Pine64 has confirmed that its open-source e-ink tablet is returning.
The PineNote was announced in 2021, building on the success of its non-SBC devices like the PinePhone (and later Pro model), the PineTab, and PineBook devices. Like most of Pine64’s devices, software support is largely tackled by the community.
But only a small natch of developer units were ever sold, primarily by enthusiasts within the open-source community who had the knowledge and desire to work on getting a modern Linux OS to run on the hardware, and adapt to the e-ink display.
That process has taken a while, as Pine64’s community bloggers explain:
“The PineNote was stuck in a chicken-and-egg situation where because of the very high cost of manufacturing the device (ePaper screens are sadly still expensive), and so the risk of manufacturing units that then didn’t have a working Linux OS and would not sell was huge.”
However, the proverbial egg has finally hatched.
PineNote + Debian = Dream Team
The PineNote now has a reliable Debian-based OS, developed by Maximilian Weigand. This is described as “not only a bare-bones capable OS but a genuinely daily-usable system that ‘just works’” according to the Pine64 blog.
It is said to use the GNOME desktop with a handful of extensions designed to ensure the UI adapts to working well with an e-ink display. Existing PineNote owners can download the the new OS image, flash it to their device, and help test it.
Original PineNote Specs
Specs-wise, the PineNote offers a 10.1-inch e-ink display supporting up to 16 levels of greyscale. running at a resolution of 1404×1872 (227 DPI), running on a quad-core RK3566 SoC, with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 128GB eMMC.
Also included are 2 microphones, 2 speakers, a single USB Type-C port for charging (and data), and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A front-light (36 levels of warm and cold lighting) makes reading and taking notes in the dark easier, and physical paging and eraser buttons.
The upcoming production run may sport some minor differences to the first model following feedback from owners. Notably, it will now ship with a passive (non-charging) stylus rather than the current active one.
Touch and stylus input are major selling points of the PineNote, positioning it as a libre alternative to other e-ink note-taking devices such as the Remarkable line, the Onyx BOOX, and Amazon Kindle Scribe.
But unlike those devices, this can potentially do a lot more than read e-books or take lecture notes, especially as it’s equipped by a comparatively performant internal SoC.
When can I buy the PineNote?
Price TBC, but the early adopter run saw the PineNote cost $399. This included a magnetic cover and EMR pen stylus, but Pine64 did say at the time both cover and stylus would be sold separately when the general sale occurred, so keep that in mind.
There’s no firm date when this PineNote will goon sale, only that “plans formalized for a production run” are in place.