Project Z hopes to release compact PDA lookalike running Linux for under $100

Touchscreen-based smartphones and 13-inch or larger laptops remain the dominant forces within mobile computing. However, a few niches still exist that attempt to bridge the two form factors. For example, Samsung has its DeX system, which hides an Android-based desktop UI within smartphones as small as the Galaxy S24 (curr. $799.99 on Amazon). Additionally, companies like GPD and One-Netbook continue to put out mini-laptops like the Pocket 3 or the One MIX 4, which are much smaller than contemporary laptop designs.

Moreover, the Project Z team are exploring the possibility of creating a laptop that is closer in ethos to classic personal digital assistants (PDAs) than the form factors that eventually supplanted them. As the image above shows, Project Z is building prototypes with an eye to modernising devices like the HP Jomada 720, a Windows CE 3.00-based device that has a six-row keyboard and a 6.34-inch display.

To that end, current Project Z prototypes feature a 7-inch display that outputs at a mere 1,024 x 600 pixels. Supposedly, a 5-inch variant is also in development, although this will utilise a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W single-board computer (SBC) running Raspberry Pi OS. Furthermore, the project leverages a custom circuit board with a Ti-92 graphing calculator-inspired keyboard layout, an early example of which can be seen in the video below.

Currently, Project Z hope to sell its machine for $99 with a batch of 50-100 units created initially. However, enough demand could warrant expanded mass production beyond that number, presumably still with a $99 price tag in mind. Please seeProject Z's Hackaday project pagefor further details.

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