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LightSpeed, is it worth it?

Okay. I'm sorry that there may have been a blog about this in the past, but I am really truly thinking about hopping on the LS train. I do have an Elan Mira A3, one of the most expensive writers out there you can get. Therefore, I am really nervous about possibly "downgrading". I know it seems silly just to base it on the prices, but it just makes me wonder if the LS is the thing for me. I don't use the audio or the screen on my A3, because I'm always hooked up to my laptop anyway. So really there is nothing special that the A3 does that I need it for. I am concerned about not liking the feel of the LS though or not being able to get used to it.

Does it really help you to go faster?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!!!

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Comment by Heather on March 25, 2009 at 18:43: Lol that's a good point.

Comment by Brenda Rogers on March 25, 2009 at 18:21: Oh, no, not at all. The letters are nice and large. Other than scrolling a little to see more at one time, no problem. Considering we used to lift paper notes and read from them, scrolling a little to see more of a page is no big deal. :)

Comment by Heather on March 25, 2009 at 18:14: I wasn't happy with the LS at all. I really thought it would be the answer for me since I have a ganglion cyst in my wrist that came back after surgery. I couldn't handle not having the feedback of moving keys. I felt like my fingers were all over the place. I think that if it even had the tiniest bit of movement, I would have been in heaven. But I also think that an established reporter would have an easier transition since you'd be more secure with your finger placement. When I tried it, I was in 180s and had been in school for two years. I highly recommend trying to get your hands on one before you buy, or go into it accepting that you might have a restocking fee.

As for the mini laptop, I've been considering that, myself. But I wonder if readback would be annoying.

Comment by Erica Abbott on March 25, 2009 at 5:28: I have a SONY for backup too. I have it on high quality and it still records up to 30 hours. I think it was only $40 at Walmart. lol. Audio is exactly how Brenda explained it; not the best, but pretty good.

Comment by Brenda Rogers on March 24, 2009 at 18:18: I have one that I got at Fry's years and years ago. I think it's a Sony. Cost a little over a hundred bucks. Others swear by the Olympus, which can cost more than some of the mini netbooks out there. I've never had any problem with my little Sony. I don't need superior audio -- just a backup for "in case." It's *good* audio, even better than good, just not the kind to hear a pin drop in the next room.

Comment by Stacy Tegner on March 24, 2009 at 14:23: I also want to invest in a mini as a backup, but I should probably at least start with a digital recorder just in case (assuming they're less $$). If my laptop went out, I would only have the SD card on the LS and would have to pray there's no glitch threre ~ or maybe I'd just have to end the day and get out of work early ;))

Brenda, what recorder do you have??

Comment by Brenda Rogers on March 24, 2009 at 14:12: No screen, no paper. It writes to an SD card, but I other than that one incident, I've just relied on the RT file on the computer.

Go to www.depoman.com LSAA (LightSpeed Addicts Anonymous) folder. That's the user's group.

Comment by Rosalie DeLeonardis on March 24, 2009 at 14:02: Can somebody tell me where I can read about the LS and also about the mini (I'm assuming laptop). Also a question to Brenda: How come readback isn't available with the LS? Does it not have a screen or paper? If that's the case, can you still write to the LS and then you have to go home and download?

Comment by Brenda Rogers on March 24, 2009 at 10:37: They do. Just make sure the specs are up to par.

Do you put your laptop on the table? I can see how that could be in the way. I put mine on a tripod. When I had my mini (which really wasnt up to par), I couldn't use the tripod because it made the little mini just too low. I put that on the table. I don't like doing that, though, because I just KNOW someone is going to spill some coffee or water!

I do want to get another mini -- and eventually a couple, I think. I'm not ready to use one as a realtime throw-down, but in case of failure. The Asus I had, I was under the assumption it had an SSD. Darned thing wouldn't boot up one day at deps. Support said that the hard drive crashed. HUH? What hard drive? Plus I'd only had it about 2 months! grrr

I wrote to the LS with a digital recorder going for backup. Made everyone aware that readback wasn't available (but I rarely read back anyway, once every few months), and just went forward. It was fine.

So I guess that answers your question, Stacy, about what happens when the laptop fails. You wing it! Attorneys should just pay attention to what's being said. Why the heck do they need 36 readbacks anyway? (Janice just had that last week.)

Comment by Erica Abbott on March 24, 2009 at 10:26: This brings me to a new question... a mini laptop. It is well worth it instead of a regular sized one? This may sound odd, but I've noticed that having a 15" screen on my laptop actually sheilds the sound of the speakers sometimes. Also, the minis are cheaper. Do they work just as well?