ONYX Boox Palma e-ink w/ Plus42...

[KF6GPE]

I recently picked up an ONYX Book Palma to use as an Android e-ink e-reader (It runs Android 11) and as a cheap digital audio player (it has USB-C and a microSD slot).

On a lark I installed Plus42, and for e-ink it doesn't look so bad. It could look better, too, if I made a custom black and white skin.

Reviews say it lasts forever as an e-reader --- people are claiming multiple days of regular use to weeks --- and I'd assume that adding light computing work to it with something like Plus42 wouldn't affect that.

I don't always travel with an HP or SwissMicros calculator (I know, a heresy) but this looks like a reasonable replacement for when I leave my cell phone at home, too.

Just throwing that out there for people who use HPs and Kindles --- this looks like a good combination.

[rprosperi]

Thanks for posting this info, this is a totally new device to me, and pretty interesting.

[carey]

(03-05-2024 12:18 AM)KF6GPE Wrote:  On a lark I installed Plus42, and for e-ink it doesn't look so bad. It could look better, too, if I made a custom black and white skin.

Just throwing that out there for people who use HPs and Kindles --- this looks like a good combination.

Interesting suggestion! How is its responsiveness to key touches and does the display remain stable while calculating or flicker?

Thanks!

[KF6GPE]

The display is a little pokey, to be honest --- but I have it on the lowest, energy efficient setting. When I cranked it up to "ultra" or whatever it calls the highest setting, it's almost as fast as an LCD.

The touchscreen is OK, about as good as a phone, which kind of surprised me at the price point, but I guess the technology for touch is essentially the same on e-ink as on LCD anyway.

It feels a little slow on refreshing after computations -- but not bad.

One thing I noticed is that after using it a while in one app and switching to another there's some ghosting, which is not unusual for e-ink -- in fact, there's a dedicated button on the task bar that forces a full-page refresh (like a Kindle does occasionally). The ghosting isn't bad, but I noticed it going between Pulsar Audio (my audio player) which is mostly black for album covers, and Plus42. It doesn't make the Plus42 display illegible or anything, but parts look like they have a shadow.

[carey]

Thank you!
This is very helpful.

[Steve Simpkin]

I use a Kindle Fire 7 tablet as a 7" Android tablet for testing calculator emulators/simulators on that platform. It is normally $60 but goes on sale for $40-$50 several times a year. It was the least expensive option I found for an Android tablet. It did not come with the Google Play Store but that was easy to install. It is not super fast and only has an 8-10 hour battery life but it was cheap and works reasonably well. It runs an Amazon fork of Android 11.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-05-2024 12:18 AM)KF6GPE Wrote:  Just throwing that out there for people who use HPs and Kindles --- this looks like a good combination.

Looks good! But for that money I would rather buy a real HP-42S plus a real Kindle and still have money left for a nice restaurant visit with my wife...
But I would not be surprised if we see similar devices appear on platforms like Aliexpress in the near future for less than 100$/Euro.

Regards
Max

NB: I bought a Kindle on eBay years ago for 10 Euros, not because I wanted a Kindle but because that was the cheapest way to get an e-Paper display for a project. But then I actually found the Kindle very useful and have been using it since for it's intended purpuse. The most impressive feature is the battery life - I need to recharge ir only three or four times per year.

[pompito]

I was just looking at this device a week ago when I thought about having a "dedicated
cheap phone" to run free42 (after getting some mild burn-in on my phone).
Well it's not cheap, but looks like a good option and battery life should be excellent in comparison to a phone.
You also get to have a nice ebook/music player/web browser reader along with your calculator too .

[Xorand]

(03-05-2024 07:14 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  I use a Kindle Fire 7 tablet as a 7" Android tablet for testing calculator emulators/simulators on that platform. It is normally $60 but goes on sale for $40-$50 several times a year. It was the least expensive option I found for an Android tablet. It did not come with the Google Play Store but that was easy to install. It is not super fast and only has an 8-10 hour battery life but it was cheap and works reasonably well. It runs an Amazon fork of Android 11.

Thanks for reminding me I have a Fire 7 sitting in a drawer unused. Now it has a new purpose in life.

[carey]

(03-05-2024 07:14 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  Thanks for reminding me I have a Fire 7 sitting in a drawer unused. Now it has a new purpose in life.

Same here for a Lenova M7 Tab that has been sitting out of sight and mind.

Sounds like time to start a new thread that asks to list the most interesting or useful devices you forgot you own until reminded! :)

[DavZell]

(03-05-2024 06:27 AM)KF6GPE Wrote:  The display is a little pokey, to be honest --- but I have it on the lowest, energy efficient setting. When I cranked it up to "ultra" or whatever it calls the highest setting, it's almost as fast as an LCD.

The touchscreen is OK, about as good as a phone, which kind of surprised me at the price point, but I guess the technology for touch is essentially the same on e-ink as on LCD anyway.

It feels a little slow on refreshing after computations -- but not bad.

One thing I noticed is that after using it a while in one app and switching to another there's some ghosting, which is not unusual for e-ink -- in fact, there's a dedicated button on the task bar that forces a full-page refresh (like a Kindle does occasionally). The ghosting isn't bad, but I noticed it going between Pulsar Audio (my audio player) which is mostly black for album covers, and Plus42. It doesn't make the Plus42 display illegible or anything, but parts look like they have a shadow.

That ghosting between apps (or in apps) os affected by your screen setting. It will be the worst with your setting. If you try the one just below Royal (Ultra?), there is much less of that.

[DavZell]

(03-05-2024 09:04 AM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!

(03-05-2024 12:18 AM)KF6GPE Wrote:  Just throwing that out there for people who use HPs and Kindles --- this looks like a good combination.

Looks good! But for that money I would rather buy a real HP-42S plus a real Kindle and still have money left for a nice restaurant visit with my wife...
But I would not be surprised if we see similar devices appear on platforms like Aliexpress in the near future for less than 100$/Euro.

Regards
Max

NB: I bought a Kindle on eBay years ago for 10 Euros, not because I wanted a Kindle but because that was the cheapest way to get an e-Paper display for a project. But then I actually found the Kindle very useful and have been using it since for it's intended purpuse. The most impressive feature is the battery life - I need to recharge ir only three or four times per year.

Just a small counterpoint: the Palma is very different to hold compared to a Kindle. It is also much lighter than most phones. It is very comfortable to use one-handed, with your wrapped fingers hitting the page turn button if you wish. With one of those page-turning rings, you don't even have to do that. As a plus, you can run many different book apps, calculator emulators, etc. The emulators are usually faster than the real calculators, too. I'm running 42, 48, and Prime emulators on mine - though admittedly less than on my phone and tablet since I'm usually using those when I want to play.