r/AlphaSmart

DOSwriter is a keyboard-centric writing tool for Android devices that uses an 8-buffer file paradigm similar to the Alphasmart Neo. As I developed the app the elegant 8-buffer concept led naturally to some useful text visualization tools and writing workflows.

There is a wide selection of compact, lightweight Bluetooth keyboards and even heavier mechanical or ergonomic keyboards. Android devices are cheap and ubiquitous. This is an easy combination for building a writer deck if the writing software leverages the keyboard interface.

The github and youtube links are below. Many thanks for the encouraging comments and suggestions I received from earlier posts about the app. They really helped improve the project. It was a ridiculous amount of work to document the app and make videos but without good Help people will not be inclined to try it out. It really is easy to use and you probably know most of the keyboard commands already since they borrow from Linux and Windows conventions.

Originally I called it ElmerPad but changed it to DOSwriter to convey the retro appeal. It turns your Android into a DOS-like editing experience.

All DOSwriter functions are available through the keyboard so you don't have to use device finger-gestures to perform file operations or task switching. As I used the app I found that the Android file manager would break the immersive workflow because it is designed for phone display finger scrolling. The screen space also seems poorly utilized. The Android file manager presents a lot of useless icons and forces you to scroll to find your files. I added a dedicated file manager with a simplified DOS-like keyboard file interface with text and image preview that operates from your working folder structure by default. You can use either file manager.

Now that the app is done I am going to test it out on the use case it was designed for : mobile writing while on travel. I have a couple months now to thoroughly road-test DOSwriter and smooth out any rough edges.

Some DOSwriter features for ergonomic writing on small devices :

• 8-buffer Workspace with Instant Buffer Layout View and Navigation
• Keyboard-first navigation
• Minimalist Screen by Default
• Typewriter Mode
• Dedicated File Manager for your working folders
• Bookmarks and Text Collapse
• Text Macros
• Layout and Filmstrip Viewers for large documents
• Split-Screen Editing and Image Viewing
• Markdown Editing with Live Preview
• Reference PDF viewing and bookmarks
• Outline Manager for saving files and references into projects
• Desktop File Sync and Android Sharing

DOSwriter looks great on Android phones and e-inks but it's a challenge getting good photos of light-emitting devices in action.

Here is a YouTube video on the Buffer Layout View, which is a fast way to access your buffers and keep a mental model of your writing workspace :

https://youtu.be/o8U3ulJxO6g

I also made a playlist of most of the DOSwriter functions. The app has good integrated Help and the GitHub repo has more documentation.

DOSwriter YouTube playlist :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbcgBXS1TE1U

DOSwriter now has a GitHub repo :

https://github.com/ElmerWorks/DOSwriter

APK download link :

https://github.com/ElmerWorks/DOSwriter/releases/download/Pre-release/DWTEv0.9-app-release.apk

i’m new to the alpha smart community. I have an alpha smart Ne-Yo 3000 and I am trying to figure out how to integrate it into my creative workflow. I love using it as a brainstorming and first draft device. Connecting to my computer is simple and so much easier than using Wi-Fi or cloud services. The keyboard does take some getting used to, but there is so much retro charm left in this device.

I have been developing my Alphasmart Neo-inspired Android writing app for a few months but only just now hooked it up to my Alphasmart Neo. And it works perfectly.

The Neo buffer keys File 1- File 8 match my app's buffer key assignments. Also whatever Neo buffer you are in, when you press Send it will paste it into my app's current buffer.

I will be posting a github link in a few days with a lot of documentation but thought you would find the following feature interesting. My app design has Neo-like functionality, but looks like it would make a good Neo companion when the Neo is used as the keyboard.

I borrowed an idea from MS Word where you can zoom out and see all your pages in a layout. So in my app if you are in a buffer and press 'Esc', it will open a tiled buffer view, to which you can attach thumbnails or text. In the Buffer Layout View, CTRL-T will display the Thumbnail, CTRL-P will show the buffer Preview, ALT-T will show text, and if an option is set CTRL-T shows Text overlayed with Thumbnail.

In Buffer Layout View, the Arrow keys will move between tiles. Tab will cycle through the tiles. F keys, number keys, or Enter will select another buffer.

'Esc' will return to your buffer instantly.

The 8-buffer workspace paradigm also matches the hipster PDA I posted about a month ago. The PDA is a separate workspace in my app that you can edit and export to print as shown in the post :

https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketnotebooks/comments/1ulvoe3/my_pocketable_pda/

Here are some screenshots. The latest installation APK is on doswriter.com

The Android device is a Moto G circa 2023 connected via USB printer cable with micro-USB phone connector.

I posted about how my editor works with a Neo keyboard but the photos aren't very clear and I can't seem to edit the post photos.

Here is a screen recording of how the Buffer Layout View works on a Boox 7.

I borrowed the idea from MS Word where you can zoom out and see all your pages in a layout. So in my app if you are in a buffer and press 'Esc', it will open a tiled buffer view, to which you can attach thumbnails or text. In the Buffer Layout View, CTRL-T will display the Thumbnail, CTRL-P will show the buffer Preview, ALT-T will show text, and if an option is set CTRL-T shows Text overlayed with Thumbnail.

In Buffer Layout View, the Arrow keys will move between tiles. Tab will cycle through the tiles. F keys, number keys, or Enter will select another buffer.

'Esc' will return to your buffer instantly.

The 8-buffer workspace paradigm also matches the hipster PDA I posted about a month ago. The PDA is a separate workspace in my app that you can edit and export to print as shown in the post :

https://www.reddit.com/r/pocketnotebooks/comments/1ulvoe3/my_pocketable_pda/

The latest installation APK is on doswriter.com

Hi there!

Wanting to eagerly share a software project I have been working on the past weeks. As you can read in the picture, the AlphaSmart says: "Verbonden met AlphaSmart Manager", which translates to "Connected to AlphaSmart Manager.". But none of these cables are connected to a computer or Mac with AlphaSmart Manager. Just a microcontroller, a powerbank, and a custom cable.

I have always been someone who tinkers a lot with microcontrollers, and this model supports bluetooth and WiFi, which allowed me to reprogram one to essentially function as a portable AlphasSmart Manager, but with additional features:

• It can let the AlphaSmart function as a bluetooth keyboard,
• It supports automatic (on connection with the AlphaSmart) on device backups and backups to S3-storage (Amazon) & WebDav (Nextcloud) (these were the easiest to implement, Google Drive and Dropbox are a bit more complicated),
• A nice web interface: Neo2 Buddy
• A Python-package to automate the backing up from another device.

After you bought one of the supported microcontrollers from you local, low-voltage electronics shop, cut up an USB-cable (more on that in my github-repository) and flashed the firmware, the workflow doesn't hinder the distraction free working on the AlphaSmart.

Just plug in the microcontroller after a day of working, let it connect to your home/hotpots WiFi and it backs up your files to your predefined backup destination in the cloud.

It is still a work in progress:

• it needs more testing,
• it needs to be easier to build and to use, while I have done a lot of work to do this already, working with microcontrollers directly might seem a bit intimidating,
• we might be able to let it talk to the Neo2 a bit faster,
• find a way to power the AlphaSmart without an power bank or a having to mod the USB-A port of the AlphaSmart,
• it needs a proper case, I already bought a small screen, an SD card reader and a simple case for it, but I could use the help of someone with experience in creating models for 3D printers,
• with enough support from the community we could create a custom all-in-one device with a proper case.

The development process was aided by AI. Please don't scold me for it, I have a busy life and a busy job. I let AI do all the boring parts as a side coder, frontend work, creating documentation and such.

I mainly programmed the important bits myself, and a lot of it was written by past me for different projects, in the era before AI.

Without the research done by Borys Lykah (Neotools on github) and Mark/tSoniq (AlphaSync), I would have been unable to port it to the microcontroller.

And wish to thank Danny Salzman for his blog post on emulating the decoding part of AlphaSmarts keyboard and passing them over bluetooth.

More information: Github

Hi there I have a problem with my alpha smart Neo which was previously working just fine until for some reason instead of editing file 1 as usual, I thought I'd write my journal in file three today just to spice things up a bit. When I did that I saw after typing in the file password some error message about this file being corrupted. I pressed enter a few times as it showed me various text outputs about this issue and then I turned the device off and on and now I'm unable to select the alpha Word plus app which is the applet in which one does all of the normal writing stuff. When I press enter on it nothing happens. All of the other applets allow me to enter them for example I can open the calculator. I've tried removing the AA's and putting them back in again and no change. I've turned the device on and off multiple times with no change. What else can I try?
What has caused this? Any ideas? Thank you so much.