I recently wanted a tool to write on, like a typewriter, which would keep me safe from distractions.
I did a bunch of research and finally settled on the AlphaSmart Neo 2, in large part because of this thread.
So far, I have to say, I’m absolutely loving it. It’s just you and the keyboard. You can edit your words, but not much else. There are 8 files you can write into, which are each accessed by a dedicated key. It’s very easy to get your words onto a computer via a standard USB cable. And it’s extremely cheap. They are no longer in production but you can get them on eBay for $20-30 (although to get one shipped internationally like I was, you’re looking at another $40-50). It’s like an outlet for my creativity which isn’t my screen, and which isn’t as inconvenient or slow as writing on paper. It’s got me writing far, far more. Previously I’d been scared to write, because I didn’t want to be on my laptop even more than I have to be every day.
I’d recommend for anyone who wants something to write on that’s digital, convenient, but non-distracting.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this area!
Some other tools I considered but didn’t go for:
Freewrite: https://getfreewrite.com/. Was really expensive ($400+) and didn’t have the ability to edit your text in any way
Old-school typewriter. They are all seriously heavy and you need paper, and you can’t get it into digital format for later editing without a lot of pain
Raspberry Pi + keyboard + screen. Was surprisingly hard to find a boring non-backlit screen, and would have been tricky to make
Cheap laptop with no internet connection. Still would have some distractions like Minesweeper, and I didn’t want the colour screen
P.S. Is there an area of HTC for recommending tools?
That device reminds me of a Brother LW-20 typewriter I once got in my hands. I never used it though.
Just curious: is that practical, such a small screen? It seems that it takes quite some effort to see what you’ve written before. Is that part of the appeal?
Raspberry Pi + keyboard + screen. Was surprisingly hard to find a boring non-backlit screen, and would have been tricky to make
Cheap laptop with no internet connection. Still would have some distractions like Minesweeper, and I didn’t want the colour screen
And this makes me think. I used to be into installing Linux distros on USB sticks (eg. Puppy Linux) to transform locked-down school computers into versatile machines. There was a distro for everything.
What if you had such a USB stick? It has a heavily modded Linux OS. On boot, it directly opens a very minimal typewriter app, fullscreen. No internet functions. Text is autosaved onto a different USB partition that you can read in the regular OS.
Maybe someone made this already! The most annoying part is probably booting from the USB.
@loundy Very excited and not at all surprised that you also have an AlphaSmart! How long have you had it and do you have any tips on how to use it?
@thorgalle The small screen is pretty decent. You can choose how many lines of text it shows (from 2 to 6). I have it at 4, which is pretty standard from what I’ve read of other AlphaSmart users’ experiences, and it honestly feels OK to go back and see previous words. Definitely not ideal, but you get used to it. And I think the slight friction of that does help you keep writing and focus on getting the right words out the first time. I am finding that at the moment once I’ve written up a pretty decent draft, I do want to stick it on my computer for full on editing. But I think I may trend towards doing even this on the AlphaSmart.
As for your USB stick idea, that is very, very cool indeed, and I’d be interested in something like that for sure. Also agree that making the part around booting seamless is likely to need some manual set up on any system, although I’m not an expert in this stuff. (Maybe not actually - maybe it’s just a question of hitting the keyboard shortcut when your computer boots up and selecting to boot from that drive.)
@louisbarclay I have had one of these “e-ink typewriters” for a while now and find it to be a great little device! I don’t use it that often lately, but when able I have taken it to coffee shops often and just left everything else behind. I like the ability to write without distraction and this is small enough to literally fit in a large pocket. I have used an eink Android tablet in the past as well, and have the portable version of the Freewrite on order though the kickstarter is several years old now and I don’t know that I will see the product. Hopefully other devices like these will keep being developed as I know there are many authors who want alternative solutions the rabbit hole of distractions that is the modern day laptop.
First thing in the morning. Before you have time to think too much. I journal into it. I don’t mind pen/paper too, but something about closing my eyes and typing my thoughts is particularly refreshing. It’s fast (in the good way)
