Free Folio with Neo Purchase

The folks at NeoDirect, home of AlphaSmart keyboards Neo and Dara, are currently offering (while supplies last) a free folio case with the purchase of a Neo2. I discovered this when I went to the site to buy one as a gift and thought since it was free I'd go for it. The keyboard and folio arrived this morning:



Knowing how freebies are I was half-expecting some cheap, flimsy case, but the folio is actually quite nice -- it's like a zippered heavy-duty briefcase with lots of pockets and places for papers and other writer junk as well as the keyboard:



The top part has a deep pocket where initially I thought you were supposed to put the keyboard:



That's actually a storage pocket. They include an adhesive strip of Velcro material that you can stick to the back of the keyboard to hold it in place on the lower half, like so:



They also include a hook-on shoulder strap you can connect to two rings on the outside of the folio, or you can pull out these handles and use them:



I don't often get excited by freebie cases but this one is very well-made; I'd willingly pay $25.00-$30.00 for something comparable. At $119.00 plus shipping for the Neo2 battery-operated model this freebie makes a nice incentive to order now if you're in the market for a smart keyboard.

Neo 2 Neatness

The folks at Renaissance Learning are offering a couple of neat incentives for their new Neo 2 smart keyboard/mobile writing device:

Send them your old Alpha-Smart (any model, age or condition) and they'll give you $25.00 toward the purchase of a Neo 2. Renaissance is planning to recycle and donate the old models you trade in, too.

Buy a Neo 2 before July 1st and they'll send you a nice-looking portfolio to protect it at no charge.

These smart keyboards are terrific; you can store around two hundred manuscript pages in their memory. They're also incredibly durable and portable, and much cheaper than a laptop. The Neo 2 weighs less than two pounds, and will run for up to seven hundred hours on three AA batteries (you can also buy a model that runs for up to 200 hours on rechargeable batteries.) They're great for writers who want to work without any distractions, and perfect for meetings, conferences or an evening session at your favorite coffee shop.