this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2026
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481
A $150 Buttonless, Open Hardware Answer to Kindle is being crowdfunded by Open Book Touch (itsfoss.com)
submitted 19 hours ago by FirmDistribution@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
86 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49429587

URL for the crowdfunding: https://www.crowdsupply.com/oddly-specific-objects/open-book-touch

Specs:

  • Display: 4.26" e-paper touchscreen, 480 × 800 px, warm + cool frontlight
  • Processor: ESP32-S3 dual-core, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth LE
  • Memory: 16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM
  • Formats: EPUB and plain text, no DRM
  • Storage: microSD card slot
  • Interface: USB-C with integrated LiPo charging
  • Dimension: 78 × 120 × 10 mm, about 85 g
  • Open source: MIT-licensed firmware, open hardware (to be released at shipping)

It also has a replaceable 800 mAh battery, I found it cool :)

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[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Buttons and scroll wheels cost more than touchscreens at this point… 90s me wanted touchscreens on everything, and me since maybe 2015? has been firmly “bring back buttons”

…whenever they started replacing useful things that SHOILD be buttons always (car) with touch things. Absolutely not bueno.

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

Buttons and scroll wheels cost more than touchscreens at this point…

It's not that they cost MORE, they can be sub-cent per unit if you buy enough of them:

https://www.digikey.ca/en/products/filter/tactile-switches/197?s=N4IgbCBcoJYCZRAWgIwAYUgDQgA4BdFsR8BPXAU0QEMBnAYxAF8mg

[–] Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 17 hours ago

Of course they cost MORE than putting all their functions on a tiny touch screen that’s already gonna be on the device!

Beyond manufacturing the device to be able to use separate physical moving pieces, you’ve also got costs supporting pieces that break in warranty, units damaged in shipping due to moving parts being tossed around, etc.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 10 points 14 hours ago

For just the part yes. Board design, programming, and manufacture costs increase with more components.