Last heard, Eric Migicovsky, founder of the Pebble smartwatch has been working on a small Android phone though it seems he has been drawn to something else in between, the Beepberry. That might sound a bit strange though there is a reason for the device to be so named. The keyboard has been sourced from Blackberry Classic and the prototype device still has the Blackberry symbol on it. For the ‘beep’ part, well the device is designed to work in conjugation with Beeper, the app that works to bring all of your chats to a single place, be it from iMessage, WhatsApp, or whatever.
Coming to its working, Migicovsky is describing the Beepberry as a weekend device that would be used only for messaging purposes and would have none of the distractions usually associated with smartphones. It is meant for use when you’d like to take a break from the connected world we live in, like during holidays on a weekend, and such. For the display, there is the 400 x 240 pixels Sharp Memory LCD screen onboard, the sort of which you will find on calculators. Providing the processing backbone is the Raspberry Pi Zero W. Interestingly, Migicovsky also happens to be the co-founder of Beeper.
Curiously, in his tweet describing the device, Migicovsky referred to it as ‘an e-paper Cyberdeck that fits in your pocket’. However, to clear the air on this, there are no E Ink panels used anywhere on Beepberry. Rather, Migicovsky used a Sharp LCD panel for Beepberry, one that has a one-bit memory circuit that, as The Verge mentioned, is ’embedded in each pixel for e-ink-like image retention.’ The device otherwise also features a USB-C port, an RGB LED, a General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO) breakouts, a side button, and a power button.
Meanwhile, Migicovsky has also put the Beepberry up for sale where the base device along with a 2,000 mAh battery and mounting screws will set you back $79. There is also the model that includes the Raspberry Pi Zero W which is priced at $99. Those interested will however have to act fast as there are only 50 units of the Beepberry up for sale.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
