I need to declare an interest in that I am Product Manager for AlphaSmart (now Renaissance Learning) in the UK and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have on the NEO.
The NEO is used extensively in both Primary and Secondary schools to support a wide range of special needs and assorted specific writing problems faced by both adults and pupils. There is a 'predictive text' software addition that can be used with the NEO called Co:Writer. This is produced by a company called Don Johnson in the US but there is a localised UK version too. If people need a further level of support then there is a Text to Speech unit that can be used alongside the NEO which will read back letter by letter, word by word or sentence by sentence as text is entered.
If you use three Duracell AA batteries then, with normal use they will last about a year - so there is no problem with re-charging.
The size of text on the screen can be altered so that from two to six lines of text can be displayed at a time. Many users report that the smaller screen is less of a challenge to fill.
Please feel free to get back with additional questions. We are always happy to provide information and advice.
