Many people know this, but you did not mention how good e-ink is for reading outside in the sun. I like to sit on my deck and read, on public transit, or any place you are in the sun, this works great. This is not an option with other displays. Also, like others, I would question the battery life. I have a boox, and I only charge it about every 2-3 weeks
Curious if it has a GPS and would work with (offline maps) Android Auto. I’m someone looking for a less engaging day-to-day phone, but travel by car enough that I’d want some of the functionality in the car. Would also consider a little hotspot for the car too, for maximum utility in Android Auto and proper kookiness…
you can also install Blue letter Bible in this tablet unlike Kindle they don't have Blue letter Bible for it because Kendall restrict , it's use e-readers!
Thanks for the review Lon. The boox devices are interesting. I've looked at their color models but did not purchase one. The lack of OS Upgrades, Security, and such are a concern. Specs on the website still show Android 11 - which is no longer supported. I would certainly not use it with a password manager, or any apps that have access to private information. Book reading may be fine. But it is going to be very tempting for other applications. For me it doesn't pass the security test in terms of anything for work, banking, private data, password management, and so on.
pretty cool but the more longer term owners hammered it in the Amazon reviews. By longer-term, I mean 30 days or more. Seems like it is not quite ready for being sold.
I'd agree with that, having owned one for two months now. It works well as a secondary device, basically for pure reading (I use mine with an RSS reader app as well as ebooks from third-party stores, public library). But it is buggy if trying to use it more like a hybrid between a smart device and feature phone (no cellular radios so it's not really a phone unless using VoIP, anyway). I'm still glad I bought it since it's still a great device for reading and easily pocketable (perfect form factor for travel, like Lon pointed out), but I'd recommend most people to wait for an updated version, if Onyx intends to do one. The limited nature of this device may still make it suitable for use as a "digital detox" device of sorts for those wanting to limit but not necessarily entirely quit app usage.
I'd love to have full size pc e-ink display to work with spreadsheets without much eye strain. Seeing smartphone having decent refresh rate makes me wonder what prevents companies from introducing e-ink monitors and relieving millions of office workers around the world.
They exist, but making larger panel e-ink becomes expensive. Linus Tech Tips and others have covered them before, e.g. the Dasung one LTT reviewed a month ago.
I wonder how eink can evolve further. I know there are some basic colour displays, but the technology seems to be stagnating. Perhaps it just can't improve?
This actually looks pretty cool. I don't need it, as I have a full on Kindle, and I can't tell you the last time I had need of reading an e-book that wasn't a Kindle book. BUT... It does look like a cool idea if I was in need of that.
Still waiting for someone to make a full 8" half-pound or less eBook reader for Google Play books. They almost got it with this, but just a tad too small. 15:22 - Lon, you said 10 to 13 hours battery life? Did you mean 13 days? EDIT: It looks like BOOX has the Go Color 7 that is about 7 inches and runs Android.
Oh yeah for sure. Amazon is basically selling Kindles at cost. They don't need to make profit on the hardware. Now I would never get a Kindle because I've realized that I don't want to be locked into a proprietary format like that. I would need something that supports a moon reader at a minimum
@@jjones2582 i have the Nova Air C (7.8"). Quite nice for books as well as for notes and sketching. The colors aren't very rich in person, but good enough for stuff like color comics or manga. Color e-ink is very similar to the washed out colors of a color newspaper.
There is a Hisense e-ink phone line, but I didn't look into all the radio bands they support, so that may or may not be an option for you. Cellular and Google Play support, price range of ~$500-$700.
Reminds me of the time I rooted my nook simple touch and gave it android access. Amazing that a decade later they've finally realized 'hey people want something like this and don't mind the e-ink display for non ebook tasks.' Pair this thing with a bluetooth keyboard of your choice, get markor for notes, and some music going and you have a great portable device for getting written work done. I'd want to put a terminal emulator on to try SSHing into a couple diffrent tilde communities I'm part of to see exactly what an e-ink terminal window is like.
How many people know what Tilde communities are? But, same here. I use Termux to SSH to Tilde linux shells on Android. I'll bet this works great with Lynx (textual browser). This device is too expensive, though. I always wished Kindles had a better browser than that thing they called an "experimental browser."
@@LonSeidman Unfortunate, because a non-cellular device wit hthis formfactor DOES scratch an itch. I wouldn't mind it being a little thicker for more battery, data/video over USB-C, and honestly? This would be a good 'get thigns done' computer yo ucould plug back in at home with your phone not having to waste its battery doing non-phone things. Am... I like a minority of One that would want this?
I like the concept of the device, but at nearly $300, I think it'll be a pretty hard sell. Even being able to consume media through multiple means, one could just get ebooks from various sources and convert to their format of choice and use a competing device for significantly less.
Definitely not, most prisons used to require transparent electronic devices; many still do. So this wouldn't be allowed in those prisons. E-Ink displays are very much liked by lots of non-prisoners, because they either don't have backlights and always look like paper (no reading in the dark, just like a book) or the displays that do have a backlight [like this one] it can be turned totally off and look like paper. They don't shine any light into your eyes when the backlight is off, unlike most phones which are still shining light even when the brightness is all the way down. So E-Ink displays don't bother people's eyes even after extended use any more than reading a book would. LCD, OLED and other display technologies that are more commonly used on devices kind of need backlights. When the backlight is off, unless you're shining light directly on it you can't really see anything (this is actually what the original game boy did). (Oh, and turning your brightness all the way down on your phone still has the backlight on; -there isn't an easy way without jailbreaking your phone and connecting it to a computer to override the backlight being on when in use.)
I think a slightly wider aspect ration would be nice for reading books. Also, I think a sim card would be great. You could easily turn it off to save battery, but I hate having to remember to sync books to my Kindle when I get home and have access to wifi. Otherwise I have to turn on my phone's hotspot and connect and sync that way, which is a huge pain. But overall, looks like a nice device with decent features.
Many people know this, but you did not mention how good e-ink is for reading outside in the sun. I like to sit on my deck and read, on public transit, or any place you are in the sun, this works great. This is not an option with other displays. Also, like others, I would question the battery life. I have a boox, and I only charge it about every 2-3 weeks
Curious if it has a GPS and would work with (offline maps) Android Auto. I’m someone looking for a less engaging day-to-day phone, but travel by car enough that I’d want some of the functionality in the car. Would also consider a little hotspot for the car too, for maximum utility in Android Auto and proper kookiness…
This is their compact version of their eink readers. So you can get a 10" color version if you want..
Try out some OG Gameboy emulation on it!
Like it but the price is a bit steep for black and white imo.
Android 11 also that is way out of date.
@@jaggstado modern e-ink devices run more modern versions of Android?
Is it any worse than a feature rich e-reader? May be price competitive.
still a little kink in the system Lon. The Brozne listing is over in 2 seconds. I'm a fast reader but not that fast 🙂
its interesting seeing the final result of the video after being part of the live stream when the footage was created.
you can also install Blue letter Bible in this tablet unlike Kindle they don't have Blue letter Bible for it because Kendall restrict , it's use e-readers!
Thanks for the review Lon. The boox devices are interesting. I've looked at their color models but did not purchase one. The lack of OS Upgrades, Security, and such are a concern. Specs on the website still show Android 11 - which is no longer supported. I would certainly not use it with a password manager, or any apps that have access to private information. Book reading may be fine. But it is going to be very tempting for other applications. For me it doesn't pass the security test in terms of anything for work, banking, private data, password management, and so on.
Yeah it's a shame they don't have the Android up to date. It's a really interesting product.
the video play reminds me of the old black and white TV sets that I used to have!
pretty cool but the more longer term owners hammered it in the Amazon reviews. By longer-term, I mean 30 days or more. Seems like it is not quite ready for being sold.
I'd agree with that, having owned one for two months now. It works well as a secondary device, basically for pure reading (I use mine with an RSS reader app as well as ebooks from third-party stores, public library). But it is buggy if trying to use it more like a hybrid between a smart device and feature phone (no cellular radios so it's not really a phone unless using VoIP, anyway).
I'm still glad I bought it since it's still a great device for reading and easily pocketable (perfect form factor for travel, like Lon pointed out), but I'd recommend most people to wait for an updated version, if Onyx intends to do one.
The limited nature of this device may still make it suitable for use as a "digital detox" device of sorts for those wanting to limit but not necessarily entirely quit app usage.
An e-ink display like this on the back of a phone like Z fold would be dope
Can you install Anki and try doing flashcards?
If they could know a hundred off the price, this would be perfect. I have many books that I'd like to read if I could find the time.
holy crap, almost 300 dollars for this phone? at this price i rather go for CMF nothing phone
I'd love to have full size pc e-ink display to work with spreadsheets without much eye strain. Seeing smartphone having decent refresh rate makes me wonder what prevents companies from introducing e-ink monitors and relieving millions of office workers around the world.
They exist, but making larger panel e-ink becomes expensive. Linus Tech Tips and others have covered them before, e.g. the Dasung one LTT reviewed a month ago.
this is using Qualcomm Octa-core + BSR GPU
Great video as always, Thanks Lon.
I find the bezel to be essential on an e-reader to help prevent unintentional touches when switching pages
black and white went out in 1956
Can I root this puppy?
minimalism phone
I wonder how eink can evolve further. I know there are some basic colour displays, but the technology seems to be stagnating. Perhaps it just can't improve?
This actually looks pretty cool. I don't need it, as I have a full on Kindle, and I can't tell you the last time I had need of reading an e-book that wasn't a Kindle book.
BUT... It does look like a cool idea if I was in need of that.
can you put Linux on it?
What about PDFs? It’s not a great experience on Kindle. What about on this device? Is it any better?
I want one, but not at that price...
How does APRSdroid look on it?
Still dying for color eink to become prominent. If this had a color eink screen id buy it right away.
I like the size of my Kindle, but wanted Kobo and Nook so I have been thinking of the Boox Poke 5.
Moon reader pro + my ebooks will be a godsend with this phone.
Why remove headphone jack?
Palm pilot
Seems like you would definitely want to turn on high contrast mode in the settings for Wordle 10:04
$280 and android 11? is crazy
Still waiting for someone to make a full 8" half-pound or less eBook reader for Google Play books. They almost got it with this, but just a tad too small.
15:22 - Lon, you said 10 to 13 hours battery life? Did you mean 13 days?
EDIT: It looks like BOOX has the Go Color 7 that is about 7 inches and runs Android.
Oh yeah for sure. Amazon is basically selling Kindles at cost. They don't need to make profit on the hardware. Now I would never get a Kindle because I've realized that I don't want to be locked into a proprietary format like that. I would need something that supports a moon reader at a minimum
@@jjones2582 i have the Nova Air C (7.8"). Quite nice for books as well as for notes and sketching. The colors aren't very rich in person, but good enough for stuff like color comics or manga. Color e-ink is very similar to the washed out colors of a color newspaper.
Ive never owned anything with an eink display but im always inpressed by the clarity and contrast.
The Ian display is impressed with TH-cam. But the e ink display is impressed with you too
Full play store access but no cellular connection, Id even pay more for a cellular connection...
There is a Hisense e-ink phone line, but I didn't look into all the radio bands they support, so that may or may not be an option for you. Cellular and Google Play support, price range of ~$500-$700.
Reminds me of the time I rooted my nook simple touch and gave it android access. Amazing that a decade later they've finally realized 'hey people want something like this and don't mind the e-ink display for non ebook tasks.' Pair this thing with a bluetooth keyboard of your choice, get markor for notes, and some music going and you have a great portable device for getting written work done. I'd want to put a terminal emulator on to try SSHing into a couple diffrent tilde communities I'm part of to see exactly what an e-ink terminal window is like.
boox and other chinese eink devices have had it forever. its just not a thing in the west.
I did the same thing back then! And yes, having a more open system is why I'm less of a Kindle person these days (have owned a few before).
How many people know what Tilde communities are? But, same here. I use Termux to SSH to Tilde linux shells on Android. I'll bet this works great with Lynx (textual browser). This device is too expensive, though. I always wished Kindles had a better browser than that thing they called an "experimental browser."
Can you get a display out over USB C? Depending on if you can do that and the processor it comes with? putting it in a dock seems like a neat option.
Negative
@@LonSeidman Unfortunate, because a non-cellular device wit hthis formfactor DOES scratch an itch. I wouldn't mind it being a little thicker for more battery, data/video over USB-C, and honestly? This would be a good 'get thigns done' computer yo ucould plug back in at home with your phone not having to waste its battery doing non-phone things.
Am... I like a minority of One that would want this?
I like the concept of the device, but at nearly $300, I think it'll be a pretty hard sell. Even being able to consume media through multiple means, one could just get ebooks from various sources and convert to their format of choice and use a competing device for significantly less.
Is that a prison phone?
There's a great video about prison tech on the internet. They made a lot of it completely transparent and clear.
Definitely not, most prisons used to require transparent electronic devices; many still do. So this wouldn't be allowed in those prisons.
E-Ink displays are very much liked by lots of non-prisoners, because they either don't have backlights and always look like paper (no reading in the dark, just like a book) or the displays that do have a backlight [like this one] it can be turned totally off and look like paper.
They don't shine any light into your eyes when the backlight is off, unlike most phones which are still shining light even when the brightness is all the way down. So E-Ink displays don't bother people's eyes even after extended use any more than reading a book would.
LCD, OLED and other display technologies that are more commonly used on devices kind of need backlights. When the backlight is off, unless you're shining light directly on it you can't really see anything (this is actually what the original game boy did).
(Oh, and turning your brightness all the way down on your phone still has the backlight on;
-there isn't an easy way without jailbreaking your phone and connecting it to a computer to override the backlight being on when in use.)
@@michaelcorcoran8768 by techmoan
Would have like to see it open pdf's? Can you side load epub books from a pc?
I don't know about that specific device, but mine allows me to use the USB C port to add files.
I think a slightly wider aspect ration would be nice for reading books. Also, I think a sim card would be great. You could easily turn it off to save battery, but I hate having to remember to sync books to my Kindle when I get home and have access to wifi. Otherwise I have to turn on my phone's hotspot and connect and sync that way, which is a huge pain. But overall, looks like a nice device with decent features.
Maan, if boox weren't a Chinese brand! I have a pocketbook InkPad 4 but I find it rather big. I can't just take it in my... pocket
Too small
Price is ridiculous. Nearly 3 times the Kindle paperwhite.
Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to more videos on Authentik!