The Boox Picco, the new tiny e-reader that’s got everyone talking, is finally available for pre-orders, after a soft launch on Boox’s website less than two weeks ago.
This tiny e-reader, which starts from just $100, can be bought from Boox’s website (via Trusted Reviews). At the moment, it’s expected to start shipping some time in October. But as ever with products as seemingly sought-after as this, it’s best to get hold of one now if you want one.
An easy sell for easy reading on-the-go
But does the lack of Android kill it stone dead?
If you’re unaware of what the Boox Picco is, imagine an e-reader, but much smaller. That’s the basic premise that’s fueled the rise of these tiny e-readers in the last year.
The Piccio’s display measures just 3.97-inches, so it’s likely to look minuscule when placed next to your phone. Boox claims it’s about the size of a playing card, though it’s obviously quite a bit thicker.
The main draw here is the ability to read e-books, and as you’d hope, it’s very good at it. It supports a wide range of e-book formats, so you can send whatever you have, and the Picco will likely have the ability to read it.
It has a touchscreen, but it also has page turn buttons, and a dedicated switch that flops it between light mode, and night mode with a front light. This is, honestly, the part that makes me the most jealous. I would love that switch on my Xteink X4 Pro.
Books can be sent to the device in a number of ways. You can send files through the Boox Tiles app on your phone, over the internet, or through the classic cable connected to your PC.
You might have noticed there’s no mention of downloading through an app on the Picco itself, and that’s because there aren’t any. Unlike most Boox devices, the Picco doesn’t run Android. That means no Kindle app, and no access to other reading apps. That could easily be a dealbreaker for many, and it’s hard to blame them for that. For those people, the Xteink S4 might be their best option — if and when it arrives in the US.
However, at just $100, it’s hard to quibble too much. That sort of price is a bit of a bargain for a device like this. Unlike Xteink’s version, it doesn’t have a magnet to attach to the back of your phone — but it does have a case with a magnet for that purpose.
