Ask HN: Are there any modern devices similar to Palm Pilot?
With all mobile ecosystems closing down, I am considering switching to dumb phone. It will be used for calls and SMS only. For all my personal computing and hobby projects I would like to have some additional device that runs open source software, and does not prevent me from building and running custom applications. It would be amazing to have some device similar to classig Palm Pilot, "handheld PDA". Maybe even with stylus, 4"-5" touchscreen that easily fits anywhere. Are there any similar devices available? Tablets are way too large and are using same closed mobile ecosystems.
I just got back from a trip with the Mudita Kompakt - not quite what you're describing, but close:
* 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.
The further your use case strays from, “This is going to be a digital replacement for a paper notebook” the less satisfied you will be with your purchase of a Remarkable product.
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.
I ran into this thing someone built and is releasing kits for. It won't be near as smooth as PalmOS, but if you're into hacking a little bit, it might be worth looking at.
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.
I have a ReMarkable tablet and it's pretty nice. It's large, yes, but you can get a keyboard and then it's a word processor and Linux terminal. Use emacs or ssh into a bigger machine. Plus it's just regular linux and you get root shell out of the box.
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.
"At the time", running on the device was a requirement.
"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.
Let's say you use your own-run web server on your own machine (home likely for an individual, at the office for a small business), and https and/or a vpn between the phone and the server. Potentially all the way to a remote desktop or SSH to command line app. Let's compare:
> 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.
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.
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...
* 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.
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.
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.
This reviewer reviews e-ink devices: https://www.youtube.com/@ChalidRaqami
Best dumb phones 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwkLjrNMd3M
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.