Congratulations on (finally!) receiving your (fully functioning!) Freewrite. And just in time for Christmas! I hope you do a lot of great writing on it.
The Zerowriter Ink’s display looks really fast. It’s an open source hardware/software project, and the creator has been able to leverage code and advice from a number of other developers in the writerdeck community. This is particularly true when it comes to maximizing repsonsiveness of the e-ink display–he’s really been able to optimize it.
I suspect it’s faster than the Freewrite, but you’ll have to tell me. Check out the demo video at the top of his latest project update. Let me know what you think.
I suspect it’s a combination of the hardware limitations for a given e-ink display (the Zerowriter Ink uses the Inkplate 5) and how well the software designer works within those constraints to maximize performance. But I’m not a hardware guy, so just guessing.
Yeah, its case is nowhere near the luxury of the Freewrite Smart Typewriter’s aluminium body, but that’s by design. The Ink’s inspiration, same as the Freewrite Alpha, is the Alphasmart Neo. A light-weight, instant-on, distraction-free device you can toss in a bag and use anywhere. IMHO the Ink compares favorably to the Alpha, having a much better display and price. Its only flaw (for me) is lack of backlighting, but I can work around that.
Mine is supposed to ship early second quarter. I’ll let you know how I feel about it then!
Yes, I agree. But at that point, it would be a choice between the Freewrite Alpha and the Zeroink. The Alpha is instantaneous due to the LCD display’s refresh rate.
I think they realised the lack of backlighting was holding many people back, and they released other versions with the backlight — which for a portable device is a must in my opinion.
It is definitely good news for more competition — always welcome.
reMarkable 2 tablet with a Type Folio works great for me. I have tried the Freewrite typewriter and, while I love the look, I didn’t enjoy it. it has a small screen and I found it clunk in terms of how it sat on my body as I used it. also, with Type Folio, given a little practice, you can use bold and italics, though it takes a little pratice when it comes to remembering which keys to use.
If you check out some of the videos of the Zerowriter, the refresh rate looks way better than any Freewrite device I’ve seen in action. Not that I’m overly critical of the refresh rate on my gen 2 Freewrite. Some people do get a bit hung up on it.
Un Kyu Lee, the maker of the MicroJournal line of distraction-free writing devices, has announced a new model, a smart typewriter he calls the Micro Journal Rev 7. Should be available in February.
This one will be his first e-ink device. It will also be the first one with a staggered keyboard. The others were ortholinear, which I didn’t even know was a thing. Being a smart typewriter, it will be a bit larger & less portable than his other writer decks.
But, like all the others, it will be open source software & hardware. You can DIY completely or buy the components from him or he’ll build a completed device for you. He’s a South Korean living in Italy, so that’s where stuff would ship from.
I’ve reached the conclusion this guy is an artist and a visionary. He builds these things because he loves them. You can see examples of his other Micro Journals and download code/3D printer specs/component lists on Github and buy product on his Tindie page.
I don’t have a use case for the Rev 7–the Zerowriter Ink looks perfect for what I want–but if we had a bigger house and a place to put a Rev 7, I’d buy one, just cause it looks cool, is probably awesome to write on, and I want to support him. Like his other models, it’ll likely be in high demand with a long waiting list, as he builds each one himself.
That looks great! Interesting nugget of info in that Reddit thread: he’s been talking with the maker of the Zerowriter about a future collaboration. So who knows how awesome that will be?!!
Yeah, agreed, those two would probably come up with something great. Hopefully Adam (the Zerowriter guy) can give him some tips about increasing the responsiveness of the Rev 7’s e-ink display.
I looks nice, indeed, but not very ergonomic. Same for other devices in this category that feature a display more or less at the same angle as (and too close to) the keyboard. Including the much-admired legacy AlphaSmarts.
I saw! Looking forward to getting my fingers on it…
The use case, for me at least, is a portable, instant on device for throwing down ideas, notes, etc. in bed or on the go. My desk, monitors, and mech keyboard would probably still be where I do most of my work.
But we’ll see! This is all a big experiment for me.
@November_Sierra E-ink does tend to be very readable when viewed from various angles, but I get your point. I can only know for sure once I get my hands on one!
E-Ink solves the viewing angle problem, but not the posture problem. You can’t comfortably type at eye level when the keyboard is attached to the display. So you end up looking down. (Even pen and paper on a table in front of you: same issue).
I hope you do a lot of great writing on it.
Being a smart typewriter, it will be a bit larger & less portable than his other writer decks.
