jetBook mini or Lite? (Hacking slant)

Max Introvert · 03-31-2011, 08:09 PM

NewEgg's recent sale of the mini piqued my interest, but upon further reflection, I wonder if the Lite might be a better choice.

I like the form factor and battery setup of the mini, and would love to see if I can overcome its main limitation, file formats.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information as to the hardware of the mini. The specs hint that there is a completely different CPU under the hood as opposed to the Lite. My best guess says that it's probably some type of microcontroller attached to a NOR flash. (what else could pull 90 operating hours on AAA batteries?)

If true, it's a far cry from the Lite's (supposed) 200 MHz ARM9, and explains why the functionality and file format selection are so meager compared to the Lite.

At any rate, the mini may be $69, but I can get the Lite for $89. The difference in runtime bothers me, but I do have rechargeable NIMHs, and I think I'd have a much better time hacking things with the Lite's hardware config than the mini's. Given that the Lite supports more formats anyway, one would wonder why, but I'm an engineer. It's in my blood.

Ken Maltby · 04-01-2011, 06:48 PM

Well there is certainly a large amount of development support for the ARM9 family. There are common tools and an active community of "hackers"/modders. The ARM9 has
support for embedded Linux built-in, and the JBL is running a Linux implementation.

There may be some modding activity for the JBL, but I've not come across it yet. There
appears to be some little space inside the JBL's case for a few possibilities, but not very
much. (maybe a bluetooth chip or something like that) Changing the screen or adding
a capacitive touchscreen might be doable (although I doubt the utility of a touchscreen
for a dedicated ereading tool).

You might want to dig out "gr8npwrfl"'s posts on his hacking efforts.

Luck;
Ken

03-31-2011, 08:09 PM	#1
Max Introvert Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2007 Device: Sony PRS-T1	jetBook mini or Lite? (Hacking slant) NewEgg's recent sale of the mini piqued my interest, but upon further reflection, I wonder if the Lite might be a better choice. I like the form factor and battery setup of the mini, and would love to see if I can overcome its main limitation, file formats. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information as to the hardware of the mini. The specs hint that there is a completely different CPU under the hood as opposed to the Lite. My best guess says that it's probably some type of microcontroller attached to a NOR flash. (what else could pull 90 operating hours on AAA batteries?) If true, it's a far cry from the Lite's (supposed) 200 MHz ARM9, and explains why the functionality and file format selection are so meager compared to the Lite. At any rate, the mini may be $69, but I can get the Lite for $89. The difference in runtime bothers me, but I do have rechargeable NIMHs, and I think I'd have a much better time hacking things with the Lite's hardware config than the mini's. Given that the Lite supports more formats anyway, one would wonder why, but I'm an engineer. It's in my blood.

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04-01-2011, 06:48 PM	#2
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,466 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	Well there is certainly a large amount of development support for the ARM9 family. There are common tools and an active community of "hackers"/modders. The ARM9 has support for embedded Linux built-in, and the JBL is running a Linux implementation. There may be some modding activity for the JBL, but I've not come across it yet. There appears to be some little space inside the JBL's case for a few possibilities, but not very much. (maybe a bluetooth chip or something like that) Changing the screen or adding a capacitive touchscreen might be doable (although I doubt the utility of a touchscreen for a dedicated ereading tool). You might want to dig out "gr8npwrfl"'s posts on his hacking efforts. Luck; Ken

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