How To Write Distraction FREE! - Astrohaus Hemingway Freewrite
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
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Astrohaus's Freewrite is an e-ink laptop made to be like an electronic typewriter but paper-free. Also, it's made to be distraction-free since laptops you're one click away from the internet. So Riely, our resident minimalist, had to check this out!
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 - Intro
1:59 - Unboxing
2:39 - Hemingwrite first impressions and overview
3:36 - Sponsor Honey!
4:03 - Use impressions
5:23 - Exterior impressions
5:36 - Who is this for?
6:16 - Specs
6:41 - Use case
8:36 - James' impressions
9:30 - Final thoughts - Věda a technologie
Ah yes, an $800 typewriter with a Kindle taped to it
even worse, it s just a keyboard with a small kindle glued to it lmao
More like a $40 Alphasmart 3000 with an e-ink screen.
a $900 kindle paired with a mechanical keyboard
@@zengwenxin8402 Is it even mechanical. Doesn't sound like it.
this is what I hate about the e-paper holdings coorporation. I want things like this to exist, and in a world of innovators and china, somebody would get a nice competitive market for weird e-paper shit for work purposes to save all of our eyes. Unfortunately, e-paper is so locked down that all we have is expensive garbage like this
Hemingway also said: "Man cannot be defeated. After he's destroyed, you must still pay licensing fees to use his name, thus increasing the price of your product."
Can anyone explain this awesome quote to me? It some how sounds awesome and illogically at the same time
@@gavinpotter8741 If you want it _explained at you_ then you're entirely missing the point of philosophy.
I don't understand why they just HAD to use Hemmingway's name.
@@UnitSe7en What is this dumb statement lmao
$900 is a lot for a Kindle with a keyboard.
Yeah I know I paid 960 and I get a new laptop 11th gen i5 1135g7 with a 2 in 1 touch display and whatnot. This shits ludicrously priced.
Not JUST a Kindle with a keyboard, a SLOW Kindle with a keyboard. My old 3rd gen Kindle starts up faster than that, and with a custom firmware can do all this faster from off than this. As it is, it's so BAD for it's purpose that it's kinda a joke in it's own right. Worse, you can make something just, flat out better with a Pi Zero for 1/5th the price of this. This is just... trash.
Someone should put vim on it.
Kindle? Ti 84, at most.
@@KiraSlith Even Zero would be kinda overkill you potentially could use Pico or Arduino nano.And if someone's mad lad enough maybe AtTiny would do the job with additional circuits but idk if this additional circuitry would kill difference in price between nano and attiny.
Kinda feels like, when typing is LITERALLY the whole point of the device, the screen shouldn't be absolute shite at keeping up with your typing.
That's, like, the whole point of it, isn't it?
Agreed. Like if they put some more effort into getting the actual typing experience down and more comfortable, then I would be all about this. Kind of a shame, really.
Also if the screen lags to the point you have whiplash from its lag, you'll be avoiding that typewriter very soon
Agreed an actual type writer would be preferable.
It should also boot instantly, like a Commodore 64.
This is the kind of thing where you post up at your local coffee shop, pull out your tastefully worn briefcase and fashionably patinaed Freewrite, so you can silently shout "I AM A WRITER!"
"please ask me what i'm writing"
Haha yes.. and you need to have no personality too.
There's definitely a market for it (unfortunately...) so, meh one would be stupid not to profit of said market even if it only ends up paying yourself for living cool one year
silently shouting who you are (or who you desperately want to be) is so cool though! lol how else are we supposed to spot our tribes? Car window stickers? tacky
... And then tweet a pic of it with your phone and browse Twitter on you phone for the next hour and still be distracted
When the typing delay is longer than an actual typewriter you know its not going to be a great experience lol
My immediate thoughts. I have my mum's mid-60s machine, and virtually everything aside from the weight beats the pants off of this.
They should have just used an oled or dot matrix even
Yeah typewriters don’t have that much delay, the letter is printed the as soon as the key bottoms out, cause it’s a mechanical linkage
Can’t wait to see the doom port running on this
Skyrim eInk eddition? OH TODD! We're WAITING!
As a collector of typewriters, I can confidently say typing on a typewriter is faster than this thing.
And you will definitely never outrun the cursor, unless you're breaking some laws of physics.
@@Dornacgove or neo
@@Dornacgove lol you can outpace the cursor. The hammer things collide in mid air. Lol funny to think about thoigh
@@xerotolerant Yup, you can get the thingies stuck, but there won't be text appearing on the paper 3 characters after you actually typed it
With the added benefit of the deeply fulfilling enjoyment that only a real bell can bring you.
This feels like somebody’s raspberry pie project that got ripped off and a big ‘ol price tag slapped on it
It absolutely is, except that the Raspberry hobbyists realised ages ago that e-ink refresh rates (if you can call them that) make for a really shite experience when you're typing.
It would be better if it was mine...
@@FranzKafkaRockOpera With the right drivers you can do partial refresh only at the cursor which is a lot faster but it's still not a great use for e-ink
@@oliverer3 Un-backlit LCD master race
@@FranzKafkaRockOpera e-ink refresh rates have become better in recent devices but it would still be only half the cost to one of the best e-readers with a mechanical keyboard attached to it
Having an e-ink display where it lags when you're typing is the complete opposite of a distraction free typing experience.
True. I look at the screen while typing and having everything showing up with a delay is massively disorienting. On a related side-note: I don't consider 30 FPS to be enough for a smooth gaming experience, that tiny bit of delay between my fingers and what's on screen, is disorienting already.
A PDA with an external keyboard is a million times better than this.
A Sharp Memory LCD (the same display as the Panic Playdate) would be a much better choice. Very low power usage and daylight readable, but with a normal refresh rate. This thing is already horrifyingly overpriced (it's the same price as a brand new M1 MacBook Air + AirPods with an education discount), so the extra cost wouldn't be a very big deal.
Especially when you could just buy a damn pen, have a complete random access to the paper to do links, annotation, color, non-destructive erasure, for $900 less...
At this price (2$ for paper + pen), you can accept the tiring writing process and the difficult transfer out.
@@wiiu42 An old DOS laptop would make sense in that case
"As a writer, I understand that distractions can be distracting" - Reily, 2021
"I'm LMG's resident hipster douchebag." This was the truest sentence Riley knew.
i feel like if i wanted to be a hipster that bad, I would just rather buy an actual typewriter. or, like. write in a journal. with a pencil.
Now, hear me out. Papyrus with a feather
Finger paints on the wall of the coffee shop.
@@tjibbeettema8759 not a feather a reed pen (more historically accurate)
Actual type writer is cheaper btw. Or fountain pen for your journal
So you ARE, truly a hipster!
This is like what Dennis would call minimalism.
Yea with his foot and neck massagers.
@@cratew2142 that's the joke
@@cratew2142 lmao the old imaginator put him right in his chair with those on, using this lol
Live laugh Liao
@@Bradlifer sorry, I didn't notice 😅
If I wanted a display to do typing on, and still wanted that 'no eye-strain' feature, I would much rather go for a large passive-matrix LCD screen similar to the ones in gameboys (called STN screens) than use e-ink. STN screens have much less latency than e-ink, and still provide little to no eye-strain because it relies on the reflection of external light, without a backlight. Sure, I'd use e-ink for just reading, but not for typing, or anything that requires relatively fast feedback.
Edit: fixed typos
Same
This particular product has a shitty, outdated e-ink display. There are e-ink displays out there with firmware additions like A2 mode etc that make the display really quite responsive but somewhat blurrier when needed, and then slower but clearer when the image is still. There's no excuse for any company to release a product at this very high price point and not manage to even optimize their firmware, when other companies have managed to do it at a fraction of the price (although not in modern-typewriter-like devices, sadly)
Oh man this gives me some ideas for a diy project.
the fascination with E-Ink is misplaced in this one. Your suggestion would be great. And even if the battery life is shorter, hey that would still could easily pass the 1 week mark, or you know, with how lightweight the device really is, put more battery in them?
This is pointless product at marked up price.
Pomera is very popular in Japan. They have several different screen types and frequently are foldable.
Cherry MX Brown switches
"Feels Nice"
*Glarses has entered the chat*
So, it's a word processor. Same price as the ones in the 90s too.
Quite hispter tbh
I remember a device from my school in the early 2000s that was essentially a keyboard with a cheap1-2 line side scrolling lcd screen that may have been called an Alphasmart. It didn’t have the same battery life, wireless functionality or online app integration, but nothing really did then, it just output it to a word file or notepad over a usb cable type now associated mostly with printers. Since it supported multiple files and users, and was sold to schools it probably also cost a similar amount to this product.
What is old is new again.
@@speedysam0624 It's now $20 on ebay
Seeing James and Riley in the shot together simply looking at the product bouncing ideas off each other has a great vibe to it, no need for quips, just banter.
Who are you ?
I may be alone on this, but the screen latency could actually be a good thing for someone like me.
One of the biggest distractions I face when writing is the compulsion to proof my writing as I'm typing. A delay that forces me to just hammer out a rough draft, and edit later could really help.
Honestly, I mostly just see people who already hate the product who make a big deal about the latency.
This is the type of thing strict parents give to their kids after they get in trouble for bypassing the parental controls
"Sometimes distractions are very distracting."
- Riley The Wise
hmm yes the floor here is made of floor
in other news, if someone is killed they die.
-Riley the resident "hipster douchebag"
@@itskiblu every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes
Btw:
1)U beat me to the comment
2) this is an ez way to find redditors on CZcams
True
The most I would even consider paying for this is $150. $900, they're just having a laugh all the way to the bank.
150 wouldn’t be enough. A good keyboard already costs more. But yeah, certainly not 600.
I'd impulse buy this for $45 in the toy section at Books a Million.
considering that alphasmart failed in 2013... this is an extremely niche product... if you really want it you will pay for it. i would buy an alphasmart from government surplus then buy this.
@@MariomasterNSMBHD that keyboard has literal mx browns and the stabilizers are rattly asf how is that a good keyboard
even 150bucks is too much for this considering there are literally chromebooks at that price which are computers and dont have half an hour of delay betwen pressing a button and something actualy happening
This is why we have something called "Do Not Disturb" mode :)
900 DOLLARS?
is that it
Yes.
mod it
"I am LMG's resident hipster douche bag"
- Riley Murdoch, 2021
I was drinking when he said it and nearly sprayed grape soda everywhere.
Let's get that full "How to be a minimalist" series with Riley :)
But with some actual minimalist products and not bs like this
Riley is just trying to be a trendy minimalist, he's actually really bad at being minamilistic. This is the opposite of minimalism.
@@prismglider5922 yes, but we shall support him, LMG resident Hipster Douchebag shall rise.
Obnoxious hipster
How about no . Riley is that anonying duchebag same with James .
"Sitting in a Starbucks and writing without distraction." Well apart from the phone in your pocket and the fact that you are in a starbucks😬😂
"There's a furry thing, what do you call that?"
I call that Earnest Hemingway.
For distraction free typing experience, I’d rather buy old low-end MacBook Air or retina MacBook Pro and remove its wifi-bluetooth card and break the card for extra safety. And for the ultimate distraction free experience, use something like hot glue to make all the ports (except charging) useless. With older MacBook Pro you could even install 2nd drive there for backups.
Maybe buy a low-end old PC laptop instead? I'm sure there's a version of Linux made for distraction-free writing.
@@kbhasi you can easily make one
@@kbhasi yeah you could install any distro without any desktop environment and use vim.
@@ayushrawal706 the issue is the e ink screen, it’s much easier to write on one of those
@@jacobdaniels3246 with how much delay there is? Highly doubt.
That's why I love Riley, he can give us the hispter douchebag perspective that no one else can.
I love how he's self aware with his stereotypical appearance lol
"Is there an e-ink screen that doesn't do this?" YES. It's attached do the ReMarkable 2, a device that's even been tested on ShortCircuit. C'mon, James!
I second this!!
Well, tbh I think you can force any eink screen to have a higher refresh rate, but I don't know if it is good for longevity/accuracy.
As a novelist so many writers I've seen swear by these to hammer out their drafts. It's not my cup of tea but I've thought about it a bunch because distraction free is tempting.
Jame's reaction to the price was the most honest I've ever seen
The delay is such a dealbreaker
Yep
Really? thats the dealbreaker? lol
I think the $900 is the bigger dealbreaker....
@@lancelindlelee7256 It definitely is. But prices can change. Design flaws can't!
"I don't get how they are making any money!"
They're selling a barebones text input device for $900. That's how.
I mean some with more money than sense would buy this.
To be fair, the regular one and the traveler version are not 900 dollars, they're way less. This was just a specific edition
@@MrAmansa12345 Cheers for the note. Probably still enough to make a healthy profit. =)
@@jubuttib oh yeah for sure! Totally agree. I do have a traveler and I love it but I agree even that is overpriced. But when I looked at the price tag of this version I was like 😐
This is $900 for the case, as mentioned they have cheaper versions. The traveler is pretty nice, I have one.
Yeah, and paid 600USD for basically Arduino level computing capabilities, Ghosting fiesta E-Ink display, and 50 bucks worth of keyboard component. Even if the screen is expensive, it is misplacedly expensive. Going with something like matrix LCD like what Gameboy use would be better for latency and ghosting issue, not to mention way, way cheaper.
No, I could probably make something very similar to this with 150 worth of electronics, and better screen to boot. Raspberry Pi Zero + 35 buck mechanical keyboard, and 50 bucks cheap lcd screen. Online sync? yeah, that's easy nowadays.
Distraction free? I could just make the OS to only boot some iteration of Nano or Vi/Vim and there we go, distraction free writing. Some shell scripting for sync with google drive and we're gold.
@@muhwyndham hmm if it’s so easy, let’s see you make one then? Make sure it’s as good as the freewrite, I’ll be waiting. #AllTalk #LetsBeReal
@@antoniius1 sure, Gimme a Month.
@@antoniius1 people have already done it. Pomera has a $200 e-ink writer. A guy built a Raspberry Pi and e-ink typewriter in a box. In the 80s and 90s you could buy pocket sized word processors for very cheap, they were quite common and can be found used online.
That traveler one dose look pretty good less retro more useable
7:07 "This might be good on an airplane." Meanwhile every other passenger wants to strangle you for typing loudly on a mechanical keyboard.
Except any engine noise outside of taxiing would drown this thing out. They're only Cherry switches.
Brown switches aren't that loud.
Next time LTX happens, Riley NEEDS a name badge that says "Hi, I'm Riley! LMG's resident Hipster Douchebag!"
I have wanted one ever since I discovered it existed 3 years ago. I have watched so many reviews. Strangely enough, 3 years ago, I was looking for reviews of another product and came across Linus's scathing review of that product. A mechanical typewriter. When I googled similar products, I found the Freewrite. Now that I have sold both my kidneys, I intended to purchase the 3rd edition in the sale. Yes, I am a writer. This signature edition is currently 685 UK Sterling. As much as it looks good, I probably will not be buying this version.
I'd love to see you guys build your own version of this run by a raspberry pi or something.
It would probably run way better. Someone did do that though. The biggest difficulty was the lack of drop-in e-ink screens, guy had to adapt a replacement screen for a Kindle or something to work with the Pi.
@@tituslafrombois1164 Is there any downside to using an LCD screen instead? Like, say someone liked the idea of the Freewrite, didn't want to pay $500 - $1000, and didn't mind using an LCD instead of an e-ink screen. Is there any huge drawback to not using the e-ink screen?
@@conmcdon the main advantage of e-ink is massively lower power draw and it's way easier on the eyes than light-emitting LCDs
It was soooo distraction-free, Riley completely missed that caps lock was on the whole time. Noice.
Good point about the research writing. Those, who write research papers often use citation managers (Mendely, Endnote, Zotero) to automatically insert references exactly as a way to reduce distraction.
It would be nice if they made a version of this in beige just like how vintage computers are and how the word processors in the early 90s were.
like with a black monitor screen and green text! OH THAT WOULD RULE!
9:00 the hammer moves with the key, and touches the paper when you reach the end of key travel. So there's no delay, it's as fast as you and since it "registers the press" at the end of the key is basically the same of a standard keyboard (other than the fact that the travel is generally longer)
And your fingers are gonna be RIPPED dude
This. Typewriters aren't slow.
That depends on what type of type writer you have, if its fully mechanical then yes, but not necessarily with electronic ones.
I love how James started getting slowly pulled in, and then instantly snapped out of it when he heard the price
"Okay, I'm on the fence. Is it affordable?"
"No? Excellent! Goodbye!"
The word Riley is looking for is "Word Processor" when talking about a modern type writer. They're not a new idea, this one is just a fancy sell on the idea with wifi and an e-ink display. I've built a couple word processers using custom designed case/keyboard running to a raspi and built in display. You don't need a lot of power when it boots straight into Vim or Ghostwriter/Typora for a GUI oriented approach. I've tried LCD and OLED panels, haven't had good luck with e-ink yet on anything but the camera I built using it as a settings display.
I have three words for you- TRS-80 Model 100. Radio Shack had the distraction free portable writing experience figured out back in 1983! It was smaller with a delay free screen! For straight up typing it would probably work just fine 38 years later. Ok, it didn't have wifi, but you could still transmit your documents over a 300 baud modem! Ha!
my neck would hurt after 15 minutes of using this.
You look like a gay
@@idkanymore3382 You okay dude?
@@idkanymore3382 bruh
@@HollowRoll Ya im all good whats up bro
If you really want a distraction free word processor, just get an old Thinkpad and install a stripped down Linux OS
Yup you should start a business. Buy old Thinkpads for $100. Take out the WiFi card. Install barebones Linux distro. Resell for $900. Genius.
Lol you could even throw in a laptop bag with 5 free hot swappable batteries for free…
@@MoChuang343 you forgot replace the battery. those thinkpads will need it by this point
This is what I'm also thinking minus that OS stuff
And I'm pretty sure you get hipster points for old ThinkPads too
My problem with these "simple just write" devices for creative writing is that they forgot the next step after writing, ie proof reading and editing. Imagine trying to edit something longer than a short story in that device.
It seems like it offers proofreading, spell-checking, and numerous other features. That E-Ink lag though...I could never get over that.
@@kingzach74 With that lag going on I might end up forgetting what Initially comes to my mind
Except that isn't the intention, its largely aimed at drafting, just getting the thoughts down on the page and then editing after (most likely on a second device)
This is a drafting device. It's not for editing. It's also overpriced nonsense.
It is not meant to be used for editing.
After researching myself, I realized that this video misrepresented Freewrite products quite a lot with expensive special edition so...thanks for introducing, thumb down for lack of research.
YFW you spend $900 on a single use product when you could have just turned off the Wi-Fi on your laptop.
And if you have no self control straight up take the wifi card out of your laptop. This product is something else lol
@@lvl5monk297 Or just go to a park or something instead of Starbucks like everyone else.
But honestly at that point it's time to talk to someone about internet addiction lol.
@@terribletruth8201 pens are $1-2, notebooks are like 50 cents, visit to the park is free (and good for health)
Even if you really need a dedicated device for writing that can't do anything else an Alphasmart costs like $30.
@@falconJB on ebay**
they don't make them anymore and if they did, they would probably cost closer to 200 or 300 bucks.
Found and old one of these at the dump a few years ago. It's pretty much only useful as a toy.
We modded it to print off whatever was on the screen on a receipt printer when you pressed "send" so that was fun.
tbh a little thermal printer attachment + a lower latency screen might make it worth 900 freedom eagles and make it actually functional as a typewriter.
you found an alphasmart. most likely, not this. there are 2 entirely different things... though this is an modern 1950's interpretation of that device.
@@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks no, it was a freewrite. Looked exactly like this. Dump was in a really wealthy area
So... you CAN make e-ink screens that update with a much faster refresh, especially in small areas (like the next character) - it's possible to play passable video on an e-ink screen.
It's just... this stuff requires some really complicated designs in the display drivers, and none of e-ink's documentation for using their media doesn't tell you how (it's not an intended use case for it.)
"Ultimate Writer" is an open source project using a Raspberry Pi and e-ink display for a good comparison. They stated the e-ink by default can only refresh every 3 seconds, However by altering how it refreshes a partial refresh within 0.3s was possible.
I'd say what's done in the video is likely similar to that.
Maybe it's something you just get used to? If it's acceptable enough to make a full DIY project then there must be a lot of people who aren't overly bothered by it
"Those are cherry MX browns switches" *Glarses intensifies*
Distractions from my writing experience, is from outside the device being used to write on. Sounds, phone, tv if it’s on, other people around, and just my brain. This is an incredibly niche product.
The niche being people who, subconsciously or not, don't intend to write anything at all. If your last option is buying a $900 implement, then maybe you're not cut out for writing in the first place.
i mean for 900 dollars you could get ok desktop pc a monitor+kbm so yea...no
I have one of these, one of the regular ones, and even though I'm writing articles and blogposts where, like Riley, I need to have sources, I think it has actually paid for itself in extra productivity.
This makes the Tandy model 102 "laptop" I used in school seem so much more high tech... though it only had 24 hours of battery live on four AA batteries, its non-backlit LCD does have much lower latency!
I knew, as soon as the title came on, who'd be reviewing it.
Also, his face is on the thumbnail
8:44 E Ink screens can have low latency, but the issue is that you lose clarity and cleanliness, which is what their target demographic likes more
@@mrlithium69 Agreed, the only way I could excuse such a delayed screen is if the price was lower
@@NigelMelanisticSmith Yeah tbh the lag alone would be a total dealbreaker in the universe where I just CANNOT think of anything better to do with $900 lol
But in seriousness, I *GET* it.I get how each design decision was arrived at, I just don't think anyone really stepped back and went "what the fuck is this thing, who is it for"
@@stitchfinger7678 personally, I could use it since I get eye strain from looking at traditional monitors for too long. But there's already a market for expensive e-ink work gadgets, and this product doesn't do anything new enough, doesn't do anything well enough, and certainly isn't cheap enough to beat competing options imo
@@NigelMelanisticSmith I got a Boox brand E-Ink Android device and a Bluetooth keyboard. Although, reading is much nicer on it, writing is about the same or worse as a display. It isn't actually distractions that keep me from writing... And that likely isn't what is keeping wannabe authors from writing either (although some may claim that).
@@gajbooks I was able to return the one I bought to Amazon, no questions asked.
It was just a bad idea on my part.
Oh my God I was just re-watching your extreme tech upgrade and found out you were Cronan in Lego elves I love that show that’s amazing.
I am a professional writer and I would throw this thing against a wall in like 10 seconds. That lag would kill me, plus I just need to see a bit more of my writing as I'm going. But then I don't actually have that kind of trouble with getting distracted by the internet since I usually have a deadline.
If someone makes a similar product with pi zero for less than $100 I would definitely buy it.
I was just thinking it ought to be possible to do this with a pi for not much
I think you're probably looking more in the $250 range. That gives 80 for the keyboard, 120 for an e-reader and 50 for the chassis and engineering
@@oscarsmith3942 Honestly a mass produced little rasperri pi with a keyboard and chassi would never cost more than 100$
@@llamacannon1714 I find that very hard to believe, since the cost of a mechanical keyboard and a rhassberry pi (with no screen or battery) is already over that. Where is the cost savings going to come from?
... just buy a used Alphasmart Neo 2. It's $80 used and does all that without a stupid eInk display. You're not going to get a new device for cheap because the bulk of the cost is in the injection molded parts and the overhead of small production runs.
This is for hipsters who pretend to do things in their life.
Or cranky old men who refuse to use a computer.
hahahah
You rang?
@@3rdWorldNola We know you don’t talk on the phone
@@CaptainBill22 But you need a computer to do anything with your text once it's written
I have one of the freewrite 2nd gen. I love it and it does help typing. I noticed there is a rhythm for typing that alleviates the extremely problematic delay between keystrokes and the letter showing up on the screen. It slows you down just a tad and really forces you to imagine what you are typing a little more. BUT I'm not defending the atrocious delay and at first it was a deal breaker from me. I rendered it unusable for a while. But then tried again and just forced myself to slow down. I'm making excuses though. I paid 450 I believe or 500 because there was a sale earlier this year.
They said the 3rd edition will reduce the lag.
@@ribbsco2307 Correct. Plus, why should a minor lag matter unless you're a hunt and peck typist who needs to actually see what they type, instead of touch typists who don't need such. This is for churning our DRAFTS, not fine-tuned editing.
When I was in middle and high school (1995ish-2001) I used a word processing device called an alphasmart that this hemingway freewrite really reminds me of. it was a word processor designed specifically for education, it used a reflective non-backlit multi-line low-resolution LCD to save power and lasted MONTHS of active use. it didn't have any networking, but it did allow you to store up to 8 active documents which it kept in ram. the device was STUPID fast (because it was just a word processor), and it emulated a keyboard to get stuff to a computer. you'd plug it in (first via ps/2 or mac adb, later generations of alphasmart got usb hid), you'd hit the send key, and it would send the buffer of the active document character by character into whatever computer you hooked it up to for further editing, finalization, and either printing, e-mailing, or storing on the computer you plugged it into. I had major handwriting trouble when I was younger and I would do all of my classwork and homework via this device which I think cost about $100. it was super durable, and ran on a set of AAA batteries. it was FANTASTIC for distraction-free writing and because it didn't have any networking on it, I was allowed to use it for tests/quizzes as well in many cases (anywhere you'd normally use long-form handwriting at school) - in those cases teachers would occasionally ask to inspect the current document memory to make sure that I didn't have any answers or documentation saved). - you could also dump plain text INTO the document buffer FROM the computer. I remember each morning dumping the latest slashdot and arstechnica articles to the buffers before school each morning and reading them on my way there / in study halls (again, this was before smartphones or even laptops were commonplace. there WERE laptops, but they were expensive, slow, and displays and battery lifetimes were awful so they weren't really an option for a poor kid like me.)
This reminds me of the Alphasmart that we used in school when I was a kid to write papers
Wow, yeah, those short-lived PalmOS devices! Check out the even older TRS-80 Model 100!
This reminds me of the Alpha Smart that I had 20 years ago for writing. That was just a keyboard with a tiny display on the top of it for writing.
And those are only $20 on ebay. Plus I think the LCD displays don't have the lag of e-ink
@@OmikronZeta Also they boot more or less instantly.
Was just wracking my brain about what the device was called thank you!
I was allowed one when I went to secondary school because I couldn't hand write well.
@@freedomofmotion me too! I had one because I needed to type to keep up with assignments.
I daily drive an alphasmart.
So this thing is even bad for writing because of the lag.
YOU HAD ONE JOB
It should have a basic reflective LCD module for the line you're typing and once you press enter the line goes on the epaper display. This way you have quick refresh rate and the battery life would still be very good
I love how you could make a raspberry pi zero version for under $200, and that’s with keyboard, e-ink display and battery included
I like the concept. I think 2.0 should have a screen that flips up and swivels to be an 8.5x11 sheet of paper size e-ink display. That would kind-of simulate paper coming out of the typewriter
I was interested in the kickstarter for this, but reading about cheaper alternatives convinced me to buy an old Alphasmart Neo to achieve mostly the same thing. It really helped me get through grad school.
I had one in special ed in high school and still have fond memories of it. This seems like a very expensive reskin of it. The keyboard is a slight upgrade, but the screen is effectively the same, which is crazy for today's standards. It's even got the same delay between typing and the letters appearing.
I miss the Alphasmart Dana and AlphaSmart Neo. Those things got me through elementary school until I got a laptop
I just want a display that does this. I love my own keyboard. I wish I could just plug it into a display. Seems like that would be much cheaper and just as portable.
@@Kunu_ There's all sorts of portable displays, just a matter of where to get processing power from.
@@thetalesofdaneandco yeah that's kinda what I'm saying. Keyboards and displays at a plenty. Just meet something to marry the two
I used a tool like this without all the flair in school. It was called an Alphasmart and apparently they sell for under $100 on eBay today. I like these types of tools for replacing a notepad for meeting notes or jotting down a memo.
I have tested the Remakable recently (too expensive compared to the versatility of an iPad with Apple Pencil), and the e-ink *is* responsive!
amazing review Riley! Totally worth linus digging you out of that dumpster so many years ago!
Yeah, Central Pahk!
I know it is an inherent limitation of E-ink, but although I love E-ink displays the delay really kills it for this machine.
Dasung has really fast refresh rate eink.
They just used a crappy e ink screen or poor software because e ink can definitely refresh and show new content a hell of a lot faster than this.
@@tompitter930 EXACTLY. This is one of the most expensive e-ink devices out there and yet it has an outdated screen with zero effort put into optimizing its firmware. Genuinely terrible. The fact that people are judging e-ink as a technology based on terribly executed products like this one saddens me. E-ink as a technology definitely deserves a lot more love than it was given whichever incompetent intern designed this.
I like the shell it comes in. It would probably make for a good cyberdeck if you'd change out the screen and hardware.
Or get a 2nd hand retro collectable Z88 or one of those Amstrad NC family (think it was originally a tandy).
But the real question is, will it run Zork?
Watching this video reminds me just how much I've appreciated Riley since he was added to the LTT staff thanks
This is maximally a disaster
You need to mod it! It would sound closer to a real typewrite with some clickies that click both ways and some mean springs. The topper needs to be metal caps or those obnoxious "steampunk" typewriter styled top only keys.
I am joking more than serious so maybe don't. And I wouldn't dare actually request you burn $1k on this nightmare.
@@rallyfeind don't worry, wait six months and someone will realise they've got one of these gathering dust under a desk somewhere and be happy to send it in, after that its only a set of box navy's and some thicc abs double shots away from being only mostly garbage
lmao facts
So as someone who's built some very fun display tech -- you could get basically the same functionality with a transparent LCD panel over an eInk display. The LCD panel updates fast; the eInk is used when you stop typing (e.g. if they detect your hands are off the keyboard). You end up with a very responsive display that's very low-power while it's not being actively updated. There is a bit of a noticeable flicker with my setup because the pixels look slightly different, but I also hand-bodged it together out of spare parts, and I'm sure a proper factory could do it better. It also doesn't look *quite* as nice as plain eInk, but again, I bodged mine together. A factory-made one would be better. (It still doesn't need a backlight though! The reflectivity of the eInk basically functions as one, and it still looks mostly paperlike under sunlight.)
The downside, ofc, is that you don't get *as much* power savings as a pure eInk display, and you risk some lag if your detection of "about to start" is off -- but it's still very neat tech.
Get a Psion Series 7 (not the Netbook) for writing. It has a good keyboard, no distractions and you easily inserted sketches with the touchscreen. Ideal for writing short stories or note taking. Texts can be saved on the Compact Flash card.
Broke: turns on DND on their laptop and installs siteblockers and such.
Woke: gets the Freewrite.
Woke: Doesn't pay $900 for an eReader with a big keyboard....
turns on dungeons and dragons
Or, you know, a pen and paper
The Traveler makes more sense to me overall. I did look at it, but it's too expensive too. It's hard to justify because there are so many distraction free software alternatives for writers already.
Tho I understand that the main idea is that if you cannot see the precedent paragraph (or it takes time to go back and it's frustrating to do), you won't go back and edit at all.
As for me, I do my first drafts in notebooks using a fountain pen to avoid wrist pain for long writing sessions. I cannot go back and edit, and I can just cross out words and continue when I make mistakes. (I used to edit way too much when drafting back when I did all the steps on my laptop.)
I think this product is for professional writers, not for people who write as a hobby. It's too expensive considering even the "cheap" versions are the price of a Chromebook.
This seems interesting if not for the screen. With actual typewriter you can easily refer back to the pages you’ve written. With this small screen and low refresh rate, it would be a pain to scroll back and see what you wrote. Also I don’t know what kind of word processing solution this offers but taking what you’ve written and put it in manuscript or the format of your choice later will take some work as well probably.
imagine spending upwards of $900 for what could've been a sweet, lightning fast laptop, but instead you opt for this
I would take this to a coffee shop to prove that I'm writing my novel while eating avacado toast.
This instantly reminds of my old AlphaSmart Neo in its intent and look. Hell, the Neo even had the same delay between typing and the letters appearing.
Weird my neo had almost no lag, much less than this
I still use a Neo2 for writing. No delay and the battery lasts months.
Still got my alpha smart and it’s still great.
There are ways for an Eink screen to update quicker. I have a Eink device that I can sketch with, and its near instant when sketching, but slower when doing a full display refresh. I think there could be an eink screen that does have quick updating of new characters being typed. Just would take some special hardware to drive the screen.
James describes the product
Riley stares in confusion- that’s the whole idea…
This seems like a complicated solution to disabling your network card.
Rich people problems
@@user-yv3df3md4y 1st world problems. Is what I assume you mean
@@newspaper199 Even most people in the first world don't need this sort of thing, this is strictly for the rich.
@@falconJB This specific product are for people with a pit of money but needing a product that offers a distraction free solution to typing is not just for "rich" people
I wish somebody would invest millions in e-ink R&D and develop a 30~60fps e-ink screen.
Just imagine phones that don't need charging once a week, monitors that don't cause eye fatigue... that'll be the dream.
As for phones: look into Hisense A5 CC and Hisense A7 CC.
As for displays: Dasung makes a nice 25" one.
Neither of them are quite anywhere near 30fps yet, but certainly both are a fuckton better than the piece of garbage they lazily slapped on the Freewrite. The Freewrite display looks like they put absolutely zero effort into optimizing its firmware, despite the fact this would be easier for them than for either of the two companies mentioned earlier since their device has such a very specific use-case so they don't have to worry about optimizing it for anything other than just putting text on the screen more quickly.
The design give me vibes of the trs-80 model 100. FAR too young to actually remember it ever in production. But bought one used around 2006.
oh yeah I've seen ads for this device... on my perfectly good iPad with a keyboard funnily enough
WOW... literally ANY laptop running vanilla Arch + vim/nano can do this
Or my current personal favorite, Tilde
Any computer from the late 80s and onward can be a word processor like this
I'm shocked by the lag, that's just nuts. I had a Brother Power Note during my university days and not only did that load up quicker, I don't remember there being such a lag from keystroke to screen.
I LOVE THAT... OMG