Anyone ever used a Freewrite 'smart' typewriter?

[skb]

Originally Posted by ngrant

Here's a nice solution for those with too much money who want to use a mechanical keyboard with any USB-C or Bluetooth connecting device! I like this idea much better than the Freewrite, and for less money.

https://www.qwerkywriter.com/collections/frontpage

The black starts at "only" $290 but you can pre-order the black and gold for a measly $330. The mint looks cute.

LOL that keyboard is making me uncomfortable...all those round keys in square holes. Think of the crumbs that'd get it there (I have little silicon covers on my mac keyboard). Still. Pretty. Also, those knobs at the side with no ability to use real paper would make me even more anxious.

But it is nice to look at! I liked the Gold Edition (with extra crumbs). It looked really nice.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ngrant

Here's a nice solution for those with too much money who want to use a mechanical keyboard with any USB-C or Bluetooth connecting device! I like this idea much better than the Freewrite, and for less money.

https://www.qwerkywriter.com/collections/frontpage

Originally Posted by skb

LOL that keyboard is making me uncomfortable...all those round keys in square holes. Think of the crumbs that'd get it there (I have little silicon covers on my mac keyboard). Still. Pretty. Also, those knobs at the side with no ability to use real paper would make me even more anxious.

But it is nice to look at! I liked the Gold Edition (with extra crumbs). It looked really nice.

My oldest son has one of these. He didn't buy it, but for some reason his cousin thought he would like it because he does a lot of writing. It's actually not that bad. I used a bit while I was in Texas, kind of reminds of my old Underwood typewriter, which also had round key tops. I don't know about the colored keyboards (his is black) but the holes are not square on his. He has a flat surface under the keys (they stand about half an inch above the base) and the "shaft," or whatever the key "connector" it's called, fits pretty snugly in its slot — so you wouldn't be dropping anything into the guts of the keyboard. I still wouldn't pay $290 for it. I think when my niece bought it for him (a couple years ago), the cost on Amazon was about $220.

Edit: I've added a side view of it to show how the keys "stand off" from the surface.

[Quoth]

That would be easily made using the controller of a USB keyboard. Buy 104 decent switches for maybe less than $100 from china. Trace out the printed clear traces on the cheap USB keyboard for the wiring.

I did make a TINY keyboard using 70 Tact switches and the controller out of a keyboard.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by ngrant

Here's a nice solution for those with too much money who want to use a mechanical keyboard with any USB-C or Bluetooth connecting device! I like this idea much better than the Freewrite, and for less money.

https://www.qwerkywriter.com/collections/frontpage

The black starts at "only" $290 but you can pre-order the black and gold for a measly $330. The mint looks cute.

My setup at the moment is a compact Velocifire mechanical keyboard ($70) with bluetooth connection to Android phone or Fire Tablet. I don't have a problem dealing with distractions, only with waiting for inspiration to strike then having my mediocre typing skills slow me down... I use Google Docs to sync stuff with the cloud but am learning Scrivener to organize better.

OOOH! I don't have too much money, but I AM incredibly stupid with the money I do have.

[skb]

Originally Posted by rcentros

My oldest son has one of these. He didn't buy it, but for some reason his cousin thought he would like it because he does a lot of writing. It's actually not that bad. I used a bit while I was in Texas, kind of reminds of my old Underwood typewriter, which also had round key tops. I don't know about the colored keyboards (his is black) but the holes are not square on his. He has a flat surface under the keys (they stand about half an inch above the base) and the "shaft," or whatever the key "connector" it's called, fits pretty snugly in its slot — so you wouldn't be dropping anything into the guts of the keyboard. I still wouldn't pay $290 for it. I think when my niece bought it for him (a couple years ago), the cost on Amazon was about $220.

Edit: I've added a side view of it to show how the keys "stand off" from the surface.

Well, okay, that's a load off my mind. Still, that's a lot of money for a keyboard. But I do like the idea that the keys sit up (like real typewriters).

[ngrant]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

OOOH! I don't have too much money, but I AM incredibly stupid with the money I do have.

Ditto. You know how this goes - you discover a thing that you weren't aware even existed; then you start seeing it everywhere? Found another of those typewriter-like keyboards on Amazon. Similar deal: bluetooth, mechanical keys, retro design -- but this time with BACKLIGHTING and a built-in holder for your tablet or phone. **ONLY $159 when you clip the $10 coupon**. I might have to gift it to myself at the next available opportunity...

Link

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Quoth

That would be easily made using the controller of a USB keyboard. Buy 104 decent switches for maybe less than $100 from china. Trace out the printed clear traces on the cheap USB keyboard for the wiring.

I did make a TINY keyboard using 70 Tact switches and the controller out of a keyboard.

What would be "easy" for you would be a near impossibility for me. I can't cut a straight line across a 2x4.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by skb

Well, okay, that's a load off my mind. Still, that's a lot of money for a keyboard. But I do like the idea that the keys sit up (like real typewriters).

I agree. There's no way I would ever pay nearly $300 for a keyboard. My son had a standard keyboard that he actually liked better, but he uses this mechanical keyboard because he doesn't want to disappoint his cousin. (He's had it for a couple years, so he's gotten used to it now.)

On the computer I'm using to type this, I have a Logitech Wireless keyboard I picked up at the thrift store for $4. That's more my speed.

[Quoth]

I hated typewriters.
Also both those makes are inferior layouts with no
|
\
beside the Z.
USA is less than 13% of world and many there use Spanish.

I do add a firm spongy-rubbery strip under the rear of the laptop or on the monitor stand for a separate keyboard – to raise the tilt angle to taste – and I like one very slim at the front so the "heels" of my hands rest on the desk.

There seems to be fashion for selling retro styled everything, designed by people that once think they saw something in a Ladybird book when they were three, perhaps twenty to forty years ago. In other words if you never saw the real thing in real life and squint at the current product it looks sort of retro. Radios, toasters, record-players, kettles, amps, food mixers etc that don't really resemble anything ever made in the past and are often abysmal quality, like a 2.5" speaker when original thing it's pretending to look like had a 6" or even a 5" x 7" elliptical. Driven by an earphone amplifier.

[Quoth]

I'm typing on a hardly used Logitech K120 with a 24" screen on the laptop. It's closed.
A local office chucked out a bunch of them when they bought laptops.

Then later they bought big screens and wireless keyboards.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I hated typewriters.
Also both those makes are inferior layouts with no
|
\
beside the Z.
USA is less than 13% of world and many there use Spanish.

I do add a firm spongy-rubbery strip under the rear of the laptop or on the monitor stand for a separate keyboard – to raise the tilt angle to taste – and I like one very slim at the front so the "heels" of my hands rest on the desk.

There seems to be fashion for selling retro styled everything, designed by people that once think they saw something in a Ladybird book when they were three, perhaps twenty to forty years ago. In other words if you never saw the real thing in real life and squint at the current product it looks sort of retro. Radios, toasters, record-players, kettles, amps, food mixers etc that don't really resemble anything ever made in the past and are often abysmal quality, like a 2.5" speaker when original thing it's pretending to look like had a 6" or even a 5" x 7" elliptical. Driven by an earphone amplifier.

Quirkywriter at least offers a selection of layouts. I imagine the UK layout they have is an ISO layout with stupidly big enter key an cut down left shift to make room for the key they removed by having a stupidly big enter key?

I personally hate keyboards with the cut down left shift and they are sadly becoming more common here so now whenever I replace my laptop I have to hunt for one that actually has a US layout and doesn't just show it in the picture online.

EDIT: Looking at it again they do show the layout and the UK one cuts down left shift but still has a small enter key...

[Quoth]

Most USA keyboards have one less key, it's not just a question of the Enter Key and Left Shift size.
But most non-USA keyboards do have a shorter left shift than Caps Lock or Left Control, yet a far larger than needed Right Shift.
The Left Shift is about 50% more than the letter keys on the logiteck K120, but it's actually a bit wider on the lenovo E460 laptop. Both have similar vertical Enter keys (two rows, just a bit fatter at top row) but pointlessly long Right Shift of at least 3 regular keys, when two wide would do.
I'd like to see an extra key at the start of Right Shift, and a smaller back space with an extra key there.

You do realise the USA keyboard is based on IBM's adoption of an updated 1930 teleprinter layout for the PC in 1980, rather than using a more computer and international friendly layout based on QWERTY & AZERTY etc that was already old?

Those in turn were based on Victorian typewriters that deliberately didn’t have 1, 0, “, ”, ‘, and ’ etc to save on keys. Hence I for 1 and O for 0 and the ' and " with backspace to use those as accents. Typesetters would decide what was intended.

[salamanderjuice]

But they moved "|" over by Z for the sake of the pointlessly big enter key, no? I don't know about you, but I use shift a lot more than "|" so having to stretch my pinky even further to hit shift is annoyance. ANSI keyboards are used in more than just the U.S. btw China for example uses ANSI.

Neither layout is particularly great. Both ask far too much of pinkies and both thumbs are wasted essentially handling one button.

[Quoth]

But they moved "|" over by Z for the sake of the pointlessly big enter key, no?

No. Loads of keyboards have the same size enter key and simply one less key on USA version. If a USA Keyboard DOES have the same number of keys as UK or International you can actually load ANY keyboard driver and simply remark some keys. The standard 1 key less USA keyboard ONLY works properly for USA English driver.
If it was at the other end of the row the two shift keys would be similar sized and about 2.5 keys wide.
The | ZCVBNM<>? row is still the shortest on a UK (or other European layout). It's just the |\ is at the wrong side.
And Backspace is way too big on most keyboards.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No. Loads of keyboards have the same size enter key and simply one less key on USA version. If a USA Keyboard DOES have the same number of keys as UK or International you can actually load ANY keyboard driver and simply remark some keys. The standard 1 key less USA keyboard ONLY works properly for USA English driver.
If it was at the other end of the row the two shift keys would be similar sized and about 2.5 keys wide.
The | ZCVBNM<>? row is still the shortest on a UK (or other European layout). It's just the |\ is at the wrong side.
And Backspace is way too big on most keyboards.

Sure, some ISO boards have bar shaped enter but they STILL have a cut down left shift and "|" because some ISO boards do. Why else put that there?

I can't use an ISO keyboard to map every key on a JIS Japanese keyboard as it's still missing 4 keys. So no, ISO doesn't work perfectly for every language layout. And as I previously mentioned China uses ANSI layout and it works fine to type Chinese, so US layout boards do more than just English.

I'm guessing by your desire to further cut down shift and backspace you're not a touch typist. Making those keys harder to hit with your pinky for the sake of 1 or 2 keys that would be completely pointless for typing English or programming and is just hurting ergonomics on already bad ergonomics.