XTEINK is a Chinese technology brand known for creating ultra-thin, distraction-free pocket E-Ink e-readers designed to snap magnetically to the back of a smartphone like a MagSafe accessory. These viral, “purse-sized” devices are engineered for digital minimalism, featuring ultra-light builds, zero notifications, and weeks of battery life. Onyx Boox has realized these guys are controlling the small-sized e-reader market and is working on their own product called the BOOX Picco.
The BOOX Picco 3.97inch e-reader and is currently being teased by Onyx Boox. It will feature a black-and-white e-paper display with E INK technology. Users will be able to read during the day or night via the front-lit display, and upgraded storage will be available via an SD card. There appear to be buttons on the promotional image for page turns, it is also heavily rumoured this device is apart of a new Tile product line.
If Onyx wants to compete against XTEINK, they will have to keep the price down to around $99 to $129 maximum. This will likely result in some sacrifices, such as not using a touchscreen and having very limited tech specs and a custom UI that is geared towards reading and not much else. It is likely it will have a tiled design, which are a series of UI elements that are locked into positioned, so think the Neoreader app for reading, a music player, podcast player and that is about it. For users who want a better experience, such as installing apps, there is always the Palma 2 that retails for 269.99.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
