Kindles and Kobos are relatively comfortable to use, but if they’re too big and restrictive, they become like smartphones. Buchs Parma This is a great alternative that has grown quite a bit for us. A new model is coming, but if you don’t need the smoother performance it promises, you can save a little money on the original model now. It’s down to $245.99 ($34 off) on Amazon, a new all-time low.
The Palma’s hardware sheet and appearance resemble a smartphone, but it lacks calling capabilities and a traditional display. Instead, it uses a 6.13-inch backlit E Ink Carta 1200 display, offering a crisp 300 ppi resolution. There’s also a microphone and speaker, a microSD card slot to expand the 128GB of internal storage, a volume button that doubles as a page-turn button, and even a 16-megapixel camera with flash for scanning documents and handwritten notes. It’s pocketable and one-handed design makes it a better choice for everyday carry than a full-sized reader.
One of the big advantages of Boox Palma compared to most e-book readers is that it runs Android 11 on Google Play, so you can download whatever you like to supplement the built-in tools and apps. This means you’re not tied to any particular e-book ecosystem, and you don’t have to abandon your favorite sources. Can’t find your Amazon Kindle library? Just download the Kindle app. A much better suggestion than manually sideloading everything. You can also use your favorite music streaming service or news app.
However, the laggy user experience experienced with E Ink devices can limit non-reading tasks and perhaps even casual listening and productivity tasks (like even the New York Times crossword puzzle) . The Verges (discovered by David Pearce). It’s fine for just scrolling through your monthly reading pages, but it’s not ideal for social media details or other visually rich shenanigans.
The upcoming Boox Palma 2 brings a faster octa-core chipset and Android 13 upgrade (as well as the addition of a fingerprint sensor), but it remains to be seen whether these changes translate into improved usability in a practical sense. , no one has tested it yet. If you want to save some money and start reading todayif you’re a generation behind, you might not miss much.
