A popular Japanese device for distraction-free writing arrives in the United States.
Write the next great American novel.
Andrew Liszewski is a journalist who has been covering and reviewing gadgets and technology since 2011, passionate about electronics since childhood. For the first time since 2018, King Jim, a Japanese company specializing in stationery, has decided to offer one of its renowned distraction-free writing devices in the United States: the Pomera D250. Launched in Japan in 2022, this device, resembling a compact laptop, is limited to the functions of a digital typewriter. It does not have email, social media, or a web browser.
The Pomera D250US, the version adapted for the U.S. market, focuses on this same task, but features a US-layout keyboard and an English dictionary for spell-check. King Jim has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for the Pomera D250US that has already surpassed its funding goal of $10,000. Early backers can place a pre-order at a price of $374, while the full retail price is expected to be around $499, with shipments scheduled for March 2025. This cost is higher than that of the Freewrite Alpha, which also aims to minimize distractions and is more expensive than many Chromebooks. However, these devices require the user to exert their own discipline.
The latest version of the Pomera device focused on the U.S. market, the DM30, featured a six-inch E Ink display and a compact folding design, with a keyboard divided into three sections. In contrast, the Pomera D250US, with a clamshell format of 10.3 inches, does not fold as small but replaces the E Ink display with a seven-inch black and white LCD with a resolution of 1024 x 600, providing better responsiveness without the limitations of slow refresh rates or "ghosting."
Battery life is estimated at up to 20 hours, while the D250US powers on completely and is ready for use seconds after opening its screen. Although the internal memory is only 1.3GB, this space is sufficient to store a considerable amount of text. If more is needed, storage can be expanded with SD cards of up to 32GB. Documents can be transferred to a PC via USB-C, or through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth using the Pomera Link app available for iOS and Android. If no wireless network is available, the Pomera D250US also has the capability to convert documents into a series of QR codes (up to 999 in sequence), providing a more laborious alternative for transferring text to the mobile app using a smartphone camera.
