[Community] txtr Beagle (was: Re: Status GTA04A5)

[xdrudis]

On Fri, Jul 12, 2013 at 06:59:07PM +0200, xdrudis wrote:
> 
> I think this was one of the ereaders I asked the company about 
> any chance to have free software on it or at least no DRM and 
> no luck. 
> 
> I hope your friend is succesful. I'm not sure how difficult will it 
> be compared with designing an open ereader, but I'd love to have
> a eink screen controlled by gta04. Specially if NeronGPS could
> send the map there, keep it mostly static and update just the 
> current position marker for walking without too much worry for
> batteries, and a larger and sunshine readable screen. But 
> email and books is interesting too. 
> 
> 
> 

2.5 months later...

I have just been sent this, which I followed until an announcement just 3 days
after my message... I wish I had know earlier...

http://www.mibqyyo.com/actualidad/2013/07/15/bq-ereaders-developers-program/

https://bitbucket.org/mundoreader/cervantes

http://www.bqreaders.com/nuevo-so-cervantes-touch-y-cervantes-touch-light.html

I haven't looked into the details or downloaded anything. I don't know
if there are propietary parts somewhere, or if the requirement to
contact them to hack the device is simply for warranty reasons or
they're trying to imply that there's some boot locking that they will
only disable if you contact them, but it appears to be the debian
system in there with kernel sources (uboot sources ?  does it have
some verified boot left?) qt libraries and even the source of the
reader application (minus the drm). There seems to be usb networking
(or wifi if you want to spend the power there), maybe one can run gpsd
on GTA04 and simply access it though usb networking from a ported
nerongps in the book reader (iMX5 800MHz), so you can read the display
in sunshine when walking around the country... I don't think it would
work for a car or so because it might be too slow to update the
screen, but there you have more power for other stuff...

I'd look more into it if I had more time...But at least "open source"
in the advertising of an ebook reader is more than I was used to (I
know it is not open hardware, FSF endorsable or anything like that,
but I had a worse impression of this market).