Name: Pomera Digital Memo DM10
Category: pocket word processor
Price: JPY27,300
Release date in Japan: November 10, 2008

Tiny netbook PCs are already getting as cheap as just a few hundred dollars. If you want to go just a little cheaper than even the netbooks can offer, a solution is here from an unexpected source, Tokyo-based stationery maker King Jim. The King's offering: the pocket-sized "digital memo" word processor, the Pomera DM10.

King Jim coined the name "Pomera" from "Pcoket Memo Writer". It all implies a good-sized pocket; the Pomera is bigger than an iPhone or BlackBerry, though much smaller than any netbook. Yet there's a full-size (25-cm wide), "real" keyboard inside the Pomera, larger than some netbooks' keyboards. Space-warping pocket dimension? No, clever folding; the keyboard unfolds in a snap, reminescent of the old Palm Top PC 110 or ThinkPad 701c, becoming twice as wide as the rest of the gadget. That "rest of gadget" includes a 4-inch 640x480 TFT LCD screen, 128MB internal memory with microSD expansion slot, USB for connection to PCs, a fantastic 20 hours of life on 2 AAA batteries, and a two-second (!) startup time. JustSystems' ATOK input method is there to handle Japanese.

A super-cheap, always-ready netbook that fits in a pocket? Not quite, as taking notes is all the Pomera does, and in a decidedly retro fashion. The internal memory has the ancient-sounding limitation of a maximum 6 .txt files, each up to 8000 characters. (It's unclear whether use of a microSD card removes the 8000-character/file limitation.) The screen is monotone. There's no Internet, WiFi, or other network connectivity; no browsers, calculators, games, or other non-writing software. You write with it, and that's all. Yet even the word-processing features are few: three character sizes, very limited formatting, and so on.

That all makes sense, says King Jim. The company positions the device as an electronic memo pad for meetings and writing on the go. The quick startup time and long battery life serve those ends better than a netbook can, and its 14.5x10x3-cm dimensions and 370-gram weight beat netbooks easily for portability. Think of the dedicated device as digital-age stationery, says King Jim, not as a pared-down netbook.

Yet for all the niche attraction of a dedicated device, it's impossible not to notice that a mere 3000 yen or so more will get you into the territory of do-it-all netbooks with Internet connectivity and color 9-inch screens. Further, it's easy to imagine memo-taking scenarios in which a full keyboard will be clumsier than a one-hand PDA, such as while hanging on to a subway strap.

It'll be interesting to see whether the note-taker market and the Pomera find each other. The Pomera's a one-trick pony; its great small size and always-ready ease carry a price that's only a tad cheaper than netbooks. But if its niche scratches your itch, get a pocketful of Pomera and unleash your inner stenographer.

More info (Japanese):
http://www.kingjim.co.jp/pomera/index.html

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