Handy AlphaSmart 3000 is the "Anti-Laptop"

by John R. Mabry

Published in The Writer, June 2001

I must admit a certain ambivalence about laptops. As a writer, I certainly appreciate the versatility they afford me. No longer am I chained to the computer on my desk. With a PowerBook under my arm, I can happily tap away in my favorite coffee shop, in the city park, or even on the commuter train. My laptop has saved my life more than once by affording me the freedom to do my work wherever I happen to be, and for that I am grateful.

But there are also lots of things I hate about laptops: they're heavy enough to injure your shoulder, unwieldy in crowded situations, take forever to boot up, especially when I've got an idea that needs to be put down NOW; and isn't it ironic how the battery always seems to conk out just when I'm on a roll? Don't get me started on the power cords, power-packs, etc. What a mess! Yes, laptops are great, but they are a bit of a Faustian bargain.

Enter the anti-laptop, the AlphaSmart 3000. Weighing in at just 1.9 pounds it is light enough to be almost unnoticed in my shoulder-bag--a major advantage over my bone-crunching PowerBook. It is also very attractive, styled after the last wave of Macintosh products. Its see-through colored plastic casing is the height of techno-fashion. And at a list price of only $199 for the basic model, it's also affordable.

At first I wasn't sure what to make of this little gizmo. Is it a useless toy or a stroke of brilliance? Can this little package of good design, good looks, and an unbeatable price actually deliver?

If you are a computer programmer, a game player, a numbers cruncher, or a graphics person, you should stick to your laptop of choice. But if you are reading this magazine, you are probably a writer, and for this writer, at least, the AlphaSmart 3000 is a winner.

The heart of the AlphaSmart 3000 is an elementary word-processor. It can store up to 100 pages at a time, and comes complete with a spell-checker and a finger-friendly keyboard that feels as good as my regular Mac keyboard. You can keep up to eight text files going, and access any of them at the push of a button. Simple keyboard commands also allow you to cut and paste within and between documents. For the occasional need you might have for a simple calculator (such as figuring out a tip after a writing session at the local cafe), the AlphaSmart can accommodate you here, too.

The greatest limitation is the screen, which only allows you to view four lines of text at a time. This is fine if you are jotting down stream-of-consciousness notes, but can be difficult if you frequently need to glance up at what you've already written. For this reason, the AlphaSmart 3000 is probably not your best choice if you are writing an epic poem; but if haiku is your thing, it's tailor-made.

Transferring your files to your desktop computer couldn't be simpler, and for this I applaud the AlphaSmart's designers. The keyboard attaches with simple industry-standard cord to your Mac or PC (I simply plugged mine into the spare USB port on my Mac's keyboard), or if your computer has infrared capability, just point it in the direction of your computer!

Simply open a document in whatever program you want the text imported to, and hit the "send" button in the upper right hand corner of the AlphaSmart 3000's keyboard. The text will transfer quickly and automatically.

No more battery woes with this puppy, either. The AlphaSmart 3000 uses standard AA batteries, and includes a built-in backup battery so even if your batteries do go belly-up, your text will not (I have been using mine for weeks without a battery change yet). There is also a battery-saving feature that turns the AlphaSmart 3000 off if you haven't touched it for ten minutes. But don't worry; it saves as you type, so no text is ever lost, and it "boots up" from a dead stop to your open file in an amazing 1.5 seconds.

Despite the limitations of the screen, the AlphaSmart 3000 is a handy tool for a writer. It doesn't have enough bells and whistles to be classified as a toy, but it has the perfect complement of necessary features to put it squarely in the "useful tool" category. Highly recommended. For more information, visit AlphaSmart on the web at www.alphasmart.com or call (888) 274-0680.

John R. Mabry, PhD is a writer and magazine editor living and working in Oakland, California. His book God as Nature Sees God: A Christian Reading of the Tao Te Ching is published by Element Books.