E-Reader Reviews

Amazon’s latest software update lets Kindle users adjust the lock screen timeout interval — previously set to 10 minutes — so you don’t have to keep waking up your Kindle if you need to take a longer break.

The update also gives the ability to filter the content of Kindle libraries by subscription type and reading format.

Jason Snell over at Six Colors has a review of the Boox Palma, a strange E Ink device that straddles the line between a phone and an e-reader.

The $280 Palma is not a phone, per se, as it doesn’t have any cellular connectivity. But it’s a six-inch, phone shaped thing that runs Android 11 and comes with an E Ink screen.

Snell notes that it works better than prior Boox devices because of some new software tweaks from Boox and the fact that Android apps still run best on a phone-shaped screen as opposed to a tablet. Still, I think I’ll wait for Boox to put these features on a larger screen.

It’s always refreshing when a promising new product enters an Amazon-dominated market, which is why I’m excited about Barnes and Noble’s Nook Glowlight 4 Plus. Available on September 6th, it seems to share much in common with the best e-readers, like waterproofing, a sharp display, and page-turning buttons. We’ll likely be testing it soon, so stay tuned.