Gadgets for Writers

Gadgets to make your writing life easier and more productive.

The Amazon Kindle E-reader

Written by The Gadget Man

Given that the vast majority of writers also happen to be voracious readers, it is no great surprise that the Amazon Kindle E-reader is another gadget which has become an essential piece of kit over the last few years. There are several different models available, and any one of them can hold literally thousands of eBooks, giving Kindle owners a personal library at their fingertips.

Whilst there are Kindle applications which give users the ability to read Amazon Kindle eBooks on laptops, mobile phones and regular tablet devices, dedicated Kindle E-readers offer several advantages that the apps do not.

 

>> Explore Amazon Kindle at Amazon <<

 

The first is that they are far easier on the eye than standard tablets, having been specifically designed for reading text above all else. Indeed, Amazon’s ‘paperwhite’ technology and high-resolution displays help to provide a reading experience which is virtually indistinguishable from reading printed text on paper, with no distracting glare in even the brightest of environments.

Another advantage of Kindle E-readers is that they offer incredible battery life, giving several weeks of reading time from a single charge. Add in the fact that eBooks are general cheaper than their hard-copy counterparts, and won’t hog any of the precious shelf space in your home office, and the value of a Kindle E-reader to writers is plain for all to see.

Writers who are involved in publishing their work in electronic format, or intend to get involved in eBook publishing in the future, will find a Kindle E-reader to be an indispensable proofing tool. You can format your work and upload it directly to your Kindle device to see exactly how it appears on the screen. This will make it easier for you to spot formatting errors, as well as enabling you to read through your work whilst you are away from the desk, helping to turn potentially wasted downtime into something far more productive.

As mentioned earlier, there are several Kindle E-reader models currently available, so you can choose one to suit your budget. Some of the higher-end devices have even more features that may prove useful, such as increased storage space and a built-in light for night time reading. The brand-new Kindle Oasis is also waterproof, and boasts the ability to store and play audio books from Audible.

Whilst there are other eBook readers on the market, the Amazon Kindle is the world’s most popular, and for good reason. Amazon sells more eBooks than any other company, and their Kindle E-readers are suited to the electronic reading experience better than any other device currently available.

Explore the full range of Amazon Kindle E-readers at Amazon.

Amazon Kindle in the UK

Written by The Gadget Man

The Amazon Kindle is now available in the UK, but for some reason you will still need to order it from the USA Amazon store. I find it incredible that the communication problems took so long to sort out, but I’m glad that I will now be able to take a look at the Amazon Kindle before the Plastic Logic Reader is eventually released (hopefully at some point in 2010).

Anyone who is trying to think of Christmas gifts for writers in the UK (or anywhere else now that the Kindle has international compatibility) might do well to consider the Amazon Kindle. You might also want to take another look at my Six Essential Gadgets for Writers articles (in two parts) for other Christmas gift ideas. For a final dose of inspiration, be sure to visit the Gadgets for Writers Store via the portals in the menu bar on the right hand side of this page.

Plastic Logic Reader

Written by The Gadget Man

The Plastic Logic Reader is one of the gadgets that I’m really looking forward to getting hold of just as soon as it becomes available here in the UK. If you haven’t heard of the Plastic Logic Reader it’s an electronic document reader that looks so good I could almost wax poetic.

Measuring around 8.5 x 11 inches and thinner than a regular pad of notepaper, the Plastic Logic Reader will make it possible to read electronic texts in a variety of different formats, including PDF, DOC, RTF, HTML, ePub, eReader and a whole lot more. Some readers might be wondering why any of that makes the Plastic Logic Reader any better than the Sony eReader or Kindle DX, so the best way to respond to that curiosity is to show you the corporate introduction to the Plastic Logic device:

As far as electronic document readers go, I think you’ll agree that the Plastic Logic Reader looks amazing. It is being piloted in 2009 and should hopefully be rolled out in 2010. Since the Amazon Kindle hasn’t yet made it to the UK, and the Sony eReader device has issues with reading PDF files, the Plastic Logic Reader is at the top of my shopping list, and I really can’t wait to get hold of one.

It isn’t that I’m particularly interested in reading novels on the go, but that I have literally hundreds of PDF, DOC and text files that I would like to be able to refer to in a way that doesn’t require a computer. I know that this is already possible on many PDA’s, but the ability to read a document at virtually full size (and show it to others in meetings) is a real boon for any writer, and I can see the Plastic Logic Reader becoming very popular with those on the other side of the desk too.

If a reader at a publishing house can take the ‘slush pile’ home with them on a Plastic Logic Reader then the chances are that writers will be invited to submit more work in a Plastic Logic Reader compatible format. Producers and other execs in the television and movie industries would also be able to use the Plastic Logic Reader to store and read scripts and screenplays without having to haul a heavy briefcase around. The ability to proof documents on the Plastic Logic Reader will also make life a lot easier for writers and everyone else concerned.

I’ll nail my colours to the mast and say that I think the Plastic Logic Reader will revolutionise the way we use electronic documents. I also think that this device could well breathe new life into the much-hyped but little-used ebooks market.