* 4.3" monochrome e-Ink display
* no web browser, no email client
* de-Googled Android; only way to load apps is via APK from a computer
* hardware switch to turn off all radios, for the privacy-concerned
The built-in software is still a work-in-progress (eg the music player hasn't got FOLDER support yet!) but you can find e-Ink-friendly apps on repos like F-Droid.
To a first approximation nothing like that exists and while I understand philosophical commitment, from a getting shit done perspective, it is an unnecessary requirement.
For better or worse, that ship sailed long ago because it has no commercial viability.
Yes, it might make an interesting hobby project, but running any old phone might too.
Check out /r/remarkableTablet for everyone who convinced themselves they were buying an ebook reader or a device running standard Linux under the hood — essentially of them regret the purchase to varying degrees.
Not really their advertised use case, but works better than an ipad for me.
This reviewer reviews e-ink devices: https://www.youtube.com/@ChalidRaqami
Best dumb phones 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwkLjrNMd3M
Remarkable just came out with a small eink tablet that could kind of work.
PostmarketOS might run on some existing devices as well.
Used palm pilots are likely too if productivity apps are mostly what you're after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPQ2q7yVjZs
I've seen some other people hack together similarly devices. One was a Raspberry Pi 0 with a blackberry keyboard and a screen.
Anything off the shelf and even remotely polished these days is likely running Android, which seems like it would defeat the purpose.
The are Remarkable Move might be an option, if you're looking more for a notebook to organize everything, but if you want a Palm-like experience, that will also miss the mark.
You could try for an old Palm or Handspring device off eBay. It might be its own island, or getting in syncing could be a project.
You can run old Palm ROMS on smartphones. I tried it, but once the nostalgia wore off in 5 minutes I gave up on it. It also seems to defeat the purpose of what you're going for.
There are smaller devices in a similar vein, I hear good things about Kobo.
E-ink tablets are about the best thing I can think of here. Second best option is probably just an old Android device without a sim card.
https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/precursor
I wrote a little about it today, as it happens:
https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/three_new_microkernel...
It works as a phone. It works for documents, contacts, calendars etc. Bluetooth keyboard and mouse work, as does a USBC dock (but no DP).
I like it a lot.
"Nowadays", one-the-device is harder but don't we always get enough connectivity to run web-based apps? Or at least apps through a browser? Whatever device, but our own apps from our own servers? New advantage that there is not much residing on the device which can then be lost, stolen or broken without issue.
Lots of people don't, but also there are plenty of reasons people may want to keep everything on-device that has nothing to do with connectivity.
> Privacy
For phone-hosted: threats of phone image screening, repair tech access, checkpoint demands, security bugs. For server-hosted: mostly just security bugs and working around phone cache.
> reliability and predictability
For phone-hosted: you'll never have all your data, you are constantly dependant on apps tradeoffs or outright availability (even my train schedule app stopped supporting my phone OS, amazing), phone theft or broken or other loss. For server-hosted: All your data, apps you control, always able to write your own additional tool and deploy whenever you want, reliable backups, against rare no network access.
> wanting to avoid setting up accounts
For phone-hosted: Indeed more and more difficult to deploy your own apps (because accounts and hoops to jump). For server-hosted: what accounts? My server my accounts. You rarely need something like an additional remote server (which even then would be less constrained than a phone developer account - and probably cheaper.)
> space (you didn't mention this one)
Server-hosted is much cheaper space than on the phone (at the tradeoff of transfer speed).
> development hurdles (you didn't mention this one)
Gone! Free as the wind! Whatever tool, whatever "pratices", no gatekeepers, update when you want either standard software or your own - or postpone updates when the situation demands. Absurdly simpler development. All yours.
So anyway, my point is that the original attractiveness of hosting a private-data personal app on the phone has changed. (1) that has been made harder - and less private, while (2) access of your home server has become MUCH better.
comprev•4mo ago