[HN Gopher] Palma 2
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Palma 2
Author : tosh
Score : 80 points
Date : 2025-03-31 15:27 UTC (7 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (shop.boox.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (shop.boox.com)
| jsheard wrote:
| Boox makes neat devices but keep in mind they don't respect the
| GPL if that matters to you, and their QC and warranty service is
| apparently not great either. Their subreddit is full of reports
| of dead displays which their support _always_ insists is the
| users fault so they can refuse a replacement. They were also
| caught running sockpuppet accounts to cast blame on anyone
| posting about a broken display (not very subtly because that was
| the only activity on those accounts).
|
| https://old.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/19czayd/a_general_...
| sigmar wrote:
| > they don't respect the GPL
|
| Was considering buying one, but this might be a deal-breaker
| for me. Have they given a reason? Is there an email address I
| could complain to?
| amarcheschi wrote:
| I've been reading online complaints about this for years, I
| don't think they would care about someone complaining
|
| There is Pinenote as a similar (and should I guess, worse)
| ereader, but I don't know anything about it
| graemep wrote:
| its not really ready for consumers.I have a Pine tablet
| which is a bit more mature, but it has rough edges and
| missing functionality.
| enthdegree wrote:
| They won't do anything. Every time this comes up I remember
| this shocking email they sent: https://www.reddit.com/r/Onyx_
| Boox/comments/hsn7kx/onyx_usin...
| paxiongmap wrote:
| I came to a similar conclusion when I was very very close to
| pushing the 'Buy' button on the original Palma. My main hope is
| for this to be successful enough to encourage some competitors
| who do the software / service side in a way I can get on board
| with.
| bsimpson wrote:
| The grammar around "an open Android system with a pre-installed
| Google Play Store" made me question their licensing compliance.
| I don't think I've ever seen a legitimate manufacturer brag
| about a "pre-installed" Play Store.
| sofixa wrote:
| On some of their devices you have to jump through a couple of
| hoops to enable Google Play Services and Store, maybe that's
| what they're referring to.
| genericuser256 wrote:
| I'd agree about the warranty. I just bought a palma in the fall
| and was loving it until it's display randomly broke (screen is
| fine, just the e-ink display) while in a soft internal pocket,
| completely refused any warranty and cost to replace was 50% of
| the palma itself. Would definitely avoid them
| stingrae wrote:
| I would 100% use this if it had cellular.
| jdalgetty wrote:
| It's not a phone?
| popcar2 wrote:
| Nope, which is very bizarre. I don't understand the point of
| the phone form factor if it doesn't have a SIM card slot. It
| even has a microphone and everything but you can't make calls
| from it.
| tired_and_awake wrote:
| If you install signal or WhatsApp would it work?
| gs17 wrote:
| Yes, if you're on Wi-Fi. It's running Android and even
| comes with the Play Store. I have one of their larger
| readers and a lot of apps worked out of the boox.
| dingnuts wrote:
| not if you don't have a WiFi signal available. The part
| that makes it a cell phone isn't the ability to run
| messaging apps, it's the cellular modem.
| antonyt wrote:
| Nope, it's an e-reader in a cell-phone form factor. No modem.
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| What's confusing is that it's not just a small e-reader. It
| has a microphone, SD card, the Google Play store, and
| normal smartphone apps. Everything except cell data / SIM
| card.
| bondarchuk wrote:
| Throwback to ipod touch.
| hombre_fatal wrote:
| Yeah, good point. Because the iPod touch was also kinda
| awkward as a product, but it made more sense as a
| transitionary device when smartphone penetration wasn't
| fully ubiquitous.
|
| In 2025, the Palma product seems like feature creep since
| I wouldn't expect smartphone apps to appeal to anyone
| looking for less distraction. That's how most people use
| tablets which are dedicated distraction devices stuck on
| wifi.
| JansjoFromIkea wrote:
| I've often wondered why there aren't devices that have
| all network operations bundled into a removable module;
| that way you could get both people who want some level of
| disconnect and those who want a more thorough level of
| disconnect.
| numpad0 wrote:
| I had one of these[1]. Worst part was that the push-push
| slot wasn't so secure and modem would crash silently.
|
| 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W-SIM
| robocat wrote:
| There are attempts at module based electronics. Google
| had "Project Ara" https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Ara
|
| The HMD fusion budget smartphone has a pogo-pin port on
| the back for peripherals
| https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/03/hmd_fusion_review/
|
| Not sure why they fail in the marketplace. Maybe look at
| other similar market failures like power tools with
| different interchangable heads? I suspect the sticker
| price of the individual modules scares consumers.
| culopatin wrote:
| A hotspot?
| ergocoder wrote:
| LMAO what. I was really impressed and thought of buying
| one. I was thinking that it could replace my phone, and I
| wouldn't use phone as much.
| numbers wrote:
| it's so weird that they made it a phone form factor and there's
| apps too but no cellular
| roywiggins wrote:
| I already carry an e-reader around in my bag, but of course it
| can't replace my phone. This is another e-reader that _also_
| can 't replace my phone, and would also have to live in my bag.
| It looks very nice! But if it can't replace my phone when I'm
| out of the house...
| andrewmutz wrote:
| If you had a mobile hotspot, can it use that? Can it use wifi
| to make calls or send text messages?
| barnabee wrote:
| I much prefer the size and form factor of the Onyx Poke 5 to
| their phone-like Palma (and now Palma 2). I'd _love_ to see an
| update of that with a better CPU, smaller bezel (though honestly
| it 's already really nice and compact device, much more so than
| the Kindle devices etc.), and faster updating screen.
|
| (Shame about their lack of GPL compliance, but I still use mine
| because I haven't found anything close.)
| jdmoreira wrote:
| Why can't this be a phone? Why? I would throw so much money at
| this if it was a phone!
| slevis wrote:
| Well, the bigme hibreak pro might be what you are looking for
| StevenNunez wrote:
| That's likely my next device! I have a palma 2 and a unihertz
| Jellystar as my main phone. Might be a good merge of the 2.
| Phone + e-ink to help with phone over usage.
| wedn3sday wrote:
| Does it have an SDK? Can I add my own features?
| jsheard wrote:
| Their devices run Android so you can put whatever APKs you want
| on there, provided the UI is reasonably e-ink friendly. See my
| other comment about their business practices though.
| bnjmn wrote:
| They say the e-ink display has "Unmatched Speed, Never Seen on
| ePaper" so it would nice to know the actual refresh rate.
|
| This is not an endorsement, but https://daylightcomputer.com/
| claims 60fps, so that's the bar to meet in my opinion. Caveat:
| the daylight display is not true e-ink, but an e-ink-like LCD,
| IIUC.
| pclowes wrote:
| Im confused, how is a different technology the bar to meet for
| a given technology?
|
| That feels like saying "my car can go 60mph so thats the bar to
| beat for a bicycle".
|
| Whats the battery like on the daylight?
| hatsix wrote:
| Both devices focus on readability and rely on a reflective
| screen. Both devices are monochrome.
|
| This is like comparing OLED vs MicroLED. They're technically
| different technologies, and each has it's own strengths. The
| OP is saying that "Never Seen on ePaper" is like saying "The
| Best iPhone Ever"...
| jerojero wrote:
| I don't see much of a reason to buy this over the older Palma
| given that they have the exact same screen and the older palma
| has a processor that's more than fast enough for e-ink.
|
| I don't think fingerprint recognition is a significant enough
| feature to choose this device over the older model given the
| price difference.
|
| I am expecting for them to release either a color or a Carta 1300
| device sometime this year. Which would make sense as an upgrade.
| kridsdale1 wrote:
| I loved the Palma 1, still the most comfortable one hand device
| for reading via the Kindle app. Replaced my kindle hardware
| completely.
|
| I subsequently bought their color e-ink iPad-mini sized device
| for manga. It's awesome to get a native-publication-sized e-ink
| way to chew through tons of pages without having to fill up my
| bookshelves.
| rojcyk wrote:
| I am looking to fill the need for exactly this. Mind to share
| which device you got and which apps you use to read manga?
| mrcwinn wrote:
| To this day, dealing with Boox customer service is one of the
| worst experiences I've ever had.
| slevis wrote:
| Bigme Hibreak Pro is currently the better option imo. Especially
| for those who want it to be even more phone-like
| wahnfrieden wrote:
| How's this compare with the Moaan InkPalm Plus? Which is over
| $100 cheaper
| rcoder wrote:
| I bought the InkPalm a while back, and the Palma recently.
| (Note: I have a "thing" when it comes to e-Ink devices and so
| tend to just pull the trigger on new interesting ones when they
| come out.)
|
| They're superficially similar, but the InkPalm feels like a
| very limited device by comparison. No Play Store, slower
| refresh, much older Android build, and a mostly-Chinese
| localized UI with partial English translation.
|
| If you really just need a basic e-reader that can handle MOBI
| and ePub files and are willing to put up with a somewhat
| frustrating experience, the InkPalm is fine. OTOH, if you spend
| a lot of time reading long-form text but also want to
| occasionally run other apps -- Termux in particular is a pretty
| great tool to have on a small e-Ink device when paired with a
| small BT keyboard -- the Palma is meaningfully better.
| csdvrx wrote:
| I prefer the Moaan because it's lighter and doesn't have a
| camera.
|
| I got it to read books, but now I'm using it to listen to music
| and take notes: I like the minimalistic experience, with no
| temptations to go online.
| spaceisballer wrote:
| I've had a Palma 2 for a few months now. Looks like I have around
| 30 hours reading on it so far. Literally on use it as a reading
| device. Sadly it's less frowned upon to look at a device other
| than reading a paper book. So I bring it to work, instead of
| using my phone, take a quick break and read. Very pocketable
| which is the selling point for me. Had a good experience with
| Boox so far, also have a Boox Go 10.3 which is great to read on
| or take notes with.
| solarkraft wrote:
| Onyx is a questionable company, but their devices are pretty
| solid. If this was actually a phone it'd be multiple times as
| useful.
| Waterluvian wrote:
| When smartphones became a thing a whole new requirement for web
| responsiveness was born. I wonder about a third kind: webpages
| that "paginate" rather than scroll.
|
| I love the idea of eInk. Most of the good things I do on my phone
| would be improved with it, and most of the time killers would be
| discouraged. But I'm not sure I could handle the scrolling.
| fzzzy wrote:
| Newer eink devices are extremely fast.
| resfirestar wrote:
| I've got a Palma 2 and I like it. It replaces the Kindle for me:
| fits in the pocket, more book apps, actual feed reader and read
| later apps, good for typing quick notes and using Anki. You can
| also use Terminus to ssh to a box in a pinch.
|
| I would never think of daily driving it as a phone if it had a
| modem. The biggest dealbreaker is that streaming music is a pain
| on e-ink devices: all of the services except Apple Music (which
| doesn't support 2FA sign in on Android so it's useless to me) are
| dark mode only, and dark mode is the enemy on e-ink. Another
| problem is that the camera is pre smartphone level, it's really
| bad and with e-ink it's harder to see if the focus is good. And
| of course, it's running an obsolete version of Android and is
| continuously phoning home to China, so you probably don't want
| any important data on it. But as an e-reader, I strongly prefer
| it to the walled garden tablets.
| csdvrx wrote:
| > The biggest dealbreaker is that streaming music is a pain on
| e-ink devices
|
| It's funny: I now use my eink device (Moaan) almost exclusively
| for music, because there's no streaming so I have to curate my
| playlist.
|
| For the light theme, try poweramp or the likes that support
| themes.
|
| > I would never think of daily driving it as a phone if it had
| a modem
|
| I would never had purchased it if it had a modem. I like to
| disconnect, I don't want to be tempted by apps.
|
| > And of course, it's running an obsolete version of Android
| and is continuously phoning home to China, so you probably
| don't want any important data on it.
|
| I prefer the Mooan because I do not want the google play store
| on my devices: I can still install apps from F-Droid.
|
| e-ink phone sized devices are excellent for a minimalistic
| experience: without color or a modem, you are less tempted to
| use apps.
|
| I also do not want a camera: I prefer the smoother back both to
| put a credit card holder there, and have no temptation to take
| a picture.
| resfirestar wrote:
| The point about playlist curation makes sense, it's a valid
| way to go about it. Another app that works well on e-ink is
| Plexamp, which can be used for a NAS-based library as a sort
| of middle ground. I've been down that road though and
| concluded that I do prefer streaming, particularly when it
| comes to keeping up with today's artists who like to do
| digital releases almost to the exclusion of anything else.
|
| >I like to disconnect, I don't want to be tempted by apps.
|
| Fair, but I was specifically addressing the people who want a
| device that fulfills the good/essential functions of a
| smartphone (messaging apps, GPS, music) with less app
| temptation. A cell modem is essential for that use case.
|
| > temptation to take a picture
|
| Hah, not really an issue for me. My friends are always
| complaining that I go on holiday for 2 weeks and come back
| with 2 photos. But that would be a consideration for those
| that have it and for the smooth back (the Palma 2's camera is
| almost flush but not quite). Depending on where you are in
| the world, having a camera may count as essential due to
| prevalence of QR codes. And the Palma 2's camera is so bad it
| usually can't read one from more than 6 inches away. Just
| really wanted to emphasize whatever it cost Boox to add a
| camera was completely wasted.
| csdvrx wrote:
| > I've been down that road though and concluded that I do
| prefer streaming, particularly when it comes to keeping up
| with today's artists who like to do digital releases almost
| to the exclusion of anything else.
|
| Yes, even with stores like supraphonline.cz I often depend
| on yt-dl for new songs
|
| I wish there was a more direct way to support the work
| artists I like without being forced to use streaming (which
| I don't like)
|
| > Hah, not really an issue for me. My friends are always
| complaining that I go on holiday for 2 weeks and come back
| with 2 photos
|
| That's _GOOD_ : it means we live in the moment and we enjoy
| the experience instead of wasting time and storage to take
| pictures we'll never look at ever again!
|
| > Just really wanted to emphasize whatever it cost Boox to
| add a camera was completely wasted.
|
| I could see a usecase for QR codes or for translation, but
| if it can't even do that I'd rather have the slick and
| flush back like on my Mooan
| maxglute wrote:
| How long before someone brings back the Yotaphone. We're in the
| era where midrange phones cost asmuch as Yota2. Foldable with
| full oled interior and eink exterior would be chefs kiss.
| ratorx wrote:
| I have never owned a Boox device, but was researching them when
| looking for an e-reader. The premise is good, but bear in mind
| that they will basically provide no updates to Android versions
| once the device is released.
|
| If using an internet-disconnected device, this might be fine, but
| this seems sketchy if you want to use this for more than 1-2
| years while connected to the internet (and using a browser etc).
| packetlost wrote:
| I have the first Palma and like it. I _do not_ trust the OS. It's
| really not clear to me what is actually upgraded in the 2: it has
| the same specs, screen, buttons (and presumably frame). The CPU
| on the 1 is _slow_ but not so slow that it's unusable.
| tln wrote:
| At the bottom of article there is a comparison table. Palma 2
| has:
|
| * Upgraded Octa-core CPU
|
| * Fingerprint Lock
|
| * Android 13
| packetlost wrote:
| So it's a very marginal improvement. Got it. I'd recommend
| just buying the first one for cheaper.
| yegle wrote:
| Has anyone successfully set Gboard as the input method on Palma2?
| I've been bothered by this. The Gboard will stay as the input
| method for minutes and then it auto-revert to the built-in input
| method.
| resfirestar wrote:
| Works for me, I've been using Gboard since I got it. Is it
| selected under Settings -> More Settings -> Language and Input
| -> Current?
| yegle wrote:
| This is part of the problem: Gboard often do not appear as a
| selectable input method.
|
| And clearly I'm not the only one impacted, e.g. https://old.r
| eddit.com/r/Onyx_Boox/comments/1hoh143/gboard_w...
|
| I often need to open Gboard app, and it'll present the "step
| 2" of the first run experience when it's installed by asking
| me to select an input method, at that time Gboard would show
| up as one of the installed input methods.
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(page generated 2025-03-31 23:01 UTC)