Is a cyberdeck still a cyberdeck when its creators call it a PDA? The PocketMage is a “personal digital assistant designed to reclaim the utility of pocketable computing,” according to its creators. What it looks like is a small computer that comes right out of a 1980s vision of a tech future.
It also looks like it’s been installed in a small plastic storage case at first glance. There may be a reason for that… It has more in common with similar writer-specific devices, and not just because it uses an e-paper display.
PocketMage casts Focus
PocketMage is, relatively speaking, rather teeny. There’s a QWERTY keyboard inside the small clear case, topped by a 3.1in e-paper display. The display has a resolution of 320 × 240, but it’s also not alone. There’s a second 1.8in OLED display alongside, with a resolution of 256 × 32. The second screen is for “real-time feedback, scrolling menus, or quick interactions,” apparently.
This compact little bugger is powered by an ESP32-S3, a chipset that is gaining in popularity for more modular projects. The chipset doesn’t need much backup support. There is 2MB (not a typo) of quad SPI SRAM, 16MB (also not a typo) of similar flash storage, and a microSD slot in case you write as much as L. Ron Hubbard used to before he… ascended. The whole thing runs off a 1,200mAh lithium-polymer battery, charged over USB-C
That, plus expansion ports, fits inside a 100 x 73 x 21.7 mm chassis. It’s not especially complicated — the OS looks like it comes from the early 1990s as well — but that’s exactly what you want from a machine like this. It does look an awful lot like a toolbox for storing very small screws, though.
The PocketMage is currently being funded on CrowdSupply (one of Kickstarter’s competitors). It has exceeded its original $100,000 ask by a wide margin. If you want one, the basic set will set you back R3,100 or so ($185), plus R200 for international shipping. They’re expected to ship to customers by March 2027. If you’d rather not put it together yourself, you’ll pay R3,850 ($235), plus shipping.
