Computers are undeniably useful tools when it comes to completing all manner of tasks, making it possible to things that would not otherwise be possible or to do them faster than ever. But computers can also be a great source of distractions. You will not doubt have noticed that it is very easy to spend more time browsing through your photo collection or surfing the web than getting on with what you are meant to be doing.

Over the past year there has been a sudden increase in the number of ‘distraction free’ app that have been released. Unlike software such as Microsoft Word and AdobePhotoshop which have been designed to be as powerful and feature-packed as possible, these are tools that should enable you to focus on what you need to get done, wiping aside distracting interface elements and unnecessary features that you may be tempted to tinker with.

Writemonkey is another such app, and as the name suggests it is a word processor – a zen word processor, no less. The program runs in full screen mode so there is less change of being distracted by other programs you may have running at the same time, and presents you with a simple, stripped down interface that is really little more than a basic typewriter – you can even run the program from a USB drive so you can take it with you as you work with different computers.

Because the program interface is so cut down, there is extensive support for keyboard shortcuts to make it easy to access a range of options. There is also support for various markup languages and formatting shortcuts which helps to make the app suitable for an extensive range of different tasks. If you need to work in a distraction free environment, it is likely that writing is your profession and Writemonkey is perfect for writers thanks to its unobtrusive word count, timed writing mode, a repository for notes, and online lookups make this a great productivity tool.

Version 2.7.0.3 brings:

- changed: New spell checker and language tools. 
- added: Improved plugin engine and richer API + New plugins: Clandestine files, Scratch pad, Preview ... (see Plugins section for more info)
- added / fixed: You can now do Replace All on a selection not just on the whole text.
- added: You can now show/hide white spaces from the Preferences / Screen elements menu.