August 16, 2017
For Immediate Release

A Modern Linux Handheld / Wearable PC

The crowdfunding campaign for the Noodle Pi open handheld computer on Kickstarter concluded today, with CA$ 13,111 pledged, 1280% of its funding goal.

Noodle Pi is an innovative GNU/Linux handheld built around the very popular Raspberry Pi single-board computer, which has sold over 12 million units since its introduction in 2012.

While the Raspberry Pi is a bare circuit board that requires a number of other components to make a complete usable computer, Noodle Pi integrates all these components - a high resolution touchscreen, camera, battery, and power management unit - within a slim handheld device that's just 19mm thick and weighs a feather-light 103 grams.

Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hash42/noodle-pi-the-complete-raspberry-pi-pocket-compute

Pre-Order Site: http://www.noodlepi.com/store.html

The First Truly Open Handheld

Noodle Pi is the first modern open handheld computer, boasting a high resolution 3.5 inch 270 PPI 800x480 pixel display, an internal 500mAh battery, and an 8MP camera. The processing power is provided by a Raspberry Pi Zero W, which features onboard WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-OTG and Mini-HDMI.

Unlike most handheld devices available today, which run either Apple's iOS or Google's Android, Noodle Pi runs Raspbian, a full GNU/Linux operating system customized for the Raspberry Pi. This means users have access to the full suite of GNU/Linux applications and utilities, including desktop browsers and email apps such as Firefox and Thunderbird, and a full office suite with LibreOffice.

Noodle Pi's free software OS also enables developers to write apps for the device in any programming language, rather than the very limited options available on iOS and Android.

Noodle Pi's open philosophy permeates down to its groundbreaking hardware design: it is the first handheld that can be completely assembled, disassembled, repaired and upgraded by end users, without the need for any tools at all.

"This was an important objective that called for innovative design ideas and out of the box thinking," says Ashish Gulhati, the device's creator, who has been working on developing "the perfect GNU/Linux wearable" for over 17 years.

Noodle Pi leverages the unique capabilies of 3D printing in the design of its lightweight and strong unibody shell, which would be difficult to produce via conventional injection molding techniques.

Mobile App Development In Any Language

Gulhati says the creation of Noodle Pi was "motivated by a desire to write apps for handheld mobile devices in Perl," a popular programming language that's pre-installed on just about evey Unix-like operating system, and is a key component of Internet infrastructure and many major websites. It's not an option for app development on iOS or Android, however, due to those systems' restrictive development environments.

Nor are most other popular programming languages available to developers on the major mobile platforms. In contrast, Noodle Pi supports any language available for the Raspbian OS, a long list that includes, besides Perl, the popular languages Python, Ruby, PHP, Rust, Dart, Go, and Scratch.

The two apps Gulhati has already published for use on Noodle Pi are as singular as the handheld itself: HashCash, the world's first completely private, permissionless, true digital cash system (www.hashcash.com); and Unsnoopable, the first completely unsnoopable messaging system (www.unsnoopable.org).

Noodle Air

Both apps are able to run in "air-gapped" mode, on a Noodle Pi variant called Noodle Air. Noodle Air is based on the Raspberry Pi Zero v1.3, which doesn't have onboard wireless networking capabilities. The absence of onboard networking is leveraged to create a mobile "air-gapped" computer, disconnected from all networks and therefore impervious to all network-based security threats.

Noodle Air is the first modern air-gapped handheld computer, and can serve as a convenient and easily accessible store for sensitive data, such as passwords and passphrases, private keys, Bitcoin and crypto-currency cold storage, and private messages, notes and photos.

"In these days of pervasive surveillance and malware, everyone needs a small air-gapped computer to keep their critical data on," says Gulhati.

The Unsnoopable app running on Noodle Air provides a completely secure messaging solution that is provably invulnerable to cryptanalysis or any kind of network-based attack. "So far there was no easy to use, provably unsnoopable messaging system. There is now." he says.

Refering to Apple's recent ban on VPN apps in its Chinese App Store, he says "perhaps it's time to consider switching to an open handheld device that doesn't try to control what apps you can use on it."

A Computer For All Occasions

Noodle Pi features a docking system that enables the attachment of a variety of accessories. Some of these have been announced on the project's Kickstarter page. They include two keyboard docks and a dock for a NES-style game controller. Other accessories that will be available for Noodle Pi are a splash-proof case and a belt holster.

With the keyboard docks, one can attach three different keyboards to Noodle Pi. The Noodle Key Micro and Micro+ docks connect tiny backlit thumb keyboards to the Noodle Pi, for fast on-the-go typing without the need for an on-screen keyboard. The Noodle Key Mini dock connects a larger folding keyboard, which enables nearly desktop-like typing speed while still maintaining the light weight of a handheld device.

With the addition of a Vufine monocular head-mounted display (HMD), Noodle Pi can also be used as a wearable computer, similar to Google Glass. The Noodle Pi belt holster is designed to enable its use in this configuration.

In addition the versatile handheld can also be used as a laptop, by connecting it to a Motorola Lapdock, and as a full desktop computer, by connecting it to an HDMI monitor and a USB keyboard and pointing device.

The Kickstarter project page contains many more details about the device, including a fascinating account of the 17-year history that led to its creation.

Noodle Pi is now available for pre-order from the Noodle Pi website, at $49 for the basic kit without electronics, or $199 for a complete, pre-assembled and tested kit.