Pocket eReaders

Ever since I first heard about the InkPalm Plus, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with these phone-sized eReaders. There are more of them out there than I expected. Off the top of my head, I can name the BOOX Palma, the Viwoods AiPaper Reader, and the Xteink.

I picked up the InkPalm Plus myself, and to be honest, I’m not all that thrilled with it. Right out of the box, the system is geared toward Chinese readers, and it took a bit of tinkering to switch everything over to English. I can read the books I’ve bought from Rakuten just fine, but the device does not support Amazon Getting my DRM-free books on there is such a chore that I’ve pretty much given up. The biggest letdown for me, though, is that I can’t highlight or take notes. That might not matter to everyone, but since I do a lot of research, it’s a dealbreaker. Still, for something I picked up for under a hundred bucks, I really can’t gripe too much.

Having this little InkPalm has made me realize what I actually want from a pocket-sized reader. I want to open any eBook I’ve bought from Amazon or Rakuten, access my DRM-free library without jumping through hoops, and highlight and make notes as I go. And I don’t want to spend more than $150 to do it. That rules out the BOOX Palma and the Viwoods AiPaper Reader since they’re both over $200. The Xteink is also out because it only supports non-DRM books, and those buttons on the front drive me crazy.

The funny thing is, as much as I’m fascinated by these tiny readers, I probably wouldn’t use one all that much. When I have a choice, I’ll always grab my Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Clara Colour. I’ve noticed that my reading comprehension just nosedives when I’m trying to read something long on a screen the size of a phone. So why do I still want one of these little eReaders?