Home Catalogue Computer Access Options Portable Notetakers NEO Family

The simple, portable, low-cost laptop and perfect writing tool for schools - offering enhancements over the original AlphaSmart 3000

Supplied with UK Dictionary/Thesaurus to suit the needs of Australian and New Zealand students and writers.

NEO is the easy-to-use, lightweight and rugged, affordable learning device with built-in LCD screen and a full-size keyboard. Its extraordinary battery life, combined with a 50% larger screen and twice as much memory as the AlphaSmart 3000, makes the NEO the ideal solution for maximising classroom computer resources.

Introduce NEO to your classroom and increase the learning potential. Whether you need more computers for your students or a rugged alternative to a laptop, NEO provides the smartest solution to meet your needs. This computer companion is the affordable choice for providing computer technology access to your entire classroom.

Click here for samples of NEO’s display.

Classroom friendly

NEO is designed with students in mind. Students can take this lightweight and rugged learning tool anywhere – the classroom, home or even on field trips – to write stories, take notes, brainstorm, journal and more. With 700 hours or more of operation on 3 x AA alkaline batteries, NEO can go anywhere and run up to a full school year.

• An easy-to-read display – 50% larger than the AlphaSmart 3000, and support for displaying from two to six lines of text onscreen in AlphaWord Plus
• Instant on/off and autosave to eliminate start-up delays and accidental data loss. This ensures students spend more time writing and less time distracted by the complexities of a computer.
• AlphaWord Plus, an enhanced word processor that includes spell check, thesaurus, word and page count tools, Spanish-English word lookup, and more
• Calculator with 5 functions and virtual “paper tape”

• Easy transfer of text to any Macintosh or Windows computer with a single keystroke via built-in USB port
• Built-in IrDA port for sending text or printing to IR-enabled devices
• Save – and keep secure – up to eight students’ work on one NEO

• Superior battery life – more than 700 hours of use from three standard AA alkaline batteries, for extra cost savings and convenience. Rechargeable model runs for over 200 hours on a charge.
• Extensible SmartApplet architecture that allows you to add SmartApplets to easily increase NEO’s functionality in the classroom
• Easy management – integrates seamlessly into the classroom without requiring IT support. Teachers can control student access to programs and selected functions. They are also able to easily transfer an entire class of student assignments to any Macintosh or Windows computer and review it at their convenience.

• No distraction – NEO includes versatile learning software for developing writing, keyboarding, and quizzing skills. Unlike traditional laptops, NEO purposely does not include Internet capabilities. Students stay on task without Internet distractions such as web surfing, online games, or instant messaging.

For struggling students with special needs

• Adaptive key behaviour:
  
  • Sticky keys – allows typing combination keystrokes without pressing the keys simultaneously
    
  • Slow keys – for users with unsteady hands or difficulty in key targeting
    
  • Key repeat control – turn auto-repeat on or off
  
  
• Flexible keyboard layout, including right or left hand only
  
• Variable font sizes – large font makes text easier to read for users with low vision

Built to be kid-handled

NEO weighs less than 1 kg and fits easily into a student’s backpack. NEO is virtually indestructible. There’s no internal moving parts or flip screens or mechanical disk drives, so it stands up to everyday wear and tear, even if accidentally dropped. NEO won’t break!

More than just mobile

NEO’s enhanced display and new font technology allow you to display up to twice as much text as the AlphaSmart 3000. NEO enables students to see more of their work onscreen without scrolling. You can configure AlphaWord Plus, NEO’s built-in word processor, to display from two to six lines of text. Use a larger font for younger students, or add more lines of text per screen for enhancing the writing and editing process for more advanced writers.

Students can save hundreds of pages of text while still having extra room for SmartApplets – software programs for extending NEO’s versatility in the classroom. To fine-tune writing skills, students can use AlphaWord Plus to spellcheck, reference the thesaurus, perform word or paragraph counts or lookup Spanish-English word translations.

Affordable and expandable

NEO offers a remarkably low total cost of ownership compared with other computer technology. You can provide one-to-one computing solutions to an entire classroom at a fraction of the cost of laptops.

Its low-power requirements means it will run over 700 hours on a single set of three alkaline batteries, providing additional savings.

SmartApplet architecture

AlphaSmart’s SmartApplet architecture lets you customise the capabilities of NEO and the AlphaSmart 3000 to fit specific classroom or curriculum needs. Combined with the power of the new NEO Manager (included), SmartApplet architecture allows you to install new programs, control student access to them, and turn selected features on or off. This combination of flexibility and control makes it possible to put the right solution in students’ hands.

The NEO includes these built-in SmartApplets:

• AlphaWord Plus SmartApplet – this feature-rich word processor helps students write, edit and store hundreds of pages of text, and retrieve them again just as easily
  
• AlphaQuiz SmartApplet – an integrated classroom quiz solution to help teachers quickly assess student performance. Includes quiz design, delivery, automated grading, reporting, and analysis.
  
• KeyWords SmartApplet – keyboarding and typing tutor provides language-based lessons, including key instruction, accuracy builders and speed builders
  
• Beamer SmartApplet – allows NEO users to exchange text files with each other, with Dana Wireless devices and with other Palm OS devices
  
• Write-On – onboard writing tutor includes over 384 writing lessons to help students break through the “blank-page syndrome” that often intimidates students at the beginning of a project.

Word processing with NEO

Installed on every NEO is the AlphaWord Plus SmartApplet, providing an expanded range of word processing features for the NEO. AlphaWord Plus is as simple to use as AlphaWord on the AlphaSmart 3000 – just turn it on and write – and adds the features most requested by students and educators. AlphaWord Plus provides:

• Choice of display font sizes
• Eight active file spaces for one-key file access
• Named files (in addition to eight files) for convenient file management
• Spell check and thesaurus
• User dictionary for adding additional words and terms
• Linked files for rubrics, homework instructions or reference materials
• Find/replace and word count
• installable Spanish-English word lookup
• Built-in help system for quick access to commands

See a Virtual Tour of the NEO/NEO 2. If the flash video files do not work, you may need to download and install the free Flash player.

Click here to see how NEO Manager (formerly AlphaSmart Manager) helps with classroom management

The NEO is available in two models:

• NEO standard – supplied with 3 AA batteries
  
• NEO Rechargeable – supplied with NiMH rechargeable battery pack and AC adapter. This model can also be operated on AA alkaline batteries.

“Students are oohing and aahing over the NEOs! Kids’ willingness to write has tripled simply because of the introduction of the NEO.” Joan Peebles, Coordinator, Technology and Learning, Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

“Through dust, heat, mud, wind, and all kinds of environmental conditions – where I wouldn’t have even dared to take even a tough iBook out of its case… NEO proved itself as an indispensable and very practical writer’s companion.” Brian Byrne, Noted Irish travel writer and journalist

“It’s the perfect notepad: lightweight, comfortable, and tough… And it’s so portable that I enjoy using it in cafes, on park benches, even on trains and buses.” Jeff Greenwald, author of the award-winning books Shopping for Buddhas and The Size of the World

Requirements and ResourcesexpandClick to collapse

Prices

	Code	Media	Platform	$AUD Price	$AUD GST
	NEO Rechargeable "All-You-Need" Kit	Includes one NEO Rechargeable, a USB Cable, a USB Infrared Pod and a Carry Case
	ASSPEC-96			$439.00	$43.90
	NEO "All-You-Need" Kit	Includes one NEO, a USB Cable, a USB Infrared Pod and a Carry Case
	ASSPEC-92			$389.00	$38.90
	NEO Rechargeable - UK Dictionary Version with Universal Power Adapter Kit	Available in Australia and New Zealand now! Supplied with UK Dictionary/Thesaurus. Includes rechargeable battery pack and Universal AC adapter Kit. Includes USB cable.
	ASSPEC-NE40-RC-AU			$349.00	$34.90
	NEO - UK Dictionary Version	Available in Australia and New Zealand now! Supplied with UK Dictionary/Thesaurus. Includes USB cable.
	ASSPEC-NE40-AU			$299.00	$29.90