The Android-based Onyx BOOX ebook reader supports an bluetooth keyboard. The company will sell you a reasonably decent one (it lacks function and escape keys, though Fn-` maps to esc within Termux ... sometimes) for $35.<p>The Termux Linux terminal and environment (<a href="https://termux.com/" rel="nofollow">https://termux.com/</a>) is installable via F-Droid. Among the terminal schemes is an e-ink mode of dark-on-light. Font size is scalable.<p>Through Termux you have your choice of terminal-mode editors, including vim, emacs, nano, pico, and numerous others.<p>The handwriten notes feature is also quite good. Text-recognition is a bit iffy but does work.<p>My main reservation with this setup is that Android's memory management is fatally flawed and processes can be terminated at any time without warning. Terminal sessions really ought to be exemptable from that, but AFAIK they are not. (Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.)<p>Still, it's a quite good environment with nearly 1,500 packages available using the APT package tool.<p>Smaller current BOOX devices start at about US$250, used could likely be less than this.<p>Any Android or LineageOS -capable device should be able to function likewise. There are a few Linux-based devices also on the market (and yes, Kobo is one), including the reMarkable tablet (my major gripe: 16 GB storage is simply stupidly small, this supports a cabled keyboard but not AFAIU Bluetooth), and devices from Pine (in process) and possibly Purism.<p>A longer review of the Onyx BOOX here: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27521248" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27521248</a>
This is awesome! I made a similar app that works with a kindle and your mobile device: <a href="https://msolomon.github.io/solarwriter-website" rel="nofollow">https://msolomon.github.io/solarwriter-website</a>
I write science fiction and also work in technology. My days are spent glued to a screen so much that it's hard to want to write on my computer when I have time to write. So I do everything longhand, then wait for long weekends to translate things from my notebook into a word processor. I wish I could do my drafts on my computer; I used to be able to work all day and night in front of a screen, but lately I've been realizing that I'm a lot less anxious overall when I (try to) stop interacting with computers after a certain time.<p>One thing I've been thinking about is having a computer hooked up to a rudimentary word processor app on my kindle. The kindle's display doesn't bother me after I'm done working on screens. It feels different enough that it doesn't interrupt my reading, so I've posited that I would be okay writing on one.<p>I'm excited to see technology like this come out, and I'm excited to see how this little industry grows.
Y'all want an Alphasmart.<p>The basic models like the classic iMac Themed 3000 were the best models for this but the Neo gets you a better screen and keyboard.
This looks super fun!<p>Lately I've been dreaming of building a credit-card sized computer (thickness included) using a e-ink display and ultrathin battery. I haven't found a good purpose for it though.<p>Speaking of E-Ink, if you remember the "Thinkpad X230 with “e-Ink” display at 30fps": <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26860609" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26860609</a>, I'm selling two of them: <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/255123140172" rel="nofollow">https://www.ebay.com/itm/255123140172</a>
I recently received my freewrite traveler and I <i>love</i> this device, I've been wanting something like this for years now and I could finally afford it.<p>If you're taken aback by the steep price tag: from my understanding that's a combination of small volume and the patent situation with e-ink which has been holding the technology back. Seriously, I'm very frustrated with that; essentially these things haven't gotten all that much better (in general, not talking about volume customers like amazon) than the first time I read about them in what, 2005?
Nice, but for actual use, there are more straightforward setups:<p>I spend hours per day in front of an Onyx Max2 (13.3'' E-Ink + Android) landscape on a full sized BT keyboard with a long slot to accommodate big tablets, and I use a full fledged word processor.<p>The catch is, I was dissatisfied with all word processors available for Android, so I wrote mine (and I get rich text in full book-like formatting with optimized use of the screen).
Folks still trying to recreate a more perfect Apple Newton with the external keyboard option. (I'm all for it!)<p>See: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/animbear/6939415056/" rel="nofollow">https://www.flickr.com/photos/animbear/6939415056/</a>
On the reMarkable tablet you can access the linux firmware directly, which should make this kind of use possible without dropping other functionality.<p>See for instance this post by Nick Temple: <a href="https://nicktemple.com/blog/remarkable-keyboard/" rel="nofollow">https://nicktemple.com/blog/remarkable-keyboard/</a>
I wish the README had a description of the mounting bracket, and of the editor (i.e. is it based on an existing editor). Relatedly, are there console based editors that focus on writing prose? What about setups for the more popular editors built for code?
Nice project. I recently achieved my e-ink typewriter dream with an Onyx Boox paired with a Jelly Comb keyboard. More expensive than using an old Kobo but pretty flexible.
eInk typewriter is cute but I want an eInk Obsidian[1] machine :-)<p>[1] <a href="https://obsidian.md/" rel="nofollow">https://obsidian.md/</a>
I bought an eink display once, thinking to use it for text editing, but returned it the second day. There is nothing paper like when it comes to typing.