Someone turned their 13-year-old Kindle Paperwhite into a desk assistant, and I'm in love

Published Oct 7, 2026, 1:35 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary 6th-gen Kindle Paperwhite repurposed as a smooth e-ink desk assistant with a task list, a calendar, and a Pomodoro timer. It can act like a Stream Deck to control apps; the main calendar screen shows meetings and can join them with a tap. Source code coming soon; it's being cleaned up so others can turn old Kindles into assistants. When Amazon announced that it would be pulling support from the older Kindle models, people considered using third-party tools to put books on them. However, as time went on, people discovered that these devices, despite their age, still make for a pretty amazing e-ink display when jailbroken. Such is the case of this project that turns a 6th-generation Kindle Paperwhite into a desk assistant, which shows just how capable these 2010-era devices are. This cool project converts a Kindle Paperwhite into an assistant display The source code is on the way and will hopefully arrive soon Over on the eink subreddit, user Witespace posted a video showing off what they achieved with their 6th-gen Kindle Paperwhite, which was released back in 2013. You wouldn't tell it was old by the video; Witespace uses it as a Stream Deck by tapping icons on the screen to move between apps on their computer, and it's very smooth. That's not all it can do, though. By itself, it can act like a personal organizer: "The main screen is my task list. I can tick things off, pin whatever I'm working on, and start a Pomodoro timer that takes over the whole screen. When I finish a task, the next one slides in on its own, so I don't have to think about what's next. There's also a calendar that shows what's coming up, gives me a heads-up five minutes before a meeting, and lets me join the call just by tapping it." The bad news is that the source code hasn't been released yet. The good news is that its arrival is definitely an "if" rather than a "when." Witespace is currently working on cleaning up the code for others to use, so keep an eye on their project page for updates on when you, too, can turn your Kindle into a little personal assistant.