CrossPoint Apps

CrossPoint Apps is a community-driven fork of the original CrossPoint Reader project. While the upstream project focuses solely on e-reading, this fork expands the capabilities of the Xteink X4 device by supporting a robust ecosystem of apps and utilities.

Our goal is to make the device more useful in your day-to-day life without compromising its battery life, stability, or its core mission as an distraction-free e-ink reader.

Now running on: ESP32C3-based Xteink X4 and X3.

Features

In addition to all the fantastic EPUB rendering, custom fonts, and library management features from the upstream CrossPoint project, CrossPoint Apps includes a growing suite of applications and technical capabilities:

• Markdown & HTML Parser: Features a custom parser and renderer that gracefully strips HTML tags and translates basic Markdown, allowing web content (like Wikipedia and Reddit) to be displayed elegantly in the native text reader engine.
• Calculator: A fully functional, e-ink optimized calculator for quick math.
• Weather: View local forecasts. Fetches data when connected to Wi-Fi and caches it locally so you can check the weather even when offline.
• Sudoku: Play randomly generated Sudoku puzzles. Fully playable offline.
• Wikipedia: Search for topics and download complete, text-only Wikipedia articles to your SD card for offline reference.
• Chess: A fully featured chess engine. Play against your friend.
• Dice & 8-Ball: A handy utility for tabletop gamers. Roll D6, D20, spin arrows, flip coins, or consult the Magic 8-Ball.
• RSS Feed & Reddit: Subscribe to your favorite blogs and news sites. Articles are downloaded and cached for distraction-free, offline reading using the native text reader engine.
• DuckDuckGo: Search the web using DuckDuckGo. Results are displayed in a text-heavy format optimized for e-ink displays.

Gallery

Install Firmware

Web Installer

1. Download the pre-compiled binary from this repository: bin/crosspoint-apps.bin.
2. Connect your device to your computer via USB-C and wake/unlock the device.
3. Go to the Web Flasher, select your device (X3 or X4).
4. Click "Custom .bin" and upload the crosspoint-apps.bin file you just downloaded.

Development Quick Start / Command Line

1. Clone this repository:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/zakerytclarke/crosspoint-reader-apps.git
cd crosspoint-reader-apps

2. Install PlatformIO (if you haven't already).
3. Connect your device via USB-C.
4. Build and flash the firmware:

pio run --target upload

Community Contributions

We enthusiastically welcome contributions! If you have an idea for an app that would be useful on an e-ink device, we want it.

We strongly encourage apps that are offline-first—meaning they do not require a constant Wi-Fi connection to function. Use the SD card to cache data (like Reddit posts or RSS feeds) so users can refresh their feeds once and read them anywhere.

See CLAUDE.md for detailed developer guidelines on how to build apps that respect the constraints of the ESP32-C3 and the e-ink display.

Documentation

• User Guide - Learn how to use the device and the new apps.
• Project Scope - Understand our philosophy on what makes a good app.
• Developer Guidelines - Read this before contributing code or new apps!

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CrossPoint Apps is a community fork and is not affiliated with Xteink or any device manufacturer.