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Old 04-19-2020, 02:42 PM   #1
shawly
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Looking for a hackable e-reader with touchscreen for app development
Hi,

so I'm on the lookout for an e-reader that I can use for displaying web apps.

It's main purpose would be displaying a dashboard with info about my smart home devices and a separate tab where I can take notes, mainly create shopping lists which are synced with my phone through home-assistant.

I've seen Kobo e-readers are easily hackable and I found a Kobo Aura on Aliexpress for around $65 and a Kobo Touch for around $50. It doesn't need backlight, so a Kobo Touch would suffice.

Which one would you recommend? Or should I look for used Kindles that are hackable?
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Old 04-19-2020, 03:45 PM   #2
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Neither.
For web apps, get a tablet.
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Old 04-19-2020, 03:49 PM   #3
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:03 PM   #4
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No.
Suit yourself, no kindle or kobo e ink reader can do what you are asking for
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:29 PM   #5
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Of course they can, the UI for apps on Kindles is usually created with the web application framework, it's simple HTML, CSS and JS. https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kin...g#Architecture

Someone did almost exactly the same as I intend to with a Kobo: https://homey.app/en-us/blog/homey-ink/

So try telling me again that no e-ink reader can do what I'm asking for.
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:29 PM   #6
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Suit yourself, no kindle or kobo e ink reader can do what you are asking for
Kobo can do it if the OP is willing to write all the software himself. But it is going to be rather difficult to do this.
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Old 04-19-2020, 04:48 PM   #7
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Kobo can do it if the OP is willing to write all the software himself. But it is going to be rather difficult to do this.
Technically I only need a browser, which the Kobo does offer.
But to get a full screen dashboard I probably need to create my own homebrew, looking at the source code of existing apps for Kobo, I can see that they are written in Python which is simple enough.

I just wanted to know if anyone would recommend a Kindle over a Kobo for development for any reason or some other hackable e-reader.
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Old 04-19-2020, 05:17 PM   #8
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I just wanted to know if anyone would recommend a Kindle over a Kobo for development for any reason or some other hackable e-reader.
The Kobos are easier to hack since they are not locked down. No jailbreak required.
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Old 04-19-2020, 10:59 PM   #9
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All lobos come rooted. Don't touch a kindle unless you know it is or can be rooted. Personally I prefer the kindle hardware over kobo, but apparently the newer kobo hardware is comparable. Also the newer kobos have the orange light. The kindles don't.
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Old 04-20-2020, 01:49 AM   #10
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Kobo can do it if the OP is willing to write all the software himself. But it is going to be rather difficult to do this.
...ok ... and then only to find that the CPU is too weak for what he needs. same goes for Kindle CPUs. they are not suited at all for real time multi-tasking

you want to program something - buy a programmable (out of the box) device
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Old 04-20-2020, 04:32 AM   #11
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you want to program something - buy a programmable (out of the box) device
Raspberry Pi, Arch Linux for ARM and a 3rd party eink panel. There are some small eink Shield style panels for the Pi that would work as a dashboard. Maybe even the stock Linux Rasperian.

Or an old Kindle Keyboard via the 1.8V serial port built into the lower hinge slot. I think the last FW 3.4.2? can be jailbroken. Use it as a serial terminal. Some other ereaders can be used as a serial terminal via USB networking, though I couldn't get the USB patch to install on a DXG. The font and sleep-cover hacks worked OK after jail break.

Certainly it's possible on a Kobo if you are displaying mostly static information, though it seems like a lot of bother and expense to have an eink status panel compared to programming the Pi (though the eink panels for it are quite small).
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Old 04-20-2020, 04:46 AM   #12
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No amount of wishful thinking will enable the 2.4Ghz only kobo wifi chip to see any 5GHz smart devices.
but some people will keep obsessively trucking on - like the deluded fools still trying to get bluetooth audio to play on a kindle - its like training octopuses to predict the next world cup - but train enough octopuses & who knows...
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Old 04-20-2020, 05:46 AM   #13
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Raspberry Pi, Arch Linux for ARM and a 3rd party eink panel. There are some small eink Shield style panels for the Pi that would work as a dashboard. Maybe even the stock Linux Rasperian.
There are no e-ink panels with touch support that can interface with an RPi, at least I didn't find any. Just some replacement screens for Kobos and getting them to work with a Pi would require me to engineer a display controller. So it's not an option, also the whole setup would be bulky, ugly and couldn't be simply stuck to my fridge door. Also the hardware costs more than a Kobo Aura.

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No amount of wishful thinking will enable the 2.4Ghz only kobo wifi chip to see any 5GHz smart devices.
but some people will keep obsessively trucking on - like the deluded fools still trying to get bluetooth audio to play on a kindle - its like training octopuses to predict the next world cup - but train enough octopuses & who knows...
Who said I want to connect 5GHz smart devices to my Kobo? It's simply connected to my 2.4GHz wifi and has to display HTML from a local webserver hosted on my home server.

It's only purpose is to display a simple static page with info about room temps and shopping lists, as well as a simple text field which can send new entries to the shopping list.

I never planned on running any resource intensive animated dashboard with all the bells and whistles, it's main purpose is to provide an interface on my fridge where I can add stuff to my shopping list and display some simple info that doesn't need to be updated in real time. Also the info should only update if I tap on the update button to refresh the page.

The Kobo's experimental browser can do that, it even supports full screen so I can run the dashboard in Kiosk mode.

Here somebody even wrote a native app that displays similar stuff:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=322162

I know I could use a tablet, but the main benefit of e-ink readers is their power consumption. I don't have to charge it for weeks if wifi is only turned on for updating the dashboard, a tablet will drain in less than a week even if wifi is off.

So maybe you could stop acting like I'm talking about rocket science and be a little less salty.
Last edited by shawly; 04-20-2020 at 05:48 AM.
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:21 AM   #14
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So maybe you could stop acting like I'm talking about rocket science and be a little less salty.
My thoughts exactly.

I had my weather station run off a Nook. An absolutely minimal Android app using webkit as my main interface. Worked a charm, except the screen constantly went to sleep, something I never got around fixing. As for processing power, I really don't see a problem, as long as you don't animate transitions and do a lot of client-side processing.

Currently, I am running an OpenHab client (version 2.11.0) off of a Tolino Vision 5. This and the Shine 3 are very nice devices and don't cost much. They are a bit finicky in terms of sideloading apps, although not exactly difficult. There is a really good description on Alles eBook on how to do that...

https://allesebook.de/anleitung/toli...b-root-980665/

(and a good chance to brush up on your German :-))
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:46 AM   #15
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My thoughts exactly.

I had my weather station run off a Nook. An absolutely minimal Android app using webkit as my main interface. Worked a charm, except the screen constantly went to sleep, something I never got around fixing. As for processing power, I really don't see a problem, as long as you don't animate transitions and do a lot of client-side processing.

Currently, I am running an OpenHab client (version 2.11.0) off of a Tolino Vision 5. This and the Shine 3 are very nice devices and don't cost much. They are a bit finicky in terms of sideloading apps, although not exactly difficult. There is a really good description on Alles eBook on how to do that...

https://allesebook.de/anleitung/toli...b-root-980665/

(and a good chance to brush up on your German :-))
My German is as good as it can get since it's my first language.

Thanks for the tip! Creating and sideloading Android apps would technically prove way easier than creating homebrew for Kindles or Kobos, so they are definitely an option. Though the Tolino Visions are more expensive than the Kobo Aura or Glo I found on Aliexpress, so I might take a look at the Tolinos if the Kobo doesn't fit me.

I just ordered the Kobo Aura on Ali since it's easy to hack and seems to fit my needs and if it doesn't it still makes a good present for my folks.
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