This is a great point. Back when I was checking I think I was underwhelmed by the customization ecosystem for kobos but now I’m not sure what was stopping me/made me reconsider.

Upon further inspection there is also the Pine Note!

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46283016

https://pine64.org/devices/pinenote/

It’s quite pricey but certainly more straightforward in its offering.

Kobo is the cheaper and has a color option and is likely slightly less hackable.

[EDIT] Ah, I think this is what I found:

https://github.com/Quill-OS/quill

Kobo’s switch to secure boot made things harder for Quill which seemed to be the only custom OS.

I've been using one of the Kobo Clara devices running Plato (built in Rust) for a few years now. Other than a couple of minor bugs early on, I've had no issues.

It's largely the exact device that I want my book reader to be:

* Small and lightweight

* Nice epaper screen

* No need for an internet connection whatsoever

* Natively understands EPUB

* Just reads books -- no ads, no markets, no apps, no upsell

The built-in Kobo firmware isn't great. IIRC Rakuten/Walmart hoover up and sell your reading habits, etc. Hence one reason why I don't connect mine to the internet (running Plato probably fixes this, but restarting the device doesn't immediately go into Plato). The device is also weirdly sluggish with the default Kobo software, and much faster in Plato.

I'm done with the kindle ecosystem, except for one last jailbroken kindle that I use for reading, but once that dies it's nice to know options.

Open source software, open (to the owners) with default configs, open ecosystems, repairability, hackability, open hardware are all factors I look for across multiple devices now. routers & wifi, readers, phones, headphones, laptops, keyboards, etc..

They don't always have to hit every element - but the more they cover, the more likely I am to track and purchase them when the time comes.