The Freewrite Alpha is a follow-up to the original $649 Freewrite and the $499 portable Freewrite Traveler from 2020. Like its predecessors, the Wi-Fi-enabled typewriter is free of distractions like web browsers and emails to help you focus on writing. After you're done, the tool wirelessly syncs your documents to software services like Google Drive and Dropbox so you can edit and share your documents.
However, the Alpha ditches the e-ink display in favor of a reflective monochrome LCD, bringing costs down. It also now comes with just one screen instead of two, and although the original weighs about half as much, it's heavier than the Traveler.
On the other hand, Astrohaus promises that the Alpha will have a much longer battery life of up to 100 hours while still supporting USB-C. The Alpha also brings back the mechanical switches that the Traveler lacked, offering low-profile Kailh Choc V2 switches that are slimmer than the Kailh Box Brown switches found on the original model. The new typewriter also lets you move the cursor around the document in the same way a traveler does, an ability not available in the original model.
News of the Alpha's shipping date comes after Astrohaus raised $446,742 via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched in 2022. The company began fulfilling orders earlier this year and gave early backers an $80 discount.
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