Sailor_Chibi |
Alphasmarts |
    12,660 / 50,000 Official Participant
Joined: Okt 24, 2006
Location: Canada Posts: 179
Posted on:
Okt 2, 2009 - 02 22 |
This year, I will be using my handy little Alphasmart Neo to write whenever I'm away from home. I had the opportunity to use it last year as well, and it was amazing how much it helped. It's been with me for a little over a year and I've never regretted buying it. Who else is going to be using one to help them reach their goal? |
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51,872 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 02 37
*raises hand*
Me. I be using an AlphaSmart Neo, too. It really is the perfect NaNo writing companion!
----------Chet's NaNoWriMo Experience (updated)
22,521 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 04 00
And me! I love my Alphasmarts, as I am a seasoned procrastinator and highly prone to dist-- hey, look, an email! LOL
Luckily Neo fits in every one of my bags, so I can go out and about, away from my desk, and get some serious writing done.
All the best for Nano 2009 - can't wait!
L
50,133 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 04 46
Count me in as well. I have a netbook and an Alphasmart Neo. I use the Neo during NaNo because there's no distraction - I type my novel and THAT'S IT. The battery life is awesome and the portability the biggest plus.
----------2002 - Finding Home - WINNER!
2005 - Surviving Thirteen (YA/MG) - WINNER!
2006 - The Montegris Experiment (YA) - WINNER!
2007 - Don't Touch Me! (YA) - WINNER!
2008 - In Character (YA) - WINNER!
2009 - Senior Year Single (YA Romance)
57,492 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 05 13
I have an Alphasmart Dana that got a lot of use last year, and which will probably make a comeback in year.
----------35,100 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 05 53
I'll be employing an AlphaSmart 3000 for some writing when I am away from my desk or sitting in my car eating lunch. This will be my first nano and first use of an AlphaSmart, in fact, I won't actually have it in my hands until the weekend.
----------The man who in his work finds silence, and who sees that silence is work, this man in truth sees the light and in all his works finds peace.
--The Bhagavad Gita
Find me at:
http://typeclack.blogspot.com
http://www.deeksworld.com
56,211 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 06 11
Newbie here and I'll be using my new Neo 2!
XD
1,224 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 07 17
I'll be on vacation for a week in November, so my Neo will be perfect for writing with no power outlets in sight.
36,397 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 07 34
I wrote my NaNo '08 (well, the 25k I wrote) on my Alphasmart 3000. I really want to get a netbook, but if that doesn't happen then I'll go back to my 3000. I noticed that the keys are stiffer than I remember. It might be better to use it then a netbook, though, because of the distractions of the internet and shiny things.
----------"Write what you like, there is no other rule." -O. Henry
"I got caught up in between my pride and my promise, between my lies and how the truth gets in the way." -In Between
121,726 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 07 37
I've loved my Alphasmart, as well, although I didn't use it as much last year as I thought I would. I'm considering loaning it to someone in difficulty this year. We'll see what happens. :)
----------***
Julieann Dreamer
http://jamarlow.com
Nano 2009: Into the Forest Shadows
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs: WON
Nano 2007: The String Weavers: WON!
81,165 / 50,000
Okt 5, 2009 - 23 40
I used my NEO extensively for last year's NaNoWriMo, and I've used it for countless projects in the year since, sometime writing entire first drafts of short stories on it, and using it as a "notebook" when doing reviews for movies or books. It's giving me some great freedom, and was an essential traveling tool. When home, I still tend to use the desktop, but sometimes even then I'll choose to sit on the couch and write using the NEO.
----------2009 Novel: Turn over the Moon (80K)
2008 Novel: Orphans of Fenris (74.5K)
My Website
40,016 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 12 17
I'm in! Gotta get those extra words in during class. ; ) My Dana is even sporting a new paint job this year, with blank keys:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/innerpenguin/3960034689/
66,009 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 13 25
I miss my Alphasmart Dana. I still have it and untouched since I got my netbook. Debating on which I should use. Battery life is a big difference with the Dana working twelve times as long on a single charge. I will be in this thread later when I finish the 2009 version of my NaNoTrack word count tracker for the Dana. I should finish that program by Monday.
49,532 / 50,000
Okt 2, 2009 - 15 52
I am using my NEO that I got for the 2007 nano. I haven't changed the bats in it yet.
I love it! It is so light weight and fits in every bag I have.
I take it everywhere (when I remember to grab it) and I get asked what it is a lot of the time.
I don't have a job so I do't have a little netbook which would probably get me into trouble because of the ability to go online. Procrastination for me = gmail!
----------If I can get online I don't work. The Neo is perfect in that regard since mine doesn't have internet abilities. So when I go to write-ins I am taking my neo with me!
Second time trying this....
Please be kind -- Do not Touch
Will Bite.
25,564 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 01 26
I love my Dana. Being able to break away from the house and all the distractions there is incredibly helpful!
----------0 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 04 46
I'll be using my Alphasmart Neo again this year - his name is Ivor (short for either Ivor the Engine, or Ivor Novello, depending on my mood). I bought him for Nano 2007, after winning Nano 2006 using my Dana - I sold the latter to a Nano-ing friend because I found the Dana screen a bit too hard to read.
94,297 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 09 57
I'll be using a Neo this year. It's a great thing to have.
----------I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Banish the Guilt Monkeys
0 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 10 06
Just purchased an Alphasmart 3000 on eBay. Should be here soon and I can't wait to try it out! If I decide I like it, I'll get a Neo to use for next year.
----------50,048 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 10 49
I'll be using Sidney, my Alphasmart 3000. Hopefully by next year I will have upgraded to a Neo.
50,026 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 12 30
My Neo (his name is Poindexter) will be the equivalent of the American Express card this year. Don't leave home without it!
----------11,382 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 13 25
I LOVE my Neo!! It has found a permanent home in my back pack. I even sewed a purse to carry it with me when not lugging my backpack around. It has been so handy this year! A lot of my classes are requiring us to go "low tech" because so many people are goofing off on their laptops durring class. This is perfect for those classes! Last year, I took it with me when I wanted to write on the Square in my town (that's where the story was set; and will be set again this year!). It was really amazing! I can't live without my Neo!
39,222 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 19 16
This will be my first time using my NEO for NaNo, since I got it for Christmas last year. I've used it sporadically over the last 9 months and find it very helpful for writing without distractions, since even my laptop has a number of games on it as well as the ever-tempting internet with it's forums and webcomics... And I'm easily distracted, so the NEO is great! Can't wait to see how much it will help me for NaNo.
40,013 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 20 33
That's a common issue with the 3000s. A lot of people complain about the keys being stiff. Some people have said that it helps to remove the keys and put bits of rubber band about the thingies that the keys sit on, and I guess that makes the stiffness better, but I've only heard this and never seen it in action. The Alphasmart group on Flickr would be able to help you, though.
Me, I LOVE my Neo. I swear by it and probably ought to get commission from Alphasmart because now all my friends have Alphasmarts, too. I don't know what I'd do without my Neo.
I just ordered the special vinyl dye paint so I can make my Neo all pretty- I'm excited to have a pretty Neo, but nervous about having to take it apart!
----------~Jesso~
I'm writing my novel by poll! Vote for the plot of my novel on Livejournal and Twitter!
26,478 / 50,000
Okt 3, 2009 - 23 17
I got married the day after Thanksgiving last year and still managed to win Nano thanks to my Dana.
It was supposed to be my "Yay you won your fifth NaNo!" gift....but after the engagement I figured I'd better get one so that I might get that 5th victory at all. :P I snagged it on eBay during the spring when no one is thinking about novels and the price was way awesome.
So I will definately be using my Dana again this year.
----------Municipal Liaison for Central New Jersey
46,101 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 08 42
I'm expecting to hammer out a majority of my novel using Zeus, my Neo.
----------Approaching Nano with the ferocity of my namesake the Berserker
66,258 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 15 45
I don't have an Alphasmart, but I think I'm probably going to get one for NaNo this year. My mum has offered either to buy me one as a gift, or contribute the same amount towards a netbook. I guess you guys might be biased, but any thoughts? I have a MacBook Air, so I'm thinking a netbook might be a bit pointless, but I do have a hankering to own one. But I love the idea of the long battery life and almost instant turn on of the Alphasmarts.
That to me would be the big advantage, as I honestly don't tend to get distracted on my laptop, but weight, size, speed and battery life are key. Does anyone know how long a standard XP netbook takes to boot up and into a word processor? And how is it working on a screen with no backlight and only six lines? I'm nervous of the six lines bit!
Any advice welcome!
Cheers
39,392 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 18 16
I don't know about the netbook startup time part of the question since I don't have one, but I can tell you that on the Dana (which is what I have) there is a backlight but it eats battery life and the small screen, to me at least, discourages scrolling back and nitpicking and editing which is a great motivator to keep going forward and I can edit later once its uploaded.
15,239 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 18 55
Dogs chewed through my laptop power supply this morning. They ate ten keys a few weeks back. I'm allowed to borrow the roommate's power cable, but I don't want to leave the apartment with it.
All things considered, it seemed like a very good time to invest in something without necessary cables. I just bought my AlphaSmart 3000. Waiting for it to arrive.
While I'm waiting, does anyone have anything specifically to say about the 3000? Seems like everyone here, with a few exceptions, has the Neo or the Dana. I saw that the 3000 keys are stiff. Might be a slight problem for me, since my laptop's (before puppy intervention) had very easy-to-press keys, but I don't think it should significantly slow down writing speed unless it's extremely stiff. Do you recommend the rechargeable battery or a handful of AA? Does it convert easily to other text files? I'd still like to use yWriter to organize things while I'm at home. When it says, "Can double as a keyboard," does it mean that literally? I could hook it up to my computer, open Notepad and type things on the AlphaSmart, and they'd be instantly there? Because that would really make me feel better about the dogs eating half of my keys.
----------http://www.nanowrimo.org/NanowrimoUtils/MyMonth/95590-goal=200000-pc-day...
Ideal Goal: 200k
Minimum Goal: finish Only Child
51,872 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 19 13
The AlphaSmart 3000 is an older model released around the turn of the millennium. If you find the keys too stiff, you can pop them out to clean beneath them, then pop them back again.
3 regular AA batteries will power it for up to 500 hours, so you probably don't need rechargeables.
The 3000 will "send" files directly to your favourite word processor on your regular computer to be saved to any format - txt, rtf, doc, etc. Of course, not jpg or png or pdf.
----------
Chet's NaNoWriMo Experience
----------Chet's NaNoWriMo Experience (updated)
40,016 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 19 49
A question: does anybody know how long a Dana will run on 3 AA batteries (as opposed to the rechargable battery pack it comes with)?
46,101 / 50,000
Okt 4, 2009 - 20 06
I think I heard it was about 25? hours. Not really sure, I use a Neo.
----------Approaching Nano with the ferocity of my namesake the Berserker