Kindles and Kobos are relatively comfortable to use, but if they are too large and restrictive, smartphones Boox Palma It is a fantastic alternative that we liked considerably. There's a new model on the way, but if you don't need the smoother performance it promises, you can save a little on the original today. It's reduced to $245.99 ($34 off) at amazon.com/BOOX-Palma-Mobile-ePaper-G-Sensor/dp/B0CQ7VRNFS?tag=theverge02-20″>amazonwhich is a new historical minimum price.
The Palma's hardware and appearance resemble a smartphone, but it has no calling capability or a traditional display. Instead, it uses a 6.13-inch backlit E Ink Carta 1200 display, which offers a sharp 300 ppi resolution. There's a microphone and speaker, a microSD card slot to expand its 128GB of internal storage, volume buttons that can double as page-turn buttons, and even a 16-megapixel camera with flash for scanning documents and handwritten notes. Its pocketable and one-handed format makes it more ideal for everyday carry than a full-size reader.
A big advantage of the Boox Palma compared to most ebook readers is that it runs Android 11 with Google Play, so you can supplement its built-in tools and apps by downloading anything else you want. That means you're not locked into any particular e-book ecosystem and you don't have to ditch your favorite sources. Missing your amazon Kindle library? Simply download the Kindle app, a much better proposition than downloading everything manually. You can also use your favorite music streaming service and news apps.
However, the slow user experience that plagues any e-ink device can be limiting outside of reading and perhaps some occasional listening and productivity tasks (and even some New York Times crossword puzzles, The edge David Pierce found). It's fine if you're just flipping through the pages of your monthly reads, but it's not ideal for delving into social media and other visually rich shenanigans.
the starter Boox Palma 2 It brings a faster octa-core chipset and an Android 13 update (and adds a fingerprint sensor), but no one has tested it yet to find out whether those changes will translate into better usability in a practical sense. If you are looking to save a little and start reading todayYou may not miss much by staying a generation behind.
