What is inka?

Inka is a native Android app made for BOOX Note Air e-ink tablets, the kind of device that has a pen and an e-ink screen instead of a regular touchscreen. The idea is simple: you write a question or a note by hand on the page with the stylus, pause, and an AI model writes a reply back in handwriting, right there on the same page, one word at a time. Under the hood, Inka connects to an AI provider using your own API key, which you either type in or send from your phone by scanning a QR code during setup. It does not come with its own AI service baked in, so you supply the key for a supported provider and Inka handles the rest. Once set up, the app keeps a local history of your notebook pages so you can look back at past writing sessions. The app has a built-in font that renders the AI replies as handwriting by default, and there is also an experimental mode, tucked away in developer settings, that can generate more realistic handwritten strokes using a separate server you run yourself, for example through Docker on your own computer. There is also an experimental drawing reply mode for developers to try. Inka is built with privacy in mind: there is no required backend server owned by the app maker, no account system, no analytics, and no crash reporting. Your API key is stored in an encrypted spot on the device, and handwriting recognition happens on the tablet itself once the recognition model is downloaded. This is a small, personal project, built for fun and made specifically for BOOX tablets, so it will not behave the same on a regular Android phone or emulator since it relies on the tablet's pen hardware. It is an unofficial app and is not affiliated with BOOX or its maker Onyx. The app code itself is released under the MIT license, a permissive license that allows free use, including commercial use.