I backed the Pilet: Opensource, Modular, Portable Mini Computer. I got the Pilet5 with the cellular module and I am going to try and use it instead of my phone, because I love a goofy user experience. I'm going to look so ridiculous taking calls on this thing.

I got an extra one for @scremlin too.

When we get bored of them, they'll just become home assistant nodes in our home assistant cluster and we'll use them as control panel displays to replace all our ikea/hue buttons in the living room and kitchen.

Now I've promised myself I don't back any other goofy tech fundraising campaigns till the next pebble launches theirs.

http://kck.st/426lJNt

(I'll update this thread when it arrives!)

Pilet hits Kickstarter for $200 and up: Portable modular computer powered by a Raspberry Pi 5

The Pilet 5 is a Raspberry Pi 5-powered handheld computer with a 5 inch display, a built-in keyboard, and a set of buttons, joysticks, and scroll wheels for navigation and gaming. And the Pilet 7 is a portable computer with a larger display and a modular design: you can attach a keyboard, gamepad, or other accessories to the bottom.

Both are open source hardware projects that have been under […]

#crowdfunding #handheldComputer #module #openHardware #Pilet #pilet5 #pilet7 #raspberryPi #raspberryPi5

Read more: https://liliputing.com/pilet-hits-kickstarter-for-200-and-up-portable-modular-computer-powered-by-a-raspberry-pi-5/

Raspberry Pi-powered Pilet 5 and Pilet 7 handheld computers coming soon to Kickstarter

https://liliputing.com/raspberry-pi-powered-pilet-5-and-pilet-7-handheld-computers-coming-soon-to-kickstarter/

#Pilet
#Pilet5
#Pilet7

#UMPC
#Handheld
#CyberDeck

Raspberry Pi-powered Pilet 5 and Pilet 7 handheld computers coming soon to Kickstarter

SoulScircuit’s Pilet line of computers are handheld PCs powered by a Raspberry Pi 5 and featuring retro-inspired designs with beige, orange, black, and grey color schemes. The Pilet 7 is a modular tablet computer with a 7 inch display an add-on slot that lets you connect a keyboard, game controller, or other accessories. And the Pilet 5 is a more compact version with a 5 inch screen and a built-in keyboard.

After introducing the Pilet 7 and Pilet 5 earlier this year, SoulsCircuit has announced plans to launch a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the handheld computers by the end of November. A preview page is now available and you can sign up to be notified when the campaign goes live.

Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but earlier this year the developer said the target was to offer the Pilet computers for around $200. But since then, the SoulsCircuit website has been updated to say that “the exact amount is still being determined, but our target is approximately $250.”

While the Pilet 7’s modular design allows users to swap out input devices depending on whether they want to use a keyboard, game controller, or something else, the Pilet 5 has a built-in keyboard and game controller with a joystick and action buttons. There’s also a small trackball and a scroll wheel.

And both systems are designed around a Raspberry Pi 5, which means that you get all the features of that single-board computer, including a 2.4 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A76 processor, WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, support for up to 8GB of LPDDR4x-4267 memory, and a microSD card reader plus PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for storage and other add-ons.

There are also two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a 40-pin header, and a USB Type-C port for power.

The Pilet systems are designed to make the Raspberry Pi 5 a completely mobile device, with a touchscreen display and built-in batteries for up to 7 hours of battery life, among other things.

SoulsCircuit has also teased the possibility that other modular add-ons could include a 4G LTE module that would add support for mobile data.

More details should be available once the crowdfunding campaign goes live.

"Pilet 5 console is a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC with a QWERTY keyboard" -- now that would make a *fantastic* #Emacs machine!

https://liliputing.com/pilet-5-console-is-a-raspberry-pi-powered-handheld-pc-with-a-qwerty-keyboard/

Pilet 5 console is a Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC with a QWERTY keyboard

This summer Souls Circuit unveiled the Pilet 7, a modular computer that combines a Raspberry Pi 5 with a 7 inch touchscreen display, a retro-inspired case, and a slot for modular add-ons like a keyboard or game controller.

Now the team has introduced a smaller model called the Pilet 5 that’s designed to be a handheld computer. It has a 5 inch display and a built-in keyboard. Souls Circuit plans to launch a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Pilet 7 and Pilet 5 by the end of November.

Neither model is available for purchase yet – their still described as works in progress, but their are working prototypes of both models and the goal is to create systems that can be sold for around $200. The design files will be open sourced once the project is complete though, so folks interested in building their own will also have that option, as well as the ability to modify the designs to better meet their needs.

According to the developer behind the Pilet line of devices, the Pilet 5 should have “the same 7-hour battery life as the Pilet 7,” but it should be “easier to produce and manufacture,” which means you might actually be able to buy the Pilet 5 before the Pile 7 is available for purchase.

The smaller model doesn’t have the same modular design, but it does have an integrated keyboard that can be used for thumb typing, a 4-buttion direction pad, a mini trackball, a scroll wheel, and a joystick.

The system is a bit large and chunky (at 28mm, or 1.1 inches thick), which means it’s probably a bit too large to slide into your pocket like a smartphones. But it’s a fully functional portable computer that should support just about any GNU/Linux distribution that supports ARM64 processors. For demo purposes, the Pilet 5 prototype is using Raspberry Pi OS with the KDE Plasma Mobile user interface.

via Hackster, @soulscircuit, and /r/CyberDeck