Apple ALMOST made this portable word processor!

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The AlphaSmart text editing device was originally designed by Apple engineers. When they couldn't get their employer to build it, they decided to do so themselves -- and ended up being a rather clever, long-lived device.
Sources:
Computer lab photo: www.columbia.edu/cu/computingh...
Ketan Kothari photo: www.usfca.edu/faculty/ketan-k...
Joe Barrus photo: www.flickr.com/photos/richard...
Apple Infinte Loop campus photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
AlphaSmart Pro owner's manual: archive.org/details/AlphaSmar...
"AlphaSmart: A History of One of Ed-Tech's Favorite (Drop-Kickable) Writing Tools": hackeducation.com/2015/07/25/a...
PC computer lab photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
"AlphaSmart Pro 2.1," Macworld, March 1997.
"Smart Keyboard for the Classroom," Computerworld, July 6, 1998.
AlphaSmart 2000 photo: www.journaldulapin.com/2018/0...
3rd-party SmartApplets: www.spectronics.com.au/catalo...
"Lightweight Note-Taker," PC World, March 2003.
AlphaSmart Neo photo and ad: hackaday.com/2020/11/05/alpha...
"AlphaSmart files $58 million IPO," MarketWatch: www.marketwatch.com/story/alp...
Renaissance Learning acquires AlphaSmart press release: www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/da...
AlphaSmart Neo 2 photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Laptop charging cart photo: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
AlphaSmart Neo discontinued: web.archive.org/web/201311140...
AlphaSmart 3000 with modded keyboard photo: / finished_my_3000_mecha...
LazyDog's AlphaSmart keyboard mod kit (no longer being sold): tilde.club/%7Ejy4m/alphasmart/... and geekhack.org/index.php?topic=...
Freewrite devices: getfreewrite.com
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21 сен 2023

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Комментарии : 404

@manishkothari3426

As one of the co-founders, and on behalf of all of us involved at AlphaSmart - thanks for a great overview. We are grateful for all those who helped make it a wonderful adventure, and for the heart-warming comments of appreciation (after all these years). Manish Kothari

@Retrotude

These were a godsend for me in elementary and middle school. I used the 3000 model and as someone on the autism spectrum who had trouble with handwriting it allowed me to work on essays and assignments in class at a rate closer to my classmates. By the time I reached high school my district had switched to netbooks but these things have always held a special place in my heart.

@Mac84

Great video! We had AlphaSmart systems in middle school and I was blown away how the text would transfer to a computer. Years later I ended up getting a few of the later units, they are quite fun to play around with, especially the USB model. A friend of mine used to use the Dana model as a huge universal remote!

@ThePCPitStopInc

As a autisitc person who had terrible handwriting I used a Alphasmart when I was in school as apart of my I.E.P requirements and I loved it. If I had a chance to get a hold of these devices in bulk I would still donate them to kids with autism they were a great tool in the early 2000's and was one of the many reasons I started donating old devices to kids with autism and other disabilties as a charity called Computers For The Autisitc Foundation. Thank you for showing the amazing history of this device brings back so many memories of plugging one of these into my teachers computers and sending what I wrote on the device to Microsoft Word. having one of these even helped me pass the M.C.A.S tests when I was younger. I wish these were still being used in public schools over using Chromebooks. Amazing and Simple device.

@IDONOTKNOWANYMORELMFAOO

apple engineers were cooking up bangers back then omg

@orionmk3

I have one of these, a Neo 2! Amazing for distraction-free writing, and lasts FOREVER on a few AAs, plus it still talks to my M2 Mac via USB.

@marsandbars

I really like all the small details here, especially how the text you were showing in B-roll was the actual script of the episode. I absolutely love the concept of the AlphaSmart, and ran across a few some time ago. I ended up ditching the 3000 because I felt the screen was too cramped, and I want to pick up a Dana at some point to see if the bigger screen makes basic editing a bit more palatable.

@zachswy

My elementary and middle school had a bunch of these that they would check out to kids who didn't have computers and needed to write papers at home. They were pretty neat! I was just telling my wife about how cool they were the other day, so funny that this is what you covered this week! We had the second version with PC compatibility.

@camerongray1515

These were pretty commonly used in my high school in the UK between 2006-2011ish. They were used by students who struggled with handwriting so they could use it as a word processor in classes. There was then a room with a few PCs available with the appropriate PS/2 and USB cables (if I remember correctly there was a mix of older and newer AlphaSmarts) where students would plug the AlphaSmart in, have it "type" the document into MS Word where they'd then print it off. Come 2011 the AlphaSmarts began to be replaced with full size laptops but they definitely looked like pretty interesting devices - significantly more distraction free and a hell of a lot more durable when being carried around by students all day!

@rhenerlau

I used to have an AlphaSmart 2000 when I was younger. It was a great machine for its time.

@toast99bubbles

One school I attended gave me an Alphasmart NEO on loan to help me with school work in 2008. I loved it. I even had programs set up on there that would log me in on the school computers by plugging it in and getting it to transfer data. I miss those days.

@Markimark151

I had the Alphasmart in middle school, we used them in English class for typing essays, because we didn’t need to go to the computer lab for typing essays! Our teacher had the cart for 20 Alphasmart keyboards and we synched our documents to a Macintosh computer or even an HP Deskwriter printer! That brings back memories of my old classroom.

@Uploadingvirus

My younger brother's class got to use these in elementary school, I was in junior high by them and missed out. I'd have probably liked them for taking notes as I was the kind of nerdy kid who actually knew how to type.

@unexpecteditem7919

Just FYI: Alpha is the codename that Apple gives when using third-party suppliers, and also attaches to prototype products before release. It's like their "Contoso" for Microsoft.

@ukmk3supra

I love the design aesthetic of the original 2 models, they just look like Apple peripherals, fitting perfectly into the platinum design language.

@yarbsemaj

I remember using a 3000 in the early 2010s to sit my exams in a British high school, there lack of internet connectivity made them perfect for this purpose

@Love2Banime

Oh man, this brings me back. I remember the one back in year 2000, these were fun in elementary school!

@michaelturner4457

Here in the UK it was only the rich schools that had Apple computers, most others had Nimbus machines, that were much less expensive.

@FredWallace18

I collect old computer stuff i find nostalgic, and bought an AlphaSmart 3000 a few year ago on eBay. I remember using them in middle school and entering repeating patterns of text to scroll through just for fun.