inkq.

INKQ ONE · IN DEVELOPMENT

Say it.
It stays.

Hold the button and ask out loud. INKQ is being designed to answer with the AI model you choose — ours, or your own API key — and to keep that answer on e-paper after your phone screen goes dark.

  • Any OpenAI-compatible model
  • Or your own API key
  • Or no cloud at all
How the AI works
Concept of INKQ One attached to the back of a phone, held in a sunlit café
AI-assisted concept image. Final product may vary.
01 / INKQ ONEThe idea

LESS REOPENING. MORE DOING.

Your phone rests. Your next step stays.

A shopping list by the door. Three priorities beside your coffee. The answer you don’t want to dig for again. INKQ is being designed to give useful information a place of its own.

Concept of an INKQ to-do list remaining visible beside a phone with its screen off on a wooden desk
AI-assisted concept image. Final product may vary.

E-paper keeps the last displayed content visible without continuous power. New content will need power and a connection.

A QUIETER LITTLE ROUTINE

From a thought to something you can see.

01

Speak a thought.

The side button is designed to let you capture a question, a reminder or your next few tasks.

02

Keep what matters.

See a short answer or a simple list on a paper-like screen, without keeping your phone open.

03

Take it with you.

A magnetic design for carrying on your phone or keeping close by on your desk.

Planned experience. App, connectivity and compatibility details are still in development.

ANY MODEL. INCLUDING YOUR OWN.

Your AI. Your key.

INKQ is being designed to reach AI over the OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions standard — a public protocol, not a private interface of ours. The app is planned to expose three fields: base URL, API key, model. Change them and the device keeps working.

Use ours.

INKQ Plus is planned at US$4.99 a month, or US$49 a year, for 1,500 AI requests a month plus cloud sync and backup. Zero setup, and the short-answer output is tuned by us.

Bring your own key.

Paste a key from OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Groq or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint and pay that provider directly. At the volume this device is designed for, that is typically well under a dollar a month. The field is meant to be there from day one — not a dormant switch for the day we disappear.

Or no cloud at all.

Point it at a model running on your own computer, or use no AI: capture, on-device transcription, to-dos, notes and the always-on screen are planned to stay free, with no account and no connection.

Anthropic and OpenAI APIs are verified as working today; other endpoints follow the same public standard. Answer quality depends on the endpoint you choose. A model on your own machine requires that machine to stay awake and reachable. Pricing and request limits will be confirmed before the Kickstarter launch.

SMALL OBJECT. A LITTLE MORE HEADSPACE.

Made to stay within reach.

A paper-like display. A slim graphite body. One side button. Just enough space for what matters right now.

E-paper display
4.26″
Design thickness
7.5 mm
Side button
One

Design dimensions: 67.4 × 109.3 × 7.5 mm. Specifications may change during development.

Swipe to take a closer look

THE CURRENT DESIGN STUDY

A closer look at how it comes together.

These original 3D model views reveal the back, attachment, combined profile and top openings that are harder to see in the lifestyle scenes.

3D model view of the magnetic alignment ring on the back of INKQ One
01

The magnetic side

The rear ring marks the planned magnetic alignment area.

Top 3D model view of INKQ One attached to the back of a phone
02

How it sits

This top view shows the intended position on a phone. Final phone and case compatibility is still being tested.

Side 3D model view of INKQ One stacked on a phone
03

The combined profile

A side view shows the 7.5 mm INKQ design alongside a phone. Total thickness depends on the phone and case.

3D model view of two microphone openings along the top edge of INKQ One
04

Openings for voice

Two top openings are included in the current enclosure study for the planned voice input.

3D model views · current design study. Final construction, compatibility and appearance may change.

THE PART MOST PROJECTS SKIP

If we disappear.

A crowdfunded device that depends on one company’s servers is one bankruptcy away from being a paperweight. Here is what we are designing in so that does not happen — and the one thing we cannot fix.

  1. 01

    Core features never reach our servers.

    Recording, on-device transcription, to-dos, notes and the display are designed to happen between the device and your phone. If our servers go dark, none of that stops.

  2. 02

    The AI is a public standard, not our interface.

    OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions has more than a dozen independent implementations. Swap the base URL in settings and the device carries on.

  3. 03

    Firmware open-sourced within six months of delivery.

    Device firmware under Apache 2.0, plus the BLE protocol and gateway API specifications. Signing keys held by an independent escrow and released publicly if INKQ stops operating for 90 days.

  4. 04

    A shutdown procedure written into the terms.

    90 days’ written notice, a final firmware release that removes every cloud dependency, a complete export of your data, and a refund of the unused part of any annual plan.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

Good questions.

Can I buy INKQ now?

Not yet. INKQ One is in development. Joining the email list is free and lets us send you the Kickstarter launch link. It is not an order or a reserved reward.

Will I need my phone?

The planned experience uses a companion app and connectivity to create or update content. E-paper retains the last displayed content when disconnected. Supported phones, setup and independent-use features will be confirmed as development progresses.

Which AI models does it work with?

The plan is any endpoint that speaks the OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions standard: OpenRouter, which fronts hundreds of models, plus OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek, Groq, and models running locally on your own machine through tools such as Ollama or LM Studio. Anthropic and OpenAI APIs are verified as working today. You can also use INKQ Plus and skip the setup entirely.

How much will it cost?

We are targeting a standard Kickstarter price of US$139 for the device itself. Final reward tiers, shipping and taxes will be announced before launch. Ongoing service fees are answered in the next question.

Will there be an ongoing subscription?

Not a required one. Capture, on-device transcription, to-dos, notes and the always-on display are planned to be free forever and to need no account. For AI answers you can bring your own API key and pay your provider directly — typically well under a dollar a month at this usage — or subscribe to INKQ Plus, planned at US$4.99 a month or US$49 a year for 1,500 requests, cloud sync and backup. Final service pricing will be confirmed before the Kickstarter launch.

When are you launching?

We are still validating the design and developing the product. There is no confirmed launch or delivery date yet. Join the list to hear about meaningful progress and the launch.

What happens to my device if the company shuts down?

The API key field is meant to be in settings from day one rather than a dormant emergency switch, so you can test that path the day you get the device. Core capture and display are designed never to use our servers, and we plan to open-source the firmware within six months of delivery with signing keys in independent escrow. The honest limit is the iOS app: if we are gone it eventually leaves the App Store and cannot be reinstalled on a new phone. Android can be sideloaded.

Are these photographs of a working product?

The images show our design direction. Lifestyle scenes are AI-assisted concept images based on our 3D renders; the dimensions illustration uses the original 3D model. They are not photographs of a working prototype.

BE THERE AT THE BEGINNING

A little less in your head. A little more in sight.

Get the launch link and the occasional note on our progress.