this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2026
662 points (98.5% liked)

Technology

89101 readers
3639 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
662
A $150 Buttonless, Open Hardware Answer to Kindle is being crowdfunded by Open Book Touch (itsfoss.com)
submitted 3 months ago by FirmDistribution@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
107 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49429587

URL for the crowdfunding: https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/open-book-touch

Specs:

  • Display: 4.26" e-paper touchscreen, 480 × 800 px, warm + cool frontlight
  • Processor: ESP32-S3 dual-core, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth LE
  • Memory: 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM
  • Formats: EPUB and plain text, no DRM
  • Storage: microSD card slot
  • Interface: USB-C with integrated LiPo charging
  • Dimension: 78 × 120 × 10 mm, about 85 g
  • Open source: MIT-licensed firmware, open hardware (to be released at shipping)

It also has a replaceable 800 mAh battery, I found it cool :)

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Why would you pay $150 for a 4.26" ESP32- based eReader when you could get a 4.26" ESP32-based eReader for $70 or less? The XTEink X4 is already available.

[–] lunarwire@lemmy.world 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I recently picked up an Xteink X4 for $55. Flashed the Crosspoint firmware on it. Crosspoint just works and has no bloat. I love being able to set the device and send books via the self-hosted web interface. Sending books via wifi from Calibre works too.

Buttons on the reader are nice. I actually prefer not having a touchscreen for something so small. I do wish it had a front light though. This turned out to be the less-expensive-non-Android-just-an-ereader alternative to Boox that I was searching for. Loving it so far.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Can it access OPDS feeds?

[–] lunarwire@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

According to the documentation it does have ODPS. I haven’t tried it out yet.

[–] kayohtie@pawb.social 2 points 3 months ago

Yep! I set it up with Calibre-web as the OPDS provider, can have multiple.

[–] zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

I did this as well, got it for the same price. The 4" screen wasn't the issue I had feared it to be.

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Front light

[–] Grass@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago

I'd be inclined to get the cheaper one and port the firmware if the new one is better, or someone else will almost certainly make a new one that takes the best features of both.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You can find a comparison on the CrowdSupply page. Xteink X4 does not let you easily replace the battery, for example.

[–] kkj@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 months ago

Thanks for mentioning the comparison. It was farther down than I had previously scrolled. TL;DR frontlight, touchscreen, user-replaceable battery, but also bigger bezels, double the price, and looks to be 3D printed instead of injection-molded. Comes with open firmware instead of just allowing it, but that's a non-factor to anyone with a little computer knowledge, which I suspect includes basically every potential buyer of this sort of device.

The XTEink X4 Pro has a front light and a touchscreen, but needs a magnetic adapter to charge (comes with one and they're cheap to replace, but still an extra thing to lose). It's $110 MSRP.