My Dream Productivity Device Is Done – and It's Becoming a Kit [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf3BxNq1cp4

by surprisetalk • 12 months ago

59 59 12 months ago

theamk• 12 months ago

Spoiler: it's PocketMage, home-made PDA based on ESP32.

Github says "custom OS", but it's more like "custom UI", it's actually Arduino-based and relies on Arduino libraries for all OS-like functionality.

https://github.com/ashtf8/EinkPDA

Gigachad5• 12 months ago

This is a very strange nitpick. I don't think many people at all would consider the Arduino libraries to be an OS. The UI, apps, usage of the dual screen, keyboard, and scroll pad are more than enough to make calling it a custom OS reasonable. Just because they didn't write their own filesystem and related tooling.

WorldPeas• 12 months ago

why are so many things with "productivity" in the name for the opposite? Not that there's a problem with fun but why market it this way?

righthand3• 12 months ago

What is unproductive about this device?

Productivity usually refers to enabling people to be productive through planning. Which includes calendar, todo lists, text editors, file managment, etc. This seems to fit in that category.

Rotdhizon• 12 months ago

There's definitely a separation between the definition and perception. When I watched the video, my first thought was "This device is very cool but I can't imagine myself ever using it". There's hundreds, if not thousands of infinitely more convenient scheduling/productivity tools compared to having what is basically a small raspberry pi in my pocket for manual task entry. There is definitely a market for this, albeit it a very small, niche one. To me this is akin to writing a paper in word compared to pulling out a mini typewriter.

bee_rider3• 12 months ago

The keyboard is too small. Can it even fit vim? It is impossible to be productive without vim.

BoredPositron• 12 months ago

Limitation breeds creativity.

wewewedxfgdf• 12 months ago

I really love that electronics is at the point that people are able to create their dream device.

I'm wanting to do that too but don't have the skills.

herewulf• 12 months ago

Gaining those skills through doing is a worthwhile and interesting journey. And it can be done incrementally.

righthand3• 12 months ago

My second thought was “Will this kind of project be dead once tariffs hit in the USA?”

netsharc• 12 months ago

I wonder if they can set it up so that orders for the freer world never touches the grabby hands of the (economic-)molester: produce the parts in China, if the buyer is outside of the US, ship directly to them..

Whereas for US orders, maybe offer a delivery to hotels in case the buyer is having a trip outside of the country? (Presumably it's not a sustainable idea, there'd be just a handful of people wanting to buy this product who'd happen to be travelling out of the country soonish)

Gigachad5• 12 months ago

Problem is if the maker is in the US, it's going to be hard to pull that off. You'd need an external company to manage everything. Bulk ordering the parts, resin printing the case, making the PCBs, and boxing it all in a kit.

RajT88• 12 months ago

Dream product pshaw, let me click on this ohhhh shit I want one.

Well sort of. I have wanted a Sony Client PEG-UX50 for ages, if it had a proper modern hardware and OS. Some of the other Clie form factors would make amazing and geeky phones.

I really miss the mobile device era where big names tried random shit to see what people would buy. These days, everything is basically an iPhone. And to be fair, Apple is now mostly an iPhone company.

wkjagt• 12 months ago

I recently bought an HP Jornada that I want to explore a little further. Cool little Windows CE palmtop with great battery life.

the__alchemist• 12 months ago

#1: This is fantastic from a conceptual perspective! Focus on simple computing tasks that are important, without distractions, ads etc. Open source, kit, looks well-designed.

#2: I've programmed and used those EPD displays (The same model used here I believe specifically). They are neither a joy to program, or use. The programming is much more complicated than a normal display because of how you manage refreshes: Partial, full, when to do each etc. The latter because, as you can see in the video, the latency is high.

I think responsivity and latency are one of the most important things for a pleasant user experience. We as engineers and developers have failed at this in general over the past ~2 decades. I think a device like this that breaks conventions is in a nice spot to also break this trend. Especially not using an OS (Or using an RTOS?), there should be no perceptible latency, if he changes to a normal display. I could tolerate a display like this for some uses and like a static sensor that runs on battery, but for an interactive device like this? No.

j45• 12 months ago

Battery life is a trade off though. The removable / replaceable battery is great too.

criddell2• 12 months ago

Battery life is a trade off though

It really shouldn't be. Other threads have mentioned the Psion 5. That came out almost 30 years ago and could get 20 hours on a pair of AA batteries. A similar modern device should be able to get 200+ hours on a pair of AA batteries. For typical PDA use, that should be many months of use.

PaulRobinson• 12 months ago

My dream productivity device is a modern take on a Psion 5MX.

I don't mean I want a Psion 5MX with a bunch of hacks to keep it running - I've seen that, no thanks.

I want the same great keyboard, same form factor, some ergonomics, but with a modern screen (mono/e-ink is fine), modern CPU, modern connectivity (wifi, bluetooth, usb-c, maybe 4G/5G eSIM if we're being fancy), and improved battery life with usb-c charging.

The first thing that goes with all these geek PDAs and mini form-factors is the keyboard. I want to be able to type a short email, I want to be able to ssh into a server and use vim (so, yeah, ESC is needed or ability to remap caps lock or something), and also do some basic doc writing and perhaps a spreadsheet or two. A web browser would be nice.

I don't need apps. I don't need a compressed desktop. I don't need games. It's a productivity device.

Thinking about it as I type this, perhaps a psion-style keyboard for an iPhone might hit the spot if I figure out the right focus mode setup in iOS for when I need that mode. Maybe.

I'm glad this hits the spot for some people... but that keyboard... no thanks.

spankibalt• 12 months ago

"My dream productivity device is a modern take on a Psion 5MX."

Adapt it out of the conventions of the inferior form factor by making it a detachable, i. e. a UMPC in a smartphone-like form factor, and you might have a winner... if you don't skimp on all the other good stuff that makes a great ultra-portable general-purpose computing platform.

"Thinking about it as I type this, perhaps a psion-style keyboard for an iPhone might hit the spot [...]."

The problem with the iPhone is that it's not a UMPC, but locked-down crap.

theallan2• 12 months ago

Take a look at Plant Computers PDAs: https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/planetphones . The hardware is a bit old notre and if love to see a refresh, but the Pison keyboard is there!

theallan2• 12 months ago

Just looked up their stuff again (it's been a while) and they appear to be out of business, although the website is still running. Don't order from them, based on Reddit reviews... Real shame, I loved the Psion keyboard.

criddell2• 12 months ago

I want an updated Psion too. Either that or a modern TRS-80 Model 100. Something that can run for hundreds or maybe thousands of hours on 4 AA batteries (the original could do 30 or so hours). Something without an app SDK and definitely without a browser.

cosmic_cheese• 12 months ago

Neat concept. It’d be interesting to do a spin on it that expands it to a 12”/13” footprint, allowing it to have a full keyboard, making it thinner (since components can be spread out), and making it more practical for tasks like writing. Think something like the defunct 12” MacBook, but with a minimal UI reminiscent of an 80s Mac on a grayscale display.

There are e-ink tablets that can have a keyboard attached to them that kinda approximate that, but I’ve always found the KB-tablet-stand form factor clunky at best, and they tend to run some Android derivative which is going to feel slow compared to “bare metal” software running on an SBC.

tra3• 12 months ago

I remember seeing flexibl eink displays maybe 15 years ago. iirc it rolled up into a toothpaste sized tube. That would be super cool.

keyringlight• 12 months ago

The larger alternative that comes to mind is the ClockworkPI [0] uConsole and DevTerm devices, although they seem to have poor availability or long and variable lead times. Beyond that you're into touching distance of x86 laptops with the GPD Win type micro PCs.

[0] https://www.clockworkpi.com/

qwerty456127• 12 months ago

This looks amazing except the number of keys seems too small.

danielheath• 12 months ago

I have been amazed by how few you can get away with once you start using modes/layers.

ZiiS• 12 months ago

Need a price to know if I will buy. I doubt you would cover R&D at >$1000, could easily be >$100 unit cost for a short run, but more complex watches can be <$10 strait from China.

Waterluvian• 12 months ago

Something I’ve noticed in a few friends and family members is that there’s this whole hobby of setting up to be productive but not actually being productive. One person has a brilliantly laid out workshop with so many custom built shelves and cleats and jigs and tables, but about 90% of the woodworking they’ve done is the workshop itself. Another spends ton of time figuring out the absolute best way to organize her recipes and todo lists and desk and organizers and pens and finding the right foot rest, but that’s about it.

And I can see her being really into this device as an idea, but I would bet all the money in my pockets that she’d never actually use it.

None of this is a critique on these individuals, or how well this PDA performs at being a productivity device. It’s just this meta layer of productivity I’m noticing around me more and more.

danpalmer• 12 months ago

I notice this a lot too, and try to avoid falling into this trap. But also, if it’s a hobby, maybe it’s ok? Maybe the organisation is the fun part for some people.

henrebotha• 12 months ago

Tweaking Linux to make it work just the way I like isn't something I do towards some greater purpose, I enjoy it for its own sake.

doubled112• 12 months ago

Sounds similar to a lot of discussion around note taking and other productivity software.

Rodeoclash• 12 months ago

Lots of music producers fall into this trap too. So much so that I'm convinced nearly the entire synthesizer industry is setup to exploit this.

Gigachad5• 12 months ago

People just want their quirky single purpose gadgets back. Tech got kind of boring after a laptop and phone do everything.

I kind of want the device in the OP, assuming it's cheap enough. Not because I think it will be more productive, but because it would be fun to pull out a Nintendo DS shaped device to note tasks down.

topato• 11 months ago

Haha, now that's DEFINITELY true. The amount of machines some people own, especially machines that revolve entirely around sampling, but amount to being essentially 500 dollar toys is astonishing....

code_biologist• 12 months ago

As a person who easily falls for "preparing" over doing the work, I committed to the hipster PDA [1] as an antidote to this for many years: "the Hipster PDA comprises a sheaf of index cards held together with a binder clip."

My pocket index cards haven't run out of VC money or instituted a new subscription model yet!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_PDA

binary1322• 12 months ago

Fellow index card productivity hacker here, do have a plan to start numbering and indexing them in a databasing drawer system. Thankfully, have not had time to implement this one just yet.

alangibson• 12 months ago

The workshop hits home. One of the decisions I made was to let my workshop grow organically around me based on what I'm doing. I started with a pile of junk tools on an Ikea table in an empty basement. By focusing on just what I needed at the time I ended up with fully equipped metal, wood and coating shops without ever consciously building them. They just sort of happened based on the needs of the next project.

yial• 12 months ago

This is overall a pretty good strategy.

I’ve done something similar - usually buying tools only when I need them, or when I find something I’ve been thinking about at a great deal used.

I do periodically however take time to straighten, arrange, and fix workflow / storage issues.

(This became important when I purchased at auction from a hardware store closing down 30+ 3 foot tall of bins of hardware - the exact ones used for display in the store - still filled ).

sjs382• 12 months ago

It's a matter of goals and perspective then, eh?

Maybe the workshop is what brings them the most joy about the hobby.

Maybe the recipe person appreciates their collection this way.

Maybe they don't frame things in terms of productivity, like you do (even if they do use that word).

ivape• 12 months ago

Procrastination is a huge market. HN should charge.

Blackthorn• 12 months ago

That's because yak shaving is fun. The stuff that follows maybe not.

jemmyw2• 12 months ago

I have the same feeling about a lot of productivity tooling in the software world. At one point I had been convinced by several people that I needed to be taking notes, either handwritten or have some kind of note taking system. I tried for a good amount of time (2 years) before concluding that it's not for me. I'm more productive without notes, my mind seems fairly well organised. My biggest enemy is procrastination, not disorganisation.

So that's all well and good. I don't believe that my way is the one true way, I think each to their own. What I don't like is that people won't stop telling you about their note taking systems and that you should take notes. Well, things have calmed down a bit now, but a few years ago it felt like people would actively hunt you down and force their note taking opinion on you if they suspected you didn't keep your own knowledge base.

bevr1337• 12 months ago

Did anyone convince you to pay for a remarkable? ;)

It's managed to fill a niche for me, but no magical experience and probably not worth the price. In retrospect, I was "keeping up" with wealthier coworkers.

xnx• 11 months ago

Something I’ve noticed in a few friends and family members is that there’s this whole hobby of setting up to be productive but not actually being productive

This is also most programmers. Lots of time spent picking languages, configuring tools, switching frameworks, updating dependencies, etc. Very little time making useful code.

magicmicah85• 12 months ago

Congrats on making a product. I see the appeal of these products because they embrace the productive aspects of technology and prevent the intrusive attention seeking technologies from being involved.

The reason I would not get a device like this is because the device I have is already capable of doing all this. The problems that hamper my productivity are psychological and unless I’m going to completely get rid of all the devices and thoughts that are distracting me, I don’t see how another device is going to help me. In fact, I can see me being more unproductive just trying to get every little thing right with synchronization and using the product versus just doing the thing I should be productive at.

I really do like the aesthetic though. It’s a hell of a thing to build your own hardware and software and I hope it helps others and can grow.

protocolture• 12 months ago

I really just want something under 50 bucks with a keyboard that can chat over wifi.

Not LoraWAN, not Bluetooth.

Gigachad5• 12 months ago

The Nintendo DS is honestly probably the product you are looking for in that case. There is probably even some weird keyboard accessory for it.

magarnicle2• 12 months ago

I reckon that all these "productive" takes on smartphones don't really solve the issue, they end up being too "dumb". The one big thing that makes smartphones addictive is not all the apps: it's the big beautiful piece of glass at the front.

The screen is what makes smartphones addictive. You can tell just by looking at the history of them. So my ideal productivity device would be a smartphone underneath - full android, great cameras, decent processor - but the screen would be small and rubbish. Let me do everything I want to do, just make it unpleasant to do it unless I really need to.

bee_rider3• 12 months ago

I’m under the impression that the main problem of cellphone addiction is that stuff like short form video is too addictive—YouTube, and then TikTok just made it worse.

IMO an e-ink (or whatever it is, black and white and, I think it is non-emissive?) screen with a small text-only OLED display is pretty good. But, to be called a productivity device, it needs a bigger screen and a full keyboard.

This thing is a PDA. Which is fine. But a PDA is an organization and communication device, right? Not productivity.

Making it unpleasant to use seems like a mistake. Productivity requires ergonomics, and ergonomic things are pleasant to use, there’s no getting around it. But we can maybe kill off the flashiness.

Gigachad5• 12 months ago

It's so easy to get sucked in to scrolling short videos. You can uninstall the apps which makes it a bit better. The worst offender is Youtube which I keep for music but can't remove shorts from.

magarnicle2• 12 months ago

An e-ink display allows me to get sucked into reading on my phone. It eliminates half my time-sinks but makes the other half a little nicer. A device with a bad screen would make my productivity go up overall, but I wouldn't be using the device to do any work.

So perhaps what's needed for productivity on the device itself is in fact a much bigger screen. Those "tri-fold" phones might be big enough, if you could somehow also fit a usable keyboard in your pocket along with the phone.

Terretta• 12 months ago

So, Danger Hiptop aka T-Mobile Sidekick.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_Sidekick

A review from 2003:

your phone, laptop and cellphone (Mar 5, 2003 by scott williams)

the hiptop is the coolest thing ever. the web browser is surprisingly nice to use. the phone is slightly awkward, but usable. email is a dream. the web has almost all the features of ie. bookmarks, homepage, recent pages and a url capture for email. the browser is a wee bit slower than a 56k. as a phone, the speaker is plenty loud enough. I do not like headsets, so I always hold the phone to my ear. at first, the phone was awkward to hold, but after a few calls I actually found I liked it better than previous phones. the larger size made it somewhat easier to hold. no hand cramping like with a se t68i. that said, the phone isn't tiny, but doesn't feel like a brick either. the screen, while small is very easy to read. the backlight is the nice calm blue. very nice. the keypad is small but not too small. it took me about two days to get used to typing text messages on a qwerty keypad. so after having the sidekick for a week I will never have another phone again. well, maybe when the new color one comes out. it does everything but the laundry. and I wrote this on the sidekick too.

That device hit a sweet spot the Palm, Blackberry, and WinCE phones hadn't, and iPhone didn't for a while* either (maybe still hasn't, depending on the importance of the mechanical and tactile UX).

Oh yeah, Danger, Inc. was cofounded by Andy Rubin, who would become the author of Android.

---

* Early on, people purchased case sleeves for iPhone with tactile keyboards. It took Apple a while to tune the haptic and prediction to hide how relatively poor iPhone keyboards initially were compared to a Blackberry or Sidekick. Even now: https://www.clicks.tech/

My Dream Productivity Device Is Done – and It's Becoming a Kit [video]

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