Writing on the bus using a tablet.

hcass

I'm so busy these days the only time I seem to have a minute to myself is on the bus. I'm not really into longhand so actual writing (with a pen) on the bus is not for me but I was wondering if anyone has had success using a tablet on the bus for typing?

I tried using my laptop but it was too cumbersome. Was thinking of investing in a tablet anyway as my laptop is on it's way out. This (being able to wrote on the bus) would clinch it for me.

EileenG

I used to write thousands of words on my Psion 5. This was literally pocket sized and opened or closed with the rising and lowering of the lid. No lag time, which was great. The downside is that the keyboard is small and it's messy transfering your work from the Psion to a Word document.

I now use an Aspire One net book which works well on the bus. The trick, for me, is to make sure I have a bag with at least one solid side, so I have a firm work surface. It's not a perfect writing enviroment, but it is possible.

A tablet might well work, particularly if you download some sort of swipe keyboard which would speed up your input.

Really, I think it's about picking a method and sticking to it until you can do it easily and so produce some respectable work.

hcass

I just googled Psion 5 - what a cool little laptop/keyboard/pc??

I was thinking of going the netbook route too but wasn't sure if it would keep slipping forward - whereas with the tablet I could hold it and type with one hand. I mean it would slow me down but I've waited this long so it's not like I'm in a rush.

The bag is a great idea too - thank you Eileen.

Agent Weebley

I was initially struck by your desire to write on the bus, thinking that a Sharpie was the best tool for low porosity, shiny surfaces, wondering that the best you could achieve with your typical tablet - probably running W8, which has a bad rap due to how hard they are pushing it and the negative reviews, would be shallow etching, especially with the trend to rounded corners these days - thankfully “shiny” and “rounded corners” are patented by Apple to hopefully keep the lawyers busy and the part-timers like Sony and Lenovo out of the picture, but after reading Eileen's Psion5 comment, and also StartPaging it, getting this video, I was then struck by the gigantic hands the speaker had, but after opening it up, and seeing the screen, I realised that it was a tiny unit from 2001; chuckling to myself on once again getting the wrong end of the shtick, I thought about our own success with The $2000 Sony Vaio Zee with Solid State drives (SSD,) which weighs a couple or three pounds, boots in 30 seconds, sleeps, then wakes in about 10 seconds, and gets 14 hours continuous battery time with the add-on virtually weightless $100 battery slice, which makes it especially important for tethering to an iPhone 4 for browsing and researching, as linking to the neural net to confirm synaptic thinking and historical facts are key to writing a good story - although many would disagree - but the best thing about the Sony Vaio Zee is it has sharp corners, making it rather Banksy-esque, and now I hit the sentence “wall,” like Wal-Mart – they sell walls there, right . . . oops, a bit more to add: the Sony Vaio Zee, ironically in this case, has no DVD drive inside to keep it as light as possible – it’s an add-on for $150.

wavehopper1

I use a netbook (Advent) on the bus to write. I sit my backpack on my knees (its stuffed with my coat or jersey). If there's a tight squeeze between my seat and the one in front, that just stops the machine from slipping forward, as the edge of the lid will be against the back.

You do have to get used to keeping your elbows in when you type (to avoid poking the person next to you). But I find that people are actually sympathetic in this situation - if they think you're a downtrodden employee being made work overtime on the bus by slave-driving fat cats, your neighbouring seat will probably be the last one to fill.

hcass

Another vote for a netbook, hmmmm. Thanks wavehopper

And thanks for making me laugh Weebley. While advising me too.

Phantasos

Are you comfortable typing on a tablet? I think I'd go mad using a touchscreen to type long paragraphs of text. A netbook with a keyboard would make more sense, I imagine.

Agent Weebley

hcass wrote: »

Another vote for a netbook, hmmmm. Thanks wavehopper And thanks for making me laugh Weebley. While advising me too.

Thanks, but . . . er, the name's Epstein, Brian Epstein. (Nope, it doesn't have the same ringtone to it as "the name's Weebley, Agent Weebley."); a 310 word sentence, which I think is my personal best (or longest, depending on your viewpoint,) also containing a similar and complementary hanging participle for alfa beta to pluck from if he so chooses.

Netbooks are done like dinner, like the Psion5 seems to be. Too bad. Nobody makes netbooks anymore. Poor screen size, I would say - 600 x 300 is not good for browsing, unless you like scrolling. Did you see the B&W graph on the Psion5 video? It was your typical "onwards and upwards" graph - that made me chuckle.

I would shy away from an iPad-ish thingy, as there is no tactile feedback, and my spelling misteaks are rampant when typing on the iPhone with that same keyboard, albeit not a gigantic keyboard. One handed typing would be a chore, really, I would think. And the screen does not tilt unless you get a leather sheath for it.

hcass

Agent Weebley wrote: »

Thanks, but . . . er, the name's Epstein, Brian Epstein. (Nope, it doesn't have the same ringtone to it as "the name's Weebley, Agent Weebley."); a 310 word sentence, which I think is my personal best (or longest, depending on your viewpoint,) also containing a similar and complementary hanging participle for alfa beta to pluck from if he so chooses.

Netbooks are done like dinner, like the Psion5 seems to be. Too bad. Nobody makes netbooks anymore. Poor screen size, I would say - 600 x 300 is not good for browsing, unless you like scrolling. Did you see the B&W graph on the Psion5 video? It was your typical "onwards and upwards" graph - that made me chuckle.

I would shy away from an iPad-ish thingy, as there is no tactile feedback, and my spelling misteaks are rampant when typing on the iPhone with that same keyboard, albeit not a gigantic keyboard. One handed typing would be a chore, really, I would think. And the screen does not tilt unless you get a leather sheath for it.

Sorry Epstein. Is that "EpSTEEN" or "EpSTINE" - always wanted to know that...

Agent Weebley

hcass wrote: »

Sorry Epstein. Is that "EpSTEEN" or "EpSTINE" - always wanted to know that...

That would be EpSTINE, hcass. By the way, one of us has just posted a new thread in Literature, here.

We will be discussing this last weekend's somewhat silent hullabaloo, elsewhere, this evening of the day.

blue.jester

If you want the best of tablet and netbook worlds you can't go wrong with an Asus Transformer. It's what I've been using for the best part of two years on my 40 min commute. It is Android so you can use Kingsoft Office and the keypad is perfectly sized for typing. I manage to bang out about 700 - 1000 words on the trip home each night. Wrote a full book this way. I moved it to the laptop for spell checking and some major edits but the majority of it was all tablet.

Plus it makes for a good e-reader

hcass

blue.jester wrote: »

If you want the best of tablet and netbook worlds you can't go wrong with an Asus Transformer. It's what I've been using for the best part of two years on my 40 min commute. It is Android so you can use Kingsoft Office and the keypad is perfectly sized for typing. I manage to bang out about 700 - 1000 words on the trip home each night. Wrote a full book this way. I moved it to the laptop for spell checking and some major edits but the majority of it was all tablet.

Plus it makes for a good e-reader

What is Kingsoft - and is it compatible with microsoft word?

blue.jester

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNuLndwcy5tb2ZmaWNlX2VuZyJd

It's free and pretty damn awesome for a free office suite and 100% compatible with Microsoft Word and Libre Office (for the Linux folk).

Agent Weebley

Hi hcass,

Have you taken the tablet yet. . . the red tablet, or the blue tablet?

Or would you rather go to Legoland? NSFW (not safe for the world of Lego)

By the way, I was wondering why I was going on about the Sony Vaio Zee so much. Too much Zeal? Too much magnesium shell in my diet, maybe? (oops, they changed it to a carbon fibre shell. OK, too much carbon and fibre in my diet?)

Now I know.

hcass

Nah - I started looking at Net books as they seem to be the better alternative but I just can't afford one at the moment. I can afford a tablet though - a Google Nexus is within my price range. But I just am not sure that is what I want now...

Antilles

I got an Asus Transformer. It's tablet with an optional keyboard dock that doubles as a secondary battery. It's fantastic because if I just want to browse on the couch I can hold it but if I'm on the train and want to write I can attach the keyboard and work away. Battery life is insanely great, too.