Xteink X4 (review)

 As I sit here at my drawing desk typing away, (a 77 punk collection playing on Apple Music in my headphones) my Xteink X4 sits here at my side. While it has not replaced the computer in my pocket that is my cell phone it has become it”s constant companion and mine as well. 

The basics facts about me and reading. 1: I love information and books are the densest version of that information. The paperback was I thought the final evolution of how to go about this but they can be hard to hold with one hand and in our contemporary attention economy it is easy to avoid reading. 2: a Couple of pages as a way to not have a video on for a moment. Videos are on for far too many moments and they are not as efficient nor do they have a tradition of being a competent source of  information as a book (God did not make scripture a miniseries or a movie). So the word is by mine and most standards, a good thing. 

A four inch screen of E-ink is pretty damn nifty. Several ways of interacting with the screen with them old school clickers… to keep it simple a happy surprise.

If you combine this with a near infinite supply of public domain Texts available on project gutenburg (A website I have always loved the idea but after reading a couple of books on my pc (as a teen) I bounced off till I had this little device though… because now we have a appropriate screen for our universal library.

If there was a way to get contemporary books from the library directly on the device I would say the damn thing was near perfect.

I have heard from others it can be fragile (invest in a cover/case.)  and that the software out and you can lose your place in a book (it does but it is reasonable to assume this will be negated by updates to the custom firmware [that are done fairly regular]).

My own device is the classic non pro model though I long for that backlight… and will likely get the pro next year because I have spent a hundred bucks on far stupider things. That I have spent far fewer time with then a little window to human culture that is infinite as the mind it opens.  

If you think you wont like e-readers this a budget friendly entry level device that should persuade you as to why you are wrong.

You will save more money from having access to all those project Gutenberg texts that penguin classics may very well crap there pants.

This and my emotional support Chinese bootleg gameboy is keeping me busy a I give the Xteink X4 the highest recommendation I can.

Closing sales pitch: a nifty little device that gives a cheap entry into thousands of years of  culture literately in the palm of your hand.