Entered CNET Catalog: 05/22/2003
SKU: DANA50-PRO
Manufacturer: AlphaSmart Inc.
Manufacturer description
Dana by AlphaSmart is a true alternative to the laptop. It combines the affordability of a handheld with the ergonomic benefits of a notebook computer. Dana features Palm OS, the world-standard handheld operating system, giving you access to more than 10, 000 Palm applications. Included are a full-size keyboard and a screen that's 3.5 times wider than the typical handheld screen. You can type or enter data using the keyboard or by writing with the Dana stylus directly onto the screen. Virtually all Palm applications are compatible with Dana, and many are ready to take advantage of the wide screen. With Dana, you can: print directly to many USB or IrDA-enabled printers; add MultiMediaCard or SD (Secure Digital) cards; and easily exchange files with many popular PC applications like Microsoft Word and Excel.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/20/2003
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 Biggest Palm around: The Dana is not exactly pocket-friendly. |
The 160x560-pixel screen above the keyboard is monochrome and much smaller than a laptop's, but it's backlit and roomy, bigger than any other Palm device's display. It shows the regular Palm OS screen in the middle and a virtual Graffiti area and application buttons to the side. You may change the screen orientation from landscape to the left-handed or the right-handed portrait mode.
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| Writing room: The Dana's full-sized keyboard is as roomy and comfortable as any laptop's. |
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| Backup plan: You can add three AA batteries for an extra day or two of juice. |
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| Sporting ports: The back of the unit has two USB ports and twin Secure Digital slots. |
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| Look, a book: The Dana ships with Palm Reader and a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. |
The Dana ships with all the standard Palm applications, such as Memo Pad, Date Book, and Address, but it also includes a few extras. The center of attention is AlphaWord, a full-featured word processor compatible with Microsoft Word--great for taking notes in class. Thanks to the wide screen and the keyboard, typing up documents on the Dana is easier than any thumb work could ever be. There's also Bachmann PrintBoy, which lets you print directly to a printer via either an IR or a USB connection.
The software CD also contains Palm Reader and a complimentary copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And because the Dana has Palm OS 4.1, thousands of applications and games are available for the device. Teachers and parents can use the programs on the Administrator CD to monitor or limit the Dana's functions. The Dana is not meant to be a high-performance machine, and its 33MHz processor is hardly top of the line. For example, running AlphaWord's spelling checker on a 10,000-word document took a poky 9 minutes, 18 seconds--it takes only a split second on a desktop computer. But in other areas, such as display quality and battery performance, the Dana ranged from acceptable to downright impressive.
The Dana's 160x560 resolution is relatively low compared with the 320x320 of high-end Palms, and it can handle only four shades of gray. While it won't win any beauty contests, the Dana is more for viewing text than pictures. Besides, the screen is three and a half times wider than a low-end Palm's 160x160 display.
Battery life is the area in which the Dana really shines. AlphaSmart rates the life of the 1,600mAh rechargeable battery at 25 or more hours between charges. If that's not enough for you, popping three AA batteries in the back hatch will extend the device's life by up to 30 hours. To simulate the worst-case scenario for battery life, we turned on the backlight and ran a video in Kinoma Player. The Dana held out for an impressive 12 hours, 9 minutes before issuing a low-battery warning. The Palm closest to the Dana in this kind of performance is the Tungsten C, which played the same file for 6 hours, 31 minutes.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
8/10
great workhorse
Pros: sturdy, simple to use, a textwriters' gem.
Cons: many palm apps won't work in wide screen mode
User Rating: 
9/10
as a writing machine, there is nothing better
Pros: great keyboard instant-on great battery life - 25 hours
Cons: screen has a bit too much glare
User Rating: 
7/10
Pretty darn good for what it's meant to be used for
Pros: I got the chance to use this device in High School, and now I'm purchasing one for college. They're incredibly durable and versatile. You can take the Dana to all of your classes and take notes for a week without having to recharge or change the batteries
Cons: Okay, so it doesn't have all the games or application capabilities of a regular computer. Well, that's why it's not meant to replace the PC.
User Rating: 8/10
Great product for writers!
Pros: This is a super lightweight alternative (that's been durable too) for people who want to write on the go. Battery life is great and Palm OS applications make it more functional than word processor alternatives.
Cons: Screen could use a color upgrade. A faster processor is always nice as well, though not necessary if you do your editing on a PC or MAC desktop.
User Rating: 
6/10
The only reasonable option for the handicapped
Pros: The Dana gives a portability at a reasonable cost. For my son who has physical disabilities it gives him the ability to enter his school work, spell check it, save it and print it later. He can port information to and from the school that has Macs, and t
Cons: Would be nice if it could run Write Out Loud, Inspiration and other software helpful to the learning disabled. We need a good portable solution tailored to the needs of the handicapped population. This is a good start.
User Rating: 8/10
great product for students and writers
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User Rating: 
3/10
Nice idea that needs work
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User Rating: 
10/10
Great for students
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