The mechanical typewriters of yore might have long gone out of fashion though the same continues to inspire manufacturers to come up with modern versions of it using the latest advancements in technology. The Flowo – short for Flow Word – is just that. Developed by Italian designer Jody Del Bianco, the Flowo keeps things simple in that it comprises of a keyboard with a curved E Ink display attached to the upper edge of the keyboard.

This way, the display is the closest it can be to the real thing among all such digital typewriters we have seen emerge in the recent past. Notable among them is the Freewrite or the Digital Memo Pomera DM30 all of which feature a keyboard but have a tablet-like E Ink display on top. The Flowo is different in this respect given that the curved display offers a similar feel to that of a real typewriter in that you can actually roll the virtual paper to move up and down the lines.

Further, the curved E Ink display, as Yanko Design reported, has the same width as an A4-sized paper and comes with a round knob on either side which can be used to roll the page up and down, something that you’d do on a real typewriter as well. The keyboard is backlit too, which means it is perfectly operable irrespective of the external lighting condition. That said, it being a reflective E Ink display that probably lacks front lighting, you will need external light to be able to see what you have typed.

However, the good thing here is that the display with its paper-like feel offers the least strain on the eyes while also being battery efficient too. Also, while the curved display is great in offering a similar feel as typing on a real typewriter, it isn’t great for comprehension. Rather, you will have to roll up and down the lines to read it all. This is where the micro-SD card reader placed along the rear comes in play. It can be used to upload or store the pages you have typed, besides letting you read it all on a separate device.

Apart from these, there is the USB Type-C port as well on the rear which can be used for data transfer roles. In other words, you can always upload or download documents via the Type-C port, besides allowing for downloading of firmware updates whenever those become available. Unfortunately, the designer’s webpage is undergoing maintenance and hence not available at the moment. As such, it’s not known yet what the Flowo costs or when it becomes available and such. We hope to come across it all soon. So, keep watching.

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