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

The e-reader market is getting extra thrilling nowadays, largely as a result of e-readers are dealing with much more than books. It is truthful to say, in reality, 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 primary promoting level tends to be handwritten notetaking and annotation, however with the flexibility to ship recordsdata to different units when it is time to get critical work carried out.

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’s essential learn about benefiting from a Boox pill, a few of which may be apparent — others not.

4

Replace to the newest 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 working. Positive, it is best to replace every time a more recent OS model turns into out there, 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 custom-made and do not even profit from lots of Google’s additions. My Be aware Air4C runs a fork of Android 13, even supposing some smartphones are already on Android 16.

To maximise compatibility with apps, it is best to replace a Boox machine 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 part updates you possibly can set up. Boox concurrently fixes and upgrades its personal software program — the latest 4.1 firmware added a plethora of options, comparable to studying time estimates, and the flexibility to rapidly flip between preset e-ink refresh, shade, and structure choices based mostly on the wants of the app you are in. It may well make an enormous distinction for those who’re studying Maus, say, as a substitute of looking the net. 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 newest and biggest processors.

3

Follow first-party notetaking and sketching apps

Lag is a killer

With the huge catalog of the Play Retailer out there, you may be tempted to put in the identical third-party notetaking and illustration instruments that you just’re used to on different platforms. Other than familiarity, there’s additionally the benefit of prompt 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 small print?

Nicely, maintain your horses. Because it seems, there is a good motive for Boox to have its personal apps — they’re optimized for its stylus, and e-ink shows normally. You must have the ability to get third-party apps to run, however do not be stunned 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 shade gamuts and far sooner refresh charges.

The perfect answer, then, is to utilize Boox’s personal export instruments (extra on these beneath). 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 recordsdata are a fantasy, sadly.

2

Add your individual books and paperwork

No want to stay to third-party providers

The best good thing about Android on an e-ink pill would be the means to put in any e-book app aside from Apple Books. Upgrading from a Kindle or Kobo? All your books ought to sync mechanically the second you signal into the suitable service. The Play Retailer additionally expands the variety of libraries you possibly can borrow from, and makes comparability buying attainable — stuff you will not wish to backtrack from as soon as you’ve got seen the probabilities.

In case you’ve bought a group of native books, paperwork, and even photographs you’d prefer to ship to your pill, the only manner is usually to make use of cloud storage apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. These particular providers 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 referred to as BooxDrop, which operates primarily over native Wi-Fi. To get began, open the BooxDrop app in your pill, then observe 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 large, together with PDF, DJVU, CBR, CBZ, EPUB, AZW3, MOBI, TXT, DOCX, HTML, PNG, JPG, and BMP. The one main difficulty to fret about is copy safety, since after all, you will not have the ability to 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 sensible 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 vital for textual content and pictures to be as crisp as attainable. In different circumstances, refresh fee 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 often, however on a Be aware Air4C, at the very least, you possibly can swipe up from the lower-right nook at any time to carry up the EinkWise management panel. I might suggest the HD refresh and Vivid Colour modes for those who’re studying comics or graphic novels, and possibly for shade sketching as nicely. Choices will differ based mostly in your machine. Settings can get very granular for those who faucet on one of many Customized buttons, however often, they don’t seem to be essential.

In reality, most customers will most likely be tremendous sticking with the Quick Refresh or Advocate presets, the second placing a stability between velocity and high quality. The primary disadvantage to Quick Refresh is that it typically leaves ghosts of the final body onscreen, which will 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.