years working for the British government as vice consul and media strategist. “I really guard and value the way that I keep those names. They’re important in getting the right story and the right person.”
The Psion comes in handy in other ways. It keeps Hopkinson “very organized” and helps him manage contacts, send e-mail, produce strategy reports, and even speed dial his international clients quickly and effortlessly. The device runs on two double-A batteries — it includes a small backup battery as well — and allows for infrared data transfer. And Hopkinson, a former journalist, makes full use of the QWERTY keyboard at around 40 words per minute.
But what does Hopkinson like best about the 3mx? “It’s very easy to fit into my jacket pocket,” he says.
DO TECH JUNKIES DREAMOF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
Nina Foxx
Author/Writer
Tech tools: Brother Knitting Machine, Wireless Home Network
To call author Nina Foxx a techno junkie would be an understatement. Her Austin, Texas-based home is a technology editor’s dream — from the wireless network to the latest flat-panel monitors, from the computerized knitting machines (knitting is her favorite hobby) to the voice-activated car and navigation system — if it’s the latest and greatest, Foxx has likely had her hands on it (or will soon).
Foxx, who formerly worked at Dell where she ran the usability department and wrote three product usability patents, says she has trouble choosing just one favorite thing. For her home office she relies on voice-recognition software because “you can speak much faster than you can type — at least I can. I use it with e-mail or for documents.” Her wireless home network lets her and the rest of her family connect from anywhere. And in the summer when she has an intern working with her, Foxx, the thirty-something author of three novels and co-author of a book on publishing, has no trouble connecting the newcomer to the network and its attached devices.
But despite
all the office tools that help keep the successful author organized, able to meet publishers’ deadlines, and stay on track while on book tours, one of her favorite devices is her Brother knitting machine. “I can design a sweater for my daughter on the PC and then send the information [wirelessly] to the machine. It will automatically do the patterning and the stitching, and overnight I get a garment that looks like I bought it in the store,” she says.