Hello everyone!

Going to keep this update short and sweet with some cool stuff inside. Like I mentioned last time, I wanted to give you a hand-on preview on what to expect, along with some other minor updates. Everything else is moving forward as planned.

Unboxing Zerowriter Ink

Now that Zerowriter is rolling along in production, assembly, and all that good stuff, I’ve gotten some units back in the mail. Here’s a short unboxing video that will give you an idea of what to expect when yours arrives.

Field Testing Reports

I’ve got a Zerowriter Ink unit out doing a cross-continent road trip. A few people have reached out and offered to test-drive for me, share their impressions, and help me come up with the necessary user guides and onboarding stuff. I’ll see if I can post some of those reports/impressions in later updates.

Updating Firmware

The firmware is locked in, so there won’t be any changes on that front, but the Zerowriter Ink can be updated via the SD card. If you choose to install updates or run another build, you can just drag and drop an update file and you’ll be all set.

Ode to the Alphasmart Neo

I whipped up this nice little graphic based on an Alphasmart Neo ad from the early 2000’s:

For those who don’t know, the AlphaSmart Neo is the grand-daddy of all distraction-free writing tools/word processors. Founded by two ex-Apple engineers, AlphaSmart wanted to make a low-cost alternative to laptops for schools. Their business went under but, to this day, writers trade and sell used Neos because it is that good of a product.

Shortcut Key List

Curious about what kind of keyboard controls your Zerowriter Ink will ship with? Here you go:

CTRL + LEFT/RIGHT: Jump to end or start of line
ALT + LEFT/RIGHT: Jump between words
CTRL + BACKSPACE: Delete word (traditional backspace)
ALT + BACKSPACE: Delete forward (traditional "delete")
ALT + CTRL + BACKSPACE: Delete the next word
CTRL + S: Save curent file
CTRL + N: Saves current file, opens New file
CTRL + D: Duplicate current file. Creates a new file with
the same content
CTRL + R: Manually [R]efresh e-paper screen. Usually handled automatically
CTRL + B: Open [B]ookmark menu
CTRL + M: Switch [M]ode between STANDARD and DRAFTING
CTRL + F: Force save to [F]ailsafe. (Can be used if you don’t have a SD card handy)
CTRL + Q: Generate [Q]R Code
CTRL + C: [C]opy
CTRL + X: Cut
CTRL + V: Paste
CTRL + ALT + DOWN: Go to end of document
CTRL + ALT + UP: Go to start of document
CTRL+L: [L]ock screen / sleep device
CTRL + UP: Page Up
CTRL + DOWN: Page Down