The deciding factor was the BOOX GO 7. How I stopped carrying two e-readers, Kindle and Kobo

Until last year, I carried two e-readers, using a Kindle Paperwhite and a Kobo Libra 2 separately. The reason was simple: I bought books from different places.

I can read on my smartphone, but I am definitely a fan of E-Ink devices that feel close to paper.

So, to read on E-Ink, I bought dedicated devices for each store, and as a result, I ended up with a two-device system: "Kindle for Kindle" and "Rakuten Kobo for Kobo."

My main use is for manga, and whenever I find a book I want to read, I take advantage of campaigns and such to buy them in bulk at whichever store is cheaper at the time.

By getting hooked on regular sales like that, before I knew it, my books were scattered across three stores: Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, and ebookjapan.

Recent favorites

Among the things I've bought recently, my current favorite is "Nihon Sangoku".

Set in a near-future Japan after the collapse of civilization, it is a story where the protagonist rises to power not through force, but through his wits and words. Each character has their own unique personality, which draws me in, and I even feel a bit of admiration for the protagonist, Ao-teru Misumi.

I recently finished reading the seven volumes released so far. The anime is also available on Amazon Prime, but I feel like it would be a waste somehow, and I feel like it takes energy to start watching, so I haven't been able to get around to it.

My favorite read before that was "Chi: On the Movement of the Earth".

Set in 15th-century Europe, it is a story about people who risk their lives to study the forbidden heliocentric theory. The convictions of the characters really hit home. I read a sample of the first volume, found it interesting, and ended up reading the whole series at once.

I recorded all the episodes of the anime while it was airing on TV, but sitting in front of the TV isn't really my style, so I haven't watched it even once.

However, I want to watch the opening by Sakanaction over and over again. It matches the world of the anime perfectly, and that song is truly addictive from the intro to the chorus.

Bedtime reading style

I can read on my smartphone or tablet, but I really don't like staring at a screen for a long time, so my style has always been to read e-books on an E-Ink device.

I read almost every night in bed. There are days when I fall asleep the moment I open a page while lying down, but since I try not to look at my smartphone after entering the bedroom, I always keep my E-Ink device by my pillow.

Rather than just "wanting to read," it is also a device for keeping my distance from my smartphone. After all, I don't want to touch my phone when I can't fall asleep.

It is easy to read even in the dark, so I can read secretly next to my child when we are sleeping together at night, and it is a very welcome presence during those times when I don't want to sleep yet but can't move.

It is thin and light, so my hand doesn't get tired even when holding it with one hand, and 7-inch class e-readers, which are easy for reading manga, are all compact, so they don't feel as cumbersome as a tablet and can be used casually even when out and about.

ebookjapan was even more of a hassle

Even if I could barely tolerate carrying two devices, the existence of ebookjapan was still a problem. Since I'm in the PayPay ecosystem, I often find opportunities to buy things at a discount, so I end up using it. That's fine for buying, but the issue was that I couldn't read them on the E-Ink devices I owned.

I had no choice but to create my own tool to automate the process of auto-page turning -> screenshot -> JPEG -> ZIP, and forced myself to read them on my Kobo Libra 2. Even though I solved it technically, doing it every time was still a hassle.

The reason I chose the BOOX GO 7

The perfect device for me, who was agonizing over this and that, was the BOOX GO 7. The biggest deciding factors were that it has Android, allowing me to use apps from all stores, and that it has an SD card slot.

By the way, there was a color version, but I chose the black and white model without hesitation.

For manga and text-based use, I thought monochrome was closer to the texture of paper, and if I want to read in color, I can just use my smartphone or tablet at that time.

If you focus on text, monochrome is recommended, and if you mainly want to read color manga, color is recommended, but the color version has a slightly darker screen and lower resolution, so I think it's better to choose carefully based on your own usage.

Please be aware that if you have the simple mindset of "if I choose color, I can also read monochrome," you might end up regretting it.

The back has a textured finish, so it's not slippery, and fingerprints and dirt are less noticeable, which is a nice point for using it without a case.

I was a little bothered by the fact that the Kindle Paperwhite easily collects fingerprints on the back, but the BOOX has absolutely no stress in that regard.

The freedom of having Android

This is my first Android-equipped e-reader. Having Android means I can freely install apps from the Google Play Store.

Since Kindle and ebookjapan are fine as long as I have the apps, I am freed from the previous restriction of "a dedicated device for each store."

However, I keep the apps I install to a minimum and specialize it for reading. I use it simply without a case or pen, and I only apply a dedicated protective film to protect the screen.

By the way, I couldn't find the official BOOX film I'm using on Amazon. Since there aren't as many reviews for compatible products as there are for the iPad, I chose the genuine product because I wanted peace of mind.

It's easy to apply and doesn't seem to wear out quickly, so I think the cost-performance is quite good. I'm also happy that it comes in a pack of three.

It feels like I could do anything with Android, but thanks to the fact that I've resigned myself to using it only as a tool for reading without installing this and that, I'm able to concentrate on reading without getting distracted.

Although there is still that characteristic "sluggishness" of E-Ink, it doesn't bother me that much for reading. It's fast enough compared to older Kindles, and personally, I think it has reached a level where it's not stressful once you get used to it.

The physical buttons on the BOOX GO 7 are assigned to volume control by default, but since that offers no benefit for a device dedicated to reading, I changed them to page turning.

Well, even so, the response to page turning via screen swipes isn't that bad, so I actually hardly use them. I sometimes think it would be better to remove the extra parts and make it slimmer instead.

However, there is an advantage to physical buttons, such as being easier to press when wearing gloves, and the fact that they can be customized.

It also supports SD cards

I have already digitized all the manga I used to read on paper using a ScanSnap. Since the Kindle doesn't have an SD card slot, I had no choice but to manage data while worrying about the device's storage capacity, and there was a limit to how many digitized books I could carry around.

In reality, if you ask whether I actually read those old books that much, the answer is no, but that's just a matter of self-satisfaction and romance.

That's where the fact that the BOOX GO supports microSD comes in handy. According to the specs, it supports up to 2TB, but a 2TB SD card is more expensive than the device itself, so that's not realistic.

I keep a spare 32GB SD card inserted, but even then, assuming 100MB per book, that's about 320 books. If you insert a 256GB or 512GB card, which you can buy for a few thousand yen, this 195g device becomes a complete bookshelf replacement. It is truly a portable bookshelf.

Use a SIM pin to push firmly into the slot hole. After it pops out, the part that acts as the cover is the microSD card tray, so place the card in there and return it to its original state.

It seems there have been several cases of trouble where people inserted the card directly into the slot without using the tray and it got stuck, so you need to be a little careful about that.

Summary

I had always felt conflicted about having two devices, a Kindle and a Kobo, but the BOOX GO 7 turned that ideal into reality.

Since I haven't limited where I buy my books, management is a bit more troublesome, but it's a result of prioritizing the benefit of being able to buy books cheaply. Another major benefit is being able to cross-reference and read many books through the "free trial" campaigns available at each store using just this one device.

In fact, the reason I encountered “Nihon Sangoku” and “Chi: On the Movement of the Earth” introduced here is because I read them for the first time thanks to the free trials and ended up liking them.

After using it for a while and feeling that "this works," I sold my Kindle and Kobo on Mercari and used those funds for the BOOX GO 7. As a result, I was able to tidy up my gadgets by replacing the two I had with this one.

Compared to the Kindle, there were fewer reviews, so I was anxious at first, but in the end, I am satisfied as it has become one of my favorite gadgets that I touch every night before going to sleep.

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