Okay ill give you points because I never heard of Xteink X3or the open-source CrossPoint. I have a Kobo reader/pen note taker and a Kobo ereader (somewhere) one is too large and one is just meh. Im going to try one of these but it would have been easier to pick something if you actually said HOW DOES IT WORK OUT OF THE BOX AS AN ACTUAL EREADER!
I recently purchased an Xteink 4 Pro. My understanding is the built-in software is somewhat ok. You can find reviews on YouTube if you want to know more.
For installing CrossPoint, that is very easy. The CrossPoint website walks you through the installation, which only takes 5-10 minutes. After that, you can put content on the device using the build-in SD card, via Wifi, and a few other methods.
reviews I've seen have been very positive, with the caveat that "out of the box" includes reimaging it with open source firmware. make sure you get a device that can be reimaged this way.
This is a good point. Devices purchased on AliExpress often have their firmware locked. Apparently, it is possible to get around this, but you're better off just getting one that's unlocked from the manufacturer, either via Amazon or the Xteink website,
For installing CrossPoint, that is very easy. The CrossPoint website walks you through the installation, which only takes 5-10 minutes. After that, you can put content on the device using the build-in SD card, via Wifi, and a few other methods.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49617255
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49596629