![A photo of a person using a smartphone-like device near water.](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p24mjuOUqi66lggHcmNxZOALJRM=/125x0:1475x900/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73426367/Boox_Palma_lead.0.jpeg?w=700&ssl=1)
There are really only three things you need to know about the Boox Palma. One: it’s about the size of a smartphone. Two: it runs Android, with the Play Store. Three: it has an E Ink screen. There are other specs and features I’ll get to, but that combination — smartphone, Android, E Ink — is the Palma’s whole reason for existence.
In a couple of months of using the Palma, a $280 device that has been on sale since last fall, that combination has turned out to be exactly what I needed. Because it’s smartphone-sized, with a 6.1-inch screen and an overall footprint just a smidge larger than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, I can hold it in one hand and fit in my pocket. Because it runs Android, I can download any app I need. And because it’s E…