Microwriter was an innovative pocket word processing device, designed in 1980 by Endfield Cie in the USA and later manufactured in the UK. It used a keyboard with only six keys which made it possible to enter all characters, symbols, numerals and punctuation marks. Only one hand was necessary to type text using chording, where combinations of two or three keys were pressed simultaneously. The chording formats were based on the shapes of letters. It was designed to be easy to learn and a highly efficient typing tool. Editing control chords made it possible to correct, remove, add and move text.
The internal design of MicroWriter was similar to a pocket calculator with low power components and rechargeable batteries ensuring a 30 hours autonomy. The 14 character LCD display allowed horizontal text scrolling. The integral word processing software could connect directly to a printer
Production stopped in 1985, though a simliar keyboard was subsequently used on the AgendA (1988-93) and is still available for PC & Palm as the CyKey from Bellaire Electronics.
