Lobelia the adverbially eclectic

no, buy an asus eeepc instead. like me 'n' ducks.

b.x :)

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This seems to need to be compatible with Windows or Linux. I have an Apple. What I like about the Alphasmart is that it is a typewriter only, no internet, no DVD, no operating system BUT compatibility with Macs for transferring wordprocessed data. Also, it weighs little.

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as apple is now built on unix, mac and the eee are definitely related!

the eee offers so much more for your £ - internet, yer regular office-type software (but an open-source version), a web cam, a media player...the screen is much nicer than that of the neo thing, judging from the pics.

i love mine to bits, it's probably the best £200 i have ever spent. my other machines are of course all macs. i have had no problems with mac/eee file compatibility.

b.x :)

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*looks at where you've said you don't want internet*

well, you don't have to connect it!

i just think the eee is so much more versatile. i take it everywhere, it weighs barely more than a chunky paperback. and it's pretty.

b.x :)

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sheldrake.livejournal.com

Yeah, what she said. :)

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But...!

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abbylee

An alphasmart sounds closer to what you want, *but* I wanted to point out that you can absolutely network it or transfer files between an eeepc and a mac computer. They're comparably light too - the eeepcs ranges between 2.5 and 3lbs, I think, and the alphasmart is about 2lbs. The eeepc also boots up pretty fast, about 20 seconds, but the alphasmart is way faster than that. (And I could ramble more about how the eeepc doesn't have a CD/DVD drive and some alphasmarts have wireless internet.)

For me, the big reason to go alphasmart > eeepc is that the alphsmart runs for significantly longer on one charge. If that's not an issue, I think the eeepc is a more versitile machine which makes it worth spending a little bit more money, but the battery life is a *huge* difference which makes the alphasmart win in the "portable writer" category.

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but don't the new eees have much better battery life??

b.x :)

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abbylee

The alphasmart with the shortest battery life is quoted at 25 hours. The longest is quoted at 700 hours. So without knowing the newer eeepc stats, I do know there's no way they come close in that respect.

Of course, the alphasmarts also don't have a lot of the functionality.

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hmm, that *is* a long time. i really don't like the look of the display though.

b.x :)

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So what is the battery life of the eec? (Or whatever it is called.) The thing is, I'm thinking, if I want full functionality I can just lug my laptop around, which is in fact what I already do. But I have to take my granny trolley because it's bloody heavy and I don't want to do my back in, and then I have to find a cafe with sockets because the battery life is about 20 minutes, with all the STUFF I have on there. But if I bought another thing with lots of functionality then I couldn't have all my STUFF in the one place and would be confused: did I have that pic on my laptop or on this thing? etc. While the Alphasmart seems to be just like a notepad.

So I guess I could just buy a notepad. And save myself 178.50 pounds.

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the battery life on my eee is about 2.5hrs. it's deal as my train journey is 2hrs! i think the new models are about 4hrs+. the power cable is similar to a moby recharger.

i've had few issues as regards "where's my stuff?" you wouldn't want to use it as your "media" machine if you have a mac too.

b.x :)

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One of the worst things about my laptop right now is the low battery life. I used to have 5 hours but with all the stuff I keep on it I'm down to 20 minutes, and this limits the usage to vicinity of a powerpoint! I may need to take to lugging an extension cord around with myself and appear to be TRULY eccentric.

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abbylee

The 20 minutes isn't because of all the stuff you have on it. Laptop batteries just suck and wear out. Some things you can do is keep the monitor brightness turned down, turn off wireless if you're not using it, don't plug in extra things, and use your hard drive instead of reading off of disc.

To reiterate: LAPTOP BATTERIES SUCK. Any of those awesome fancy rechargeable batteries eventually wear out, and if you can't get a new one, you're out of luck. They wear out even if (especially if) they haven't been used, so you need ones that have been recently manufactured.

An interesting article, if you care: http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

If the Neo sounds like it has everything that you want, and you're not missing having an actual laptop, then the Neo (with AAA batteries) is a better long-term investment. And if long lasting battery life is important, then it's the only one worth buying. But otherwise it might make sense to buy a new laptop battery (if you can get a newly manufactured one) or to buy one of the 9/10" computers that are finally being all the rage on the market (because they truly are cute and little).

I generally vote: go with your gut.

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An interesting article, if you care:

I cared. I read it all! Thanks for link!

You give wonderful advice: go with your gut. I like that a lot.

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I think I'm the original Alphasmart booster around here - I have one that I bought in 2001 that I don't use much anymore since the key action is kind of gummy (due to my having spilled things on it) and because it's weird to have people reading over my shoulder on the subway, that said - although I wouldn't say it's essential, I think it's a great little tool. It's excellent if you have to snatch at writing in 10 or 15 minute intervals because there's no warm-up time. Also, no internet to distract you. And highly portable and durable.

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Aha, it must be from you that I maybe first heard about this! That's just what I want: a kind of electronic notepad. No internet, no weight. Of course, I could always just get a notepad and pencil and obtain the same results... Why do you no longer use it?

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I type about ten times faster than I can write on a notepad (out of practice, and writing makes my hand cramp up!)

I used it a lot when I worked at Starbucks, where I got fifteen minute breaks and a half hour lunch, and you can get a LOT done writingwise with that kind of structure. I also used to live someplace less populous, so if you busted it out at a bus stop, there was no one to look over your shoulder.

Now I ride the subway and almost never get a seat (that may change as I'm moving in a week and will probably be able to get a seat, hurray!) but I got too self-conscious about writing on the subway, because I am super nosy and would read over someone's shoulder, so I expect the same from others. Also, I feel typing involves rudely digging your elbows into your neighbors. So it's mostly that my life circumstances have changed, and also that it's old and the key action isn't so great anymore. But I used it A LOT before the key action got messed up (also, I'm pretty sure it's the result of spilled food, so don't eat over it.)

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I am convinced. I NEED this machine. I do love the notepad versatility. I love being able to break it out wherever, whenever, and to know that nobody can read what I'm writing because I can't even read what I'm writing (which is also the slight drawback of the notepad system). Also, it feels non-permanent and non-real if it's scribbles on a page. But! My fine motor skills have gone down the toilet since the advent of the keyboard. I used to think they were like riding a bike but oh, no, they are NOT! I can barely get a shopping list done by hand; it's a tragedy to behold.

So yes. I am very much faster on the keyboard. And the 15 minutes at lunch... I want this thing! And you can sync with your normal computer, right? I have a Mac.

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I don't have a mac, so I'm not certain, but I can't imagine any reason why not.

The way mine worked was via USB (the infrafred was more expensive, and seemed not worth it.) All you had to do was open a notepad or word document and plug in the alphasmart, and then hit 'send' and it would transcribe it onto the page. It's not super-fast, but it works. (Plus, very cool to see your words transcribed SUPERFAST.)

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okay, by the first superfast I meant - because it types it out letter-by-letter instead of a CHUNK, it takes longer. By the second superfast I meant, uh, it's pretty fast transcription.

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