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Community firmware for the Xteink X4 e-paper reader
- ktallett 5mo agoI'm quite frustrated to hear that Xteink have decided to block firmwware being changed on some devices. I can only imagine the reason would be consumers who look for support after something went wrong but it's frustrating for those of us who just want an open eink device.
- jauntywundrkind 5mo agoSupposedly already bypassed. But yes, moving entirely out of step with what seems to be making these devices popular! https://www.reddit.com/r/xteinkereader/comments/1t1wtya/dont_panic_about_the_firmware_lock_itll_almost/ https://www.reddit.com/r/xteinkereader/comments/1t1wtya/dont...
- gangstead 5mo agoI ordered the Xteink X4 not knowing about CrossPoint and I was so disappointed with the included firmware: - Almost no formatting on the ebooks you upload (no bold text, missing glyphs, no images/cover art) - The book had to be rendered before being uploaded. I suspect they were uploading series of bitmaps. - This meant if you wanted to change portrait/landscape or change font size/type you had to re-render the book - Bitmap fonts were very ugly. Overall it was barely workable. More of a proof of concept. The CrossPoint firmware on the other hand: - Actually renders books as you would expect, in a pleasing manner, formatting and all - Much more reader configuration on device: font settings, margin, spacing, alignment, progress display - Update via USB or OTA - Multiple ways to get your books: Connect to your Calibre library to push or pull books (thanks for introducing me to Calibre!), USB, Wireless file transfer - Sync progress via KOReader It's the best gift the community could give to the manufacturer. With only the default firmware my X4 would have been in the junk drawer within a week, but now I carry it every day, I've shown it to so many people. It's a marvel. With the news about them attempting to lock it down I can't recommend it anymore. Why would they do that?
- skrtskrt 5mo agoSome mixed reports on this, but supposedly they are only putting an (easily-bypassed) firmware on the devices sold to the Chinese domestic market.
- wolvoleo 5mo agoReally nice device, I'm just waiting for a version with front light.
- gangstead 5mo agoFront light would make it the perfect device. I use it on the go everywhere now, to limit the distractions inherent with trying to read from my phone. But in bed having to pull out a book light or a headlight is an annoying step that risks disturbing my partner.
- nosrepa 5mo agoI bought the book lights that they sell along with the device and they're perfect for it. They include an adapter so they magnetically attach to the back, or they can clip to the folio.
- asdfqwertzxcv 5mo agoThe S4 is the new version coming soon with a front light.
- wolvoleo 5mo agoAh yes but that one is probably going to be much more expensive as it runs android and more powerful hardware. It won't support crosspoint-reader then either :'( Though you could install KOReader then, which is a good alternative. It also seems to lack page turn buttons. But I read there's also an "X4 v2 pro" coming with frontlight: https://www.joshualowcock.com/xteink/xteink-x4-v2-pro-xteink-x4-with-backlight/ https://www.joshualowcock.com/xteink/xteink-x4-v2-pro-xteink... So I'm waiting to see which one will be the best price/quality in this regard.
- aidenn0 5mo agoBe aware that Xteink is locking down devices sold for the Chinese market (which includes those being sold on e.g. Taobao). If you want to run crosspoint, you should probably order your reader direct from Xteink. https://liliputing.com/xteink-blocks-installation-of-custom-firmware-on-some-ereaders-launches-a-new-android-powered-model/ https://liliputing.com/xteink-blocks-installation-of-custom-...
- crimsdings 5mo agoInteresting - I ordered mine from AliExpress in February and it was really easy to flash. Shane if they start blocking it.
- wewewedxfgdf 5mo agoI guess they don't like people buying their product.
- dmos62 5mo agoThere's already an OTA unlocker https://crosspointreader.com/#unlock-tool https://crosspointreader.com/#unlock-tool
- rkapsoro 5mo agoWhoa that's a surprise. They even call out support for CrossPoint by name, too. Moreover, it's a bit of a crazy looking hack too, by doing a MITM attack. I'm curious to see what exactly is the seam between the Xteink brand and its upstream supplier(s). It's like the brand company was against the firmware lockdown in the first place. It would be neat to better understand the Chinese consumer devices ecosystem.
- happymellon 5mo agoIsn't that because it's the CrossPoint website?
- itsthisjustin 5mo ago
- antonyt 5mo agoI’m running Crosspoint on the X3, and am quite pleased with both the software and hardware. It even supports reading progress via Koreader sync, which I use on my main eInk devices.
- awongh 5mo agoI wish there was a framework style open e-ink device.
- wrennes 5mo agoWhat would that look like? A first thought would be a controller with storage that would 'dock' into various screen sizes and case molds?
- alexktz 5mo agoTRMNL are kinda. https://trmnl.com/ https://trmnl.com/
- thylacine222 5mo agosupernote's tablets are designed to have replaceable motherboards/batteries although it's still to be seen whether they will actually be able to support that long-term.
- yencabulator 5mo agoUnfortunately it seems Supernote has given up on it becoming an actually open platform: https://www.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/1ooyn25/is_linux_still_happening_our_journey_of/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Supernote/comments/1ooyn25/is_linux... Repairable, sure; hackable, not really.
- arjie 5mo agoOh this is very cool. I've bought one and plan to use it to show some kind of status around the house.
- tolerance 5mo agoFor those unfamiliar with these devices I stumbled upon this cool write-up: https://aftermath.site/xteink-x4-cheap-hackable-ereader-crosspoint-review/ https://aftermath.site/xteink-x4-cheap-hackable-ereader-cros... These things are teeny-tiny.
- globular-toast 5mo ago50-70 dollars? A Kobo Clara is about 100 and has a bigger screen, an adjustable front light and you can easily load DRM free ebooks via USB mass storage or custom firmware like koreader. If you just want to read books you should probably just get a Kobo.
- tolerance 5mo agoYeah, but can you affix a Kobo device to the back of your phone as a signal of your superior taste in how you consume your digital literature?
- fallpeak 5mo agoThe Kobo Clara doesn't fit in my pocket while the X4 does. An e-reader that I actually have on-hand beats one that I leave in a drawer at home so it was an instant purchase for me the moment I saw one.
- bityard 5mo ago$45 on ali. I've been looking for an affordable open phone-sized e-reader for years, but unfortunately this one doesn't have a backlight which is a hard requirement for me. (I do have a kobo, it's too big.)
- jerojero 5mo agoI have a bunch of e-readers and this X4 is probably my favorite precisely because how small and pocketable it is. I comfortably fit around half a page of a real paperback book on the screen. Its not the biggest compromise ever and for the size its great. You know how they say "the best camera is the one you have with you" well the same goes for an ereader. I do have my bigger e-reader but it doesn't fit in my pocket, it fits in my bag and that's believe it or not a big difference. I also have a more expensive "phone sized" ereader, and its fine. The size is really good and I've read many books in it. The issue is that it feels like carrying two phones, its the size and weight of a modern phone. The X4 is like 80gr. Its significantly smaller.
- philips 5mo agoI contributed to this a little bit! The copyparty fileserver with opds enabled is a great companion to easily move books to the device. In the next release I will fix a bug to enable file search for the copyparty opds as well.
- lovelyviking 5mo agoI wonder, how difficult would it be to do something similar for "Onyx Boox Tab X C 13.3" ? Btw, did Onyx publish sources as required by GPLv3 for that device? AFAIK there are no sources in the open (if I am not mistaken ) and I have no idea what can push them toward publishing them.
- cyxxon 5mo agoThere is a much more advanced fork of this project: https://github.com/jpirnay/crosspoint-reader https://github.com/jpirnay/crosspoint-reader In actuality there are several forks, and the original Crosspoint Reader really got the ball rolling, but now seems to get stuck in discussions. The forks (especially the one I linked) has progressed much further and has better KOReader sync (as in actually syncs to the correct XPath position instead of some close-enough position), bionic reading, streamlined UI, etc. Give that one a shot!
- osener 5mo agoAh I just switched to using https://github.com/uxjulia/crossink-reader https://github.com/uxjulia/crossink-reader Not sure what KOReader is but the fonts included in this one and the overall reading experience is solid.
- dmos62 5mo agoKOReader is the defacto Android ereader app for eink screens, and many consider it the best Android ereader for regular screens too.
- krystalgamer 5mo agoagreed and they support non android devices too!
- antonyt 5mo agoWorth mentioning it's not limited to Android! It also runs on Kobos, Kindles, Pocketbooks, etc.
- dmos62 5mo agoAh, didn't know that.
- kelvinjps10 5mo agoHow does it runs in Kindles? Which ones are supported? I'm interested
- Thom2503 5mo agoThere is also https://github.com/franssjz/cpr-vcodex https://github.com/franssjz/cpr-vcodex which I use, which is one of the many forks of this project.
- oybng 5mo agoThis device would be an instant buy if it were backlit, replacing my kobo mini
- wewewedxfgdf 5mo agoI'd like to use this as a multiplayer chess game on the fridge with my dad who lives 100KM away. Anyone know if there is remote chess for this?
- randusername 5mo agoCrosspoint and KOReader are fascinating to me. The lack of consensus on what features are essential in an e-reader must be hard to manage. Surprisingly exotic features sometimes. - No deal, this e-reader doesn't let me play chess. - No deal, this e-reader doesn't support bluetooth page-turning. - No deal, I don't actually look at the screen I use text-to-speech.
- jerojero 5mo agoIf you wanna play chess you can use the crosspet fork, it does have a few games. You're right though, the crosspoint firmware is supposedly exclusively for reading.
- zabi_rauf 5mo agoI love this device and the firmware. It has increased the amount I read now, just because it's convenient to have all the time and use it instead of doom scrolling. P.S: Shameless plug, I also built an OSS iOS/Android app to help syncing files and clipping web articles/blog and sending to X4 on the go https://crosspointsync.com/ https://crosspointsync.com/
- jhogervorst 5mo agoCool app! Have you considered integrating with Readwise Reader? I would love something like that.
- dtm987654123 5mo agoI wonder if there's a way to get offline Wikipedia on this
- antonyt 5mo agoThe X3 and X4 both have an SD card slot, so it's theoretically possible to store it at least. Actually searching and browsing it is another question.
- fmajid 5mo agoThere is a community build for the M5Stack Paper S3, which costs the same but has a touchscreen and a microSD card reader (theoretically limited to 32GB but my 128GB card with my entire eBook collection seems to work fine). Only drawback, the magnets are not in the right position to piggyback on an iPhone's MagSafe.