AlphaSmart, Inc. today announced a strategic alliance with Palm, Inc. that could bring Palm OS-based devices further into the educational market. AlphaSmart said that it has licensed the Palm OS platform to use in new products.
AlphaSmart is best known for its AlphaSmart 3000 — it’s a low-cost portable word processor that features a small four-line text display. Designed to run for weeks on a set of AA batteries, the AlphaSmart works both with Macs and PCs. It transfers files to the host computer by either hooking up a cable or via InfraRed (depending on the model chosen). The AlphaSmart 3000 has proven particularly popular in the K-12 market, where it’s used for portable word processing, test-taking, keyboarding practice and other functions.
The company said that it’ll continue to develop the AlphaSmart line, and it plans to create links between new Palm OS-based products and the AlphaSmart 3000.
“While the AlphaSmart 3000 is highly successful in a wide range of applications in education, there are specific segments with different requirements. We see the Palm OS platform as the technology of choice to meet the needs of these new customers,” said AlphaSmart chief marketing officer Manish Kothari.
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