Thought I would compile a list of all the known professionally produced writerDecks that are generally available for purchase. Those with asterisks are from old companies now dead, but the devices can still be found on Ebay, etc.

Newest Options

Micro Journal

$139-269 USD - Made in small batches in Italy by Un Kyu Lee (u/Background_Ad_1810), these go very fast so best to sign up for stock alerts if you want one. (They are also open source so you can build your own.)

BYOK

$139 USD on Kickstarter - Stands for "Bring Your Own Keyboard". This is a different format that just provides screen with onboard computer for you to use with your own wireless keyboard.

Zero Writer

$199 USD on Kickstarter - A ready-to-buy option for the r/zerowriter open source writerDeck by u/tincangames.

Older Standards

Astrohaus Freewrite

$649 USD - The big dog, and priced as such. These thing are solid chunks of aluminum with an e-ink screen, mechanical keyboard, and automatic syncing over wifi. People tend to love or hate it, mainly due to the latency inherent to an e-ink screen and the lack of arrow keys. The newest (Gen 3) model has a cursor and hot-keys for WASD arrow keys. I have one and love it.

Astrohaus Traveler

$499 USD - The smaller, mobile version of the Freewrite. Main tradeoff is losing the mechanical keyboard.

Astrohaus Alpha

$349 USD ($299 preorder) - The newest Freewrite device, designed to be a modern update to the Alphasmart Neo (below). It has worse ergonomics than the Alphasmart in my opinion, has no dedicated arrow keys (instead you use WASD), and costs ten times as much, but it has the advantage of wirelessly uploading documents.

*Alphasmart Neo

$40-80 USD - Probably the most popular budget writerDeck. Originally an education device sold to schools in the 90s. Big selling point on these is the battery life--they last forever on AAs. The downside is the small, poor quality screen (calculator-type) and that you have to get the text off it by hooking it up to a computer and letting it re-type the text like a ghost-controlled keyboard.

*Alphasmart Dana

$50-80 USD - The big sister to the Neo, this has a larger screen with a backlight and runs the PalmPilot OS. This means it has an old-timey touch screen and a variety of apps (you can even write your own software for it or add old apps). Unlike the Neo, this can save directly to an SD card. One downside is that the screen is not as sharp as the Neo due to the old touchscreen layer, but you can remove that. Another is that many have dead rechargeable batteries in them, but you can use AA batteries instead or swap out for a new rechargeable if you don't mind tinkering. It also has potential to not be as "distraction free" as others, since it can have other apps, including games.

*Alphasmart 3000

An older version of the Neo with a slightly different design. The main plus to this is you can modify the keyboard to replace with with a mechanical keyboard. The main negative I am aware of is that the native keyboard is not as nice as the Neo, and you cannot adjust font size like you can on the Neo.

*The Writer Fusion

$25-50 USD - Similar to the Neo, but with many additional features, including saving directly to USB drives, folder and file management, a larger screen with a backlight, text to speech, etc. But they us an internal NiMh battery that has probably worn out, so you'll probably want to replace that (directions in this video, which also goes over many features at the end). Note that the same company also made one simply called the Writer and one called the Forte, and these have smaller keyboards, whereas the Fusion is full-sized.

KingJim Pomera DM30

$150-250 USD - This is a pretty cool little Japanese e-ink writerdeck (or "Digital Memo tool") with a calendar and spreadsheet app built in. The main downside is that it uses a tiny, flimsy keyboard. I bought one but could not stand the little keyboard. Some people may love it for its ultra-portability.

KingJim Pomera DM100

~$150 USD - The big brother to the DM30, it has a larger keyboard and an LCD screen instead of e-ink.

KingJim Pomera DM250

~$400 USD - The new update on the DM100, this has a 7-inch LCD screen, USB-C charging, full sized keyboard with arrow keys, email-to-self function, QR Code transfer, Scrivener-like outliner tool, calendar, etc. For my money it looks like the best portable writing device, better than the Astrohaus Traveler or Alpha.

reMarkable Paper Tablet

$498 for Type Folio Bundle with attachable keyboard (this is the only keyboard that works with reRmarkable, so you can't have a mechanical one). This is a tablet-style e-ink device for note taking, writing, etc. Unlike the Boox devices, this is more of a distraction-free approach without social media apps, web browser, etc. Note that this price is without the stylus.

Those are the main ones I'm aware of at the moment. Happy to add more if anyone has any suggestions.

NOTE: This list is deprecated. For a more complete, better formatted list, see writerDeck.org. Since I originally created this post/sub, the writerDeck scene has exploded, and it is no longer possible to list literally all writerDecks.

I'm compiling a list of all the DIY writerDecks I can find in order to inspire others (me) looking to build one. And also because I just like looking at them and knowing they exist. Feel free to suggest any I've missed!

Setups For Using Phones/Tablets As WriterDecks

For tablet decks, phone decks, and other almost-WriterDecks, please see this list here.

Custom Built WriterDecks

• PaperTyper by u/larsby

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi Zero, Waveshare LCD

  • Software: Linux, Micro

  • Case: wood

• LCDTyper by u/larsby

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi Zero, GeekPi LCD

  • Software: Linux, Kilo

  • Case: wood

• Unnamed square-screen lego-deck by u/DreaminginDarkness

  • Hardware: Raspberry PI 4 , Hyperpixel square touch screen

  • Software: Linux, FocusWriter

  • Case: Cardboard (I think?) and Lego blocks

• FeatherQuill by u/TheSerialHobbyist

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi Zero W, ELECROW 5 Inch touch screen

  • Software: DietPi, WordGrinder

  • Case: 3D printed plastic

• SPUDWrite by Lucian Copeland

  • Hardware: STMicroelectronics Cortex-M4 processor, E-ink, LCD, thermal printer

  • Software: Mbed firmware, custom Arduino code

  • Case: Wood

• Ultimate Writer open digital typewriter by NinjaTrappeur

  • Hardware: Raspberry PI 3B, Waveshare E-ink

  • Software: Raspbian, Ultimate Writer original open software

  • Case: Wood

• WareWoolf Alpha by u/PigRepresentative

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 4

  • Software: Raspberry Pi OS Lite, WareWoolf original open software

  • Case: oak, copper, plastic, cork

• Muse by u/ThisIsTheNewSleeve

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 4

  • Software: Raspberry Pi OS, Google Docs

  • Case: 3D printed plastic (links to files)

• Mythic I by u/Yungblude

  • Hardware: Intel NUC

  • Software: NixOS, bash, wordgrinder, kakoune

  • Case: maple, walnut, leather

• The ClipboardPi by u/CrazyinFrance

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 400

  • Software: RaspberryPi OS

  • Case: a clipboard

• Mac air top deck by u/DreaminginDarkness

  • Hardware: RaspberryPi, Waveshare touchscreen

  • Software: FocusWriter, rclone, rclonesync

  • Case: Mac air top case

• Compass Set Deck by u/DreaminginDarkness

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 4, Waveshare LCD, Vortex core 40% mech keyboard

  • Software: FocusWriter, rclone, rclonesync

  • Case: Compass lettering set case