Prepping my Equipment

With the ability to blog more often, I needed to get my tech life in order. I also needed to do it cheaply, because I am balling on a budget. 

Let's start with my phone. 

I am currently rocking a 32GB Nexus 5x. Side note, I was in the mall grabbing lunch last week and the woman in the Sprint kiosk tried to tell me my phone was old! My phone is old if you are one of those people that gets the latest and greatest as soon as it comes out, and while I would love that to be me, I do not have it like that. My phone will do just fine, thank you weird Sprint lady. Ugh.

Anyway, on my phone I use Feedly to see what is going on in the technology world, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with you guys. While I do have the WordPress app on my phone, I was running into issues publishing documents on there. That has been fixed, but typically I use Evernote to write my blogs, and publish on my laptop when I get home.

Now, have you ever tried typing anything other than texts on your phone? It is long, tedious, and a hassle. When I would go to proofread, I would literally be crosseyed. Enter my Kindle Fire

I've owned a Kindle Fire for a few years now, using it mainly for internet browsing. I decided that I needed to make it work for me. For Christmas last year I recieved a cover for my Kindle that has a bluetooth keyboard attached, which is what I use when I am on my lunch break. I have Evernote installed on this as well, so as long as I have wireless access, my entries are populated across every device I have Evernote installed on. 

In addition to Evernote, I have a clipping tool, so that I can screenshot as needed and a file browser, so I can work around the limitations of the Kindle. For example, I am currently working on crafting some gifts. I have a notebook set up in Evernote about one of my projects. I had a zip file in the notebook. I unzipped the file, but you don't really have a way to file explore on the Kindle without an additonal app. Is the Kindle the most functional and convenient tool for blogging? Not really, but with the proper apps it works just fine, I had it already, and after adding a keyboard it works beautifully. 

You may ask why don't I take my laptop where ever I go. I mean, it's a laptop right? Well, yes it is a laptop, but it is a gaming laptop and is massive. The only time I take it with me is if I am headed on a trip out of town. Even then, a lot of times it does not get pulled out, especially if it is something I can do quicker with my phone (check email, tweet, Facebook).

The thing I am noticing however, is that the battery drains on the Kindle Fire quickly. I have to charge it daily, even if I am not using it. It is an older model as well, so there is no fast charge on this thing. It takes forever to fully charge if I let it drain completely. I usually find out when I get to work. If it is completely dead, I can get it to maybe 25% before lunch time. 

I honestly want a bigger tablet, something with a little more power that I can use for other things. But that is a little further down the line.