How to be a Minimalistic Tech

technology simple

Tech Fundamentals:

Well, let’s get right down to what you need to get some work done in this modern age of computer technology and social media. The answer is simple, you 

technology simple

need some functional hardware such as

  • Laptop
  • Smartphone
  • Tablet

You don’t necessarily need the fastest, the most powerful, the latest release, or the most expensive. Just something that works for you. Your budget will be a major factor in choosing your “workhorse”.

Mobility:

If you’re planning on mobility, a lightweight laptop, tablet, or smartphone could be all you need. You can do a lot with an Android or iPhone. My iPhone is the one device I use the most, followed by my laptop.

There are a lot of people who do everything on their iPhone, it functions as their

  • Music Studio
  • Photography Workshop (camera/camcorder)
  • Podcasting Production
  • Research Tool
  • Email
  • Video conferencing interface
  • Reading device

That’s not a definitive list, many other creative uses exist and new applications are constantly being developed for all types of work, communication, and entertainment.

I appreciate using a laptop because of the more traditional typing and a larger screen. It allows me to work with programs that are not supported by the smartphone or tablets – not that there aren’t alternative applications that could replace some of the PC based software. A lightweight laptop and iPhone are a great combination and often complement each other.

Preference:

macbook

I prefer to pair the iPhone with a Linux laptop running a lightweight distribution. A MacBook Pro is a nice alternative, but running Manjaro (Arch based) on a cheap low powered IdeaPad at about a tenth of the cost and accomplish just as much and often more. It can run Wireshark, Libre Office, and Thunderbird (for email) plus add in the command line and it’s all I usually need.

The command line on a computer is very useful, and I can use Mozilla to access web pages. Complement that with the iPhone (and all its available applications) and you’ve got a great set of tools to work with – without a huge financial investment. Linux gives you access to open source software and the iPhone gives you access to many great apps. You have a phone for communication, and a very powerful camera for Video and photo taking. What else do you really need? The creativity comes from the user. How you make use of what you have is often the most interesting part of any production.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *