![]() I wanted to test the Freewrite for myself, but the small startup that makes them doesn’t have many on hand to loan out for reviews. Sometimes gadgets that look meh on paper turn out to be great when delivered, and sometimes the opposite is true. I’ve been tracking this device since it was just a gleam in KickStarter’s eye and I wasn’t super impressed back then. All prices are correct at the time of publication.In light of the podcast episode praising the AlphaSmart, several listeners have asked about the Freewrite, a new device that seems similar but with some updates. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. While Freewrite devices are expensive, I can say from experience that they can really help you focus on writing, provided you can get away from your phone, of course.Īll products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. It’s a long wait for this product, but the current $249 price point is a lot more affordable than any Freewrite before it - so if this device catches your eye Yours, might be worth checking out on Indiegogo. If you’re interested, the aforementioned Indiegogo campaign is live now, but devices aren’t expected to ship until July 2023. For the old school among us, you can also connect the Alpha to a computer and retrieve the local files via its USB-C port (this is also used for charging). ![]() You don’t need to use this proprietary service either, as the Alpha can also back up to Evernote, Dropbox or Google Drive. Everything you write is automatically saved to the device locally, and assuming you connect it to WiFi – everything is also backed up to the cloud and available in the Freewrite Postbox web app. The Alpha has a lot in common with other Freewrite models. Freewrites in the past didn’t have specific battery ratings Astrohouse just say they last weeks between charges. Regarding battery life, the Alpha should last about 100 hours. But on the other hand, the refresh rate should be much faster. But it likely won’t be as easy on the eyes as the E Ink screen on other Freewrites. You can scroll back and see what you wrote and use the WASD keys to move your cursor, but I’ve found that most of the time, I just plow ahead and write.Īstrohaus says the LCD display is reflective and uses ambient light, so it’s not quite like looking at a glowing rectangle like your phone or iPad. Given that Freewrites are designed specifically for drafting rather than editing, this shouldn’t be too much of a concern, but you desire See less copy on this device than on other devices. This is a smaller screen than the already small displays on other Freewrite models It can display between two and six lines of text, depending on the font size you use. It is also the first Freewrite to use an LCD display rather than the E Ink screens of the other models. My guess is that they’ll have a lot more travel than the laptop-style keyboard in the Traveler, though they probably won’t provide the same typing experience you’ll get with the Kailh Box Brown keyboard in a smart-sized typewriter. Despite the small size, it still has a full-sized mechanical keyboard with Kailh Choc V2 low-profile switches. The Freewrite Alpha is a small two-pound slate with a flip-out stand that probably isn’t quite as portable as the Traveler, but should still be pretty easy to carry with you just about anywhere. It’s still not cheap, but it’s half the price of the Freewrite Traveler while still offering the same core features as the rest of the lineup. The most important thing to know is that the Alpha will be priced at $349, or $249 if you purchase through the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign which starts today. Today, though, Astrohouse unveils a third device they’ve been teasing for a few weeks now, the Freewrite Alpha. If you’re a serious writer, there’s a lot to like about it, but it’s certainly not cheap Astrohaus, the company behind the Freewrite, even raised the prices of its products earlier this year, including the full-size model and the portable-style Freewrite Traveler. ![]() It allows you to draft text with an excellent keyboard and zero distractions. Last year I tried the Freewrite Smart Typewriter – an expensive, disposable E Ink typewriter that does one thing very well.
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