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konsensor :mastodon:<p>Das Ganze nun leider postwendend zurück. Cloudzwang und "Sichtkontrolle" aller Notizen, also customer content mal so „access is required by law“, nö Danke. 🤷🏻‍♂️ <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/reMarkable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>reMarkable</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/PaperPro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PaperPro</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/Datenschutz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Datenschutz</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/Fail" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Fail</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/eInkNote" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInkNote</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a></p>
Kevin Karhan :verified:<p>I wish <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/displays" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>displays</span></a> with video inputs weren't so absurdly expensive and <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/monocrome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>monocrome</span></a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/OLED" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>OLED</span></a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/displays" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>displays</span></a> were on the market at reasonable prices.</p><ul><li>But maybe I'm just weird wanting an <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/MDA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MDA</span></a> screen that takes <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/VGA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>VGA</span></a> and/or <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/DisplayPort" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DisplayPort</span></a> and/or <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/DVI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DVI</span></a> and isn't <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT5JP0_aZ8k" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a CRT</a> [video via <span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://mastodon.social/@vwestlife" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>vwestlife</span></a></span> ]...</li></ul>
Badass Britt :mastodon_lgbt:<p>I love this wallpaper so much. <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a></p>
Hippo 🍉<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://historians.social/@bookish" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>bookish</span></a></span> omg!! I just realised there *is* a cool <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Wallabag" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Wallabag</span></a> UI for <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/epaper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>epaper</span></a> (<a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a>) devices. It's for <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Pocketbook" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pocketbook</span></a> devices rather than Kobo, but hey I wonder how easy it'd be to port it 👀</p><p><a href="https://plop-reader.pascal-martin.fr/2017/04/05/v0.4.0-is-released.html" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">plop-reader.pascal-martin.fr/2</span><span class="invisible">017/04/05/v0.4.0-is-released.html</span></a></p>
Dave Rahardja<p>I’m in love with these retro e-ink digital watches. The Snoopy ones are especially adorable.</p><p><a href="https://sfba.social/tags/watches" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>watches</span></a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a> <a href="https://sfba.social/tags/adorable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>adorable</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6RLZlxhKPU" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">youtube.com/watch?v=R6RLZlxhKP</span><span class="invisible">U</span></a></p>
Kevin Karhan :verified:<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/@blog" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>blog</span></a></span> thx for the <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/HonestWords" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HonestWords</span></a>.</p><p>To me that touchscreen sounds awful. </p><p>Most 3rd party products that aim to compete with any established brand at least get the <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/price" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>price</span></a> lower than the established players if they can't be assed to at least have the same level of <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/documentation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>documentation</span></a>, <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/quality" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>quality</span></a> or <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/support" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>support</span></a> than i.e. <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/RaspberryPi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>RaspberryPi</span></a>.</p><ul><li>At that insultingly high price I can get a <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Pi0W2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pi0W2</span></a>, an <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/HDMI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HDMI</span></a> + <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/GPIO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GPIO</span></a> / <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/USB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>USB</span></a> touchscreen of the same resolution and still have change for a decent microSD and Power Supply, and that can display anything.</li></ul><p>For €100 I can get some 1080p screen if not a decent <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/touchscreen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>touchscreen</span></a> if I snipe the right corners and ain't afraid of returns and refurbished parts.</p><ul><li>At that price point it's absolutely not acceptable that they didn't put even a DSI connector on and included a HDMI driver board in the box. Espechally when it's not an <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> screen!</li></ul><p><a href="https://infosec.space/tags/HonestReviews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HonestReviews</span></a> <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/HonestReview" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HonestReview</span></a></p>
TrèsFluke 🍁<p>"I was really excited to try the Go 7 with a stylus to see how it stacked up to traditional paper. However, results were mixed."<br><a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/EInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EInk</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/Boox" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Boox</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.ca/tags/Reviews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Reviews</span></a> <br><a href="https://mobilesyrup.com/2025/06/28/boox-go-7-e-reader-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">mobilesyrup.com/2025/06/28/boo</span><span class="invisible">x-go-7-e-reader-review/</span></a></p>
David Bender<p>The Author Forecast project mentioned above: </p><p><a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/literature" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>literature</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/English" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>English</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/poetry" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>poetry</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/novel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>novel</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>writing</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/weather" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>weather</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/science" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>science</span></a> <a href="https://ecoevo.social/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a></p><p><a href="https://authorforecast.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">authorforecast.com/</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p>
Kevin Karhan :verified:<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://troet.cafe/@tron" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>tron</span></a></span> I.mean, I'd love to build <em>"<a href="https://infosec.space/tags/BigChungus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BigChungus</span></a>"</em> a 122+ ISO-Terminal board with such keys, but AFAICT those micro - OLED-Panels ain't cheap nor does the <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/SteamDeck" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SteamDeck</span></a> support a useage akin to a real <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Keyboard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Keyboard</span></a>... </p><p><a href="https://infosec.space/@kkarhan/114373568038412767" translate="no" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">infosec.space/@kkarhan/1143735</span><span class="invisible">68038412767</span></a></p><ul><li>Plus the flex cables needed to turn them into like Keycaps and subsequent boards would be finnicky af - even if we could get away with two-wires &amp; RS-485 alike bus and <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a>-Screens...</li></ul><p>It's rather cheaper to just take a giant touchscreen and slap a Raspberry Pi 0 W below to turn it into a USB+Bluetooth touch <em>"keyboard"</em>...</p>
Tron<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://infosec.space/@kkarhan" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>kkarhan</span></a></span> I totally misread your toot and my mind jumped from <a href="https://troet.cafe/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> and <a href="https://troet.cafe/tags/Keyboard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Keyboard</span></a> to fully customizable keycaps with little <a href="https://troet.cafe/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> displays. Finally, one keyboard, ALL layouts! Now I want this. Why, brain.</p>
Kevin Karhan :verified:<p>I know <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> and a tiny <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Keyboard" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Keyboard</span></a> ain't cheap, but they really lost a lot out on not going the whole route down and build something <em>rugged af</em>...</p><p>Like an <a href="https://infosec.space/tags/Iridium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Iridium</span></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkNPvzCRKg" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">9555</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZWN65NqNOc" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">9575 Extreme</a>...</p>
Dušan Mitrović<p>Any reason for why so many people seem to prefer Kindle e-readers when something like Kobo exists?</p><p><a href="https://polymaths.social/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a> <a href="https://polymaths.social/tags/ereader" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ereader</span></a> <a href="https://polymaths.social/tags/kobo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>kobo</span></a> <a href="https://polymaths.social/tags/kindle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>kindle</span></a></p>
Brad Linder<p>The Pubook Mobile is an upcoming phone-sized eBook reader with a 6.13 inch E Ink Kaleido 3 color display, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and an octa-core processor. It's unclear if it'll be available outside of Taiwan though. <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Pubu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Pubu</span></a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/PubookMobile" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PubookMobile</span></a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/eReader" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eReader</span></a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/EInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EInk</span></a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/tags/Kaleido3" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Kaleido3</span></a> <a href="https://www.ereaderpro.co.uk/en/blogs/news/e-ink-new-product-pubu-announces-taiwans-first-mobile-color-open-e-reader-pubook-mobile-to-be-released-in-q4" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">ereaderpro.co.uk/en/blogs/news</span><span class="invisible">/e-ink-new-product-pubu-announces-taiwans-first-mobile-color-open-e-reader-pubook-mobile-to-be-released-in-q4</span></a></p>
konsensor :mastodon:<p>Könnte sein, dass ich etwas bestellt habe. 😁 <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/reMarkablePaperPro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>reMarkablePaperPro</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/reMarkable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>reMarkable</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/PaperPro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PaperPro</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/eInkTablet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInkTablet</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/DigitalesNotizbuch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DigitalesNotizbuch</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/DigitalNotebook" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DigitalNotebook</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/ePaper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ePaper</span></a> <a href="https://social.tchncs.de/tags/ColorEPaper" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ColorEPaper</span></a></p>
Badass Britt :mastodon_lgbt:<p>Two of my nerdy tech devices that bring me a significant amount of joy: </p><p>Boox Palma 2 and Remarkable 2.</p><p>They’re black and white e-ink devices. I use them for different purposes. The RM2 is used for handwritten notes/PDF markup and the Boox is used for casually reading text/books/articles, practicing Anki cards, and other low intensity tasks. </p><p>They’ve been extra clutch over the last few months since my migraines returned to ‘chronic’ status. </p><p><a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/tech" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>tech</span></a> <a href="https://mstdn.games/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a></p>
ComputerBase<p>EM32DX: Samsung bringt effizientes Color-E-Paper auf den Markt <a href="https://www.computerbase.de/news/monitore/em32dx-samsung-bringt-effizientes-color-e-paper-auf-den-markt.93000/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">computerbase.de/news/monitore/</span><span class="invisible">em32dx-samsung-bringt-effizientes-color-e-paper-auf-den-markt.93000/</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/samsung" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>samsung</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/displays" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>displays</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a></p>
Amin Girasol<p>Hi! I'd like recommendations for a secondhand exploitable e-ink e-reader, something akin to the 2016 Kobo Aura ONE. I want to be able to sideload apps like KOreader and Plato and access the filesystem like any other removable storage.</p><p>Please retoot!</p><p><a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a> <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/ereader" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ereader</span></a> <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/hackable" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>hackable</span></a> <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/linux" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>linux</span></a> <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/foss" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>foss</span></a></p>
Terence Eden<p>🆕 blog! “Whatever happened to cheap eReaders?”</p><p>Way back in 2012, The Guardian reviewed an eInk reader which cost a mere £8.</p><p>The txtr beagle was designed to be a stripped-down and simplified eReader.</p><p>As far as I can tell, it never shipped. There were a few review units sent out but I can't find any evidence of consumers getting their hands on one. Also, that £8 price was t…</p><p>👀 Read more: <a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/05/whatever-happened-to-cheap-ereaders/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/05/whate</span><span class="invisible">ver-happened-to-cheap-ereaders/</span></a><br>⸻<br><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ebooks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ebooks</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/eink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eink</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/reading" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>reading</span></a></p>
Terence Eden’s Blog<p><strong>Whatever happened to cheap eReaders?</strong></p><p><a href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/05/whatever-happened-to-cheap-ereaders/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/05/whate</span><span class="invisible">ver-happened-to-cheap-ereaders/</span></a></p><p></p><p>Way back in 2012, The Guardian reviewed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/nov/08/beagle-e-reader-review" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an eInk reader which cost a mere £8</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Txtr_beagle" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">txtr beagle</a> was designed to be a stripped-down and simplified eReader0.</p><p>As far as I can tell, it never shipped. There were a few <a href="https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Txtr_beagle" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">review units sent out</a> but I can't find any evidence of consumers getting their hands on one. Also, that £8 price was the <em>subsidised</em> price when purchased with a mobile contract. Their <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130828235409/http://gb.txtr.com/beagle/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">website ceased working long ago</a>.</p><p>But it got me intrigued. Moore's law is supposed to drive down the cost of electronics. So where are all the dirt-cheap eReaders?</p><p>The cheapest Kindle for sale on Amazon UK right now is about £100. Back in 2012, it was about £70. Taking <a href="https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">inflation into account</a>, that price has stayed static. Brands like Kobo are also in the £100 to £150 range.</p><p>About the cheapest retail eReader is the <a href="https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/pocketbook-basic-lux-4-ink-black-6-8gb-wi-fi-e-reader-pb618-p-ww/version.asp" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">PocketBook Lux 4</a> for £85 or the (terribly reviewed) <a href="https://amzn.to/44dgZ9Y" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Woxter Scriba</a> for £70.</p><p>AliExpress has loads of second-hand and obsolete models at cheap-ish prices. But a surprising dearth of new eReaders.</p><p>Going wholesale, <a href="https://www.alibaba.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Alibaba</a> has a range of models, some of which clock in at around £30.</p><p></p><p>But, of course, that's before shipping and tax. They won't come with any manufacturer's warranty and don't expect any software updates. Also, good luck getting accessories!</p><p>So what's stopping new eReaders being released at a cheap(er) price? I think it comes down to four main things.</p><p><strong>Reading is a niche hobby</strong></p><p><a href="https://yougov.co.uk/entertainment/articles/51730-40-of-britons-havent-read-a-single-book-in-the-last-12-months" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Around 40% of UK adults didn't read a single book last year</a>. That survey combines reading books and listening to audiobooks. Of the 60% who do read/listen, about 14% primarily listen. Of those that read, around 60% do so on paper books.</p><p>If reading is niche, reading electronically is a tiny niche! This is somewhat of a chicken-and-egg argument. If an eReader were the same cost as a mass-market paperback, I'm sure many more paper-book readers would become converts.</p><p>The whole point of an eInk reader is that it is a distraction-free environment. Yeah, you <em>could</em> scroll TikTok on one, but it isn't a pleasant experience. An eReader is designed for one thing only, unlike a phone or tablet. Do enough people want to carry yet-another-bloody-device just for reading?</p><p><strong>eInk is expensive</strong></p><p>The company which makes eInk hold several patents on the process. They're not a patent troll; they're building a business and selling mega-hectares of the stuff. Understandably, they have an interest in keeping prices high. They don't want to cannibalise their own market.</p><p>A basic 6 inch screen with wiring costs around £20 wholesale - that's from Alibaba, so doesn't include tax and shipping. That's before you've added any electronics or a operating system.</p><p>Speaking of which…</p><p><strong>Android is a bottleneck</strong></p><p>The promise of the Android Open Source Project was a free Operating System for anyone to use. The reality has been a little different. Most people want to be able to use basic Android functionality - like download operating system updates or reading apps. But Google doesn't allow that for eInk devices.</p><p>As I understand it, <a href="https://source.android.com/docs/compatibility/9/android-9-cdd#7_1_6_screen_technology" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Google requires Android devices to have colour screens</a> and, so I've read, won't certify eInk eReaders for newer versions of Android.</p><p>So manufacturers have to source parts which have drivers for older versions of Android. Or they have to develop their own OSes.</p><p><strong>Books are fungible</strong></p><p>Back when Apple sold iPods, they knew that the majority of purchasers would buy MP3s direct from Apple. The perfect symbiotic relationship! But the walled-gardens cracked and now people can buy their music from anywhere.</p><p>Amazon keeps this model for its eBooks. Unless you're prepared to get technical, you can only read Amazon books on your Amazon Kindle paid for with your Amazon wallet.</p><p>Games consoles are often sold at a loss because the manufacturer knows they'll make it up in game sales and subscriptions.</p><p>A low-price manufacturer is unlikely to also run a book store and wouldn't be able to cross-subsidise their hardware with content sales.</p><p><strong>Alternatives</strong></p><p>Some people have tried <a href="https://hackaday.com/2019/10/31/building-an-open-hardware-ebook-reader/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">building open source eReaders</a> but they're either abandoned, <a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/soldered/inkplate-6plus#products" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">not suitable for production</a>, or <a href="https://pine64eu.com/product/pinenote-community-edition/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">ridiculously expensive</a>.</p><p>Buying second hand is relatively cheap - often under £50. But eInk screens can be brittle, and older ones may have scratches or cracks which are effectively unrepairable.</p><p><strong>How cheap is cheap?</strong></p><p>I'd love a £8 eReader. Something I could throw in a pocket and not worry about damaging. An eReader which was the same price as a hardback book - around £20 - would be amazing.</p><p>But I don't think we'll get there soon. The monopoly on screen technologies sets a retail floor of around £30, before the rest of the hardware is taken into account. Niche hardware is viable - but only with decent OS support. Other than Kobo and Amazon, no book retailer wants to stray outside their core competency to develop and subsidise hardware.</p><p>So I guess it's buy second-hand, or wait for the patents to expire.</p> <ol start="0"><li><p>You can <a href="https://chaos.social/@henryk/114433370736288910" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">see some internal photos on this Mastodon thread</a>.&nbsp;↩︎</p></li></ol> <p></p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/ebooks/" target="_blank">#ebooks</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/eink/" target="_blank">#eink</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://shkspr.mobi/blog/tag/reading/" target="_blank">#reading</a></p>
El Vector ⁂ 🐌<p>Una pantalla tipo eBook, tinta electrónica o similar, que recoja los datos del precio de la electricidad por hora para que sepas cuando poner los electrodomésticos sin tener que buscarlo en el smartphone. ¿Existe algo así?</p><p><a href="https://masto.es/tags/DudaInform%C3%A1tica" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DudaInformática</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/PrecioLuzHora" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PrecioLuzHora</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/Electricidad" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Electricidad</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/GastoElectricidad" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GastoElectricidad</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/PrecioLuz" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PrecioLuz</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/Gastos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Gastos</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/Dispositivos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Dispositivos</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/SmartHome" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SmartHome</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/e_ink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>e_ink</span></a> <a href="https://masto.es/tags/eInk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>eInk</span></a></p>
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