AlphaSmart 3000

Pros: Light, a cinch to use, perfect for writers and kids alike
Cons: Small screen

Many months ago, I heard about this new portable, lightweight word processing machine called an AlphaSmart. Writers on a discussion list were raving about it. I had to check it out since I was already in the market for a laptop.

Upon...

Pros: Lightweight, virtually indestructable, cheap
Cons: I'd love an ergonomic (split) keyboard

The AlphaSmart is incredible! My first experience with one was about two years ago. I was a CTAP (California Technology Assistance Project) mentor for my elementary school. We meet about once a month to work on projects for our school. One mentor had...

Pros: lightweight, portable, easy to use, works cross-platforms!
Cons: limited to 8 files, keys can be a bit louder than conventional keyboard

I have been using the AlphaSmart in an educational setting for almost six years now. I am an elementary school teacher, presently working as the Technology Integration Specialist for a large metropolitan Boston school system.

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Pros: Durable, easy to use, holds a charge for hours and hours, great for traveling.
Cons: No backlight

I typed this review on an Alphasmart 3000, which I then downloaded to my PC.

For about a year I had been reading these ads on this unit in such magazines as Writers Digest. Finally, curious, I went on to Alphasmart’s website...

Pros: Lightweight, full size keyboard, cheap word processor
Cons: nothing

At Christmas in 1998 my husband gave me the top item on my wish list, an Alpha Smart 2000, produced by Intelligent Peripheral Devices, Inc. Alpha Smart is a feather weight (2 lb.) but amazingly sturdy word processing device with a four-line LCD screen...

Pros: The excellent keyboard and price. Perfect for a travelling writer.
Cons: I have no cons for this excellent product.

This is a review on an excellent computer device called AlphaSmart. There are two kinds. AlphaSmart 2000 and the new one, AlphaSmart 3000. This review is on AlphaSmart 3000.

AlphaSmart has many features. In fact, it has so many features that...

Pros: Allows many disabled kids to take notes, easy to use, almost indestructable, optional word prediction
Cons: Clumsy file transfer, small display, low file capacity.

When you only have the good use of one hand...and limited use at that...taking notes in class or doing writing assignments can be a great chore or even impossible. Think about studying for a test and either having no notes to count on or borrowing...

Pros: lightweight, fast transmission between alphasmart and computer, not to expensive.
Cons: none

Now in my home, we have way too many computers and the last thing I needed was yet another computer. But I wanted a light one to carry around instead of my dell laptop that I had bought a year ago.

I really didn't want to spend so much on a...

Pros: Convenient, User-friendly, and reliable
Cons: you'll need extra batteries

I think one of the best things about this "portable keyboard" is the fact that I can use this whenever I want to. I don't have to be limited to one room or one space. I'm free to think and expand my workspace.


Waiting for my...

Pros: portable, indestructible, long battery life, automatic save
Cons: small screen

I used to think that you could only be considered a "serious" writer if you carried around a laptop computer. Then I discovered the AlphaSmart.

First things first: If you want to play games, surf the net, manipulate photos, etc.,...

Pros: Low-cost, weighs only 2 pounds, PC/Mac compatible, rugged, dependable, automatically saves files, free-loaner program, 3 year warranty
Cons: None

The AlphaSmart 3000 is a low-cost, portable 2 pounds, dependable, and super easy to use keyboard/word processor that is compatible with any PC or Mac. It includes a full-size keyboard, 4 line text display, built-in 70,000 word spell checker and can...

Pros: Very portable, lightweight, long lasting battery capability and moderately priced.
Cons: Keyboard not the easiest to see due to "gel" type case color.

It wasn't until I began working for my local newspaper that I was introduced to the Alphasmart 3000 and now I find I want one of my own.

For text, there is simply no easier way to travel than with an Alphasmart 3000. It is so...

Pros: Portable, durable, useful
Cons: Mysterious data loss appears possible

I got an AlphaSmart 3000 for my husband, the not terribly computer literate writer, who rides a lot of mass transit. It is everything he wants except that the keyboard has no backlight in low light situations and once, during a train ride, an entire long...

Pros: So easy to use, lightweight, inexpensive, COOL, and all-around fun.
Cons: Infra-red transference beam doesn't work with some older computer systems

When these desk calculator-sized word processors were given away at the Writer's Roundtable Conference a few years back as doorprizes, many of the participants had never heard of them. By the following year, they were the most eagerly anticipated and...

Pros: Lightweight, Easy to use, rugged, inexpensive, good warranty
Cons: Doesn't work as well with a slower windows PC

As a radio journalist, over the years I've used a lot of so called "portable" computers which were geared toward word processing, but was always disappointed that the machines just were either too heavy, cumbersome and always a pain to...