It’s no news that everyone is developing gadgets that are meant to keep you away from gadgets. The Boox Palma is meant to do the same but in a very charming way.
A look at it suggests that it is a phone — a basic one, with its back camera, phone-like design and buttons, but once you turn it on, the experience is entirely different. Unlike a regular smartphone, this has an E Ink display. So, does that mean it is just another Kindle-competing e-reader?
Well, sort of. Because it has an E Ink display, it has a battery life that can last you for a week, but since it runs on Android, you can download other apps from the Play Store. Even though you can download any app, the display limits its use. For example, a YouTube video will be a laggy, black-and-white experience with shadows of the previous frame visible in the next. But since this one is supposed to get you to utilise your time better, this is a win.
So, you can use the Boox Palma to read using the Amazon Kindle or any other apps. You can even have apps like Spotify or any other music/podcast platform and basically keep all your work and social media life away when using the Palma. With its 6.1-inch screen, the size the same as most smartphones and thanks to its 128 GB ROM and 6 GB RAM, the experience should be lag-free, too.
However, at $280 or Rs 23,516, it is certainly an expensive buy when compared to a Kindle that starts at as low as Rs 7,799. But come on, for what it has to offer, the Boox Palma certainly does a lot more than being an e-reader.