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The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

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Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#171

Post by wildzzz »

functionmouse wrote: post #98
harrisonjackson wrote: post #72

I have the X4 and the X3 (newer smaller one). I will get whatever the next version is if it has a backlight or more DPI / support for smaller font. X4 is great - has usb-c charger and with the cover feels like an easy to pocket and bring everywhere reader. Does not fit on the back of an iphone. I assume the magnet layout works with popular android phones though. X3 is also great, actually fits on the back of the phon…

the next version will unfortunately be a generic Android reader. This device is good because, by chance, out of a thousand devices, one of them has to be better than all the rest. This product is not good by design or merit, but by chance. Same goes for lots of popular cheap Chinese tech, like the Miyoo Mini+ for example. Better than it has any right to be, and the people making it don't have a clue; every change to…

The best thing about these fly-by-night Chinese tech companies that manage to shit out something actually good is that they rarely lock the device down so it's relatively easy to flash some new firmware when they inevitably disappear from the market.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#172

Post by iammjm »

jauntywundrkind wrote: post #91

I do wish I'd gotten the X4 not the X3. I was very scared off by the magnetic charger (which is apparently quasi standard?). I kind of want to muck with using the gyrometer (only on the x4) as an input device though. Allegedly the magnetic charger is somewhat common/interoperable, which de-risks the situation a lot.

I think you’ve got it backwards - confusingly enough, x3 is the newer, smaller one with magnetic charger and the gyro

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#173

Post by mmstghjx »

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…

I carry my phone and my X4 in the same pocket. Whenever I feel like doom-scrolling, I take out the X4 and read a chapter in a book instead. It is excellent for taking back time to read that I lose to my phone.

Sure I could read the same book on my phone, but it takes multiple steps to open the e-reader app on my phone. On top of that, there are half a dozen other things I could open on my way to opening up my e-reader app. With X4, I press the button on the side and I'm reading.

Is it the best ereader? Not at all. Reading whitepapers or programming books on it is a fools errand. It is great for anything that is mostly text. Novels are amazing on it. I've keep up with my read it later backlog by saving URLs with the Obsidian ReadItLater plugin and then using pan to convert the collection of markdown into an epub file.

The battery life is amazing. I've charged it once since getting on 3/27. I've read about 1500 pages (5 novels) since I got it (albeit I've stalled out in June by trying to finish a book I'm not too into).

It is a great compliment to a 10" tablet. Whereas a 7" reader tends to stay at home due to its size, the X4 gets tossed in my pocket and comes everywhere with me.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#174

Post by JosNun »

My question is, where do people buy epubs for these? Are you buying them off of Kindle or similar and stripping the DRM? My biggest withholding is that I can get used paper books for quite cheep (ie, from thriftbooks or similar), but there's not really a similar marketplace for digital versions (understandably so). Maybe I'm just cheap, but I have a hard time justifying near-full-price for books that I can get the physical version for much cheaper, or I already have sitting on my shelf at home.

Any thoughts?

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#175

Post by hecifato »

I ordered the X4 this past Christmas and received it sometime in January. I have it running Crosspoint. I like it a lot but I do wish it was a bit larger, like a 7-8" display so more text could fit on the screen. The thing I love about the X4 is that I can flash different firmware on it and it's dead simple. It's not an Android tablet with an e-ink screen, it doesn't download ads from Amazon servers, it's just an e-reader.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#177

Post by square_usual »

npunt wrote: post #103

Was just looking at this. What keeps me from buying is the screen is just too small. I'd love to slap this magnetically on the back of my iPhone and have it on the go as a focused reading device but eyes after 40 aren't so happy about reading super tiny characters. My two wishes are: to size it up so it is roughly the width of a modern smartphone (2.72" -> 2.8") and decrease bezel size. At these small sizes, even 1/2…

I've read an entire book on the X3 attached to the back of my phone and it hasn't been an issue. Reading horizontally I get close enough to the 80 chars per line ideal that it doesn't bother me at all.

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#178

Post by thatmiddleway »

JosNun wrote: post #174

My question is, where do people buy epubs for these? Are you buying them off of Kindle or similar and stripping the DRM? My biggest withholding is that I can get used paper books for quite cheep (ie, from thriftbooks or similar), but there's not really a similar marketplace for digital versions (understandably so). Maybe I'm just cheap, but I have a hard time justifying near-full-price for books that I can get the ph…

https://www.ebooks.com/en-us/ Is an option

Re: The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

#179

Post by square_usual »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #108
WillAdams wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to see a phone case which this inserts into --- bonus points if there's a way to use it as a status display for the phone for use in bright/direct sunlight.

Can someone explain the whole thing about wanting to attach it to your phone? Why? What does this provide over just putting it in your pocket?

I'll never forget it. It's always on the back of my phone, so even if I'm in a hurry and run out I can still read a book on the metro.
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