Tech From an E-booker’s Viewpoint

I had planned to post my initial review of my iLiad today, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  I forgot to keep it on the charger and my battery died.  So I will have it up tomorrow for sure.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  It’s been a rollercoaster week with the start of the school year for my children and me taking a course.  To make life just a tad easier, I broke out my Alphasmart Neo.  It’s a great word processor.  The best thing about it is that it only does one thing, so I don’t get distracted like I do when I am on the computer.  I find that it really helps me to focus on the task at hand.  Mine runs on batteries, but you can also get a rechargeable battery pack for it.  I find that a battery pack is not really necessary for me.  The batteries last for what seems like forever on this thing.  I also never have to worry about saving anything that I type.  It does it automatically and it stays there until you delete the file.  I started out using the 3000 model back in 2002 when I started on my doctorate.  It was the best $200 I have ever spent.  These machines are light, durable, and a pleasure to type on.  Since it’s less than 2 pounds, I took it everywhere and whenever the mood would strike, I’d just whip it out and get to work.  Currently I am using it to take notes while I read my text book.  Then I just hook it up to my PC, press send and it inserts everything into Word (no sloppy handwritten notes).  Alphasmart also sells the Dana.  This is more expensive (approx $400), but also has built in WiFi and runs on the Palm operating system.  So in addition to a word processer you get a palm with a large keyboard and the ability to add more software.  The Dana also has 2 SD card slots.  It used to be a good alternative to a laptop, but now that laptop prices are so much lower, it may not be a great idea, but it is certainly a lot lighter. One more point:  The customer service at Alphasmart rocks.