GoKawiil
Tech News
Chinese startup Xteink is following up its compact X4 e-reader with the Xteink S4, a 4.3-inch E-Ink device that ditches the previous proprietary Linux OS for Android 11. This change lets users sideload apps like Kindle, Kobo, and KOReader instead of being limited to DRM-free EPUB files. The S4 also bumps up specs with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, and a 1,400mAh battery, more than double the X4's 650mAh cell.
Boox has released three new E Ink devices: the Note Air6 C, the Note Mini C, and the Palma 3. The Note Air6 C and Note Mini C are color digital notebooks priced at $580 each, running Android 16 with new AI features like meeting summaries and side-by-side annotation, while the Palma 3 is a $340 smartphone-sized E Ink reader. Only the Note Air6 C is currently available for purchase.
Boox has unveiled the Palma 3, an update to its smartphone-sized black-and-white e-reader line, priced at $339.99, roughly $60 more than the 2024 Palma 2. The device keeps the same 6.13-inch E Ink Carta display but adds an anodized aluminum frame with a fiberglass back, runs Android 16, and now supports Boox's InkSense Plus stylus, sold separately for an extra $46.
A reviewer tested the Xteink X3, a credit-card-sized, magnetic e-reader from a little-known China-based brand that sells for $69 on Amazon and currently ranks among the platform's top new e-reader releases. Despite a cheap, plasticky feel and some quirks, the reviewer used it to read Robert Caro's massive book The Power Broker and finished three books in a month, up from just one in the prior two months, while daily iPhone screen time dropped by 25 minutes.
Boox showed additional details of its Picco e-reader at IFA, a compact rival to the Xteink X4 with a 3.97-inch touchscreen e-paper display and physical page-turn buttons that support customizable short and long presses. The device skips onboard storage in favor of microSD cards, but adds USB-C and WiFi transfer options absent from Xteink's hardware, and runs a stripped-down Linux OS rather than Android, bundling apps like a timer, todo list, and reading tracker.
A gear guide covering Kindle accessories has been refreshed for August 2026, adding a section on compatible wall and portable chargers alongside updated pricing. The guide, written by a reviewer who owns every current Kindle model, covers cases, straps, stickers, charms, book holders and page-turning remotes meant to make reading more comfortable or personalized.