XTEInk x4 Initial Thoughts
Apr. 5th, 2026 09:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grayestofghostsA few days ago I impulse purchased the XTEink x4. For those who don't know, the x4 is a tiny ereader that is smaller than most phones, and is in fact advertised as being able to stick to the back of your phone with a magnet, though because most people conceptualize it as an anti-scroll device I don't think most people use it this way. Anyway, a main reason I got it was because my current ereader is a Kobo Libra Color which, while very nice, is also a larger model and pretty frequently I find that it's too large to throw in a pocket or fanny pack. So enter the XTEink x4:
As you can see, very tiny. Also I went ahead and immediately flashed it with the CrossPoint firmware which I heard was better than the original, which is super limited. But the device is limited anyway. It is not a touch screen device which is rare nowadays, and doesn't read PDFs at all (which would be super difficult, given the size and again no touch screen). Unlike most ereaders in my experience, you can't just plug it in and access the file system. You either need to take out the SD card and plug that into a reader and into a computer, or you can send things through the local network, either over a browser or there are multiple apps to do that. The CrossPoint-compatible apps have a nice feature that lets you clip articles from your browser and queue them up to download onto your device when your device joins the network.
Before I realized this, I was trying to get my raspberry pi to work as an ebook server. I set up calibre, set up a news source out of my Instapaper feed and managed to push it to my device, though I was looking at how to automate the process to trigger whenever it found my ereader on the network, which might be a big ask. My instapaper feed is mostly articles that I find and want to read later, and I put them in instapaper because that means they go to my kobo, but I never get around to reading them. So I thought that I would finally get around to reading them if I put them on the smaller, more portable device! And I started reading them! and after a few articles... I realized the reason why I had been putting them off was because they were a bunch of downers!
Anyway. I've been experimenting with putting things on the device. Sometimes the CrossPoint web clipper works better than others, so I need to figure out the conditions under which it works well. There is apparently a way to sync up an XTEink x4 with crosspoint with a kobo through KOReader and calibre but I'm not sure I want to fuss with that because I don't use KOReader and am not sure I want to start. So I think I may just end up using both devices separately.
It's a little early to make any grand proclamations about this device but it is seriously stripped down to the basics and one thing I do miss is a backlight, because it does feel like a perfect device to read on right before bed. I do have a book light that I'm hoping I will be able to clip onto the case when the case arrives, or, failing that, the company does sell a magnetic book light for the x4. There's talk of a new XTEink device coming out soon that may be upgraded but I went ahead and purchased the x4 now because the new device looks to be android based and I preferred something without android.
Anyway, it's interesting. I'm hoping that it will get me to read more.
As you can see, very tiny. Also I went ahead and immediately flashed it with the CrossPoint firmware which I heard was better than the original, which is super limited. But the device is limited anyway. It is not a touch screen device which is rare nowadays, and doesn't read PDFs at all (which would be super difficult, given the size and again no touch screen). Unlike most ereaders in my experience, you can't just plug it in and access the file system. You either need to take out the SD card and plug that into a reader and into a computer, or you can send things through the local network, either over a browser or there are multiple apps to do that. The CrossPoint-compatible apps have a nice feature that lets you clip articles from your browser and queue them up to download onto your device when your device joins the network.
Before I realized this, I was trying to get my raspberry pi to work as an ebook server. I set up calibre, set up a news source out of my Instapaper feed and managed to push it to my device, though I was looking at how to automate the process to trigger whenever it found my ereader on the network, which might be a big ask. My instapaper feed is mostly articles that I find and want to read later, and I put them in instapaper because that means they go to my kobo, but I never get around to reading them. So I thought that I would finally get around to reading them if I put them on the smaller, more portable device! And I started reading them! and after a few articles... I realized the reason why I had been putting them off was because they were a bunch of downers!
Anyway. I've been experimenting with putting things on the device. Sometimes the CrossPoint web clipper works better than others, so I need to figure out the conditions under which it works well. There is apparently a way to sync up an XTEink x4 with crosspoint with a kobo through KOReader and calibre but I'm not sure I want to fuss with that because I don't use KOReader and am not sure I want to start. So I think I may just end up using both devices separately.
It's a little early to make any grand proclamations about this device but it is seriously stripped down to the basics and one thing I do miss is a backlight, because it does feel like a perfect device to read on right before bed. I do have a book light that I'm hoping I will be able to clip onto the case when the case arrives, or, failing that, the company does sell a magnetic book light for the x4. There's talk of a new XTEink device coming out soon that may be upgraded but I went ahead and purchased the x4 now because the new device looks to be android based and I preferred something without android.
Anyway, it's interesting. I'm hoping that it will get me to read more.
no subject
Date: 2026-04-06 05:12 am (UTC)