I have a different Boox product, the low-end Poke Lite (I think version 4?).
Pros:
- E-paper display is easy on the eyes
- Customizable backlight temperature and brightness
- Runs arbitrary Android apps
- Battery for days
- Can install open-source reading apps like Librera
- Still receiving software updates after a few years
Cons:
- Only runs Android 11
- Installing Google Play requires jumping through some weird hoops, because it's not Google certified. I recommend using F-Droid instead, or using a throwaway google account to avoid this security liability.
- Built-in apps kind of suck in general
- Home screen strongly pushes their own ecosystem, shoving regular Android apps into a different section
- Most apps look like ass on a B&W display
- Most apps look like ass on a 4:3 display (not applicable to the Palma)
- The various display refresh modes are unintuitive
The newer models, from what I understand, use faster-refreshing display tech, and some even support color.
I agree completely.
I understand the motivation here — apps that lack location permission shouldn't be able to get backdoor access to your location via your camera roll. That makes sense, because you know damn well every ~~spyware~~ social media company would be doing that if they could.
But the reverse is also true: apps that legitimately need to read photos and access all their metadata shouldn't need to be granted full location access.