Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels
My significant other gifted me a Qwerkywriter typewriter keyboard for our anniversary. I’ve been click-clacking on this retro-tech-inspired device for several days now.
Using it evokes a wonderful sense of nostalgia. I feel like I should be hammering out the next great novel with a glass of Scotch within reach and a polydactyl feline curled up in my lap.
It has also generated some envy from a few of my writer friends. “Oh, I’ve had that on my wishlist forever.”
Note: My boyfriend and I have also been working from home for over two months, sharing our downstairs living room space, back to back from one another. So I’m seriously impressed with his resolve. He has yet to take me out or complain. Instead, he gazes at me lovingly, seeing (and hearing) the joy it brings me with each and every click-clack causing keystroke.
Jack Nicholson, The Shining 1980 Warner Bros. film, based on Stephen King’s 1977 titular novel
Jack Nicholson, The Shining 1980 Warner Bros. film, based on Stephen King’s 1977 titular novel
“All work and no play make Megan a dull girl.” Make, makes, anyway…
To be fair, he has been tinkering with upgrades to an Omnibot, a robot originally manufactured in the mid-80s. He recently acquired 2 of them. Said updates involve a faster motor, 3d-printed/molded tires, and a lot of testing out movement and code with sensors. Between his bot’s grinding and beeping, the sound of 3d printers buzzing, and my typing, I’ll be curious to see which one of us will survive.
Kathy Bates, Misery 1990 Columbia Pictures film based on Stephen King’s 1987 titular novel
Kathy Bates, Misery 1990 Columbia Pictures film based on Stephen King’s 1987 titular novel
But I digress. This isn’t a story of quarantine survival of Stephen King’s fittest. This is a quick review of my Qwerkywriter S typewriter keyboard.
I use to write A LOT, typing away into the wee hours as I worked on flushing out one of my many stories. I, too, use to have a Corona and a Royal typewriter. Wow, we’re going full-circle here with the eerie references…Anyway. Alas, due to circumstances beyond my control, I no longer have them. And until recently, I’d been suffering a scorching case of writer’s block. Nothing like a couple of decades of family drama to suck the creativity out of a person. I’ve since overcome these personal challenges like a Phoenix and have been flexing my writing muscle regularly.
We set the scene: Given the state of the world at the moment, we felt it best to have a quiet anniversary. We agreed we wouldn’t get one another anything and just order in a nice meal and rent a movie, spend time with his kids. When a box arrive by post, I thought nothing of it. I assumed it was more robot parts. Instead, it was my anniversary present.
As he put it, after I tore open the box to reveal this gorgeous beauty, while also reminding him of our no-gifting discussion, he simply responded with “I couldn’t help myself.”
You’ve got to love a man who knows you almost too well. He knows how I like my coffee, knows it is dangerous to wake me up before I’m ready to be up, and that I love quirky things like retro-tech-inspired keyboards.
qwerkywriter.com product image
Between you and me, it is better than any piece of jewelry or floral bouquet. I love functional gifts, though I admit this keyboard is something of a luxury compared to my standard one.
This keyboard is solid (aluminum and plastic, mechanical switches) and weighty, but not too weighty (if you catch my meaning — cough, watch Misery). It syncs up with my iPad, my phone, and my laptops. Though a hint tricky to set up at first, it connects to multiple devices (via Bluetooth) and allows you to quickly jump between each assigned device with a simple tap of a couple of preset keys. The typewriter keyboard charges completely in less than 2–3 hours.
When connected by USB, the keyboard doesn’t have to be turned on (not tapping into the battery reserve). Instead, it will charge as you use it. Depending on use, the battery can last up to 1–2 weeks on a single charge. There is a built-in stand, but I don’t use it. The dual-dials operate device volume and page-scrolling, respectively, and can be reprogrammed. There are numerous presets and programmable keys, plus the metal return bar acts as a default ENTER key. The typewriter-inspired keycaps are just that — giving the user a pleasurable experience akin to using a traditional typewriter, though with less pressure required to engage each keystroke. And, of course, the biggest selling point, it sounds great too.