Though the Neo has been around for a while, it’s important to note that other, similar and better systems have been around for longer. They have never taken off. They do too little for the price.

I have some perspective on this, as a heavy user of “instant on” technology. The original Alphasmart machines were awfully similar to the Tandy WP-2 (I used to have one), and that was a modificiation of the ultimate simplicity of the Tandy Model 10x series (the 102 was thinner than the 100, and they maxed out at 24k unless you went to extraordinary steps to get memory, and I liked my 102 more than my WP-2). These machines are still available on eBay or online, connect easily via a parallel printer port cable, and rock. You turn them on, you type. There is no font choice. There is nothing other than typing. The Model 100 and 102 even had modems (300 baud, baby!) and were used heavily by certain journalists. Similar results come from a PDA with a Stowaway.

As I said, they never took off. One reason is simple: you can type, but you can’t see what you are typing. Scrolling sucks. If you don’t need to read what you wrote, don’t need a paragraph overview, you’re fine. But if you need to think some, re-read a previous statement, etc., they actually stink. Believe me, I’ve used many of them.

Another reason they’ve never taken off is that you can get a lot more power for not much more money… and with a Mac, you get nearly instant on from sleep, and you can TURN OFF what you don’t need. No internet? Shut off the airport. No other programs? Quit them (or use multiple desktops to allow focus on a single work space). Too powerful a word processor? Use a text editor in full screen mode. These provide the same focus on machinery you already have, while allowing more when it’s needed.

I think the linked article has it wrong when it makes the parallel to the Hipster PDA. Primitive writing is pen and paper. Using a Neo/WP-2/102/PDA-with-Stowaway or any other form of primitive writing tool is simply not equivalent. I still use my Newton for writing, it rocks, it’s the best PDA out there… but I don’t confuse it with pen and paper.