AlphaSmart Shows Palm-Based Laptop

krswan writes: "AlphaSmart, which has built proprietary 'mini-laptops' for education in the past, has released a Palm Compatible device with a full keyboard, built in rechargeable batteries, 2 USB ports, and two Secure Digital and Multimedia Card compatible slots - all for $399. It is only about 2 lbs and the screen resolution is 560X160. As a teacher, I would love 30 or so for my classroom. More details at the Dana website." It's basically still more a glorified keyboard (like the older AlphaSmart products) than a laptop, but that's not a bad thing.

Comments

I love it--successor to TRS-80 model 100

[splorf]

Something like this has been needed for over a decade. A diskless mini-laptop with a useable keyboard and very long battery life, good for basic text typing and email checking, without battery-hungry color displays or Quake 3-capable processors. My only obvious complaint is it would be good if it had a little more screen resolution, to hold a 25x80 telnet/ssh window. But I already want one. Wow!

Discontinued?

[ObviousGuy]

H/PC Pro device manufacturers didn't stay onboard with these WinCE-based machines. They offered too little functionality for too much cost.

Now AlphaSmart is offering less power for only slightly less cost? I've seen the picture of the device, I don't think they are in this for the long haul.

That's because no one has MADE a TRS-100 successor

[splorf]

The closest thing to it was the HP Omnibook 300 with the 10 MB flash card option, and that cost something like $2000, so of course it didn't sell.

To be a worthy successor, a "smart keyboard" should

• Cost under $500, so the Omnibook 300 is out.
• Have a full sized keyboard--Poqet, WinCE pocket PC's etc. are out.
• Turn on instantly (no boot delay) and not make noise (i.e. no hard disk). Subnotebooks are out.
• Run for 10+ hours on a battery charge. Subnotebooks are out again. Preferably it should run on standard AA cells and not depend on a charger; this Dana thing fails on that count, but it's not fatal.
• Weigh under 2 pounds--the TRS 100 could get away with 4 pounds because there were no alternatives til the 3-pound TRS 102--but these days subnotes are too heavy.
• Run a reasonably standard OS with free development tools--PalmOS is sort of ok, WinCE loses. Linux would be better but you can't have everything.

I don't think anything has been made since the TRS 102 days (well maybe the Sinclair Z88) which meets all these criteria, even though it could have been done easily.

I don't understand the allure of the Palm Pilot. I've never seen a pen-based PDA remotely as useable as the HP 100lx, which is still my favorite.

eMate

[marshac]

Apple tried this same thing with the eMate running the NewtonOS.....the device looked *very* cool, but it just didn't catch on. I suspect the same will happen to this device too.

my 2 cents

Africa

[XNormal]

How about a solar or wind-up version for use in places that many miles away from the nearest electric socket or battery shop?

my mother -- the teacher

[dallask]

She has found that when her kids were given these, the kids who had done NO work all year, were suddenly writeing papers, doing homework, and makeing B's (which for those kids is somthing)...

Its amazeing how much they get done when properly motivated. and its incrediable how the alpha smart motivates them.