Next Thing Co. Pocket C.H.I.P

7owners with an opinion

40%of verdicts positive

1/0positive/negative since 2024

0happy after 3+ years

Praised for ease of use; criticized for build quality and ergonomics.

What people wrote

Likes it

Agree, but there was something special about SBCs being so cheap they were the default recommendation for new hobbyists and I'm sad to see that go. I would not have fallen in love with microcontrollers without Raspberry Pi and PocketCHIP as stepping stones. The messaging of "it's a tiny computer, make whatever you want with it" is so much more approachable than anything I've found on the microcontroller side. Even Arduino. I dismissed it for a long time because I misunderstood it. I thought I had to buy Arduino devices, then Arduino shields, then program them in the Arduino language using the Arduino IDE.

Likes it

strange; it was one of the best 'membrane' style keyboards I had ever used. I dig mine out once in awhile to fiddle with mostly because of the k/b. Maybe I used it to the point of wearing it in?

Doesn’t like it

I'm pretty sure lighting a fire and sending smoke signals was a less annoying input method than the stiff metal domes on that Pocket CHIP keyboard. I

Neutral

The Pocket CHIP created this itch for me, but the keyboard on that thing made me realize how everything can be so good and just completely fall apart around one detail. So, I'm leery about this and other things like it. I want a portable, pocketable computer on which I can hack and code away at fun things like graphics and games when I'm bored or waiting in line or whatever, but I'm becoming increasingly convinced that "small size" and "usable keyboard/UI" are mutually exclusive. Might just give this a try, though!

Doesn’t like it

I loved everything about the Pocket C.H.I.P - but that keyboard made the entire concept unusable. I am hoping (perhaps foolishly), this keyboard will be marginally better... but we will see :)

Doesn’t like it

Well, this beats the version of Dune on my HP48GX that blew my mind in the 90s. I wish there was a good dedicated portable Pico-8 device. The POCKET C.H.I.P. was a great idea but the keyboard and buttons were way too uncomfortable to play for more than a few minutes.

Neutral

I still own one, but it needs a better 3d-printed keyboard with better keys.

Doesn’t like itDoesn’t say they own it

This keyboard looks very similar to the one used on the DevTerm. If so then I can tell you that it will be similarly unusable, though an improvement over the Pocket CHIP's little button keys.