EDIT: Heidi from Freewrite has confirmed that they are working on a firmware update to roll out next week that should solve the lag problem and therefore render the device worth the money in my estimate. If this happens, I’ll update again to confirm.

ORIGINAL POST: The Freewrite Alpha is a nice little productivity device for writers. The keys feel great and are swappable if you disagree. The screen is a bit dark but very legible and doesn’t glare. The ability to sync directly to Dropbox and Google Drive, or press a button and have it email to you directly? Shoot, it feels like magic after being stuck on various Alphasmarts for years.

BUT! The lag. When you hit about 1500 words, it occasionally lags. Now, a bit of lag wouldn’t be so bad except that it also drops keys during these lags. THAT is unacceptable for how often this happens.

If this isn’t going to be fixed by firmware updates very soon, the Alpha isn’t worth it. Full stop. If it IS fixed, then I say the device is worth the money and a great investment. If there’s a Gen 2 that fixes this instead of a firmware update, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The only way I’d ever forgive it is if it also included a backlit, larger LCD or eink screen.

Astrohaus, I hope you have a plan. As it stands, the Alpha is a dud for this one reason. It’s a shame too because, like the title says, it’s almost great.