NEO the Laptop Word Processor
Small Portable Keyboard with Classroom or Freelance Applications
AlphaSmart reduced the pricepoint of NEO, a carry-around writing tool with enough functionality to attract established writers.
The NEO word processor, for Mac or Windows, by Alphasmart is a combination technological step forward - step back. The steps forward? Extraordinarily long battery life – about 600 hours per three disposable AA batteries - and features like built-in calculator, "applets" for cool classroom functions, and relatively small footprint, coupled with a vision-friendly keyboard.
Alphasmart wants to position NEO as a perfect tool for writers, and it might be - for some.
The Not So Good
NEO is a straight-forward, laptop word processor. What freelance writer doesn't use a word processor?But the lightness of the unit – that is, its weight, or lack of it, puts the keyboard off-balance unless it’s used on a tabletop. If one uses it, say on an airplane or in the car while waiting for a child to get out of school, accurate typing becomes problematic. The unit tilts, shakes and wobbles as keys are struck.
The slightly unexpected keyboard formation is off putting until one gets used to it. Reach for a key like "delete" in its expected location and find the display disappears because some other function key was struck.
NEO can’t count words, jump to end or beginning of a document or line, format text, insert anything or create tables. Technology has moved so far away from word processors of yore, that it’s a bit odd to watch a window display simple text that cannot be formatted locally.
The Good
On the plus side, NEO would be an awesome classroom tools since it permits a teacher to monitor assignments within a group of students. Keyboards are configurable to left- and right-handedness and a couple of other options. The instructor can upload finished work to her computer for review, add comments and send it back. Uploading is pretty fast.
With included software, she can design quizzes, distribute them to a class and reclaim results. NEO uses infrared file transfer and USB.
It can save "hundreds" of documents, has a built-in calculator, spell check (not on the fly, though), a thesaurus, user-expandable dictionary and can be configured to lookup English equivalents of Spanish words. It teaches keyboarding all by itself – again, with included software. Writers might find this appealing.
An available rechargeable battery pack eliminates the dinosaur disposable battery issue.
Bottom Line
For writers, there could be some attraction here. NEO purposefully avoids email, messaging, and browsing capabilities so as to pare down distractions. Bottom line, writers without a desk and/or laptop might find this appealing. The $200+ price point will surely deter starving writers. But clear display, rugged construction and portability make it a nice accessory for well-established scribes who love technology and are seeking potential tax deductions for interesting new equipment.
