The Dana is light and sturdy enough to take anywhere, and is also convenient and versatile to use, offering a great deal of functionality in an easily accessible way. The AlphaSmart Dana is a two-pound all-in-one keyboard and screen device, made of sturdy feeling dark blue plastic. I like my Dana too much to test this, but AlphaSmart designed the Dana to withstand a drop from four feet. Suffice to say, you do not need to buy a special padded laptop bag for your Dana.
You paying attention, Apple? Tucked securely into the right side of the Dana is a stylus. The presence of a stylus hints at the huge difference between the Dana and the IR. The screen is a comfortable size. Its x pixels can display up to ten lines of working text in addition to a header bar in a comfortably readable font. AlphaSmart claims the Dana can be used for 25 hours on one charge, though using the backlight will naturally drain the battery faster. Pop in three AA-sized batteries and keep working.
Simple enough. The keyboard on the IR was, for me, a big con: it felt cheap and was uncomfortable for me to use over extended periods of time. This offers easy one-button access to whatever you want to do.
There is one more button in that top row however, and it is the only fault in the hardware design: the power button. Curiously enough, the Dana offers an option to allow some or all of the application keys to act as additional On buttons, which only increases the risk of an accidental power-on. Once the Dana is on, any future accidental key presses will end up in the last document you were working on, so the next time you use the Dana you may find a bunch of gibberish on the screen or, worse, that some of your document has been deleted.
There are a number of ports on the back of the Dana: an IR port I love IR printing, which works flawlessly , power jack, two USB ports one for connecting to a computer, one for printing , and two expansion slots that can hold MultiMediaCards or Secure Digital cards. The Dana comes with a power cord for non-battery use or battery charging, and a USB cable for connecting to a computer. I had never used a Palm device before I got the Dana, so if you have, this section will probably be skim-worthy at best.
It starts up exactly where you left it when it shut off: in the middle of a document, or displaying your calendar, etc.
Turn it on and get to work. PalmOS took me a little time to get used to, but not much. Press its button, and there it is. Scrolling is intuitive, and command keys like Command-S and Command-O do exactly what you expect them to.
In short, five-star ease of use. Graffiti lets you enter one letter at a time, using a slightly altered version of the alphabet…but you can only enter it into a special handwriting recognition box, not just anywhere on the screen. I ended up mostly using the stylus for navigation, selecting text, and, yes, playing games. The biggest advantage to using PalmOS, though, is availability of programs. Of course, that leaves the keyboard sideways, so I rarely do that; but when for example reading an eBook, a tall thin column can be more comfortable to work with.
Other applications, such as AtomSmash, a Breakout-type game, require the screen be turned on its side. Install the Palm Desktop software on your computer, and with the press of a key combination on the Dana all your data are saved to your Mac.
Eventually, I found a well-hidden way to set where I want documents saved. Palm Desktop also lets you send files from your Mac to the Dana. That lets me work on this review from either my Mac or my Dana, meaning the Dana can be used for doing some serious long-term work.
The UI in the OS X version is buggy: in the above picture, the middle of the list disappeared after I added a new file to be synched. A file cannot be removed from the list by hitting the Delete key; you have to use the button.
PalmOS programs can be downloaded to your Mac and installed via HotSync, and presumably upgrades to programs like AlphaWord can be applied the same way, which is great.
This makes the Dana type the document to your computer, very rapidly and without any of the problems I encountered doing this with the IR. Like the IR, AlphaWord can have up to eight different files open at a time, and lets you navigate quickly from one to another by pressing one of the eight function keys on the keyboard. Unlike the IR, AlphaWord lets you save and name your files, so you can keep more than eight easily identifiable files in total on your Dana.
AlphaWord lets you embolden, italicize, and underline text. Text can be justified, and different fonts and sizes can be used. Documents can be password protected if desired, but the file will not be protected on your computer after HotSyncing, so the actual security this option provides is pretty minimal.
The ability to save formatting, at least for me, turns out to be a kind of a minus. There needs to be a preference to save documents as text, or at least an option in the Save As.. In Microsoft Word 5. Microsoft Word v. X displays the file just fine.
Wherever the cause lies, there are minor anomalies to be aware of. The same RTF file opened by two different programs. Top: MS Word 5. Bottom: Nisus Writer 6. RTF files created in either Word 5. X work fine. The Dana, thanks to PalmOS, is not just a word processor. Somewhat to my surprise, I actually use these apps. But if memory serves, one of the documents I had on the IR was, essentially, a to do list.
Now, I have an application for it. I used to keep track of phone numbers and addresses on random pieces of paper, or in seperate computer files at home and at work, depending on how I knew the person. Each of these applications is simple and well thought-out.
AlphaSmart is a welcome exception. The Dana ships with an page Getting Started printed manual which is reasonably well organized and well written, with a two-page index in the back. AlphaSmart gives its contact information, including e-mail address and phone number, for use if you have problems. In all honesty, I only skimmed it, reading at random a few sections; I felt the Getting Started manual was more than enough to get me comfortable with using the Dana and answer questions I had.
The PalmOS and its applications are designed to let me do what I need to without getting in my way or slowing me down. Not bad at all for something as complex as a portable computer system. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. Download ATPM 8. Hardware The AlphaSmart Dana is a two-pound all-in-one keyboard and screen device, made of sturdy feeling dark blue plastic. So it probably is a bit higher quality than was used in the IR. You know--besides running the Palm OS, having a smaller screen, and imperfect document porting capabilities.
I'm all for positive-bordering-on-gushing reviews, but how can one provide an objective account of a product without first researching other alternitives that alreay exist, and provide the same functionality? And no, I'm not a the standard Mac Zealot who's trying to pimp a product he particularly likes. In fact, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool PC user and wouldn't change that--right now at least--for anything. But I'm also a writer and, as such, need just the type of tool you describe to do business--something that's instant-on, has a long battery life, is portable without being excessively bulky, and can both import and export documents to Mac and PC platforms.
Of course, the need for a good wordprocessor is also de facto. Yet, if I was to read your review, the only alternative I would be able to consider to the Dana is its older, less-competent brother. That's not exactly a comprehensive choice list, is it? Especially when one considers that, given the tone of your article, these are the "first" and "only" products ever to have these capabilites present in this form i.
PDA with a touch screen and keyboard. In fact, that's far from the case. Now, I realize that I'm coming off as a blowhard, at best, and a crank troll at worst, but the fact remains: I prefer my reviews--or any product--to be comprehensive. Basic research should be done before sweeping generalizations and specific claims are made.
And, if a comparison is to be made regarding the given feature set of a product, other options should be noted, if they exist, and a notation of how the options compare should be present. Otherwise, all that is left is, effectively, an endorsement for a product that has no real substance to back it up.
Naturally, I realize that many of the reviewers on this site are amatuers, and still others might disagree with me regarding the nature of appropriate content. However, given that the writer of this article is on the ATPM staff, one would think it safe to assume that a higher standard of journalistic proness should be expected.
It did indeed offer a feature set simular to the Dana, though it cost more than the Dana does and did not support nearly as many applications as the Dana does. At any rate, the fact that the eMate is no longer on the market means it is not in any way a viable alternative to a Dana.
Alternatives to the Dana include not only the IR but also the CalcuScribe, which I did make reference to in the review. The only other simular product I know of that is currently in manufacture is the QuickPad , which I have unfortunately been unable to receive a review unit of.
If you know of others, please post links to the manufacturers' web pages so that other readers can consider them. I suggest ASilver should do the same. It is the first version of the product and it is not perfect, but the company's lengthy experience with the other AlphaSmart products and the needs of writers and students have advantaged them in the design of this new Palm OS based product.
Nearly every reviewer has commented about the product in a similar manner--it is not "gushing" if it is true. I hesitate to go with the handhelds because I want the full-size keyboard and a larger screen--ergo the Palm devices are still not for me for writing. However, I am a high school science teacher and I will use Palm devices for data collection and lab work. I work with lots of special needs kids and I am looking for a device just like this. It is slick. Read the specs.
It is not a toy by any means. It runs lots of different programs written for the Palm OS--including lots of science programs--public domain and otherwise.
I suggest anyone seriously reviewing the product or the reviews should take a look at the user forums at alphasmart. You will get an excellent idea of the history, the users' issues, and the unbelievably polite responses to questions, frustrations and concerns.
There is something special in the works here. I think they are listening and responding to user comments. I plan on purchasing one for myself before recommending it for the school. I suspect it will end up in my shoulder bag for airline and train trips and in my car trunk when I am heading to work or to play.
I think it is what we are looking for instead of buying a bunch of laptops or handhelds. Since we use both Macs and PCs in the school, the intercompatibility is essential. They are not ready for prime time when it comes to internet and e-mail, so there are gaps in the product.
I plan on posting comments on a regular basis to their user forums. Maybe I will pass along my experiences here as well. I currently am using an Alphasmart from the loan program and that one already begins to influence my working style - you really can carry it everywhere and it just doesn't feel like a burden at all.
Since I got it a week ago, I did not use my PowerBook as single time. Instead, I type my texts and directly load them up into my eMac for further processing.
I certainly like the super-long battery life span as well as the fact that not the slightest sound - other than the keystrokes - disturbs the writing process. One day I may have one if one happens to appear in a local thrift store after this lock down ends. I sure hope; somebody smarter can help. Although my wonderful Dana Alphasmart has been going great, with only one of their distinctive battery packs having to be replaced, probably 10 years ago, now I get the warning that I should recharge or put in a new battery.
SOoooo, I wonder if there is an external battery pack it could run off of, without too complicated an installation. I can use a screwdriver, I can use electrical tape, I cannot solder. I saw something about soldering somewhere, argh. I learned to type in highschool all girls took the class…so we could be secretaries and marry our bosses? I love my DANA alphasmart, whose batteries started sighing sadly yesterday, just as I was getting going on a fantastic piece of fiction…I think best outside, with my Dana.
I hope I can find one to buy. I just updated this post with a video showing how to remove the old battery so you can put in AA batteries. It also explains how to find the USB Power brick and cable you need if you want to use a more powerful external rechargable battery with your Dana. See the bottom of the post for the update and enjoy! Your email address will not be published.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The dana can then be charged up from any USB port. All of this modification was something, that I honestly enjoyed. I enjoyed having to open my device, cut wires, and re-solder them.
There is something positive in the experience of soldering up battery packs and searching the ruins of crumbling websites for vintage software. However, this may be a deal breaker for some users. They need to upload to a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone. They were designed in an era when desktop computers were the most common type, and laptops were a luxury. Today, laptops outsell desktop computers by more than double.
Smartphones and tablets have become commonplace. I personally used a dana quite a bit in school, but had a few semesters where it remained stashed in the closet. Sometimes even the writing projects where a dana could be valuable required constant references to notes or research. For those projects, a laptop, or at least a phone, has to run alongside the dana. If the dana is another device on the table next to the laptop, then it increases the complexity of writing, adds distraction, and functions to the push writer out of the writing process.
While the dana has a lot of problems that turn out to be strengths, this dependence is the one thing that I would caution an author or student to consider before tracking down a used machine. I would still recommend the experience of writing on a dana.
Conclusion Overall, the AlphaSmart dana shows the relationship between minimalism and focus. Its abandonment of more complex features enables it to be that much stronger as a writing machine. Its tiny screen, poor internet, and simplicity enhance the writing process. The dana has just enough flexibility in its operating system to facilitate composition without the ability to really distract.
Writing on the dana has been a very valuable experience. The brand has been variously owned by: Intelligent Peripheral Devices Inc. This inspired me to look into similar devices for the purpose of distraction-free writing.
I have done a similar trek through Alphasmart as you, so allow me to add a few things to your review that I think are worth being more explicit about:. It has great travel, a good click. By my judgement the best portable i. This is not a minor problem in a writing device. It is all the worse because the touch capability is of no use at all. It gets about 20 hours, but if you let it run down totally then it loses all files in RAM. Other options see below either have extremely long battery life or have back-up battery just for keeping the RAM alive.
For anyone interested here are some more devices along the same lines thank you to Mooseman for the link above, I want one! Frankly there is almost no reason to use the Dana rather than the Neo 2. The advantages are effectively infinite battery life of a set of AAs and an even better keyboard, not to mention readable screen. The one big disadvantage is that the Neo 2 has a smaller screen — to small by far.
However it is a much sharper screen better for the eyes. It also has no SD card port so you have to rely on the USB keyboard emulation, but as Robert points out this is what you will be using on the Dana most of the time any way.
It has no apps, but those are mostly pointless and very few people will by one of these things to use a Palm OS Calendar app.
This is the eccentric choice but a personal favourite of mine. The screen is up to a full columns wide which makes a huge difference as it feels like you are writing a proper document, where the Dana or Neo 2 often feel like you are just writing a draft. The Word Processing software is excellent. I still use it just for that purpose some times. The disadvantages are too numerous to mention in full. I like it though. Devices like this are a personal passion for me.
I connect it via a serial connection to a Raspberry Pi for surfing the web with Links 2. I find a text mode browser better for reading actual information, including news. I use lite. Cambridge Z88 — proprietary OS etc, etc. Can I recommend a couple more for your collection? I have a Psion Series 7 with an upgraded Netbook Personality — a truly great screen and keyboard.
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