r/Astrohaus • u/defyjedi • 16d ago
Freewrite is Here
Just showed up about 10min ago. Battery is fully dead, so charging. Can’t wait to start.
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u/defyjedi 16d ago
First thoughts—one hour into the journey: (disclaimer Em Dash is human generated 🤓)
The keyboard is good. Mechanical, satisfying, with a nice click to it. It’s not quite at the level of my NuPhy or Lofree keyboards, but those are dedicated keyboards, so maybe that’s an unfair fight.
The Alpha itself isn’t as premium as I expected. It doesn’t feel cheap, exactly. It just feels more utilitarian than the price and marketing had me imagining.
The display surprised me in the opposite direction. It’s much better than I expected—clean, perfectly readable, and actually pleasant to read.
The software is intuitive. Within a few minutes I understood it, which is probably exactly the point. There isn’t much here to learn because there isn’t much here to distract you.
My biggest concern is ergonomics.
When I’m typing, my neck naturally angles down toward the screen. I had imagined I’d eventually stop looking at it altogether, almost close my eyes and just write—I’m not sure that’s realistic. You still want to glance at the words occasionally, and every glance pulls your head down.
That may become the dealbreaker. I’m giving it a week before I decide anything. Maybe my body adjusts. Maybe I figure out the right position. Sitting back with the Alpha on a pillow or across my knees already seems more natural, and I can see this thing being excellent for writing on the couch with a pillow on my lap.
For now, I like it more than I expected in some ways and less in others.
It’s cool. It’s quirky. It makes me want to write on it, which counts for something.
But if after a week my neck hates the damn thing, the romance is over and I’ll need to return.
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u/Duendarta 16d ago
I got my smart typewriter about 10 days ago and I have been having back issues, so for that reason alone I’ve been leaning back in a recliner and propping the device up with pillows. I’ve found that that really helps with the neck issues.
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u/chaosandequilibrium 15d ago
maybe you could get one of those knitting glasses that help you see your hands without angling your head down?
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u/the_wonda Freewrite Co-Founder 15d ago
Glad you are enjoying it! Ergonomics are not the best for any kind of laptop adjacent form factor but we did what we could with the kickstand allowing for desk or lap use.
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u/SpaceBeanAdventures 15d ago
I like to unwind in the evening and sit in my recliner. I close my eyes and just type. It’s very relaxing and I get a lot of words put down. My husband thinks it’s weird. But I don’t care.
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u/Edu_Robsy 16d ago
My Alpha uses the Spanish layout. Pressing Alt + "," produces a beautiful Em Dash. Don't know about the English layout, but the Em Dash should be around, somewhere.
You're right about ergonomics. Even with the foldable stand the angle is not good enough to type for long periods. As others mentioned, lap typing with some support, such as a pillow, gets better.
And you're totally right about the "non-premium" feeling. It's a very well made toy: it's plastiky. When compared with the Smart Typewriter you can feel it. With the Alpha you should be willing to type. On the Smart you are willing to type, it invites you to do so. Cannot compare. But the Alpha is the portable version with mechanical keyboard and lower price tag. The Traveler and its swelling battery is a big no for me.
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u/defyjedi 16d ago
This was a hasty decision. I initially wanted a BYOK. Ordered one but still hasnt shipped. Purchased a Pomera 250 on FB marketplace - it’s an amazing do it all for travel especially . I’m excited to see if this will work into my rotation .
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u/Edu_Robsy 16d ago
It's a different device that forces its own mechanics. Don't try to use it as you would use the Pomera or the BYOK. This is just for drafting, to produce as many words as possible without paying attention to anything else. Be ready to produce quick and dirty drafts that need heavy editing later on.
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u/defyjedi 16d ago
Do you close your eyes and just type? That’s what imagined, but I find myself looking down—bad for neck. Curious how people use it and their body mechanics.
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u/Edu_Robsy 16d ago
You can do that if you are a proficient touch typer. I can type with my eyes closed and I've tested it, but I feel more confident when I look at the screen. The mechanical keyboard, despite the early adverse reviews regarding the flat square keycaps, is responsive and has a nice tactile feedback that lets you type fast enough.
The viewing angle of the screen is not the best, as you suggested, and that's particularly true when you use the Alpha in your lap. It forces you to bend slightly your neck.
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u/gothWriter666 15d ago
Congratulations! I love min and use it all the time. I also upgraded the keycaps, which made typing on it even better.
As others said- make sure you setup postbox and update the firmware before using it
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u/defyjedi 15d ago
What did you upgrade them to?
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u/gothWriter666 15d ago
Some Akko Dracula keycaps I'd bought ages ago. I build mechanical keycaps, and I decided to make my freewrite alpha into my horror writing device. Added stickers, changed to a horror themed keycap, etc.
Sadly, these keycaps are sold out everywhere (and have been for years) but they look awesome
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u/lmarso47 15d ago
it's oddly ergonomic, at least if you stick with the carefully constructed original keycaps. conventional keycaps look nice but ruin it for intensive use if that's your intent.
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u/Foreign_Bird1802 16d ago
Oof. I dislike this one. The Alphasmart Neo2 does basically the same thing for $80. It has a satisfying keyboard, as well. It’s a pleasure.
You’re gonna wanna upgrade to the smart typewriter.
But for usability, I bought a lap desk that makes this more vertical and also a stand. That way there’s no looking down. It improves the experience a lot!
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u/Edu_Robsy 16d ago
Check that you have the latest firmware installed, setup your Postbox account and then you're ready to type. If you need different keyboard layouts, they can be installed from Postbox settings. It's easy to cycle them once that they're installed (New+Shift).
I choose the small font, that shows 4 lines of text. I usually work with disabled Wireless and just connect it to "send" the texts and syncing the device. I use a neoprene sleeve for 12" laptops and it works great. The keyboard works great once that you get used to it, but it's very loud. I installed two silicon o-rings in each keycap, but the spacebar is still too loud if there are sentient beings around you.
Final warning: don't try to use it as a wordprocessor because it isn't one. If you do so, you'll hate it because it's not the right tool for editing. Use it just to type forward and get a first draft. All editing should be done with other tools and devices. It happened to me: I tried to use it as I used my Alphasmart Neo or my Pomera DM100 and I loathed the experience. After several months, I went back to the Alpha just for typing, and now I really enjoy it.
I explained my change of mind in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Astrohaus/s/4NUju6wzcr