USB Typewriter

Something for the old-fashioned types? How you can use a typewriter to work on your PC

Maybe the typewriter isn't dead just yet.

A U.S. designer has created a USB Typewriter conversion kit that allows computer users to type on their machines using an old-school typewriter keyboard.

The kit plugs into the USB port on a laptop, monitor or iPad via a sensor board. 

Retro: U.S. designer Jack Zylkin has created this USB Typewriter conversion kit that allows computer users to type on their machines using an old-school typewriter keyboard

Inventor Jack Zylkin said: 'It's a new and ground-breaking innovation in the field of obsolescence.'

Mr Zylkin sells complete kits, which include the typewriter itself, on retail website Etsy.com.

They retail for between $699 and $899 depending on the model. Mr Zylkin also sells do it yourself kits, starting at $74.

The modification is 'easy to install,' according to a statement on usbtypewriter.com.

Costly: Mr Zylkin sells complete kits, which include the typewriter itself on website Etsy.com which retail for between $699 and $899 depending on the model

'It involves no messy wiring, and does not change the outward appearance of the typewriter (except for the usb adapter itself, which is mounted in the rear of the machine),' the statement continues.

The high-tech typewriters are marketed to 'lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters,' who can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer.

The machine, introduced in July of 2010, has since become a hit with retro-style aficionados, receiving 100 per cent positive feedback on Etsy.com.

One user commented on the brand's website: 'I know several people who at least claim to be nostalgic for the old typewriter days; this would make it possible to call their bluff :-) . And who knows, they might actually like it?'

Cheaper alternative: A DIY modification that retails for $74 is 'easy to install,' according to a statement on usbtypewriter.com