Is now the time to get one of these babe magnets?
What do you get when you cross a camera with a computer?
A computer.
Back in the old days you could operate any camera built before 1990. The paradigm of subject, lens, and image relationships governed by F-stop, shutter speed, and film type were an easily understood and universal user interface. During the early years of digital cameras this user-interface model became fragmented as silicon imaging systems required different control signals to function. Camera makers eventually returned to the simpler approach of the mechanical era and added audible “shutter” sounds and simpler menus.
Often my wife pulls out her “smart phone” and hands it to me to get an image. Usually the thing goes nuts when I touch it, as the glass interface responds to my sweaty fingers by flipping and spinning the image view, shutting on and off, or dropping into some confused sub-menu until she corrects it for me. I spend a large part of my time working with specialized camera and video systems. The last thing I want to do in my off time is become acquainted with some appliance’s idiot user interface as I often have to decipher some computeroid nonsense on the job.
On a positive note though, digital imaging is a boon from the production side of photography, having unshackled us from the darkroom and the exorbitant film, paper, and development costs.
This ubiquitous soft-menu user interface on all our products is now a major selling point, as seen in car commercials that extol the virtue of the console display with “MP3” and internet connectivity. Recently I visited back east and “upgraded” my rental car to a Lincoln SX, which was enjoyable enough but one wonders the cost of replacing the specialized computer display or sensors when the car starts getting old.
So I spend much of my day on a computer running CAD, scientific, and physics codes, along with text editors and of course, the open pipeline to the information sewer. The internet provides me an exact template to match my inner angst, always ready to serve up exactly the swill I need and cleverly able to pull me back in if I stay away or have thoughts of more worthwhile activities like enjoying the sunset or going for a walk. As I work at home most of the time it is a real challenge to stay focused. (Often, instead of getting up and interacting with the physical world, I post assinine comments on various websites to satisfy some small-minded urge to draw attention to myself. As proof that the internet creates a self-emergent false identity, after some work at trolling I had developed a following; a virtual population of imaginary friends. This has lead to an even more confused and fragmented reality than any of my previous incarnations.)
Many times in my work I need to write a lot, such as when developing technical proposals to keep the work pipeline filled. Of course I use MS Word, and every time I put together a proposal I swear it will be the last time I use Word as the final editing tool. I am not going to knock Word, it has its strengths, but free-flow narrative development is not one of them (for me anyway). There are some tools like WriteRoom that attempt to provide distraction-free writing. But the PC or laptop we all use to host word processors exacerbates the problem through the distractions of it’s bootup/shutdown cycle, the operating system and the internet. Generally it’s a clutter that slowly drives you mad. It never fails that when I am writing a proposal I end up wasting a lot of energy fighting Word and the PC. Mind you, those tools are great for producing publication-quality work, but content is King, and the ability to generate compelling wordplay trumps slick formatting. Combining these disparate qualities however can make for an irresisteable proposal. Or so it seems until it inevitably gets rejected.
The AlphaSmart NEO
This may seem like an unusual subject for the Spearhead. Reason I am doing this is because I use one of these a lot and would hate to see it go out of production. My fears were heightened when they recently dropped the price to $120, which may be due to getting battered by the various tablet/keyboard products emerging. If you are trying to improve your writing output this machine would be worth far more to you than the current price.
In a nutshell this device is just a good, solid keyboard with display and memory. There is no operating system and no internet connectivity. You turn it on, and 3 seconds later you are in your document. Turn it off, put it away, then repeat on your next writing opportunity or inspiration. It performs one function extremely well : writing production. To transfer your work to the PC just plug in the USB cable, hit the “Send” key and it pumps your words into whatever app you are running, such as your favorite text editor or even your blog site. It also has a file manager applet for quick transfer, as well as an IR interface for wireless connection to the PC.
This thing will run over 700 hours on 3 AA batteries. That is a solid month of operation, or about a year of normal use! You could take this thing overseas and write a novel without ever needing to charge it or replace batteries. It is lightweight and stashes easily, yet stout enough to make you feel like Hank Chernaski hunched over a classic Royal typewriter.
The display is minimal but very readable in direct sunlight. I tend not to look at the display much when I write anyway, though the keyboard has some rudimentary word processing function so you can navigate your text. The minimal display conserves battery power, which is also why it doesn’t have any external memory ports for a flash drive. The NEO has a cousin called the “Dana” which has a larger display and can take a SD card for backups, but requires a little more battery power to operate. I picked up a Dana off ebay for less than $60 (4 years ago) and eventually ordered a new Neo for about $250.
A couple other uses I have made for the Neo. I use it during important meetings at Encorpera to capture the discussion instead of scibbling on a notepad, and the thing is so much more masculine than a laptop or some fruity display device. Another use is to take it on travel with my laptop and a nice solid trackball similiar to my office arrangement, as it functions like an ordinary keyboard. Can fit it in my rolling computer-luggage easily. Other folks have used it as a keyboard for their iPad or “smartphones”.
If you are going “trekking” in any fashion and want to record your experiences or do attempt serious writing during your travels, you cannot beat the Neo. (While you are at it leave the camera at home so you can experience your travels instead of trying to get an awesome shot of every damn thing you see. But that’s the subject for another essay.)
I probably have not impressed on you how much this device can improve your writing, while allowing you to do it from anywhere for any length of time. The simplicity of not waiting for the machine to boot up, or charging batteries, or getting distracted by the operating system or internet, and simply being able to start writing instantaneously is very gratifying and helps you focus on …writing.
Neo owners like to take photos of their keyboard in exotic locales though, and to help convince you to get online right now and order one, I found some great Neo shots From Around the Web that provide a glimpse of the essential Neo experience.
This being The Spearhead, I will have to start with this great shot by Kees van Leijenhorst. Notice the classic photo-composition with the main subjects arranged in an eye-pleasing pyramid; the gentleman higher in the frame exuding wisdom to the adoring young lady, and the natural visual flow to the stylish Neo olive-green case. A very compelling image. You can understand now the true meaning of the name AlphaSmart, because women are drawn to a Neo man like a magnet. You are likely to get approached by hot women at the coffeeshop who will show a keen interest in your rugged paleo word machine.
“Thank God, there’s an American AlphaSmart Neo in the house, with all the characters in place. It easily connects to the Mac via a USB cable. This did the trick, and surely made her day… ”
Now judge for yourself : which of these guys screams “beta” and which one has that “alpha” smirk?
Kees has some other excellent shots :
“An AlphaSmart Neo and an ash tray –what else does a man need?”
“As astute observers will notice, focus is on the almost finished glass of Campari. That’s wrong, obviously, but I’m afraid I was preoccupied with Campari shortage –my Neo still had 60%…”
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Our next Neo aficiando, Wade Shepard, may be of interest to Spearhead readers as he is traveling the world and writing about it using his Neo :
“This is a photo of my writing on an Alphasmart Neo while in camp in Hvalfjordur, Iceland. Work doesn’t get much better than this.”
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Next up is Doug Nienhuis, who took his Neo on a bike tour of the Philppines.
“Neo on the table in Taytay, Palawan, Philippines”
“AlphaSmart Neo in Sabang, Palwan, Philippines”
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A guy calling himself “Oldwoodchuck” poses with his Dana :
“The Old Woodchuck was on Star Island for a week recently, and one of the things that you do there is to paint/sketch/photograph the lighthouse on neighboring White Island.”
“Tintagel Castle, and the Woodchuck is waiting for the fret, or sea mist, to burn off and is making some notes. A comfortable place, but if I lean back a bit, it will be Le Morte d’Marmot that we’ll be reading, not Le Morte d’Arthur.”
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Frederic Durbin has a nice spread showing his day in Frick Park with his Neo :
“I stayed in the park for about five hours on Monday and turned out 1,846 words. That’s not spectacular; I was writing a slower section that’s moving into the next point of tension. But it’s spectacular for a day when I thought I’d be working the paper line at my job”
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Brian Byrne has taken his Neo to a few remote places :
“Well, I have used my Alphasmart in some interesting places, 5,000 metres up in the Andes, on top of a glacier in Iceland, over the Great Barrier Reef, the Coliseum in Rome as just a few. This latest was at a unique event, the final inshore race of the 2011/2012 Volvo Ocean Race, out on a small boat in the middle of the whole thing on Galway Bay.”
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Here’s a nice shot from somewhere in the Philippines, but the guy’s web link is broken :
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One last link to Brian Hollar’s Neo review, which has some good links of its own, and finally, a link to AlphaSmart’s Neo site itself. Tell ‘em Elmer sent you.
