Since I’ve already got a couple of laptops, an iPod touch, and an old Palm Treo 755p smartphone, I decided to try reading books using these first before spending money on yet another gadget.

• The free eReader software for the Treo 755p seems to work fine, but for someone with middle-aged nearsightedness, the 755p’s screen is just too small.
• On a laptop, the Adobe Digital Editions and Calibre programs are also good. Even with a big screen and an ergonomic setup, though, I’m not excited about reading on a computer. I stare at a computer screen all day as it is. I want to get out of an office environment after hours. I can’t see myself using a laptop in bed.
• For the iPhone/iPod touch, the free Stanza software is very impressive. It displays well, has all the features one could want. But reading a novel on the iPod’s screeen won’t work very well, as I found that my battery started to go dead in about an hour.

So, I thought, maybe a dedicated e-book reader does make sense. I took a look at a few. The following observations are certainly not comprehensive. But they list a few of the reasons why I liked, and didn’t like, the ones I tried.

• Barnes & Noble Nook. I spent about an hour at my local B&N store looking at the Nook. It has lots of nice features, but even with the latest firmware update, it’s very slow. I’m a pretty fast reader, so waiting a few seconds each time I want to turn a page would drive me crazy. It’s also heavy; not something that I could hold in one hand.
• Sony Readers. After looking at the Nook, I went down the street to Borders and checked out the Sony Reader Touch Edition and the Sony Reader Pocket Edition. The Pocket is small and light, and lots of people enjoy it, but for us left-handers, it’s impossible to use with one hand, since the controls are laid out for righties. Surprisingly, the larger Touch has a more ambidextrous interface, but its touch screen is fuzzier, less bright, and prone to glare and fingerprints.
• Amazon Kindle. Since the Kindle is sold only online, there’s no place to check one out before ordering. Darrell likes it, though, and I looked at one belonging to a friend. It’s not as heavy as the Nook, but like the Nook, it still feels too heavy for one-handed reading. It also uses a proprietary format for its books, which my local public library does not offer.
• Bookeen Opus. My local Fry’s computer store was selling this lesser-known e-book reader on sale for $149, which was $60 to $100 or more cheaper than any of the other readers I looked at. (Unfortunately, that special price is no longer available.) The Opus is small, light, and has a simple interface. It doesn’t have wireless connectivity, it doesn’t play music, and it doesn’t have many of the bells and whistles that some of the other readers have. But as I said, I already have lots of other gadgets, so I don’t really need these features.

The Opus came closest to what I want, so I did decide to buy it. But the usefulness of the Opus — like that of all of its e-reader cousins — is totally hobbled by books that come with digital rights management. Illustrator Brad Colbow has  a great, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, observation on why DRM doesn’t work — just substitute e-books for audio books.

A lot of the tech bloggers, of course, are salivating about the upcoming Apple iPad. Darrell has some great observations on what will be needed to make it relevant for web workers. So far, I’m not seeing anything that makes me want to spend that kind of money. And there are several other e-readers arriving, too.

On the whole, I was disappointed by the whole e-reader experience. I can see how an e-reader would be useful if you mostly want to read free e-books, like the ones Celine suggests. But until the prices of the hardware come down, the technical issues are resolved, and the obnoxious DRM is dealt with, I’ll probably still read most of my books in print, obtained from the library or one of the independent bookstores.

Do you use an e-reader?

Cybook Opus image from Wikimedia Commons.

Related GigaOM pro content (sub req.): Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

Who are you and what do you do?

My name’s Lisa Solomon and I wear three hats in the legal industry. Through my law practice, Lisa Solomon, Esq. Legal Research & Writing, I assist attorneys with all their legal research and writing needs, including preparing and arguing appeals and drafting substantive motions and trial memoranda. Through my coaching and consulting practice, Legal Research & Writing Pro, I show other lawyers how to start and run successful practices as contract (freelance) attorneys and teach lawyers in all practice areas how to write more persuasive briefs. I also blog about contract lawyering and legal writing. Finally (along with my partner and husband, Mark), I operate The Billable Hour Company, which sells humorous gifts and greeting cards for lawyers and legal professionals.

What’s a typical day like for you?

After dropping my son off at school, I return home and get on the treadmill desk in my downstairs office. I check my email, catch up on Twitter, and dive into work, all while walking at 2.2 mph. I try to get a couple of miles in before breakfast, which I eat at my desk in my main office upstairs (perhaps while treating myself to some Facebook Scrabble). Then it’s back to my treadmill desk, where I may be doing legal research, drafting a brief or talking to a client on the phone (a headset comes in handy for longer calls). I might address administrative issues related to my practice or occasional inquiries from Billable Hour Company customers. Once I’ve finished my miles for the day, I continue working in my main office. When my two kids get home from school, I take a quick break to say hi before the sitter supervises their homework or drives them to after-school activities. I stop to make dinner and spend time with my family in the early evening. Once my son is in bed, I go back to work for a few more hours.

What gear and software do you use, and why?

In my primary home office, I have an older (2005 vintage) PC running Windows XP, with a 23.5″ widescreen ASUS monitor. When I’m at my treadmill desk or on the road, I use a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop (also running Windows XP). When I’m using my treadmill desk, the laptop is hooked up to a supplemental 17″ monitor for more screen real estate. And I love my Canon Color Imageclass MF8170c multifunction printer: it’s a real workhorse.

The software and web apps I use most often are:

• Intellect! from Chaos Software for email, calendaring and contact management
• TweetDeck to manage my Twitter stream
• Second Copy to sync files between my desktop and laptop
• Firefox with the Readability, Print What You Like, Colorful Tabs, TinyURL Generator and the Facebook Toolbar add-ons installed
• Google Calendar to organize my family’s activities and appointments
• Gmail for supplemental email (my ISP is currently blocking messages from an active listserv I’m on that is important to my practice).
• TextPad text editor (only one of my web sites is built using a blog platform; the other two don’t have any back-end content management system)
• Endicia for Internet postage
• Foxit Reader for viewing PDFs
• Carbonite for remote backup
• Kaspersky antivirus
• Taskbar Shuffle
• Wordperfect 12 (my preferred word processor) and MS Word 2003
• Excel and Powerpoint (from MS Office 2003)

When I want to access the internet from outside the office, I use WMWifiRouter to wirelessly connect via my Samsung Omnia phone.

What’s your favorite web working tip?

It pays to be an early adopter. I was one of the first lawyers to recognize and take advantage of the technological advances that make outsourcing legal research and writing services practical and profitable for law firms of all sizes. When I launched my law practice back in 1996, I had to drag some of my clients, kicking and screaming, into the Internet age. Although I could do legal research online, my dial-up connection was painfully slow. But making the leap online early on has helped me gain the visibility and make the online contacts that are critical to success in an information-driven profession.

If you would like to be profiled on WWD, get in touch with me at simon (at) gigaom (dot) com.

Clean Up Your Operating System

It seems to be a fact of life that the longer your operating system has been installed on your computer, the slower it gets. I recently had to back up all my data and reinstall my operating system, and the difference it made is incredible. Even if you aren’t prepared to completely wipe your system, there are some things you can do to speed things up.

Microsoft recommends running built-in utilities, like Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter, on a regular basis. There are comparable utilities in every operating system. You can also use an external tool, like Iolo Technologies’ System Mechanic, which can fix common problems and reduce demands on your system, like unused background programs.

Clean Out Files

Even as hard drives keep getting bigger, we keep coming up with files to fill them up. While sorting through all your files may not be necessary, doing a little spring cleaning can make them easier to manage. Personally, I try to get the files I don’t think I’m going to need again off my main computer and on to a separate hard drive every so often, if only to make sure that I have space for more.

It may not be a bad idea to go through what you have on other storage media. I recently ran across a stack of floppy disks, only to realize that I didn’t have access to anything that could actually read them at this point. There are a few files there that I’d like to have, but otherwise, there’s no reason to cart around old floppy disks.

Don’t Forget the Hardware

Even if the only part of your computer that you can actually see is the monitor, it’s worthwhile to occasionally knock the dust off. We’ve discussed cleaning laptops before, and cleaning desktops isn’t too different. Wipe down those monitors, clear out vents and maybe even clean your keyboard and mouse while you’re at it. Just getting rid of the dust can extend your computer’s life.

Make Your Progress Permanent

Once you’ve gotten your computer cleaned out, it’s worth taking a little time to make sure that it stays that way. One of the best options is to make sure that any tools you’re using are set up to run automatically — virus scanners, backups and so forth should be running regularly without you needing to remember to start them up.

Don’t forget to mark Clean Out Your Computer Day on the calendar for next year!

Photo by Flickr user PhotoOptik, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I want to find the perfect flash drive like baseball pitchers want a perfect game. The perfect gadget is elusive and amazingly rare, and I’ve often come tantalizing close to finding it without actually getting there. I think I’ve found the perfect drive now, but I’ve thought that in the past, too. So, here’s a run down of where I’ve come from, and where I’m at now, and why I think I’ve come as close to perfection as possible.

Monarchs of Old

Two flash drives come to mind when I think back on the long parade of USB keys that have come and gone over the course of my life as a gadget-addicted web worker. Both shared some similarities, but I liked them more for their differences than for what they had in common.

Lexar FireFly

The FireFly represents the first time I paid attention to the case design of a flash drive. Before this, it didn’t matter what it looked like, and to my mind, none really looked that good anyway. It didn’t matter that there were complaints about the speed of the drive, and even some murmurs about high failure rates. It felt solid, had a blue glow, and genuinely resembled its namesake.

When I started using a FireFly, a 512MB capacity drive was all that I really needed. I still have the neon green one that I had back then, and it still works, though I don’t use it any more because all of my documents are now online, and at that capacity there’s very little else I can carry on it. They’re still available from Lexar, but the capacities don’t seem to be increasing and keeping track of the cap started to become a nuisance, so I moved on.

SanDisk MicroCruzer

To escape the tyranny of caps, I moved on to the MicroCruzer, which again boasts a pretty attractive form factor, but with a retractable USB connector to eliminate the need for protective covers. A reassuring orange glow lets you know it’s working, and you get the reassurance of using a SanDisk flash product, a company I’ve found to be tremendously reliable. Many of my MicroCruzers are still in service.

But not all. The retraction trick may prevent the connector from getting damaged and reduce the need for a cap, but with lots of repeated use it seems to wear down, and now some won’t catch when extended, making it much harder to connect them to the computer. And it shares the same small but chunky design with the FireFly, which means they still feel like a bulky imposition in my pants pockets.

Current Ruler

LaCie CooKey/IamaKey/WhizKey

The flash drive so nice they made it thrice. LaCie originally released the IamaKey model of this drive, which I bought as soon as I became aware that it existed. It’s a USB key meant to resemble an actual key, thanks to a housing designed by 5.5 Designers for the Mac-friendly accessory maker. When that model took off, LaCie introduced two further designs that essentially replicated the form factor.

Which is a good thing, because it’s actually perfect, insofar as my current flash memory needs go. The keys come in a range of capacities, from 8GB to 32GB, and they sport a rugged metal design. They’re as thin as house keys, so they fit can on your key ring. The connector is one-sided (doesn’t have the traditional box of a male USB connector, only the business side with the contacts), which allows for the thinness of design.

A little plastic cover is provided for those who are paranoid about damaging the contacts, but as someone who promptly lost that cover on his first key, let me tell you that it isn’t at all necessary. The construction of the contacts is such that they seem impervious, even when kept with the rest of your keys in a pocket filled with change and other bric-a-brac. They’re easily portable, functional, unobtrusive and stylish. Plus clients and people I meet in the course of doing business almost always fall in love with them, so they help with networking and they make great corporate gifts, too.

Have you found the perfect flash drive?

Related GigaOM Pro Research:

• “Do Consumers Care Where Their Content Is Stored?“
• “Bringing Moore’s Law to the Data Storage Market“

I work as editor of the trade journal Scrapbook Update, and travel several times per year to attend trade shows and other events to report on them for my readers. When I’m on the road I need to be able to access email; keep up with news and do research on the web; update and maintain my site; and upload content to various platforms such as Flickr and Facebook.

I currently haul a 13” MacBook and an iPhone, along with a dSLR, a Flip camera and various peripherals with me when I travel. After closely examining the specs on the Apple iPad, I believe that I could probably function fairly effectively on the road using the iPad as a MacBook substitute. Here’s how I reached that conclusion, and why I like the idea.

Weight: One of the biggest appeals of the iPad is how lightweight it is. While the iPad weighs only 1.6 lbs, my current white 13” Macbook weighs in at 4.7 lbs. I could save 3 lbs — or a whole two-thirds — of the weight I’ve been toting around by using the iPad while traveling instead of my MacBook. True, a protective case would add some weight to the iPad, but I already use a neoprene sleeve on my MacBook now.

Battery: According to Apple, the battery life on the iPad is ten hours when it is being used on Wi-Fi. My MacBook is rated by Apple for seven hours, but in reality is good for about four. Outlets are still hard to come by, especially on aircraft, and more battery life for my mobile computing would be useful.

3G: As I wrote recently, I have been looking for a back-up system that will give me a way to bypass our local cable company to access the Internet in emergencies. I’ve been shopping around, looking at various types of tethering and access cards for my laptop, but the price seems prohibitive for the amount of use I would get from it. The iPad’s built-in 3G at a reasonable price point with no contract seems like a great backup solution.

The 3G would have another benefit as well, in saving me money on Internet access while I’m traveling. On a trip like the one I just took, I encountered Internet access fees everywhere I went: at airports, in flight, in my hotel, and at the convention center. I had to make hard decisions about when to limit my activities to what was possible to achieve on my phone and when to pay as much as $12.95 for a “day” of access to spend possibly just a few minutes doing what I needed to do. Obviously a 3G device doesn’t help at 30,000 feet, but purchasing Wi-Fi on this most recent trip for all the places I could have used 3G would have cost me $120. Those savings add up quickly, and the always-on access would make my workflow easier while traveling. No more having to make hard decisions about where and when to pay to connect, and no more having to wrestle with connecting to unfamiliar networks.

Form Factor: This particular trip I just got home from was transcontinental, involving a five-hour flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles. A trip like that provides plenty of time to work in transit, but anyone who has ever tried to open a laptop on an airplane tray table knows that is easier said than done. With the seat in front reclined, even my 13” MacBook doesn’t want to open to a comfortable viewing angle and feels claustrophobic as I try to type with your hands trapped between the keyboard and the angled screen. The iPad’s tablet form would sit flat on the tray for typing (or at a slight angle on the accessory case) or could be propped directly on my legs.

There were admittedly a few sticking points for me in the initial description of the iPad as it applied to making it my mobile computing device. Initially, the lack of a camera seemed like a deal-breaker. Then after thinking about it, I realized that when I am mobile I only use a camera for two things: taking pictures, and to make video calls. For taking pictures, I have my iPhone and my dSLR. As for the video calls, more times than not, it seems that the bandwidth in the locations I am using WiFi at won’t support a video Skype call. So having the camera or not is moot, since I don’t have the services available to utilize it very often.

Another sticking point, initially, was the seeming lack of a way to get pictures from my camera into the device, since a major activity of mine on the road is often taking pictures and uploading them to my web site. This was solved with the announcement that one of the accessories will be a Camera Connection Kit that includes two components: an SD card reader that plugs into the iPad’s dock connector; and a Camera Connector that attaches to the dock connector, designed to let users connect their camera via USB cable. Despite its camera-specific name, it appears to be simply a USB adaptor for the dock connector, not necessarily camera-specific. If that is the case, it raises questions about what else might be able to be plugged into it, such as thumb drives containing iWork files to edit or a Flip camera to upload videos to YouTube.

I currently use Lightroom and Photoshop Elements on my MacBook to deal with photos and create web site thumbnails while I travel. But I could probably live without those by dealing only with the JPG files of my photos in iPad apps (I shoot RAW+JPG when working on the road to save time processing hundreds of RAW files when I am rushed to write a story), and by using something like the online version of Photoshop to edit the pictures.

One of the reasons that I’ve stuck with a 13” MacBook is that I need my computing to be very portable. I can barely imagine hauling a 15” MacBook around an event like I attended this past week, and could never take a 17” on the road. Yet my laptop is my primary computer, and having a larger screen would be nice. Leaving a bigger laptop at home in favor of toting an iPad when I travel would let me get that larger screen without having to worry about how portable it was.

The iPad is tempting because, looking at it, I can see the day where my computing line-up consists of three devices: iPhone, iPad and 15-17″MacBook Pro. My iPhone would be always with me. My MacBook Pro would be my primary heavy computing machine, with a large screen but still portable to move around to various places in my house or to other places in town (like for coworking). Then for being ultra-mobile, such as going to trade shows, I would have my iPad to use alongside my iPhone.

Would the iPad solve your mobile computing needs?

Related GigaOM Pro Research:

• Web Tablet Survey: Apple’s iPad Hits Right Notes
• 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad
• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic

So, all in all, OK, but it’s probably not going to be a web working powerhouse. The lack of tabbed browsing and extensions might not be that bad — I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve actually used one, as the browsing experience does seem to be pretty good, based on initial reports, and the battery life sounds great. No camera means you won’t be able to use it for video calls. On the other hand, the surprise inclusion of the iWork suite should mean that it will be possible to get real work done on the device. However, the main issue for me (and the reason that I probably won’t get one) is the cost. As you might expect for an Apple product, it’s expensive — $829 for the top-of-the-line 64GB model with 3G, while the base 16GB model without 3G is $499.

Will you be buying an iPad?

Related GigaOM Pro Research:

• Web Tablet Survey: Apple’s iPad Hits Right Notes
• 5 Tips for Developers Targeting the iPad
• How AT&T Will Deal with iPad Data Traffic

Printing is still an important part of every web worker’s workflow, and though it’s quite arcane, much of our communication and documentation is still conducted via a paper trail. Not only does this leave piles of paper to manage, there’s the economic cost of all of that ink and paper and, importantly, there’s also an environmental cost involved with printing that we all bear as a society.

In a recent issue of Wired UK, Thomas Counsell from the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing speculated that up to two percent of greenhouse gases are a result of paper consumption, largely driven by the production and disposal of new and used printed paper.

Counsell’s research is focused on technologies that use a combination of ultrasound and chemical solvents to remove toner from printed documents, enabling paper to reused. Though Counsell’s research is still very much in the labs and somewhat fantastical, there are alternatives, available today, that can help us make environmental and financial judgments about the paper and ink that we use.

The Paper-Less Alliance’s web site not only provides handy advice on how to reduce paper consumption, but also provides free software, in collaboration with PaperCut, to help individuals and companies visualize their paper consumption in terms of a carbon footprint, trees, energy use and financial impact.

GreenPrint offers an inexpensive software solution that adds a new printer profile to Macs and PCs. As documents are sent to the “virtual” GreenPrint printer, they’re analyzed, and attention is drawn to wasteful or unnecessary areas, which users can then choose to remove from the final printout.

For example, many documents often have a page with just a few words or lines on the last page; GreenPrint automates the discovery of such inefficiencies.

Adobe’s Tools for Sustainable Design are yet to be released, but were previewed by Adobe’s CTO, Kevin Lynch last Spring at ETech 2009. Lynch demonstrated some great demos, including:

• optimizing a box pattern to use less paper
• tools that show the toxicity and chemical impact of various ink colors
• embedded guidelines from organizations such as Greenpeace
• calculating the number of trees or soy plants required for a print job
• suggesting digital rather than hard copy outputs

More recently, designer Matthew Robinson conducted a somewhat unscientific project entitled “Measuring Type,” which explored how much ink commonly utilized typefaces tended to use. Robinson discovered that Garamond had the highest ink efficiency.

Though I tend not to print much anyway, preferring the flexibility of digital documents, these four initiatives have forced me to understand the true cost of printing and show that software can help us make value judgments about environmental issues.

A year ago we saw controversy and ridicule around one researcher’s carbon calculation of a Google search, yet our various applications and tools still aren’t doing a great job of reporting their environmental impact to users. As we see software emerge to help us understand the environmental impact of printing, I hope we’ll start to see other categories of software and hardware reveal their environmental impact and cost.

Coincidentally, the Daily Beast just published a great article on the advantages and disadvantages of going paper-free, entitled “My Paperless Life.”

Are you mindful of the environmental impact of your printing? Which strategies do you employ to reduce waste?

The next time you’re stuck in a public place trying to get something done, try these tips for ignoring the noise, and boosting your output.

1. Use Earplugs

A very cheap solution to the noise problem, earplugs are easy to carry, simple and effective. If you’re trapped on a rowdy train, or relegated to a busy corner of a cafe, earplugs can provide an effective barrier between you and the world at large. The one issue you may find is that you may not realize immediately when you’re being spoken to by another person.

Some find earplugs uncomfortable, so shop around for a pair that suits you — I find foam earplugs more comfortable than plastic. Also consider whether you plan to use your earplugs for another purpose — sleeping, reducing ear canal pressure while you’re flying, etc. — and consider whether a task-specific pair of earplugs might also be suitable for blocking noise in a public space.

2. Wear Noise-canceling Headphones

If you’ve ever had noise-canceling headphones, you’ll know that they don’t need to play music in order to block ambient noise: simply turn them on and things suddenly become more serene. You’ll also know that they don’t block all noise, but they do a lot to reduce monotonous ambient noise, and dull the general din of everyday life.

Of course, if you listen to a lot of music and other audio while you work, you may decide to ditch your existing headphones and get a noise-canceling pair for everyday use.

Noise-canceling headphones can be expensive, and you really do get what you pay for when it comes to this kind of product. If you travel a lot, you might be able to justify investing in a high-end pair that covers the whole of your outer ear (and you might be able to buy them duty-free); if you plan to use them less frequently, the smaller ear-bud style might be all you need. In my experience, though, these tend to be less effective than the larger models. Again, shop around and try a few models before you make your decision.

3. Non-technical Options

There are no-cost, non-technical options that can allow you to get work done in public spaces. The options vary depending on where you’re working:

• If you’re in a library, try to find a quiet space or reading room.
• In a cafe, library or similar space, do a quick reconnaissance before you sit down, to work out which part of the cafe has the fewest people (is it the spot near the window, by the stairs, or in the garden out the back?); avoid tables by the coffee machine, bar and register. If you can’t find somewhere that looks good, try a different location.
• If you find yourself getting distracted, take a few minutes to close your eyes, breathe deeply and relax while focusing on the goal you need to achieve. Relaxing can reduce your agitation and stress, and can, in turn, decrease the attention you’re paying to the world around you. By actively calming your mind and focusing on the task at hand, you can improve your concentration enough to get the job done despite that baby crying three seats away.
• Move seats if you really can’t focus and think a different position might be better for you.
• If you want a coffee and some silence, get it to go and head to the nearest park.

What tips can you share from your experiences working in noisy public places when all you need is a little peace?

As of now, the Kindle — although I find it professionally beneficial in the sense that I find myself reading more — doesn’t have a direct and measurable impact on my work life. I can think of a few ways apps could change that situation and make the Kindle a valuable tool in my web working toolbox. After all, the Kindle has always-on 3G connectivity and extremely good battery life, both very desirable things in a mobile platform.

A Twitter App

It’s an obvious pick. Basically any device that can have Twitter on it almost inevitably will have Twitter on it, eventually. But Twitter on a Kindle would be a good fit because it requires very little in the way of resources and processor power. It’s basically text, and if there’s one thing the Kindle does well, it’s text.

Sure, there are lots of images, videos and web links on Twitter, too, and some might feel that that was the most important aspect of the service. For my purposes on the road, though, I’m less concerned with deep engagement and more concerned with basic access. As long as I can read my stream, and, more importantly, post updates from my Kindle, I’ll be more than satisfied.

A Gmail App

Another mostly text web-based tech that would work on a Kindle is Gmail. The ability to browse your text-only email with a simple, light interface via the Kindle would actually be preferable to reading it on a computer, in my opinion, since it would make it that much easier to actually concentrate on the content of your messages.

It shouldn’t be that hard to include a simple composition component, too, since the Kindle has a full keyboard. The key to making this app really useful will be keeping it simple, so let’s hope all parties involved keep that in mind. For instance, just because the Kindle can now read PDFs natively, doesn’t mean a Gmail app needs to be able to display PDF attachments. Basic email is all I’m looking for.

A Word Processing App

I want to use my iPhone to write things on the road from time to time. I don’t want to have to get my laptop out just to jot down a basic idea, but I can’t, in all honesty, use the iPhone’s virtual keyboard for anything longer than a text message or a very brief email or tweet. It’s functional, but nothing more.

Despite the small size of the keys, I definitely prefer the hardware keyboard the Kindle makes use of. I use it all the time to make notes in the books I’m reading (a favorite Kindle feature of mine), and after an initial adjustment period, I now find it quite comfortable. A basic app that allows me to create even basic text files that I can then transfer to my PC for further editing and use in other documents is exactly what I need from a Kindle word processing app.

A To-do App

I know the iPhone (and other smartphones) sort of has this covered, but since my to-do needs are very basic, I think I’d actually prefer to do this sort of thing on the Kindle with its basic, paper-like e-ink display. It might not be as easy to navigate without a touchscreen display, but I might actually be more inclined to use something attached to my reading platform than to my phone.

No iPhone, But Not Without Merit

The Kindle isn’t an iPhone; it’s designed to be a single-purpose device. I don’t think Amazon ever foresaw a future in which it would begin offering apps for the platform when it conceived of the Kindle, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. As a mobile device, the Kindle has a lot of advantages over media players and other platforms, and with the right kind of effort in the right directions by developers, it could be a very handy little web working tool.

What kind of apps would you like to see on the Kindle?

Related GigaOM Pro Research: Evolution of the e-Book Market

I’m particularly skeptical that I’ll find it useful for work. No doubt I’ll find ample reason to use it for amusement and idle time-killing. The possibility of a larger-scale version of iPhone’s Peggle alone adds up to countless wasted hours. But will I also use it to enhance my productivity? I suppose we’ll find out next week, but before we do, here’s what I’d need for the Tablet to be useful in my work.

Connectivity

I’d like, if I had my druthers, 3G connectivity and Wi-Fi. It’s not something I think we’re very likely to see, though. There will be Wi-Fi, to be sure, but 3G or an always-on connection like the Kindle 2 has is probably just a pipe dream.

If that does turn out to be the case, then there’s one thing I will definitely require of an Apple tablet to get work done on the go: tethering. iPhone tethering is the single most useful thing, workwise, that Apple has done for me to date. If a tablet doesn’t have 3G, but allows me to tether my 3GS, which does, everything will be perfect.

Bluetooth is a must, and I doubt very much that it won’t make its way in. The key will be what Bluetooth profiles are supported. A2DP and hopefully file transfer protocols will be included, but the big question is whether or not Apple will get over its love affair with on-screen keyboards and include input device profiles, too. The ability to use a keyboard with the device would go a long way to making it more productive.

Better Browsing

Mobile Safari is a very capable browser, but there’s much more you can do once you start increasing the screen size of your device. With a 10-inch screen, which is what most of the rumors are saying the Apple tablet will sport, things like proper tabbed browsing become a much more reasonable proposition.

Beyond tabbed browsing, a version of Safari running on a larger, more powerful device can also take other cues from its desktop cousin. How about support for extensions? That would go a long way toward making this tablet a better alternative for when you can’t get to a computer.

Finally, my blue sky request would be that the tablet platform would support alternative browsers. Some Firefox or Chrome action would be just what the doctor ordered, but don’t hold your breath.

More Juice

If the iPhone is setting the standard, then it stands to reason that a bigger more powerful device with a better display will have much shorter battery life. Hopefully that isn’t the case. But how to judge? The iPhone has terrific battery life for a computer, but its awful if you’re thinking in terms of mobile phones.

Ideally, the tablet maintains the battery life the 3GS has, not scaled down proportionally as its size increase. That would mean true all-day use, pretty much, which would be a real boon to productivity on the road. Hopefully the slim battery tech Apple uses in its MacBook Pros can be refined and put to even better use in the new tablet.

Everything Else

These are the things I’ll need to truly incorporate an Apple tablet into my workflow in a meaningful and permanent way. They aren’t the only things, of course, but they are the less-obvious features that are not sure to be included. Great app support will also be a big factor, but that’s something Apple clearly doesn’t need help with, whether the tablet uses OS X or a modified iPhone OS.

What are you looking forward to from next week’s Apple announcement? Do you think it’ll have an effect on how you work?

Related GigaOM Pro Research: Rumored Apple Tablet: Opportunities Too Big to Ignore

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Aditya Mahesh and I am a student at UC Berkeley where I teach a two-unit entrepreneurship class to undergraduate students. I’m also the founder and president of ZapPrep Tutoring, a college admissions consulting web site, and run AM Beat, an entrepreneurship blog targeted at webmasters.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I have class for about five hours every day and teach an introduction to entrepreneurship course to a class of about 60-70 students once a week. Aside from my work at Berkeley, I spend two to three hours each day working on ZapPrep, talking with potential customers, training our tutors and working with clients. I also spend an hour a day blogging at AM Beat and monitoring/discussing that latest webmaster/entrepreneurship news posted by members at AM Beat Wire, my social bookmarking web site targeted specifically at webmasters and entrepreneurs.

What gear and software do you use, and why?

I have an HP DV4-2045dx laptop, which was pretty affordable at under $600 and runs perfectly. I also have an Asus Eee PC netbook for when I’m traveling. Software-wise, I use Google Docs heavily to share documents with tutors from across the U.S., and Skype to conduct online tutoring sessions.

As far as mobile technology is concerned, I have an LG Voyager on Verizon, which is good for texting and calls but has limited web browsing capabilities. That’s not really an issue, however, as I almost always have my laptop or netbook nearby.

What’s your favorite web working tip?

My favorite web working tip actually involves getting away from the computer. I find that I’m much more focused on my work and productive if I take periodic breaks during my workday, instead of sitting in front of my computer for hours at a time trying to finish a project.

If you would like to be profiled on WWD, get in touch with me at simon (at) gigaom (dot) com.

There are two effective conventional ways to address this issue. You can place the computer on a laptop stand of some sort that elevates the display to a comfortable viewing plane that doesn’t involve tilting your head forward, and connecting an external keyboard and mouse for input. Alternatively, you can use an external monitor.

A less conventional solution, which I’ve been working with successfully for a while now, is to use one of several devices that facilitate computing in a reclined posture, like the Laptop Laidback, pictured above. I’m going to discuss these devices in this post.

Dave Malouf, an Industrial Design professor at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), also a primary founder and first vice president of the Interaction Design Association, recently taught a class project in laptop computer design and ergonomics. An abstract report on the class was published last August in Core 77. Among many other aspects and nuances of laptop design and engineering covered in the class, one group of students investigated the physical ergonomics associated with the use of smaller computing devices, and discovered that a conventional small clamshell laptop is most comfortably used lying down, with the device on the thigh and the knees kept elevated.

This posture approximates the ergonomics enabled by products like the Laptop Laidback, only with them, you can relax your legs and don’t need to keep your knees up in order to maintain the ideal arm, hand, neck, shoulder and leg positions relative to the computer that are recommended by ergonomists in order to maximize comfort and minimize body stress: elbows resting on the support surface (no reaching) and palms and fingers falling relaxedly on the palm rests and keyboard (without having to lift your elbows).

Of course if you use your laptop in an employer’s office or other conventional workplace, assuming a laying-down-on-the-job position, even in the rare instances when it would be logistically possible, is likely to be frowned upon. However, if you work on the web out of a home office as I do, working laid-back is not only possible, but arguably the ideal mode to use for long hours at the keyboard, especially in conjunction with a Wi-Fi connection. When you’re comfortable, you’re more likely to be pain- and stress-free, can extend your laptop usage, and are likely to be more efficient and effective.

I can personally vouch for this. I’ve been using my Laptop Laidback for years for fully-reclined computing. The Laidback is a special laptop stand with an adjustable, inclined support tray that forms a “bridge” spanning your torso when lying down on a bed or sofa, letting your arms assume the recommended 90-degree elbow angle, comfortably relaxed. While the angle of the keyboard when the computer is mounted on the Laptop Laidback or similar device tray may appear “wrong” from an ergonomic perspective, when the user is reclined, it actually facilitates natural and relaxed assumption of the ideal elbow angle and straight wrist posture.

The $99.99 Laptop Laidback is, of course, not the only product of this type available. A couple of other examples include the $99.95 (free shipping) Wizard Multi-Configurable Laptop Stand from Lapworks and the nearly identical $89.00 (shipping not included) Lapdawg Multi-Purpose Laptop Desk;  the $149.00 (and up) AirDesk Swing-Away Laptop Computer Desk/Stand; the €99.00 ($145) Lounge-book Freestanding Reclining Laptop Stand; the  $125.00 (+ $32.00 shipping) LM1 Rolling Laptop Over The Bed Table; and others.

I’ve used the first three products mentioned above, but the Laptop Laidback’s been my standby for the past eight years. Because I battle several chronic health issues, without the Laidback I might’ve literally been long since out of business as a web worker. However, even folks in perfect health (who want to stay that way, at least) may find they prefer to use their laptops while relaxing recumbently for working, surfing or whatever.

Do you practice reclined computing? If so, do you use a special laptop stand or just make do with your knees?

Luckily, though, there are plenty of online options for sending faxes, so getting the contract to my client through their preferred method of communication wasn’t impossible. It was still time-consuming — I had to print off, sign and scan back in the contract to meet their standards — but I got it done. Here are a few of the more useful virtual fax options available.

1. GreenFax: With a send-only service, GreenFax can be an especially cheap option for faxing. While it has a variety of other plans, the send-only option is a pay-as-you-go service, charging 7 cents for the first page of any fax and 5 cents for additional pages. The site also offers international faxing, which can come in handy.
2. Drop.io: While it’s far more than just a simple faxing service, Drop.io offers the ability to both fax in and out documents you have in your account. The ability to receive faxes is available on both premium and free accounts, while sending is only available for premium accounts. If you only need to receive faxes, Drop.io is a good option, because you can do so for free.
3. MyFax: If you need to have a standing fax number and you send or receive a fair number of faxes each month, MyFax offers a good deal. For $10 a month, you get a fax number and the ability to send 100 pages and receive 200 pages. You can even send and receive faxes in your email.
4. Popfax: One of the better prices on international faxing is available from Popfax. If you send a lot of faxes overseas, you might consider the site’s services. It offers both a per-page rate and plans for sending and receiving faxes.
5. RingCentral: In addition to its phone services (see Charlie’s review here), RingCentral can send and receive faxes. If you send and receive a lot of faxes (we’re talking thousands of faxes per month), the site offers some good deals, as well as a free trial. At this level, it may be cheaper to keep the landline and fax machine, but there are several features that go along with a RingCentral account that can make it worth using the virtual service, like integrating the ability to send faxes with your computer applications.

It’s worth noting that plenty of virtual phone systems include faxing in their packages. If you’re using such a system to handle your calls already, it’s worthwhile checking whether you’ve got capabilities for faxing built in.

Do you still have a fax machine?

Image by Flickr user Sapphireblue

If you’re purchasing a computer, phone, TV or games console, this guide is essential reading. Download the full report in PDF format, and you’ll see electronics manufacturers in a whole new light.

What’s the Point?

According to Greenpeace, “The guide ranks the 18 top manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and games consoles according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change.”

Helping you to support electronics manufacturers that are ahead of the pack in terms of their environmental policies and practices is the whole point here, though it won’t make your next purchase a no-brainer.

Firstly, the average web worker uses many other electronic devices than just computers, phones, TVs and consoles, as our “What’s in Your Bag?” series showed — cameras, voice recorders and music players are just a smattering of the gadgets we own. So if I’m buying a camera, for example, the guide will be useless…or will it? A key benefit of the guide is that it rates manufacturers on the known aspects of their operations, not the products themselves. However, in an imperfect world, with imperfect information, I feel happy enough to infer the environmental credentials of the rated producers onto the other electronics products they produce.

The other snag is that you may be looking to purchase an item produced by a company that doesn’t rank in the 18 market leaders, like BenQ for example. You won’t know where the manufacturer sits relevant to the others in the guide. The answer here is, of course, to do your own research on the products you’re considering. But I expect I’d need to do that, no matter which items or producers I was considering.

How to Use It

Some of the web workers I know are extremely brand loyal. When their preferred company brings out a new computer, for example, they queue to buy it. Others are more impulse-driven, finding a great sale or markdown on a model they’ve been coveting for months, and pouncing.

Whether you’re brand loyal or a bargain hunter, buying in-store our online, this guide will help you navigate your way to the more environmentally sound brands. So, for example, if you’re buying a new phone, you might decide to opt for a Nokia, Samsung or Sony Ericsson, which are the only brands to have scored above 6 in the guide. From there, you can conduct your own research on the product’s features and benefits.

Other Considerations and Limitations

Greenpeace points out that the guide is, in part, designed to encourage manufacturers to “take responsibility for the full life cycle of their products, including the electronic waste that their products generate”, so using this advice to help make your purchasing decisions is a good way to actively support greener producers by voting with your wallet.

However, as Greenpeace acknowledges, “The guide does not rank companies on labor standards, mining, or any other issues” — it covers environmental criteria only. Greenpeace points us to Good Electronics, the international network on human rights and sustainability in electronics, and Make IT Fair, both of which produce reports that will help to answer your questions on the community- and mining-related issues that surround the electronics industry in general, and certain manufacturers in particular.

Spend a few minutes comparing this information with the data provided in the Greenpeace guide, and you should have as clear a picture as is reasonably possible of how your choice of gadget impacts the people who make it and dispose of it once you throw it away.

From there, you can start to look at specific models, researching their practical, environmental and social benefits and features, and weighing up the pros and cons of each, and make an informed, responsible decision about how you’ll spend your money.

How important to you are the environmental and social credentials of the electronics products you buy?

But if your clients don’t see you, how important is it to dress like a professional? Does it change the way we feel about our work? Can clients and colleagues tell the difference? To answer these questions, I wore “business clothes” during my working hours for five straight days.

The Effect of Wearing Business Attire in Your Home Office

First, some definitions. What constitutes “business clothes”? My first criteria was that it should be something I would wear to a face-to-face meeting with an actual client. To me this meant collared shirts, slacks and leather shoes. With some clients, I know I can probably get away with more casual attire, but I always lean on the more conservative side.

At the start of my five-day experiment, one of the first things I noticed was how I was becoming more careful with my movements while wearing business clothes. As someone who is known for being accident prone, I welcomed the change. I was also more careful about getting dirt on my clothes, which was strange because as a teleworker, I don’t have any nearby colleagues who’d spot a coffee stain on my sleeve.

Another advantage I noticed was how practical my new attire was when colleagues dropped by at short notice. I didn’t find myself running into the bedroom to change my clothes while yelling “Just a minute!” The graphic designer I work with was surprised to see me in such “formal” clothes at first, and asked jokingly if I was going to church. But after that she didn’t seem to notice it anymore.

Also, after the first three days, I realized that something strange was happening. Not only was I able to check off everything from my to-do lists, I even add new tasks and am able to complete them. In other words, the clothes seemed to be making me more productive. They gave me a physical manifestation of the separation between work and home life.

If there is a disadvantage it’s the added preparation time required before starting work. There’s an additional 10 to 15 minutes of getting dressed that is now part of my morning routine. Sometimes, my partner would even chime in and make suggestions on what I should wear, adding even more time. I don’t necessarily consider it a disadvantage though, it’s more of an investment, since I am clearly more productive afterward.

Is It For Everyone?

I’ve been looking for surveys and studies about the effects of clothing on productivity, but all I found were conflicting or inconclusive results. In a poll from CareerThink, 54 percent of respondents said that dressing up for work had no effect on productivity, while 41 percent said it made them more productive. I guess this means that if you suspect that dressing up will have a positive effect on your work, try it out for yourself — but don’t expect any miracles.

Whenever someone asks me about the perks of teleworking, the lack of a proper dress code is often one of the first things I mention. It’s strange that I’m sacrificing this perk a little so I can work better. But this doesn’t mean that I’ll be uncomfortable. After the last two days of my experiment and working through the weekend, I found that I was equally productive wearing my fuzzy bedroom slippers with my business clothes. What’s your usual attire when working at home? Do you think it affects your productivity?

Image by ltz from sxc.hu