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The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

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Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#121

Post by NikolaNovak »

hyraki wrote: post #116
NikolaNovak wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question to X4 owners - what is the benefit over a smartphone? I have a kindle for beach and travel as a good compromise size; I use my 10" tablet when I really settle in for reading, or when I read technical books with graphs or books with photographs etc. For my adhoc reader I use kindle app on my phone. What is the unique selling point of something like X4? I notice it attaches to the phone which seems bizarre, ph…

I thought the same thing until I got a kindle. It just feels different. The eink display is really nice to look at.

As I said, I have a kindle :).

I'm specifically wondering about the X4, which is the size of a phone, meant to be attached to the phone, but it's not a phone and crucially no backlight. Does it specifically fill a situation for people who don't want to carry a phone but will carry this? Or, for people who might carry x4 and a smart phone, why read on the x4?

Thx!

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#122

Post by sieve »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #112
sieve wrote: post #8

Got the X4. Put CrossPoint on it. Works like a charm. The http server accessible over wifi makes transferring books extremely simple. (Shame on the Kindle for locking everything down.) This is proof-of-concept that a microcontroller is more than enough for something like an e-reader. I have a Kindle and a Kobo. They are sturdy devices. But the X4 is the one that is a genuine e-reader. Would not get it as my one and o…

Question to X4 owners - what is the benefit over a smartphone? I have a kindle for beach and travel as a good compromise size; I use my 10" tablet when I really settle in for reading, or when I read technical books with graphs or books with photographs etc. For my adhoc reader I use kindle app on my phone. What is the unique selling point of something like X4? I notice it attaches to the phone which seems bizarre, ph…

- The e-ink screen is great for reading. The feeling of ink on paper it produces cannot be replicated on any other screen. Not to my satisfaction.

- The microcontroller is so weak that you cannot add crappy features like more powerful e-readers are wont to do. This produces minimal distraction-free UIs. No messaging, no browsing.

- The form factor is the biggest win. It fits in a pocket and is great for the 5-10m you find when traveling or waiting somewhere. I cannot carry e-readers that way.

- It is great for fiction, and text-heavy non-fiction: history, philosophy etc. Stuff with a lot of images, tables, code blocks etc ... nope.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#123

Post by kstrauser »

scruple wrote: post #109
kstrauser wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm with you on every bit. I love my Kobo Libra 2 and it lives on my nightstand table. It's an excellent reader. The X4 with CrossPoint is an alright reader, but I've been chewing through books on my morning commute because it fits in my jacket pocket and I can have it out on the train without bumping into other people. It's not the best reader I own, but it's the best reader I have on me at any given moment when I'm…

I also primarily use Kobo e-readers right now but I've been wanting something smaller for an EDC. I think this thread is selling me on it.

I bought it because it was comparatively dirt cheap and was hackable. I was delighted at how nice it actually was to use. I figured it'd be crappy in some ways, but, you know, at least it was cheap. To the contrary, it's perfectly fine and does a great job at letting me flip through ebooks.

What it's not good at it showing any kind of diagrams, because even if the software was decent, it's a relatively tiny screen. I haven't even bothered trying to view a PDF on it and don't know if that's supported. For epubs I've uploaded to it through Calibre, it's utterly adequate.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#124

Post by eichin »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #121
hyraki wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the same thing until I got a kindle. It just feels different. The eink display is really nice to look at.

As I said, I have a kindle :). I'm specifically wondering about the X4, which is the size of a phone, meant to be attached to the phone, but it's not a phone and crucially no backlight. Does it specifically fill a situation for people who don't want to carry a phone but will carry this? Or, for people who might carry x4 and a smart phone, why read on the x4? Thx!

It's way smaller than modern phones, though - I clip mine to the back of my Samsung (magsafe case) and it only blocks one of the five cameras. (phone: 288g xtelink x4: 75g.)

(also: hasn't the x4-v2 already been announced that is supposed to have a frontlight?)

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#125

Post by eichin »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #121
hyraki wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the same thing until I got a kindle. It just feels different. The eink display is really nice to look at.

As I said, I have a kindle :). I'm specifically wondering about the X4, which is the size of a phone, meant to be attached to the phone, but it's not a phone and crucially no backlight. Does it specifically fill a situation for people who don't want to carry a phone but will carry this? Or, for people who might carry x4 and a smart phone, why read on the x4? Thx!

(having it right there mostly serves as a physical token/reminder that I don't want to get sucked in to my social media and other phone apps as much, so if I'm just using it to fill "politely waiting" time I can just grab the x4 instead. I also have a trivial pandoc-generated epub todo list as the first document, though that would work better as a crosspoint fork/feature really...)

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#127

Post by nomand »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #112
sieve wrote: post #8

Got the X4. Put CrossPoint on it. Works like a charm. The http server accessible over wifi makes transferring books extremely simple. (Shame on the Kindle for locking everything down.) This is proof-of-concept that a microcontroller is more than enough for something like an e-reader. I have a Kindle and a Kobo. They are sturdy devices. But the X4 is the one that is a genuine e-reader. Would not get it as my one and o…

Question to X4 owners - what is the benefit over a smartphone? I have a kindle for beach and travel as a good compromise size; I use my 10" tablet when I really settle in for reading, or when I read technical books with graphs or books with photographs etc. For my adhoc reader I use kindle app on my phone. What is the unique selling point of something like X4? I notice it attaches to the phone which seems bizarre, ph…

A single-function book is your window to the world. A phone is the world's window to you.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#128

Post by utopiah »

Damned... I already have few e-readers, some e-ink screens (for IoT), some reMarkables and a PineNote. When I saw the new reMarkable Pro Move I was very tempted by the form factor.

Now that I see the X3 and X4 with unlocked firmware it's very VERY tempting.

Before I do buy it, did anybody manage to use it for phone mirroring? Get input e.g. BT keyboard? Does it fit and snap on the back on a Pixel 8?

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#129

Post by f311a »

sieve wrote: post #8

Got the X4. Put CrossPoint on it. Works like a charm. The http server accessible over wifi makes transferring books extremely simple. (Shame on the Kindle for locking everything down.) This is proof-of-concept that a microcontroller is more than enough for something like an e-reader. I have a Kindle and a Kobo. They are sturdy devices. But the X4 is the one that is a genuine e-reader. Would not get it as my one and o…

x4 pro will come with backlight and touch screen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REKdjxYtMrI

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#130

Post by justnoice »

The brand recently got caught up in controversy over falsely advertising the RAM it used. Soon after, people found out that although the founder claimed to be a self-made entrepreneur, he was actually behind several companies and had previously refused to return a large deposit.
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