Only for reading, easily available in EU, low budget: which e-ink device/distro?
I’m looking for something to read books on, copied over from a local collection (mostly .epub). Networking is not desired, a fast USB connection is. A good battery or exchangeable battery would be nice.
Not too large - maximum DIN A5 for the whole device.
I remember from years ago that some devices were deemed unhackable, some much more suitable to install Linux on.
I’d prefer to buy used, so something that was sold a lot in Europe is preferable.
I will not spend much more than €100.
In other words, some old commercial e-reader that was known for being hackable, I guess.
Please do not recommend the new PineNote, it’s (slightly) too large and way too expensive and I don’t think I need that much computing power.
Thanks in advance.
i have an ancient kobo 2 (?) that is repairable and just fine for the purpose
Kobo devices are not locked. They run an embedded Linux. You are free to compile your own system image to replace the factory one. That’s that, your freedom.
But if your interest is in reading, just install KOReader on it. All devices are supported.
Kobo Libra 2? Cannot find just Kobo 2.
What do you mean, repairable? Sounds very specific. Did you repair it?
ah no, sorry. it’s a Kobo Touch. very cheap when bought second hand. and together with the right cough subsription over at anna’s archive almost free 🤭
the screen eventually broke. was able to replace the screen with just a the right screwdriver (and the correct replacement part).
That sounds really good. Do e-readers generally require some sort of registration on first use?
i think many vendors couple it to their DRM ridden online stores that sell you “epub” files that aren’t thst and that don’t work outside that device
About reparability, kobo has a partnership with ifixit for parts and repair guide.
I always go with Pockebooks which are the cheapest e-readers I could find that also have good software. But I just put books on it and read them, never tried to hack it or anything.
Yes, I realized that if it works uploading open formats via USB, and can stay 100% offline, there’s no need for that. I guess I’d enjoy the hacking, but it’s really for reading!
Somebody else already recommended Pocketbook, looks good.
Works great with Calibre so can stay 100% offline. Even if you want to buy an ebook online it will typically come with Adobe’s DRM which both Calibre and Pocketbook support. But it requires Adobe account and the reader will have connect to their services…
Kobo Libra 2 black and white not color. I have been reading so many books on this thing, lovely. Also apparently you can just load any epub or even text files. No good for full size pdfs.
Thanks. You mean grayscale, not black/white, right?
Yes. Model from 2021, discontinued.
I have a Kobo Clara
2BW, and just keep the Internet off. I use Calibre to transfer files to it.Thanks. Does it require some sort of registering when you first use it?
Kobo devices ask you to login with a Rakuten account, but by an one-time job writing to a sqlite file it’s skipable.
Precious info.
IIRC, no. But I’m not sure, it’s been a couple of years.
If you read in bed, a cheap android tablet with FBReader connected to Calibre OPDS works nicely. I just bought a few old Nexus 7 tablets for redundancy and extra readers scattered around the house and at the cabin. They sync up reading positions over Gdrive. I like the tablet because I don’t have to turn on a light and it shuts the screen off when I fall asleep. You can set the brightness manually.
It wasn’t me who downvoted you but I did specify e-ink, and a desire to keep it 100% offline (even locally).
I already know how to use a regular mobile device for reading.
The Dyptix has dual screens and is (supposed to be) open-source and open hardware. Way to go !
