PocketMage, an e-ink PDA impressed by wizards

The PocketMage is a retro-styled e-ink PDA (“personal digital assistant,” bear in mind?) with a clamshell case, a tactile QWERTY keyboard, and a “wizard-inspired” working system constructed for notes, journaling and calendars. At beneath 4 by 3 inches, it truly suits in a pocket, not like related devices such because the chunky PicoCalc and the tablet-sized Alpha.

Two shows cut up the work: a 3.1″, 320×240 e-paper panel handles reading and writing, while a 1.8″ OLED strip above the keyboard supplies fast-refresh suggestions for typing and menus. A capacitive scroll bar stands in for a touchscreen. Inside is an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a microSD slot, USB-C charging, and a 1200mAh battery that creators Talisman Design says lasts a few week. Hardware and software program are open supply, with an enlargement port for add-ons.

For engineers and hackers, PocketMage acts as a conveyable IDE, terminal, and {hardware} bridge. The ESP32-S3’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, mixed with the tactile interface, make it a perfect companion for writing your individual on-the-go applications and scripts. An enlargement port is even included for customized {hardware} add-ons!

The equipment prices $185, or $235 preassembled, in “parchment” or “royal purple.” PocketMage is being crowdfunded at Crowd Supply, with a privisional transport date of March 2027.

The mission started as Ashtf’s “eInkPDA“, refined by beta testers however nonetheless recognizably the identical design. Third-party apps arrive by a storefront called the Bazaar—already stocked with an e-book reader, a text-mode internet browser and a Tarot deck. Mage’s Descent is a dungeon crawling RPG and, to me, most likely well worth the worth of entry all by itself.

In the Hacker News thread on this, a commenter notes that these “distraction-free” devices are no such factor and simply find yourself bought by the identical assholes who already personal three Freewrites. This is libelous: I truly personal all six of them.