For those hard-to-hear recordings or when you're monitoring your audio recording at a depo through your microphone, try the Boostaroo headphone amplifier. I recently had a super quiet depo, and this little amplifier made it crystal clear. Hard to believe how much it helped, really.

I velcroed my mini keyboard to the top of my Stylus for quick and easy editing on the fly. With the display flipped up, the keyboard rests on a thin strip of velcro that runs along with edge of the opening for the display. Works great.

I used to use this wireless mini keyboard with my Stentura. Just velcroed it to the top. Handy.

I always carry my travel tray that I attach to my spare tripod so I have a place for my laptop in those tight situations where I don't have a table.

Can't even tell you how many times I've used my back cushions. Actually it's so rare that I get a comfortable chair, I use both of them almost every day. I use a cushy one that ties onto the chair and also a self-inflating smaller one when I'm still just a little too far from my machine.

When I first saw this wrist rest at a convention, I thought it was silly, something I'd never use, let alone have room for in my bag. I was wrong on all counts. I use it every day. It creates a close-by, comfortable place to rest your wrists. I'm a lot less fatigued at the end of a depo now thanks to this handy contraption - steno wrist support.

I recently bought an ACER Aspire netbook for $350 at Costo. It has a 160GB hard drive in it. I love it. I can either run Bridge on it for an attorney or use it as my depo laptop. I tried velcoring it to the top of my Stylus, and it worked great. Now I take up less table space, and my laptop couldn't be closer.


Can't forget about my favorite earphones, which are pretty much any earphone made by Shure. Shure earphones rock. They don't hurt your ears, they don't allow outside noise in (though they're not necessarily noise-cancelling, which I personally don't like because the buzz or whatever sound it emits gives me a headache), and they fit easily in your purse. I've used Shure earphones for years now, but I recently bought a new pair that work in my iPhone as well. So it has a mic in it so I can take calls, and it fits in my headphone jack in my laptop so that I only need one set of earphones. Click here for those.


Just recently bought these daisy-chain microphones that are awesome. Keith Vincent recommended them at the Vegas Eclipse convention. Basically, it's a USB sound card (bypasses your internal sound card) that you plug these little daisy-chained mics into. I was in an arbitration this week, and I placed a mic at each counsel's table. The audio came out great - much better than it had the last time I was there. Plus, there's a headphone jack for monitoring the audio recording, which is handy if you have someone soft-spoken far away from you. It's on sale for $199, and it's well worth it.

NEW BACK CUSHION!! I'm sooo loving my new back cushion. It's from Relax the Back. It's a bit big to carry, but I just slide it over the extended handle of my steno case and plop my briefcase over it. Easy. It is THE BEST back cushion I've ever used.

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I'm always looking for more gadgets or products that make my life easier, so let me know if you have anything you love.

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Comment by Sue Baker on June 5, 2009 at 7:59
A friend gave me a Depobook for Christmas. I had always just used a legal pad and diary at the office to keep track. After about a two-week break-in period, I LOVE IT! It has a place for you to stick business cards of the attorneys, place their orders, e-mail addresses, parties they represent, a seating chart, ALL pertinent info, spellings. It is incredible. Don't know how I went 32 years without it.
Comment by Jennie Ann on June 5, 2009 at 3:03

In the autumn of my life, I cannot work on the computer without glasses.
I am a very fast typist, but when it comes to numbers, I have to pause and look at my keyboard to make sure I'm hitting the right number.

When I found this big print keyboard, with bright yellow keys and large letters, I fell in love with it. I can fly on this keyboard too! It really has made a difference in my work life.
Comment by Lisa Paige on June 4, 2009 at 13:42
About amplification...

I have the Mira A3 and record the audio on it. Someone told me that I could plug ear buds into it, listen to the audio while I'm writing and that the sound would be amplified. I tried it and it totally works.
Comment by Marla Sharp on June 4, 2009 at 13:10
I've never used the Report-It by Stenograph but have often thought it looks so comfy. I was worried about how to carry it all around. My steno bag is pretty small, and lord knows I have no room in my laptop case. I'm very tightly packed.

The wrist rest I recommend above would probably get the in way of the Report-It wrist rest. You wouldn't want to use them both at the same time. Either one would do the trick. But I would love to have that foot rest. The chair never seems to go down as far as I need it to. Your knees should never be below your hips or lower than your thighs. Always makes my back hurt. But, again, it's a situation of where on earth do I stow it?
Comment by Marla Sharp on June 4, 2009 at 13:05
Man, I wish I could do freebies. If I were as a rich as Oprah, I would!
Comment by Chris Renegar on June 4, 2009 at 12:46
Are you trying to be the new Oprah? "Marla's Favorite Things." Too bad you don't have "freebies" to give to the whole "audience." LOL. (Just kidding you, BFF.)
Comment by Tami on June 4, 2009 at 10:01
Marla,

Have you ever used the Report-It by Stenograph? It's a shoulder lifesaver.

I'm wondering if the Pengad wrist rest would work well with it or if they would fight each other??

BTW, what an awesome post! So valuable to all of us!! Thank you!
Comment by Marla Sharp on June 4, 2009 at 8:04
I just went to the Eclipse convention in Vegas, and Keith Vincent gave a seminar on gadgets. He mentioned some sound amplifiers, and it reminded me I had one I'd bought years ago. Strangely enough, I happened to need it on this particularly hard-to-hear depo. Saved my life.

My husband bought me a little briefcase for my new netbook, and it came with a little mouse. It's so cute! I never use it, but I'll keep it in my bag in case I get an atty who doesn't like the scrolling like you did. Thanks for sharing!!
Comment by Janet on June 4, 2009 at 7:44
Thank you, Marla!

I just ordered a Boostaroo and can't wait to get it. I just finished a 400-page transcript with a witness I could barely hear. I really could have used it. I had no idea they had products like this.

I got the little Acer computer, too. I bought it at WalMart for a little over $300. They're now down a little bit, something like $298. I have been bringining it with me to depositions in case someone wants realtime. One lawyer that used LiveNote on it didn't like the scrolling on it. I then went out and bought a wireless mouse to use with it, and it is great! I normally don't use a mouse with a laptop, but this little thing is fun!

I love gadgets, too.

Janet

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