I gave up on eReaders after 2 bad experiences with Kindles. I still have the last one I bought but it keeps on rebooting after a couple of minutes and couldn’t find a way to fix it.
I had a look recently and they’re all 180€+ now. Back to real books then.
Kobos are pretty nice. They’re not cheap, as you pointed out, but you can get an older or used one for quite a bit cheaper and it’s just as good. They run Linux. It’s almost completely open, and anything that isn’t might as well be. That said you really don’t need to open it up much, just enough to install something like koreader which basically completely replaces the OS on the thing. It does everything I would ever want to use my ereader for … granted that’s pretty much just “read ebooks”.
They run Linux
No, that’s PocketBook who runs a (old) “naked” Linux. Kobo is AOSP-based; a vendor-ROM without Play Store and thus no “Android” certificate.
Well ok, if you are of the type who calls Android a Linux, Matter of opinion. I do run LineageOS on my Leaf btw.
It’s my “opinion” that a device running a slightly modified Linux 2.6 kernel is literally running Linux, yes. Maybe you’re making the point that it’s not a full GNU/Linux distribution that people imagine when they hear Linux, and that’s a valid and valuable clarification which I thank you for providing, but don’t imply I’m wrong because of it.
My kobo Libra 2 does not run aosp.
Actually quick question, how did the author pull in all those resources on the comment section? That is pretty awesome!
There is a hint of how he did this here: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2023/06/12000-comments/
“I moderate heavily. If someone is rude or abusive, their comment isn’t published. Unless it’s really funny.” :-)
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.
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.
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.
I never realised people have issues with non-Amazon ebooks. The first thing I did was search how to put my own ebooks on my kindle and I found calibre, which is super easy to use.
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.
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.
Kobo is made by Rakuten, a big Japanese tech company. I think Walmart just resells then.
Its important to note that some models of Kobo are now fully repairable using parts from ifixit, down to motherboard and display.
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.
I’ve had a Kindle for a long time and considered upgrading to a non-Kindle device but was concerned that they don’t seem to get manufacturer updates for very long. This could make that more attractive!
If they go online, then yeah updates are a good thing.
Personally, I just dont make it go online. Calibre is so good that updates only make it worse.
My local FreeGeek was selling $5 e-readers in an e-reader bin this weekend.
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 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.
Keeping it offline is 100% the right call. My 250€ Kindle Oasis (1st Gen) became unusably slow after the last major update. Constantly freezes. This was marketed as a premium device, and you can’t even upgrade because Amazon killed the line. My next e-reader won’t be Amazon, but it sucks that I’ll lose all the notes I’ve had on there since I got my first Kindle in 2009.
Might there not be a way to extract them?
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.
It’s definitely iterative but the newer eInk screens are higher res and color. Dunno how refresh rates compare on the color screens.
Much faster and less prone to ghosting.
That said, I never took much issue with it. I didn’t have any of the very first e-readers so I’ve no idea if they’d bother me, but my first e-reader, a Kobo Touch from 2011 worked just fine and the refresh rate and ghosting wasn’t a problem.
I think the biggest pro with modern devices (to me personally) is that they’ve gotten more compact. I like how slim and comfortable my Boox Color 7 is.
Exactly, I’m considering grabbing the Voyage as I loved the one I had back in the day
I still use my Pocketbook Lux 3. It must be about 10 years old now and still works beautifully (even the backlight). One battery charge usually lasts me weeks, even with heavy backlight use. They are made in Europe (Switzerland) and run some flavour of Linux. They‘re not rock-bottom bargains, but the cost of the entry-level model seems quite fair in my opinion (€107). https://pocketbook.de/
Tbh, the current ones are pretty fantastic - and I find 100€ for the B/W verso and 140€ for the colour one still “reasonably cheap”.
So far they have eaten anything I gave them to read, work with calibre web (sadly only for download,not sync, but that’s not PBs fault), support the German Onleihe (public library ebooks… fantastic system getting you hundred thousand of books,often for less than 20€/year or even free) and the battery is rock solid.
So,I don’t really understand the point of the discussion. I am an absolute early adopter with E-readers and can’t remember any cheaper offers on readers that weren’t Amazon’s “bait” ads to sell you kindle unlimited,etc.
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.
My very early gen, Nook glowlight is still going somehow. I even bought it used for 50 bucks about 10 years ago. The battery is still decent and backlights fine and I am able to keep it offline. Im not sure what I would do if it croaked.
I bought a nook simple touch a couple of weeks ago for $20, look into the Phoenix Project for those.
I’ve got a decade old Sony ereader that’s still good as new. Battery lasts a couple weeks too, I love it.
I bought a Kindle 3rd generation (the one with the keyboard) and it also still functions correctly, I just brought it to a beach trip I had last week.
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 don’t really know how they do it, but some do run newer Android versions like Android 14 (Meebook M8, Bigme B7). Anyway, the lack of Play store isn’t really a consideration in China, it’s only for foreign markets they have to include the Play store. This also means that China has many more Android e-ink brands than are available to us (which mostly are Boox, Meebook, Bigme or Hisense).
E-ink bought a lot of competitors and alternatives up and thus why it’s expensive.
