Machines of rare device - and price

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sippog

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After reading a recent article about the effects of blue light on laboratory rats (brain shrinkage and impaired mental faculties) I became concerned. I can’t be the only writer to spend a large part of the day staring at a computer screen. There are eyeglasses you can buy that help filter out this light but I don’t know how effective they really are.

Added to this, I have noticed a quite marked deterioration in my eyesight recently which might be only due to my age - but one can’t help worrying.

I looked into the possibility of buying a different device to work on but the only practical solution seemed to be an e-ink screen - like the Kindle - and the few options I discovered were very expensive.

When I first heard about the Freewriter, the so-called ‘yuppie typewriter’, it did seem to offer some sort of solution and I bought one. (I notice there was a thread on here about them but it’s been closed.) It has the matte screen and e-ink and its limited editing facilities didn’t particularly bother somebody who once wrote on real typewriters.

And it’s fine as far as it goes but it has one serious restriction - it can only be used for first time drafting. You cannot edit and then reload your manuscript which strikes me as perverse and makes it about half as useful as it might be. The aesthetic the makers have pursued is to deliberately make it NOT like a Word Processor, to ‘strip it down’ for ‘creative action’ so to speak. That’s all very well but it’s unnecessarily limiting.

(I’m assuming here that most writers like to draft and re-edit, as I do, in a circular progress. If you write scripts, then that cycle is a tight one.)

I’ve spoken to the makers about this and I believe they might do something about it eventually but at the moment they are busy putting another prototype on the market - a laptop version. This new machine allows insertions of text but not CUT and PASTE, alas. Nevertheless I have one on order.

I was wondering if any other members had tried the Freewriter and what their reactions were? I know many people recommend the AlphaSmart Neo - a much cheaper solution - but I find its green screen off-putting.
 
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Enlightened

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I wear reading glasses. I used clip-on blue blocker glasses for reading glasses and they block out blue 100%. My eyes are less strained; i.e. I can work longer without the eye strain and headaches.

If you don't wear reading glasses, they make blue blocking glasses as well.

I've never used Freewriter nor AlphaSmart Neo, but I thought I'd mention the blue blocking glasses.
 

JohnLine

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Windows10 has a built nightlight setting that filters out blue light:


  • Open the start menu
  • Click on the little gear icon to open settings.
  • Select System
  • Select Display
  • Turn on "Night Light"
 
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sippog

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If you don't wear reading glasses, they make blue blocking glasses as well.

I wear these blue-blocking glasses. It's worth shopping around for them because the first pair I bought were made like cheap sunglasses and hurt after a while. I managed to find a very light pair on Amazon eventually.
 

sippog

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JohnLine>>>

Thanks for the tip. The newest Mac system has a similar feature but I don't like the general 'dullness' it produces. Of course, I shouldn't be looking at other stuff on the computer while I'm working but inevitably you do.

The other great attraction of the gizmos I've been talking about is the blank-white-page aesthetic. You cant get distracted because you cant get e-mails, texts or other distractions while you're working on them. :)
 

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JohnLine>>>

Thanks for the tip. The newest Mac system has a similar feature but I don't like the general 'dullness' it produces. Of course, I shouldn't be looking at other stuff on the computer while I'm working but inevitably you do.

The other great attraction of the gizmos I've been talking about is the blank-white-page aesthetic. You cant get distracted because you cant get e-mails, texts or other distractions while you're working on them. :)

There are anti-distraction apps. They restrict access for a time period you specify or on a schedule.

There are also a number of writing apps that are designed to limit distraction

You can use paper and pen or pencil to draft then keyboard and edit later.
 

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The Max2 e-ink monitor by Boox works well for severely light sensitive people (it doesn't flicker or emit any light at all) and is $800. Dasung has an e-ink monitor out also (Paperlike), but it's about twice the price and I found it very buggy to use.
 

sippog

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I'm too cussed to let a computer boss me around but I agree time limiting apps might work for some.

Good old pen and paper is the ultimate opt-out but I fear my handwriting has got so bad even I can't read it sometimes.:D
 

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I'm too cussed to let a computer boss me around but I agree time limiting apps might work for some.

Good old pen and paper is the ultimate opt-out but I fear my handwriting has got so bad even I can't read it sometimes.:D

Practice. Here's some help.
 

sippog

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The Max2 e-ink monitor by Boox works well for severely light sensitive people (it doesn't flicker or emit any light at all) and is $800. Dasung has an e-ink monitor out also (Paperlike), but it's about twice the price and I found it very buggy to use.

I looked at these. The Dasung is the better idea but a total dog according to the reviews. The trouble with the Max is you're paying for another computer when all you need is a monitor. I have thought about buying a greyscale monitor instead. You can pick up ex-medical ones on E-Bay pretty cheap. You'd get some flicker on these but they might be closer to the ideal and much better deals.

All in all, these options make the Freewriter - currently, 399 to 499 USD depending on the model - look not too bad. Black e-ink on an off white 'paper' background; and you can have backlighting on or off as you choose; but admittedly they do have only a small 'work window' which some people may not like.

POSTSCRIPT: The Dasung is in a second (hopefully improved) incarnation on the Indiegogo site for roughly the same price as the Max 2. Mmm . . . early Christmas present?
 
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JohnLine

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At the end of the day, light is light, whether it's reflected or emitted, filtered through blue-blocking glasses or altered at source.

You will, however, find that certain monitors have backlights that flicker, and only get worse when you turn the brightness down. Many monitors use pulse width modulation, where a monitor flickers twice as much at half brightness, so I'd suggest checking a reliable reviewer like tftcentral, before buying one.

You can find their list of flicker free monitors here: https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/flicker_free_database.htm
 

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Thanks for the tip about the night light. I use it on my phone, but had forgotten to turn it on when I switched computers. I'm sure my eyeballs and my sleep cycle are very grateful to you!
 

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After further research, I've ordered an Onyx Max 3.

It seems to have what I'm looking for: a roughly A4 sized 'Kindle that you can write on' that works as a second monitor as well as a standalone you can plug a keyboard into, and is very light to carry. I believe you can even run Word on it.

They're doing a 'special' on them right now, supposedly 120 dollars worth: so you get a cover for it and other assorted bits thrown in. Price not too bad but we'll see how much duty I pay
 

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byarvin

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I've used Alphasmart - I owned two or three of them - and used each of them until they fell apart. I'd never heard of Freewriter before and was stunned to see that something like Alphasmart still exists. Would it still be practical in this day and age of online everything? I'm thinking it over. Biggest drawback? Price!

https://getfreewrite.com
 

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KBooks

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After further research, I've ordered an Onyx Max 3.

It seems to have what I'm looking for: a roughly A4 sized 'Kindle that you can write on' that works as a second monitor as well as a standalone you can plug a keyboard into, and is very light to carry. I believe you can even run Word on it.

They're doing a 'special' on them right now, supposedly 120 dollars worth: so you get a cover for it and other assorted bits thrown in. Price not too bad but we'll see how much duty I pay

Check out reviews about using the "write on" stylus function. Some say that quickly scratched up the screen. Hope it works out for you.
 

sippog

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Thanks for the heads up. I doubt I’ll use the stylus much but I believe I get a screen protector as part of the bonus package.
 

sippog

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Byarvin #

I bought a reconditioned Neo on eBay pretty cheaply so I think they’re still a lot of them out there - ex educational stock probably.
 
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sippog

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I've used Alphasmart - I owned two or three of them - and used each of them until they fell apart. I'd never heard of Freewriter before and was stunned to see that something like Alphasmart still exists. Would it still be practical in this day and age of online everything? I'm thinking it over. Biggest drawback? Price!


https://getfreewrite.com


They are pricey but actually less than other e-ink devices. FYI you can work offline and save to the internal memory - like the Alphasmart - and download via USB in addition to saving to the cloud. I would suggest waiting for the next model though, the Traveler, which is hopefully shipping next year. They claim to have introduced some improvements like cursor insertion.

I don't mean to sound like I'm endorsing the Freewriter - it has limitations (see my earlier post) - but my experience of the company has been positive. When I had a problem with my first machine, they replaced it quickly. They're a start-up company and I think they will make the tweaks that are needed in time.
 
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I have a dog. He limits any amount of excessive screen time... (who could say no to a slobbery toy being stuck in their face)

One problem, less about the light, is the constant focus on the same distance. you need to look up and around every so often.

I used to have a book that claimed to help you "cure" short sightedness. it was all about loosening your eye, neck and shoulder muscles, and practicing viewing various distances. i never stuck with the program, as i do not believe you can cure a genetic defect however much you practice, but i do some of the exercises when i am working on long projects. If nothing else, it helps loosen up and re-focus. having a glass of water also helps - it makes you get up and walk to the washroom every so often ;)
 

sippog

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I have a dog. He limits any amount of excessive screen time... (who could say no to a slobbery toy being stuck in their face)

One problem, less about the light, is the constant focus on the same distance. you need to look up and around every so often.

I had a cat that used to do my interrupting. I still miss him sorely.

All good advice. My trouble is - despite the 'new fish' appellation - I've been doing this an awful long time and my body is beginning to let me down. So I look for crutches to spend my disposable income on. :D
 
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