Ergostyles Blog Proper Ergonomics for Portable Devices

These days, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone without a portable device - be it a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. Mobile devices, as these are sometimes called, are becoming more and more a part of our lives, and as such, bring about another set of problems that we may not have considered before. As with computers and regular keyboards, these devices also bring with them problems like repetitive strain injury, and even eye strain.How do you prevent these problems from popping up and what devices can you use to avoid such issues from ever occurring? Some of the problems that come with these gadgets include those that are brought about by the small size of these things. Eye strain is brought about by the smallness of the screen, and repetitive strain injury is brought about by the placement of the keyboard or the keys on these gadgets.These problems can be solved with the help of proper ergonomics, and the use of devices, positions, or aids that will reduce or remove the chances of such aches and pains. Here are a few tips that may make the usage of your portable devices less of a pain:Try to use your laptop or tablet as you would a desktop - sure, these are made for portability, but that does not mean that you need to suffer the problems that come with such a portable device. The advantage one has with a laptop, or any portable device that has ample memory and computing power, is that you can take it anywhere, unlike a desktop PC. This does not mean however, that while these devices do have their own built-in keyboards, that you should suffer the problems that these present (straining of your neck, uncomfortable hand positioning, etc.)Use your laptop or tablet as you would a desktop, and to enable that, you should find an external keyboard and a mouse that you can use with this. Place this on a desk or table that will put the screen at eye level, and place the keyboard and mouse in a position that is also comfortable for your hands and arms. Do this whenever you have quite a lot of data entry tasks to do, and use a tablet stand for this, if you are indeed using a tablet.Position your devices for optimal viewing position, above all else - if the choice comes down to hand comfort or neck and eye comfort, choose the latter. Since you won't be using your portable for that long a period of time on the road (in an airplane, at a café, or in some other locale that disallows for use of an external input device), you should opt for giving your neck and eyes a break since the situation is not that prone to RSI.