cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/20773013

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.

  • A_norny_mousse@feddit.orgOPEnglish
    4·
    2 days ago

    Thanks.

    So, the kobo’s OS is Android-based?

    Anyhow, it sounds good enough. Old enough to not be locked down.
    Low resolution though: 1430×1080 - what’s your personal experience, does pixellation impact (long) reading?

    The backlight is optional for reading in the dark, right? How’s battery life with and without it?

    • artifex@piefed.socialEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      I’m a fairly heavy reader and don’t have any problem with long sessions. I honestly don’t know if I’d even notice a difference with a higher resolution e-ink. Maybe if I was reading manga or something really image-heavy, or in a stupid font. Yep, the backlight isn’t always-on, and koreader actually gives you a good deal of control over how it appears.

    • fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I have a newer clara color which is similar and I have no issues with it. 300 ppi in black and white content is better than most laptops.

      I’m not sure how you plan on reading in the dark if the backlight is off. But with my Clara the battery life is so long I legitimately can’t tell how the backlight affects battery.

    • makeshiftreaper@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      I have a Kobo H2O and have been using it since 2020. I read with very small print and have never had legiblility issues except on PDFs which most eReaders aren’t built for anyway. I can comfortably read 750 pages on a charge and honestly that number would be significantly higher if I was better about turning it fully off between reads instead of putting it into standby. No idea what OS it uses but it lets me put almost anything on it and it’ll try it’s best to display it