SolarWriter 4+
Make an e-reader a typewriter!
Cool S, LLC
Designed for iPad
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- Free
- Offers In-App Purchases
Screenshots
Description
Traditional screens are fantastic everywhere but outside, especially on a sunny day. E-ink screens work well, but e-readers like the Kindle are difficult to type on and don't support external keyboards.
SolarWriter gives you the best of both worlds.
SolarWriter runs on your iOS device and acts as a hub between your keyboard and your e-reader. You type on the keyboard, and the text appears on both on the iOS device and on the e-reader's screen (via its web browser).
Take advantage of your Kindle's (or other e-reader's) e-ink screen to put your thoughts on paper even outside, with no need to transcribe later.
Write at parks, on beaches, in backyards... anywhere you wanted to but couldn't.
Save files on your device, or share through email, SMS, and more.
Detailed instructions for setup are included inside the app.
What’s New
Version 2.9
Bug fixes and improved performance!
Ratings and Reviews
Very neat, kinda kludgy.
I mean that affectionately. This app represents a clever way of getting around limitations. There are some convenience factors that I wish were possible, but it’s not the app’s fault that they are not present. Like turning off my phone screen, or syncing documents to cloud storage. I wish the app made it clearer as to where exactly your documents are stored. You can email them to yourself, which is a pretty good way to save your docs elsewhere and continue your work later.
I have had a little trouble getting it to work on some networks; I get ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE on some networks. Might be WiFi security settings.
Does the job!
It does exactly what it’s supposed to and I appreciate the expanded functionality of my kindle with it. I would love to see a dark mode added or another way to conserve the battery of my iOS device while I’m typing.
Developer Response ,
Dark mode has now been added! (as a Pro feature)
Charmingly clever
I love little joyful apps like this. I was wondering the other day if I could use my Kindle as a display for writing in the sun, and surprised to learn it was near impossible. Then I rabbitholed on modern e-ink typewriters, but they’re all egregiously expensive for a non-professional.
Finding this app a ways down the Google results page was amazing. Dead simple to use, and covers the use case perfectly.
The only wonky part is having to leave my phone screen on, ideally shaded in a bag, but not a huge deal.
My request for the developer: dark mode with true black, so I can dramatically reduce the energy consumption of the OLED display while it’s on. In the meantime, I use Classic Invert in the Accessibility settings (Smart Invert doesn’t work for some reason) to achieve this.
Thank you for making this!
App Privacy
The developer, Cool S, LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Purchases
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Cool S, LLC
- Size
- 96.2 MB
- Category
- Productivity
- Compatibility
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- iPhone
- Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
- iPad
- Requires iPadOS 15.6 or later.
- iPod touch
- Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
- Mac
- Requires macOS 12.5 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
- Apple Vision
- Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- Languages
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English
- Age Rating
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2022 Cool S, LLC
- Price
- Free
- In-App Purchases
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- SolarWriter Pro $9.99
Supports
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Family Sharing
Some in‑app purchases, including subscriptions, may be shareable with your family group when Family Sharing is enabled.