Hobbyists are turning old devices into digital typewriters
Electronic paper is useful, for example, for use in the sun – so why not write on it instead of just reading? (Photo: Shutterstock / SimonLe89)
Anyone who uses an e-reader knows that the displays differ in some aspects from tablets, laptops or PCs. Hobbyists want to use these differences for writing.
It could be so beautiful: In warm temperatures and sunshine, it sometimes seems tempting to simply move your workstation outside. However, if you have looked for a sunny spot, the big disappointment follows when you open the laptop: Despite tightly squinted eyes, the content on the screen is difficult to see, the surroundings are simply too bright and the screen is reflective. Really productive work becomes difficult.
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E-reader with a difference: thanks to the hobbyist trick, text undisturbed in the sun
But now there seems to be a solution to the problem of light for people who just want to write digitally in peace and quiet and perhaps stock up on some vitamin D at the same time. There are various instructions online on how hobbyists can turn old e-readers into digital typewriters. By working with software extensions and providing the devices with a keyboard, they want to use the special feature of e-reader displays: The corresponding displays reflect light like normal paper, instead of actively glowing – they are so-called passive displays. This property ensures that the texts on e-readers are easy to read not only in normal room light, but also in the sun.
In addition, the converted e-readers have two further advantages: On the one hand, the energy consumption is significantly lower than with other devices, and the battery accordingly lasts longer. On the other hand, the reading or writing flow is less frequently interrupted by pop-up notifications, for example from the inbox. This way you should be able to concentrate better than on a laptop, tablet or PC.
Convert Kobo, Kindle and Co. into writing implements: Instructions explain how to do it
Corresponding devices for undisturbed writing on so-called e-ink displays are already available in regular trade – but why not just use and expand the gadget that you may already have? There are already various implementations of the extension idea on the Internet; on GitHub, for example, a developer explains his approach to old Kobo models – the result is what is known as the so-called Kobowriter. The device is connected to a keyboard via a USB port, which is supplied with external energy. A few software steps later, the device and keyboard are actually functionally linked and text production can start.
Also for Kindle-Models or the Boox e-readers from Onyx there are possibilities to connect a keyboard (partly also via Bluetooth) to the device and convert it into a digital typewriter – User reports However, according to some functions there is still room for improvement.
