Introducing the Freewrite firmware that makes typing on E Ink as smooth and fast as thinking.
It's named after the fastest fish in the ocean for a reason.
Write at the Speed of Your Thoughts
Sailfish is a full top-to-bottom rewrite of the software that runs on Smart Typewriter and Traveler.
In software, the common wisdom is that a rewrite is almost never the answer. Turns out that sometimes, it’s the only option.
In 2015, we started the Freewrite journey by creating a distraction-free writing environment using a brand new technology (at the time) that allowed us to use standard web development languages (i.e. JavaScript). We picked an architecture that made sense for us at the time, choosing speed of development over performance.
Well, startup life isn’t easy, and we stayed on that software architecture a lot longer than any of us expected. We did many optimizations over the years but none could match the performance of a native application.
So, we decided to burn it all down and rebuild.
It was the only way to move forward with the advanced features we dream about creating. But doing a full rewrite was a big project! (Kind of like rewriting your novel from page one. 😰)
The software needed to work on two similar but unique hardware platforms, and it needed to provide the same core Freewrite experience — but vastly improved. We also didn’t want to launch missing any features.
It took a full year of daily effort from the entire Freewrite team, especially our small team of firmware developers, to rewrite the platform. (Which we did in Rust, for you software nerds out there.)
The result is better than we could have hoped for:
🏃 Latency is virtually gone.
Sailfish is 40% to 100% faster from key press to a character showing on the display.
In practical terms, that means it takes about half the time for a character to appear.
Or, as one beta tester put it:
“The new firmware makes typing laptop fast. […] Hard to believe it's still E Ink.”
Beta Tester Mark L.
🔋 Battery life is dramatically improved.
While typing, power consumption is 30% less. While idle, power consumption is up to 50% less!
Yes, all from a pure software update.
This means dramatically improved battery life in all situations AND dramatically improved performance.
"I have to admit, I’m astonished by the improvement.”
Beta Tester Michael J.
⏱️ Every single operation is faster.
Waking, sleeping, changing drafts, navigating, it is all done without a hiccup.
Switching between drafts is a lot faster, as well as using the “new” + “pg up/down” features. Now you can move throughout your drafts at the speed of thought.
Booting up is faster, too, even with the addition of a brand-new animation by artist Mathias Lynge designed to help you center yourself before your writing journey begins and celebrate what this update means for Freewriters.
"I've always been told that E Ink couldn't give instant responses without lag, and now with this update I can finally tell people that's not true."
Beta Tester Will B.
This firmware is more than an update. It's a modern foundation for the future.
This is a brand-new starting point for the Freewrite family. It will enable us to build upon it in brand new ways and continue improving the Freewrite experience ecosystem beyond what has previously been possible.
We're super proud of this monumental effort by the team and can't wait for you to experience it on your own Freewrite Traveler or Smart Typewriter.
Don't take our word for it. Download 3.0 today.
The best part is that all of this new performance is 100% free to you and will be available via over-the-air update for:
- All Traveler models, including Ghost
- Smart Typewriter Gen 3 (including Ink, Lemon, and Mint)
- Hemingwrite Gen 3
- Valentine
Note: Alpha uses a different screen and software base. The performance on Alpha’s LCD panel is already optimized.
Firmware rolls out automatically and will be available on your device when connected to Wi-Fi. You can also manually check for an update using these instructions:
For a full list of firmware improvements and fixes, please visit our Release Notes page.
Write on!
The Freewrite Team
P.S. With every firmware update, we also add another classic author to the screensaver lineup. Last time, it was Agatha Christie. Who can name the new writer this time around?
We’re all just dreaming the impossible dream every time we face the keyboard!
P.S.S. Love the new bootup animation? Read all about the animator, Mathias Lynge, here.
