Keyboard for writers has word-count odometer, dash timer
The market is flooded with mechanical keyboards which can be centered on gaming, however there aren’t sufficient which can be made particularly for writers. Enter the Freewrite Wordrunner, an upcoming wi-fi keyboard that is designed to assist these of us who write for a dwelling.
The 88-key, tenkeyless Wordrunner has a raft of distinctive, writer-friendly options together with a electromechanical “wordometer” that counts your phrases like your automotive’s odometer counts miles (or km). There’s additionally an electromechanical timer for writing sprints, a set of devoted macro keys and a operate row that is been redefined particularly to do issues that writers want.
Set to launch as a Kickstarter marketing campaign in February, the Wordrunner is made by Freewrite, an organization identified for making phrase processors (aka sensible typewriters), small gadgets with simply LCD screens and keyboards that are supposed to assist writers ply their commerce with out the distraction of utilizing full-fledged computer systems. That is the corporate’s first standalone keyboard and it is meant to connect with a PC or Mac utilizing both Bluetooth, for which it could help 3x profiles, or USB-C wired mode. Its all-metal physique and plain white backlight have a author’s aesthetic slightly than a gamer’s.
| Dimension | 14.7″ × 12.6″ × 0.7″ (374 × 320 × 18 mm) |
| Weight | 1.9 kilos (0.86kg) |
| Wordometer Show | 8-digit electromechanical phrase counter |
| Timer Show | 4-digit hh:mm electromechanical model show |
| Joystick Knob | Rotation + 5-way directional |
| Keyboard structure | 88-key Tenkeyless |
| Maco Keys | 3 keys labeled Zap, Pow and Bam |
| Operate Row | Author-focused operate keys for again, ahead, reload, discover, change, prime, backside, up paragraph, down paragraph, print, undo, redo and do-not-disturb |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Connectivity | 3x Bluetooth, 1x wired mode |
| Switches | Kailh Field Brown |
I had an opportunity to see and contact a prototype of the Wordrunner at Kickstarter’s CES 2025 sales space. I beloved the premium aluminum chassis and the old style mechanical look of the wordometer and the timer. The unit I touched was not plugged in so I did not get to see all of the options in motion, however I did really feel the keys, which had been utilizing Kailh Field Brown switches they usually felt fairly snappy.
I might want a clicky change corresponding to a Kailh Field White, however Freewrite execs instructed me that they’re going with brown switches, which they favored of their testing. To be honest, tactile brown switches are favored by many customers who do not just like the noise of clicky switches like I do. The keyboard won’t be hot-swappable.
The Wordrunner won’t require any particular software program to be put in because the wordometer and timer will get all of their intelligence from the {hardware}. The corporate says to measure wordcount it would use a easy algorithm that identifies while you hit the house bar or enter punctuation marks corresponding to a interval. The timer is customizable utilizing buttons on the keyboard itself and it could both go for a 25-minute Pomodoro session or a customized size.
There is a vibrant crimson joystick / knob within the higher left nook of the keyboard that you should utilize for media controls and three macro keys labeled as Zap, Pow and Bam which you can customise. These stay above the Web page Up / Web page Down block on the higher proper aspect.
As an alternative of operate keys labeled F1 – F12, the Wordrunner has keys devoted to features writers may need when enhancing corresponding to Paragraph Down, Paragraph Up, Discover, Substitute, Undo and Redo. We do not know whether or not these keys would require customization to work correctly in each app as features corresponding to Discover and Substitute generally use completely different hotkeys in numerous packages. Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see Freewrite put these use instances entrance and middle.
There isn’t any phrase but on pricing, however you possibly can reserve the Wordrunner now by placing $1 down and assure that you’re going to get the bottom worth for it when it does go stay on Kickstarter. The keyboard is anticipated to ship to backers in late 2025. If it lives as much as its promise, this seems to be like a novel and compelling system for anybody that has to jot down and edit paperwork.
