Product Review: Neo by AlphaSmart

As a professional writer, I do quite a bit of my writing on my living room sofa. This allows me to be in the same room with my family - instead of tucked away in my home office - as they watch TV or play games. However, I found the heat of the laptop computer was uncomfortable over time, and its battery life was minimal. Moreover, I was constantly fighting the urge to check email or surf the Internet. Rather than serving as a tool to help me be a more productive writer, the laptop was a distraction.

On the advice of a fellow writing friend I purchased the Neo by AlphaSmart. It changed my writing life.

About the product

Although the Neo by AlphaSmart was originally designed for academic settings, many professional - and amateur - writers find them an indispensable tool. They were created to be a portable note-taking system, but writers often use them as a word processor.

It's extremely lightweight, weighing approximately 2 pounds (which is significantly lighter than my laptop). It's rugged and sturdy. Although I've never tried it, I imagine the Neo would survive a drop or two off the edge of a table.

It has a plastic body that's deep green in color, and is approximately 12"X10". The display is reminiscent of old electronic word processors, and is an LCD screen. You can choose how much text to display - two to six lines.

Eight different files are available for storage, allowing you to write multiple projects at once. According to the AlphaSmart website, the Neo can store hundreds of pages of text.

The Neo uses three AAA batteries for power, and the AlphaSmart website claims those three batteries will provide up to 700 hours of use.

Using the product

Turning the Neo on and off is simply a matter of hitting a key. The Neo powers up quickly - no waiting time like you have with a laptop computer.

The screen isn't ideal. It's a bit small. If you use reading glasses, you may have to enlarge the text so you only see three or four lines at a time. This creates problems when you go back to edit text. I prefer it, however, as constant editing sometimes slows down my writing. The Neo almost forces me to think forward instead of looking backwards.

Although typing the text is relatively easy - the keyboard is standard, although the keys may require a little getting used to for a heavy computer user - the screen sometimes has difficulty keeping up with fast typing and fast deleting. You may have to pause occasionally to give the Neo a chance to catch up if you tend to type-delete-type-delete quickly.

Flipping from file to file is simple as well. Things like word count, however, require knowing a few keystroke shortcuts. The Neo automatically saves your text, so you don't have to worry about losing data or pressing a "save" key.

Transferring data from the Neo to my computer is extremely simple. Plug the Neo into the computer's ISB port with the provided cable, open a text doc, hit "send," and the text is transferred.

The Neo gave off no noticeable heat, so I was able to use it comfortably in my lap for hours.

Conclusion

If I've got a major project that requires complete focus, the Neo by AlphaSmart is my first choice for a writing tool. Since it doesn't have Internet access, I don't have to worry about getting distracted.

The Neo by AlphaSmart is essentially a thinner, lighter version of the old electronic word processors that initially replaced electric typewriters years ago. It's extremely basic, with no extra bells and whistles. Nonetheless, it's a valuable tool for any writer who finds him/herself repeatedly distracted by the "extras" on a standard computer.