The Nunomo Pocket Deck Is an Impressive New Distraction-Free Writing Device
The Nunomo Pocket Deck is a feature-packed writer deck intended for distraction-free journaling.
Distraction-free writing devices are really hot right now and as a writer, I get it. Writing requires a lot of focus, so even small distractions — checking email, looking at social media, Wikipedia rabbit holes, and so on — can be really disruptive. Willpower is a finite resource and the best way to stay on task is to simply eliminate the potential for distraction. There is, after all, a reason for the stereotype of an author going to a remote cabin with nothing but a typewriter. The new Nunomo Pocket Deck has similar utility, but is much more convenient.
We’ve seen plenty of “writer decks,” but the Nunomo Pocket Deck is particularly well-though-out. It’s packed with features, but manages to just barely avoid reinventing a smartphone with all of the associated distractions. Its primary feature is a lightweight word processor, but it also has the ability to record voice memos, play music, track tasks on a calendar, and even act as a terminal for SSH connections.
A lot of that functionality makes sense when you look at this as a daily journaling device, which was the idea behind its development. It excels at that, but is also very useful for general writing and notetaking tasks.
The hardware is all built around an ESP32 microcontroller and a small 400×240 monochrome LCD screen. It has several capacitive touch buttons and even a touch pad. But crucially, it doesn’t have a built-in keyboard. That’s because writers are very picky about their keyboards and so the Pocket Deck has a USB port for plugging in the keyboard of the user’s choice. The only other notable feature on the 3D-printed enclosure is a set of status LEDs.
The Pocket Deck’s software is what really sets the Pocket Deck apart. It runs a simple operating system, programmed in C with a MicroPython abstraction layer, and has several distinct applets — like the aforementioned calendar and terminal. Users can also expand the Pocket Deck’s functionality by coding their own MicroPython applets. The operating system even supports up to 10 virtual screens, which users can switch between when multitasking.
Unlike many of the writer decks we feature, the Pocket Deck isn’t an open-source project. It will be sold as an assembled device from the Nunomo website. It is currently available for pre-order at $230 and Nunomo estimates that units will ship to customers in October.