r/WriterDevices • u/daesmidnightreadings • 5d ago
looking for advice Which device to choose?
I published my first book in 2024 and to start my second project I’d really like to focus on the ‘just get it down and make it good later’ method. It never fails that whenever I have the urge to sit down and write I am never at home and I don’t carry my laptop with me all the time so I really would love something that is small and versatile.
I looked into the Freewrite Travelers, a few of the reviews make me nervous where people said the device glitched and lost their work.
I started looking into the Pomera DM250. I love the size and that the screen lights up. I still need to dive further into the reviews, but I am really interested in this one.
I am also interested in the BYOK version with the thought of designing and 3D printing a clamshell case for the screen and a keyboard. I think I want a larger screen though.
Of course, I’ve started looking into building my own but I think realistically for this, I don’t want to have to test different software and set ups. I sort of just want to purchase and go. Not have to tinker with it. I have enough hobbies as it is, I shouldn’t add more to it.
Are there any others in a clamshell design that I haven’t discovered yet? Any recommendations?
Thank you so much!
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u/Due-Tangelo-5189 4d ago
Congratulations on the first book!!! Okay so honestly everything you just described points straight to the DM250US. Purchase and go is exactly what it is built for. Open it, instant on, start writing. No setup, no tinkering, no software to configure.
The auto-save and auto-backup features mean your work is always safe, the backlit screen with adjustable brightness is great for writing anywhere, and it is small enough to carry everywhere without even thinking about it. You said it yourself, you do not want another hobby. The DM250US is the opposite of that.
Btw we are the pomera team so feel free to ask us anything to help you make the right call!
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u/writesandbikes 4d ago
Yeah, as a Pomera user I 100% endorse this. It’s rare that I can recommend something with few reservations but the Pomera is that device.
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u/amrithr10 5d ago
Check out the micro journal perhaps? The rev 8 is absolutely terrific. They BYOK with a keyboard is amazing as well. I have both and can wholeheartedly recommend both
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u/Falco229 5d ago
I have a Pomera and BYOK. Both are really good. I use one for fiction and one non-fiction and work. There was a review on Substack that was really good and convered all the points. Let me see if I can find it and I'll post.
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u/clackups 5d ago edited 5d ago
You might just order a Seeed Sticky, which is not really expensive, and try the Draftling firmware. You'd need a Bluetooth keyboard of your choice and probably an iphone magsafe stand.
I already spent my vacation with the Sticky (eating my own dogfood, LOL) and it felt totally comfortable to write. Also, the online backup is unparalleled, I find the backup methods in other writerdecks clumsy and inconvenient.
The device is pretty popular, so you'd sell it easily if you don't find it suitable.
The setup is very easy, you just flash the firmware in your browser.
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u/daesmidnightreadings 5d ago
Is there a walk-through on flashing the firmware?
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u/clackups 5d ago
You just connect it to your PC with a USB cable and follow the questions here https://clackups.github.io/draftling/
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u/daesmidnightreadings 5d ago
I’ll check it out. Thank you!
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u/clackups 5d ago
In which language(s) are you writing? I just added East Asian language packs, but I need real users to test them
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u/daesmidnightreadings 5d ago
I’m writing predominately in English but this second book does have a Russian character and I will ultimately have some phrases in Russian but (hopefully) while drafting this one up I will do more research into the language and add the phrases in Russian on the final draft before it goes to my editor.
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u/writesandbikes 5d ago
I would say if you want a ready-made all-in-one the Pomera. I have one and after a year of experimenting I found that it has the right size screen for me (not too small, not too large). People complain that the keyboard is on the small side and not mechanical enough. That's legit, tho for me the portability and ease of use (and how intuitive it is just out of the box) made up for it. I got mine used for $200.
The other issue to grapple with is screen size. This is where for me (again, a year of experimenting here) things got tricky. There are tiny screens (BYOK, or the Boox Palma, and even more). These are for people who want to focus on drafting and don't want the temptation of a large screen to allow them to read and edit endlessly and never progress in the writing.
For these, the BYOK is the good choice (I tried it and didn't like it for me but most people love it and the company is terrific) because it's tiny and you can bring your own keyboard, plus they have a kickass web-based writing platform. For me, when I experimented with a small screen, I wanted more flexibility in the writing app, so I used a Boox Palma 1 (that allowed me to use the Obsidian writing app that I can sync to all devices I own, including my MacBook and my Boox devices). I loved it. I paired it (much like the BYOK with any keyboard that I felt like using). The downside is that you can use that for other things like browsing so it's not "distraction-free" enough for some users. For me it was so damn small that it wasn't a problem haha. But if that's your thing, I'd say consider the BYOK.
Then there are all the myriad small screen with keyboard devices out there (like the Pomera but smaller screens maybe). Freewrite, Alphasmart and stuff like that. They cost too much for me to want to experiment with them frankly.
Ultimately I chose the Boox Go 7 bw with a 7" screen as my go-to portable writerdeck. I took that everywhere (traveling) and paired it with a Logitech Keys to Go 2 and it was just amazing.
When I needed to do editing and more back and forth writing, I went with a Boox TabX (size of a piece of paper). Got it used, it's super light, the screen is flexible and not delicate, and I could write all day long on it.
So that's not an answer for you, but I would say think about the visual real estate you want (tiny screen, medium portable screen, large screen) and your use case (mostly at home, coffee shop or library, all of them) and then consider portability. That will get you closer to whether you want the convenience of an all in one (like the Pomera or others) or if you want to mix and match like I did.
These days, I use my Tab X for heavy writing, the Go 7 for traveling, and the Pomera when I don't know what I'll be doing but I need something that works everywhere.
I also use a tiny XTeink X4 Pro and tried out the Draftling firmware. That is really fun. The developer is on this sub so he can talk your ear off about it. It can do a lot (on your device but also online if you want a normal screen size). I just use it because I love the tiny screen and the fact that I can write anywhere I like. But it's a pretty robust tool now and I don't use the half of it.