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Tom Hanks Releases 'Hanx' Typewriter App for iPad

"My little gift to the future Luddite hipsters of the world."
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You may be aware of Tom Hanks's predilection for typewriters and old-school technology, but he's plugged into the digital world as well. And now he's found a way to combine the two: a typewriter app for the iPad. Called Hanx, after himself, the app "recreates the experience of a manual typewriter, but with the ease and speed of an iPad." This is all tongue-in-cheek, naturally — Hanks knows better than anyone that the chunky tactile experience of a manual typewriter can't be replicated by tapping on a glass touchscreen. He appears to just be having a bit of fun.

In a Twitter duet with the official Apple App Store account, Hanks explained the rationale: "I wanted the sound of typing if nothing else... cause I find it's like music that spurs along the creative urge. Bang bang clack-clack-clack puckapuckapuckapucka..." One addition to modernity, however, is the addition of a "delete" key, which will surely be appreciated. The app is free but there are purchasable themes that give the app a new look and sound.

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—Devin Coldewey