Questions about Alphasmart Neo

I'm heading off to dinner, but I can answer a few questions:

1. The small screen is actually an asset for me. I have a bad habit of looking at what I've written, hating it, then deleting the whole page. The Neo's small screen prevents me from doing that and forces me to keep moving forward on the WIP. Oh, and yes you can do line breaks and tabbed paragraphs.

2. I bought my Neo in late October. Since then, I've finished the first draft of a novel and four short stories. That's more writing than I've done in the previous two (no, make that three!) years combined.

3. The instant on is perfect for cramming my writing into little slivers of time. Five minutes is enough for me to dash off a paragraph.

4. I love the carrying case, but then I'm very protective of my Neo. I carry it everywhere.

My Neo works in conjunction with my laptop. I use my Neo for first drafts and the laptop for everything else. But the Neo is critical for my getting my first drafts done. It's like pen and paper, but much much faster. I can't live without it.

I hope this helps!

I got an HP Mini - the best of all worlds. Smaller than your "normal" laptop. It does do internet and stuff and has enough built-in memory that I have MS Word, Publisher, and PowerPoint on it.

Very light, very portable -- but much more function than a Neo. (I had an alpahsmart, so I've used one of those, too.)

More screen makes it easier to do some editing -- plus since I have a full version of Word, I have all that functionality.

It's probably a bit more than the Neo, but less than a full laptop.

Susan G. - Mini Convert. <G>

Susan Gable said:

I got an HP Mini - the best of all worlds. Smaller than your "normal" laptop. It does do internet and stuff and has enough built-in memory that I have MS Word, Publisher, and PowerPoint on it.

Very light, very portable -- but much more function than a Neo. (I had an alpahsmart, so I've used one of those, too.)

More screen makes it easier to do some editing -- plus since I have a full version of Word, I have all that functionality.

It's probably a bit more than the Neo, but less than a full laptop.

Susan G. - Mini Convert. <G>

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How did you go about getting MS Word installed on your Mini? I've been looking at these, but I'm not certain how to get software installed on it.

There was a great thread a few months ago about the NEO. I'll try to dig it up. Meanwhile, my thinking is along the lines of Susan. I'd rather get a netbook. It's about $300. For those who say they find having the internet a distraction, you can turn off the wireless.

ETA: Here is the previous thread on the Alphasmart

Rushie said:

1. Do you find the small screen size to be a frustration? If you need to scroll back is it easy?

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The small screen is not a frustration at all. I find it helps keep me moving forward instead of constantly going back to reread what I've already done. Scrolling back is easy if you find you do want to reread stuff.

2. I understand you can't italicize or "edit" much. Can you make line breaks? Tab the first line of a paragraph?

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Yes, you can tab and make line breaks.

3. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, are you usually able to position your hands comfortably using the Neo? On your lap even like sitting in bed or reclining on the sofa? I picture using this on a porch swing, lying on my stomach on the floor, etc. etc.

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Yes, it's easy to get comfortable with it, though I find typing while lying on my stomach to be hard on my elbows, so I usually avoid that position.

4.So I wonder if you regret your Neo not being a laptop or if you have a laptop do you regret it not being a Neo?

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The Neo doesn't take the place of a computer, nor is it intended to. It's assumed that you will transfer your work to a computer to edit. I don't regret the Neo not being my laptop or vice versa, because they work in tandem. The Neo is a great light-weight, rugged, distraction-free writing tool, nothing more.

5. Do you feel the Neo increases your productivity enough to be worth it? I feel over $200 is outrageously expensive but if it means I produce a book in 6 months instead of 12 months, it should more than pay for itself in the long run.

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I'm more productive when I write in public places, so the Neo's long battery life goes a long way towards improving my productivity. It's great to be able to write anywhere without a time limit based on battery life or a need to find a plug.

6. If you got the carrying case, do you like it? I have old briefcases I can use but if their case is designed specifically for the Neo I think I want it.

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I don't have the carrying case. I just stick it in my backpack.

7. Is it rock solid reliable not to lose your stuff? You never had it lose or "forget" your text?

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I've never lost a thing, not even when I accidentally flung it across the aisle in an airplane while letting my seatmate out to visit the lavatory. (poor grip and sudden turbulence--the Neo took it all in stride)

I understand your concern about cost. That and the small screen were what kept me waffling over it for two years. Finally I decided to take the plunge and I've never regretted it.

I know someone who got a neo and loved it, but stopped using it so much once she got a laptop.

I have an eee pc and find it great for word processing. It's light weight, sturdy, fits in my handbag and I run linux on it so I don't need to worry much about viruses. On the other hand it does have internet and solitaire, and I can understand those being a temptation.

Yeah but you can delete solitaire and turn off the internet. I've done that on my laptop, so it's easy to do on a netbook.

stormie said:

Yeah but you can delete solitaire and turn off the internet. I've done that on my laptop, so it's easy to do on a netbook.

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It's true, you can. Sometimes I wish I was disciplined enough to do it
On the other hand, my eee's battery life is nowhere near as good as a neo's.

I chose the eee instead of the neo because I couldn't justify spending that much money on something I could only use for writing. I told myself I could use the eee to take notes in class and minutes at meetings, as well as using it for creative writing. So far the thing it's been best for is minute taking.

Not to sound like an idiot here but I've never heard of a Neo but it sounds like an interesting possible writing tool. Methinks I've got some research to do...

Rushie said:

I followed some links and I'm reading a review of the Neo. It says there is no undo. You can't backspace?

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Of course you can backspace. You can also highlight and delete. I think what they mean is that there's no official undo function with the freedom that gives you to change your mind about deletions.

I have a laptop, a netbook and a Neo, so I can answer your questions

Generally speaking, I don't use my netbook for writing. It's too uncomfortable; the keyboard is a little on the smaller side and the screen is TINY! I have the netbook because my back is bad and I can't carry the laptop to school, so I take the netbook instead and strain myself while working on projects and doing homework during my free hours.

I use my Neo for writing first drafts. Then it's off to the laptop for editing.

Rushie said:

1. Do you find the small screen size to be a frustration? If you need to scroll back is it easy?

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Nope, no frustration. The screen of the netbook is much more frustrating, because the netbook has all these other things to display, thus making everything tiny. On the Neo, you can choose between different font sizes, and they're all very decent. Hell, most of them are better than the font sizes on these boards. No problem with the screen.

And scrolling back is easy. Take it from me. I use the Neo to take notes during my teachers' lectures, and sometimes I have to scroll back FAST because the teacher just added something to what he'd said previously, so I need to scroll back, type the new info, and then scroll back down to type down the new info. No problems there.

2. I understand you can't italicize or "edit" much. Can you make line breaks? Tab the first line of a paragraph?

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Yes and yes. You've got Tab, Caps Lock and Shift. You also have spellcheck (don't know how good the English spellcheck is, since my Neo is in Spanish) and find and replace.

3. If you have carpal tunnel syndrome, are you usually able to position your hands comfortably using the Neo? On your lap even like sitting in bed or reclining on the sofa? I picture using this on a porch swing, lying on my stomach on the floor, etc. etc.

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I don't have carpal tunnel, but the Neo's keyboard is one of the most comfortable I've ever tested. And since it's a full keyboard, instead of the reduced keyboard for the netbooks, it's a blessing.

4. So I wonder if you regret your Neo not being a laptop or if you have a laptop do you regret it not being a Neo?

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I haven't, for a second, regretted getting my Neo. It's the most useful thing in the world because, like I said, I not only write my first drafts on it (3 novels and numerous failed attempts since October), but I also take notes during class. The Neo is so light and durable I take it literally everywhere.

5. Do you feel the Neo increases your productivity enough to be worth it? I feel over $200 is outrageously expensive but if it means I produce a book in 6 months instead of 12 months, it should more than pay for itself in the long run.

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Yes. Best $200 I've ever spent.

6. If you got the carrying case, do you like it? I have old briefcases I can use but if their case is designed specifically for the Neo I think I want it.

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I just toss my Neo wherever: my bag, schoolbag, anywhere. Not a scratch, still in excellent conditions. Did I mention I love my Neo?

7. Is it rock solid reliable not to lose your stuff? You never had it lose or "forget" your text?

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I've never lost any data, and I've used it every single day for 7 months.

Oh, and did I mention that, after all that use, I still have 70% left of the three AA batteries? My netbook only lasts 3 hours.

WKolodzieski said:

Not to sound like an idiot here but I've never heard of a Neo but it sounds like an interesting possible writing tool. Methinks I've got some research to do...

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http://www.neo-direct.com/default.aspx

Convert!

Unlike some of the others, I've more or less stopped using my Neo. I loved it when I first got it - it's easy to use, light, durable, and batteries last for ages. It's brilliant for tapping out loads of words and editing them on a pc later.

However, since I got a netbook, the Neo has been resigned to live under my desk. Don't get me wrong, I still love it. But on my netbook I can write into the same word document as on my PC and go on the internet if I need to for research - and so that's why I tend to turn to it. But the netbook does have terrible battery life and is not as comfortable to type on.

If you want to be productive, the Neo is fantastic. If you want the ability to do other things (which may on occasion waste time) you might prefer a laptop.

In your case it sounds like you'd get a lot of use out of an Alphasmart. I'm hoping that when I start writing a first draft again I'll start using mine more.

Dama--thanks so much for comparing the Neo with a netbook. That helps those who need to make a decision, and what they're looking for a word processor to do.

Okay. My question (or was this answered? I'm being lazy this morning to look it up): what about the fact that I'm used to Microsoft Word? Does either the netbook or the Neo work with that or is compatible?

stormie said:

Okay. My question (or was this answered? I'm being lazy this morning to look it up): what about the fact that I'm used to Microsoft Word? Does either the netbook or the Neo work with that or is compatible?

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Yes. I have no problems loading my Neo documents into Word.

Okay, thanks

I don't really have too much to add. I agree with what everyone else has said. I got the Neo originally because Mr. Grr is a laptop hog and I didn't want to always have to write everything by hand. Plus the Neo is a lot lighter and easier to transport. So we have both a laptop and a Neo, and I love them both. They work together, and I don't regret either.

I think the small screen size is actually a benefit. It's easy enough to scroll back if you need to, but it keeps just enough text on the screen to keep me moving forward. I tend to want to do too much editing as I go, and the Neo seems to curb that impulse. Plus I can't get onto AW on the Neo, so I actually get some writing done.

stormie said:

Dama--thanks so much for comparing the Neo with a netbook. That helps those who need to make a decision, and what they're looking for a word processor to do.

Okay. My question (or was this answered? I'm being lazy this morning to look it up): what about the fact that I'm used to Microsoft Word? Does either the netbook or the Neo work with that or is compatible?

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Okay, this question seems to come up rather often, so I'm going to go into an explanation on how the Neo uploads files to the computer. It does this two ways (you can choose either):

1) Acting as an external keyboard
2) Via the Alphasmart Manager

Option number one turns the Neo into a handy keyboard. It's plug and play, so you just connect the Neo to the computer and voila! you've got yourself an external keyboard (did I mention it does that? It's also cool if your laptop keyboard is uncomfortable). So when you click the Send button, it's like a ghost keyboard, it start typing up your document into the screen. So it doesn't matter whether you use Microsoft Office, Open Office, Notepad, Writepad, since it's working as a keyboard with a mind of it's own, you can upload it anywhere that accepts text. Hell, you can even upload your novel to an AW post this way.

Option number two, on the other hand, does require you to install software on your computer. You get a handy manager that displays your files as text-only, so all you have to do is copy and paste to a Word document, or Open Office document, or whatever it is you want to keep your work in.

As you can see, both methods work with any word processors out there. If you have larger files, I'd recommend #2, although #1 looks really cool.

So there you have

On the other hand, you can install any word processors on a netbook, since they usually have enough space for that. However, most netbooks don't have CD drives, so you'll have to keep that in mind if your word processor of choice is on a CD. Then you'll have to do more "techy" stuff to install anything into the netbook. But once the word processor is installed, well, it's just like any other computer.

A WORD OF WARNING TO PEOPLE CONSIDERING BUYING NETBOOKS. Your back will hurt. A lot. There's absolutely no way to look at that tiny little computer without slouching a little.

Thank you to the OP for bringing this thread up - and everybody else for answering all these questions - because I'm now very interested in this Neo and am considering buying one. I...want...one, lol.

Going to be a bit of a party pooper about the Neo here - I bought one two years ago and liked it in the beginning, but my eyes are bad and I absolutely loathe the small screen. The contrast on it is terrible no matter the adjustments, so make sure you use it in a brightly-lit area.

The Neo is good for on the fly writing, but my computer doesn't like the software and so when I go to load my document, it takes forever as it 'types' it in.

I recently bought a Netbook for $349 too (Acer Aspire One) and LOVE IT. The screen is great, the keyboard is not a problem to write on at all, and I did not hook mine up to the internet. It is gorgeous and I love it so. It is also super light - like 3 pounds or something ridiculous.

Wish I'd kept my $250 I spent on my Neo.