The dana was released at a retail cost of well over $500 adjusted for inflation. The dana was the first of the AlphaSmart machines to use the Palm OS, and also the last. Screenshot of normal sized Palm App Diddlebug running on dana The dana included a touch screen, a backlight, proper file management, compatibility with loads of Palm applications, a larger screen, improved font rendering, and a plethora of ports including two SD card slots. Then in 2002, the dana adapted Palm OS 4 to facilitate a much more capable machine. Five years later, the AlphaSmart 3000 introduced USB support.
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The 1995 AlphaSmart Pro could connect to both PC and Mac computers. Future models introduced a handful of new features. All future products kept this form factor: a reduced keyboard with an LCD screen, output ports, and a battery compartment. Kothari and Barrus incorporated these few tweaks into their original AlphaSmart device. The teachers liked it, but told the engineers they needed something with fewer keys, standard batteries, and a smaller form factor.
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The prototype was simply a full keyboard with an LCD display and the ability to store writing. They floated their ideas in an education discussion board on FidoNet, and met up with a group of enthusiastic teachers to get feedback on a prototype device. Kothari said that their goal was to allow the users to “focus on the words”. Former Apple engineers Ketan Kothari and Joe Barrus created AlphaSmart in the early 90s to create word-processing computers. The dana is the pinnacle of AlphaSmart’s writer-focused devices.
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If we consider the dana as a device for producing drafts, even its flaws are transformed into strengths. Those lower costs became irrelevant as laptop prices dropped, but the hyperfocus on composition itself has become more relevant in an era of distraction. AlphaSmart achieved these lower costs by hyperfocusing on composition. AlphaSmart was founded by ex-Apple employees who designed simplified computers for classrooms that couldn’t afford high end computers. used that codebase to create a device that focused on expression rather than organization. In contrast, Palm OS founder Jeff Hawkins distilled the average PDA user’s needs down to, “All I really care about is calendars and address book and trying to coordinate with my secretary.” Palm designed their operating system to organize a social schedule, but AlphaSmart Inc. For example, I drafted college essays on a dana, but never used the calendar or address book until I began writing this article. The dana does run Palm OS 4.0, but it has almost reversed priorities from a normal PDA. The AlphaSmart dana is technically a Palm OS PDA, in the same way that Hannibal Lecter is technically a famous chef.