Astrohaus Alpha One Week On

After a week's use of the new Alpha, first impressions!
For Freewrite discounts on Alpha or the original Freewrite, use getfreewrite.com/?...
(and I’ll get a supportive commission!)
#FreewriteAlpha
To support this channel, you can offer me a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/writerly..., or join my Patreon project at / mj150520 - or buy just my books!
If you are interested in my writing, my books are all here at:
www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=michael+...
To find One Last Dance Before I Die, go to:
www.amazon.co.uk/One-Last-Dan... for e-book or paperback. A ‘thriller that truly thrills,’ Peter Lovesey; ‘More please,’ Michael Ridpath; ‘A highly recommended and gripping historical detective yarn!’ Angus Donald.
To support this channel, you can join my Patreon project at / mj150520 or use www.paypal.me/MichaelJecks
If you are interested in joining the pen-pals writing group, get in touch via Discord at / discord
To find out more about me and my books, look at: www.michaeljecks.co.uk
To email me with any comments, or if you want advice, go to www.michaeljecks.co.uk/contact...
Follow me on Twitter: / michaeljecks
On FaceBook: / michael.jecks.author

[@JoeChip]

When the clock started chiming, I thought Pink Floyd’s Time was about to start playing.

[@writerlywitterings]

Hahaha - it was almost as soon as I stopped the recording. Don't know why, but I suddenly got into a PF mood just then!

[@nutraceutigal]

I love your review. Very thorough. I love your writing corner with that grandfather clock - very cozy indeed. I could sit there with a spot of tea while i write there. ❤God Bless You. Im sorry to hear about your struggles with your eyesight; i pray all is well for you. Be safe & Be well!!❤❤❤

[@writerlywitterings]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the kind words!

[@jeffcurry1280]

Well done review for a wonderful and simple machine to get us writers into the creative places we wish to go! I truly hope you get to feeling better with your eyesight and it's good to know you've got furry friends to keep you entertained! I own all three devices and am really enjoying my Alpha for comfortable writing sessions and ventures outside. Cheers, friend!

[@writerlywitterings]

Glad to hear you're enjoying yours as much as I am mine. Brilliant little devices, and very effective for drafting. I'm loving this one and looking forward to getting out and about with it more - when it stops raining!

[@esthereley6808]

Loved the doggy add-on at the end. Lovely to see how a pup gives new energy to an older dog!

[@writerlywitterings]

Just poor old girl, when she is trying to get some sleep and the blasted pup won't give her any peace!

[@trapsaltnburn]

First, let me say that your dogs are adorable! Second, I really appreciate your reviews on the different Freewrite models. I did a lot of research before pulling the trigger on my first, and your videos were a wonderful help. I don't really need the Alpha, but it's good to know more about it, because my Freewrites have definitely been conversation starters! Thank you so, so much for sharing your insights!

[@writerlywitterings]

Glad you like them - dogs and Freewrites!

[@nathanielturnerfilm]

Really enjoyed the review. Sorry to hear about your eye sight . Hope it gets better. Been curious about the Freewrites. Similar but different to the Alphasmart Neo2 and Dana. Happy Writing. :)

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks. If you like Alphasmart Neo2, this is the nearest comparable Astrohaus machine - and it's a lot better! Those keys make it work really well, and the whole device feels much better quality. Of course it's a matter of personal taste!

[@TurnFullCircle]

Nive update....and sorry to hear your eyesight is struggling. Lovely animals you have there - I too have a couple - springer and a rescue basset/spaniel cross...both wonderful....cheers

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks - I grew up with a basset - gorgeous, but stubborn, wilful and impossible to train, but very cuddly!

[@TurnFullCircle]

lol....Gus - 13 ....the most lovely person you could ever meet. All he wants is food and love. Stanley 7, bonkers, full of beans, and incredibly friendly....and very annoying too...cheers @@writerlywitterings

[@markcollins2876]

Once again I love your clock and the bells.

[@writerlywitterings]

Glad you like them - so do I!

[@spotterofgold]

Thank you for both parts of the video (lovely pups segment)! Sending you best wishes for the eyesight recovery process...seems promising, so far --- hooray!

[@writerlywitterings]

Thank you so much - yes, it's a bit of a trial (to put it mildly) but at least I think it's stopped the rapid decline.

[@arepas]

Swapped my keys with a NUPHY set and that did the trick. Definitely needed some concave and some rounded keys.

[@writerlywitterings]

I've literally only yesterday gone back to the original keys. I would much prefer some different keycaps, but the ones I tried to use started to stick (mainly the S and D), while others kept falling off (A in particular) and then jamming when I tried to push them back. I'll have a look at the NUPHY ones - thanks!

[@jerzygoota2903]

@@writerlywitterings sounds very distractionless 😅

[@Gordontubeon]

bon rétablissement from France 🙂

[@writerlywitterings]

Many thanks!

[@nutraceutigal]

I have ONE question about the alpha: are there 3 folders like the smart typewriter and the traveler?

[@writerlywitterings]

Hi, and thanks for the question. No, there is only the one, which links to the Folder A which you'd have if you'd ever used the Freewrite. Personally, I find it easier to deal with because being rather gormless, I do keep typing into different folders on my original Freewrite, and have to spend a little time finding my documents!

[@adeodata6364]

Awesome review as always 👍 Just one question : I heard from another KZbinr that you can't have several documents on your Alpha. That once you create a new document, the previous one is gone from your device. That you have to go to the postbox (cloud) to see it again. Is that true?! This seems so strange & would really be quite annoying to me 😬 I will be receiving mine in a few days. Can't wait! 😂 (You seem to love it much more than you thought?! Your Smart Freewrite is going to be jealous 😩) Keep up the good (and cheerful) work, and best wishes for your eyesight 🙏

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes you can! It's exactly like the other Freewrites - EXCEPT (and I think this is where the other reviewer went wrong) you only have the one folder. When I type up, everything from the Alpha goes into my Folder A on Postbox (Astrohaus's cloud service). You can have thousands (I think) of different documents in that folder.

[@adeodata6364]

​​@@writerlywitteringsAwesome! Thank you very much for the quick answer. It would have been very strange indeed if the previous docs disappeared from the device with each new doc. It didn't make sense and got me a bit worried. I just wrote to the other KZbinr explaining this. She is going to make a new video with a correction. Have a beautiful day and take care 😁 🌹

[@ianfletcher6039]

Do you prefer the alpha or the more classic Freewrite?

[@writerlywitterings]

Ah - horses for courses. Generally, I'd have to say the original. The keyboard, the screen, the backlight, all make it the idea typing machine. However, I can see myself taking the Alpha much more often on trips, breaks away etc, simply because it's so portable. Thanks - I may just do a comparative review of the two next week.

[@steve5073]

Hi. Can I just ask. Would you prefer this or the traveler. I can’t make my mind up between the two 😮thanks

[@writerlywitterings]

Definitely this. The Alpha, for me, has a vastly better keyboard. Yes, it is that big larger, but it's worth it for the keyboard. I do much prefer the Traveller and Freewrite e-ink screen, I admit, but if it's Traveller or Alpha, I have to say I have no difficulty in choosing Alpha.

[@steve5073]

Thanks for the quick reply. I do like the screen on the traveller also. Hmmm maybe go with this and save a bit. Also great videos. I have also been diagnosed with DM and have retinopathy so the extra diabetic video content is good. Reminds you that you’re not alone in this. Thanks again.

[@milosflaca]

For me, this keyboard is better than the one that I have with the larger freewrite (quieter overall and I can type way faster than with the other device). I love the refresh rate on this machine. I agree that backlight would be wonderful. I use transition glasses so I have to set the Alpha at a certain angle to avoid a nasty shadow on what's being type on the screen. But I've seen this is only when I am wearing my transition glasses. When I use the regular ones, I can see the screen just fine. It is super portable so I've been carrying it around.

[@writerlywitterings]

Yes, it's the portability that makes this one really useful. Obviously the original is that bit bulkier (but I love it for that keyboard!) but this one is just so convenient!

[@kleaspop]

Whatever happened to your Dalmatian?

[@writerlywitterings]

Sadly she got to thirteen, but then cancer got her. Lovely old girl, and greatly missed - she was a sweetheart

[@mike_qbik]

no backlight on keyboard and display is absolute dealbreaker in 2024. The display is also just simply too dark. With current eink tablets on the market the options are much better. Get bluetooth keyboard to your liking and you are off to great experience. Also writing speed on these new einks using BT keyboard is superior and realtime to what Astrohaus is now offerring. with screen you can tilt to your needs. This was missed opportunity unfortunatelly.

[@writerlywitterings]

I agree - the e-ink display on the original is a lot easier to read. I wish I knew why they didn't use one on this. However the device is still great (for me) just because of its flexibility, portability, and the keyboard. If I'm on a train or plane, the screen will be well enough lit in any case.

[@larrymarso4492]

the medium font is too damn small, and not what they promoted.

[@writerlywitterings]

How do you mean?

[@larrymarso4492]

@@writerlywitterings day one firmware update substituted a new medium font that is significantly thinner and one third smaller, with wide interline spacing. closer to the original small font. all their promotions used, and still use, the original medium font. their excuse is that font had no diacritics, and they babble on about their "microcontroller architecture" to say their have few font options. it's simply less usable now than the unit they promoted.