AlphaSmart Dana
Shortly after the turn of the century, Microsoft released specifications for what was called the “Tablet PC.” Sound familiar? Like today’s tablets, these were pen-enabled PCs running the Windows XP Tablet operating system. Some of these had removable keyboards, essentially making them 2-in-1s before that term became popularized.
Hoping to make a hybrid computing device of its own, educational computer maker AlphaSmart released the Dana, a laptop alternative running Palm OS. Instead of being a large screen with an optional accessory, the Dana was a flat(ish) device with a tiny 2 x 7.5-inch monochrome 560 x 160-pixel screen above a full-size keyboard. Priced at $399, the Dana was a decent device for schools, but its Palm-based OS was limited compared to Windows models and certain apps couldn’t take advantage of that awkward screen.
What did Gizmodo think of it at the time? Not much.
But why not just make the screen a little bigger and have it fold up like a laptop? And why isn’t Palm going after the Tablet PC with its own line of portable computers with full-sized screens? They’d certainly cost a lot less than a Tablet PC, and they’d easily attract users who are already accustomed to using the Palm OS.
