I'm pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it is to write on a portable keyboard. I use a foldable Jelly Comb with an ancient iPad Mini for travel -- probably not even the tenth littlest setup. Not sure Lou Grant would approve of any of this though.
Thanks for this. Could you give me an Amazon link to that keyboard, please? I've searched even Jelly Comb's own site and it keeps telling me there's nothing to show me.
Just imagine….. With a fully charged iPad and a wireless keyboard, you could be stranded in the open ocean, sitting on a raft and have sharks swimming around you, but instead of freaking out, just ignore them, take out your iPad and work on your writing project. When you get home after being found, your project will either be finished or closer being finished than it was before you were stranded. If you have your iPhone with you instead, don’t waste your battery life calling for help. Write instead. The moral of the story is… a writer should never go on a trip without their iPad and wireless keyboard. You just never know.
My “littlest” writing setup is the Pomera DM250. I know, I know-it’s another device in the mix, but I take it everywhere like that little pen and paper notepad we all used to carry. I tend to abandon my phone at every opportunity, (Apple Watch sees me through for phone-type things) but the Pomera goes everywhere I go. A great little toilet writing device, which, for as disgusting as it may seem, is actually a great way to steal extra inspiration and time on the grind (though all handwashing and sanitizing practices are an absolute necessity). I also find that importing text files from the device and copy-pasting them into my Scrivener project is a great way to ensure that I don’t spin wheels on revision until I’m ready to call it drafted, if that makes sense. Cheers and thank you as always, great stuff!
Hi William, nice solution with the folding keyboard. I can't type or write on my iphone and have gone back from ipad to the mac for quite a while. So if I'm travelling, I just take my macbook and at home my mac studio. That works perfectly well for me. To the stars!
I liked the folding keyboard for the Sony Clei Palm-based PDA from the early 2000s, it was smaller than the MS one you showed here, but actually worked quite well.
@@WilliamGallagher The PDA batteries died, then I found replacements, but now I’m running a Mac and the Palm OS manager software (needed to transfer files to and from the PDA) won’t run except on older versions of Windows, which I’m not interested in becoming a Windows tinkerer to use, I’d rather be writing!
I’m alive… just barely. Typing on my new iPhone 16 Pro. Which is physically a downsize from my 14 Pro Max. It’s hard to hold without hitting a button accidentally. Spinal surgery went well (18 hours), and I’m now in rehab trying to be good at doing the hard yards. I’ll be here for at least another week. This is easier to type on which is a good thing to find out - I was having thoughts of returning it. Anyway, thanks for causing me to try writing today. 😅❤
The Textblade was quite a topic for a while over in the Alphasmart Neo Flickr forum. A shame it never went into production. I keep an iPhone kickstand and an iClever folding keyboard in my messenger bag. You never know when a moment to write will crop up. Remember, by the way. It's never! too late to start planning! for next year's National! Punctuation! Day!
I'm very intrigued by this keypad and would like to buy it, but one of the customer reviews on Amazon said that the symbols on some of the special character keys don't match up to what the keys actually do. What has been your experience with it in this regard? Do all the keys do what they say they should? Thanks for this review. It looks like a great product. I'm hoping I can get one, but would much appreciate a little more information, first.
I think the one at your link for US buyers has the international keyboard layout. That’s the one that a reviewer said has keys that are marked wrong. Just FYI.
Thank you, you're right. I can't seem to find a direct link to a US-only one and I'm not sure I'd recognise it anyway, since this international layout seems "right" to me. But I've updated the description to point this out and suggest an alternative.
I've just replied to your one below about the international layout. That must be the issue because I actually went wide-eyed when I read this: I've not had the slightest issue. But then I'm just an international kinda guy, clearly.
@@WilliamGallagher I'll probably buy it from Microsoft, if possible (It says they're out of stock now.), since Amazon shows the Italian/international keys layout.
Nice bit of business with the iPhone recording fakeout. I appreciate your concern over the Textblade folks. Funny how sometimes we forget that behind all these companies and products are actual squishy humans.
While I have the MacBook Pro 14” (M3 Pro), I would love it if Apple made an 11” MacBook Air for writers and students on the go, which would allow me to leave the more expensive machine at home to rest. For now, I use the awful on screen keyboard on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I would be tempted to buy a Magic Keyboard with the updated USB C to pair with my iPhone and stuff it inside a sling when out and about. There are rumors that Apple could release it this October when they update their iMac.
The Magic Keyboard rumors I've heard have all been about it being for the cheaper iPads that don't currently support one. I hadn't heard of it fitting the iPhone.
@@WilliamGallagher oh no I mean the external keyboard that comes with the iMacs and which you could buy separately. Not the magic keyboards that you could buy for the iPads. I wish they had different names.
I carry my MacBook 12 2017 16GB 512GB RAM almost everywhere. Can charge from an external power bank too. I am happy with the small size factor.
Oh, that 2017 MacBook! I've heard complaints about the keyboard failing but the one time I used one, I just wanted it.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it is to write on a portable keyboard. I use a foldable Jelly Comb with an ancient iPad Mini for travel -- probably not even the tenth littlest setup. Not sure Lou Grant would approve of any of this though.
Thanks for this. Could you give me an Amazon link to that keyboard, please? I've searched even Jelly Comb's own site and it keeps telling me there's nothing to show me.
Thanks!
Thank you: that’s made me beam.
Just imagine….. With a fully charged iPad and a wireless keyboard, you could be stranded in the open ocean, sitting on a raft and have sharks swimming around you, but instead of freaking out, just ignore them, take out your iPad and work on your writing project. When you get home after being found, your project will either be finished or closer being finished than it was before you were stranded. If you have your iPhone with you instead, don’t waste your battery life calling for help. Write instead. The moral of the story is… a writer should never go on a trip without their iPad and wireless keyboard. You just never know.
You almost make me want to do this. Almost.
My “littlest” writing setup is the Pomera DM250. I know, I know-it’s another device in the mix, but I take it everywhere like that little pen and paper notepad we all used to carry. I tend to abandon my phone at every opportunity, (Apple Watch sees me through for phone-type things) but the Pomera goes everywhere I go. A great little toilet writing device, which, for as disgusting as it may seem, is actually a great way to steal extra inspiration and time on the grind (though all handwashing and sanitizing practices are an absolute necessity). I also find that importing text files from the device and copy-pasting them into my Scrivener project is a great way to ensure that I don’t spin wheels on revision until I’m ready to call it drafted, if that makes sense. Cheers and thank you as always, great stuff!
Thank you. I had not heard of this. Thinking… I’d like to try one but I think I’d miss my iPhone and iPad too much.
Hi William, nice solution with the folding keyboard. I can't type or write on my iphone and have gone back from ipad to the mac for quite a while. So if I'm travelling, I just take my macbook and at home my mac studio. That works perfectly well for me. To the stars!
Per aspera, ad astra! Which may or may not be fully correctly spelt, but it's heartfelt.
I liked the folding keyboard for the Sony Clei Palm-based PDA from the early 2000s, it was smaller than the MS one you showed here, but actually worked quite well.
Past tense, though? Do you still use it?
@@WilliamGallagher The PDA batteries died, then I found replacements, but now I’m running a Mac and the Palm OS manager software (needed to transfer files to and from the PDA) won’t run except on older versions of Windows, which I’m not interested in becoming a Windows tinkerer to use, I’d rather be writing!
I’m alive… just barely. Typing on my new iPhone 16 Pro. Which is physically a downsize from my 14 Pro Max. It’s hard to hold without hitting a button accidentally. Spinal surgery went well (18 hours), and I’m now in rehab trying to be good at doing the hard yards. I’ll be here for at least another week. This is easier to type on which is a good thing to find out - I was having thoughts of returning it. Anyway, thanks for causing me to try writing today. 😅❤
PS - Lou Grant was a Saturday night favourite of mine for years. Good memories.
Goodness. Spinal surgery? Spinal surgery? I feel queasy at just the words. I hope the rehab goes smoothly and quickly and efficiently.
The Textblade was quite a topic for a while over in the Alphasmart Neo Flickr forum. A shame it never went into production.
I keep an iPhone kickstand and an iClever folding keyboard in my messenger bag. You never know when a moment to write will crop up.
Remember, by the way. It's never! too late to start planning! for next year's National! Punctuation! Day!
I see your exclamation marks and raise you - hang on, I need to count - so far 17 spaces. Spaces, the under-appreciated punctuation of life.
I'm very intrigued by this keypad and would like to buy it, but one of the customer reviews on Amazon said that the symbols on some of the special character keys don't match up to what the keys actually do. What has been your experience with it in this regard? Do all the keys do what they say they should?
Thanks for this review. It looks like a great product. I'm hoping I can get one, but would much appreciate a little more information, first.
I think the one at your link for US buyers has the international keyboard layout. That’s the one that a reviewer said has keys that are marked wrong. Just FYI.
Thank you, you're right. I can't seem to find a direct link to a US-only one and I'm not sure I'd recognise it anyway, since this international layout seems "right" to me. But I've updated the description to point this out and suggest an alternative.
I've just replied to your one below about the international layout. That must be the issue because I actually went wide-eyed when I read this: I've not had the slightest issue. But then I'm just an international kinda guy, clearly.
@@WilliamGallagher I'll probably buy it from Microsoft, if possible (It says they're out of stock now.), since Amazon shows the Italian/international keys layout.
I missed this comment, sorry. Good: I'm shocked how long it is since the keyboard came out but it's still ace.
This was fascinating. I need the keys as well. And Lou Grant! (Please note the use of an exclamation point.)
Delighted that we share the same need. I wonder how we would've coped in the olden days?
Nice bit of business with the iPhone recording fakeout. I appreciate your concern over the Textblade folks. Funny how sometimes we forget that behind all these companies and products are actual squishy humans.
Thank you: the iPhone bit was a daft but irresistible idea and I didn't think it would be especially noticed. I'm delighted you saw it.
While I have the MacBook Pro 14” (M3 Pro), I would love it if Apple made an 11” MacBook Air for writers and students on the go, which would allow me to leave the more expensive machine at home to rest.
For now, I use the awful on screen keyboard on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I would be tempted to buy a Magic Keyboard with the updated USB C to pair with my iPhone and stuff it inside a sling when out and about. There are rumors that Apple could release it this October when they update their iMac.
The Magic Keyboard rumors I've heard have all been about it being for the cheaper iPads that don't currently support one. I hadn't heard of it fitting the iPhone.
@@WilliamGallagher oh no I mean the external keyboard that comes with the iMacs and which you could buy separately. Not the magic keyboards that you could buy for the iPads. I wish they had different names.
@@mr_red13 Oh, I see! Yes, I got caught by the names too.
buy 2nd hand MacBook 12 inch 2017
I wonder why youtube has suddenly stopped showing me your videos! :O
It's personal. Clearly. I said to RUclips, you know that @la_chak? Trouble. Yeah, said RUclips, we've heard that too. Definitely.
Yeah, first!
And always!