E-Ink tablet under 50USD?

[Hassan170]

I'm looking for an e-ink tablet to hold my college notes and slides so I don't have to print them.

I may use it to read books or maybe even put manga on it but the primary use case is to store and read PDFs and PowerPoint slides. 

 

I know Amazon sells the Kindle but those are fairly pricey in my region (Malaysia) so I was wondering if there was a cheaper alternative or should I just buy a cheap iPad or android tablet instead? 

I wanted the e-ink mainly because of the battery life and that its easier on the eyes.

 

Any suggestions?

 

[Biohazard777]

2 minutes ago, Hassan170 said:

I'm looking for an e-ink tablet to hold my college notes and slides so I don't have to print them.

I may use it to read books or maybe even put manga on it but the primary use case is to store and read PDFs and PowerPoint slides. 

 

I know Amazon sells the Kindle but those are fairly pricey in my region (Malaysia) so I was wondering if there was a cheaper alternative or should I just buy a cheap iPad or android tablet instead? 

I wanted the e-ink mainly because of the battery life and that its easier on the eyes.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I also prefer e-ink for reading, easier on my eyes and the battery lasts way longer like you've said.
Problem with e-ink displays is that demand is still very low for the display technology to get much cheaper. Kindle e-ink devices are heavily subsidized by Amazon, since their business plan is making money from you buying on the Amazon books and not from selling you the device.
With 50$ your only option right now is to buy a used/refurbished Kindle, you won't find a cheaper alternative (like some cheap Chinese brand if that is what you had in mind).
 

[Hassan170]

34 minutes ago, Biohazard777 said:

I also prefer e-ink for reading, easier on my eyes and the battery lasts way longer like you've said.
Problem with e-ink displays is that demand is still very low for the display technology to get much cheaper. Kindle e-ink devices are heavily subsidized by Amazon, since their business plan is making money from you buying on the Amazon books and not from selling you the device.
With 50$ your only option right now is to buy a used/refurbished Kindle, you won't find a cheaper alternative (like some cheap Chinese brand if that is what you had in mind).
 

I see so it has to be Kindle huh?

A few questions.

Is the OS on the Kindle open in the sense that I could put my own stuff to read?

Like say if I have a manga and I want to put in the kindle would it let me? 

Can I flash a custom ROM? 

What other downsides should I be aware of? 

[Chris Pratt]

11 minutes ago, Hassan170 said:

I see so it has to be Kindle huh?

A few questions.

Is the OS on the Kindle open in the sense that I could put my own stuff to read?

Like say if I have a manga and I want to put in the kindle would it let me? 

Can I flash a custom ROM? 

What other downsides should I be aware of? 

No. Kindle is entirely locked down. It's a reader for Amazon's Kindle Bookstore, not a tablet in any traditional sense of the word. Amazon does let you upload "docs", which sort of gives you a way to sideload books and other similar content, but the experience is lacking to say the least.

 

@Biohazard777is correct in that what you're looking for doesn't exist, though. The very cheapest Kindle is $90, and as he said, they can only offer that price because they're selling it as a loss leader for the Kindle store: they're making money selling you books, not devices.

 

When you start looking at more open e-Ink devices like Boox, etc., you're going to paying hundreds of dollars at a minimum. The only faint hope of finding anything at $50 is on the used market, and you won't likely see that price even then, unless the device is broken and you happen to have the skill and wherewithal to try to fix it.

 

[Hassan170]

2 hours ago, Chris Pratt said:

No. Kindle is entirely locked down. It's a reader for Amazon's Kindle Bookstore, not a tablet in any traditional sense of the word. Amazon does let you upload "docs", which sort of gives you a way to sideload books and other similar content, but the experience is lacking to say the least.

 

@Biohazard777is correct in that what you're looking for doesn't exist, though. The very cheapest Kindle is $90, and as he said, they can only offer that price because they're selling it as a loss leader for the Kindle store: they're making money selling you books, not devices.

 

When you start looking at more open e-Ink devices like Boox, etc., you're going to paying hundreds of dollars at a minimum. The only faint hope of finding anything at $50 is on the used market, and you won't likely see that price even then, unless the device is broken and you happen to have the skill and wherewithal to try to fix it.

 

Damnn, there are some used kindles for around $50 but it seems like a iPad or android tablet might be a better option.

 

I might go used Kindle regardless as I don't want to be distracted but having the screen size and versatility of an iPad is tempting. 

 

By the way, is it really true you can't "crack" a kindle? I find it odd that no one has managed to flash their own OS

[Chris Pratt]

8 minutes ago, Hassan170 said:

Damnn, there are some used kindles for around $50 but it seems like a iPad or android tablet might be a better option.

 

I might go used Kindle regardless as I don't want to be distracted but having the screen size and versatility of an iPad is tempting. 

 

By the way, is it really true you can't "crack" a kindle? I find it odd that no one has managed to flash their own OS

You can on older firmware, but there's little point. It's not anything standard where you can install like Android apps or something. You'd have to rely on custom hacks and code.

[Hassan170]

21 minutes ago, Chris Pratt said:

You can on older firmware, but there's little point. It's not anything standard where you can install like Android apps or something. You'd have to rely on custom hacks and code.

I see well that sucks. 

Guess I'll have to weigh a kindle vs iPad 

Thanks for the help and advice! 

[Hassan170]

8 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What ever happened to "50USD"?

Gone, reduced to ashes. 

 

I am looking at some 2nd hand kindles that are roughly at that price point but i have no idea which one is the best deal as I am not familiar with kindles.