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    • Showing only topics with the tag "eink". Back to normal view

    2. I have been using a neo-dumbphone for a week, here are my thoughts

      ~tech Text 834 words
      Overview I got the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company (it is a stupid name). Overall I quite like it. The hardware seems pretty solid, and for the most part the software is good. It is a first gen...

      Overview

      I got the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company (it is a stupid name). Overall I quite like it. The hardware seems pretty solid, and for the most part the software is good. It is a first gen device, and it does show in some spots, but they also are running relatively stock android for both good and bad.

      Background

      Two years ago, I stopped carrying my phone with me all the time, and moved over to carrying a small notebook to keep track of things. Instead of going into my phone calendar, I write stuff into this notebook. I also repaired my PSP around the same time, to handle entertainment. In the past two years, I have moved more tasks off of my phone and onto dedicated devices to do those tasks. This left my phone as primarily used for communication. I have more thoughts on using dedicated devices, but I am waiting until I finish switching over to the final dedicated device before I do a write up on that. When I needed to replace my phone, going with a neo-dumbphone felt like a good fit for me.

      Why I chose the Minimal Phone by Minimal Company

      So there were a few features that I liked about the minimal phone compared to others:
      • while more expensive than a cheap android that I do software limitations on, it felt like I was getting a device that worked for me, rather than doing a bunch of configuration to get one to work for me
      • Minimal phone was significantly cheaper than the Lite Phone, and had Google Playstore access to add some apps not included that I may need
      • RCS support (it is just running Google Messages)
      • eInk felt like a good fit for me
      • The physical keyboard intrigued me

      Experience ordering the phone

      I will say, that with it being a new company, there were several delays in receiving the phone. They had a manufacturing issue that pushed back my phone a month, and there was no communication about it until I reached out. It would have been nice if they notified me about this ahead of time, but being a new company, I will extend some grace. Shipping was handled by some no-name company, so tracking was sparse and it seemed to be delayed a few times and was quite slow (took 2 days from Hong Kong to Vancouver Canada, but then two weeks from Vancouver to the Canadian prairies).

      Software Impressions

      Overall, I have been pleased with the software. It is running stock android, with a custom app launcher, and another custom app to configure screen settings. They did not over commit on the software, and instead focused on just providing a few well polished apps. I think there is some room for future bug fixes and potentially some more first party apps, but overall I am glad they went in this direction. Since it is pretty stock Android, I feel that future OS updates should be easy (they did commit to 5 years support, but that also relies on the company lasting 5 years). The default Android settings out of the box did not render well on eInk display (scrolling is rough compared to pagination) but one I tweaked some screen settings it got better. Overall, some rough edges, and a noticeable negative difference when leaving first party apps (which is mandatory as first party is so small), but nothing deal breaking.

      Hardware

      The hardware has been quite good. The eInk screen puts less strain on performance, as nothing needs to be extremely snappy since the screen can't keep up. The physical keyboard has been good, although I do feel that the shift key and the alt key should be reversed. The battery was advertised as a four day battery, but in my use case, it has been a comfortable two day battery (ending the second day with about 25%). I feel that in the coming weeks I may get closer to a three day battery, as the novelty wears off and I use it less. The camera is pretty weak, but I have not liked taking pictures on my phone anyways, so I am not concerned about it. The display has been really nice. I have never really used eInk screens for an extended time before, but it just feels quiet if that makes sense. With it being eInk, it sometimes does not fully refresh the screen, but there is a screen refresh button if needed. Overall, I have been quite impressed with the hardware. There are a few layout decisions they made that I feel I would have chosen differently, but nothing deal breaking.

      Summary

      It is a first gen device and sometimes shows the rough edges, but no major issues and I have quite enjoyed it. We will see how I feel about it in a month or two, but I think this type of device is probably what I will continue using for several years.
      39 votes

    11. E-ink tablets for note-taking

      ~tech Ask (recommendations)
      I like to write notes for work and sketch/draw in my spare time. I'm about to finish another paper notebook, and I noticed a few ads for the ReMarkable & decided to check it out. A few YouTube...

      I like to write notes for work and sketch/draw in my spare time. I'm about to finish another paper notebook, and I noticed a few ads for the ReMarkable & decided to check it out. A few YouTube videos later, I'm now quite interested in getting an e-ink tablet to replace the notebooks I've been going through.

      Thing is, with this type of technology I'm always a bit worried that I won't use it enough to justify the price. If anyone has one of those - have they managed to replace the classic paper/pen combo for you? Do you regret your purchase or are you happy with it?

      If anyone is curious, I was specifically looking at the ReMarkable 2 and the Supernote Nomad. The ReMarkable seems to be the most popular choice, but I really like how the Supernote emphasizes repairability (notably, the battery is replaceable). I'm also very much open to other suggestions if you have any!

      29 votes

    12. Has anyone used a e-ink smartphone as their main device

      ~tech Ask (survey)
      Looking up the Boox Palma device right now, it seems to be very handy actually. The only point where I may not be able to use it for everyday use would be that it seems to struggle with playing...

      Looking up the Boox Palma device right now, it seems to be very handy actually. The only point where I may not be able to use it for everyday use would be that it seems to struggle with playing Spotify music. But I wouldn't mind picking up one of those 4G dumbphone devices that Nokia puts out for that usecase.

      24 votes

    13. Help me find an e reader

      ~books Ask (recommendations)
      I am looking for an e reader with specific features, honestly I don't know if what I want even exists, but I figured this might be a good place to ask. Here's my wants: Charge via USB-C Open,...

      I am looking for an e reader with specific features, honestly I don't know if what I want even exists, but I figured this might be a good place to ask. Here's my wants:

      • Charge via USB-C
      • Open, allows .epub files (I understand some brands don't)
      • interfaces with Calibre
      • Does not have any wireless radios ie bluetooth, wifi (I know lots of people would say just turn those features off, but I would just prefer the device doesn't have them to begin with)

      Have you guys seen any devices that meet this criteria?

      12 votes

    14. E-reader purchasing advice

      ~books Ask (recommendations)
      So for various reasons I can't use paper books very well. I've been reading almost exclusively on epaper for... 15 years or so now? My current reader is a Kobo Aura One which has done very well...

      So for various reasons I can't use paper books very well. I've been reading almost exclusively on epaper for... 15 years or so now?

      My current reader is a Kobo Aura One which has done very well but is starting to get a bit tired - the screen is a bit scratched up and the battery life is measured in days rather than weeks (at around 1hr/day reading with the frontlight on low). Plus the usb socket has done that annoying thing where the cable needs to be at the exact right angle in order to charge.

      So I'm in the market for a new one. I'd like it to be >7 inches, 300ppi (same spec as the Aura One or better). Overdrive support is nice but not essential. EPub support is a must, as is orange/red frontlighting. Linux slightly preferred over Android. Battery life in weeks. Waterproof doesn't matter. Cloud sync, bluetooth, audiobook support, apps (other than a decent reader), note-taking - I don't care about. It's for reading books, nothing else. Budget is not a huge issue but I don't want to spend more than I have to.

      I have had zero time for the last few weeks to look into what the market is doing now and it's been many since I paid much attention to the world of ereaders, so anyone who is more up to date than me who can offer some suggestions would be much appreciated.

      27 votes

    15. eInk calendar display object

      ~creative Text 210 words
      I bought a colour eInk screen last summer and had a bit of fun getting it to talk to my shared Google calendar that runs our house. Recently I finally got around to making a frame for it so it can...

      I bought a colour eInk screen last summer and had a bit of fun getting it to talk to my shared Google calendar that runs our house. Recently I finally got around to making a frame for it so it can sit somewhere prominent and tell us about upcoming events. It's basically just a raspberry pi zero hat, so it's debian underneath. There's some slightly hacky python to make it (a) talk to Google, (b) mung their API output into something useful, which turned out to be HTML which is then "screenshotted" to create a PNG which can be sent to the eInk display. Updating takes about 30 seconds in total, partly because the pi zero is slow and partly because the refresh rate of the screen is in double-digit seconds. Works in full sunlight though, which is nice, and it's a much nicer screen than it looks in photos.

      Screen is this one here. Pi Zero is a pi zero, the frame is flamed oak, the base is beech, the copper is copper. If there are no events in the next week, it shows a random picture instead (and boy, if I thought rendering html was slow on a zero that's nothing on 7-colour dithering a jpg!)

      16 votes

    19. Thanks to all those who recommended a Kindle

      ~books Text 109 words
      A while ago there was a post comparing e-books and hard copies. After chatting with a few people, I was convinced to spend the money on a Kindle to replace reading on my laptop. It's an amazing...

      A while ago there was a post comparing e-books and hard copies. After chatting with a few people, I was convinced to spend the money on a Kindle to replace reading on my laptop.
      It's an amazing difference and I'd recommend it to anyone who reads on a "normal" screen. My eyes don't get tired, night reading is more comfortable, I've got 40 books in my pocket, the screen really is glare free, and I've charged it once in a week and a half.
      So if you read e-books, get a reader with the e-ink screen. It's worth it, and thanks to those who convinced me.

      12 votes