Anyone use an Alphasmart?

BeluvdLily · Sep 19, 2008

Do any of you own/use an Alphasmart? There is something about this that is really making me want one. I think if I have one without internet access (as I think the Dana has), I may be a bit more disciplined and be able to write. I also like the mobility factor. At the moment I only have a desktop computer so I'm not mobile at all.

Just curious what your experiences have been with this.

Skyraven · Sep 19, 2008

Hi Beluvdlily - I don't have the alphasmart, but I have the DANA and I love it. I used it for about two years for grad school. You can get the DANA without the internet access. Mine is the wireless one, but I don't use it. I only used it for writing. It's portable, you can use it anywhere (train, bus, etc) and its great. And you can upload everything to your home computer later on.

Leah J. Utas · Sep 19, 2008

BeluvdLily - I use an Alphasmart Neo. It's cheap to use, easy to use, easy to transfer your writing over to your main computer. I like to take mine outside and write on the porch on nice days. The small screen works just fine. It has a thesaurus, find and replace, and word count.
Also, save is automatic.

blueobsidian · Sep 19, 2008

I have the Neo and I love it. The lack of distractions and incredibly battery life make it the perfect writing device for me. Also, the fact that I can only see the last few lines of text keeps me moving forward. I have a tendency to get stuck editing or questioning my words and never finish the story.

Dale Emery · Sep 19, 2008

I used an Alphasmart Neo for two years. For me, its limitations are big benefits. It doesn't have a zillion other apps or an internet connection that I can use to distract myself. Its screen is so small that editing, while possible, is awkward, so instead of revising my first paragraph to death I keep writing.

And the Neo fits nicely on an airplane tray table, which is a big bonus when I'm traveling a lot. And its keyboard feels better than most notebook computers'.

But then things changed. Earlier this year my wife bought me a Treo smartphone for my birthday (because I begged her to). This unfortunately means that even when I'm away from my office with my Neo, I now have easy access to distractions. Harumph.

Given that I can now easily distract myself if I want to, the Neo isn't going to save me from my bad habits. So I'm going to have to do that myself. And if I can do that, well...

I bought a MacBook Air, which takes up the same desk space as the Neo, and it offers a richer set of writing tools.

So I think my Neo now goes on the shelf.

Dale

BenPanced · Sep 19, 2008

I have a Neo which I got over a Dana because of the battery life (Dana = 7 or 8 hours, and I've changed my Neo's batteries only twice in the three years I've owned it) and it's simply a word processor. I'm too easily distracted by

Grrarrgh · Sep 19, 2008

I have a really old Alphasmart 3000 that I bought on Ebay. I like it for the reasons others have mentioned. It's portable, great battery life, much less distracting than a computer. I also got one because Mr. Grr and I fight over the laptop when I want to write and he wants to surf. I'm thinking of upgrading to a newer model at some point. I got the oldest model I could just so I could try it out and see if I would actually use it or if it would be one of those things I bought and sat on a shelf. But I definitely use it enough to make it worth it.

C.bronco · Sep 19, 2008

Jannawrites has a whole blog dedicated to her alphasmart!

http://sallyandme.blogspot.com/

dpaterso · Sep 20, 2008

In ages past I used a portable PC with a dinky LCD that only had x number of lines, plus one of those electronic typewriters with a 6-line LCD display -- and they drove me absolutely nuts!

But, I can still see the attraction of these machines from a help-you-focus viewpoint, plus their lightness, their portability, their ginormous battery life, etc.

http://www.alphasmart.com/Retail/

-Derek

DamaNegra · Sep 20, 2008

I'm trying to convince my parents to get me one for Christmas. Want, want, want! My laptop is too heavy to be really portable, especially now that my back problems have intensified. Plus, I drool at the battery life of the Neo. Pretty, pretty stuff!

Only problem is, shipping to Mexico is too expensive

C.M. Daniels · Sep 20, 2008

I used them in high school for journalism. I wasn't wild about them, because I like to have bigger chunks of text visible when I write. However, you can't argue about them being super-convenient.

virtue_summer · Sep 21, 2008

I have a Dana (without internet access) and I love it. It's the single best thing I ever did for my writing. I've had it for years and it works like new. It saves automatically so if I'm in the middle of writing a story and I have to go deal with an emergency I don't have to worry about losing my work when I throw the thing down in my chair or on the bed or whatever. I only have to charge it every week or so to keep it going, and I have never once lost any work that I put on it which is completely the opposite of what happens to work on the desktop computer. That's why I save important documents on it. Even stuff started on the desktop gets synced to the Dana if I don't have hardcopy or I'm not through writing it. It's durable. I've dropped it multiple times and not a scratch. Also, like everyone else has said it's super portable. I can take it almost anywhere. As to the small screen, this is why I love it for rough drafts. When I see too much of the text I tend to go into editing mode. The Dana's smaller screen lets me focus on new work instead of stressing over the old.

san_remo_ave · Sep 21, 2008

I have a Neo and love it. It's particularly mobile with outstanding battery life.

I write almost exclusively at a keyboard, so snatching 20 minutes to write can be difficult, especially if you have to wait for a computer to boot up, etc. With the Neo I just turn it on like a calculator and away I go. I keep File 8 with my outline and delete the chapters I write as I go, so I can always check where I am and where I'm headed.

This also keeps me out of trouble/guilt of using my work PC during, say, lunch to write. I can easily keep my personal stuff completely personal.

BeluvdLily · Sep 30, 2008

Okay, you've all confirmed what I thought. I really think an AlphaSmart will be a good answer for me because I do have trouble staying off the internet and I want to be mobile! My 3000 I won on ebay is being shipped today! I'm sooooo eager to get it. I still need to purchase a USB cable and most likely a carrying case from AlphaSmart so I'll probably order those today and hope they all arrive together. Thanks for you opinions.

If all goes well and I use it, I'll probably be buying a new Neo or Dana for Christmas.

Pamster · Sep 30, 2008

what kind of battery life can you get with the alpha?

Jersey Chick · Sep 30, 2008

I have an AlphaSmart - but I almost never use it anymore - not like I did a few years ago. My kids tend to use it more than I do. I have trouble with formatting issues when I import the data to Word. It used to make Word do wonky things - like diasble the spell check - really weird stuff. And I have a laptop, so I tend to take that with me instead.

As for battery life? I've had my Alphie about 4 years and I've changed the batteries once.

Robin Bayne · Sep 30, 2008

Jersey Chick said:
I have an AlphaSmart - but I almost never use it anymore - not like I did a few years ago. My kids tend to use it more than I do. I have trouble with formatting issues when I import the data to Word. It used to make Word do wonky things - like diasble the spell check - really weird stuff. And I have a laptop, so I tend to take that with me instead.

As for battery life? I've had my Alphie about 4 years and I've changed the batteries once.

I had the same situation---I loved using mine but after downloading into my processing program the formatting was a mess.

BenPanced · Sep 30, 2008

Pamster said:
what kind of battery life can you get with the alpha?

I've had my Neo for almost three years and I've only replaced the batteries twice. It takes 4 standard AA size.

Pamster · Sep 30, 2008

Wow, I likey!

Thanks for bringing this up!

Jersey Chick · Sep 30, 2008

Captshady said:
If you first paste it into notepad, then copy/paste into Word, that should fix your problems.

To me, it isn't worth it if I have to do the extra step. I might as well just work off my laptop. Besides, the Alphie keeps my son out of my hair so I can get some writing done

But, I will confess... I have been eyeballin' the Neo... just lookin', mind you.... but I likee

Tirjasdyn · Oct 2, 2008

I have a Dana and I love it....but I don't use it anymore...I haven't used it for a year. So I'm selling it. It works great, has all the software, and cables...I just don't use it.

Mikey B · Oct 2, 2008

Quick question. I know you dl the files on to your computer. But, if I have an outline that I want to upload into the Alphasmart so I can write based off it, can that be done or does it only work one way?

Dale Emery · Oct 2, 2008

Mikey B said:
Quick question. I know you dl the files on to your computer. But, if I have an outline that I want to upload into the Alphasmart so I can write based off it, can that be done or does it only work one way?

You can transfer text files to a Neo with the AlphaSmart Manager software.

Dale

Mikey B · Oct 2, 2008

Dale Emery said:
You can transfer text files to a Neo with the AlphaSmart Manager software.

Dale

Ah, but not with a 3000? Sorry, I found a 3000 for $70 on ebay. Is that a good deal?

BeluvdLily · Oct 2, 2008

AlphaSmart 3000

Well, I received my AlphaSmart 3000 today. It is in excellent condition. Looks as if it's never been used. I did have to remove the rechargeable battery pack in order to put in 3 AA's. I could have charged it via the USB cable (it didn't come with an adapter) but that takes about 16 hours from what the manual says.

If anyone else buys one via ebay, you are able to get the adapter, USB cable, carrying case, etc. from AlphaSmart. I'm sure I'll be ordering the carrying case soon and possibly an adapter.

It works great! I love it so far. I really think I'll use it. I paid $39 for mine on ebay and $10 shipping.

Anyone use an Alphasmart?

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