Typing on the Road

Just received my Alphasmart 3000 today in the mail. Cost me $200, well worth it in my opinion. Why not a pen a paper? Let’s list the points:

1. Allows me to work on articles for Eurailblog.com and ServeYourWorld.com everywhere and only visit cyber cafes to upload.
2. I type faster than I write.
3. No need to waste time at cyber cafes converting pen and paper articles to digital formats (typing them up).
4. Integrated Spell Checker
I’m not saying I don’t carry a pen and pad around with me everywhere, but I am definitely more comfortable with a keyboard than a pen.
Why not a laptop? Two main reasons. First, my overwhelming fear of my laptop breaking while in my backpack while I spirit to catch the next last overnight train. Second, the simple fact that a laptop is a perfect item to steal and a very expensive item to lose.
The alphasmart is a very decent ($200) and is virtually indestructible. I’m not saying it won’t be a major pain in the arse if it gets stolen, but losing $200 is better than losing $1400.
The Alphasmart takes a bit of time to get used to. Although it looks like a laptop, it acts like a calculator. It’s a keyboard with memory and that’s it. I played around with some third party programs (called applets) but even the simplest ones slowed the alphasmart down to a crawl.
I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on how it turns out.