By all conventional standards, the Alphasmart Neo is among the worst laptops ever made.

The Neo has a small LCD monochrome screen and can really only do word processing. That means no web browsing, email, Netflix, etc. It is clunky and ugly with a dark green plastic casing.

But I have found the Neo to be an invaluable, distraction-free gadget that makes me more productive. It has incredible features that no regular laptop can match.

Do you claim your fancy Samsung laptop has 12 hours of battery life? The Neo can run for weeks or months on a single set of disposable batteries.