Sometimes the simplest and best solutions are the ones you already have.
I have been thinking about a cyberdeck for a while now, looking to create something out of a raspberry Pi or other single board computer, something to resemble the Free Write or the old Alpha Smart devices. I just wanted to have something ultra portable with little distraction and no purpose other than writing. Then I came across the concept of a writerdeck, or Write Deck – a cyberdeck specifically for the purpose of writing.
Reading other blogs and searching for writerdeck projects it became clear that a lot of what I wanted to do could (and perhaps should) be achieved with an old laptop or tablet and keyboard. Not so much fun maybe, but after all I wanted to end up with something productive, not overly complicated and a solution that just works.
So I took on board the advice, and repurposed an old iPad that I hardly ever used.
I even had an old folio case in a drawer with a keyboard and stand, again going unused. So once all charged up and, for the keyboard at least, a change of battery, I had something with potential. I looked for the best minimal, distraction free writing apps and ended up simply using Apple Notes in full screen mode. Lots of advantages to that of course with iCloud synch meaning I can continue back at home on the MacBook. I removed almost every other app apart from WordPress so I can share directly from Notes to a new draft on either of my sites, but even that isn’t vital as, like I said, I can always resume from my laptop.
So I have got myself exactly what I wanted – something very portable, lightweight, distraction free and most importantly something that does the job I wanted it to do perfectly. Oh, and it didn’t cost me a penny! (I mean, a ‘new’ penny. Obviously I paid for this stuff at the time.)
You can pick up an old iPad Air for around £50 on eBay, and folio cases are ridiculously cheap now for early iPads. I assume something similar can be achieved with an Android tablet but for me at least, immersed in the apple eco system as I am, the iPad made sense.
Anyway, I have used it now a few times ‘out in the field’ and it is a joy to write on, I just wish I had thought of it sooner!