Got this today. Spent a few hours tinkering then read a few chapters on it.
https://i.redd.it/ejr0400zzsga1.jpg
TLDR; The InkPalm is still probably the best pocket reader for most people, but this is interesting for ereader enthusiasts who like very light readers. I’ll try this as my go everywhere reader for a while, and use my InkPalm at home.
Pros
- Cheap (£38/$46)
- Probably the most comfortable e-reader to hold
- Probably the lightest e-reader at 60g (the InkPalm is 115g)
- Fits in the tiny ‘watch’ pocket on Levi jeans
- Open source and I suspect it’s relatively easy for people with dev skills to modify
- USB-C
- Has physical light and page turn controls
- No additional layers on top of e-ink so screen is sharp
Cons
- The case is quite thick
- The screen is small (2.9”)
- It’s Chinese language only (I don’t understand Chinese though and am managing to use it)
- Only compatible with .txt files
- No control over font or layout (the only issue bugging me so far is that the text is justified)
- Not grayscale (points are either black or clear, no in-between) so pixel style typography
- Wireless only file transfer
The version I got was the 2.9 with light from Aliexpress from 'huo niu Store'.
For context, I’ve read many books on the following pocket readers:
- Hisense A5 (too heavy/bulky compared to others for me)
- InkPalm (best of the bunch, worst characteristic is the glossy layer added over the e-ink)
- Yi-Ben P47L (best screen and form factor for me, but buggy software and mine broke after a couple of months)
The tricky part was loading books onto the Corogoo without understanding the language. Here’s how…
- Click the left button while holding the right button to open the home screen
- Select the 4th icon along (short press to navigate, long press to select using the right button)
- Select the wifi address ‘ESP 8266 E-Paper’ on the device you want to transfer .txt books from (password 333333333)
- Open
http://192.168.3.3 in your browser
- Select the 3rd green button along on the bottom row
- Press the turquoise button
- The file upload interface you now see should be fairly straightforward