09-27-2020, 02:40 PM | #1 |
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Anyone ever used a Freewrite 'smart' typewriter?
Anyone familiar with the Freewrite smart typewriter? I stumbled upon this on the internet, and I had never heard of it. It looks sort of retro-cool. It's put out by some company named astrohaus.
https://getfreewrite.com/products/fr...art-typewriter https://getfreewrite.com/pages/freewrite-photo-gallery |
09-27-2020, 02:45 PM | #2 |
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They remind me of the old stand-alone word processors of the 80's.
I think I've seen this device, or one like it, talked about here on MR at some point over the last couple of years. |
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09-27-2020, 03:18 PM | #3 |
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A few years back there was something called a Alphasmart Neo 2, also from Astrohaus. That model appears to be discontinued.
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09-27-2020, 03:56 PM | #4 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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09-27-2020, 04:15 PM | #5 | |
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I have a couple of these. Very nice keyboards that run about about a year on three AA batteries. They're widely available on eBay... but they're starting to get rarer and more expensive. A lot of schools had these things to teach typing, but it looks like the surplus is finally starting to run out. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...acat=0&_sop=15 |
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09-27-2020, 04:23 PM | #6 |
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I was looking forward to getting one of these (when I think they were called...Hemingwrite?) when they were being developed. However, the cost just counted me out. Currently, they're $550 for me.
So I bought an Alphasmart Neo2 and frankly, it's fantastic - the ONLY downside is that you need an old USB cable to download the text. Very good for just thrashing out ideas and brain vomits. The one I use cost me $40. Bargain and super useful. |
09-27-2020, 08:43 PM | #7 | |
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Thanks for correcting my error on that, and also for the additional information. |
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09-28-2020, 12:06 AM | #8 | |
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I wouldn't mind trying a Freewrite some time, but the price and lack of editing ability push me away. |
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09-28-2020, 12:13 AM | #9 |
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In all seriousness, how the heck do you get the text you pounded out on this thing off the device, presumably to be edited elsewhere?
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09-28-2020, 10:05 AM | #10 |
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It's been around in various forms for ages:
1) It's x2 too expensive. 2) Rubbish software. 3) Screen is too small. Unless you have to write outdoors it's better to pull the curtains, dim the Matt LCD screen and have a decent room light that doesn't reflect off it. Have somewhere where you won't be interrupted. Turn off all phone, laptop, tablet notifications. If you can't resist checking your favourite site rather than just looking up stuff, then disable the laptop internet access. It's a niche product for particular people. It's poorly executed and too expensive, oh, I wrote that already! |
09-28-2020, 04:51 PM | #11 | |
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As for the Alphasmart, you need an old style (the ones used to be used for printers) USB cable and then there's a button on the device for "send". I actually really like this option because, for me, as it slurps into Scrivener (or wherever) my Typinator still corrects the abbreviations and shortcuts I have set. It's slow-ish in today's term, but I just let it do its thing while I make tea. |
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09-28-2020, 08:17 PM | #12 | |
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EDIT: Here's a video about how they work. Unless you want to write screenplays, you'll probably only need to watch the first three or four minutes. Last edited by rcentros; 09-28-2020 at 08:26 PM. |
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09-29-2020, 07:07 AM | #13 |
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The image above reminds me a bit of that old, 1980s Radio Shack [Tandy] keyboard and tiny little LCD screen unit.
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09-29-2020, 09:27 AM | #14 |
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When I was still teaching law, I used a free app called DarkRoom to write my lectures and essay exams. You can use it on Chrome, Windows, or the iSheep version WriteRoom for apple devices.
It displays a classic black screen with a green text like an old interface. you can change the size, color, and typeset of the font as well as the background color. You can set the page width (even when working in fullscreen) so as not to have 3000 characters in a line if you have a huge screen. The app completely full screens whatever device you are on, so you cannot see anything else. As long as your volume is off, you won't get any alerts, etc. While I really like the notion of a dedicated device like the Freewrite or Alphasmart, I think that a smidgen of discipline and the right freeware can prevent the need for additional purchases. My wife participates in NaNo every year and writes some daily. I offered to get her a Freewrite or comparable device, and she opted for an old laptop with the internet turned off. |
09-29-2020, 12:39 PM | #15 |
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The keyboard is good — solid and responsive. The screen is not that small. In this picture they're using relatively big fonts (they can go bigger). It's not for WYSIWYG work, but you can install a font pack that will give you eight lines per screen. I normally use it with five or six lines per screen. But the whole idea basically is to ignore the screen and type.
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