Meet my sidekick: AlphaSmart Dana. I lug it around in a backpack, tote or plastic accordion folder. Light-weight, yet rugged, it’s perfect for use in a car, at the cafe, and even outdoors. Here we are at the local beach, ready to write.

Sloppy first drafts are a breeze on the Dana. As someone with “edititis” (obssesive editing syndrome), the Dana’s short, wide-screen display dissuades me from proofing as I type. I’m never tempted to surf the net because there is no net. But don’t let its simple design fool you. The Dana is a hybrid laptop-PDA offering techie-pleasing input/output options, sophisticated viewing choices and more.

The Palm Pilot OS system runs oodles of applications. I have the option to activate WiFi wireless, a plus for future jet-setting. But my greatest joy is tapping away on the full-fledged keyboard.

I took my Dana on an eastbound red-eye flight with two stop overs and I knocked out work at several airports and planes thanks to the unit’s long-lasting battery charge. I saw laptop owners at PHL airport scrambling for power outlets to juice up their sluggish laptops. I spared the smirk, kept my head down and typed away on my trusty Dana. I didn’t have to recharge the battery until two days later.

Major smilies go out to AlphaSmart for their primo customer service. The first unit I received was defective but the folks at AlphaSmart promptly sent a replacement Dana and covered the cost of returning the bad one.

Not a perfect start for me and my Dana, but what great loves aren’t without a challenge? The new unit functions superbly.

Sometimes it’s just me and my Dana, typing away at places like this:

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 6th, 2008 at 2:00 am and is filed under Cool Stuff, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.