reminds me of the good old days of jailbreaking the TI-NSpire with Ndless https://tiplanet.org/forum/ndl3ss.php
Kobo can run apps now
211–220 of 224 posts
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#212Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey, author here. NickelMenu is terrific and Cobalt uses it to show the menu item in the default Kobo menu. It's just that Cobalt and NickelMenu are not the same in terms of project goals. I created this as I could not find anything existing that gives the capabilities I wanted. I read several things downloaded over web apart from books on my Mac and phone, which I would prefer to do on an eInk display. Search papers…
Very nice project. I looked at it with the aide of Claude. I was interested in porting the Chess game that Claude helped me make for NickleMenu that runs on my Kobo Elipsa Gen1. From my understanding of Claude's analysis it would be difficult to port the chess game because each Cobalt app is sandboxed, and my app would not be able to spawn the Stockfish engine that my Chess (Nickle menu) game needs to run. Is that an…
Thanks! Can you please create two separate issues in the project for both Elipsa Gen1 support and the other for the stockfish and tailscale client implementation support. Would love to discuss and collaborate with you on both. I would need your help to test on the actual Gen1 device.
There are current issues and PRs for Clara HD and Color devices support so we can take it up by common generations.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#213For the unaware, there is an existing solution that integrates with Kobo's native software (Nickel). It has been maintained for years, and it supports every Kobo AFAIK. It's called NickelMenu, and it's great. I'm in the Kobo ecosystem because of NickelMenu and Plato. One note if you're thinking about getting a kobo due its relative openness: consider getting a two-core device. I did not do my homework and got a Clara…
Is there any way to recover a "bricked" Clara color? I bricked mine while trying to install nickel and koreader. Haven't been able to recover it since.
I think you'll need to replace the mainboard with one from ifixit.
Not aware of a debug interface, but in the absence of that, you'll need to desolder the nand module and replace the files there with the help of another owner. The mobile read forums are where you can connect with fellow owners.
So the short version: I'd replace the mainboard.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#214My wife bought a kobo as it allows her to use the local libraries ebook collection, rather than spending hundreds of pounds at amazon for the kindle. It was starting to die and had screenglitches. After a bit of debug, it turns out that hacking the kobo is dirt simple. You open up the back, and replace the SD card. thats it. There is a large community that have created toolchains and guides. there is of course a port…
KOReader is amazing, I had an old Kobo Clara HD that I almost had given up on, and after installing KOReader I use it almost daily as I read a lot of documents on it.
You can ssh it, so you can easily scp kobo to send/receive documents, like epubs, pdf or retrieving highlights you've made on the kobo.
Plus, it is installed on top of the normal kobo operating system via NickelMenu, so it's not really messing up with anything.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#215Read the porting document - do we think this would be a difficult port to the Libra Color? I’m reluctant to order a Clara BW in addition, but also not sure I know enough about the ecosystem to contribute a working port. Anyone interesting in teaming up to take a crack at it?
I can help to port it for your device if you can help by testing it on your Color.
Gladly - I don’t think the differences are substantial, seems mostly to be config specific to the screen parameters. Would be happy to help test.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#216Earlier quoted context omitted.
I remember when my PaperWhite glitched while I was attempting to jailbreak it and got stuck with the screen inverted. It was great! I can't believe I have to jailbreak a reader to get that simple functionality for better in-the-dark reading. (epilogue: I let it run out of battery and the inversion was gone upon boot)
You don't need to jailbreak it. Swipe from the top and press the big button labelled "dark mode".
I don't have this option, though admittedly I haven't updated in a while to leave the option for jailbreaking open.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#217Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe that this is your opinion, but my own opinion (having also tried them, and used multiple generations of B&W ones before this) is that the screens look just fine, and that the slight downgrade of contrast isn't a big deal at all.
You're right, I went a bit overboard saying "no one should buy" -- clearly, it's subjective. This isn't my photo, but the comparison matches my experience exactly: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd....
Oh thank-you for that photo.
Sigh - I don't want a giant, note-taking ereader - I want something about the size of a pocket book with a crisp B&W screen.
Why do I need colour? I am reading novels.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#218Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apparently the "Sage" (which is what I have currently) has a quad-core, but Kobo discontinued it. Sigh, too bad - this was my favourite to-date (needs a power-cover though...).
I have Kobo Sage but it's not a great device. Very bad battery life. Maybe 8hrs of reading with wifi off, BT off and only low screen backlight. I need to charge it daily or every other day at best. Physical buttons are comically bad and often don't register presses. Built-in book reading app is slow, lacks some critical features and hangs in many epub books. I replaced it with KOreader which finally made the device u…
I got about the same - then I got a power-cover and it lasts far longer, it was a worthwhile investment. Although after about 2-years, the pogo-pins are wearing out and sometimes it doesn't connect/charge.
The physical buttons were also great - for the first year, then they started wearing out.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#219This rules. I want this so bad, I might install this when I get back from my cabin build-site and replace my smart phone with my kobo and a flip phone
As a flip phone enthusiast: you get much better mileage with just dumbing-down your current phone. Modern flip phones are riddled with the kind of headaches that don't actually benefit the minimalism aspect.
The thing is that I kind of hate my smart phone? Like, it's fine I suppose, but yeah, I'd much rather just not have it? But at the same time getting a cab or whatever is a lot easier with it, and I'm ssh-ing over tailscale into my dev rig all the time with it... so there are advantages? But if it has a real browser and it's in my pocket, I'm kind of wanting to be done with it. It's just too easy to get sucked into the vortices that spin out of attention seeking internet.
With my kobo any time I am bored I just read another few pages on a book or whatever? But I feel like the Soviet citizen with analysis paralysis when I go into a grocery store and can't decide which of the 32 types of bread I want to buy.
Re: Kobo can run apps now
#220Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can help to port it for your device if you can help by testing it on your Color.
Gladly - I don’t think the differences are substantial, seems mostly to be config specific to the screen parameters. Would be happy to help test.
Hey, we have merged support for the Color devices, actual colorful displays still testing. Let me know if you would like to test it. Happy to get any feedback on this.