Kindle DX as E-Ink computer monitor (2012) | Hacker News Reader

Kindle DX as E-Ink computer monitor (2012)

tinyapps.org

104 pointstango2451 comments

This piece is likely pertinent due to the discussion of e-ink screens: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18100447 from a couple days ago.

I can see the appeal of something Dasung 13" screen: https://www.amazon.com/Dasung-Ink-Paperlike-13-3-Monitor/dp/... for long, sequential text documents. It'd make an interesting second display. Just not for $1,200.

I really would love to see the Dasung 24" screen, if it will happen then I think I can swallow that price.

https://www.amazon.com/BOOX-Ereader-Android-Interface-Dual-T... what about $800? (it's not an affiliate link)

That product packs both a screen and a standalone ereader for that price. Sounds like a superior deal compared to Dasung, in every regard.

BOOX ereader has significant delay when it is used as computer display (according to reviews on http://goodereader.com). Dasung display is much smoother.

Right, but you can enable A2 which uses a different drawing algorithm and adjust the full refresh period, but it is NOT a means to play games or watch a movie. If you do, you are probably using it wrong to begin with ;-)

Dasung has a demo video that purports to show the worse response time of an e-reader when used in its monitor mode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdr6GD6enQc

I actually wish there were a whole [laptop] computer and an OS designed around an e-ink display so it wouldn't be a pain to use in bright direct sunlight.

I also imagine reading news and articles on a forced monochrome display would be less distracting.

Perhaps, if you make it black-on-white and if your diplay is not glossy. Even using a classic gray-on-black terminal becomes hard when the sun shines in my window (I have curtains but not thick enough, I'd rather install jalousie but some members of my family resist this for aesthetic reasons) while I actually love sunlight and fresh air and could enjoy working outdoors during sunny days if only the display would stay readable.

Yes, I meant that as an added benefit of an e-ink based laptop.

There was a company called Pixel Qi that offered e-ink screens for laptops.

> There was a company called Pixel Qi that offered e-ink screens for laptops.

They were transreflective LCD's, not e-ink.

I have an old laptop (Toshiba R500) with a transreflective screen. This works pretty well in bright sunlight. I'm not aware of anyone producing one currently, however.

Lenovo has a new laptop called the Yoga Book. The keyboard is an e-ink display that can be used as an e-reader. Windows, so not a full OS, but definitely a step in that direction.

Here is a non-affiliate link: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/windows-tablets/yoga-bo...

Just a clarification, this is actually the previous gen version, where the keyboard area was intended to be a digitizer for handwriting and pen input.

The new one with e ink keyboard is called the Yoga Book C930 and should be available later this year. Lenovo's mobile sites are a mess so I can't seem to find a page for it at the moment but there are many video previews of the device.

Previous generation X1 had OLED screen option which seems to have been discontinued.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be bright enough for solid outdoor use.

p.s. one trick to use outdoors is to change your editor theme from dark to bright.

> Windows, so not a full OS

Thumbs-up! I get what you mean but this sounds brilliant :-)))

I love my DX. I just wish Amazon would push an update where the screensaver was the last page read.

I’ve never understood why they don’t have options for this as well as the cover of the last read book. They haven’t even updated the screensavers since the earliest Kindles.

Why would an e-ink device even need a screensaver or to turn the display off? Isn't just leaving a displayed picture as it is the most energy-efficient and display-saving solution on e-ink?

> Why would an e-ink device even need a screensaver

To display adverts?

OMG. Thanks g-d I have a PocketBook rather than a Kindle and have never seen ads on e-ink...

Note: Back when I bought my Kindle Paperwhite, Amazon offered an ad-supported version and one completely without ads.

The price difference IIRC was roughly $99/$119, so please don't let the parent mislead you into thinking every Kindle comes with ads.

Thanks. Nice to know.

As unobtrusive as the ads on a Kindle are, there is not really any good reason to pay the extra to avoid them. At least the e-ink ones. If I was going to ever buy another Kindle Fire, I would definitely get an ad-free version though.

I paid extra to get the ad-free version of the Kindle Paperwhite thinking I was dodging obnoxious ads for random products.

Turns out the ad is just a featured book on the lock screen. I regret paying extra. Seeing the ad for Leviathan Wakes on my gf’s Kindle is how I discovered The Expanse series.

What does the lock screen display if you don't have ads? I might not be interested in paying to not have ads, but paying to put a picture of the family on the lock screen might have some appeal.

It displays a randomly selected picture from a preselected set of six. Swapping to your own screensaver requires jailbreaking your kindle, and if you're going to do that, save the $15.

Thanks.... that's a little disappointing, but I appreciate the info.

I have a TV that does that too. I get random artistic photos from Google rather than the curated family photos I would prefer.

The DX doesn't have ads. The newer ones you can pay like $15 to not have ads but they still have screensavers.

Exactly, your choice is either ads-as-screensavers or one-time $15 purchase to get generic screensavers instead.

There's a paired backlight, which consumes power, so there's an off button.

DX doesn't have a backlight (or ads).

If this is true, it's a design mistake. Backlight should never be paired, it should be activated on demand either by a button or by an ambiance light sensor. Having backlight turned on when reading a book on an e-ink screen during a day is a ridiculous waste of battery unless you hide in a closet.

There's a brightness adjust, which goes from "off" to "really quite bright thanks". Ambient light sensor was added with the Voyage? which is relatively recent.

Works really well for well for. Keeps my kids safe from what I am reading. I even have the pin lock enabled for the same reason.

Makes sense just from privacy standpoint. Don’t need everyone to see I’m reading a juicy Harry Potter fanfic erotica or whatever website I had up in the Kindle browser.

The paperlike hd looks interesting. https://www.amazon.com/Dasung-Ink-Paperlike-13-3-Monitor/dp/...

I Liked my DX but the screen wasn't adequately protected and I let the magic fairy goo out.

> The paperlike hd looks interesting. https://www.amazon.com/Dasung-Ink-Paperlike-13-3-Monitor/dp/....

A blog post featuring that display was discussed yesterday here on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18100447

> Note that in some jurisdictions, it may actually be illegal to jailbreak your tablet (but not a phone!).

I believe an exception was carved out for this a couple years ago, so it should be legal to jailbreak both tablets and phones now.

Does anyone know why Amazon stopped selling the DX?

Poor sales is the most likely reason.

I'm hoping we see color e-ink displays integrated into TV displays so they're not such an eyesaw when not in use.

That's a very interesting mondegreen[0] :).

FWIW, the normal word is "eyesore" -- but a saw would make anyone's eyes sore.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen

I fear the day. Their screens, when off, will then be used to present advertisements 24/7

Too true... a lot of "smart" TVs are already heading in that direction... I'd be happier seeing better AndroidTV support by application vendors, and a refresh for the Shield TV.

Anyone knows where large e-ink displays can be purchased directly for electronic projects/prototyping?

In answer to your question, E-ink themselves sells large displays and controller modules: https://shopkits.eink.com/product-category/e-ink-display-mod...

Thanks! That's very expensive, I didn't expect this price range. I saw some stuff on AliExpress that was a lot cheaper, but I guess the spec might not be the same.

that's a little fucked up

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