There is no perfect mobile device because size does matter

GadgetThe quest for the perfect mobile device is a long-running and eternal one that many have undertaken and none have succeeded in finding.  I know because I am one of the worst, always looking at new gadget X to see if it will be the one.  The good discussion about the "two laptop minimum" has my thoughts going in overdrive and since I am in the enviable position of having many great gadgets at my beck and call I have been able to regularly test what constitutes the perfect device for me.  There ain’t one.

I have two distinctly different careers running at the same time, something that sets my needs apart from most folks so my thoughts may not be pertinent to you.  But they are my thoughts and I have never been too shy to share them with others so here I go again.  Take them with a grain of salt, after throwing some over your left shoulder for luck, of course.

My "real" career involves taking reams of notes each day, attending meetings (often several a day) in different locations.  I can often be found in my car heading from one meeting to the next where I will be taking a lot of notes once again.  The Tablet PC is essential for this note-taking as it revolutionizes this work for me and insures I am as productive as I can be.  I would not even consider changing the way I work so you will always find a Tablet PC in my hands doing this work.  I will be the first to admit that the size of the device is critical for this work as mobility is the key ingredient along with the note-taking ability.  I have used slates with screens from 5 inches to 14 inches in this work so I have a fair bit of experience determining what works better for me.  I have deduced over time that the 8.9 inch screen of the Fujitsu P1620, my current note-taking squeeze, is the perfect compromise in screen size versus mobility and I couldn’t be happier.  Screens smaller than this make my notes a bit cramped and less comfortable to ink and while larger screens provide a nice inking surface they are harder to carry around with me.  Larger tablets also create a bit more disturbance in some meetings due to their size when I pull them out.  So the medium-sized screen works best for me for these reasons.

My other career and the one you are no doubt more familiar with is the writing career.  I contribute not just here on jkOnTheRun but pretty much anywhere they will pay me to write articles about tech.  Yes I am loose that way. This writing work can vary from short posts about mobile tech to long feature articles in magazines and the like.  There are two distinct phases in this work, research and the writing itself.  Research is online, connecting to the Internets and getting as much background as I can about the topic at hand, seeing what others have to say or researching a given product to find out as much as I can about it.  I collect and collate this information using tools I have cobbled together so I can put my hands on it when needed and let it become the basis for my words of wisdom on the subject du jour.  The second phase is the creative one where I couple that research with my own experience and put the words down on the "paper" and massage them until they are perfect. 

These two distinct phases of the process have very different requirements as far as my tools go as the first phase can be done on pretty much anything with an internet connection and the second needs a good comfortable keyboard coupled with a decently sized screen.  It is important to the creative process that the tools don’t interfere with my thoughts so in a way the tools are less important than in my other career.  I need to do this writing work without having to think about the tools at all and just get down to creating the prose.  This means that the writing platform must meet the stated requirements well without being too much of a compromise in either of the two main areas.  Over time I have come to realize that the writing platform must be a large enough device to meet those criteria.  Sure I can conduct research and writing sessions with smaller devices no problem but to do them the best way the gadget needs to be large enough to get out of my way, if that makes sense.  I just want to get the work done and don’t care how I do it.

I am not your normal user by any means, I realize that and it’s important that you do too.  Few of you have the two distinct careers like I do and even fewer likely write for a living.  Your needs will vary greatly from mine in doing the work at hand which is why we always say that there is no such thing as the perfect device for everyone.  You have to look at your needs and determine how best to meet them and then decide which device out there will fit those needs.  My two careers are so different and that has led me to the realization that there is not one device that will ever meet the needs of both of them.  One of them requires mobility coupled with a good enough screen size and the other a larger screen and keyboard.  That may be an over-simplification but that’s what I have determined over time. 

The past few weeks I have made a concerted effort that the device I take with me on a given trip is determined by what I will be doing at that particular time.  For my real work I have been taking the Fujitsu P1620 as it is a wonderfully portable note-taking platform.  It performs very well in that role and it makes that particular job much easier.  I couldn’t be happier with it in that role.  For writing sessions I have experimented with taking different devices based on where I am going and how long I believe a given session will last.  If I am heading to a local coffee shop for an extended hardcore writing session I have been taking the MacBook Pro with it’s magnificent 17-inch screen and wonderful keyboard.  It’s not very mobile but easy enough to take with me for these jaunts and absolutely great once I set it up and get busy with my writing.  For other sessions that are likely to be shorter duration or when I think I may be writing in multiple locations I grab the HP 22710p and throw it into the bag.  The HP has a larger screen than the Fujitsu and more importantly a very comfortable keyboard and I can write with it much better than on the Fujitsu with it’s slightly smaller keyboard.  It’s a great compromise between the Fujitsu and the Mac and a good tool to have at my disposal.  It’s also great for the research phase of my writing projects which I often like to do in slate mode sitting in a comfy chair.

It is great to be me when it comes to device choice, I realize that.  I can grab the right tool for the job and just get my work done.  Having this choice has allowed me to vary my toolkit enough to make personal observations that most don’t get to make.  Size does matter if mobility is not the primary criteria for your work.  The two laptop minimum train of thought is a valid one as far as I’m concerned, not that I would ever travel with two laptops but I agree that screen and keyboard size do matter for productivity for most people.  It can make a big difference in my work and maybe in yours too.  If mobility is important though then smaller is definitely better and if your work often has you crossing the "mobility/ productivity" boundary then the best tactic may be to compromise with your tools.  The Fujitsu P1620 is such a gadget for example and it’s so good at crossing that boundary that it could easily be used for all that I do.  It would be a compromise in the writing career though, so I don’t make that choice when I don’t have to. 

Almost every day I hear from someone who asks me if I had to choose only one device, A or B, which one would it be?  Now you understand why I don’t respond with a definitive answer because there is not one.  I won’t even make that decision for my own work, let alone yours.  You have to consider everything you do and what is the most important criteria for that work and base your decision on that.  It’s a hard choice but you just have to make it because size does matter in gadgets.  A lot.

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