Here is some background: I have an eye condition that prevents me from using computer displays for too long, as it gets quite painful (this is true of everyone, but my tolerance threshold is much lower). I've been waiting and waiting for a full-fledged e-ink device to offer a viable alternative to using a laptop or desktop LCD. I'd like to do more reading of articles and web sites, but I have to intentionally curtail my use because it's hard on the eyes.
I run Linux and primarily do things out of the terminal; this includes a lot of web browsing in elinks, etc., composing text, modifying files in terminal, SSH sessions, etc. I don't do anything very hardware-intensive or graphically-intensive.
I was delighted to find that the iRex devices are relatively open in terms of hackability, and that you can get shell access, and that people have elinks and other core tools ported to the device.
I would have very little intention of reading e-books per se on this. I want a lo-fi "computer" with an e-ink display, essentially. I'd like to do text-based browsing of e-mail and wikipedia, text articles, etc., compose simple text files... generally most things one would do using text in a terminal. I'm also interested in reading RSS through the Feedbooks iNewsstand app.
My questions are -
1. Threads about the iLiad circa 2006 seem to suggest that the device was prone to bricking, third-party development was not well-supported, and that, generally, the device was in an unfinished state. What has changed since then? I know that a second revision of the device and firmware came out, but are the iLiad and/or Digital Reader still too experimental? My intended use is hardly mainstream, but I don't want to plunk down money on completely volatile hardware, either.
2. Is the
elinks port stable and functional? Obviously there is going to be the issue of refresh rate, but is the redraw time comparable to when reading an e-book? I can deal with a few seconds' time. I would assume that elinks browsing, being all text, would be fairly quick.
3. The monospace font shown in the screenshots of elinks in the above link looks kind of awful. What kind of freedom does one have to change things like terminal font, shell settings, etc.? From what I can deduce it sounds like you have access to a stripped down Linux install, with all of its attendant freedoms.
4. I see that there is an onscreen keyboard you can pull up in some third-party apps. If I were to use an external usb keyboard, is text input direct, or does that visual keyboard still come up? Furthermore, what exactly is typing like -- does the screen redraw with every input?
5. Are there some caveats I need to know about WiFi use? I would probably use this at home on the LAN a lot, but what is mobile connectivity like? I understand there is some sort of connection manager applet.
6. Would the iLiad or the Digital Reader be more suitable for these purposes? Excepting the fact that the DR is a bit larger and has some ergonomics bells and whistles, is there anything that strongly differentiates one from the other (for my purposes)? I'd much rather spend less $ on the iLiad if the firmware/refresh rate/interface are basically the same.
7. Finally, if anyone has some links to videos showing off elinks web browsing / shell use / 3rd-party apps in motion, that would be immensely helpful. The only videos of these devices that tend to show up are of reading e-books.
As a disclaimer, I obviously don't intend to use this as a full PC replacement; there are some things I will have to do on a real PC. But my primary use for the computer these days is for reading text and little else. I'd be more than willing to live with the negligible page refresh issue of e-ink if it means getting away from the LCD screen and having a more eye-friendly experience, being able to browse wikipedia while I read outside, and so on.