[HN Gopher] Moaan InkPalm Plus is weird, cheap, small, and my ki...
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Moaan InkPalm Plus is weird, cheap, small, and my kind of e-reader
Author : kermatt
Score : 199 points
Date : 2024-06-27 15:40 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (sixcolors.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (sixcolors.com)
| laweijfmvo wrote:
| After using the cheapest e-Reader for over a decade (Kindle 2
| until support ended, Kindle 3 until the same) I finally upgraded
| to the top Oasis and love it. Things that are absolutely
| essential IMO are
|
| - physical page turn buttons. the touch screens are finicky,
| inconvenient for one-hand use, and impossible if i want to keep
| my hand up a blanket or something
|
| - back/front light, with adjustable color temp, and an actual dim
| setting that doesn't blow your retinas out
|
| everything i don't care about. but these are must haves.
| TeaBrain wrote:
| The physical page turn buttons are why I got an Oasis also. I
| find the experience much better than having to touch the screen
| to turn the page. With the physical buttons, it's easy enough
| to move the page forward or backward while holding the device
| with one hand, while requiring very little hand shifting, which
| I appreciate.
| atlasunshrugged wrote:
| How is the weight for the Oasis in one hand?
| eigenvalue wrote:
| Very reasonable and comfortable.
| tarentel wrote:
| It's tapered on one side so when held it is really easy to
| use one handed. I had a magnetic case on mine for when I
| put it in a bag that could be taken off/put back on easily
| too so you could still hold it.
| squigz wrote:
| Annoyingly, the original Kindle had physical buttons, then
| they removed it in later versions, and I often find myself
| turning the page accidentally.
| LegitShady wrote:
| i need to replace the battery in my kindle keyboard ("3rd
| generation") so I can use it again, or surrender and order
| a replacement. I'm using a kobo right now but I don't like
| it.
|
| I was looking at the oasis but its expensive, and still
| uses microusb
| TeaBrain wrote:
| I had the first model of kindle without a keyboard prior to
| getting an oasis. When it broke, the oasis was really the
| only choice to replace it due to them removing the physical
| buttons on all the other models.
| benoliver999 wrote:
| I had a Kindle with a full keyboard!
| jzb wrote:
| That thing was a beast. I used it for a few years, then
| handed it down to my dad's new wife - she was a big
| reader, and used it for almost a decade until it gave up
| the ghost.
| 1oooqooq wrote:
| kindleDX. still struggling with it and the original
| battery. I think the only feature it is missing (besides
| non-stupid amazon software) is any sort of backlight.
| toast0 wrote:
| Did they really end support for the older Kindles? I haven't
| used mine in a while, but I thought they could still sync and
| get books over wifi.
|
| No lights on the Kindle Keyboard though, and the 3g modems
| won't work anymore for obvious reasons.
| kjs3 wrote:
| I have an oooold Kindle keyboard model. As you said, cellular
| doesn't work, but it syncs fine over wifi. Seems to be
| holding a charge for less time, tho, so maybe it does have an
| 'end date'.
| causi wrote:
| It's very easy to replace the battery with a new one. The
| whole back cover pops off.
| rebuilder wrote:
| I have an 11-year old Kindle and while it can't access the
| store any more, it can still sync over wifi if I purchase
| books on the web.
| mtalantikite wrote:
| I got a Boox Go that just came a few days ago and I really like
| the physical page turn buttons. It's my first e-Reader, so I
| don't have much to compare it to, but I can imagine relying on
| the touch screen to be annoying.
| manchmalscott wrote:
| I just got a Kobo Clara Color over their cheaper models largely
| for the page turn buttons (and being able to highlight in
| multiple colors of course). Combined with how shockingly light
| it is (lighter than my phone), one handed reading is excellent.
| wccrawford wrote:
| I love my Clara Color _so much_. It 's light, fast, and it
| has buttons. And it's just about exactly the right size.
|
| My one complaint so far is that the battery seems to need a
| charge every few days. Definitely less than a week, I think.
| I can live with that.
| zachmu wrote:
| That's good to know, that's a total deal breaker for me.
|
| I have the Libra 2 and I get about a month from a charge
| with my normal reading habits.
| zachmu wrote:
| Looks like the Clara Color doesn't have physical buttons?
|
| https://us.kobobooks.com/collections/ereaders/products/kobo-.
| ..
|
| Kobo changes their lineup constantly though, the Libra 2 I
| have (with physical buttons) is no longer available.
| manchmalscott wrote:
| Oops, I definitely _meant_ Libra. I need to stop looking at
| other words when I'm typing lol.
| deafpolygon wrote:
| That's because they have the Libra _Colour_ now:
| https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-libra-colour
| adolph wrote:
| I don't know about the necessity of physical page turn buttons.
| I've had a paperwhite and now a scribe and the touch is fine.
| An advantage of touch is that it supports sideways orientation,
| which I use on the paperwhite to increase the page width.
| causi wrote:
| If you haven't had a kindle with buttons you have no basis of
| comparison. They're lovely.
| Tagbert wrote:
| I used to have one of the older ones with buttons. now I
| have a recent Paperwhite and don't really miss them. I just
| tap on the screen edge and it works fine. I can understand
| the appeal of buttons and am glad that you have a reader
| with them but it's not something that motivates me.
| adolph wrote:
| I'm sure the buttons are of the finest sort.
|
| That doesn't invalidate a subjective eval that touch is
| fine for this context and an objective conjecture that
| physical buttons would lose orientation if orientation were
| changed 90deg.
| causi wrote:
| I don't see why you think physical buttons would lose
| orientation. My kindle had forward and back buttons on
| both sides that worked fine in either orientation, and on
| devices that only have one button per side the one on the
| bottom is next and the one on top is previous.
| TeaBrain wrote:
| The oasis has a touchscreen, but touch turning can also be
| disabled to prevent accidental page turns. The oasis page
| turn buttons also rotate depending on the orientation,
| whether that be right side up, upside down or horizontal,
| which allows the page turn buttons to be operated one-handed
| with either the right or left hand.
| tarentel wrote:
| I went from an Oasis to the Scribe and I do not regret it but
| I accidentally turn the pages a lot more without buttons
| which is slightly annoying.
| jcul wrote:
| I'm surprised people value physical page turn buttons so much.
|
| I've had a kobo Clara HD for years now, running KOReader (one
| of my most loved pieces of software).
|
| I can turn the page one handed by just curling a finger around
| from behind and tapping the screen, or by touching the reader
| to my nose :)
|
| I tend to read a lot in a situation where I can only use one
| hand!
| mrgoldenbrown wrote:
| I'm the opposite, I don't understand the steady march towards
| fewer buttons. I miss my iPod wheel that I could operate
| without looking. My screen would be covered in sunblock,
| sweat and oils if I used my nose to swipe.
| normie3000 wrote:
| > I could operate without looking
|
| Possibly not a common use case for e-readers.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| You're basically right, but some e-readers have support
| for audiobooks and music. Physical buttons would be a
| benefit for those uses.
| fuzztester wrote:
| >, I don't understand the steady march towards fewer
| buttons
|
| cost cutting by the manufacturers, probably.
|
| seen the trend even in laptops over the last decade or two
| - the parts are getting thinner and lighter.
| toast0 wrote:
| Having real buttons means never needing to have my hand
| obscure the screen. And not touching the screen means not
| having to clean it as often either.
| mmcclure wrote:
| My partner makes fun of me for always turning the page with
| my nose and it makes me very happy to hear I'm not alone.
|
| I use the physical buttons if I'm reading on a plane or
| otherwise sitting down, but I much prefer holding the kindle
| from the back if I'm reading lying down. I assumed that must
| be rare given how little attention any of the e-reader form
| factors have given to it.
| skydhash wrote:
| The way I hold my Kobo lets my thumb rest exactly on the
| forward page button. No need to move anything. And if I want
| the previous page, it's easy to jut move my thumbs up a bit.
| That's my two most used action. Anytime I used the touch
| screen is mostly related to switching books.
|
| I also have a DAP [1] which has a wheel. After launching an
| album to play, I can pause-play, skip forward and change the
| volume by using the wheel. All of these can be done while the
| device is in my pocket. Same with my old feature phones.
|
| Buttons are nice.
|
| [1]: https://en.shanling.com/product/222
| adammarples wrote:
| Even on the paper white it is finicky and you never know if a
| touch has registered because there is a delay. I can easily
| lose my place. Also, I used to highlight words to get a
| definition but half the time I now accidentally change page
| instead so I have stopped doing that.
| criddell wrote:
| I also bought it for the physical buttons. Unfortunately, it
| doesn't seem like there's anyway to entirely disable the touch
| screen while reading (or at least I haven't figured it out).
|
| My only complaint is that it isn't USB-C. As soon as that comes
| out, I'll trade this one in.
|
| I just looked on Amazon and the Oasis is out of stock. I wonder
| if that means a refresh is imminent?
|
| Edit: I googled it and it seems the reverse might be true - the
| Oasis is out of the lineup and no replacement is coming. That
| sucks.
|
| https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/goodbye-to-the-amazon-ki...
| eigenvalue wrote:
| Agree that the Oasis is awesome and worth the money. It's also
| water resistant, so I can use it in the sauna/steamroom (my
| favorite place to read without distractions nowadays!)
| zachmu wrote:
| The Oasis is a great device with one fatal flaw: battery life.
| For some reason they nerfed the battery relative to the
| paperwhite so it lasts about a week instead of about a month.
| Probably won't bother a lot of people but it really bothered
| me. I read a lot and hate having to think about recharging.
|
| I ended up with the Kobo Libra 2, which has all the same
| features as the Oasis but also has a month-long battery. I love
| it overall, great little device. Includes some quality of life
| features beyond the Oasis, including auto color tone shifting
| of the front-light in the evening (cool to warm), being able to
| adjust the light by swiping up the left side of the screen, and
| more options for progress indicators / headers and footers than
| the kindle has.
|
| Kobo changes their lineup constantly, which means the Libra 2
| has been replaced with a more expensive color version I haven't
| tried. Color on an e-ink screen is not an interesting feature
| to me, esp. not when it makes the device more expensive.
| rf15 wrote:
| My suspicion is that the reason the battery is so abysmal is
| because _you cannot turn off the backlight entirely_.
| Indefencible design decision that just eats your battery.
| (older readers were better because they basically only used
| power to change the current page - now we made them so
| featureful they lost many of the advantages older models had)
| dbuxton wrote:
| On mine you definitely can make it so that there is no
| discernable backlight even in pitch darkness. Whether
| somehow it's still consuming energy I don't know. However I
| agree that generally the Oasis battery life leaves
| something to be desired.
| hex4def6 wrote:
| I haven't kept up with ereader stuff for many years since I
| worked on battery life models for kindles, but I will say
| that keeping your e-reader in airplane mode will increase the
| battery life significantly.
|
| The reason is that WiFi has a DTIM which basically means that
| requires periodic wakeups to keep associated with the AP.
| This burns power.
| zachmu wrote:
| I always keep the radios off, yes.
|
| Even with the radios off, the Oasis struggles to get more
| than a week of life, it's kind of astounding how bad it is.
| bochoh wrote:
| I found that airplane mode solved my oasis battery issues!
| II2II wrote:
| > Color on an e-ink screen is not an interesting feature to
| me, esp. not when it makes the device more expensive.
|
| I have both the Libra 2 and Libra Colour, the issue isn't so
| much cost (in my opinion) as contrast. They should have
| introduced an upgraded Libra BW at the same time as the Libra
| Colour to account for that.
| thaumasiotes wrote:
| > For some reason they nerfed the battery relative to the
| paperwhite so it lasts about a week instead of about a month.
|
| I have a reMarkable 2. The battery lasts forever - if I
| manually turn it off when I'm done using it. If I don't do
| that, it will go into an inactive mode, with a bar informing
| me that it's shut off displayed over whatever was on screen
| when it went inactive - but in this mode, the battery still
| drains very quickly.
|
| I can't understand why this should be the case. I know the
| device has recognized that I'm not using it, because it
| displays a message telling me so. Why is it remaining on,
| while pretending to be off, instead of shutting off?
|
| This is the difference between walking away from the device
| for over a month and having it be mostly charged when I come
| back to it, or doing the same thing and having it be
| completely drained and require a lengthy charging period
| before I can use it at all.
| Wowfunhappy wrote:
| On an E-ink screen, displaying static content uses
| literally zero electricity. Only updating what's on screen
| requires power. So, from your post, it's not immediately
| obvious to me why this inactive mode would cause battery
| drainage.
|
| In this inactive mode, is anything on screen
| moving/changing? If not, have you actually noticed battery
| drainage, or were you making an assumption based on the
| fact the screen was "on".
| cyberpunk wrote:
| I recently got the colour one, installed koreader on it and
| there's even a little button in the settings which drops you
| to a Linux shell on it.
|
| Why would you want a shell on your e-reader? I don't know,
| but it makes me smile ;) I can rsync books to it...
| smeej wrote:
| Will it run native Linux apps? My favorite tool for reading
| PDFs is Logseq, because I can use colors and it
| automatically pulls my highlights and notes into a page for
| the book, but this feature doesn't work on Android.
|
| I've yet to find an eInk (or similar) Linux tablet where I
| can do this, but it would be a game changer for me.
| cyberpunk wrote:
| Nah no way, there's no X or anything, the ui seems to be
| a load of lua.
| dyauspitr wrote:
| Just put it in airplane mode, the battery lasts way longer.
| The way I read (with calibre to transfer books), means I
| rarely ever need the internet on the device.
| oniony wrote:
| Colour is probably for the comic crowd. They probably love
| it.
| deafpolygon wrote:
| I have the Libra 2. I cannot understate how much of a
| difference physical page buttons made for me. My SO has the
| Clara 2HD (or something) and I couldn't get into it... turns
| out I need that chin for easy holding and button for flipping
| the page. The light settings are great- comes on when it's
| actually dark and goes away when there's plenty of light.
| smeej wrote:
| I got one of those cheap Bluetooth "camera lens" clicker
| buttons that pairs with my Boox, an Android tablet.
|
| Works great to turn my pages in KOreader from as far away as I
| can see the device.
|
| Since so many tablets are being made with some flavor of
| Android under the hood, this might open up more options for you
| and anybody else who wants physical buttons! This way I can
| even stand the device up against something and put my hands
| wherever I want!
| bigboy12 wrote:
| Why would I want to carry around another device.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| An e-reader will reinvigorate your reading habit, and give
| you something to do any time you have a spare few seconds or
| minutes. I carry an e-reader everywhere (I have big pockets)
| and have never regretted it.
| devindotcom wrote:
| I have a Palma (they sent for review) and I think it's great,
| though I agree it probably isn't worth the price for most.
|
| https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/03/boox-ereaders-poke-5-palma...
|
| But the text looks good, the light is nice, and you can even
| install apps that aren't too demanding - a crossword or
| something.
|
| I've found that even a Clara HD or BW (the latest version) can be
| a bit bulky when you're going out with no bag, but the Palma fits
| in any jeans or jacket pocket and is excellent to have when you
| find yourself with 20 minutes to wait and no desire to
| doomscroll. I hope these things get more popular and accessible.
| arp242 wrote:
| The narrow screen seems very, well, narrow... I haven't used it
| though, so maybe it's not as bad as it seems. I do like larger-
| ish text.
|
| I have a 6" PocketBook, and it fits in all my trouser pockets,
| although I do agree it's slightly large overall it's not too
| bad.
| packetlost wrote:
| I have both a Kindle Oasis and Palma and I like the Palma
| much more for when I'm laying in bed. It's lighter and easier
| to one-hand, but _most_ importantly is it 's easy to hold
| while laying on my side. The narrower screen isn't too bad if
| you're mostly reading EPUBs or AZW3 files where they reflow
| text appropriately. I have it set up to use the volume rocker
| for changing pages. The included case makes the buttons a
| little... _mushy_ for my taste, but I 've otherwise been
| largely impressed. The fact that it runs Android means I can
| install an IETF RFC app and Instapaper and sync easily, which
| has been a surprisingly huge plus for me as well.
| devindotcom wrote:
| It took a little getting used to - i had the same qualm. But
| honestly, I don't mind now at all. The text adjustment is
| very fine in the default reader and the resolution is high,
| so pick a font you find readable and it's really not so
| different from a pocket paperback page.
| dml2135 wrote:
| Yea, this -- love the size, hate the aspect ratio.
| spondylosaurus wrote:
| The Boox e-reader I have lets you rotate the screen in 90deg
| increments--not sure if the Palma does too, but reading
| horizontally probably wouldn't be too bad.
|
| Although at the end of the day I do most of my reading on my
| phone anyway, and it's surprisingly fine once you get used to
| it.
| rcarmo wrote:
| Install termux on it, get a pocket keyboard and you have an
| all-day (week?) terminal.
| squigz wrote:
| > even a Clara HD or BW (the latest version) can be a bit bulky
| when you're going out with no bag, but the Palma fits in any
| jeans or jacket pocket
|
| This is such a nice but underrated feature of ereaders. I can
| fit my Kindle in the back pocket of my jeans without it being
| uncomfortable (just don't sit on it!) and it's really nice to
| not have to worry about shoving it back in a back or anything
| like that.
| tracker1 wrote:
| Leading into OT... but does anyone have suggestions for the
| opposite of this. I would like a large eReader, where the text
| for say a paperback can be scaled to 8.5x11" size, or similarly
| reading a technical book at equivalent to print size.
| abound wrote:
| I use the Boox Max Lumi for this, it's a 13.3" eInk Android
| tablet, great for writing + for reading/marking/signing PDFs.
| Swizec wrote:
| I've enjoyed my reMarkable for reading on a large e-ink screen.
| Scribbling your notes right on the page is a great UX when
| reading papers.
|
| But unlike a Kindle, it really needs to rest in your lap or be
| propped up against something. It starts to feel surprisingly
| heavy in your hands after a few minutes. Probably more from the
| torque on your fingers than the weight itself.
| pklausler wrote:
| Worse, no backlight on the rM2.
| mkmk wrote:
| I wonder if you could find an old Kindle DX on ebay or
| something.
| whichfawkes wrote:
| Seconding the Onyx Box Max Lumi here. I bought one back when
| they were much more expensive and I still think it's been worth
| it.
| LegitShady wrote:
| not quite letter paper size, but the kobo elipsa has a 10.3"
| screen and text scaling is whatever you want.
| siliconpotato wrote:
| Aren't you essentially describing a kindle scribe?
| abawany wrote:
| I have been using a Sony DPT-S1 and a reMarkable 2 for this for
| the last 4 years. The Sony has a nearly perfect display and
| weight but only supports PDFs and requires manual content
| transfers (usb, microsd, or download via a local non-https web
| server) while the rM2 has excellent transfer mechanisms but has
| a smaller display. The Sony is quite old now (released 10+
| years ago) but still has excellent battery life and
| functionality - you can probably find it on eBay for a very low
| cost.
| Finnucane wrote:
| Looking at that picture of the narrow column of text with so many
| very badly spaced lines of two or three words each firstly gives
| me flashback of my days in newspaper production and secondly
| makes me hope it has a landscape view option. Making the type
| smaller might help, but there's a reason most books don't look
| like that.
| iamjackg wrote:
| It does. I have a Pro, not Plus, which I believe has a slightly
| wider aspect ratio. I was worried I was gonna find the
| typesetting unbearable for the reasons you mentioned but it's
| surprisingly okay, especially with smaller font sizes.
| jrmg wrote:
| Good hyphenation and TeX-like paragraph-level justification
| (tries to balance whitespace throughout a paragraph rather than
| just filling each line up with as much as possible and breaking
| when a word overflows) would do a _lot_ to fix that.
|
| The lack of these is most noticeable when text is in narrower
| columns. But even with larger e-readers it is, IMO, responsible
| for a lot of the "this still feels less readable than a book
| for some reason" vibe that ebooks (and lots of self-published
| paper books) still have.
|
| I really lament that in the switch to electronic text we seem
| to have forgotten what were thought of as basic requirements
| for readability in paper-based publication.
| skydhash wrote:
| The first things I disable are justified text and
| hyphenation. And for some books, I disable the embedded
| styles when I'm reading (koreader). Some books markups are
| really bad so I don't have much hope for automated
| typesetting.
| jerojero wrote:
| I have both a mooan inkpalm 5 and a boox palma and you can get
| books look much better in both.
|
| He is using a font size that's a bit too big. And there's too
| much spacing, you can configure all aspects.
|
| I get about 8-10 characters on these devices, the font isn't
| too small and the spacing is fine. With my settings I get about
| 70% of a book's actual page (I use the same book to compare)
| which is a fair compromise imo.
|
| It's fast to read shorter lines anyway because there's less
| horizontal travel distance. I actually think this aspect ratio
| is pretty great for reading. I also have a Kobo Clara 2E which
| has been relegated to just reading by the pool/bath/beach.
|
| Also, these devices are pretty good for manga reading if you're
| into that.
| elaus wrote:
| > I get about 8-10 characters on these devices
|
| Sorry, maybe I'm dumb, but what does that mean? 8-10
| characters per...?
| jerojero wrote:
| Sorry it is my bad. I meant words per line.
| mzd348 wrote:
| It's sold by a Chinese company, their software probably doesn't
| worry much about optimal formatting, since Chinese writing
| doesn't really have any spaces. It would be nice if koreader
| could run on it.
| nguyenkien wrote:
| These moaan devices run android, so you can install KoReader.
| nottorp wrote:
| Hmm does the OP read so much on the go?
|
| When I'm out I'll make do with my phone. When I'm home I'd rather
| use something larger.
| mattl wrote:
| I read a lot on public transport. I've started using my Kindle
| again as it's bigger than my phone and much nicer to read on.
| qwerty456127 wrote:
| How do you handle motion sickness? It hits hard almost every
| time I try to read in a bus, a tram or a car.
| Clamchop wrote:
| Not everyone experiences motion sickness, or to the same
| degree. I don't think there's much you can do if you're one
| of the unlucky ones.
|
| On the bright side, you're less likely to die of poisoning!
| aidenn0 wrote:
| If you can prop an arm up, many people have less motion
| sickness if they aren't looking down.
| skydhash wrote:
| Same as you. The rare times I have to ride something, I go
| the audiobooks route.
| siliconpotato wrote:
| That affects most people but trains tend to be different,
| especially if you are facing forwards.
| nottorp wrote:
| Same here, I can't read in a moving small car but I can
| read just fine in a train or a plane. Haven't tried
| reading in buses or trams.
| iamjackg wrote:
| Ever since I stopped having a public transit commute to work, I
| have basically stopped reading. I have a Kobo Libra H2O but have
| been struggling to make it part of my daily routine. It sits on
| my nightstand, but I often end up staying up late and only going
| to bed when it's time to sleep.
|
| One thing I _do_ do a lot of, though, is waste time browsing
| Lemmy /Twitter on my phone, because I always have it in my
| pocket. I bought a Moaan InkPalm Pro in the hopes of replacing
| the habit with book reading, and it definitely worked. It's so
| light that I just keep it in my pocket together with my phone,
| and whenever I feel like filling up some downtime I pull that out
| instead of my phone.
|
| The battery lasts 1 week+, it has customizable warm/cool front
| lighting, it can run all Android ebook reading apps (so I can
| read all my Kindle/Kobo purchases), and it can always be on me.
| It's the happiest I've been with an ebook reader since I got my
| first Kindle back in 2009.
| kjs3 wrote:
| I read books on my phone, _because_ it 's always in my pocket.
| Just open the e-reader app instead of twitter.
| card_zero wrote:
| You can also buy a book made of paper and carry it around in
| a bag, but that would be inconceivable. Anyway I don't get
| the guilt about not reading books. Lately I've been reading
| Edgar Wallace, and before that, Raymond Chandler, in editions
| printed in the 1950s and 1980s respectively, but these are
| still unmitigated trash, because they're pulp thrillers
| designed to titillate. I should feel guilty for not looking
| at social media.
| kjs3 wrote:
| I didn't say a real book isn't an option (tho my phone is
| smaller, lighter and carries more than one book...YMMV).
| But don't let me stop you from grinding your little axe to
| a fine edge.
| dsr_ wrote:
| I read books on my phone, and also on a couple of cheap
| Android tablets -- one hangs out on a stand over my bed, and
| the other floats around the house.
|
| They're all sync'ed by KOreader, which is nice.
| skydhash wrote:
| My kobo spends more time with me than my phone. On my phone are
| utility apps and WhatsApp, nothing else. But I have my whole
| fiction library on the Kobo and starting to read is as easy as
| pressing the power button to get out of standby mode. My phone
| browser is pretty much only for hacker news for when I'm on the
| couch or my bed.
| RCitronsBroker wrote:
| i can recommend the app Voice Dream, if you can stand TTS synth
| voices, it's great for audio-fying ebooks.
| t0bia_s wrote:
| I wish there is a compact eink smartphone with android that is
| actually available in EU.
| davedx wrote:
| I owned ereaders for a while (had the first Kindle) but I ended
| up going back to my phone for reading books in the end. One
| device, less charging, less things to remember. The Kobo app
| works great now it's matured, and everything is super snappy and
| responsive.
| delecti wrote:
| Yeah, in practice I only use my Kindle when I've set aside a
| day to read an anticipated book at release. The convenience of
| a phone is hard to beat.
| devilbunny wrote:
| In parallel, I read most of the time on my iPad... but my wife
| and I both keep our old Kindle Keyboards for reading outdoors
| in natural light (beach/pool). They're far easier to read in
| that setting.
|
| The model is almost 14 years old now (the actual devices are
| probably about 12-13), but since battery life is really a
| secondary consideration for our usage (we can charge every
| night), I haven't bothered replacing the battery in either one.
| Store doesn't work anymore, but we always take a laptop on
| trips anyway, so USB sideloading is a fairly minor hassle (esp
| with Calibre and DeDRM Tools).
| davedx wrote:
| Yeah for sure. Even with my phone's brightness on max, in
| bright sunlight ereaders are much better. That's probably
| always going to be the case I guess.
| hyperman1 wrote:
| My mental reaction is somehow different for the 2 devices.
| Android devices are for quick, mindless usage. My ebook is for
| longer, full concentration reading. I remember more reading
| something on my inkpad color 3 than the same thing on my phone
| or tablet.
| davedx wrote:
| It took a bit of mental training to stop switching to
| browser/chat apps while reading, but I have most
| notifications disabled so it was more a "me deciding that now
| I'm going to just read" than a device/software thing.
|
| I do still switch or get distracted occasionally but
| generally now when I've decided I'm going to just read my
| book, that's what I'll do.
| fumar wrote:
| I daily the InkPalm for reading. It replaced my Kindle given its
| pocketable size. I still run the Kindle app on it and it works
| well without page turn animation. I am curious to see new eink
| development when the eink pattern expires.
| ramses0 wrote:
| Random e-reader tip: stick some sort of pop-socket thing on the
| back of the reader so that it "grips your hand" while reading.
| Then you don't have to "hold" the book/kindle, you just
| place/maneuver it.
|
| See "love handle" for something similar / in the ballpark (phone
| elastic strap), as I don't remember the actual brand that I ended
| up buying.
|
| Everybody thinks of using them for their phones, but I've rarely
| seen them suggested/used for e-readers where I think they make a
| ton on sense!
|
| ...back on topic: $95 for an e-ink android thingy? Have I found
| the proper device for junky home assistant dashboards / control
| panels? Still it'd be great to figure out mounting, magnetic
| charging, or direct-wire power, as if you were thinking of a
| detachable replacement for alarm-system pads, managing device
| battery can be a real hassle for long-term (years) usage.
| squigz wrote:
| That's a great idea, thanks!
| kayodelycaon wrote:
| I always have a case on mine and I hold the cover between my
| index and middle fingers with my thumb on top of the reader.
| sshb wrote:
| Postponing any of my e-reader purchases until the Daylight
| Computer tech would reshape the market
|
| https://daylightcomputer.com/
| rty32 wrote:
| $729?
|
| Well, I don't think I am rich enough to throw my money at
| that...
| chimineycricket wrote:
| Same, no blue light or eyestrain is a plus. I agree with the
| other child comment though, the price is too steep for now. FPS
| and it being Android and therefore extendable is great. I want
| one.
| layer8 wrote:
| Only 190 DPI, and contrast and viewing angles are quite bad:
| https://youtu.be/iHeIw9rXzUQ?t=570
| msephton wrote:
| Wow. Not a great look. Thanks for sharing
| infotainment wrote:
| Eh, for all their bluster there's nothing exceedingly
| groundbreaking about Daylight's tech; it's just using a bog-
| standard transflective LCD.
|
| By their logic, my Casio digital watch is "e-paper".
| philips wrote:
| I keep this reader in my small bag that I use daily. I use it at
| the park at the kids and at bedtime. It is a great device with a
| bit of tweaking.
|
| And I have a GitHub repo over here about it.
|
| https://github.com/philips/inkpalm-5-adb-english
| djfergus wrote:
| I have one too, great device for the price, the review is spot
| on.
|
| Thanks for your repo, good info, starred. The link [1] to
| rooting is fascinating and frustrating: a reminder that most
| Android is still far from open. A smart Chinese manufacturer
| should make one of these with completely open bootloader and
| full source: Watch what the enthusiasts do with it then steal
| those ideas for v2.
|
| [1] https://github.com/qwerty12/inkPalm-5-EPD105-root
| hboon wrote:
| There's a little typo in the repo description: "Xioami"
| tra3 wrote:
| Do these devices have a gps chip? Would be super handy as a
| backup nav device.
| philips wrote:
| They do not. I wish they did!
| ISL wrote:
| I'm looking forward very much to the day a manufacturer begins
| selling eink handsets and tablets with up-to-date OS/security
| (Android 14 in this context), GPL compliance, and telemetry
| compliant with US law/privacy concerns.
|
| The Boox devices get a lot of things right, including the Palma.
| I wound up with a reMarkable due to the above concerns, but it
| feels like we are on the cusp of seeing tentative eink products
| from Google or Apple.
| andai wrote:
| Any decade now...
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| Yeaahhh... that would be really nice.
|
| I myself... kinda just gave up, and grabbed A9, and flashed
| LineageOS... It isn't perfect, but at the moment, the best I
| could get...
| paulcole wrote:
| This thing sounds like an absolutely massive piece of shit.
|
| Chinese characters, glossy screen, slow refresh, and on and on
| and on.
|
| Good thing it was cheap!
| msephton wrote:
| ~5 words per line would drive me insane.
| t0bia_s wrote:
| You can adjust font size for more words per line. I actually
| have quite a big gaps between left and right border on my 10.3
| ereader to have reading more comfortable.
| calmbonsai wrote:
| Srsly, just buy a 4th gen Kindle on Ebay.
|
| They're around $70 USD un-opened/new and around $35 USD used atm,
| have physical buttons, and are lighter/thinner than later-gen
| Kindles. Hell, they're even lighter with the added weight of a
| cheap clip-on book-light than later-gen Kindles.
|
| Bonus, since they're so old, they no longer use the ad network so
| no ads, but you can still buy and download from the Amazon
| marketplace or upload your own e-books.
| monksy wrote:
| I got the meebook m6 and I love it. Stripped down Android os
| installed, I can bring on kormega? reader, and eink.
| kbar13 wrote:
| i got a hisense hi reader pro and it's nearly good enough to be
| an e-ink android phone. as a reader, it's near perfect - pocket
| sized while having a good aspect ratio for reading. battery lasts
| for a week.
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| Yup. Reader Pro/A9, very much comfy devices. Love them,
| especially with LineageOS lol
| gnicholas wrote:
| I like the form factor (I'm also an iPhone mini fan), but I don't
| like the way it makes the justified text look. There are so few
| words per line that you either end up with big gaps between words
| (justified) or a very ragged right edge (left-aligned). This
| would be less of an issue if the text were sized down, but it's a
| necessary consequence of having a narrow screen.
| 4ggr0 wrote:
| anyone else using a PocketBook Verse? mainly wondering if others
| have done interesting things except for using it as an eReader.
| chungus wrote:
| this post made me go down a rabbit hole trying to find where I
| can buy this it seems the only place is AliExpress.
|
| The alternative seems to be the boox Palma but it's 300 bucks
| compared to 100.
|
| I'm currently using the 13 inch boox lumi or something. Happy
| daily user for 6 years. Kind of want a pocket device though
| rpgbr wrote:
| Line length is too short for a comfortable reading. Author may
| haven't noticed, but he will feel this issue pretty quickly.
| wraptile wrote:
| This trend of phone shaped e-readers is just so redundant. Phones
| already have amazing screens that are perfect for reading despite
| not being e-ink.
|
| The only argument people make is that you separate your reading
| from your phoning and it's a weak take that feels like a
| capitalistic trend to just justify buying more gadgets.
| infotainment wrote:
| I agree with you that phone shaped eReaders (like this or the
| Palma) make no sense, but for a different reason: I think eInk
| screens are vastly superior to LCD and want my _phone_ to have
| one. Not putting a cellular radio on a phone shaped eReader
| completely defeats the purpose IMO.
| wraptile wrote:
| Most people have led screens tho and e-ink superiority over
| high res led is arguable at best.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230313005152/en/Ha
| r...
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| Nah, phones don't have that good of screens for reading. They
| are decent, yes, but not great. That's why I went with phone
| with e-ink screens, works wonders.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| Phones - at least the mainstream smartphones - are shining
| light directly at you every time you look at them. It's harder
| on your eyes and harder on your phone's battery. These are not
| what you want for a good reading experience. Not to mention
| that you get to see and hear notifications - even the "silent"
| ones - while you're reading.
|
| E-readers can go weeks between charges, are easier on your
| eyes, and - when you're using them instead of your phone -
| actually help your phone's battery last longer too.
|
| And unless your phone is a "phablet" or a Galaxy Z Fold, that
| "amazing" screen is probably quite smaller than most e-readers.
| Which isn't a problem for people with good vision, but for
| those who need larger fonts to read comfortably, screen size
| can be a major factor.
| hollerith wrote:
| >Phones - at least the mainstream smartphones - are shining
| light directly at you every time you look at them.
|
| There is light coming directly from the book into your eyes
| when you read a paper book, too.
|
| Since human vision is complicated and I'm not an expert on
| all the complications, I'm not going to say there are no
| visual advantages to an e-ink display, but "in a smartphone,
| the light shines directly at you" is emphatically not a
| satisfactory technical explanation of why an e-ink display is
| easier on your eyes.
|
| Also I own an early model of the Kindle Paperwhite, which of
| course has an e-ink display, and I don't notice any visual
| advantages.
|
| Also: my Paperwhite's backlight _cannot be turned off_ while
| the user is using it to read, and it has a "diffuser" to
| spread the light evenly around the screen just like a backlit
| LCD display does. I.e., it is shining light directly in my
| eyes whenever I am using it using exactly the same components
| that a smartphone with an LCD display does, namely LED lights
| positioned at the edges of a diffuser. Is the product
| described by the OP actually different in this regard? I'm
| not sure, but the OP does discuss the product's backlight.
|
| Sorry if this comment sounds a little angry, but this non-
| explanatory explanation you've made and that I've quoted has
| been repeated many times over the years on this site.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| For sure, it's definitely not a technical explanation.
| Here's the technical explanation you want:
| https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsid.1191
| hollerith wrote:
| OK, that is relevant.
|
| I've been using the wrong terminology: I wrote that the
| Kindle Paperwhite has a backlight. The correct
| terminology is _frontlight_.
| 627467 wrote:
| I definitely get the emergence of eink on phone form factor for
| various activities but... as a dedicated ereader? the tall form
| factor just feels a horrible for long read ergonomics.
| donatj wrote:
| As someone with a lot of trouble tracking long lines with his
| eyes, this seems like the ideal form factor for reading.
| fuzztester wrote:
| what is a good light device for taking notes about programming
| projects while on the go?
| keheliya wrote:
| I wonder if anyone is running einkbro
| (https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro) on this thing. Scrolling
| long-form web content in slow-refreshing eInk displays is
| jarring. I wish the browsers in other non-android readers like
| Kindle Scribe had the option to map pageUp/pageDown behaviour to
| a button or a page flip gesture similar to einkbro or maybe
| there's a way to overlay a button to do this on any web content
| somehow?
| tr4656 wrote:
| I am on a Hisense A7cc. I think it's actually a much better
| experience than using traditional Chrome/Firefox, especially
| with scrolling as you say.
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| I personally have Hisense A9, with LineageOS 21, and man, it is
| just the most comfy device I have had.
|
| Let's see.. Reading is absolutely top tier with KOReader + volume
| buttons as page turning. Being able to play idle games like
| Kittens Game, also extremely pleasant. Maps outside? Amazing. As
| a phone, in Europe at least? Also works. Battery life, is pretty
| comfy, when I mainly read. And, the specs are decent. 4/6/8GB,
| 128GB/256GB ROM RAM options (personally I had gone with 6/128
| option, because 8/256 was a bit too expensive)
|
| The only minor flaws... well, the camera is not the greatest...
| (My old OnePlus 6 makes much better photos, as I keep it as
| backup device, just in case. And for e.g youtube or color content
| on the go. Just... things that A9 is not exactly the way to go
| with.) And just lack of microSD card slot.
|
| And on side note, I just adore how simple, and elegant the design
| on the phone itself is. It just... is. Quiet, simple, unlike most
| of the modern phones with their.. loud... everything, like
| notches, too many cameras and such. (Note, its just opinion, just
| because they have such designs, that doesn't meant they are bad.
| For others that can be a gooood thing.) (I also like Sony's
| phones designs, they cute)
|
| And in general.. I just love e-ink. Truly blessed technology, as
| a user.
| HanShotFirst wrote:
| With root and installing LineageOS, do you feel confident that
| any stock malware/spyware is eradicated? Or do you feel that
| the risk, or whatever may be left over, is worth it for the
| benefits?
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| Ah, I run lineageOS without root. Well, while, I have yet to
| see if it still does any outgoing... malicious connections,
| it is certainly safer than stock rom with massive amount of
| bloatware, and all.. the built in things..., and the version
| itself, being quite outdated.
|
| And to be fair, this is good enough for me. If I worry about
| such built in firmware every time I get a device, well, my
| hair would be gray by the time I hit 30s lol.
|
| As for benefits, I mean, in the end, this is what I wanted.
| An e-ink phone, with a proper, normal ROM. And because
| LineageOS is cute.
| tiltowait wrote:
| As a general rule, I don't like small eReaders (for which my
| primary experience is my phone). I find I read much less when
| using them, because the act of turning a page tricks my brain
| into thinking I've made more progress than I have. Consequently,
| it makes even short reading sessions feel like a chore.
|
| That said, I think I would love this thing for one very specific
| use case: backpacking! Space is always at a premium, and I've
| long lamented the Kobo Mini never got a frontlit model.
| sleepycatgirl wrote:
| Ah, very much valid.
|
| Here it is a bit different. Small screen, so, if I am not
| feeling well, it is much easier to read just a page or two, and
| go: Yeah, thats something.
|
| Which... while, on its own is not a lot, but... it really helps
| with keeping up the habit. (Because, alongside english, I also
| read in Japanese, and there, reading just one page, takes 4-5
| minutes. So yeah, habit-keeping is important for me there)
| seam_carver wrote:
| The TLDR of these kinds of devices: great for reading/text,
| terrible for video and scrolling. Love mine, here's a video of me
| using a similar device with lots of common android apps:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvO9ScTdwz8
| maxglute wrote:
| I'd like a see clamsell foldable with eink inside and a small
| oled screen outside as camera view finder and occasional video
| watching. Or bring back Yota phone.
| WolfeReader wrote:
| I'm so vain, I'd want the outside OLED screen to show the cover
| of the book I'm reading so everyone can see it.
|
| (Or the cover of some book anyway. Let people think I'm reading
| Foucault while I'm actually binging Star Trek novels.)
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