Whereas they may by no means have the title recognition of the Amazon Kindle, e-ink gadgets from Chinese language tech firm Onyx Worldwide—bought below the marginally foolish “Boox” model title—are gaining a cult following within the U.S. I’ve reviewed three of its e-readers and digital notebooks over the previous 12 months, and I am an enormous fan. And when you’re studying this text, you in all probability are too (or quickly will likely be).
I like Boox gadgets not solely as a result of they’re nicely constructed and full-featured (although in order for you extra of my ideas there, try my assessments of the Boox Palma, Be aware Max, and Be aware Air 4C). I can also’t get sufficient of their customizability. Nothing makes me crazier than making an attempt to do one thing easy with a tool, solely to be stymied as a consequence of locked down software program that does not wish to let me. From side-loading books onto a Kindle to doing—nicely, mainly something unsanctioned on an iPad, huge firms appear decided to solely let me do with my gadgets what they need me to do.
Boox gadgets are totally different: They run on an open model of Android that permits you to do just about no matter you need. You possibly can obtain any app within the Google Play Retailer, so you are not tied to at least one e-reading platform. If you wish to sideload apps, be happy: Plug the gadget into your laptop computer and it’ll mount proper to the desktop. In case you’re actually bold, you may even set up your personal launcher to fully change issues up.
Whereas all this freedom is sweet, it additionally means Boox gadgets have a bit extra of a studying curve than, say, a plug-and-read Kindle. So in case you are the brand new proprietor of one among these implausible gadgets—whether or not an e-reader or a full-fledged digital pocket book—listed here are 4 settings you must change straight away to get probably the most out of it.
Set a one-touch refresh
Like several e-ink pill, Boox gadgets undergo from occasional “ghosting,” or seen afterimages as soon as you’ve got turned a web page. Whereas the gadget will robotically refresh itself after a sure variety of faucets (touching the display, mainly), I prefer to arrange a one-touch refresh that I can set off every time I wish to. Relying in your gadget, there are a couple of methods to do that: a button or a gesture.
Setting a handbook refresh on a Boox gadget with buttons
Credit score: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham
In case you’ve obtained a Boox Palma or one other gadget with web page flip/quantity buttons, you may map one among them to a display refresh. For the Palma, it makes probably the most sense to make use of the Sensible Button for this—that is the button on the left hand aspect of the gadget, which might do various things based mostly on whether or not you press it as soon as, twice, or maintain it down. By myself gadget, I’ve mapped a handbook refresh to a single Sensible Button press, as it is the factor I discover myself doing most frequently (that, or returning to the house display, which is one other of the various choices you may select). That stated, you may as well map a refresh to the quantity buttons when you like (although I want to make use of these for web page turns).
To remap your Sensible Button, open the settings app and faucet Sensible Button. Faucet your most popular possibility (Brief-press Operate, Double-click Operate, or Lengthy-press Operate) and choose Full-refresh.
Setting a handbook refresh with a gesture
Credit score: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham
Not all Boox gadgets have buttons, so if yours would not, you may have to map a handbook refresh to a gesture. (Although you may as well do that on the Palma, when you like.)
To get began, open Settings and scroll all the way down to System Navigation. Below Backside Navigation, faucet Extra Settings. Select the world of the display you’d prefer to map the refresh to by swiping between the left, heart, or proper aspect choices. Faucet Customized after which select Full-refresh out of your listing of choices.
Select your cloud storage possibility
Boox gadgets are likely to have beneficiant onboard storage, however you may get extra out of them by linking your most popular cloud storage service on the system stage. This can allow you to transfer recordsdata on and off the gadget with out the necessity to plug it in to your pc.
To begin, open Settings, then Accounts. Faucet Transfer to Cloud Storage in Library, then choose your most popular possibility from the listing. You could have a bunch of selections, together with Dropbox and Google Drive. Faucet the one you need, then log in.
Handle your sleep settings (when you hearken to audiobooks or podcasts)
Credit score: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham
In an effort to make use of my telephone much less, I’ve moved my audiobooks over to my Palma as nicely (the 128GB of storage is useful right here). Nevertheless, I used to be annoyed with the gadget as an audio participant at first as a result of I take advantage of a protecting cowl, and each time I closed it, it might fall asleep, turning off my audio. I discovered myself awkwardly making an attempt to slide it right into a pocket with the quilt folded over, with out by accident touching the display.
Then I found there is a setting to repair this (hat tip to Lifehacker reader N33k5 the Zombie Canine Fujin for sharing it within the feedback): You should inform the gadget to not “freeze” your audio apps when the gadget goes to sleep.
To do that, open Settings, faucet Apps and Notifications, and scroll all the way down to Freeze Settings. Be sure that Don’t freeze apps working within the background is ready to On. Subsequent, discover your audio participant apps within the listing beneath (I take advantage of Audible, Sensible AudioBook Participant, and Pocket Casts) and switch the slider to Off. Now your audio will hold taking part in even after the gadget goes to sleep.
Change your lock display picture and screensaver
Credit score: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham
Boox gadgets have some good-looking preset lock display pictures, however if you wish to make the gadget your personal, you may set your personal screensaver and wallpaper. This one is fairly simple: Select Desktop & Screensaver within the Settings app—however in order for you a customized picture, you may first should get it saved to the appropriate spot.
The simplest method to do that is to search out a picture you want whereas searching the web utilizing your Boox gadget. Lengthy press on it and select Obtain, which is able to reserve it to your downloads folder (naturally). Subsequent, open up the Gallery app, faucet your Obtain folder, after which faucet the picture you need. Within the decrease proper, faucet Extra after which Set as. You possibly can select to set it because the Screensaver, the Wallpaper, or the Energy-Off picture.
Alternately, you may plug the gadget into a pc and manually add the pictures to your Photos folder. From there, you may change your wallpaper as described above, or simply lengthy press on the house display and choose the Wallpaper icon on the decrease proper; faucet Native to search out pictures saved to your Photos folder. (And this is one other useful trace: If you wish to create your personal wallpaper picture in Photoshop or Canva, the size are 824×1648 for the Boox Palma. For the Be aware Max or Be aware Air 4C, 1404 x 1872 ought to serve you nicely.)