[HN Gopher] PiWrite - Kindle Paperwhite to Write
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PiWrite - Kindle Paperwhite to Write
Author : kristianpaul
Score : 127 points
Date : 2023-09-24 14:17 UTC (8 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (github.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
| butz wrote:
| Probably a stupid question, but does Kindle have any "native" app
| support? I'm surprised the it even has a browser. I wonder what
| are the limitations?
| ShrigmaMale wrote:
| it runs linux and you can compile a decent amount of stuff for
| it with an armhf toolchain. just have to jailbreak.
| input_sh wrote:
| Nope, no app store, no way of installing apps (other than
| rooting a device).
|
| If you want to do anything other than read, I'd definitely
| recommend something running Android underneath.
| jepler wrote:
| way before the kindle fire you could in fact buy "active
| content" for kindles on the amazon storefront. I recall
| buying a crossword app this way. It was fine, especially
| since this was an original (or 2nd generation?) kindle, which
| still had a physical keyboard !
|
| At some point they dumped support for this. I recall it as
| being around the time the Fire came out. There doesn't seem
| to be a lot of info left out there, e.g. it merits just an
| un-cited sentence in wikipedia's article on the kind. there
| may have been some remnants of it as late as 2020 though:
| https://the-digital-reader.com/amazon-removes-active-
| content...
| abdullahkhalids wrote:
| Kindle does not have any native app support. But it's a linux
| machine. If you can jailbreak it (which has become increasingly
| harder), then you can write/install custom apps on it.
|
| For example, back in the day I had a epub reader app installed.
| riobard wrote:
| I was wondering if Amazon, instead of wasting money and time on
| Fire phones/tablets, had poured a portion of that resource into
| making native Kindle apps a thing, maybe it could have a more
| compelling ecosystem by now.
| Infinitesimus wrote:
| It's unlikely that would have worked. 2 big ecosystems seems
| to be what the market will bear and choosing an Android base
| for the fire tablets makes a lot of sense.
|
| Very few people are going to bother writing apps for another
| ecosystem. Also, more apps means less control by Amazon which
| won't fly
| pranith_h wrote:
| This is perfect for my raspberry pi 400.
|
| The keyboard form factor was just missing some kind of unique
| display and this is perfect to use my old kindle with a broken
| touchscreen.
|
| What a perfect solution to my niche problem!
| [deleted]
| kristianpaul wrote:
| "The TL;DR is a webserver running somewhere a keyboard can be
| plugged, and a page opened in the Kindle's web browser."
| trillic wrote:
| I'm sure the input latency on that setup is just a joy to use
| RBerenguel wrote:
| It's not as bad as I expected before trying the project. You
| can try with SolarWriter (which is easier to set up than this
| weird thing I did) to get an idea. I consider it "mechanical
| typewriter" level. For me, good enough.
| nmstoker wrote:
| I wonder whether USB Network might be an option to reduce
| the latency a little. L
|
| Plus then keeps the Pi WiFi free for regular use rather
| than as a private AP network.
| RBerenguel wrote:
| The Kindle can't handle USB networking, so it wouldn't be
| a viable option. The private network is only needed if
| you are not in a WiFi capable area: at home I use it
| without AP
| HumblyTossed wrote:
| [flagged]
| rcarmo wrote:
| I went down this rabbit hole two weeks ago, but settled on using
| a Lenovo ThinkSmart View instead:
| https://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2023/09/22/1230
| jwong_ wrote:
| How does the ThinkSmart handle authentication?
|
| I did a little experiment with Samsung Dex to see if the
| Android-only environment could work. So far - I found it way
| less distracting not having all my current tabs/finder windows
| open. I could definitely see it as a nice "writing appliance"
| that I could put in a quiet corner for the end of the day.
| rcarmo wrote:
| I'm using termux, so I ssh in to a machine where my drafts
| are (although I have SyncThing installed and can
| theoretically use that, I haven't bothered). The ThinkSmart
| can lock itself in the usual ways.
| mannanj wrote:
| is it a standard lcd/led display that emits blue light versus
| the paper white safer one?
| rcarmo wrote:
| It is a standard LCD display with amazing contrast (black is
| just... black, and I use a white-on-black full screen
| terminal), although I wouldn't want to get into a debate
| regarding safety here (let's just say I don't subscribe to
| pseudo-science).
| untech wrote:
| Similar project for Pocketbook readers:
| https://github.com/borzunov/remoteink
| pizzafeelsright wrote:
| Want:
|
| Mechanical Keyboard with an OS powering a PaperWhite screen.
| HNcow wrote:
| https://getfreewrite.com/
| agarsev wrote:
| This has no OS (at least that you can access). I have one,
| have written a number of drafts with it, and regret both
| purchasing it and it not being a better machine. The software
| is really bad and there is no way to tinker with it, no way
| to write custom software. Indeed, in the last update before
| it became abandonware, they made updates cryptographically
| signed to make it more difficult for people to jailbreak it.
| The hardware is pretty and the keyboard is nice but the
| battery is really bad. It lasts only a few hours and takes
| forever to charge. And if the battery is depleted, it takes
| too long to get to the charge level necessary for using it
| even while plugged. Please don't buy this.
| jll29 wrote:
| The screen and battery are too small; you really want a
| laptop or subnotebook form factor where the screen opens like
| a book so screen and keyboard can both be large enough to be
| useful.
|
| A5 format (like a book, slightly less than most laptops)
| seems a sweet spot, also for keeping it in a larger jacket
| pocket.
| wwweston wrote:
| Boox Tab Ultra?
|
| https://shop.boox.com/products/tab
| jll29 wrote:
| Nice, and the price is okay, but the keyboard is not suitable
| for longer writing sessions.
|
| Even its very own demo video shows a lady on a software with
| the device AND her laptop (how ironic)!
|
| If anyone has it, how long does the battery last?
| fragmede wrote:
| Remarkable 2 with folio case gets close!
| RBerenguel wrote:
| I don't have the Folio case, but I have a Remarkable 2 and
| the screen refresh time is not as nice as the Paperwhite by
| quite a margin. I had actually managed to plug a USB keyboard
| to the RM2 (can be done, you need to tweak several things and
| power it) and the experience was quite "meh". Also on a
| personal note, I prefer the form factor/size of the Kindle
| for this. The RM2 always feels flimsy!
| rcarmo wrote:
| There are a few writing appliances out there trying to do that,
| but they are all based on proprietary solutions. It _might_ be
| possible to get a decent e-ink display with a passable refresh
| rate at non-monopolistic prices and bypass the Rube Goldberg-
| esque setup by just plugging that into a Pi via SPI, but right
| now there just aren't many options for that out there.
| pizzafeelsright wrote:
| These are good but lack the OS.
|
| I want Linux and/or ssh
| watersb wrote:
| The Boox Tab runs Android.
|
| I don't have one, but I use the Android app Termux on my
| stock Kindle Fire tablet. It's a rather complete Linux on
| Android. Not emulation.
|
| CLI environment just works, and I've been able to run GUI
| apps with some configuration and an additional Android app
| for X or RDP or VNC. I generally don't use a Bluetooth
| keyboard or mouse with my setup, and I tend to avoid the GUI
| stuff.
|
| But for extended shell scripting or writing CLI Python C code
| all native, all local, no networking needed. And I use it all
| the time for SSH.
|
| https://termux.dev/en/
| _gianni_ wrote:
| About five years ago, I did it with a raspberry pi used as a
| host, with the Kindle connecting to an istance of screen running
| on the raspberry.
|
| Not exactly what I did, but you get the idea.
| https://liliputing.com/kindleberry-wireless-using-a-raspberr...
|
| This solution seems easier, and more portable.
| RBerenguel wrote:
| I have always eyed similar solutions, but getting root access
| to the Kindle has been getting more convoluted each time: I
| always chose to not try to avoid being a few days without
| reading if I bricked it. This is one of the reasons why I wrote
| this: should work as long as the Kindle has a decent-ish
| browser.
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(page generated 2023-09-24 23:00 UTC)