As a society, we need an open source device for reading. Books are among the most important documents of our culture, yet the most popular and widespread devices we have for reading are closed objects, operating as small moving parts in a set of giant closed platforms whose owners' interests are not always aligned with readers'.

The Open Book aims to be a simple device that anyone can build for themselves. The Open Book should be comprehensible: the reader should be able to look at it and understand, at least in broad strokes, how it works. It should be extensible, so that a reader with different needs can write code and add accessories that make the book work for them. It should be global, supporting readers of books in all the languages of the world. Most of all, it should be open, so that anyone can take this design as a starting point and use it to build a better book.

Check out the promo video as well:
https://youtu.be/vFD9V8Hh7Yg

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[–] christophski@feddit.uk 44 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't understand, it seems perfectly reasonable - people are just so used to these products being sold at a loss or at cost and subsidised by huge companies.

I would happily pay extra to not be tied to a massive corporation.

[–] nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br 9 points 1 year ago

And if we think about it, it would only cost more at first, because open hardware would last longer and be repairable, costing much less in the long run.

[–] pingveno@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Yeah, products like a Kindle or Kobo e-reader are sold to be paired with the company's e-book market. It makes sense for them economically I kind of view it as a win-win because I use it both for their books and for other reading material.