remote controlled paperwhite (video)

[zxczxc]

So, I am very lazy, ever since my k3 I wanted to have something that let me change the pages without having to touch the device.

Then I got a paperwhite, and even more so I would rather have a way to turn the pages remotely, I do not like having to touch the screen each time I want to turn a page. My hands feel more comfortable not having to be attached to the screen/device on which I read. When I am reading I just want to lay down, or sit in a comfortable position, anyway, so I made an application for my android device, to send ssh commands to the kindle.

This lets me turn the pages remotely, but still it is not as ergonomic as I would like, so, I connect a bluetooth controller - http://www.zeemote.com/js1/ - (although any bluetooth gamepad would work, ps3 or wii controller etc)

Using this means that my kindle and the android phone have to be using wifi, and on the same network. It also means bluetooth has to be on on the cell phone. I tried making a wifi hotspot*** (since maybe you are in a field without a real wifi network to connect to) with my cell phone (without any mobile data connection) and I connected to it via my kindle, and it did work, although it was not perfect, it cut out a lot... I assume android has some power saving stuff that is does when not much is happening on the connection, I could probably fix up the application I made to work better with it.

Anyhow, for my needs, it is great, and if anyone would want the java source code, or simply the .apk then I will happily share.

thanks to the people on the dev irc, and especially twobob for helping me out with the setting the kindle up for ssh, and the page turning stuff with xdotool, and being patient etc

here is a video of it in action:
http://tinypic.com/r/2vuj9e0/5

***and in this case, a file named WIFI_NO_NET_PROBE needs to be placed on the kindle, so that you are allowed to connect to a wifi that does not have an internet connection

[Antoinekamel]

Very nice, zxczxc!

[silver18]

This is really cool!
Is it possible to have the apk and everything else?
Is it possible to use volume buttons on the phone (vol up=next, vol down=previous)?
Anyway, good job!!!!

[zxczxc]

thanks Antoinekamel

silver18, it is very easy to make it control the page turning with the volume buttons.
also, this will not just work for paperwhite, i could make it work with k3 and k4 too.

to use the application, there are a few things that need to be done first.
your kindle needs to have usbnet, it needs to be wifi based), and you need to have xdotool placed on your kindle (i place mine in my usbnet folder on my kindle... very lazy)
the android phone has to have the ssh private keys for the kindle ssh server on the sd card.

it is very simple to control the kindle with just the android volume keys, sure.


at the moment, the app i made does not have much functionality, as in...

the page turning forward/backward script it hardcoded, this is easy to fix, i can make text boxes that you can type in, and save those commands if you wish for later.

the buttons that trigger the actions are hardcoded, i use KEYCODE_BUTTON_5, which i doubt many phones have a button for that. i then use a program called BluezIME, which handles the bluetooth input, and in that program you can link a bluetooth controller's buttons to buttons on the android device.
so, in my case, i link a button on my controller to KEYCODE_BUTTON_5.
when i press that button on the controller, my device thinks that 'button5' is being pressed. i could make it so that a button on the controller is linked to the power button, volume down, etc etc.

one issue is that android will only check for input when the app is active on the screen.
if i want to make it so that input will be taken wherever i am, say, i am checking my emails on the phone, basically, it cannot be done.

and it seems to me that the screen of the device has to stay on whilst i want it to accept input, maybe this is not true, but, it makes sense... why would it bother worrying about input, when the screen is off.

what would be nice is to have a combo box where i can select the button input that i want to trigger each command, i can implement that if enough people want.

(what would be nice is to add a bluetooth module to the paperwhite, like this
http://www.griffin.net/2010/01/hacki...dx-part-1.html)


-edit, yes it is possible to share it, i want to! just as it is at the moment, as i said above... it is not so customizable, it is only made for 'me', so, before i share it, i will make it more friendly (unless you feel comfortable with compiling for android and just want the source code/project)

[silver18]

I think your work is amazing!
Perhaps the best way is to provide a combo box to customize the buttons<->action, as you said.
Volume buttons and power button are the only ones that every phone has, so it should be probably the first combination.
In the first step, volumes buttons can be used to turn pages.
Maybe is it possible to jump to next/prev chapter with a double click on volume buttons.
Power button can be used to save a bookmark, or open menu or nothing at all.

A nice .bin package could be made to provide and set xdotool on the kindle.

As regards ssh keys on the phone, is it possible to place them when installing the apk?

Anyway, I'm just sharing my thoughts, I'm not placing pressure on you.
In the meanwhile, I'm starting to learn how to program for android so sooner or later I'll try myself...

[zxczxc]

well, you need to generate the ssh key pair, public and private, and put the private key on the phone, and the public key on the kindle. installing an app on the phone would not do this, that part preferably needs to be done on a computer, and then from there put the needed key files on the kindle, and phone.

if there is a nice way to advance/go back a chapter, then sure, i could do that. the way that the pages turn is not so 'nice', it simply pretends to touch the screen in the right spot (this is what the xdotool bit does)
it does not actually send a true 'next page' command. if you have a japanese book, the touch areas are reversed... since the books are 'backwards'.
so, you need to hit the left of the device to go to the next page. so if you were using this tool, with a book like that, the previous page button would actually adcance the page.
if the actual command was found for advancing the page (seems pretty hard to find it believe it or not), i think this would not be an issue. on the kindles with actual buttons, you can simply send the 'next page' key, nice and easy!

so, if you wanted to advance the chapter on the kindle paperwhite, i think you need to first: get the menu at the top, right? then, click on another menu, then, select the chapter you want? i do not have my kindle with me now... but yeah, i do not think it is simple. again, for the k3, we could just send the key for 'right' on the 4 directional button, and this would advance the chapter.

a .bin file could be made to copy over xdotool on the kindle, but it is just one file, so, if you will copy over a .bin file... why not copy over the xdotool

no pressure, thanks

(if anyone has any advice, tips for me, please share!)
(specifically i would love to be able to turn the page via a native command, not needing xdotool)

[pitrsonek]

Hi this is very good hack. Please is possible send your app, i would like to try it.

THX

[knc1]

Originally Posted by zxczxc

So, I am very lazy, ever since my k3 I wanted to have something that let me change the pages without having to touch the device.

Hmm...
Since you have a cell 'phone, you must be used to talking to devices, even in public . . . .

For your K3 - try VAGUE (Voice Activated Gui)
It is (was?) intended to work on any model with a microphone.

[zxczxc]

that is an option, in fact a few years ago i started to attempt (haha) to make a program for k3 to control pages with the mic, but i forgot about it. i thought about maybe having the page turn when the mic input level is like 90%, so, you could tap the kindle case, near where the microphone is, and turn the page that way.

but still, i don't want to have to say something to turn the page, late at night, or, in the morning, it would get boring fast, i find having to touch the screen to turn the page annoying as it is, having to repeat something would be worse!

although i really like my paperwhite, it being touch screen does annoy me a little, when i want to do things like select words. also, for disabled people, i think it is important to be able to turn the pages with whatever they are comfortable with.

-edit. pitrsonek, the application is not really ready for sharing, exactly what kind of functionality do you want?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by zxczxc

that is an option, in fact a few years ago i started to attempt (haha) to make a program for k3 to control pages with the mic, but i forgot about it.

Hmm....

Speaker independent voice command recognition is a bit more advanced than tapping on the microphone.

Although twobob's build (illustrated with a youtube video) sort of fell on deaf ears (no pun intended) at this forum - -

It has generated a lot of interest in the voice control community, that a Kindle (a K5-touch in the demo) has enough "horsepower" to do speaker independent voice recognition.

Ref:
http://kual.knetconnect.com/vague-vo...-gui-for-kual/

And still the lead story at CMU:
http://cmusphinx.sourceforge.net/201...ith-cmusphinx/

[zxczxc]

oh, wow vague seems to be nice nice! good idea having text at the top left in the bar!

but still, saying 'turn page' several hundred times to get through a book does not seem enjoyable to me, that is why i thought simply tapping the kindle to spike the microphone level would be nicer (simply for page turning but of course, not nearly as much function)

-edit. although now that i think about it, tapping the kindle case, or clicking your fingers, or clapping, still is more effort than press a button... good job i did not go through with my initial idea then.. haha

[knc1]

Originally Posted by zxczxc

oh, wow vague seems to be nice nice! good idea having text at the top left in the bar!

but still, saying 'turn page' several hundred times to get through a book does not seem enjoyable to me, that is why i thought simply tapping the kindle to spike the microphone level would be nicer (simply for page turning but of course, not nearly as much function)

-edit. although now that i think about it, tapping the kindle case, or clicking your fingers, or clapping, still is more effort than press a button... good job i did not go through with my initial idea then.. haha

For yourself, perhaps not - - -

but you did mention people with disabilities, some of them might find voice control very useful.

Vague + Kindle may be the only voice controllable e-book reader now available.

Note: Look for something similar from Amazon in the future - shortly before twobob released Vague, Amazon purchased a voice recognition firm.

And that may be part of the reason why the microphone disappeared from the e-ink Kindles - -
So that someone who wants voice control, will have to buy one of their high-dollar models.

All of the above is pure speculation - but Amazon is a "for profit" corporation in a capitalist country.

[NiLuJe]

In a somewhat related fashion, IIRC, there's a proximity sensor in some of the current dev boards at lab126, so we might see something like 'wave your hands somewhere around the device' to change page coming to the next Kindle...

[knc1]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

In a somewhat related fashion, IIRC, there's a proximity sensor in some of the current dev boards at lab126, so we might see something like 'wave your hands somewhere around the device' to change page coming to the next Kindle...

There is a proximity sensor driver in the Kpw kernel.
And I seem to recall that GM mentioned the same about the K-touch.
I have not checked if the proximity sensor is present in the device.

[jskvbinmv]

This is exactly what I am looking for. Would you mind sharing the .apk of the app?