So yesterday I was voting, right? As people do. Turns out right across from my polling place is a tiny thrift store I haven't been to in a few semesters. So I drop in, see what they've got going on. I've been needing a new bread maker and microwave so keeping an eye out for that.
Then I find two of these CIDCo MailStation things that I've never heard about before. Weird thing is they seem to be here independently, they were on opposite sides of the place and one is well-used with the other still in its box.
Anyway, they were a dollar each and I struggle to resist RetroTech. It's an internet appliance, the original Internet of Things. This device does nothing but send and receive email via dialup. It's powered by a Zilog Z80 (like the OG gameboy!) and packs an astounding 128kB of RAM, along with a 320x128 monochrome LCD, a real time clock, and 512kB of user-accessable storage.
Great part is that this little guy can run custom applications stashed away in that 512kB of flash storage, making this hopefully a wonderful little side project.
The MailStation is old and obscure enough that a lot of info has been lost to time. Surprisingly though there was an awful lot of interest in getting custom software on it. Much of the information is lost on dead sites, but a great amount is still lingering around.