Microwriter
"I'll show you how to take on word processing single handed."
The Birth
Back in the 1980s, if you wanted to write, you had several options: pen (or pencil), typewriter, or a computer. Of these, only the first is easily portable. An American filmmaker living in London came up with an idea to change that: the Microwriter.
Peter Rodwell from Personal Computer World describes how the Microwriter came about:
“About six years ago, writer and wordgames addict Cy Endfieid, an expatriate American living in London, bought one of the early pocket calculators. It struck him that a calculator-sized device with an alphanumeric keyboard and display would make the ideal basis for a word-game he’d invented — but he didn’t like the idea of a full keyboard with one key for each letter of the alphabet. It would be too fiddly, he thought.
Thus was born the idea for the Microwriter, a device which would allow you to type alphanumerics using just one key for each finger and pressing them in variouscombinationsto produce the required characters.
There was a problem, though. To do this you’d have to memorise the key combinations, and that seemed an almost impossible task to ask of anyone. Also, decoding the key combinations and producing characters from them seemed rather complicated.
Two innovations changed this. Firstly, the development of micro-electronics — and, in particular, the availability of low-cost CMOS chips — made the decoding task easy. And Cy himself solved the key combinations problem by hitting on the idea of using the shapes of the letters themselves as mnemonics.
These two innovations made the Microwriter not only a possibility but a practicable reality and Cy quickly developed the idea beyond the stage of a word-game to that of a fully-fledged text inputting and storage device, which is the stage the Micro writer is at now.
Getting the Microwriter into production wasn’t easy, and Cy Endfieid has quite a horror story to tell about his experiences when trying to get backing. His big break came when his invention was shown on Tomorrow’s World and caught the eye of a director of Hambros Life Assurance Ltd. The result was Microwriter Ltd, owned jointly by Cy Endfieid and Hambros, which has been producing Microwriters for the last two years or so and has already sold some 500 of them.”
(If the name Cy Endfield doesn’t ring a bell, some of his films might: The Sound of Fury (1950), Hell Drivers (1957), Zulu (1964), and Zulu Dawn (1979). One article notes that Endfield used a Microwriter to write Zulu Dawn.)
The Hardware
So, what exactly did the Microwriter look like? It was roughly the size of a large paperback book (Anyone remember those?) or a thick Barnes & Noble Nook. The front had six buttons and a small single-line LCD screen. Users could hook the Microwriter directly to a printer, or they would save their document to a cassette player.
Fred Blechman described the product in the April 1984 issue of Computers And Electronics:
“The Microwriter is basically an electronic text generator that can produce the full upper/lower-case alphabet, numbers, and punctuation characters, which are displayed on its scrolling LCD display. Character generation is accomplished with only five main keys and a sixth "command" key. Various combinations of keys and key sequences — all operated by your right hand resting over the humped portion of the device’s case — make it possible to generate 212 characters and codes!
In addition to storing text in its builtin 8K RAM bank, the Microwriter has powerful text editing and communication facilities. The memory bank itself is sufficiently large to store about 1500 words, or more than five pages of double-spaced text.
Perhaps the most controversial point about the Microwriter is its unique sixkey entry system. Such entry devices have been tried in the past, but the products in which they appeared failed to take the marketplace by storm. (Most have been simple alternatives to existing computer keyboards and, following a short introductory fanfare, have died an un-mourned death.) The Microwriter, however, isn't just an alternative to the typewriter keyboard, though it can perform as one. Its combination of keyboard, text-editing capabilities, and memory storage is what makes the Microwriter unique and completely different from its predecessors.
A standard RS-232C (DB-25) connector is located at the top end of the Microwriter's case, Next to this is a small pushbutton on/off switch and a 1/8" miniature phone jack for connection to a cassette deck for saving and loading text. Power can be supplied by an ac adapter/charger, which connects through a standard power jack located on the lower end of the case or independently from the Micro writer's built-in rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery pack, Next to the power jack is a large 37-pin DB-type connector identified, though not defined, in the manual as an "auxiliary socket."
The keys on the Microwriter are square and have concave surfaces for sure "feel" and have very long strokes. To generate most characters and codes requires operation of several keys simultaneously. Keystroke entry to the Microwriter is very forgiving, however, since entries are recorded only when the keys are released.”
Overall, the Microwriter was not very popular. The February 1985 issue of Practical Electronics mentions that “over 7000 have been sold.” According to Wikipedia, “13,000 devices were reportedly sold before the product's discontinuation”.
Reviews
Peter Rodwell wrote the earlier review for the Microwriter in the Personal Computer World article mentioned above. Here are his conclusions:
“I found the Microwriter easy to both learn and use and, as my expertise with it increased, so did my enthusiasm. It’s an addictive device, in fact, and I’m now starting to wonder how I ever managed without one.
There are several small points which need refining. The next software release will cover these and a few more — some of the control sequences will be simplified, there’ll be a two-way comminications facility for use with other equipment, such as computers, and jumping about within the text block will be refined, to mention only a few of the proposed enhancements. All the points I put to Microwriter were, in fact, answered with: “We’re doing that in the next release,” and I’m looking forward to trying the enhanced version.
On the hardware side, the interfaces certainly need tidying up. Trailing wires are dangerous as well as messy and constant plug-swapping is annoying.
On the whole, though, I was thoroughly impressed with the amount of careful, logical thought which has been put into the Microwriter to make it easy to learn and simple to use. Microwriter likes to maintain close links with its customers and encourages feedback; many suggestions from real users have been — or will be — incorporated into the device.
But there’s a snag — it’s not a cheap device, as you can see from the price list printed elsewhere in this review In fact, I think it’s very overpriced, especially when you consider that you can buy, for example, a 16k TRS-80 Level II — a machine of far greater complexity than the Microwriter — for nearly £100 less. The reason is, of course, that Tandy churns out TRS-80s in far greater volume than Microwriters; hopefully, if/when the Microwriter catches on and gets into high volume production, its price will drop. There’s a nested snag here, of course, in that some may say that the Microwriter requires a careful learning period before you can use it, and thus isn’t suited to volume sales. But this really doesn’t hold water — a personal computer requires a lot more effort to learn to use, and in use requires continual mental effort; once you’ve learnt to use a Microwriter the only skill required in its continued use is a small degree of manual dexterity. In short, volume sales and volume production should be no problem, especially as Microwriter’s user manual and teaching cards are far clearer and easier to follow than many personal computer manuals.”
Two years later, Peter took a second look at the Microwriter. Here are the updates:
“Nearly two years have passed since I first reviewed the Microwriter, the device which enables you to ‘type’ single-handedly, to store your text either in the machine’s own memory or onto tape and to print it out onto paper.
Since I first encountered it, the Microwriter has undergone considerable development, and the company which makes and markets it — Microwriter Ltd — has revised its marketing strategy and is now ready to hit the world with what is now not only a unique text-handling device but a very sophisticated one at that.
...
A whole host of new facilities has been added to the Micro writer, of which the two most exciting are on-screen writing for the video interface and the ability to communicate with other equipment such as word processors and computers.
On the earlier model it was only possible to dump text a screenful at a time to the video interface. The facility was useful for checking whether you had formatted the text correctly for printing but, if you hadn’t, changes had to be made within the Microwriter and the text re-dumped to the screen for rechecking. Now? though, the display is fully interactive and you not only see what you write as you write it but can make on-screen formatting changes as well as editing your text.
...
In my first review of the Microwriter, I incurred Cy Endfield’s displeasure by stating that I thought the machine was overpriced. What I neglected to say in the review was that this was not solely my opinion but the result of showing the machine to some 30 or 40 people. All were very impressed until they heard that it cost £500, at which point they tended to wince or laugh and change the subject.
...
The new Microwriter is a very attractive and versatile device which in a single package provides an easy-tolearn-and-use alternative to the qwerty keyboard plus a versatile text processor and a communicating terminal which can easily be interfaced to a computer or word processor.
I feel that the £485 + VAT purchase price may still act as a deterrent to many people — you’ve got to be able to justify that sort of expenditure in most businesses and the Microwriter isn’t something which will immediately impress the accountant, even though I’m certain many people would find it a distinct productivity aid. Likewise, it would be expensive to equip a whole office with them, particularly if they were being used purely as input terminals; there’s probably a market for a cheaper, ‘cut-down’ version which can act only as a dumb input device.
I must admit, though, that my main reason for wanting the device’s price dropped is to encourage its wider use. I think it’s a super device, embodying some really inspired thinking, which deserves to succeed.”
Fred Blechman reviewed the Microwriter for Computer and Electronics’ April 1984 issue:
“The Microwriter is radically different in concept and operation from any device I have ever used. Even so, it appears to be compatible with the computing world, I'm amazed at its capabilities and potential. The unit I tested operated flawlessly.
I have one important observation to make, however. You must have a disciplined desire to learn the keyboard and operating system to use the Microwriter effectively. However, having made the commitment, you have at your command a number of capabilities that are lacking in a conventional typewriter keyboard. Business and professional people with limited or no access to secretarial help will benefit most from the Microwriter, Professional writers who have great familiarity with standard QWERTY keyboards, however, may have trouble disciplining themselves to learning how to use the Microwriter
Will the Microwriter make it in the marketplace? It faces stiff competition from the more conventional lap-size portable computers that have built-in word processors. Most such computers have terminal software, a modem, and other programs and computing ability — none of which are included in the Microwriter. From my vantage point, it seems that the Microwriter will attract a select group of people who need its small size, special one-handed keyboard, or inherent operational flexibility. The Microwriter, obviously, isn't for everyone, but it's not claimed to be the answer to every input application, either.”
More Information
Want to read more?
Have you ever used a Microwriter? Do you know anything about its history? Tell us about it in the comments below.
What computer ads would you like to see in the future? Please comment below. If you enjoyed it, please share it with your friends and relatives. Thank you.