Originally Posted By: yfzduner450I know I won't be running out and buying one for a few reasons. I dont like the first runs of new technology. They will have problems and the second and third generations will be far better. Second, I don't like that you have to click through 2 screens to shock a dog. Thirdly, I don't think the touch screen will be very reactive in cold weather or with gloves on. I will stick to my turn dial and push button shock and gps systems I currently own. Sometimes simpler is better. I do like the dual purpose collars and handheld but I can live without some of the other bells and whistles. Who knows on these collars, I may be totally wrong and they may change the game, only time will tell.
No need to scroll through screens to shock a dog.....press any of the 3 buttons on top and they get instant correctoin just like the dial and push button unit. I've been using the Alpha a lot since September when I bought one and so far it's been great. I like it a lot better than my previous Astro 220 and Trashbreaker setups, one collar, one unit/transmitter. The touch screen is very quick and easy to use and the Alpha has quite a bit more capability. My favorite two new features for the Alpha are the "geofence" perimeter alarm where you can place a fence around any area on your map and if a dog crosses the line an alarm goes off on your handheld or even easier is to set the radius perimeter....if you don't want your dog to be over 500 yds away then set it up to go off at 500 yds and you'll get a tone/vibrate to warn you. The other feature I like is the rescue mode for if the battery gets low, the unit will reset the updates to allow for maximum battery life.
Not sure how reactive the screen will be in cold weather since I've only been able to use it down to 30 degrees but at those temps it works great....the touch screen works well with gloves too.
Time will tell if they are worth the expense or not but so far I think mine was a good purchase. I'm still not confident enough that it's going to work in below zero temps to sell all my old gear yet though. 
