Hack Attack! Esquire wants us to hack their e-paper cover

TadW · 07-31-2008, 05:39 AM

BoingBoing talked with someone from Esquire, and it's almost unbelievable: they actually want us to hack their frontpage cover and turn it into something more useful.

Quote:

But on to the question most of the geeks have been asking: Can you rip out the cover and use it for your own projects?

Griffin says it should be possible — "We look forward to seeing what people do it" — although there isn't any discrete input on the custom-designed circuit board that will control the e-paper. The data will be baked into the circuitry. Figuring out how to reprogram the e-paper controller or installing an entirely new one will be up to the hackers.

Good news about the battery, though: it should be trivial to replace.

Link: Esquire to geeks: hack our e-paper magazine cover

zelda_pinwheel · 07-31-2008, 07:01 AM

oh wow, i can't WAIT to see what people come up with ! i think that's pretty cool that not only do they know people will want to do that, they actually encourage it. if they are really smart, they will have an article in a few weeks / months showing some of the best hacks. now THAT would probably give e-ink a boost.

igorsk · 07-31-2008, 07:07 AM

Well, if someone sends me one I'll certainly will see what can be done with it

zelda_pinwheel · 07-31-2008, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Well, if someone sends me one I'll certainly will see what can be done with it

nate the great has offered to send copies to people outside the US ; send him a message to set that up.

kovidgoyal · 07-31-2008, 08:17 AM

Amusing, are they admitting to a failure of imagination?

DaleDe · 07-31-2008, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Amusing, are they admitting to a failure of imagination?

I don't think so. They are admitting to a failure in technical prowess in the magazine publishing end. Imagination was already demonstrated when they did the cover in the first place.

Dale

Elsi · 07-31-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TadW

BoingBoing talked with someone from Esquire, and it's almost unbelievable: they actually want us to hack their frontpage cover and turn it into something more useful.

The no-brainer application might be a photo album.

kovidgoyal · 07-31-2008, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I don't think so. They are admitting to a failure in technical prowess in the magazine publishing end. Imagination was already demonstrated when they did the cover in the first place.

Dale

I'd imagine you need much more technical prowess to do what they've already done than to find further uses for it. Indeed, if that were not the case, expecting user hacks would be rather silly.

DaleDe · 08-01-2008, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I'd imagine you need much more technical prowess to do what they've already done than to find further uses for it. Indeed, if that were not the case, expecting user hacks would be rather silly.

Yes, but was it theirs? I suspect they had an idea and then went out and bought a solution. The technical prowess was in the company that they bought it from. At this point they are the same as everybody else wondering what someone might be able to do with it.

Dale

kovidgoyal · 08-01-2008, 01:24 AM

A good point, I forgot that they're not a technical company. Nonetheless, they seem to be saying; We want you to spend your valuable time making our product cool and we aren't even going to bother doing anything to support your activity. Unless they actually do something to support hacking, this announcement is most meaningful as an admission that e-ink covers are not exactly a killer app.

slayda · 08-01-2008, 02:34 PM

Yeah but it may be a way to get an Eink display real cheap & would be fun to mess with.

Where can I get mine?

JSWolf · 08-01-2008, 02:42 PM

What is the size of this eink display? Would it be possible to hack it and build a reader around it?

acidzebra · 09-24-2008, 01:36 PM

Kind of an old thread, but this (painful for e-ink fans) attack on the recent Esquire e-ink cover shows it really can be quite durable (even though the "hackability" was rather a disappointment):

http://gizmodo.com/5054022/esquire-e...nives-and-fire

daffy4u · 09-24-2008, 02:23 PM

That was cruel and unusual punishment. I am impressed with the toughness of the screen.

Madam Broshkina · 10-16-2008, 07:49 PM

http://hackaday.com/2008/10/14/how-t...uire-magazine/

10-16-2008, 07:49 PM	#15
Madam Broshkina Manic Do Fuse Posts: 2,312 Karma: 3325462 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Sony 500, 505, 350, Kindle 3, DXG, nook, Irex DR800SG, iPad	How to hack the Esquire E-ink cover to make a clock http://hackaday.com/2008/10/14/how-t...uire-magazine/

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07-31-2008, 07:01 AM	#2
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	oh wow, i can't WAIT to see what people come up with ! i think that's pretty cool that not only do they know people will want to do that, they actually encourage it. if they are really smart, they will have an article in a few weeks / months showing some of the best hacks. now THAT would probably give e-ink a boost.

07-31-2008, 07:07 AM	#3
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Well, if someone sends me one I'll certainly will see what can be done with it

07-31-2008, 08:17 AM	#5
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,198 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Amusing, are they admitting to a failure of imagination?

08-01-2008, 01:24 AM	#10
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,198 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	A good point, I forgot that they're not a technical company. Nonetheless, they seem to be saying; We want you to spend your valuable time making our product cool and we aren't even going to bother doing anything to support your activity. Unless they actually do something to support hacking, this announcement is most meaningful as an admission that e-ink covers are not exactly a killer app.

08-01-2008, 02:34 PM	#11
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,764 Karma: 1884247 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: Kindle 1, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6S+, Kobo Aura One	Yeah but it may be a way to get an Eink display real cheap & would be fun to mess with. Where can I get mine?

08-01-2008, 02:42 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,179 Karma: 144286760 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What is the size of this eink display? Would it be possible to hack it and build a reader around it?

09-24-2008, 01:36 PM	#13
acidzebra Liseuse Lover Posts: 869 Karma: 1035404 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Netherlands Device: PRS-505	Kind of an old thread, but this (painful for e-ink fans) attack on the recent Esquire e-ink cover shows it really can be quite durable (even though the "hackability" was rather a disappointment): http://gizmodo.com/5054022/esquire-e...nives-and-fire

09-24-2008, 02:23 PM	#14
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	That was cruel and unusual punishment. I am impressed with the toughness of the screen.

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