4 of my favourite Boox hacks that change how I exploit my e-reader

The e-reader market is getting extra thrilling as of late, largely as a result of e-readers are dealing with much more than books. It is honest to say, in truth, that we’re transitioning into the period of e-ink tablets, led by units just like the reMarkable Paper Pro and the Kindle Scribe. The principle promoting level tends to be handwritten notetaking and annotation, however with the power to ship information to different units when it is time to get critical work performed.

Boox units just like the Palma 2 and my Note Air4C take issues a step additional through the use of Android as a substitute of a proprietary OS. Meaning they will run any app on the Google Play Retailer, as long as your pill meets primary model and {hardware} necessities. There are some things it is advisable to learn about profiting from a Boox pill, a few of which could be apparent — others not.

4

Replace to the most recent software program immediately

Do not miss out on compatibility and new options

With a standard cellphone or pill, it is no downside to hit the bottom operating. Positive, it is best to replace at any time when a more moderen OS model turns into obtainable, however many individuals can coast for some time till they haven’t any alternative. Boox units, although, are loaded with older variations of Android from the get-go, since they’re extremely personalized and do not even profit from lots of Google’s additions. My Word Air4C runs a fork of Android 13, even though some smartphones are already on Android 16.

To maximise compatibility with apps, it is best to replace a Boox system immediately. You are most likely by no means going to leap from Android 13 to 14, a lot much less 16, but there could also be element updates you may set up. Boox concurrently fixes and upgrades its personal software program — the latest 4.1 firmware added a plethora of options, equivalent to studying time estimates, and the power to rapidly flip between preset e-ink refresh, coloration, and structure choices based mostly on the wants of the app you are in. It could possibly make an enormous distinction in case you’re studying Maus, say, as a substitute of shopping the online. Fetch new firmware by going to Settings > Extra Settings > System Replace. Be ready for installations to take a very long time, since Boox units aren’t utilizing the most recent and best processors.

3

Stick with first-party notetaking and sketching apps

Lag is a killer

With the huge catalog of the Play Retailer obtainable, you could be tempted to put in the identical third-party notetaking and illustration instruments that you just’re used to on different platforms. Apart from familiarity, there’s additionally the benefit of on the spot cross-platform sync. What artist would not like the thought of sketching the bones of their artwork on a pill, then opening the very same app on a pc to flesh out the main points?

Nicely, maintain your horses. Because it seems, there is a good purpose for Boox to have its personal apps — they’re optimized for its stylus, and e-ink shows on the whole. It is best to be capable of get third-party apps to run, however do not be shocked if the stylus lag is horrible. Some interface parts could not look proper both, since they’re supposed for LCD and OLED panels with wider coloration gamuts and far quicker refresh charges.

The very best answer, then, is to utilize Boox’s personal export instruments (extra on these under). I want to make use of the Boox cellular app on my iPhone, which syncs with my pill, and lets me faucet the triple-dot icon subsequent to an merchandise within the Notes tab to export one thing as a PDF. Native Photoshop or Illustrator information are a fantasy, sadly.

2

Add your individual books and paperwork

No want to stay to third-party companies

The best good thing about Android on an e-ink pill often is the skill to put in any e-book app aside from Apple Books. Upgrading from a Kindle or Kobo? Your entire books ought to sync routinely the second you signal into the suitable service. The Play Retailer additionally expands the variety of libraries you may borrow from, and makes comparability procuring doable — stuff you will not need to backtrack from as soon as you have seen the chances.

When you’ve bought a group of native books, paperwork, and even photographs you’d wish to ship to your pill, the only means is usually to make use of cloud storage apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. These particular companies are constructed into Boox’s software– go to Settings > Accounts > Go to Notes Sync Settings and/or Go to Cloud Storage in Library to set them up. That is additionally how some export choices are enabled.

Boox has an choice of its personal known as BooxDrop, which operates primarily over native Wi-Fi. To get began, open the BooxDrop app in your pill, then comply with connection directions for Boox’s web site or cellular app. In my case, I paired the cellular app by scanning a QR code.

Format help is fairly extensive, together with PDF, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOCX, HTML, PNG, JPG, and BMP. The one main problem to fret about is copy safety, since after all, you will not be capable of learn one thing like an AZW file if it is nonetheless locked by Amazon.

1

Experiment with e-ink settings

Change them on the fly

One of many issues Boox was good to acknowledge is that on a tool that may run a variety of apps, the looks of e-ink must be versatile. Typically it is most essential for textual content and pictures to be as crisp as doable. In different circumstances, refresh price is king. The very best refresh charges will allow you to watch YouTube, though it is nonetheless like watching the ghost of a video than the true factor. Count on your battery life to plummet, too.

I have a tendency to not mess with settings too incessantly, however on a Word Air4C, no less than, you may swipe up from the lower-right nook at any time to carry up the EinkWise management panel. I might advocate the HD refresh and Vivid Shade modes in case you’re studying comics or graphic novels, and possibly for coloration sketching as properly. Choices will differ based mostly in your system. Settings can get very granular in case you faucet on one of many Customized buttons, however normally, they are not mandatory.

The truth is, most customers will most likely be advantageous sticking with the Quick Refresh or Advocate presets, the second placing a steadiness between velocity and high quality. The principle downside to Quick Refresh is that it generally leaves ghosts of the final body onscreen, which might be distracting. It is associated to the character of e-ink, which makes use of charged capsules for every pixel — it takes longer to place each capsule in its proper place.