The BYOK is an extremely minimal pocket-sized productivity tool with a fun reason behind its strange name

It's funny how we've spent years trying to cram as many features into our devices as possible, only to invent gadgets that deliberately have as few features as possible in response. However, sitting in front of a modern PC, it's easy to see why. Writing the next chapter of your book, the next page of your dissertation, or the first draft of your wedding speech suddenly gets a lot less interesting when you have social media, notifications, and system updates pinging you every few minutes.

If you have a nasty case of "doing anything except what you're meant to do" brain, then perhaps check out the BYOK. It's a really small, really minimalist writing screen that you can take with you anywhere, and cuts down on the distractions to leave you alone with just your words.

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The BYOK is an easily distracted writer's dream that only asks one thing from you

As spotted by Liliputing, the BYOK doesn't bring a lot to the table, which is, funnily enough, exactly why someone would want one. Tucked within its shell is an LED screen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, a USB port, and a micro SD card reader. That's it; that's your lot.

Of course, ask anyone who loves a good distraction-free writing device, and they'll tell you that that's all you really need from a device like the BYOK. Sure enough, the product description on the website really drives home how simple this little gadget is supposed to be:

The BYOK is built for anyone who loves to write and fits seamlessly into most writing workflows—especially during the early stages like first drafts of books, blog posts, video scripts, or even emails. Paired with our Writing Studio app, it becomes part of a complete ecosystem that helps you draft distraction-free, then organize, refine, and manage your work across devices.

The website also claims that the BYOK is the size of a smartphone, making it really easy to pop into a bag (or a pocket!) and take wherever you want. It also claims that you can "boost your word count 2-3x with BYOK's distraction-free environment," which is definitely a welcome sign for anyone who's very easily knocked out of their flow.

Now you may be wondering, sure, the BYOK is a phone-sized screen you can write stuff on...but what about the keyboard? Well, you've just discovered what "BYOK" stands for: "Bring Your Own Keyboard." The BYOK brings the screen and the environment, but it's up to you to find the perfect typing keyboard and plug it in to get your writing done. And personally, I think it's a pretty smart design choice; a ton of writers have very particular tastes when it comes to keyboards, so allowing them control over which one they use is pretty important.

The BYOK is currently on pre-sale at a discounted price of $169, so grab one while you can. And if you need something more than a screen, check out this open-source distraction-free writing app we covered in the past.