I really like personal blogs. I read them for entertainment, learning, and to keep myself updated on the latest trends in software engineering. I prefer to read them in a horizontal position, like on a couch or a deckchair outside in the sun. That explains why I almost never read them on my computer and always on my phone. I don’t necessarily enjoy that, though, since it makes my eyes tired. This never bothered me enough to actively do something about it. But when I came across a pocket-sized e-reader called the X4 by Xteink, I got an idea. At only 4.3 inches, the X4 fits nicely in the palm of your hand. It also has no touchscreen and no backlight, and doesn’t ship with a preinstalled bookstore. While most people probably think of this as inconvenient or old-fashioned, a small community has gathered around this device. They even created an open source firmware for it called Crosspoint. 1 At this point I already fell in love with the whole idea and ordered myself one.…