A Brief Review of the Freewrite

Astrohaus’ new “smart typewriter”

Okay, so it’s a word processor. After what must have seemed an interminable wait to Kickstarter backers, the Freewrite is finally here.

The first thing I noticed was the superlative design and engineering. Nothing feels tacked on, underdeveloped, or cheap. The handle — which could easily have been a plastic bar with two plastic pins — has heft and an internal mechanism that ensures that it is either solidly in the open or closed position. The switches actually switch with authority. The paint on the aluminum body looks black, but in direct light reveals very subtle rainbow sparkles. And I just noticed that the slight dips on the sides of the top panel are clearly intentional so that the device can be gripped by the side and carried with one hand. They must have spent so much time on the tactile experience of the Freewrite. The whole thing is just really thoughtful.

This is my first time using a mechanical keyboard and oh boy, the nerds were right. Key presses aren’t squishy, and there’s a little more than a simple click. It’s a sort of a *fthk*. It’s like the sound of matte black, textured yet soft. It’s much more satisfying than the keyboard on my little chromebook, or the standard-issue keyboard hooked up to my work computer. The inherent act of typing is pretty joyful.

The screen is very legible. I read a review by someone who complained about the delay , but unless you need to see every letter the second you hit the key, that quarter of a second doesn’t make a difference. The backlit e-ink screen is exactly what you want on a device like this.

Syncing is totally seamless once set up (which takes less than two minutes). It’s great. I don’t think about saving my work at all. I have been syncing with Evernote, which won’t let me edit any notes that were written on my Freewrite, but it’s easy to copy and paste so it doesn’t much matter.

To address the major gripes I’ve heard:

“It’s too expensive.” The design and manufacturing prove to me that this is a $500 device. As a serious writer who wants a minimal-friction interface for heavy use, the price is justified. The price is what it’s worth, even if it’s not worth it to you.

“Why not just get an AlphaSmart?” For those who don’t know, an AlphaSmart is basically a standard keyboard with a calculator screen at the top. Honestly, if that’s what you want, get it. Pro: It’s a device that costs $450 less. Con: It’s a device that costs $450 less. Knock your socks off.

“This is hipster trash.” Ugh… Look, what you’re saying is you don’t believe anyone really sees value in this thing. You’re accusing them of being disingenuine, of acting in bad faith. Don’t be such a basic narcissist.

I’ll be honest, the thing isn’t perfect. The software stills needs work, but I’m confident that’s just a matter of time. I want new sleep screens (Asimov is alright, I don’t like Poe, I don’t know the third person; I just want something neutral). The intermediary system, Postbox, needs developing. Most importantly, there should be a document overview screen and the ability to go back a few lines and make small edits. These things alone won’t turn the Freewrite from a drafting machine into an editing machine (you still wouldn’t be able to copy/cut/paste). I just think they’re reasonable features. Again, the device is meant to be a drafting machine so the experience isn’t broken for me by not having these things yet.

I think the true beauty of the Freewrite is that it reduces the friction of writing more than any other vehicle I’ve used. Computers are obviously distracting, and willpower is a finite resource. That’s why I bought a typewriter. However, even my gorgeous, top-of-the-line Olympia SM9 is not ideal. The thing isn’t really portable (and it would look silly in a cafe), the keys take effort to push, and once I’m done I have to retype all of my pages into the computer. The Freewrite is a perfect compromise that allows for nearly frictionless writing.

Overall, I’d say that I’m a very happy camper, and can easily see the Freewrite being my go-to drafting tool for the indefinite future.