My Dream Productivity Device Is Done – and It's Becoming a Kit [video]
24 comments
·August 6, 2025Waterluvian
doubled112
Sounds similar to a lot of discussion around note taking and other productivity software.
danpalmer
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.
PaulRobinson
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
> "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.
the__alchemist
#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
Battery life is a trade off though. The removable / replaceable battery is great too.
theamk
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.
wewewedxfgdf
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.
cosmic_cheese
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.
keyringlight
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.
tra3
I remember seeing flexibl eink displays maybe 15 years ago. iirc it rolled up into a toothpaste sized tube. That would be super cool.
ZiiS
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.
qwerty456127
This looks amazing except the number of keys seems too small.
danielheath
I have been amazed by how few you can get away with once you start using modes/layers.
WorldPeas
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?
42lux
Limitation breeds creativity.
righthand
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
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.
Arainach
A workshop full of tools is worthless if you never use them.
Modern phones and web browsers are full of weaponized distractions with billions of dollars in forces fighting to steal your attention. To actually be productive, many (most?) people benefit from a device that does less.
It's why reMarkable is vastly superior to eInk Android tablets that do "more". It's why some people have switched to cameras instead of phone cameras and to other analog technologies - be it a paper notebook or what have you.
Fewer tools but fewer distractions beats many tools and push notifications.
righthand
I guess it depends on how you like to work. I hate working on devices. I have an iPhone Mini, two laptops, a pc I built, a Remarkable, a work iPad, a TV.
I use 4-5 of these devices for mostly writing comments online and writing various mediums of comedy. I do other creative work on my personal devices but I have found I enjoy doing more with my hands and body as well.
For example, often when I am stuck on writing I go for a walk. I often don’t take my phone and force myself to focus only on the problem at hand. I often take a notebook and write any notes about my conclusions along the walk. Eventually the notes make it back into a computer.
I also enjoy cooking and can use my device to look up recipes or order food online and avoid cooking all together. But I choose to use the stack of throw away desk calendar paper to write down my grocery list and go to the store without my phone. I choose to chop the broccoli and carrots even though I cab buy a bag of pre steamed for less. I even keep a passive grocery list on my phone in reminders app. But I still do the ritual. Not at all because it’s productive.
But what I really enjoy about life and creating is not sitting at a desk by myself hammering the ideas and draining myself reading, reading, reading. And I like to read but a lot of reading these days is distraction and those devices are designed to be distracting. So much that I go out of my way to prevent them from distracting me and keeping me in a sitting position.
With a little device dedicated for productivity I gain the benefits of computing without all the distracting tracking, “use my product!” Side effects.
And do it because you have agency to do it. Living your life with productivity doesn’t mean being an efficiency slave.
At the end of the day I still may be middle/lower class consumer cattle. But at least I am cattle with agency.
My first thought was “I’m glad this has progressed and looking slimmer, this inspires me to investigate building the 4-inch square device of my dreams.”
RajT88
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
I recently bought an HP Jornada that I want to explore a little further. Cool little Windows CE palmtop with great battery life.
righthand
My second thought was “Will this kind of project be dead once tariffs hit in the USA?”
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.