[sieve]

Got the X4. Put CrossPoint on it. Works like a charm. The http server accessible over wifi makes transferring books extremely simple. (Shame on the Kindle for locking everything down.) This is proof-of-concept that a microcontroller is more than enough for something like an e-reader.

I have a Kindle and a Kobo. They are sturdy devices. But the X4 is the one that is a genuine e-reader. Would not get it as my one and only e-reader though as you tend to miss the size and backlight of the larger ones.

What would I want from future iterations?

- backlight even if it compromises on battery a bit

- a bit more DPI

Everything else is good enough.

[kstrauser]

I'm with you on every bit. I love my Kobo Libra 2 and it lives on my nightstand table. It's an excellent reader. The X4 with CrossPoint is an alright reader, but I've been chewing through books on my morning commute because it fits in my jacket pocket and I can have it out on the train without bumping into other people.

It's not the best reader I own, but it's the best reader I have on me at any given moment when I'm not laying in bed.

[sieve]

> It's not the best reader I own, but it's the best reader I have on me at any given moment

This. The form factor is almost the right one for an e-reader. The battery lasts for weeks. It is so open that you could probably write your own firmware for it based on CrossPoint or similar for your own needs.

Needs some iterative development while ruthlessly culling requests for random features.

[kstrauser]

> The form factor is almost the right one for an e-reader.

It truly is. It fits perfectly in one hand without stretching uncomfortably, so I can hold it for longer than any reading session I've had without making my hand get stiff. While holding it in the normal way, my thumb naturally rests on one of the side buttons, which I've mapped to "next page".

If I were to hold out my hand, and someone put an X4 in it, I wouldn't have to move a muscle and it'd be in the right position for me to read for hours with just the periodic button tap.

Everyone's different, of course. It's guaranteed to be too big or too small for others, and that's cool. For me it feels like someone custom designed it based on a model of my hand.

[criddell]

Does your reading position sync up between the two devices?

[ihowlatthemoon]

Not the commenter you were replying to, but I have both a Kindle and a X4. No, it does not, but searching for a unique enough phrase (just two or three words) on the current page gets you there fast enough.

[crtasm]

If you install koreader on the kobo, crosspoint on the x4 and create a free koreader sync account (or host your own sync sever): yes - but on the x4 you need to manually trigger syncs

Alternatively if you wish to stick with the stock Kobo reader app it is possible to sync via a https://grimmory.org/ instance

[0cf8612b2e1e]

As someone who also juggles multiple readers, I find it easier to have a different book per device. Otherwise I would waste too much time trying to sync between the two.

[tmottabr]

There are rumors they will release a V2 Pro version with touch and backlight in the second half of this year.

They also have already announced the S4 that is basically the same device, a bit ticker with touch and backlight and running android.

[0cf8612b2e1e]

It has perfectly usable buttons. Adding touch feels like straying from the core proposition to have a minimal reader.

[coredog64]

It was probably a decade ago, but I used to have this extremely cheap e-reader that ran off AA batteries, used a monochrome LCD screen (no lighting) and was based on a microcontroller. If you let the batteries die and waited too long to replace them, you had to reflash the software on it. I think it only handled mobi format, but it might have been epub.

[pluralmonad]

Not being lighted is what has kept me from trying it. If they do add lighting I hope it is a front light and not a back light. Hard to beat a front lit e-ink display for reading. Bonus points for warmth settings.

[HumblyTossed]

All of this. It's a solid device. I like it. It won't replace my Kobo, but it has it's place in my tech lineup.

Will buy the next one if it has a light.