Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.
Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics.
Sign in to your XDA account
Summary
- The open-source unidex OS runs on a 1.54" e-ink ESP32-S3, turning it into a pocket productivity device.
- It shows your next class with a live countdown, records voice notes to Markdown, and comes with its own pet app.
- You can install it from a browser, and you can fork and customize it for personal use.
I really miss small, Tamagotchi-like devices you could slip in a pocket, or even attach to a lanyard. Fortunately, it seems the tinkering community has the same idea, as they've been cooking up some cool projects for some seriously tiny displays. One such example is this open-source OS you can throw on a 1.54'' ePaper ESP32-S3 board, and yes, it comes with a digital pet mode.
This open-source OS adds a ton of charm to a tiny ESP32-S3 display
It's also a little productivity powerhouse
Over on the ESP32 subreddit, Proud-Rent3785 shared photos of what they've been working on. It's an open-source OS called unidex, and it's designed to run on the very small and very cute 1.54'' Waveshare ESP32-S3 ePaper display. The end result is a little device that helps you get work done, takes notes, and gives you a Tamagotchi-like pet for you to take care of. You can even have it meet other people's pets on their devices.
Here's a list of features detailed on the project's GitHub:
- shows your next class with a live countdown;
- records voice notes, tidied into Markdown for Obsidian;
- keeps a little Pet you dress up, which meets your friends' Pets on their unidex (they visit, chat and swap badges);
- flips through name badges;
- runs a WiFi collection game and four one-button games;
- sleeps whenever you aren't pressing a button, and looks after its battery and your files.
If you'd like to make your own, you can check out the project's GitHub page. The guide says you can install it from a browser, and because it's completely open source, you can fork it and tinker with it to your heart's content. The author only asks that you don't reuse it for commercial purposes, which is completely fair in my opinion.