Mobile Computing: Ideal Notebook Alternative

Feature: AlphaSmart's Ultra Handy Notebook Alternative

For years, I've been on a Quixote-like quest to find the ideal notebook alternative.

The device I have in mind is extremely lightweight; offers long battery life; and features a comfortable, full-size keyboard. The screen is large enough to see at least two paragraphs at a time and bright enough for viewing indoors or out.

My portable computing fantasy device would also swap word processing and spreadsheet files easily with my main computer, give me access to e-mail (with attachments), and offer at least some Web browsing. With this ideal portable, I could leave my heavy notebook at home on some trips, easily jot notes in off-site meetings, and most importantly, take my work with me to the beach. And the computer would be inexpensive.

I've tried half a dozen or more notebook alternatives over the years (for example, a Pocket PC equipped with a modem and a full-size keyboard). But until now I'd never found one that met all my requirements. AlphaSmart, a small Los Gatos, California-based hardware maker, last fall released the Dana, a $400 device that's aimed at students but warrants serious consideration by mobile professionals, too.

The Dana is a Palm OS-based computing device that combines a full-size portable keyboard with a black-and-white touch-screen LCD. Read on for a quick overview of its specs and benefits.

Size Matters

The Dana weighs only 2 pounds and measures 12.4 inches wide by 9.3 inches deep by 1.9 inches high. With this form factor, you can easily carry it in a briefcase or backpack.

Measuring 7.5 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall, the Dana's display can show approximately 11 lines of text at 12-point type. While it's nowhere near the size of the typical notebook screen, the Dana's LCD is significantly roomier than the average PDA display. For instance, my Palm M515's screen measures 2.25 inches wide and 2.25 inches tall.

The screen is slanted at an upward angle for easy viewing. But because of the Dana's all-in-one design, you can't adjust the screen's position, as you can a notebook, without affecting the keyboard's angle. Fortunately, I didn't find this to be a problem.

The screen is easily readable in the office or outdoors. In dim lighting conditions, you can turn backlighting on, but that causes the battery to drain faster.

The majority of Palm OS-based applications are designed to run on screens that are significantly smaller than the Dana's. The result: Most applications appear in a small, centered window on the Dana LCD. A few have been optimized to take advantage of the Dana's larger screen. They include the core Palm programs, such as Address Book and Calendar; Quickoffice, which includes Word and Excel-compatible programs for the Palm OS; and AlphaWord, the word processor that ships standard with the Dana. More on these applications in a minute.

Comfortable Typing

At just under 11 inches wide, the Dana's typing area is slightly smaller than that of the average notebook keyboard (which is often 11.25 inches wide). But I found typing on the Dana to be comfortable and relatively quiet.

Long Battery Life

The Dana includes a rechargeable battery that provides up to 25 hours of use, according to AlphaSmart. I didn't test the company's claim, though PCWorld.com's Michael Lasky, in his recent review of the Dana, got more than 20 hours from one charge. Wisely, AlphaSmart gave users the option to power the Dana with three AAA batteries, too. And the Dana automatically recharges its battery when it's connected to your main computer via a USB cable.

Getting Connected

As I mentioned earlier, the Dana connects to Windows or Macintosh computers via a USB cable. Like any other Palm OS device, your contacts, address book entries, word processing, and spreadsheet files and other data can be synchronized with your PC. The process is easy and fast, and I experienced no problems synchronizing both my Palm M515 and the Dana with my notebook computer--though I didn't sync them at the same time.

The Dana that's sold to consumers (as opposed to students and educators) is often called the "ProPack" or "Productivity Pack" version, depending on who's selling it. The Dana with ProPack ($400) is available from online retailers, including the Palm Store.

The Dana "pro" version includes Aileron, an e-mail client from Corsoft. With Aileron and a modem for Palm devices, you can use the Dana to check e-mail. With Aileron and the included Quickoffice, you can send, receive, open, and edit Word and Excel attachments, too. The attachments are converted between formats that Palm OS and Windows computers can read on a secure server. The Aileron service is available to Dana users free of charge for one year. After that, monthly rates apply; the current service fee for individuals is $30 per month.

For my review of Aileron and its competitor, DataViz Inbox To Go, read "Mobile Computing: Wireless E-Mail Attachments on a Palm."

I tested Aileron on the Dana by connecting with the Pegasus III ($100), a dial-up modem that communicates with the Palm OS device via an infrared port. Small and lightweight, the Pegasus worked well with the Dana; sending and receiving e-mail with attachments was painless and relatively fast.

I also surfed the Web briefly on Dana using Blazer, Handspring's Web browser designed for Palm OS handhelds. Blazer isn't optimized for the Dana's large screen, however, and so Web pages were tiny and slow to materialize. I wouldn't recommend surfing the Web on a Dana (or any Palm OS device, for that matter) unless you use Web Clipping applications--small utilities that efficiently deliver Web content optimized to run on small Palm screens. You can download Web Clipping applications from Amazon.com, EBay, and other sites, at Palm Wireless Solutions.

It's worth noting that you can use any Palm OS e-mail application on the Dana, though only Aileron currently takes advantage of the device's larger screen size and also provides e-mail attachment support via Quickoffice.

Aside from the Pegasus III, you can also get online with USB landline modems or USB-based wireless adapters for Palm OS devices, says Glenn Weyhausen, senior director of marketing for AlphaSmart. For example, Dana users can connect to a wireless network via the D-Link Air 2.4GHz Wireless USB Adapter ($59).

A version of the Dana that includes built-in support for 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless networking is scheduled to appear in mid 2003, Weyhausen adds. The 802.11b-enabled Dana will also include a Web browser designed to take advantage of the device's larger screen. Specific details such as pricing aren't yet available.

Expansion Options

The Dana ships with 8MB of memory, which is half of what most current Palm OS devices (particularly color models) offer. But in my tests, I found 8MB to be sufficient.

You can add more storage via the Dana's two Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard slots. Along with extra memory, you can add Bluetooth connectivity and third-party applications (such as Zagat restaurant guides) that are stored on flash memory cards.

I Say Go for It

The Dana isn't going to meet every mobile professional's needs all the time. It slows to a painful crawl when asked to open, save, or send large spreadsheet and word processing files, for instance. But for handling relatively uncomplicated word processing, spreadsheet, and e-mail chores when you're away from the office, no other product I'm aware of comes close.