And Why I Am Getting the Freewrite (Hemingwrite) Smart Typewriter (from Astrohaus)
Bauhaus, steampunk, cyberpunk, and retro-futuristic in its design, the Freewrite smart typewriter is a single-purpose device for drafting–and not editing–just “freewriting.” It looks like something that you would find in one of the “Bladerunner” movies, or maybe “Brazil.” With apologies to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Freewrite is “an elegant tool for a less civilized time.” But that’s not the only reason you should get one.
Following are three reasons why I am getting mine.
Freewriting–I am using their free “sprinter” tool right now (sprinting?), as I write this--because I am still waiting for my smart typewriter to arrive (today damn it). This tool gives you the opportunity to try the freewrite (with a small "f") concept: free-writing or drafting first, and then editing later. Try it out. Like with the devices (Freewrite has two smaller, traveler versions) everything that I am writing is automatically syncing to (in my case) google docs and dropbox. It looks like this:
The e-ink display–as I type this it is already dark on the last day of November in Seattle. My laptop screen is already on "night" mode, lowered to its lowest brightness, and I am facing in such a way as to minimize reflective glare in my living room. None of which will be an issue when I actually get my Freewrite with its e-ink “writing canvas” and just the words on the "page." I am dying to use it. We had a large power outage a week ago and it would have been great to have it then, with its low battery consumption and always–readable display.
The keyboard–writers who use the Freewrite love the Cherry MX or Kailh Box Brown key switches or the thicker, matte PBT keycaps (depending on the version that they purchased), and they talk passionately about keyboard "feel" and key "travel" and, perhaps most of all, the sound of productivity. I have actually used mechanical typewriters, and electric ones, with similar keyboards–and I can tell you that there is something special about those older devices (mostly the keyboards) that makes you WANT to type/write. It's magical. This isn't about hipster cool–this is about a good example of an older technology just being superior in certain ways to more modern ones. A laptop is a portable, multi-use device--one that allows you to do research (and be distracted) and access social and other media (more distractions) like a desktop, but a laptop’s membrane keyboard is substandard for writing/typing for long stretches. It works, but it just isn't very satisfying. It doesn’t draw you to it the way a “proper” keyboard does. The Freewrite is small enough to take with you like a laptop, but with a much-better keyboard, a much-better display (for its specific use), and only designed to do one thing–and do it well. Without distractions.
Finally, I chose the Hemingway edition partly because of its unique look–and because I prefer the green keys with larger fonts. It also comes with an attaché case, specifically designed for it. And who doesn’t love Hemingway?
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