Hanx Writer recreates the joy of the typewriting experience on your iPad
Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks has sat atop the Box Office charts many times during his storied career. Now the Forrest Gump and Saving Private Ryan star has a hit app on his hands.
The free Hanx Writer app, which mimics the look and feel of a physical typewriter on the Apple iPad, launched late last week and is already sitting pretty on top of the App Store charts.
The app aims to replicate the typewriter experience with the traditional “thud,” and “shuck” sound effects as well as the iconic chimes when users reach the end of a line.
Users can even 'X' out mistakes rather than use the delete key for that extra authentic, messy experience.
The Hanx Writer app features one typewriter design, the Hanx Prime Select, while others like the Hanx 707 and the Hanx Golden Touch are available to purchase cheaply from within the app.
The actor has obviously struck a chord with users who’ve sent it to the top of the Productivity and overall chart on the App Store.
Hanks is known for his enthusiasm for typewriters, has an extensive collection of analogue machines and claims he prefers using them to physical keyboards when writing.
In a column in the New York Times last year, he wrote: “Everything you type on a typewriter sounds grand, the words forming in mini-explosions of SHOOK SHOOK SHOOK. A thank-you note resonates with the same heft as a literary masterpiece.
“In addition to sound, there is the sheer physical pleasure of typing; it feels just as good as it sounds, the muscles in your hands control the volume and cadence of the aural assault so that the room echoes with the staccato beat of your synapses,” he wrote.
The Big Star didn’t create the app himself, but instead commissioned a group of developers to create Hanx Writer. The decision appears to have paid off with the app earning an average rating from over 1,300 reviews en route to the top of the charts.
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Via: TechCrunch