Guest post by Blake Watson.

I've tried a lot of remote apps, but for me, HippoRemote gets the nod. Once you go through a surprisingly painless setup process, HippoRemote will connect to your computer and hand the reins over to you. Your iPhone is now a fully-featured multi-touch trackpad. Tap the keyboard button at the top of the screen and HippoRemote will provide you with a standard iPhone keyboard with some extra features attached. Explore further, and you will see that HippoRemote turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an advanced media browser that lets you interact with some of the coolest media programs on your Mac, including the built in stuff like iTunes and Front Row as well as third party apps like Boxee and Hulu Desktop. Let's walk through some of HippoRemote's features. HippoRemote comes in a few different flavors, so we'll be looking at HippoRemote Pro.

The Keyboard

The keyboard behavior of HippoRemote is arguably the best available on a remote app. Most standard iPhone keyboard behavior is present. For example, spacing after a period or a comma will change the keyboard from the punctuation layout back to the alphabet layout. Tapping the shift key once will keep it activated until you tap a letter, then it is deactivated. If you want CAPSLOCK then double tap the shift key to activate it, then tap it once when your done. These behaviors are the Apple standard, but many remote apps do not use them because of the way characters are sent to the computer. I find that these behaviors are important because they increase typing efficiency.

In addition to replicating iPhone's standard keyboard behaviors, HippoRemote takes advantage of iPhone's built-in ability to predict what you are writing. HippoRemote displays what you are typing in a text field on the phone at the same time that it is sending it to your computer. If you misspell a word, you can tap on it to see substitutes and HippoRemote will make the correction on your computer automatically. HippoRemote also displays a list of the last few strings you've typed. Touching one will re-type that string.

Besides standard keyboard layouts, HippoRemote provides arrow keys and modifier keys (command, option, etc.) as well as the full range of function keys.

HippoRemote adds one feature that I haven't seen in other remote apps: it has support for TextExpander Touch. TextExpander Touch allows you to create snippets of text that can be automatically triggered by specified shortcodes (eg, "fn" could expand to your full name). You don't need TextExpander on your Mac for these to work, as TextExpander Touch expands the snippets before they're sent to the computer.

The keyboard supports vertical and horizontal orientations. And in the Basic or Lite versions of HippoRemote, the keyboard and the trackpad can be displayed at the same time.

Multi-touch trackpad

The multi-touch trackpad features left and right mouse buttons as well as the ability to use tapping, two-finger scrolling and other gestures. If you are like me, and have trouble using more than one finger, you will appreciate HippoRemote's unique scroll button. By moving your finger from the bottom of the screen to the middle, you activate a scrolling knob that allows you to scroll by moving your finger in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. That means you can use one finger to scroll without the need to look down.

Like the keyboard, the trackpad supports vertical and horizontal orientations.

Profiles for Remote Control Panels

HippoRemote Pro can change its interface based on what application you are using. For example, I am currently in the Mac OS profile. At the bottom of the trackpad area, there are several buttons that allow me to do things like trigger Spotlight and Expose or run macros that control volume, press eject, open Dashboard and other functions. Switching to the iTunes profile provides a control panel for manipulating playback. Switching to the Pandora profile allows you to control the Pandora web app. There are dozens of profiles installed with HippoRemote and more can be added from inside the app itself. If you are technically inclined, there are instructions for making your very own profiles.

Extras

On top of all these great features, HippoRemote includes a native web browser and Twitter client. You can even open links from HippoRemote's Twitter client directly in your Mac's web browser.

Different Versions

HippoRemote comes in three flavors: HippoRemote Lite (free, ad-supported), HippoRemote Basic ($1.99USD), and HippoRemote Pro ($4.99USD). Unfortunately, it's a bit confusing as to what features are found in which versions. For the purpose of this review, I used the Pro version. If you are looking to replace a keyboard, I recommend getting the Pro version. At about five bucks, you'll be getting all of HippoRemote's features at a fairly inexpensive price compared to most assistive technology software. However, if having the trackpad and keyboard display simultaneously would be useful for you then you will want to grab the basic version.

If you need to know about a specific feature and you can't find it on the HippoRemote website, feel free to contact the developer. He actually has an interest in making HippoRemote even better for people with disabilities and will value any feedback you provide. That being said, you can always send me an email too.

Alternative Apps

Here are some other apps that are similar to HippoRemote. Depending on your needs, one of these might work better for you. I have these apps installed on my iPhone. Although I am not planning to review them at the time of this writing, you can email me if you have questions about them.

Rowmote Pro, $4.99USD, by Evan Schoenberg

Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, can simulate the Apple Remote Control including support for dozens of applications.

TouchPad, $4.99USD, by Edovia, Inc.

Designed for iPhone and iPad, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, great user interface, Windows compatible, media remote.

Touchpad Elite, $0.99USD, by iTeleport LLC

Good keyboard behavior, can type locally and then send a paragraph at once, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote.

Air Mouse Pro, $1.99USD, by R.P.A. Tech, INC

Optional accelerometer-based "air" mouse activated by physically moving the iPhone/etc in the air, good keyboard behavior, can display keyboard and trackpad simultaneously, Windows compatible, media remote, separate iPad compatible app.

Conclusion

If you can operate an iPhone or iPod Touch, you might find that typing with HippoRemote is faster and more efficient than typing with an onscreen keyboard. And as an added bonus, you get some powerful, easy-to-use controls for interacting with popular media applications. And if you happen to be a Windows user, you're in luck. HippoRemote is compatible with Windows and Linux as well as Mac OS X.

- Blake Watson

MacSpeech Dictate is a great program but learning so many commands at once can be intimidating. Here's a quick document to help you learn and remember the important commands for controlling Safari with [msd] version 1.3. These same commands work with MacSpeech Dictate 1.2 but if you're using that you should update to version 1.3 immediately - it's free to do so and will only enhance your dictation experience.

This list doesn't show you all the commands which are available for Safari - just the ones that I think you're likely to use very frequently. It also doesn't show the global commands which are available in Safari as they are in all other applications - there are already command lists and a cheat sheet for the globals. That list is marked as for version 1.2.1 but also works with Dictate version 1.3.

The sheet is a half page format that you can easily print out and refer to while you work. I'm making a PDF available for easy printing, and a version in the original Pages '08 format for those who might want to edit it for themselves. I've also created versions in both A4 and US Letter page sizes, which should cover everybody's standard page sizes.

• MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 Safari Cheat Sheet, US, PDF
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 Safari Cheat Sheet, A4, PDF
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 Safari Cheat Sheet, US, Pages
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 Safari Cheat Sheet, A4, Pages

These documents aren't in any way meant to replace the Dictate User's Manual - every Dictate user really should read the manual, even if you're not the "manual reading type". Trust me, you'll get far better use of Dictate if you have read the manual! But nobody's memory is perfect, especially for a program with so many commands, so I've made these cheat sheets to go with the manual.

If you edit these for yourself, let me know what you come up with - I'd love to see.

- Ricky Buchanan

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MacSpeech Dictate is a great program but learning so many commands at once can be intimidating. Here's a quick document to help you learn and remember the important commands for controlling Mail.app with [msd] version 1.2.1.

This list doesn't show you all the commands which are available for Mail.app - just the ones you're likely to use many times a day. It also doesn't show the global commands which are available in Mail.app as they are in all other applications - there are already command lists and a cheat sheet for the globals.

The sheet is a half page format that you can easily print out and refer to while you work. I'm making a PDF available for easy printing, and a version in the original Pages '08 format for those who might want to edit it for themselves. I've also created versions in both A4 and US Letter page sizes, which should cover everybody's standard page sizes.

• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Mail.app Cheat Sheet, US, PDF
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Mail.app Cheat Sheet, A4, PDF
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Mail.app Cheat Sheet, US, Pages
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Mail.app Cheat Sheet, A4, Pages

These documents aren't in any way meant to replace the Dictate User's Manual - every Dictate user really should read the manual, even if you're not the "manual reading type". Trust me, you'll get far better use of Dictate if you have read the manual! But nobody's memory is perfect, especially for a program with so many commands, so I've made these cheat sheets to go with the manual.

If you edit these for yourself, let me know what you come up with - I'd love to see.

- Ricky Buchanan

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Are you like many people in this keyboarding age whose arms, wrists, or hands hurt from typing or mousing too much? Even if you don't have full blown RSI or carpal tunnel, pain after using the computer too much can be disabling. Also, pain that only happens for a little while after you use the computer can be a signal that you may be in store for worse if you don't change the way you do things.

These suggestions are arranged roughly in order of how drastic they are - I suggest that you go through the list in order, doing the things suggested at each step before proceeding to the next step. And please, see your doctor about any unusual pain or other symptoms - a blog article is never any substitute for proper medical advice!

Take Breaks

Edited to add this section 19 Jan - Thanks to Ian for the reminder in the comments section.
Taking regular rest breaks - even if they're only 30 seconds long - is vital to give your body time to move and relieve the strain of using a computer.

There are applications which can remind you to take both short and long breaks - short breaks are usually under a minute, just time for you to shake out your wrists and look away from the screen, where long breaks are 5-10 minutes for getting up and stretching and moving totally away from the computer where possible.

Generally these applications are very configurable and some offer fancier functions such as guiding you through body-friendly break exercises or offering a way to postpone a break for a short amount of time. Here are some that ATMac recommends:

• MacBreakZ
• Time Out!
• AntiRSI

Ergonomics

Make sure that your work area is arranged as ergonomically as possible. This will reduce strain on all parts of your body including wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and back. Simply rearranging the height of your monitor or keyboard, for example, can make a huge difference in comfort.

It is a little more difficult for laptop users to arrange their space ergonomically, but it is still possible to make improvements. Here it is some information about optimal ergonomics for desktop and laptop computer users:

• Ergonomics for computer workstations
• Ergonomics for laptop users

Keyboard Shortcuts

It's generally accepted that using a mouse requires more arm movement than the keyboard, and according to the MouseLess website it also puts more stress on the neck and underside of the forearm. Certainly moving between keyboard and mouse requires significantly more movement than staying with the keyboard.

The good news about all that is you can reduce the amount of stress on your "mousing arm" by minimising your use of the mouse. Print out the basic OS X keyboard shortcuts handout and stick it up near your screen when you can easily refer to it while you're computing. Use a program such as KeyCue to help you learn and remember keyboard shortcuts specific to the programs you use. With just these two simple techniques you can drastically reduce the number of times you reach for the mouse each day, and hence reduce the extra stress on your mouse arm.

Change Your Mouse

A different type of mouse won't remove the stress entirely but an ergonomic mouse can reduce mouse-related strain on your arm. If the new mouse is sufficiently different then it could also move the stress around to different arm muscles - this might give the currently-strained parts of your arm time to heal if you also use the other techniques in this list.

There are a lot of different options for moving your mouse pointer around the screen, these are just some of them:

• External trackpads and tablets (can't do multi-touch)
• Use your iPod Touch/iPhone as an external multi-touch trackpad with an application such as PearPad
• Vertically oriented mouse
• Left handed mouse
• Joystick mouse

These are just a smattering of the possible pointing devices. With a little research on google, using terms like "ergonomic mouses", "ergonomic trackball", and "mouse alternatives" you should be able to find many more which could suit you.

If you don't use the mouse much or you're somewhat ambidextrous, you might try mousing with your other hand for some of each day. In my experience this drives me nuts in short order, but some people swear by it.

Ergonomic keyboard

There a lot of ergonomic keyboards out there, some more ergonomic than others. I have a Kinesis Advantage ergonomic keyboard which I use to great advantage sitting directly in my lap. I suggest you visit somewhere that you can sit down and try different ergonomic keyboards in an environment like your usual environment before you spend money on them. Ergonomic keyboards can be quite expensive and it's a very individual thing - something that helps one person may harm another, and vice versa.

Ergonomic keyboards, especially those like the Kinesis where some of the keys are moved about, take a bit of getting used to. Try to give yourself several weeks before you "give up" using a keyboard, it's always going to feel awkward when you start.

Here are some ergonomic keyboards - again, google for more.

Dvorak

Dvorak refers to an arrangement of keys which is different to the usual one found in English-speaking countries. The keys are arranged so the most used letters are on the keys are directly under your fingers and the letters and symbols which are used the least are further away. It takes a lot of effort to re-learn where all the keys are but typing with the Dvorak layout is much easier on the fingers because they move less. It's worth it in the end.

I've written about different keyboard layouts and about learning typing with the Dvorak keyboard layout.

Dwell Clicking

Dwell clicking is done by a piece of software that tracks your mouse movements as you move your cursor around the screen. When you move your cursor to the position where you would like to click and bring your mouse to a stop for a short amount of time, the software generates a click for you. Most dwell clicking software can do double click, right click/command click and also do mouse dragging as well as regular single clicks. These are done by selecting the requested type of click from a small palette which sits on your screen.

ClickNoMo is the only stand-alone dwell clicking software for OS X that I am aware of.

Speak Instead Of Typing

[msd] is the only software currently available for OS X which lets you dictate to the computer. The Dictate software converts your speech into words on the computer screen instead of you typing them, and contains commands for editing and moving around documents and other application commands. It works best if you use it when you will be typing long passages, like this article. Dictate is new software and still has many kinks to iron out but if most of your computer use consists of typing reports and documents, it can replace almost all of the keyboard use needed for these chores.

Hopefully one day we'll have Star Trek level understanding of speech, or neural interfaces where the computer is activated by thought, but until then take a stab at these methods. With all of them together - or as many as you need - you should be able to use the computer more effectively and with less pain.

- Ricky Buchanan

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[msd] is a great program but learning so many commands at once can be intimidating. I've put together two documents to help you learn and remember all the global commands found in Dictate version 1.2.1.

Dictate has two types of commands - global commands and application specific commands. The global commands work in all programs and the application-specific commands work only in a single application, for example Mail or iChat. These documents are only concerned with the global commands, which you'll need to know best and are likely to do most often. If there's a demand for similar lists for application specific commands I'll create these in the future.

These documents aren't in any way meant to replace the Dictate User's Manual - every Dictate user really should read the manual, even if you're not the "manual reading type". Trust me, you'll get far better use of Dictate if you have read the manual! But nobody's memory is perfect, especially for a program with so many commands, so I've made these

First there's a "Global Commands List" which has all of the global commands, arranged according to their functions rather than alphabetically. It also has short explanatory text for the commands whose purpose isn't obvious, to remind you of their function. The list is 3 pages long - it's a complicated program! Here are versions in both Pages and PDF format, sized for US and A4 paper:

• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Command List (A4, PDF)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Command List (A4, Pages)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Command List (US, PDF)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Command List (US, Pages)

Second we have a "Globals Cheat Sheet". This has most of the global commands but not all of them, again grouped by function but with no explanatory text. It's formatted to fit on a single sheet of paper so you can print it out and use it as a memory aid when you can't remember the specific words for a command. Here are versions in both Pages and PDF format, sized for US and A4 paper:

• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Cheat Sheet (A4, PDF)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Cheat Sheet (A4, Pages)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Cheat Sheet (US, PDF)
• MacSpeech Dictate 1.2.1 Globals Cheat Sheet (US, Pages)

I hope people find these useful. I have mine printed out and stuck up beside my computer screen and it's been a great help. Would you use a version with commands for the separate applications too? Let me know in the comments.

- Ricky Buchanan

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