i think e-readers are one of the last worthwhile consumer electronics innovations. definitely the last good innovation in the realm of the tablet computer/smartphone form factor. its the last one that feels like it has a justifiable reason to exist and actually improves life in a substantial way.
every other iteration of tablet/smartphone has just been more of the same garbage. iphone, but faster, thinner, smaller, bigger. but eink readers feel like they are an actual meaningfully different and valuable thing that accomplishes a different goal.
i read so much more on an ereader than i do with physbooks because anything i want to read that has a mobi version somewhere online is available to me, and i dont have to be carrying a heavy book that tires out my wrists and neck. i dont need to be straining my eyes with text that is just too small to be comfortable to read (not in a vision problem way, its not that i have trouble focusing on the text or its blurry. its just like, too small. my brain likes big text. its more comfy and less cognitive effort to read).
its like an ebook is an accessibility device for me. and that rules. this is what i mean when i talk about technology that actually improves people's lives, not just makes life Faster and More Overstimulating and More Connected.
I haven't had a chance to source + fab + assemble it yet1 but I love the approach to board design -- since the size of the e-paper display dictates the size of the mainboard, why not put assembly instructions and a description of the design right on the silkscreen?
edit: as @bnys noted in the comments, the creator of Open Book is working on a new revision with a more powerful processor -- so don't rush out and build it right now, but I'm sure I'll gush about the project again at some point
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if any of my oomfies in seattle want to get in on a group buy, hit me up on discord