Typing Writer Turns Your iPad Into A Typewriter (And No, It Wasn’t Created By Tom Hanks)

A couple of weeks ago, Hanx Writer, a typewriter app from movie star Tom Hanks, shot to the top of the Apple App Store. I guess there must be something in the air, because it’s not the only iPad-into-typewriter app to launch recently.

There’s also Typing Writer, an app created by Stephen Elliott, founder of the literary website The Rumpus, along with Eli Horowitz, Chris Ying, and Russell Quinn.

Elliott stopped by the TechCrunch New York office a few weeks ago to show off the app — I haven’t used both of them, but judging from what’s been written, the Hanx Writer app emphasizes nostalgia for things like the sound of the typewriter, while Typing Writer may be more of a practical writing tool, with an emphasis on moving forward as you write, rather than constantly going back and tinkering. (To that end, it also comes with first drafts from writers like Jim Shepard, Melissa Febos, Aimee Brill, and Rick Moody.)

By way of disclosure, I should also mention that Elliott is an old writing teacher of mine — and right after we shot this video, we decided to collaborate on a short film.

Anyway, Typing Writer costs $1.99, and you can download the app here.