this post was submitted on 13 Oct 2023
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This is a complete reimagining of the Open Book Project, but the original mission remains:

As a society, we need an open source device for reading. Books are among the most important documents of our culture, yet the most popular and widespread devices we have for reading are closed objects, operating as small moving parts in a set of giant closed platforms whose owners' interests are not always aligned with readers'.

The Open Book aims to be a simple device that anyone can build for themselves. The Open Book should be comprehensible: the reader should be able to look at it and understand, at least in broad strokes, how it works. It should be extensible, so that a reader with different needs can write code and add accessories that make the book work for them. It should be global, supporting readers of books in all the languages of the world. Most of all, it should be open, so that anyone can take this design as a starting point and use it to build a better book.

Check out the promo video as well:
https://youtu.be/vFD9V8Hh7Yg

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[–] [email protected] 147 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (55 children)

When they say build it yourself, they mean it:

  • 3D print case
  • Solder PCB
  • Compile your own firmware

For those interested, base price to build this might start at $85 based on one estimate linked from the resource.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 year ago (38 children)

For those interested, base price to build this might start at $85 based on one estimate linked from the resource.

It’s crazy how subsidized a Kindle is. I recently paid 60€ on sale for a brand-new Paperwhite. That has a superior display, and requires no extra work. It’s even worse if you look at voice-assistants, On sale, you can probably get 3-4 echo dots for the price of the materials of a single self-built one…

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

It’s crazy how subsidized a Kindle is.

No doubt Amazon sells Kindles with a thin margin or maybe even at a loss. But the cost to produce them is also lowered significantly by manufacturing large quantities.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You mean the ad infested ebook reader that has less and less features with each version? Yeah sounds great. Buy a Kobo instead and host your own library with Calibre.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Sounds great. Edit: although I would have more fun building the open book project.

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