A new iPad app is geared to replicate the sense of typing on a manual typewriter. Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is also an avid vintage typewriter collector. The app implements the sights and sound of an old-fashioned typewriter. In a note shared in the app, Hanks said, “In the late 70’s, I bought a typewriter – portable enough for world travel and sturdy enough to survive decades of 10-fingered beatings. “
The app enables users to type emails, letters and stories on a virtual typewriter, coupled with the sound of clanking keys as each letter appears under the type hammer. Users can pull pages up or down to adjust where text appears, just like a vintage typewriter.
The free app comes with one style of typewriter. Two other typewriter styles with different sounds and ribbon colors cost $2.99 each. According to Clinton Mills, co-founder of Hitcents, the app’s developer, the big draw is the sound that’s made while typing, which creates a pleasing rhythm while one works.
Mills said Hanks was involved in the app’s development from start to finish, and that he often came up with solutions to various issues. Mills added, “He wanted to create a product that gave the nostalgia of a typewriter, but also composed well. He didn’t want it to be gimmicky.”
Competition is fierce for Hanx Writer. Typewriter for Android and miTypewriter for the iPhone and iPad both replicate the sounds and visuals of a traditional typewriter. Hanx Writer was the top downloaded app for iPad last week (08/19/14).
Featured image via flickr/Cole Camplese
