Like I said, the Dana from Alphasmart is near perfect, except the screen contrast sucks.
But I found out that the Neo from Alphasmart has the same wonderful keyboard, and while the screen is smaller, it has much higher contrast (due to no overlay for touch and no underlay for underlight).
These machines have great, full sized keyboards, with a full key travel unlike laptop keyboards. And yet they only weigh about 900 grams, are very rugged, and run for like 100 hours on three AA batteries.
Update: articles/reviews about the Neo. (See other links on that page too.)
Chet:
It's more like 700 hours on 3 AA batteries. I've actually experienced it.
Linda M Au:
Chet beat me to it. Definitely more like 700 hours. Or, as I think of it, changing the batteries every January. :)
You'll love the Neo. It's like an epiphany to a writer. :)
Author Tera Lynn Childs uses an Alphsmart, writing in cafes too.
Actually, it's more like 700 hours on 3 AA batteries. I've actually experienced it.
ReplyDeleteChet beat me to it. Definitely more like 700 hours. Or, as I think of it, changing the batteries every January. :)
ReplyDeleteYou'll love the Neo. It's like an epiphany to a writer. :)
These have been around a long time. A client of mine who was a writer/adventurer used to take one of these to places he didn't want to risk his expensive Mac laptop computer. This was in 1998 or 1999.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw him connect it to a Mac and dump the text into a Word file I had to laugh. It was clear to me that this thing was using a basic TTY type serial connection. If you could physically hook the Alphasmart up to an old teletype machine it would chug away, typing out the text from the Alphasmart.
The advantage to doing it this way is that every computer understands TTY, so Dana didn't have to write any drivers. Really a very simple, inexpensive plug and play solution to data transfer.
Indeed.
ReplyDeleteI wish it'd load as a device, though, like a memory card.
I got mine a few days ago and I absolutely love it. True, no back lit LCD screen sucks BUT its light weight, battery life, and easy data transfer makes this my dearest traveling companion.
ReplyDeleteKewl.
ReplyDeleteDid this post spur you to get it?