New AlphaSmart Dana Wireless

[Creideiki]

I just recieved a Dana Wireless. The battery is about shot, but at $15, it's easy to replace.

I'm wondering:

1. What apps take advantage of the full screen display?

2. Are there any good user groups or forums for me to ask questions in?

3. Can it wirelessly hotsynch?

4. What are the primary ways people use this device?

I intend to use this almost exculsively for word processing - taking notes, working on docs away from the computer, etc. I think I'll stick to my TX for datebook/calendar/to do/etc.

TIA!

<C>

[Tam Hanna]

Hi,
where did you get the Dana from?

As for apps, I think that QuickOffice has dana support. As for the other main office suites, I think that their recent versions wont work on non-OS5 boxen, so ...

[Creideiki]

Hi,
where did you get the Dana from?

As for apps, I think that QuickOffice has dana support. As for the other main office suites, I think that their recent versions wont work on non-OS5 boxen, so ...

I recieved it as a gift. :-)

Did ANY previous version of Docs to Go work full screen on a Dana?

Thanks!

<C>

[Tam Hanna]

Hi,
I never ever had a Dana...so no idea. Why not contact their support department?

I am pretty sure that QuickOffice worked in Widescreen though...contact the support departments of the companies for help...

[bobbyshane]

Docs to Go 6 works on the dana

[Creideiki]

Docs to Go 6 works on the dana

Yep. I just (yesterday, as a matter of fact) discovered this. Unfortunately, my download version of 6.08 is, well, so old that I can't find the installer. I should have bought it on CD, since DataViz now wants to charge me to re-download it!

Thanks anyway!

<C>

[bobbyshane]

Have you tried contacting Alphasmart? Docs to Go was supposed to come with the Dana. I bought mine off of ebay and it didn't come with it initially either. I've been thinking about contacting them myself to see if I could get a replacement cd.

[Creideiki]

Have you tried contacting Alphasmart?

Hadn't occurred to me. Even so, I'd like to have the Premiere version (the Dana only came with the standard version) for the Spell Check.

I was using Quick Office, which also shows wide screen on the Dana, but found that any time I typed fast it would miss letters left and right.

Thanks!

<C>

[Hook]

The Docstogo 6 for Dana was like the bonus disks from Palm. If you don't have the disk, you can't download. However, all system downloads and updates are available at Alphasmart (http://www.renlearn.com/neo/downloads/).

There is a great and very active forum of Alphasmart users over on Flickr (I know, kind of weird) which is a great resource. You'll find it HERE (http://www.flickr.com/groups/alphasmart/) :)

By the way, Wordsmith works widescreen on a Dana.

[Hook]

By the way, though annoying, you only pay $2.99 to redownload Docstogo. That price allows 10 downloads in the next 12 months.

[MD_Brite]

Same exact thing happened to me recently, not very nice especially when you had to pay $40 for it in the first place, and $2.99 a year.

[bobbyshane]

Here's a question for you guys... I own version 10. Do I have to pay to download 6 to put it on my dana? My guess would be yes.

[Hook]

Here's a question for you guys... I own version 10. Do I have to pay to download 6 to put it on my dana? My guess would be yes.

Yes. Version 10 won't work on Palm OS 4.

Honestly, however, there really isn't much reason to have DTG on a Dana. Wordsmith or even it's own simple word processor, Alphaword (which is actually a version of Wordsmith) is quite adequate. Sure, you could do Excel, but unless you are without a compuer or PDA, why would you. While the Dana is as portable as a Netbook, it does one thing really well. It is the best draft writer (leave the editor out in the dark) on the planet. ;)

[Creideiki]

The Docstogo 6 for Dana was like the bonus disks from Palm. If you don't have the disk, you can't download. However, all system downloads and updates are available at Alphasmart (http://www.renlearn.com/neo/downloads/).

There is a great and very active forum of Alphasmart users over on Flickr (I know, kind of weird) which is a great resource. You'll find it HERE (http://www.flickr.com/groups/alphasmart/) :)

By the way, Wordsmith works widescreen on a Dana.

Are you Hookmt on the Flickr Group? What a great group!

The bundled version of DTG has that annoying search for files every time it opens. Ugh. I do need the spreadsheet ability. Also, I'm not able to add files to my AlphaWord. Not sure why, but it says files are not compatible when I try to add them. Spent 2 weeks going back and forth with their support, and finally just gave up.

I've heard the running both WordSmith and AlphaWord can cause problems, so that makes me nervous.

I did find a copy of 6.008 Premium on an old backup CD. I'm glad I keep backups!

<C>

[Hook]

Are you Hookmt on the Flickr Group? What a great group!

The bundled version of DTG has that annoying search for files every time it opens. Ugh. I do need the spreadsheet ability. Also, I'm not able to add files to my AlphaWord. Not sure why, but it says files are not compatible when I try to add them. Spent 2 weeks going back and forth with their support, and finally just gave up.

I've heard the running both WordSmith and AlphaWord can cause problems, so that makes me nervous.

I did find a copy of 6.008 Premium on an old backup CD. I'm glad I keep backups!

<C>

Yup, I'm Hookmt.

I use alphaword, not Wordsmith simply because Wordsmith (which replaces Alphaword) does not leave the USB send feature available, and I really like that. Alphaword has its own conduits, for which you need the Alphasmart version of Palm Desktop (downloadable from their downloads page) to use. I sync my TX to this desktop as well. Like Wordsmith, these conduits convert Alphaword pdb files to rtf on the desktop and back. Alphaword can only use PDB files, it desn't do any native formats.

You don't have to go that route, there is a converter utility that is in the Wordsmith Yahoo Group files called wsconv.exe that does the same thing on your desktop and then you can use Pruss' MyInstall to install them.

I tend to use my Dana for draft (creative) writing and mostly go one way. I write on the Dana, then do a USB Send of the draft text into Word 2007 on my computer, where I use word for major editing (two pages on the screen at once) and formatting.

They are a very helful group over there on Flikr and quite willing to share their very different approaches with new folks. :)

[larrysfernandez]

The Alphasmart group on Yahoogroups has a database of 23 applications that take advantage of Dana's widescreen. Aside from DTG6, there's:
1. Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS ver. 3.5
2. Bonsai from Natara Software
3. Gizmo5 (instant messaging)
4. Plucker
5. Snappermail
6. UniCMD (a great file manager)
And others ...

Larry

[Alphasmart User]

There is a manual hack to turn some applications into wide-screen ones towards the bottom of this thread...

http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126148