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Are you a hacker who happens to miss their Blackberry? Looks like there\u2019s a new product<\/a> that\u2019s just your speed: the \u201cBeepberry.\u201d It literally grafts the keyboard of a Blackberry Classic onto a pocketable custom board designed to fit a Raspberry Pi Zero W, all paired with a 400 x 240 \u201cMemory LCD\u201d screen that looks like it was ripped from an old graphing calculator \u2014 but is a bit more sophisticated. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Beepberry is designed by Eric Migicovsky, founder of the gone-but-not-forgotten<\/a> Pebble smartwatch and more relevantly co-founder of Beeper: the hacky all-in-one messenging app<\/a> that stuffs every service from WhatsApp to iMessage (using a jailbroken iPhone) into one place. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The device is ostensibly designed to run Beeper without any other online<\/em> distractions, but Migicovsky knows what you\u2019re thinking: he also describes Beepberry<\/a> as a portable \u201ce-paper\u201d computer for hackers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In case you\u2019re wondering about that \u201ce-paper\u201d screen, it\u2019s not technically e-ink \u2014 but it is an LCD made by Sharp<\/a> with a one-bit memory circuit embedded in each pixel for e-ink-like image retention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For $79<\/a> you get the Beepberry, mounting screws, and a 2,000mAh battery \u2014 although you\u2019ll have to find a way to hold the battery in place. (In some demos, the creators are literally using a rubber-band.) In addition to the 2.7-inch screen and Blackberry Classic Q20 backlit keyboard, you get an USB-C port, a RGB LED, a side button, a power switch, and General Purpose Input \/ Output (GPIO) breakouts. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n For $99, you can get a Beepberry kit<\/a> that includes a Pi Zero W preinstalled. Otherwise, you\u2019ll have to bring your own or another single-board computer chip like the Radxa Zero or MQ-Pro \u2014 which should be drag-and-drop since the Beepberry has a solder-less header.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Notably, the Beepberry itself lacks any hardware for cellular data connectivity, so it\u2019s not quite a self-contained beeper in the traditional sense<\/a>. You\u2019ll need to use Raspberry Pi\u2019s built-in Wi-Fi, perhaps hotspot it to a smartphone when you\u2019re out and about, unless you\u2019re willing to devise a cellular add-on that plugs into its headers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you\u2019re interested in a Beepberry, you might want to act fast: there\u2019s only 50 initially available to ship. You\u2019ll need to put in your order, and then fill out the Early Access Program form<\/a> on the bottom of the page to let them know you want it now. The site does not mention how many of the initial 50, if any, remain available for purchase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s important to note that the software \/ firmware is still actively being developed and nothing is final, so don\u2019t expect many out-of-box features if you get your hands on one. If you simply want something with a complete out-of-box experience and a black and white screen, a Playdate<\/a> may be more your speed. And if you\u2019re just looking to support the Pebble founder\u2019s next endeavor, you could wait for his team\u2019s upcoming Small Android Phone<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n