I’ve got a Palma. Love it.
Like others here, I keep wifi off while I’m reading and only turn it on to update my Omnivore articles or update my saved position in a book (using Kindle or Kobo apps).
I have no idea how the battery holds up for the people who are trying to use it as a phone (ie using it a lot for browsing or chatting and other battery-heavy apps).
I just wanted a phone sized eReader that could let me install apps other than just a bookstorr. The Palma fits that bill wonderfully.
Can I ask you questions about it?
Sure
Thanks! I’m interested in buying the device, not to read but because I have a disability that basically makes it impossible for me to use normal phones due to visual overload. I have a couple questions:
- How dim does the backlight go? Can it get so dim that you barely realise it is on — kind of like minimum phone brightness?
- What is the experience like when typing? Could you use the phone to send messages?
- What does the hardware feel like? It seems the CPU is pretty weak, do you feel that at all when using? What do you think the longevity would be like?
- Do you think a usecase like leaving the display on as a button pad with a bunch of shortcuts would be a workable usecase?
- Can the customisable sidebutton be programmed to do literally anything? Like could I link it to a Tasker shortcut or something?
- I’ve noticed that people say the settings are rather limited compared to normal android? Has that limited you in any way, are things like DNS and VPN still usable?
Seems an interesting way to be able to carry an e-reader in your pocket.
I have a Kobo, but it’s a bit too large to bring all the time with me.
I don’t know how relevant this is to you but I was looking at getting a Boox since it would easily let me read my Kindle and Kobo books on a single device without any hassle. However, it achieves this by running their apps so the books are segregated. There’s no one library with all your books. Your Kindle books are only on the Kindle app, your Kobo books are only on the Kobo app, your library books are only on the Libby app.
It sounded really tedious to have to flip between a bunch of different apps to track all my books so I decided to just stick with Kobo.
Might I direct you to [email protected]? Boox devices have a fantastic generic reader app which can handle just about any file type and is very customizable. If you are willing to navigate certain sites, you can get many books for free, and the Boox reader app is an absolute champ when it comes to opening them and tweaking the experience to your liking. It’s more effort, without a doubt. But it’s worth it for me personally.
I just pirate everything I want to read.
I bought children of time and the subsequent books on paperback and immediately downloaded epubs
Bro just use your phone. If it’s android, use AIReader. Free, incredibly configurable, can read every type of book file. Dark mode, adjustable brightness for reading before bed. It gets so dark that I can’t even read the minimum setting in a pitch black room. Best e-reader app I’ve ever found and I’ve been using it for probably 10 years now.
Just a reminder that Boox does not release the kernel source code and is thus violating GPL2
I want to know if I can run Linux on the hardware. That would be awesome.
I have the Palma. I use it mostly just to read, and I prefer it to when I had a kindle purely for portability.
Can I ask you questions about it?
I have one, it’s been a great device but the battery drains faster than I’d like when WiFi is enabled. I mostly use it for reading in bed and its been perfect for that.
Can I ask you some questions about it?
Sure.
