Writing on the DevTerm

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…

Retro writing 06 – HP palmtops

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…

Retro writing 05 – Mobile Gear.

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…

Saving words for later.

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…

Retro writing 04 – Palm PDA

Palm m500 vs. Pomera DM 30 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…

Retro writing – Psion 5mx

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…

Retro writing 02 – ARDATA

In my search for an interesting, distraction-free writing device, I went first for the most capable options – my laptop and the iPad Pro. With a good application, such as Scrivener, writing and editing on my iPad is just a pleasure (especially lately with the wireless keyboard and trackpad support enabled). I could just end…

Retro writing 01 – Casio and Pomera

After finishing my second book called "Tokyo at Night" which consisted of mostly big and highly detailed watercolor paintings, I decided that I needed a break from this kind of work. I felt a similar sort of weariness as I did while painting animation backgrounds for months without a break.I was itching to get back…