I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows
OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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ommwriter design

It's time for that honored tradition that's inescapable at the end of every year: the annual best/worst lists. But I'm generally a positive kind of guy, so I'm just going to share my "best of" part of the list. Below you'll find my selections for the best of tech that I used in 2010. Some of the items on the list may have originated before 2010, but this is the year I really put the tech to use. So, without further ado, here is the Best of Tech 2010 as I see it.

Best Mac App: 2010 wasn't kind to the Mac app platform. The wild success of iOS and mobile apps in general seem to have taken a toll on innovative desktop apps. Hopefully the Mac App Store will reverse the trend. Until then if you are looking for a cool new Mac app, try OmmWriter Dāna. It's a word processor designed from the ground up to lend itself to the user's creative flow. You can read my review of it here. Try it out (there are both free and paid versions) and you'll find out just how much a little thing like a horizontal cursor can increase your creativity. You can download OmmWriter here.
Continue reading Michael's Best of Tech 2010 list
Michael's Best of Tech 2010 list originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It's time for that honored tradition that's inescapable at the end of every year: the annual best/worst lists. But I'm generally a positive kind of guy, so I'm just going to share my "best of" part of the list. Below you'll find my selections for the best of tech that I used in 2010. Some of the items on the list may have originated before 2010, but this is the year I really put the tech to use. So, without further ado, here is the Best of Tech 2010 as I see it.

Best Mac App: 2010 wasn't kind to the Mac app platform. The wild success of iOS and mobile apps in general seem to have taken a toll on innovative desktop apps. Hopefully the Mac App Store will reverse the trend. Until then if you are looking for a cool new Mac app, try OmmWriter Dāna. It's a word processor designed from the ground up to lend itself to the user's creative flow. You can read my review of it here. Try it out (there are both free and paid versions) and you'll find out just how much a little thing like a horizontal cursor can increase your creativity. You can download OmmWriter here.
Continue reading Michael's Best of Tech 2010 list
Michael's Best of Tech 2010 list originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you're a writer and like trying out new software, October is turning out to be an awesome month. We've got Word 2011 coming October 26, which I've been using for a few weeks. It blows all other Mac versions of Word out of the water. Following Word just a few days later is my personal favorite, Scrivener 2.0. The updates to Scrivener are going to be huge, and I think all the fans of Scrivener 1.5 are going to be knocked off their feet. Then there's a recently released iPad app simply called Writer that introduces a revolutionary feature I hope most other desktop writing programs will incorporate one day. But first, I want to start off by telling you about an OS X app called OmmWriter Dāna.

Brett first told you about OmmWriter almost a year ago, and I raved about it again just a few weeks later. This was when OmmWriter had just been previewed as a beta. The app was new, fresh, and novel (no pun intended). It only runs in full screen mode, and when you launch it you are put in the middle of a snowy field as relaxing, almost hypnotic music plays in the background. The words you type seemingly appear floating in the fog of the winter landscape. The picture and the music might seem like fluff, but it serves a very important purpose: to create an intimate relationship with writers and their thoughts. It isolates you in a way from the bells and whistles of your computer. It succeeds overwhelmingly in doing this too, especially when you wear headphones as the application suggests you do.TUAWWriters' software month: OmmWriter Dāna originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 09 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apotheosis or nadir of the 'distraction-free' 'writing environment' meme.

A wise man once said "We are all at the mercy of our wild monkey minds. Incessantly swinging from branch to branch." With multiple windows and applications all vying for our attention, we have sadly adapted our working habits to that of the computer and not the other way around.

Ommwriter is a humble attempt to recapture what technology has snatched away from us today: our capacity to concentrate.

Ommwriter is a simple text processor that firmly believes in making writing a pleasure once again, vindicating the close relationship between writer and paper. The more intimate the relation, the smoother the flow of inspiration.

If you are a scriptwriter, blogger, journalist, copywriter, poet or just someone who enjoys writing, welcome back to concentrating.