I was recently reminded that "Portable Typewriters" exist for a few hundred dollars, and are marketed as "the only way to write on the go, distraction free with the small built in screen" and I would like to give everyone who, like me, is on a very very small budget and can't afford to drop $400 or $500 on a typewriter...
...here is an actual budget option for around $40, 10x cheaper, that you can use with any smart phone that has bluetooth built in, which is most modern phones.
[ID: A photo of a folding bluetooth keyboard by the brand ProtoArc, in the plain black version, which is a thin but full-sized Qwerty keyboard including a numberpad on the right hand side, with a few extra functional keys on the top right for use with a phone. End ID]
This keyboard is around $43; if you want a colored version (grey, silver, white, blue, or green green) it goes up to $53.
This keyboard has a charge that lasts around a week or two (depending on length of daily use) and fully charges in around half an hour or less with a USB-Type C charger, included in the package.
Once you pair it with your phone, it will pair automatically when you fully unfold it, and disconnect when you fold it back up; no on or of switches needed.
If you are someone who has been tempted by the concept of writing on the go, writing on a small screen so you're not distracted by a full desktop PC or laptop, but balked at the price of $300-$600+, please consider trying out a bluetooth keyboard with a phone you already own for $40, and see if you are either satisfied with this small price point and stick with it, or take the plunge and buy a portable typewriter now that you know the concept works for you, instead of shelling out a few hundred and never using it.
The folding keyboard is small enough you can fit it in a small carrying bag, and if you have a large fanny pack that would probably work as well; I have a small purse/sling bag that I use which fits perfectly, so literally anywhere I go that has a flat surface, I can whip out my keyboard and keep on writing my novel :)
The keyboard works with any app on your phone, so you can write in Google Docs, another word processing app, or directly on 4TheWords mobile website!
But yes, if you are interested in writing on the go and are on a small budget, I highly reccomend this keyboard, it is one of the reasons I have been able to write so much in the past few months.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TW35H1Z
No, this is not an affiliate link, and I am not making any money off of sharing this link; I am just someone who is living paycheck to paycheck who really loves to write and don't want people to think the only way to write while traveling is by dropping a few hundred dollars on a device--
-- especially if you are someone who for disability reasons cannot easily use the small keyboard on a phone screen. There are cheaper, more accessible options out there, if you're looking at non-medical electronics in a similar vein to "portable typewriter", there are plenty of cheaper, more versatile options out there as long as you can think of the most simplified versions to look up alternatives.