Project: E-Paper Tablet (touch-typable!)

[Kumabjorn]

Luckily i have both Kindle and Sony. Looking forward to reports. Perhaps you can PM some of your missives with the developers? Don't break any confidentially agrrements though.

[Ekaros]

I like idea of having real keyboard, also it should support more strange conficurations of some more portable ones. Not sure how some of them have gotten full nkro despite USBs limitations, but there must be support for these too as they present best of the portable keyboards...

There is certain need for good tablet with non LCD screen...

[andrewed]

At my request, verygreen, with support from ros87, has done in 48 hours for $10 and a $109 donated device what tens of companies could/would not do in four years with all their resources (like the $500,000 one company told me it would cost).

Watch him type on the NST on youtube:
Nook Simple Touch usb host support

XDA-developer thread with instructions:
(Nook Touch Android Development) [WIP] USB Host support (working)

There are still some bugs, and the instructions are over my head at this point. But the basics are there now for people who know how to use them. Once the bugs are worked out, I plan to simplify the instructions for everyone's use. Maybe even offer microSD cards with everything pre-installed.

Here we go.

@Kumabjorn:
This is definitely focused on the NST. But I just found out from another source, Sven Killig, that Sony PRS-T1 has USB host, though don't know the many details involved. Wouldn't hold my breath on Kindle, a plain Linux device with all negative reports about USB host.

As you can see, the project is open source More to come.

@Ekaros
Support for portable keyboards: I agree and I'm sure it will happen. Based on what I just read, there are some workarounds for USB's initial nkro limitations (6 characters + 4 modifiers) that allow up to 24 keys to be pressed simultaneously. Don't know what happens on the NST, but as long as I can type, great.

[Kumabjorn]

Looks fantastic.
That was surprisingly easy to accomplish.
If it works on the Sony I will be plenty happy.
I suppose it requires some kind of rooting.

[poliorcetes]

Given the meagre specs of touch, I would recommend Jota or a similar android editor as simple and light as possible. If all works correctly I am going to buy a touch just for connecting it to a keyboard and write outside. As you, @andrewed, I have been looking for an ewriter solution for years. I still send emails to vendors (bookeen, are you reading this? ) in order to make them know that there is demand for an off-the-shelf ewriter solution

I monitorized pixel-qi, mirasol and liquavista solutions from the beginning of the public existence of these technologies, but I grew tired of promises. Indeed, a sun-readable netbook would be nice too, but... 1000$?

Anyways, thanks and congratulations for the initiative. I'm publishing it in Spanish @ http://tinta-e.blogspot.com. As soon as I build my own one, I'll publish it with photo and/or videos

[poliorcetes]

Andrew, my 20 euros are on the way. I have not enough level for contributing with serious hacking, but I have experience as technical writer and I could work with the final help document. Of course I would like to translate it into Spanish

[andrewed]

News: Our intrepid coders are still hard at work on the hack, fixing bugs on a daily basis with each other's help. They will continue in private like this unless they need help, which does not seem likely. The next version of this promises to be slicker than snot on a beer bottle.

Word about the post on xda and the youtube video are starting to get around. That's fun. Never had anything remotely go viral before.

@Kumabjorn:
Finally came across a positive mention of Kindle USB hostability. Based on the deep tech thread passing through my inbox at the moment, rooting is the least a Sony would need. But ros87 said something nice about the Sony recently. Maybe all he needs is a donated device

@poliorcetes:
Hey, thanks a lot for slogging through this thread and for your funny summary on your blog of the important, non-phallic parts. And for your generous support of the project. A few more donations like that and I'll be able to buy an NST for myself!

Vendors: utterly hopeless. They have no excuse at this point. Except Barnes and Noble. They at least gave us a decent piece of hardware before Amazon started eating them. No good deed goes unpunished.

E-paper promises: totally. What a joke. And $300 for a Pixel Qi screen! Maybe Shizhu will do better than Notion Ink and Make Magazine.

Jota: Sounds great and it has autosave. I'm in. But I can't program. Can you program well enough to package this for us when the time is right?

Would love help with final document. And, of course, a Spanish translation. Thanks again.

[Kumabjorn]

I'm happy to help with documentation as well.
I suppose I can donate a Sony PRS-350, but it comes with the Japanese software on it.

[ytrewq]

How hindering is Eink-flashing while typing?
What would be the chance for (usb)hack on a device with Bookeen's HiSpeedInk or Mirasol-display in 2012?

if only a multi-millionaire writer would throw in some pocket-money

[Dulin's Books]

there is no hindrance to typing from "flashing" because the controllers are now capable of localized refreshing rather than just full page

[Kumabjorn]

Been a while, nothing new to report?

[andrewed]

Yeah, I just noticed there are 5 new pages at xda. That amazes me.

On my end, no news yet. I am still waiting for my Nook to arrive from the States. Will be another week or two.

Then I have to figure out how to install the hack. I'll probably need help with that. Then we can improve it. Then we can make detailed instructions.

That's the idea, anyway.

[ytrewq]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

there is no hindrance to typing from "flashing" because the controllers are now capable of localized refreshing

When the nook-usb-hacker types a word the screen flashes twice, but with a text-editor this should only happen when page is full?
If you don't get a new empty page what happens if the page scrolls down line by line?
And what happens if you're redacting a (full) page?

[crossi]

I don't want a keyboard. I want a kindle sized e-ink slate that you can write on with a stylus (and toggle erasing with your finger) and stores the screen as a picture. No text recognition needed. I just need something I can scribble to-do and shopping lists, doodles, ect on and save, recall and edit as needed.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by crossi

I don't want a keyboard. I want a kindle sized e-ink slate that you can write on with a stylus (and toggle erasing with your finger) and stores the screen as a picture. No text recognition needed. I just need something I can scribble to-do and shopping lists, doodles, ect on and save, recall and edit as needed.

Check out the Sony PRS-T1. It already lets you take notes with the stylus and it is eink.