Interesting thread and comments.

Like many in this thread I've used and/or owned pretty much every battery powered keyboard since the RS model 100 including many that never saw the light of commercial day. It's a category of writing tool that has always interested me, very much akin to tape or digital recorders.

I think many commenting here are being a bit unfair to AlphaSmart products (the Neo is the latest in a line of similar products).

All of the AlphaSmart keyboards were designed primarily to support writing in K-12 education. The fact that professional writers have adopted them is a great thing but that's not where AlphaSmart's design energy goes.

The fact that any model of AlphaSmart or Neo connects to a computer via a standard cable and does keyboard emulation to send into any writing environment, coupled with the fact that they have virtually no operating system to wade through I think make them a bit different and in many ways more interesing devices than competing products.

The Neo has a lot more memory than earlier models as well as a much nicer keypad. I think the Neo is a fantastic tool and I use mine in places I'd never take my PowerBook but where a voice recorder might be inappropriate.

Disclaimer: I've been an advisor to AlphaSmart since it was founded and know the founders well.

I simply like the way their products work and I know I can give one to my granddaughter without having to spend a lot of time teacher her what's what.

If the poster would like a Neo, get in touch.