Introduction

This document is meant to be a starting point for using e-book readers (ie. Kobo devices, Pine64 Pinenote, etc.) with postmarketOS, from perspective of an end user.

Basic considerations

Avoid animations

e.g. blinking cursors in text console: /sys/class/graphics/fbcon/cursor_blink

Back(really Front-)light

UIs might consider enabled light to be a requirement for using the device, so it might be unnecessarily enabled and drain your battery

Desktop environments support

GNOME

TODO

e-ink theme for Gnome Shell

Plasma

TODO

e-ink theme

SXMO

Create a device profile
Add DPI in ~/.Xresources ie:

Xft.dpi:   350

Change rotation permanently - add to ~/.config/sxmo/profile

xrandr -o left

You will also need to set 'Coordinate Transformation Matrix' - can be googled easily for xinput instruction, or see https://github.com/bjesus/air readme for a Xorg configuration file example
Note - this seems to leave SXMO default gestures bindings, as they worked before rotation - the right edge is treated like it was top, and swiping it shows the menu, etc.

Other

AIR - custom scripts, based on AwesomeWM (X11)

matchbox

Software

Navigation

If you not just want to look around on maps, you can attach some gps over bluetooth or usb-host (maybe via bluetooth dongle) or the second serial port available on several kobos and tolinos. If you use routing, not updating the map away from decision points might be helpful.

Navit - routing, finding POIs
Some maps from state agencies are quite nice and grayscale mode (Lantmateriet Sweden offers some maps under a C0 license)
standard OSM mapnik needs some high contrast tweaking

e-book readers

Foliate
KOReader
Inkbox
...