Ben NanoNote

The Ben NanoNote is a small pocket computer developed through the Qi Hardware open-source hardware project. It was designed as an inexpensive, highly hackable Linux device rather than as a conventional consumer laptop or smartphone. The machine runs an OpenWrt-based software stack and uses an Ingenic JZ4720 processor with a MIPS architecture. Its name incorporates 本, a Chinese character associated with an origin, foundation, or starting point, reflecting the project's interest in creating an accessible base for open hardware experimentation. The hardware originated as a third-party digital-dictionary design. Members of Qi Hardware worked to liberate the design and publish its hardware documentation and software under copyleft or other free-software-compatible terms. This made the NanoNote notable not only for its physical size, but also for its unusually open development model. It was described in contemporary coverage as potentially the smallest Linux laptop in the traditional sense of a computer with a keyboard and screen. The device was manufactured by Qi Hardware and Sharism At Work Ltd.; reference material reports that more than 1,000 units had been sold by 2011. The NanoNote's principal characteristics were compactness, low cost, a built-in keyboard, and openness. When introduced in 2010, its price was reported as US$99. Reviewers generally regarded the price and small form factor as attractive, especially for developers, educators, and hardware enthusiasts. At the same time, the computer was constrained by modest memory and storage and initially lacked built-in networking. Those limitations made it less suitable as a general-purpose modern computer, but they also helped establish it as a platform for experimentation and custom software. The shipped software environment used OpenWrt, with a customized graphical launcher based on gmenu2x alongside command-line utilities and other applications. Other operating systems and software stacks were made available by the community, including OpenEmbedded, the Jlime Linux distribution, a port of the Pyneo mobile-oriented Debian-like environment, MIPS Debian, and NanoNixOS, a cross-compiled system based on the Nix package manager. The ability to boot from USB without relying on the internal NAND flash further supported development and recovery work. Because networking was absent from the original device, wireless and personal-area networking became an important development objective. The Ben WPAN project used an ATUSB USB dongle and an ATBEN board connected through the NanoNote's SDIO interface, with an IEEE 802.15.4 subsystem as its main component. The associated source code, schematics, documentation, and testing materials were published under copyleft licenses. Qi Hardware also developed the Universal Breakout Board, a microSD-shaped PCB intended for do-it-yourself interfacing through the device's MMC or SDIO capabilities. The platform attracted experimental hardware work, including a radio-frequency transceiver integration for controlling power sockets and an SDIO and DMA-based technique that repurposed the card interface for VGA output. A related SIE board adapted the concept with twice the memory and an onboard Xilinx FPGA, using an XBurst JZ4725 system-on-chip with additional input/output capability. Overall, the Ben NanoNote is best understood as an early open-hardware computing platform: commercially limited and technically modest, but influential as a practical demonstration of copyleft hardware, embedded Linux, and community-driven modification.

The Ben NanoNote emerged from an existing third-party hardware design originally intended to function as a digital dictionary. Qi Hardware developers adopted and reworked the design, with the important distinction that the resulting project published its hardware design information and software in an open manner. This effort placed the device within the early wave of commercially available open-source hardware products and made it a practical example of copyleft-oriented computing. The device was introduced in 2010 as a very small computer with a keyboard and display, running a Linux-based environment on an Ingenic JZ4720 processor. Its software distribution was based on OpenWrt and included the gmenu2x graphical menu system, as well as command-line programs and other utilities. Its low reported launch price of US$99 and unusual openness attracted attention from Linux and hardware communities. Reviewers also identified substantial compromises: the original model had no integrated networking, limited RAM and storage, and performance that was not comparable with mainstream laptops or smartphones of the period. Manufacturing was associated with Qi Hardware and Sharism At Work Ltd. The available reference material states that more than 1,000 units had been sold by 2011. The sales figure indicates a niche product rather than a mass-market computer, but the NanoNote's significance rested partly in its role as a development platform. Users and developers could inspect, modify, rebuild, and extend both software and hardware instead of treating the device as a closed appliance. Networking became one of the project's early technical priorities. The Ben WPAN add-on was designed around an IEEE 802.15.4 subsystem divided between an ATUSB USB dongle and an ATBEN board connected to the NanoNote through its SDIO interface. The project made its schematics, source code, documentation, and test procedures available under copyleft licenses. Qi Hardware also produced the Universal Breakout Board, a microSD-shaped circuit board intended to expose the device's interface capabilities for general-purpose and do-it-yourself projects. The open design encouraged experiments beyond the manufacturer's original use case. Published examples included adding a 443 MHz radio-frequency transceiver for power-socket control and using SDIO, bit-banging, and DMA techniques to turn the card interface into a VGA output path. The NanoNote could also boot from USB without using its NAND flash, which was useful for development and recovery. A related SIE board extended the concept with twice the memory and a Xilinx FPGA, while using the XBurst JZ4725 system-on-chip and a revised input/output arrangement. Software support expanded beyond the factory OpenWrt environment. OpenEmbedded was available through the Jlime Linux distribution, and the Pyneo mobile software stack was ported to the platform. MIPS Debian and NanoNixOS also provided alternative environments. These ports reinforced the NanoNote's identity as a portable embedded-computing laboratory rather than a conventional finished PC. The available sources do not establish a later commercial successor, a current production status, or a continuing corporate operating structure. Accordingly, the Ben NanoNote's present status is recorded as unknown. Historically, however, it remains notable for combining a laptop-like form factor, an unusually low price, Linux software, and openly published hardware in a period when most comparable consumer devices were proprietary.

1. 2011More than 1,000 units reported sold

   Reference material reported that sales had exceeded 1,000 units by 2011.

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2. 2010Ben NanoNote introduced

   The compact Linux pocket computer entered the market with a reported price of US$99.

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3. Third-party digital-dictionary design becomes an open hardware project

   A design initially developed as a digital dictionary was reworked by Qi Hardware developers and released as an open-source hardware project.

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Open-source hardware device for portable computing, embedded Linux experimentation, and do-it-yourself electronics development.

• Ben NanoNotePocket computer2010

  The core product is a compact keyboard-equipped computer using an Ingenic JZ4720 MIPS processor and an OpenWrt-based Linux software stack. It was designed for portability, affordability, and hardware experimentation. Its open design and community software support were central to its identity, while its lack of initial networking, small storage capacity, and modest RAM limited its usefulness as a mainstream computer.

• Ben WPANNetworking add-on

  A wireless personal-area networking project for the NanoNote. The system used an ATUSB USB dongle and an ATBEN board attached through the computer's SDIO interface, with an IEEE 802.15.4 subsystem. Its design materials and supporting software were published as open documentation and code.

• Universal Breakout BoardDevelopment accessory

  A microSD-shaped printed circuit board intended for do-it-yourself electronics and general-purpose interfacing. It used the NanoNote's MMC or SDIO capabilities as a basis for experimenting with external circuits and peripherals.

• SIE boardHardware derivative

  An adaptation of the NanoNote concept with twice the memory and an onboard Xilinx FPGA. It was based on the XBurst JZ4725 system-on-chip and provided a different input/output configuration from the standard NanoNote.

• 2010Launch of an open Linux pocket computerProduct launch

  Qi Hardware developed the NanoNote from an earlier digital-dictionary design and sought to demonstrate commercially available copyleft hardware.

  What changed. The Ben NanoNote was introduced with an OpenWrt-based software environment and publicly available hardware and software development materials.

  Aftermath. The product received attention for its size, price, and openness, although reviewers identified its missing networking and limited resources as important constraints.

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• Prioritization of networking and expansion hardwareStrategy

  The original NanoNote lacked wireless connectivity, creating a significant limitation for a portable computer.

  What changed. The Qi Hardware community developed the Ben WPAN system and the Universal Breakout Board to add networking and enable hardware experimentation through the SDIO interface.

  Aftermath. The platform gained a broader role as an open embedded-development system, with additional radio, display, and alternative-software experiments documented.

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• 2010Qi Hardware launches the open-source Ben NanoNote

  The Ben NanoNote began shipping as a small, low-cost Linux computer emphasizing open hardware and software freedom.

  Product launch
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• 2010Reviews highlight the NanoNote's small size and low price

  Contemporary reviewers praised the device's compact form and reported US$99 price, while noting the absence of networking and its limited memory and storage.

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• Ben WPAN project targets networking for the NanoNote

  Qi Hardware developers worked on an IEEE 802.15.4-based networking add-on using the ATUSB dongle and ATBEN board.

  Product generation
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1. Ben NanoNote
2. Ben NanoNote project documentation