Tag: writing
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The device I’m trying to use in this part of this retro writing series of articles is genuinely unique. I knew I had to try it out as soon as I saw it on the Japanese second-hand goods website I usually frequent. A small format, portable, personal word processor with a built-in printer! This should…
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First, let me explain really quick what an AlphaSmart is. If you, like me, search around the internet for distraction-free writing devices, you will surely find the long line of AlphaSmart word-processing keyboards made by a USA-based company between 1993 and 2007. These were conceptually very simple – a keyboard with a small LCD that…
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Even though the NEC Mobilegear has some downsides, it’s still my favorite go-to mobile writing device mainly because of its compatibility with file formats and just how dully usable the Windows CE system is. Thus, I was delighted to spot online a cute portable printer that can be used with Windows CE 3.0 and wirelessly…
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I have been interested in the Psion family of mobile computers for quite some time already. I even imported the most famous one, the Psion 5mx, all the way from England to test how well it fared as a distraction-free writing device, explore it and write an article about it. Even though I ended up selling…
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In my quest for interesting writing devices, I often turn to retro PDAs and old computers just because I finally can lay my hands on devices that, as a kid, I could only marvel at in computer magazines. I also think it’s good to breathe new life into obsolete and unused machines so we can…
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One of the things that inspired me to look at old computers as cool and exciting tools for writing texts was Neil Gaiman typing one of his novels on an old Atari Portfolio Palmtop. However, the second one was Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin admitting to still using a DOS program Word Star 4.0 to write his…
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The first retro writing device I bought was the small clamshell PDA made by Casio, called the Cassiopeia A-51. I did it because I read somewhere that Neil Gaiman typed up one of his earlier books on an early portable Atari computer (Atari Portfolio). I wanted to try something similar. Now, even though I already have…
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One of my goals for the last year, and something that I’m trying to continue in this one, was to give myself more time to read. Reading is one of the few things that allow me (sometimes) to “switch off” completely and just immerse myself into a different story, something that I seem to need…
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We sometimes go with Kana for a hotel “day stay” to a very nice place near our house. This way, we can rest from our small apartment while not actually meeting anyone and keeping in line with the pandemic guidelines. I really like to read and write while in the hotel room, so I tried…
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In my first adventure with retro writing devices, I mentioned that I would really like to test the famous Psion 5mx PDA as a candidate for a good portable writing device. I say “famous” because many articles about distraction-free and mobile writing mention this PDA released in 1999 with almost starry-eyed nostalgia. May it be…
Mateusz Urbanowicz 