I love writing, but with so many distractions these days, mustering up enough focus to actually start writing can be a task in itself. That’s where distraction-free writing tools come in, including the recently released Freewrite Alpha from Astrohaus.

Building on the work the company has done with its previous Freewrite devices, like the clamshell Freewrite Traveler, the Freewrite Alpha promises an ultra-portable design that makes it easy to pick up and start writing. The real kicker here is the super-small screen, which is designed to display only two to three lines of text at a time.

This is a device for writing first drafts, complete with all the nasty mistakes that come with it. It’s designed to cut you off from your inner editor so you can focus on telling your story as easily as possible. There are no social media apps to distract you, and no way to surf the web and get lost in hours of research (although you can still back up your drafts to the cloud). All you can do is write, and that’s a good thing. But is the Alpha really the best tool for the job? I have mixed feelings about it.

At first glance, the Freewrite Alpha is a simple, unassuming mechanical keyboard with a small FSTN LCD screen above it (like you’d see on an alarm clock) and a single button on the side. On paper, the form factor is a dream come true for writers like myself, who constantly struggle with the desire to ensure their grammar and spelling is perfect. I like the idea of only having a few lines of text displayed at a time, and the fact that I can’t get lost while browsing the web or social media is a nice bonus.