In a sea of cookie-cutter smartphone slabs, ZitaoTech’s HackBerryPi CM5 bursts onto the scene, giving old-school BlackBerry style combined with cutting-edge DIY tech. This Raspberry Pi-powered handheld PC stuffs a tactile BlackBerry keyboard into a pocketable Linux machine, ready to spark nostalgia and nerdy creativity in one fell swoop.
At 143.5 mm tall, 91.8 mm wide, and a svelte 17.6 mm thick, the HackBerryPi CM5 is a compact marvel, 36% slimmer than its predecessor, which relied on bulkier Raspberry Pi boards. Its aluminum front and back plates sandwich a 3D-printed middle, giving it a premium yet approachable feel—think of it as a cyberdeck you could slip into a jacket pocket. The 4-inch, 720 x 720 pixel touchscreen is sharp enough for coding or surfing on the fly, but let’s be real—the star is that clicky BlackBerry keyboard, delivering a typing feel that leaves modern touchscreens in the dust.
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (8GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB EVO+ Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
At its core, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5 (CM5) brings serious firepower, a huge leap from the pokey Pi Zero 2W in earlier models. With up to 16 GB of RAM, the CM5 packs Raspberry Pi 5-level grunt into a portable package, letting you run full-on Linux distros like Ubuntu or Debian without a hitch. Whether you’re banging out code, browsing, or turning it into a retro gaming rig, this thing hums along smoothly.
It’s equipped with an M.2 2242 slot, a MicroSD reader for storage expansion, stereo speakers, and ports like HDMI, as well as a USB Type-A, to connect monitors or other peripherals.Want to stream music or watch a video? It’s got you covered. For coders and tinkerers, the open-source setup lets you customize the software endlessly, transforming this handheld into anything from a pocket server to a media hub.
ZitaoTech, founded by developer Zitao, has a track record of crafting Raspberry Pi-based handhelds, each version sharpening the blend of performance and portability. Unlike mass-produced gadgets, this device feels personal, almost like a passion project brought to life. It’s not available in stores yet—ZitaoTech plans to sell it through their Tindie page, a haven for DIY electronics.
For anyone who misses BlackBerry’s glory days, the HackBerryPi CM5 is a tribute with a modern edge. Its polished aluminum frame, powerful internals, and that irresistible keyboard make it a device you’ll want to mess with constantly. Whether coding in a café or gaming on a train, it shows the best tech is what you can shape to suit your life.
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