Tom Hanks Has Created an iPad Typewriting App and it's Really Great!

[Maura]

Huffpost Tech reports today that Hollywood movie star and double Oscar winner Tom Hanks has devised his own iPad app called Hanx Writer, which is designed to duplicate the feeling of using an old-fashioned typewriter on your iPad.

According to the HuffPost, this was actually a labour of love for Hanks, who collects and is a big fan of old typewriters.

Hanks made the app with Hitcents agency, and according to HuffPost (and the many glowing reviews in the app store), it works really well, accurately recreating the sound and feel of an old typewriter, and also providing the option for those who want to get really retro of disabling the delete key, so that you have to cross out words rather than just deleting them onscreen.

“A note drafted by a Hanx Writer has its own unique statement-making personality and with each thoughtful nuance, the Hanx Writer app recreates the typewriter experience in a way that’s never been done before,” says Hitcents.

If you like the sound of that, click here to download the free app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hanx-writer/id868326899?mt=8

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/08/15/tom-hanks-hanx-writer-app_n_5681124.html?

 

[Ser Aphim]

I kinda like playing with this app. Really gives me of an idea of the experience of the typewriter.

 

[Ser Aphim]

Hopefully this app comes out in iOS 8 as a keyboard. I will defo use it as an keyboard, or at least I can have the sound of it typing.

 

[Casey_B]

Thank goodness. I thought I was the only person who was really excited about this. Fantastic app - really representative of the experience of using a typewriter, and it's helped me learn my way around the iPad keyboard. Bonus!

 

[twerppoet]

As a once-upon-a-time-young-audult who actually had to use the occasional typewriter, I find it hard to be nostalgic about them. Even the best of them were a source of never-ending frustration. I had to pay someone to type my term paper in college, or I'd probably still be typing, re-typing, and killing trees; a small forest at a time.

I'm sure the app is well done, but I'll stick to my modern text editors, keyboards, and all the advanced tools I can get.

 

[verithingeoff]

I just downloaded this app, cute, but don't get any sound. The volume is full up and other sounds work fine. Sound is on in the tools on the app.....Any ideas?

 

[J. A.]

I just downloaded this app, cute, but don't get any sound. The volume is full up and other sounds work fine. Sound is on in the tools on the app.....Any ideas?

I suppose you muted system sounds. Toggle the side switch, if you use it to mute the iPad. If you don't, slide up from the bottom to show Control Center, and if you find this

(a white bell which is crossed out), then tap it to get system sounds again.

 

[verithingeoff]

I suppose you muted system sounds. Toggle the side switch, if you use it to mute the iPad. If you don't, slide up from the bottom to show Control Center, and if you find this
View attachment 59731
(a white bell which is crossed out), then tap it to get system sounds again.

I don't have one of those symbols

 

[verithingeoff]

I don't have one of those symbols

 

[J. A.]

View attachment 59732

Is your software up to date? (7.1.2)

 

[J. A.]

Toggle the side switch. It's next to the Volume button/s. Move it to the other side.

 

[verithingeoff]

Thank you JA, you are a star

 

[J. A.]

Glad to help.

 

[OneMarcil]

Looks like peeps do not remember but typewriters have both letters and numbers on one keyboard. There is not any such key as "123" or "ABC".

I like Tom Hanks but for someone that collects typewriters should know this.



Sent from my iPad 4 128GB

 

[twerppoet]

Looks like peeps do not remember but typewriters have both letters and numbers on one keyboard. There is not any such key as "123" or "ABC".

I like Tom Hanks but for someone that collects typewriters should know this.

A necessary compromise, I'm sure. They could have created a perfect replica of the keyboard, but then it would have been difficult to use with any accuracy. The key tap targets would have been rather small. So, it was either an accurate but unusable typewriter simulation, or a usable, even possibly useful, typewriter-like app.

Since my initial skepticism I've learned more about the app, and apparently it's a decent text editor with most of the standard features. I'm still not interested, but I'm less surprised that it has gotten some ok reviews.