I love my Alphasmart Neo!

You can plan on paying $169 if you buy your Alphasmart Neo new. If you go to eBay you can find one for a lot less!

They have a reputation for durability. I'm sure if you ran one over with a car it would crack, but it would probably live through an accidental dropping. It has a hard plastic case.

I've had my Alphasmart Neo for about three years now and the battery indicator shows there's plenty of juice left. This is possible because there's no back-lighting on the screen.

It uses 3 AA batteries... nothing exotic. The site says they last up to 700 hours. And since Neo will turn itself off when unused, it won't accidentally eat up batteries.

About the photo: I was sitting next to a little waterfall with my feet in the water, writing a blog post!

One of the best things about the Alphasmart Neo is its portability. That day I stuck it in my backpack, then hiked down a steep and rocky trail to get to the South Fork of Indian Creek, to this little waterfall that I love to sit under because it is like a jacuzzi. After taking a dip, I sat on the rock and wrote some direct observations, which are always so much better and more descriptive when I'm in the moment!