Charlie StrossAug 4, 2024

Welp, I have spent the morning playing with/exploring my Pomona DM250, and I have to say, it's proving a LOT friendlier as a distraction-free writing sidecar for #scrivenerapp than I'd expected! Makes the advertised features of the Freewrite Traveller look weaksauce, and it's only half the price.

https://artvsentropy.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/retro-writing-15-pomera-dm250/

Retro writing 15 – Pomera DM250

…and my current writing setup Just recently, our small son began his kindergarten experience, getting used to it at first, just for two or three hours each morning. This schedule allowed me t…

Art vs. Entropy
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 4, 2024

At some point I should probably write up a comparison between the DM250 and my first portable writing deck computer, 1989's Cambridge Z88 (from Sir Clive Sinclair). 35 years on, the DM250 is half the weight, 120% greater battery life, 1000x the built-in storage, CPU is about 1000x faster, screen is infinitely better ...

And less than half the price (adjusted for inflation).

Show threadFazal MajidAug 4, 2024
@cstross ha! I had a Z88 as well. Can’t say I miss it, unlike my work-issued HP200LX a decade later.
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 4, 2024
@fazalmajid It could have been *so much better* (I still have mine)! The membrane keyboard was surprisingly good. The display … they now make e-ink panels about the same size? I'd love to see a revival of the concept: A4 footprint, with modern hardware like a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and micro-SDXC reader, and about 5mm thick. Could even run Pipedream under emulation, considerably faster than the original.
Show threadRajel Aran, Nostalgia HunterAug 4, 2024
@cstross @fazalmajid I have a 6-inch e-ink panel sourced from an old Kindle, waiting for when I have the energy and space to build *just* that very sort of thing.
At the time, A4 sized panels were pretty hard to come by. It's likely much easier now!
Show threadFazal Majid
@rajelaran @cstross e-ink is still way too expensive, specially in larger sizes. You'd think their use in programmable shelf labels for supermarkets would create economies of scale and bring prices down.
Aug 4, 2024 at 10:10pmWeb
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 5, 2024
@fazalmajid @rajelaran I've never seen a programmable shelf-edge e-ink display in a supermarket. Is this an American thing?
Show threadmarkusAug 5, 2024
@cstross @fazalmajid @rajelaran ALDI in my town has them.
Show threadFazal MajidAug 5, 2024
@cstross @rajelaran programmable as in they can be written by RFID, they probably don't have enough processing capability to run actual apps or even WiFi, and eInk refresh rates are just too slow to do something like rotating promotions advertising. As someone else pointed out, Aldi has them. They cost about £10 in bulk and some have 2 colors, usually black and red, like this one I bought to tinker with:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004674902090.html
Digital E Ink Epaper Nfc Price Tag | Electronic Shelf Label Price Tag - E Price - Aliexpress

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