E-paper displays had long been part of phone screens from Chinese vendors such as HiSense before Onyx Boox, Bigme and others started putting them on phone-sized devices here. The latest Palma from Onyx Boox includes stylus support, enabling it to make a run at the pocket notepad that stylus-based phones never really cracked. The DuRoBu Kronos, on the other hand, includes a side-mounted button/dial used for scrolling and other shortcuts and transcription capabilities designed to offer a quick taking of notes without having to juggle a stylus. The device also supports Google Play so you can read Kindle books or stream music although it does not show apps’ standard icons for some reason.
Zerowriter Fold joins the clamshell writerdeck fray
After Astrohaus reignited interest in the writing appliance (or “writerdeck”) with its first product, the Hemingwrite, it took a stab at a clamshell variant with the less expensive and less stylized Freewrite Traveler. Now, the developer of the open source Zerowriter writerdeck (which competes more directly with Astrohaus’ Freewrite Alpha, itself an homage to the Alphasmart digital typewriters that drove interest in writerdecks), is launching the Zerowriter Fold. Unlike other products with Fold in its name, the Zerowriter Fold is simply a clamshell device and has a 6″ e-paper display that does not fold. However, it does feature a customizeable keyboard and a lower price than the Freewrite Traveler. The Fold also competes with the King Jim Pomera, the only version of a long-running line of Japanese writerdecks tailored for the U.S. market. While also far pricier than the Zerowriter Fold, the Pomera is much thinner and offers more robust word processing than the Zerowriter or Freewrite products that are optimized for producing drafts versus final works. Not interested in getting a dedicated device for distraction-free composition? Consider installing WriterdeckOS on an old laptop.
The Lenovo G02 is a retro handheld with questionable lineage
Lenovo, ever a company to push form factor boundaries, has made the biggest push in the Steam Deck-like handhelds with the Legion Go series. Those powerful products, designed to run the latest games, command premium prices. Not so for the Linx-based G02, which is more in the tradition of a Game Boy than a Nintendo Switch, or at least modern portable game devices from companies such as Ambernic (such as the recent RG Rotate) and Miyoo that come with thousands of games playable via emulation. Despite some lapses in the device’s polish that would be uncharacteristic for a Lenovo device, AliExpress has anointed the G02 with an official brand badge, which has led to speculation that it is from a company licensing the Lenovo brand for a Chinese market product.
Some Mighty bad news for Spotify subscribers
The first Mighty player, which launched a decade ago, answered the question of what the iPod shuffle might have become if Apple had allowed it to work with the Apple Music subscription service. The clippable device allows users to download playlists for distraction-free, offline listening. Mighty started off supporting Spotify and then added support for Amazon Music. That was a particularly good move in hindsight as Spotify service changes are forcing Mighty to end support for the leading service next year. (It’s not the first playback device that Spotify has hung out to dry.) Mighty says that its working on new ways to keep its users awash in audio.
Fitbit Air is a lump that you don’t have to see the doctor for
Long before fitness tracking migrated to smart watches and relegated fitness bands to a niche, Fitbit started out as a nearly screen-free lump that slid into a small plastic holster and clipped to one’s waist. Now, Google, which has been trying to forge a path forward for the venerable fitness device line as it focuses on Wear OS (and its recently announced update to version 7), has taken the sensor back to its roots with the Fitbit Air, a screen-free device so small that it is worn inside a number of fashion-conscious bands. One bit of the Fitbit world you won’t find it in, though, is the Fitbit app, which Google is rreplacing with Google Health.
reMarkable gets back to basics with Paper Pure
After the release of its much-improved second generation “paper tablet,” reMarkable pushed into the high end with the color-capable Paper Pro and then downsized into a unique “reporter’s pad form factor with the Paper Pro Move. The reMarkable Paper Pure returns focus to some of the device’s core promises — freedom from distraction and a smooth, lag-free writing experience — at a lower price. reMarkable supports popular third-party cloud services for storage and offers a workable limited sync solution without a subscription to its Connect service. Handwriting conversion requires a subscription, but the company now supports up to five devices per subscription after previously raising the ceiling from one to three. The company’s accessories have always been top-notch. While it has rolled out sleeves in green, pink and a dark blue, there’s no mention of compatibility with the keyboard accessory that worked with the reMarkable 2.
This Android “desktop PC” is available in portrait and landscape versions
Traditionally, you’ve been far more likely to find Chrome OS powering a PC-like device than Android. That’s even been true for all-in-one devices, where even Chrome OS has been a rarity. But for those who want something that’s like an Android tablet experience that stays put and is always plugged in, AliExpress offers a 10″ 1280×800 Android 13 touchscreen device that includes two USB-A ports, HDMI out, Ethernet and a microSD slot in white or black finishes for a bit under $170 in a configuration that includes 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash. Bumping the specs to 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of flash, and Android 14 brings the price to almost $210. There’s also an option that includes the display in a portrait orientation. The devices are marketed as being for signage and kiosks, but could likely serve as a basic general computer.
Hands-On: Atari Gamestation Go
Pros
✔️Large screen, HDMI out, and range of context-sensitive control.
✔️Can optimize games for 4:3 or 16:9 optimization.
✔️Can load ROMs for many classic systems via microSD card
Cons
✖️Small selection of Atari 5200 and 7800 games.
✖️No button-mapping for user-added ROMs
Score: 9️⃣ (out of 10)
Once, the Flashback consoles provided just about the only way to relive the early days of Atari videogaming. Lately, however, in addition to a range of mini remakes like the Atari 7800+ (now available in a Pac Man edition) the market has been saturated with a range of products that provide retro experiences on the go. Most of these, though, have had smaller displays and have been sold with unlicensed game files. Previous sanctioned Atari handhelds have included AtGames’ nearly decade-old Flashback Portable (with a 2.8″ display and bundled with up to 80 games) and My Arcade’s Pocket Player Pro (with a 2.75″ display and bundled with 100 games).
MagTran M3 brings clarity to the macro keypad
Back in 2023, an Australian team created a Kickstarter campaign for the radically customizable Flux keyboard. While they’re heading toward the finish line, a less ambitious project has tackled taking a similar approach to a Steam Deck-style macro keypad. Embedding a full display below the buttons allows the use of photos or video loops below the button labels. You can even show a spectrograph under music controls or play mini-games. Since one reason the Stream Deck stays ahead of the pack is its application support. the VSD team has created a cloud platform called Space; the creators say the M3 should be compatible with 500 plugins, more than 300 scenes, over 200 icon packs, and over 100 dynamic backgrounds at launch as it promotes an open developer ecosystem.
Kensington’s Expert Mouse TB800 EQ: This is how style rolls
Trackballs: they’re not just the throwback input device on the Macrodata Refinement terminals particularly featured in the last episode of Severance Season 2. They’re a stable and mature mouse alternative for desktops that require minimal movement. Kensington, which pioneered the large-ball variety in 1989, may have reached its pinnacle of design with its new Expert Mouse TB800 EQ. The low-profile device features a pair of side rollers alongside a dial at the foot of the ball and a host of crowning buttons atop the design’s typical four. With that many controls, it’s worthy of consideration as a true media controller in addition to being Kensington’s best-looking trackball since its SlimBlade Trackball .