Summary
- BlackBerry Pi is a handheld device featuring a BlackBerry keyboard, trackpad, and 3D-printed parts.
- Components include a 4-inch display, 10,000mah batteries, and a Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM.
- Running Kali Linux, the device is easy to build, affordable at $200, and comes with free 3D printer files.
The Raspberry Pi is a small, single-board computer that has been hacked into nearly any type of device you can imagine. But what if you could run Linux on a Pi in the form factor of a BlackBerry smartphone? Someone did just that.
This “Blackberry Pi” handheld was created by Taylor Hay, and it is not BlackBerry in name only. Taylor used a modified USB keypad that incorporates real BlackBerry parts. It is a BlackBerry Q10 keyboard, a BlackBerry 9900 trackpad, and 3D-printed navigation keys.
Along with the keypad, the Blackberry Pi is made up of a 4-inch IPS display with 720 x 720 resolution, 10,000mah of batteries harvested from a power bank, and the Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM. There is even a small display on the bottom edge of the device that shows the battery percentage. Everything is packed inside a custom 3D-printed case with four accessible USB-A ports, an ethernet port, and a USB-C port for charging.
On the software side of things, the Blackberry Pi is running Kali Linux on a 32GB SD card. Kali Linux is a Linux distribution designed for cybersecurity professionals. It comes pre-loaded with hundreds of tools for penetration testing, digital forensics, and security auditing. Of course, there are a number of different Linux flavors that would work for this device.
Taylor started working on the project over a year ago, and It has come a long way. Thanks to using off-the-shelf parts, It is extremely simple to build. There is no crazy mess of wires running all over the place inside the case. The only bit of soldering required is a short USB-C cable to the Pi to plug into the keypad.
If you have the means to build one, the Blackberry Pi Handheld is a fun option for a portable Raspberry Pi computer. It is well-designed, easy to build, and affordable. The total cost of parts is around $200, and the 3D printer files for the case are available for free. Once you have all the parts you need, Taylor has a build video you can follow to put it all together.
Many people have spun up their take on a portable Raspberry Pi device. In fact, Taylor is not the first to attempt a BlackBerry-inspired version. Back in 2023, a hacker created a handheld that used a BlackBerry Q20 (also known as the “Classic”) keyboard. Their model went with a smaller 320 x 240 resolution LCD screen, Raspberry Pi Zero, and even a fan for ventilation.
This Blackberry Pi project is a testament to the ingenuity of the maker community. It takes readily available components and combines them in a clever way, creating something both functional and pretty cool-looking. The use of actual Blackberry parts is a great touch as well.
The open-source nature of the project, with free 3D-printed case files and a detailed build video, is great for others who might want to try their hand at creating their own Blackberry Pi. It is a fantastic example of how accessible and generous the world of maker projects can be, and it will be interesting to see if other hackers put their spin on the device.
Source: Hackaday
