Detroit-based Astrohaus has been making “distraction-free writing tools” under the Freewrite brand for about a decade. So far it's all been autonomous, single purpose devices intended simply for composing textbut Astrohaus is expanding at CES 2025. The company just announced a mechanical keyboard called the Freewrite Wordrunner, a device designed specifically for writers.
This comes more than three years after Astrohaus quietly announced its intention to create a keyboard originally known as the Maestro. But the company eventually pulled the plug on its planned 2022 launch, and I haven't heard anything about it since – it looks like they were just working on it this whole time. CEO Adam Lieb said in a press release that the company has been iterating and evolving it for nearly four years.
Mechanical keyboards have largely become the preserve of gamers; the company wanted to create a device for people who write for a living instead. Without spending a little time on it, I can't say if they've reached that mark yet, but there are some fun ideas here.
Wordrunner has a ten-keyless design that looks familiar at first, but you'll quickly notice that the function row has been replaced with a customizable set of keys that make moving text documents faster. These include find and replace, undo and redo, move up and down paragraphs, and back, forward, and reload keys. I'd be upset at the loss of multimedia controls from the feature row, but in Wordrunner it's covered by a bright red joystick/button. It moves in all four main directions and can be rotated like a knob, and can also be pressed vertically to skip tracks, change volume, or pause tunes.
On the other side, you'll find three customizable macro keys with funny names “zap”, “pow” and “bang”. They can be programmed to do anything you want, but Astrohouse suggested using them to run certain writing applications, convert text to title case, or insert a date. I don't know what I'd use them for yet, but having customizable keys is an important feature on most enthusiast keyboards, so I'm glad to see them here.
Probably the most attractive thing about Wordrunner is the two mechanical counters you see at the top. One of them is a timer, which can be used for writing sprints or just to focus a little. Even more intriguing is the Wordometer dead spot at the top of the keyboard. It will keep track of your words using its huge eight-digit mechanical counter, and since it saves your word count for as long as you want, you can try maxing it out someday. Of course, you can also reset it at any time or pause it if you don't want it to continue while you chat with friends or send emails.
The mechanical keys are backlit and use Kailh switches; The keycaps are replaceable, but the switches are not. It also has built-in noise cancellation, so you can use it without subjecting everyone around you to too-loud key clicks (this can be a pro or a con depending on how you like your keyboards). In terms of connectivity, Wordrunner uses Bluetooth or USB-C, and you can connect the keyboard to three different devices and quickly switch between them using dedicated hotkeys.
I had the opportunity to play with the Wordrunner prototype and my first impression was, “Wow, this is heavy!” This is a thick plate of polished aluminum to match the finish premium edition of Hemingway's Smart Typewriter. Astrohaus founder and CEO Adam Leeb told me that the company was aiming to make this keyboard a premium, limited-edition finish, even if they plan to make it part of a permanent portfolio.
While I wasn't able to try Wordrunner connected to a computer, I did get to see the mechanical Wordrunner flip when I started typing. It's really nice to see it counting while I wrote an imaginary story on it, and there's a little LED that lights up green when the counter is on and red when you turn it off. The keys and travel are comfortable, and the joystick also has a nice tactile feel—I'm looking forward to using it as a volume knob for media. Lieb says this keyboard is still a prototype, but I think it's pretty polished and almost finished.
Finally, there is always the issue of accessibility. Astrohaus is launching the Wordrunner on Kickstarter, like most other hardware over the past 10 years. The campaign is set to launch in February with early bird pricing, but we don't know what that price will be yet. Luckily, if you're interested, there's a pretty easy way to get the best price. Astrohaus says you can reserve priority access and the best price for $1, with plans to ship the first batch of keyboards before the end of the year. It's a long way to go, but a dollar is a good investment if you're interested.
Update January 8, 2024 9:27 PM ET: This article has been updated to include some hands-on impressions and photos of Wordrunner.