In search of a mobile writing experience

When I am traveling places, I don’t like to take my computer unless necessary. If I take my computer, it would be too easy to jump back into a programming project on which I am working or dive into a rabbit hole from which I emerge hours later.

My time away from computers is valuable. I derive a lot of inspiration from admiring and examining my environment, particularly for more creative pieces. The serendipity of the day around me, away from technology, is conducive to my noticing moments of joy that I mention in my series on the topic.

There is an issue, however: without my computer, I don’t have a good mechanism through which I can write when I am traveling. If inspiration strikes, I enter one of two modes:

1. Write on my phone, or;
2. Wait until later.

If I feel particularly inspired, I will write on my phone. I have written several posts for this blog on my phone. This is not the ideal setup. I do not enjoy the typing experience on my phone. The application I use for taking notes — the default Apple Notes app — is not my preferred place for writing prose. Sometimes, I can’t wait until later to explore an idea.

I have been pondering solutions to this problem for a while. I prefer to write on digital devices and my handwriting needs significant work. Thus, writing on paper was not a reasonable solution. I thought about purchasing a Bluetooth keyboard for use with my phone, but that solution felt brittle and I was unsure about the latency I could expect.

I later turned to a more expensive, but well-suited option: the iPad. I decided this weekend to purchase one. To accompany the device, I purchased the Folio keyboard. The typing experience on the device — on which I am writing this blog post — is smooth. I cannot recall a keyboard with a better feel.

The iPad is more portable than my computer and is more conducive to focusing on a single task. I can use the split pane feature on the device to allow me to have two “tabs” open. I have found this immediately useful for my Fun with Words series, where having access to the web is essential

I have yet to try the iPad when I am sitting in a cafe. That is a moment to which I look forward so I can put my new setup through the paces.