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Writers “Tools of the Trade”


Writers “Tools of the Trade” – in order of affordability & linked to usage:

Tools of the Trade
Cost in INR
Sony IC recorder –  inbuilt mike of good quality,  doubles up as a music player
Rs.3500 +
Microsoft ergonomic keyboard - Bluetooth / USB cable
Rs. 2800 – 4500
Android phone with the swipe keyboard/ the erstwhile Nokia communicator / E75 or any slideout QWERTY keyboard
Rs.9000 – 28000
Digital camera/ DSLR, could be clubbed with the phone
Rs.10000 +
Voice to Text convertor (Like Dragon NaturallySpeaking from Nuance) – if you have the patience to train the software. (There are also IC recorders that come with DNS preloaded)
Approx Rs.6000
Wireless bluetooth earphones or Music player like ipod
Rs.3000+
Portable Electronic word processor: Alphasmart NEO or the Renaissance NEO 2 available in US, UK markets, If you live in India, EBay is ur best option
Rs 16500 inc. shipping

       
But in all respects the Neo has been the one purchase that has proved to be most useful.

Alphasmart NEO Portable Electronic word processor or the Renaissance NEO 2 Portable Electronic word processor  

A Portable Electronic word processor & the best writing tool after the typewriter for the writer in you

Useful links:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/alphasmart/discuss/126690/ - all links and reviews
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243184
http://www.nanowrimo.org/hownanoworks
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/asia-india/threads/7219?page=2

Pros:
·         Full-size keyboard, and one of the best feel better than anything the laptop world could throw at you
·         Has digital output: AB USB connector, can move your text without requiring any installation on the computer (Computer software to manage the NEO is available as a free download)
·         Software- Alphaword Plus provides spell check, thesaurus, copy-paste and basic keyboard commands
·         720 hours of backup on on 3 AA batteries
·         Instant on – off and no requirement to keep saving every 5 minutes.
·         5.75″ x 1.5″ Mono Liquid Crystal display which shows a “generous” 2 to 6 lines of type.
·         Contrast on the screen in phenomenal, and can beat even the direct sunlight.
·         512K memory but provides to save about 250 pages without requiring to sink into a computer (4.5MB Storage with and OS and 2 MB of software eats up the rest of the space)
·         Very light and portable
·         Rugged without any moving parts. No noise, no heating up with use.
·         Colours: Neo comes only in green, Rennaisance NEO 2 comes in in charcoal grey
·         KeyWords typing tutor if you want to teach you fingers the job.
 
Add ons suggested:
·         Learn basic HTML tags for formatting: *bold* and _italic_ for Word; OpenOffice  *bold* and _underline_
·         Small LED-based reading lights that you can clip to the Neo
·         HP A-B USB cable 5m to connect to the computer
·         Master password is “teach” if you want to tinker around in the control panel / applet menu

 Cons:
·         No internet connectivity
·         Screen has no back lighting
 


My Verdict: One of the best digital tools a writer could have.
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