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The Xteink X4 E-Ink Reader

https://blog.omgmog.net/post/xteink-x4-e-ink-reader/
53•felixdoerp•1h ago

Comments

ApolloFortyNine•1h ago
I got one, it's pretty cool that it's small enough to just magnet to the back of your phone. If your someone who needs to use a large font on their ereader to read its certainly not for you, but the screen size is good enough for regular sized text.

It's also cool that it's chip is just an ESP32.

WillAdams•11m ago
I would like to see a phone case which this inserts into --- bonus points if there's a way to use it as a status display for the phone for use in bright/direct sunlight.
NDlurker•1h ago
I've had the X3 for a month and I love it. It's so small I forget it's in my pocket and have almost washed it a couple times. I'm working on custom firmware for it, so I ordered an X4 when they had the 20% off sale to test on there too.
automathematics•13m ago
link the custom firmware!
somesortofthing•58m ago
I got the X4 and liked it enough that I used it a ton even though it turned out to be too big to Magsafe onto my phone. In fact, I liked it enough that I also got the X3 on sale so I can use it the way I originally intended to use the X4.
dinkleberg•54m ago
I got the X4 a few weeks back and installed https://github.com/uxjulia/CrossInk and it has been a dream.
miohtama•54m ago
For those who can afford it, I can recommend the Boox Note for the ebook reader. It comes with full Android, so you are not limited to books but can read news, Hacker News, and other doomscrolling that fills the Internet.

In a pinch, you can also connect it to a Bluetooth keyboard and use it as a development terminal. SSH terminal looks gorgeous on e-ink.

dewey•41m ago
Sounds like the opposite of what I want for my ebook reader.
koziserek•37m ago
the point of having an e-ink reader (at least for me and anybody I know who actively use such device), is to read things, so keeping doomscrolling options is *not* an advantage..
BeetleB•36m ago
> It comes with full Android, so you are not limited to books but can read news, Hacker News, and other doomscrolling that fills the Internet.

That sounds like an anti-feature. When I first bought an ereader over 15 years ago, I intentionally chose one that didn't support Wifi for this very reason. I want it primarily for reading documents.

But then again, I guess Boox is meant more to be a tablet than an ereader.

Also, genuinely curious - does having Android reduce the time between recharges? As an example, I read a whole book over 7 days, and didn't need to charge my Kobo (and modern Kobo battery life is not great).

I want Kobo to release an 8" color, but don't know if they ever will. I was considering Boox as an alternative, but I worry about battery life and Android. I wonder if my worry is misplaced.

imzadi•
WithinReason•50m ago
CrossPoint 1.4.0 came out 2 hours ago:

https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader/relea...

camel-cdr•36m ago
I skimmed over the project a bit. It seems quite ambitious to aim to reimplement epub, considering that means supporting HTML, CSS, SVG and JavaScript.

Is there a ebook format that isn't just build arround the concept of a webbrowser?

sieve•24m ago
epub is overkill for a vast majority of books.

A format that only supported

- headings

- paragraphs

- emphasis (bold/italics)

- bullets

- inline images

is good enough. A simple container with a TOC pointing to text blocks/files within it that can be processed very cheaply.

Unfortunately, with something like epub, you lose all the simplicity because you want to support every single feature even if rarely used.

sieve•48m ago
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•17m ago
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.

criddell•8m ago
Does your reading position sync up between the two devices?
HumblyTossed•16m ago
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.

pluralmonad•9m ago
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.
dgrabla•35m ago
I love this thing and I use it a lot more than my kindle and my kobo (with koreader). I really like the form factor and the fact that goes out of sleep almost instantly and goes to sleep equally as fast. It seeps battery. It is perfect the way it is.
galleywest200•33m ago
I love my X4. I throw it in my backpack or pocket when I take the dog to the park and read a few pages when we sit in the shade.
shorsher•32m ago
As someone who has resisted buying an e-reader for years because I "prefer physical books", I finally purchased a Kobo Clara BW and love it. Even though I usually only read one book at a time, having my whole library in a small form factor is really wonderful.
nosioptar•31m ago
The no USB flashing doesn't appear to be the case if you get it straight from OEM. It is a bit pricier than amazon.

https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4

thenthenthen•30m ago
Hijacking … i have some random e-ink displays (from a bought product)… there seem to be 6 lines to the mcu (or 7, havent measured). Any 2026 tips on approaches to reverse engineer this to run on an arbitrary hobby mcu like esp32? Oh the mcu seems to be a WinnerMicro W100 Series MCU (arm m3)
dmitrygr•26m ago
there are 4 or 5 command sets, you can safely try them all. for that few wires, it'll be spi
crimsdings•30m ago
Have the X4, the size is perfect - I always have it in my pocket and can read a view pages whenever I am waiting for something. Reduced my phone usage / doom scrolling nonsense with it. Best 50€ spent in a long time.
hxii•27m ago
I’ve been looking at these for a while, hoping the custom firmwares for it will become more popular, as I was considering getting this for my six-year-old.

The disabled usb is certainly a bummer. I wonder how they disabled it though – is there a hardware difference?

senorcrab•24m ago
I've been using it for about 6 months. Very, very good - especially paired with anna's archive.

IT IS VERY FRAGILE! The eink screen on my first broke while in my backpack. The company is generous, I bought a new one and they gave 35% off and included all accessories (reading light, case, extra protectors). Highly recommend.

kandros•21m ago
been using on the back of my phone for a few months, my most satisfying hardware purchase in a long time
automathematics•14m ago
what phone does it fit on? I have the X3 coming today for this very reason. The x4 is just too big and the magnets misplaced to fit on any phone I own
zabi_rauf•12m ago
Love my X4. Shameless plug, I also built an iOS/Android app to manage books and also send web articles over to Crosspoint

https://crosspointsync.com/

31m ago
If you are looking for a more affordable option, I have a Musnap Ocean C. It's a little bare bones, but still pretty good. It's a color e-ink display and you can get an optional pen that lets you take notes. I only use it for books and documents, though. It's the best option under $300 that I have found if you want something that is color and can take hand written notes.
criddell•6m ago
[delayed]

Megalomania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalomania
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