Byword: A beautifully simple Mac app, for writing.

We’ve written about a few different writing interfaces here on TNW. Whether your device is your desktop, a laptop or maybe even an iPad, there seems to be a wealth of choices.

The latest one to catch our attention is Byword, from Metaclassy. It is a clean, simple application that provides you with a very handy way to keep your focus on your writing, instead of the app itself.

What’s interesting about Byword is that not only does the app as a whole allow you to focus on your text, but the specific bit of text that you’re working on will show up in a darker type than the rest. That is, as long as you’re in full-screen mode.

Using Byword to type, especially in full screen, is an absolute joy. It seems to be best suited to the laptop environment, as full screen on my 24-inch secondary monitor is a bit cumbersome.

There are some light features, such as the ability to search for text, and to format specific sections of text by themselves. On the whole, however, it is the lack of features and beautiful simplicity that make Byword an absolute win in our book.

Having just launched into its first non-beta version, Byword will cost you just $3 from the Mac App Store. That is, at least for the next 2 days. After that there is a price increase to $4 and then finally to $5 after the 7th day.

Give it a shot, and let us know your thoughts. I was impressed enough by Byword that I think I’m going to start using it for the writing of my TNW posts. The images and all the rest? I’ll handle that later.