The AlphaSmart NEO word processor was originally sold to writers in the early 2000s who were tearing out their hair from the distractions of dying laptop batteries and the early Internet. Word count is just a few keypresses away. L-R: DC power, IR, USB-B, and USB-A for connecting to a printer. These might be the world’s greatest scissor switches. There’s even a two-button ‘on’ option so you don’t run the battery down or accidentally erase files while it’s in your bag. Inspiration can truly strike anywhere at any time, so why not be prepared? This thing goes from off to blinking cursor in about a second and a half. And that’s exactly what was so tantalizing to me about it. The NEO stands for the freedom to get your thoughts down wherever, whenever, without the need for a desk, paper, ink, ribbons, power cords, and the other trappings that chain people indoors to flat surfaces. Early laptops couldn’t be trusted not to die suddenly, but the NEO will run for 700 hours on three AAs. The halcyon days of the AlphaSmart NEO sit in between the time where people were chained to heavy typewriters and word processors and the dawn of on-the-go computing. These kinds of devices often do one thing and do it pretty well. History will always have its in-between technologies - that stuff that tides us over while the Next Big and Lasting Thing is getting the kinks worked out of it.
