Techno-News Blog Ray Schroeder, editor, OTEL - University of Illinois at Springfield |
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Thursday, December 26, 2002
A Smart Keyboard for Typing on the Go - DAVID POGUE, NY Times
Laptops are funny. Most things in life cost more the bigger they are, like soda bottles, diamonds and vacations. But laptops generally cost more the smaller and more stripped down they are. For example, a Dell SmartStep 200N (8 pounds, DVD drive) costs $1,250, but the sleek Latitude X200(2.8 pounds, no DVD) starts at $1,700. Call it the coolness tax. But a new laptop, the AlphaSmart Dana, emphatically breaks that tradition: it weighs only two pounds but costs only $400. As if that were not a sweet enough deal, this laptop also runs for 25 hours per battery charge, turns on and off instantly, has a touch screen for super-direct editing, and takes a four-foot drop to concrete without a whimper. The Dana does, however, lack a few of the bells and whistles of a traditional laptop, things like a full-size color screen, a trackpad and - oh, yes - a hard drive.
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