If the romantic notion of tapping away on a typewriter, secluded in a cabin, preferably with a bottle of scotch, appeals to you – The Hemingwrite is the solution for a modern day tech-capable gadget that feels like an Old School portable typewriter.
A new digital product for writing developed by Adam Leeb and Patrick Paul, the Hemingwrite was one of 20 new hardware devices that competed in this month’s 2014 Engadget.com Insert Coin competition. The competition highlighted electronic hardware inventions from around the world culminating with the top teams invited to the Engadget Tech Conference in New York. Early startups which not have received any angel- or venture- capital financing and have not yet shipped to consumers were eligible.
Although the Hemingwrite did not win the competition (I’ll be blogging about what did soon enough), the feedback, reviews and online support are enough to convince Leeb and Paul to carry the Hemingwrite through to production.
The Hemingwrite provides the distraction-free environment people crave while also giving them a familiar keyboard and a robust digital experience. People don’t have to fuss with ribbons, jammed hammers or spilling coffee on their manuscript anymore. The Hemingwrite will help you put words on a page better than any other tool ever made. And with constant backups to the cloud, you never have to worry about losing your work.
“What the Kindle did for reading, we want to do for writing,” said cofounder Patrick Paul of Hamtramck, Michigan. “Adam and I are huge fans of the simplicity of a typewriter but using one is tiresome and outdated. We set out to deliver the same distraction-free writing experience of a typewriter with all of the added benefits of modern technology: backups to the cloud, e-paper display, Cherry MX keyboard switches — and nothing else.”
“I think what we created with our prototype is the best possible writing experience,” added cofounder Adam Leeb. “We combined all of the best aspects of the typewriter, the Moleskine, and the computer to create a modern classic.”
Technical Specs*:
• 6? E Ink screen
• Die-cast aluminum case
• Instant On
• Ultra low power consumption
• Mechanical keyboard with customizable Cherry MX switches
• Evernote and Google Docs API integration for constant backups
• Wifi and Bluetooth LE
• Approximately 4lbs
• 8? L x 10? W x 2.5? H
* Preliminary specifications. These are subject to change as the product is developed for production
Features:
• 6+ week projected battery life – Pull a Thoreau and take the Hemingwrite to your off-the-grid cabin in the woods
• 1 million+ page memory – Never worry about having to delete old documents
• Best typing experience with the highest quality mechanical keyboard switches – remember those old keyboards with great tactile feedback? This is like that but better.
• Daylight readable, high contrast screen with backlight for writing indoors, outdoors in the daytime or at night
• Syncs with your favorite cloud apps like Evernote and Google Docs so you can review and edit your documents later
• Beautiful retro-modern design with built-in handle for easy portability
Team
Adam Leeb – Lead Designer – An MIT grad with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Adam has finally found a way to put some of his technical skills to use. With his career bouncing around from the government to finance to nutritional supplements, he is happy to be working on a consumer electronics product that he loves. He can be found at adamleeb.com and @iamadamleeb.
Patrick Paul – Software Developer – Patrick is the full-stack developer at Gridpar.com and an MSU grad with a degree in International Relations. He currently lives in Hamtramck, Michigan, and can be found online at @pztrick.
Sign up at their site here to be kept abreast of the latest developments and the production of the Hemingwrite.
Hemingwrite is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, visit https://www.hemingwrite.com.