This Android-powered e-ink pill is healthier than a Kindle, nevertheless it's nonetheless area of interest in my life

Abstract

The Word Air4 C advantages drastically from Android, since you’ll be able to entry books, paperwork, and extra from nearly any supply, not like Kindles.
Even web sites and apps are nice to learn on the pill’s 10.3-inch coloration e-ink show, which Amazon has but to match.
The Air4 C can be glorious for sketching and observe taking, however you should still end up utilizing different units except you are dedicated to taking handwritten notes daily.

For some time now, I’ve largely been an iPad individual with regards to tablets. I’ve problems with iPads — which I’ve talked about at size — however for transportable leisure and some mild productiveness duties, they’re robust to beat. Certainly, whereas I bought a Kindle Paperwhite as a present in 2012, I ended utilizing it for studying only a few years later. I needed to make a acutely aware determination to make use of it, whereas I typically already had my iPad with me, and a gradual black-and-white display did not lend itself to studying web sites, comics, or graphic novels. I used to be keen to place up with the load and eye pressure of Apple’s {hardware} for its benefits.

That is why Boox’s current assortment of e-ink units caught my eye, notably the Word Air4 C. Whereas it nonetheless shares rather a lot in frequent with Kindles, it is simply extra helpful than most. I put it to the take a look at for a couple of weeks to see if it might fill in some gaps in my tech life — notably, encouraging me to learn extra and take handwritten notes.

Model: Boox
Display screen: 10.3-inch 2480 x 1860 pixel decision(300 ppi) Kaleido 3 (4,096 colours) Carta 1200 glass display with flat cover-lens
Storage: 64GB
OS: Android 13

The ten.3-inch Boox Word Air4 C encompasses a coloration ePaper Show and assist for a stylus.

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What a giant distinction Android makes

No going again to unique e-readers

In case you’ve already bought a group of e-books linked to a selected platform, be it Kindle, Kobo, or one thing else, it may not appear to be a giant deal to change to an Android e-reader. As soon as I made the leap myself, although, it felt ridiculous that I might beforehand been restricted to a single retailer. I’ve gathered books from quite a lot of sources through the years, and accessing something on the Google Play Retailer means I can learn almost all of them. I by no means wish to be chained to a single storefront once more, since now, there’s nothing stopping me from studying God’s Drawback on Kindle, then leaping to V for Vendetta in Google Play Books.

Effectively, nearly nothing. Boox makes use of customized software program to optimize apps for its e-ink know-how, and if an app is not optimized, you may get sub-par efficiency in areas like refresh charges. Fortunately, I by no means handled this for too lengthy — every little thing I downloaded bought the therapy rapidly sufficient, and you may at all times tweak e-ink efficiency on the fly utilizing a swipe-up management panel.

I by no means wish to be chained to a single storefront once more.

Oddly, one thing I actually loved was scrolling by means of the Reddit app, not less than after adjusting its settings to attenuate embedded media. I browse Reddit greater than I submit on it, and an e-ink show makes lengthy threads simpler to devour. I additionally discovered myself much less distracted by different apps, a subject I am going to return to a bit later.

Are there downsides to the Air4 C’s use of Android? Completely. For one factor, you will wish to stick with Boox’s proprietary notetaking/drawing instruments, since enter lag with third-party apps will be insupportable, and none of them are designed round e-ink’s limitations. Likewise, you’ll be able to overlook about enjoying most video games on the pill, or watching any video. It simply is not constructed to deal with these issues — positive, video will load, however even a high-performance e-ink display cannot sustain with the framerates or coloration gamuts of contemporary video. It is like watching a muted impressionist portray.

Keep in mind additionally that the pill makes use of a customized fork of Android 13, which is 2 variations behind the most recent public launch for telephones. That is ok, however do not anticipate all the most recent conveniences, particularly something related to Google Gemini.

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Sketches and notes in an e-ink wonderland

Extra interesting on paper

Sketching using the Boox Note Air4 C's built-in notetaking app.

I can verify that the Word Air4 C’s built-in observe taking instruments are each helpful and sensible. Boox’s interface is not that intuitive at first, nevertheless it solely takes a couple of minutes to determine the fundamentals, reminiscent of creating notebooks and altering pen shapes and colours. Relying on what you are making an attempt to perform, there are additionally quite a lot of templates you should utilize, reminiscent of grids, strains, and every day/weekly planners. In case you like, you’ll be able to import customized templates through PDFs and different photographs.

I believe that it’s important to be dedicated to creating handwritten notes a way of life, and that is simply not me.

Personally, I solely ever wanted a lined template, which I used to create a brainstorming pocket book. It was surprisingly rewarding to jot down concepts this manner — eradicating distractions pressured me to pay attention, and utilizing the pill’s bundled stylus was pleasing on a tactile stage whereas “connecting” me higher to the concepts I used to be engaged on. The pairing of a stylus with paper-like display texture even inspired me to attract a bit, which is one thing I hadn’t achieved in years. I can think about artists with precise expertise desirous to do sketch work with the Air4 C, even when they’d in the end wish to transition to a tool with extra superior instruments. I am simply impressed that there are layering and lasso choice choices.

In the end, I did not find yourself taking as many notes as I anticipated, regardless of versatile export choices and the way pleasing the expertise will be. As with a pill just like the Remarkable Paper Pro, I believe that it’s important to be dedicated to creating handwritten notes a way of life — and that is simply not me. My job calls for most effectivity to get articles submitted on time, and even after work, I typically have little incentive to go seize an e-ink pill and stylus when tapping in my iPhone’s Notes and Reminders apps will do.

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The great thing about studying once more

Doing one higher than Amazon

Reading V for Vendetta outdoors on a Boox Note Air4 C.

The excellent news is that I did discover myself engaged by studying on the pill. Even on a purely technical stage, it is no marvel why — an e-ink show is much less eye-searing than LCD or OLED, and Boox’s 10.3-inch coloration display is extra versatile than something you will discover from Amazon. Positive, the Kindle Colorsoft can deal with comics and graphic novels, nevertheless it’s typically too small to do them justice. The Kindle Scribe is appropriately sized, however with out coloration know-how, I’d as properly be studying on my outdated Paperwhite.

Studying on the Air4 C seems like an antidote for what ails me. My life is fairly anxious, if I am sincere — I have to devour a continuing flood of details about the tech trade, and on prime of that, I’ve a spouse, little one, and two bodily demanding hobbies. Having the ability to immerse myself in a guide with minimal distractions is calming, particularly if I can do it outdoor on a sunny day. It is doable to try this on an iPad or iPhone, after all — however these units inevitably bombard me with notifications, to not point out the temptation to change to one thing like Phrases With Associates or YouTube. I want one thing that may entertain me with out worsening my already fragile consideration span.

If the concept of mixing paper-style observe taking with a big coloration e-reader is deeply enticing, there’s little else that may compete with the Air4 C.

Would I like to recommend the Word Air4 C to most individuals? Most likely not, since a number of what you are paying for is its sketching and observe taking skills, and $530 would go a great distance in the direction of shopping for an iPad with an Apple Pencil — which you should utilize for lots extra functions. Alternately, if what you largely need is an e-reader, it is perhaps value sacrificing on dimension to get one thing cheaper, like Boox’s personal Go Color 7 Gen II.

If the concept of mixing paper-style observe taking with a big coloration e-reader is deeply enticing, although, there’s little else that may compete with the Air4 C, notably given its assist for Android. As I discussed earlier than, I have been spoiled — I am unable to return to a tool that traps my library inside a single retailer, e-ink or not.