Tldr: capitalist efficiency

There is a neat piece about the OS side; worth reading.

He blames patents (Eink isn't a patent troll) although Eink patents expired 7 years ago.

The problem is even without patents, the underlying tech of making the eink particles is hard.

Side note -

I literally have the reader pictured in the thumbnail. It is a Kindle keyboard from 10+ years ago at this point. It still works fine. At one point the original battery went to shit, and it cost very little to get an aftermarket replacement and install it myself.

I keep it offline and read 100% sideloaded .epub books from various sources. The lockscreen ads don't even try to display anymore.

Sure it isn't backlit or waterproof but it still functions flawlessly as a generic reader. Old tech like this is awesome. Why not get a decade of use (or more) out of something that still works?

I still have my kindle thats over 10 years old.

I got a Kobo and its awesome as well. Ironically, because wallmart couldn't be bothered to use good components they made it extremely repairable.

The best place to find a good working ebook reader is to either use an old phone (which is not really eink, but without wifi modern phones can last a bit). Or go to a thrift store and find a decent one for 10$ or less. Just make sure it turns on and you should be good!

I like the authors recommendation of something VERY cheap like a 10$ reader...but its probably not viable if Im honest. Sounds like a lot of e-waste that would occur.

Actually quick question, how did the author pull in all those resources on the comment section? That is pretty awesome!

I have a similar model I picked up at a garage sale for 5 dollars. Best bang for buck tech purchase I ever made. They really don’t need wifi or software upgrades to function well when all I do is transfer epubs over usb once a year.

Exactly, I'm considering grabbing the Voyage as I loved the one I had back in the day

I wonder if Android Wear wouldn't work as an OS basis for this - lower power requirements, probably allows black-and-white screens. The problem there is that Android Wear is absolute hot garbage that can't decide if it's stand-alone or companion to your phone.

Why is not just targeting raw AOSP instead of Google Android not considered? It seems like you could use modern hardware with that... is it the lack of Play Store that's the dealbreaker?

I had the exact same experience with that model. The screen eventually cracked (I think I had it in a backpack that I was a bit too rough with). It was easy enough to replace the screen with one I found on AliExpress, but unfortunately the replacement then cracked a few weeks later. I don't know whether it was because the replacement screen was poor quality or because once I had taken the device apart the screen was less protected, but I figured I wasn't going to throw good money after bad. I ended up getting a second hand Kobo Aura on eBay which has served me well.

eReaders have gotten some new features like backlights but I don't think the technology has fundamentally moved on all that much.

Kobo is made by Rakuten, a big Japanese tech company. I think Walmart just resells then.

Ifixit rates the repairability at 6/10. Not bad.

Heh yeah....
I was part of the linux port for fun for a bit. Certain models are just pop the bottom off and now you have access to the SD card(!) that they use for the linux kernel. AND they published the linux kernel info on GH so we even knew what they were customizing under the hood. Not a whole lot if im honest. The battery/SD card/screen/buttons are all kinda cheap, but also super easy to swap out. So you just put https://github.com/Quill-OS/quill on it and boom linux eink device.

I think osme of their newer models have less repairable parts as the product line has become more popular.

To be clear you don't have to get that technical to read non-Amazon books on your kindle.. I've owned 2 different kindles over the course of about 15 years and literally never bought an ebook from Amazon. Just gotta know where to get them (libgen) and how to use them (calibre.)

A cheap ereader would be nice, but I've kinda had to go the opposite direction; my eyes weren't great to begin with and have only gotten worse with age, so I need a larger screen. I do very little reading (in general, not of books specifically) on my phone because it's too small and I have to zoom in and pan around all the time, etc.

They were subsidizing them to establish an ebook marketplace. They're no longer doing so.

I still have my Kindle Keyboard. It still works but the front lighting on new ereaders is a big upgrade. The software was pretty primitive back then too.

There is a hint of how he did this here: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/06/12000-comments/

It's definitely iterative but the newer eInk screens are higher res and color. Dunno how refresh rates compare on the color screens.

My local FreeGeek was selling $5 e-readers in an e-reader bin this weekend.

To be honest I don't really find them prohibitively expensive if you count the value you'll get from them over the years. I have both a Kobo Libra 2 and an Android Boox Page, which I bought for different use cases. I see them both lasting me many years. My previous Kobo Aura One lasted me 7 years in itself before I sold it 2nd hand. My reading skyrocketed once I bought an e-reader.

It's my mission to build one at some stage (when I've learned how). ESP32 powered and phone sized. The idea is it's supposed to feel a little like scrolling your phone while reading a book. Devices like this exist but they're prohibitively expensive for a lot of people.

Still, e-ink is so much better than a regular screen. If one is really strapped for cash sure, but for one's eyes sake I'd say e-ink is a worthwhile investment if one likes to read. A phone can't compare.