💾 Archived View for stack.tilde.cafe › gemlog › 2021-11-14.alphasmart.neo.gmi captured on 2023-09-08 at 16:23:17. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Many of us here are seeking a distraction-free writing environment. It is a bit of a fad, as evidenced by expensive recent projects and headlines. For some of us with a non-neurotypical bent, distraction-free work environments are a practical necessity.
As a minimalist and anti-consumer, instead of chasing the latest/greatest device, I always try to find something that already exists. And sure enough, Ebay is full of older devices that are perfect for the job.
For the same price as a crappy keyboard (and it actually works as a keyboard), you can get an
Neo, introduced in 2004 and replaced in 2007 by almost-identical Neo2, was a perfect device. Powered by a 33MHz DragonBall processor and equipped with extreme power-saving measures (sleeping between keystrokes), Neo manages to last for months of moderate use before running out of batteries.
Neo is delightfully minimal. Just type. Dedicated keys let you switch between 8 files. You can edit on the tiny screen, or just type and edit later on a computer.
The amazing part: it connects to any computer with no software! Neo's USB port connects to any USB-compatible computer, and Neo acts as a keyboard. Any of its files can be dumped into any software opened on your computer, as if typed on a keyboard. That's all there is to it.
I cannot praise it enough. I can't think of a way to improve it (not much, anyway - maybe nicer key switches...). It just works, and requires nothing extra. It's beautiful in its simplicity. I am sorry Renaisance got out of the hardware business.