{"word_count": 1448, "character_count": 8354}
Today I want to share some reflections on productivity on the go since I just returned from an archaeology and ancient history sailing excursion (inofficial) summer school (it was great and will probably happen again next year as an international summer school on "The Maritime Ancient World" or something, so watch out if you're interested). The point is that on and before the trip I was, of course, confronted with a difficult choice: Should I bring work devices at all and if yes, which ones are best?You should not bring productivity devices to your time off at allFirst of all, I probably shoulnd't have brought any device. I had a tablet (my old Lenovo Yoga Tab 2) but I hardly used it - thankfully. I had only brought it in the first place because I hadn't finished this article, which I ended up not finishing anyway. So that was actually a success, work-life-balance-wise. But on the return journey, I spent a few hours on the bus web browsing options for productivity devices which are suitable for situations where you don't want to bring the laptop (like on a sailing boat).But if you really have to, these are my requirementsA device like this should be small and portable, but also not too expensive since I really don't use it except on holiday. It should comfortably allow you to work effectively in a moment of need (command line utilities and LaTeX inevitably needed for that; also decent RAM).I am generally a very non-tablet kind of person. I think tablets cannot be used for productivity. I am probably not your average user, but I really want a commandline, LaTeX and some computing power, even on the go. I don't need Microsoft Word (Learn how you can live happily ever after without it here). On the other hand, I don't really want apps which I find to be generally very un-usable and non-productive things. A fully functional keyboard is absolutely necessary but since I have small hands, I am much less picky with keyboards than most people.Also, since I have migrated to Linux completely (by now actually that long ago that I can officially say "years ago"), I ever since am less and less able to tolerate anything else. Insisting on Linux really massively reduces your choices on the mini netbook or ultra-mobile pc (umpc) market. However, on the umpc market, Linux alternatives seem to be taking off recently, so maybe this won't be an issue anymore a year from now.But at the moment, most tablets firstly don't even have a "desktop mode" at all (thus only apps) and secondly, if they do, don't have a Linux option. Such as my Lenovo Yoga Tab 2 where the keyboard only works with Windowds which is becoming less and less acceptable for me. Of course you can always just install Linux, but tablet-like devices have so many features (like touch screens and stylus support, etc.) that you really miss out on half of the features and I am not really willing to pay for tons of features which I can't even use. So that makes things kind of complicated. What I foundDespite my non-conventional needs, I have found some possibly interesting options which I wanted to make you aware of. Also, if you are interested in small netbooks or mini ultra-mobile pcs (umpcs), Liliputing generally is a great resource to find reviews of mini computers. They are available as blogs as well as on Youtube.Many Kickstarter projects feature such mini computers. However, the problem with Kickstarter is that projects might not end up working out, there are huge delays in delivery and you don't know if there will be any customer support later when the product prematurely exhales its last breath. But if you're in for cool products which not everybody has and don't need one delivered to you rightaway, like me, you might consider keeping an eye open on Kickstarter.Since I am only really interested in products which feature a native Linux option, I will not go into detail with Windows ones. If you are ok with Windows, congratulations, there are many more interesting products out there for you.The Gemini PDAThe Gemini PDA Android &#38; Linux keyboard mobile device is meant as a smartphone with a keyboard and comes in Android or Debian. However, Debian is supposed to be patchy and it doesn't really work well for the intended use. The keyboard is too wobbly to be really productive (according to my extensive review research). It looked really promising at first, so I was a bit disappointed by the mediocre reviews.The Topjoy FalconThe Topjoy Falcon seemed perfect to me but I missed the Kickstarter campaign and you currently can't buy it regularly. Also, a general problem with cool gadgets coming out of Kickstarter projects: If they do take off and lead to a regular production, the post-Kickstarter prices are so high that the product really isn't all that attractice anymore. (Remember, I wanted a relatively non-expensive product for holiday use only.) This sadly is the case with most Kickstarter tec gadgets. But it also features Ubuntu. GPD productsThe Chinese GPD company specializes in ultra-mobiles devices. They are much smaller than what you regularly would get because they specialize in this niche.They have the GPD Pocket 2, the MicroPC (like a 6 inch toughbook), a new ultra-book project going on (GPD P2 Max) and a range of gaming devices. They have a history of successful Kickstarter projects and the prices are great when you get it from a running campaign. The only downside, in my view, is that they aren't exactly cheap anymore in the regular price and then again, it's a risk buying from a smaller, less established brand (possibly less customer support, etc.).They usually release and ship with Windows 10 but they collaborate with Ubuntu Mate for UMPC, so a customized Linux version becomes available shortly later. Which, personally I think, is pretty damn awesome.Lenovo Yoga TabletsThis is also more like an honourable mention. As I said, I still have a Lenovo Yoga 2 Tab from my pre-Linux era a few years ago. It's nice and all but the keyboard - which is the essential part for me if it's supposed to be a productivity device - only works with Windows. (Also, not that I have tried with anything else because I really just want a new device right now.) But it's actually quite a cool product. The bigger one has a beamer function included which might come in handy at some point. I still use mine for watching films sometimes. And I am a big fan of Lenovo. It's a bit sad that they don't offer a great Linux umpc. I would totally get that. Honourable mention: Paper tabletsReMarkableIt's not a netbook, it's not a tablet either and it's also way too costly if you're not going to use it regularly, but I just love the ReMarkable paper tablet. I have never owned it myself but I have tried it out and found it quite awesome. You can use it to read and annotate PDFs, take notes or even make drawings. However, people also have some criticisms on the software and it's really quite an investment (around 400-600€ depending on whether you can get a special offer). Paper tablets are interesting for academia people because classic ebook readers aren't great for PDFs but papers mostly come in PDF form. Many colleagues use 'normal' tablets for this exact purpose, but that's another screen your tired eyes have to look into. When I work a lot and want to get reading done, I am usually quite glad to not have to stare into another screen. Also, there's the thing that the blue light wakes you up at night, etc. etc. etc. So the ReMarkable doesn't have as many features as a tablet, but in harmony with the Digital Minimalsim principle of non-multipurposing, it thereby also comes with many less temptations for drifting off.E-PadAlso, during my research for going more digitally minimalist, I came across the E-Pad 10.3" E-Ink Android Tablet &#38; eReader with Pen (also a Kickstarter thing) and it sounds really good. But I actually has apps which was a reason for me to reject it at the time since I didn't want to many options for distraction. Now, looking back, it doesn't seem so bad though. (I found this review really interesting. A plus is that it as access to full Android and not a proprietary system.) ConclusionSo, that was it for now. It maybe wasn't an overview over the more common products. But then again, you can get that from somewhere else. Maybe this was helpful to some of you.Best,S 