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I'm typing this on my Boox Note Air 2 Plus. I absolutely love this device. I usually use it without the backlight, but sometimes at night I'll use the backlight

I'm typing this on my Boox Note Air 2 Plus. I absolutely love this device. I usually use it without the backlight, but sometimes at night I'll use the backlight and the adjustable blue light filter is an absolute must. This is my fifth or sixth E-Ink device, and probably my favorite. It's an Android device, so everything that I was already using works on it. Notably Firefox when properly configured, and Ankidroid.

bee_rider 2y ago
I just worry about using Android… this sort of e-ink device seems somehow even more personal than a laptop or cellphone (which are already quite personal); like a journal or something. I’d love one that had a community developed OS, like Linux or BSD.
- pjmlp 2y ago
  By now it is more than proven that devices with community developed OSes never take off to the amount to keep a sustainable business, and then there is the whole FOSS OS distribution politics on top.
  - agentultra 2y ago
    ReMarkable2 is running on Gentoo iirc.
    - pjmlp 2y ago
      They use their own in-house OS, based on Linux, Codex.
  - dTal 2y ago
    I don't think that's true, but in any case it doesn't have to be "community developed" to not be Android.
- DavideNL 2y ago
  > "I just worry about using Android…" Exactly, I'm avoiding them for the same reason, I don't want to use a personal e-ink device running on an OS created by the biggest advertiser in the world. I was hoping Pocketbook would release something new this year running some Linux distro / with less tracking, and more privacy. PS. Also: i want a light sensor to automatically adjust brightness/night mode based on lighting conditions (previous Pocketbook models don't have this.)
  - sulam 2y ago
    AOSP is free and clear of Google beyond the obvious fact that a lot of engineers paid by Google contribute to it.
    - DavideNL 2y ago
      Can AOSP be installed on the Boox (10.3) though? I thought the bootloader was locked… In any case, i think going this route might be very finicky, i’m afraid it would become a new hobby just to get it up and running / and keep it updated.
      - sulam 2y ago
        Probably true, although getting it to run seems doable.
      - zeagle 2y ago
        No, it is locked and furthermore DOA because devices don't get version updates after release. E.g. my ultra C comes and dies with Android 13... In late 2023.
gcr 2y ago
I have the slightly older Boox Note Air 2, and can second this comment. It’s a really nice device!
ajot 2y ago
As I don't have an Android eink device (I do have an Android phone and a Kobo with KOReader, for the record), I would like to know: have you tried (and what are your opinions on) any apps designed specifically for eink screens? Thinking about EInkBro [0] as the browser or ReLaunchX [1] as the launcher, even KOReader as document reader. [0] https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro [1] https://github.com/Leszek111/ReLaunchX https://github.com/Leszek111/ReLaunchX
- dotancohen 2y ago
  EInkBro is terrific. I filed a bug last year, the dev fixed it in less than a week. I use the stock launcher, but on an old Nook I used ReLaunchX, it was fine. On that device I only had two applications that I used anyway. I have not tried KOReader, but I can test it for you. What features do you use?
  - dredmorbius 2y ago
    I'll second EinkBro as an awesome browser. I absolutely cannot stand anything else on my e-book reader: Onyx BOOX Max Lumi, Firefox/Android, Onyx's NeoBrowser (rebranded Chromium), and DDG Privacy Browser installed, I only use those if EinkBro blows up for some reason, which it very rarely does. I've had a lot of interactions with the developer and the GitHub repo, and he's been quite responsive. Hasn't addressed everything, but several features added and bugs get smashed fast.
    - metamet 2y ago
      I'm going to check that out. I have had a Max Lumi for years and have been happy with it, but I never do browsing. Any other apps I you recommend?
      - dredmorbius 2y ago
        I try to minimise the apps I install / use. Though I'd give nods to: - Termux, of course. Linux-on-Android userland. There's a suite of related apps which I also install (e.g., Termux:API and Termux:Styling.) There's a black-on-white theme which works quite well (default is white-on-black, not so much). - F-Droid. FOSS archive repo, independent of Google Play. - Aurora Store. Alternative interface to Google Play. - APK Mirror. Direct access to app installs, though not managed (no updates). - Hacker's Keyboard. Far preferable to Android or Onyx defaults. - A podcast app. I'm using AntennaPod (FOSS), have also used PodcastRepublic in the past. - RSS Feed reader, though I'm finding I don't make much use of this. Feeder seems to be the default. - Internet Radio player. Transistor is one option. Not something used frequently, but handy to have. A few others though most are very occasionally used and/or disappointments (e.g., Mozilla's Pocket App, which has been an absolute shitshow, despite potentially filling a critical niche). For the most part I avoid anything that has an account associated with it, largely to avoid distractions. Though also because tablets are shitty generative tools. Adding a Bluetooth keyboard helps slightly, but Android still throws in far too many limitations.
eightysixfour 2y ago
Every time I look at it I get turned off by Android 11 being so old. I don’t know the Google ecosystem as well, how much longer will that API version be supported? Does it get security updates? Can I unlock it and install something less Googled?
- dotancohen 2y ago
  I don't believe that there are third-party Android builds for the Boox devices, simply because they've modified it to better fit E-Ink screens.
  - mook 2y ago
    Yeah, for me a Boox would have been way more tempting if there were third-party builds available.
  - nar001 2y ago
    No, there aren't any because they don't follow the GPL and haven't released their sources at all
paradox460 2y ago
I really do love mine too, and support has been rather good. I do worry about it reaching end of life, but only mildly. I do wish that boox would open source their android changes, they are arguably the best in class features for eink, and beat the pants off systems like the Kindle
- dotancohen 2y ago
  I actually did love the E-Ink display algorithms, but maybe two months ago an update changed them and it is far worse. Lots of dithering, and I have a hard time configuring the "Enhance dark colours" and "Enhance light colours" settings to display apps as good as they were prior. Don't upgrade the OS!
- cyanydeez 2y ago
  Last I heard, book is violating open source licenses.

bee_rider 2y ago

I just worry about using Android… this sort of e-ink device seems somehow even more personal than a laptop or cellphone (which are already quite personal); like a journal or something. I’d love one that had a community developed OS, like Linux or BSD.

pjmlp 2y ago
By now it is more than proven that devices with community developed OSes never take off to the amount to keep a sustainable business, and then there is the whole FOSS OS distribution politics on top.
- agentultra 2y ago
  ReMarkable2 is running on Gentoo iirc.
  - pjmlp 2y ago
    They use their own in-house OS, based on Linux, Codex.
- dTal 2y ago
  I don't think that's true, but in any case it doesn't have to be "community developed" to not be Android.
DavideNL 2y ago
> "I just worry about using Android…" Exactly, I'm avoiding them for the same reason, I don't want to use a personal e-ink device running on an OS created by the biggest advertiser in the world. I was hoping Pocketbook would release something new this year running some Linux distro / with less tracking, and more privacy. PS. Also: i want a light sensor to automatically adjust brightness/night mode based on lighting conditions (previous Pocketbook models don't have this.)
- sulam 2y ago
  AOSP is free and clear of Google beyond the obvious fact that a lot of engineers paid by Google contribute to it.
  - DavideNL 2y ago
    Can AOSP be installed on the Boox (10.3) though? I thought the bootloader was locked… In any case, i think going this route might be very finicky, i’m afraid it would become a new hobby just to get it up and running / and keep it updated.
    - sulam 2y ago
      Probably true, although getting it to run seems doable.
    - zeagle 2y ago
      No, it is locked and furthermore DOA because devices don't get version updates after release. E.g. my ultra C comes and dies with Android 13... In late 2023.

gcr 2y ago

I have the slightly older Boox Note Air 2, and can second this comment. It’s a really nice device!

ajot 2y ago

As I don't have an Android eink device (I do have an Android phone and a Kobo with KOReader, for the record), I would like to know: have you tried (and what are your opinions on) any apps designed specifically for eink screens? Thinking about EInkBro [0] as the browser or ReLaunchX [1] as the launcher, even KOReader as document reader. [0] https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro https://github.com/plateaukao/einkbro [1] https://github.com/Leszek111/ReLaunchX https://github.com/Leszek111/ReLaunchX

dotancohen 2y ago
EInkBro is terrific. I filed a bug last year, the dev fixed it in less than a week. I use the stock launcher, but on an old Nook I used ReLaunchX, it was fine. On that device I only had two applications that I used anyway. I have not tried KOReader, but I can test it for you. What features do you use?
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  I'll second EinkBro as an awesome browser. I absolutely cannot stand anything else on my e-book reader: Onyx BOOX Max Lumi, Firefox/Android, Onyx's NeoBrowser (rebranded Chromium), and DDG Privacy Browser installed, I only use those if EinkBro blows up for some reason, which it very rarely does. I've had a lot of interactions with the developer and the GitHub repo, and he's been quite responsive. Hasn't addressed everything, but several features added and bugs get smashed fast.
  - metamet 2y ago
    I'm going to check that out. I have had a Max Lumi for years and have been happy with it, but I never do browsing. Any other apps I you recommend?
    - dredmorbius 2y ago
      I try to minimise the apps I install / use. Though I'd give nods to: - Termux, of course. Linux-on-Android userland. There's a suite of related apps which I also install (e.g., Termux:API and Termux:Styling.) There's a black-on-white theme which works quite well (default is white-on-black, not so much). - F-Droid. FOSS archive repo, independent of Google Play. - Aurora Store. Alternative interface to Google Play. - APK Mirror. Direct access to app installs, though not managed (no updates). - Hacker's Keyboard. Far preferable to Android or Onyx defaults. - A podcast app. I'm using AntennaPod (FOSS), have also used PodcastRepublic in the past. - RSS Feed reader, though I'm finding I don't make much use of this. Feeder seems to be the default. - Internet Radio player. Transistor is one option. Not something used frequently, but handy to have. A few others though most are very occasionally used and/or disappointments (e.g., Mozilla's Pocket App, which has been an absolute shitshow, despite potentially filling a critical niche). For the most part I avoid anything that has an account associated with it, largely to avoid distractions. Though also because tablets are shitty generative tools. Adding a Bluetooth keyboard helps slightly, but Android still throws in far too many limitations.

eightysixfour 2y ago

Every time I look at it I get turned off by Android 11 being so old. I don’t know the Google ecosystem as well, how much longer will that API version be supported? Does it get security updates? Can I unlock it and install something less Googled?

dotancohen 2y ago
I don't believe that there are third-party Android builds for the Boox devices, simply because they've modified it to better fit E-Ink screens.
- mook 2y ago
  Yeah, for me a Boox would have been way more tempting if there were third-party builds available.
- nar001 2y ago
  No, there aren't any because they don't follow the GPL and haven't released their sources at all

paradox460 2y ago

I really do love mine too, and support has been rather good. I do worry about it reaching end of life, but only mildly. I do wish that boox would open source their android changes, they are arguably the best in class features for eink, and beat the pants off systems like the Kindle

dotancohen 2y ago
I actually did love the E-Ink display algorithms, but maybe two months ago an update changed them and it is far worse. Lots of dithering, and I have a hard time configuring the "Enhance dark colours" and "Enhance light colours" settings to display apps as good as they were prior. Don't upgrade the OS!
cyanydeez 2y ago
Last I heard, book is violating open source licenses.