For those of us who will only buy electronics used, kindle is usually the only option. And far cheaper too. So its nice that the device can be opened up a bit.
My partner has a ‘Boox’ that runs android, complete with apk side loading its basically an android tablet! Super cool so far - there’s even a model with a color screen!
I slapped the Nextcloud app on there and she has been syncing her books between her phone and the Boox!
Edit= the brand name is called Boox! Autocorrect makes a fool of me yet again
I never even thought about the syncing capability with the Android e-ink options. I thought it was too much for a dedicated e-reader, but now you’ve got me thinking.
Recommend checking them out! Sorry, typo’d on my comment - the brand name is Boox!
I have hers all loaded up with a FOSS reader, f-droid (droid-ify), Nextcloud, Element messenger… The only thing I haven’t put time into is custom launcher stuff - but the native launcher isn’t half bad, if you ignore their attempts to coax you into their cloud subscription crap!
I’ve got my eyes on some Boox models, perhaps in a year or two if prices come down for the secondhand market. (Since I think they just released a new line not too long ago.) I’ve never had a tablet sized device (my e-reader is 6 inches), so it’d be an upgrade.
I’ve wanted one of those ever since seeing a professor use it… but their price point is intimidating. I’m also not a fan of being limited to certain cloud services (I use neither Google Drive nor Dropbox).
Still, it’s a pretty nifty device, and the pen capabilities seem the best of all of them.
I have been looking at Boox, yes. Though their price range is seemingly not much better than reMarkable… I’m still waiting for a decent used market to develop around some of these newer models. I’m okay with being patient on e-ink tech.
There are other integrations, those were the two I used so I could remember them.
Certainly wasn’t cheap, but I do need to take quite a few notes during meetings with my engineering team, clients, shareholders etc., and being able to sketch something out real quick and project it over onto the screen in our meeting room with two clicks is pretty awesome.
My company even offered to pay for it, but I wanted it to be mine.
Ahh, looks like Canada native company started by Indigo, bought by Rakuten in 2011. At least their HQ and all is still in Toronto, didn’t get gutted by the buyout.
$140 – the Kobo Clara BW (black and white/e-ink) is clutch. Dark mode, plays well with calibre, a wide range of supported formats, and way more storage and battery life than you’ll ever need.
Edit: it is one of the first devices to utilize the E Ink Carta 1300 screen. It’s filled with e-books from Annas Archive loaded by Calibre on Debian and never complained about compatibility.
Kobos don’t need jailbreaking and have better performance
For those of us who will only buy electronics used, kindle is usually the only option. And far cheaper too. So its nice that the device can be opened up a bit.
My partner has a ‘Boox’ that runs android, complete with apk side loading its basically an android tablet! Super cool so far - there’s even a model with a color screen!
I slapped the Nextcloud app on there and she has been syncing her books between her phone and the Boox!
Edit= the brand name is called Boox! Autocorrect makes a fool of me yet again
I never even thought about the syncing capability with the Android e-ink options. I thought it was too much for a dedicated e-reader, but now you’ve got me thinking.
Recommend checking them out! Sorry, typo’d on my comment - the brand name is Boox!
I have hers all loaded up with a FOSS reader, f-droid (droid-ify), Nextcloud, Element messenger… The only thing I haven’t put time into is custom launcher stuff - but the native launcher isn’t half bad, if you ignore their attempts to coax you into their cloud subscription crap!
I’ve got my eyes on some Boox models, perhaps in a year or two if prices come down for the secondhand market. (Since I think they just released a new line not too long ago.) I’ve never had a tablet sized device (my e-reader is 6 inches), so it’d be an upgrade.
The reMarkable 2 has built in sync capability for dropbox, google drive and a few others. That device is seriously awesome.
I’ve wanted one of those ever since seeing a professor use it… but their price point is intimidating. I’m also not a fan of being limited to certain cloud services (I use neither Google Drive nor Dropbox).
Still, it’s a pretty nifty device, and the pen capabilities seem the best of all of them.
Good news!
Boox will run any cloud sync that has a recent Android app available. It’s just an Android tablet, at heart, and it’s already unlocked.
In particular, the local NAS sync client for Synology runs like a dream.
Edit: Oops. I missed that we switched from Boox to reMarkable, there.
I guess I’ll leave this since Boox sells eInk tablets that are feature matched to reMarkable, anyway.
I have been looking at Boox, yes. Though their price range is seemingly not much better than reMarkable… I’m still waiting for a decent used market to develop around some of these newer models. I’m okay with being patient on e-ink tech.
There are other integrations, those were the two I used so I could remember them.
Certainly wasn’t cheap, but I do need to take quite a few notes during meetings with my engineering team, clients, shareholders etc., and being able to sketch something out real quick and project it over onto the screen in our meeting room with two clicks is pretty awesome.
My company even offered to pay for it, but I wanted it to be mine.
Didn’t know that was a feature, that’s pretty cool.
My lawyer has one of those. It’s pretty cool.
It’s remarkable, really.
I’d never heard of these, thanks! I been trying to find old Kindles for sale, but this looks like a much better choice.
ETA: they’re also a Canadian company, win-win
Kobo is owned by Rakuten, a Japanese company. Still a much better choice than Amazon though.
Ahh, looks like Canada native company started by Indigo, bought by Rakuten in 2011. At least their HQ and all is still in Toronto, didn’t get gutted by the buyout.
Try “Unclaimed Baggage”. We got our kids kindles through them.
Interesting site. I already snagged a Kobo, but I’ll definitely keep this in mind for other stuff!
what is a good kobo to invest in on the cheaper side?
$140 – the Kobo Clara BW (black and white/e-ink) is clutch. Dark mode, plays well with calibre, a wide range of supported formats, and way more storage and battery life than you’ll ever need.
Edit: it is one of the first devices to utilize the E Ink Carta 1300 screen. It’s filled with e-books from Annas Archive loaded by Calibre on Debian and never complained about compatibility.
Thank you! I really like the calibre integration. I’m on mint and it works flawlessly so having a compatible e reader for the couch will be amazing