AlphaSmart Dana Palm OS Laptop Available Now [Palminfocenter]

AlphaSmart has unveiled Dana, a portable device larger than a handheld and less expensive than a laptop, intended for students. Powered by Palm OS 4.1, Dana includes a full-size, integrated keyboard and a 560 by 160 pixel touch screen that is roughly 7.5 by 2.25 inches. It has 8 MB of memory and two SD/MMC slots. It costs $399 and is available now from the .

(To find this on the Palm Store, you must enter 1209839 into the search for Products box on the left hand menu. I could not find a direct link.)

The backlit, monochrome screen is 3.5 times wider than what's on the typical Palm OS handheld. The screen image can be rotated horizontally and vertically, 90 degrees so it is both a 160 by 560 and 560 by 160 pixel screen. HandEra helped AlphaSmart develop this larger screen.

It comes with a rechargeable battery and an AC adapter. It can also run off three AA batteries. AlphaSmart rates the battery at 30 hours, off of a single charge.

Dana weighs two pounds. It is 12.4 inches wide, 9.3 inches deep and 1.9 inches thick. It is made of strong ABS polycarbonate plastic and has been designed to survive being mistreated. It has an infrared port and two USB ones and can be HotSynced like any other Palm OS model.

9:47:24 AM