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Those that have written whole books on it typically mention the following advantages over a PC or notebook with some distraction free environment:

* hundreds of hours of battery life on 3 AAA batteries

* readable in bright sunlight

* instant on and off (you are back to your text with a button press, no waiting for booting up)

* portability and durability (great for traveling and writing..)

I have a 40$ (incl. shipping to Europe) Neo 2 too and do appreciate all these details. The manufacturers got a lot right.

I’ve tried distraction free terminal writing on an old x200 and other old and virtually disconnected devices too before but it wasn’t the same. E.g. in a library or café, searching for a free and calm spot with power supply and no sunlight on my screen is a problem I don’t have with my little AlphaSmart.



A pity that isn't hackeable, it would made a nice z-machine portable gaming machine.


The fact that you can only write is the exact reason that it is such a loved device. If want to get distracted by the lust of hacking the device instead of writing, there are thousands of other alternatives.


Get a Dana then. It's basically a Palm laptop but a full-fledged AlphaSmart otherwise.


A nice modern writeup on the Dana: https://www.osnews.com/story/131180/the-alphasmart-dana-in-2...

I think if I were writing fiction that might be a really nice option.


Link? Price?


They haven't been made in years but you can find them on eBay for about US$60




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