probably like to see a larger screen. I think I just edit/review my writing better with one. The current small screen is more than adequate to write with, but maybe an optional larger flat screen attachment that could be affixed to the top of the unit, ala a laptop screen (meaning it would still be portable) would maybe be useful for users who want one and are not unwilling to pay a bit more for it. However, frankly I wouldn’t trade away the NEO’s bang it around sturdiness for this feature. If it’s sturdy vs. larger screen, I’ll go with the former any day.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a true writer’s portable workhorse word processing machine, this is it boys and girls. My laptop’s actually been spending a lot of time of late as my dining table “desktop” computer ever since the NEO entered my life, not to mention that I haven’t seen nor do I even care to know where my Palm keyboard is (maybe I’ll put it up on eBay when I do find it). Don’t need a full laptop? Get this. You’ll love it.

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