E Ink devices are increasingly pitched not just as ways to tuck into a favorite book, but outright replacements for your tablet, laptop, and smartphone. Many devices, particularly those sold by Boox, run Android to make that possible, opening up a world of apps a Kindle or Kobo simply can’t touch. Boox makes tweaks to its devices’ software and screens so that apps function with the limitations of E Ink, but getting everything to work and look right still isn’t a perfect process.

Color E Ink screens like the one included on the Palma 2 Pro help by making apps legible in their original color scheme, but you’re still better off finding apps that play nice with E Ink screens specifically. In my time experimenting with the Palma 2 Pro, I’ve collected a list of apps that make sense on a distraction-free device, and that I typically download first when I’m setting up a new gadget with E Ink. Here are my 5 picks that you should make room for on your next Boox or any other E Ink gadget.

Readwise Reader

A Pocket replacement that can do a little bit of everything

Developer

Readwise

Subscription cost

$9.99 per month

Readwise Reader is an all-in-one application that lets you store and read news articles, RSS feeds, X (Twitter) threads, PDFs, and more.

The original Readwise collects and tracks the highlights you make on your Kindle and across the web, resurfacing them via email reminders. Readwise Reader takes that highlighting system, and tacks on a tool for saving articles and staying on top of RSS feeds. The app is packed with features — including a suite of AI tools for answering questions about the reading material you save — but it’s proven most useful to me as a replacement for apps like Pocket or Instapaper, and one that can incorporate podcast episodes and ebooks, too.

At $10 per month, a subscription to Readwise is more expensive than other services, but it really is the power-user’s reading app. Plus, Reader has a dedicated E Ink mode that automatically adjust settings so the app works well and looks good on E Ink screens, a handy feature more reading apps should include.

Kindle

A classic eBook reader with excellent control options

Developer

Amazon

Offline downloads

Yes

Amazon’s Kindle app works with E Ink displays and includes settings that let you flip through pages with your device’s volume buttons.

The Kindle app was likely a given on this list given the size of Amazon’s marketplace of digital books and the high likelihood that most people own multiple books from it. Beyond scale, though, the Kindle app is a totally solid reading app, with multiple ways to organize your books, the ability to display comics and play audiobooks, and multiple layers of customization options that let you read books in a way that’s comfortable to you. The app might include a few too many advertisements for books you don’t own yet, but if you’re looking to start building a library of eBooks, the Kindle app isn’t a bad place to do it.

Critical for anyone who owns an Android-based E Ink gadget, the Kindle app also supports multiple methods for turning pages in books and documents, including using volume buttons as page turn keys. I found using the volume buttons to turn pages to be one of the most satisfying ways to read on the Palma 2 Pro, and it feels faster than swiping the screen.

Obsidian

A simple but powerful note-taking app

Developer

Obsidia

Offline downloads

Yes, by design

Obsidian’s mobile app lets you create, store, and link notes together, and has a simple interface that works well on E Ink screens.

Obsidian, a free note-taking app built around storing your files locally, is a cult classic piece of productivity software, and its clean mobile interface and limited color palette makes it a great fit for E Ink screens if you’re looking for a way to take notes. The power of Obsidian is how easy it makes it to link notes together, essentially letting you build out a personal Wikipedia of information as you go. If you’re willing to pay, the app can also sync your notes in the cloud or publish notes as web pages.

Most Android-based E Ink devices ship with their own notes app, and often, dedicated ways to take handwritten notes, too, so Obsidian might not be necessary. If you want a note-taking tool that’s just focused on text and has versions you can run on your tablet and desktop computer, Obsidian is one of the best, free options.

NYT Games

Puzzles games, many of which work in black and white

Developer

The New York Times

Ads

Yes

The NYT Games app delivers multiple word and number puzzles daily, tracking your high score and working nicely with the slow refresh rate of E Ink displays.

The New York Times Games app includes multiple different types of puzzles, all of which are updated on a daily basis. Not every puzzle is for everyone, but the sheer variety, and the deep archive of old puzzles, can provide hours and hours of entertainment. The New York Times Crossword is the easiest to use on an E Ink screen, but nearly every game save for the color-dependent word guessing game Wordle works well.

If you purchased an E Ink device as a way to have a calmer and more distraction-free mobile experience, a puzzle game is a good option to have when you’re bored with reading. While there’s plenty of games available on the Play Store, NYT Games is free, and offers several games daily without the need for a subscription.

EinkBro

A mobile web browser specifically designed for E Ink

Developer

Daniel Kao

Offline downloads

Yes

EinkBro is a mobile web browser that’s designed specifically for E Ink screens and lets you scroll pages with your volume buttons.

Devices that run Android, whether they have E Ink screens or not, usually come with a built-in web browser, but few are designed for the unique limitations of E Ink. That’s why EinkBro makes for such a compelling solution. The free, open-source browser is built specifically for E Ink screens, with unique features that make it ideal for E Ink tablets and smartphone-shaped devices. EinkBro offers multiple ways to customize websites to make them easier to read, like adding a white background for contrast, or bolding text. EinkBro can also open web pages side-by-side, letting you cross-reference different pieces of content simultaneously.

While EinkBro lacks the speed or modern flourishes of something like Chrome, I like having a browser that takes advantage of the physical features of the Boox Palma 2 Pro. By default, EinkBro lets you scroll web pages with the Palma’s volume buttons, which is great for one-handed use. It’s worth dealing with EinkBro’s rough edges for that kind of convenience.

The apps that work best for E Ink are deliberate

Android is the Wild West when it comes to apps, but just because that means you can run basically anything from the Play Store on your Boox device, doesn’t mean you necessarily should. You’ll still get the best experience using apps that are designed around text (what E Ink screens excel at displaying) and are deliberately slow-paced.

The list above is specifically catered around that idea, but if it inspires you to experiment with other apps, use those tenets to guide your picks. And if you’re looking for other ways to incorporate E Ink into your life, a digital picture frame could make for a surprisingly good fit.