Freewrite is a Ridiculous $500 Word Processor

If this device looks oddly familiar, it’s because it was initially named Hemingwrite and was the main focus of a Kickstarter campaign back in 2014. Now dubbed Freewrite, this gadget is expected to start shipping in March, and if it were not for its ridiculous price tag, I might have been able to take it seriously. You see, what we have here is basically a word processor that features a 5.5-inch e-ink screen and a mechanical keyboard. Since it’s a modern product, it also comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, and all of the files stored on it can be synced with Google Drive, Evernote and Dropbox.

However, since there are already quite a few writing apps available for Android, iOS, Chrome and OS X, it’s hard to justify paying $500 on a writing device that doesn’t offer the same portability as a tablet, as it weighs no less than four pounds. That being said, I’m sure that some people will be more than willing to pay $500 for this word processor, if not for its practicality but for its interesting, retro vibe. It looks like it all depends on how much you’re willing to pay to stand out, because similar devices such as the Alphasmart Neo usually go for about $50, and even though they don’t have cloud connectivity, they can definitely get the job done.