Hemingwrite

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Jamesaritchie

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Let's see. I own a laptop. So while we might argue that it isn't entirely free (electricity, depreciation, the cost of renewing the anti virus software), it's a damn sight less expensive than a wholly new machine. With less functionality than the laptop.

Backup to the cloud? Does that mean we have no backup when we not connected to the cloud? Spending weeks or months in that log cabin with no USB stick or DVD drive to back up to?

The screen may be bigger or better than some others, but that's like saying that rabies is not as lethal as ebola. It's not as good as my laptop's screen.

Lack of a mouse? A flexible pointing device for selecting text and moving it around or carrying out operations on that text independently of the rest of the document?

Not sure what my age has to do with anything, but for the record I am 50 and have been using computers for well over 30 years. I've lost count of the number of computers that I have owned or worked on.

Yes, there are writers who have written on a cell phone. That doesn't mean that we are all going to rush out and do it.

This is one of the oldest debates on the internet - and even before the internet. Someone buys product X and then defends it against someone else who has bought product Y. Think Apple vs PC, Apple vs Samsung, Nike vs Adidas, Pepsi vs Coke, Ferrari vs GM, Xbox vs PS.

This thing has some positives. The battery life should be good. It ought to be relatively light. It should be better than trying to type a novel on a cell phone.

But you are not going to persuade me to buy one, just as I am not going to persuade you of its negatives. It's a product that will suit some people but not others. All we can do is judge it by our own individual needs and preferences.

What debate? If you don't wish to write this way, or with a typewriter, or out in the woods with no electricity, then don't do so. No one is trying to make you, or cares even a tiny little bit one way or the other. There is no debate about it.

Th indisputable fact is that it works for me, and for a lot of others. And by "works", I mean we write better, faster, and more polished with less effort this way, and what we write sells. There is excel;lent scientific evidence to show why this is true.

Other things, such as the clod backup, have been explained. If you can back up to the cloud, you can then back up to any and all devices in existence. Anyone who has used the cloud at all should know this.

As for not being as good asyour laptop's screen, what the blanket-blank does that have to do with anything? This has exactly zilch to do with comparing anything to your laptop, to my desktop, or to a Robin Williams fart joke.

If you love your laptop, and you're happy with it, then use it, and more power to you. No one, no one, has tried to sell you one of these things, or a manual typewriter, or anything else, and no one has tried to talk you into using one. No one cares whether you do or don't.

This is simply something that interests some writers, who are expressing said interest in this thread. That's all it is. I hope you are your laptop are very happy together, and write many bestsellers.
 

Dezibela

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I like the idea of it's simplicity, but the only way it would be distraction-free for me would be if it were glued to a desk in a soundproof, lead-lined room in my basement. If someone gave me one, though, I can see using it on weekend trips & such, when I may want to write but don't want to be intruded upon by the outside world.
 

Emermouse

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Dezibela, I suspect even if I was given a lead-lined soundproof writing room in my basement, I'd still find something with which to distract myself. Writing's hard and whenever I set down, my brain always tries to find an excuse so it doesn't have to sit and focus so long on what is often a monotonous task. I'm afraid that no matter where you go, distractions will be with you; you just have to learn how to work around them, using whatever works for you.
 

BenPanced

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Dezibela, I suspect even if I was given a lead-lined soundproof writing room in my basement, I'd still find something with which to distract myself. Writing's hard and whenever I set down, my brain always tries to find an excuse so it doesn't have to sit and focus so long on what is often a monotonous task. I'm afraid that no matter where you go, distractions will be with you; you just have to learn how to work around them, using whatever works for you.
If I had a lead-lined soundproof writing room of my own, I'd find a way to get comfortable to take more naps.
 

Once!

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James - oh dear. The OP's question - the whole point of this thread was - "what do you guys think?" That's the debate. It is what this thread is about.

There is only "no debate" if someone tries to stifle one.

The Hemmingwrite is a product. A piece of consumer electronics. Some people will like it, some won't. Those who like it will sing its praises. Those who don't like it will point out its flaws. And the OP has invited those comments in this thread - "what do you guys think?"

You see a device that helps you write better. That's fine. You are free to express that opinion. And this thread is a good place to express that opinion because the starting question was "what do you guys think?"

I see a device with limited functionality. If its one and only backup facility is to the cloud then it offers no backup in situations where the cloud is not available. I would feel more comfortable with a USB port or a DVD rewriter.

The size of the screen is absolutely fundamental. With a full laptop screen I can have several documents open at once. I can copy and paste between them - with a mouse! I can change the size of the font to show me what a full printed page will look like. I can do research on the fly on the internet. I can work on documents with diagrams, maps, statistics. I can - and do - have Word, Chrome, Excel and Photoshop open at the same time, hopping between them.

And when I want to write pure fiction, I close everything down except Word. Hey presto - a distraction free device.

These things matter to me and the kind of writing that I do. They may not matter to you. That's fair enough. But this thread is not about "why is the Hemmingwrite wonderful?". It's answering the question "what do you guys think?"

And most of us are trying to answer that question without making snide comments about each other.
 

Bicyclefish

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Has anyone heard of this new "distraction free" e-typewriter? [...] I think it seems like a pretty cool device. I certainly find myself getting distracted a lot of the time. What do you guys reckon?

As Once pointed out, this is a thread asking for people's opinions, and this is mine*:

I don't think it's pretty. I think the design looks like cheap molded plastic reminiscent of the late 80s/early 90s and the Alphasmart looks nicer. Perhaps the pictures may not do it justice, and maybe they're going for a retro feel, but I'd personally prefer something that looks more like an old style mechanical typewriter. Also I'd want a cover of some kind since the portability and durability is one of the selling points. Maybe the screen and keys itself are sturdy enough without a cover, but I personally feel one could be added for the price tag.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND MONEY TO WRITE

Often feels like people are more focused with spending money to look like they're doing something than actually doing it. I don't mean to imply anyone who likes or wants a Hemingwrite is doing this, but in the end it's just another tool. I see a lot of folk buy the latest tech, software and how to guides to "break into" art, yet they don't do the one thing that really matters: draw.

Dezibela, I suspect even if I was given a lead-lined soundproof writing room in my basement, I'd still find something with which to distract myself. Writing's hard and whenever I set down, my brain always tries to find an excuse so it doesn't have to sit and focus so long on what is often a monotonous task. I'm afraid that no matter where you go, distractions will be with you; you just have to learn how to work around them, using whatever works for you.

Yup. Most people today travel with at least a smart phone they're reluctant to shut off or ignore. Then there's kids, random daily thoughts and concerns in your head, alien telepaths telling you to eat all the scones within walking distance...


* And this is someone else's: http://cheapietheatre.blogspot.com/2014/10/hemingwrite-next-alphasmart.html
 
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Kylabelle

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Mod note: Thanks, people -- lets keep snide comments for our road rage activities, and out of this thread. If you have passionately strong opinions, find ways to express them without taking skin off of somebody else.

Peace out.
 
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