Boox Picco e-reader connects to a phone to combat doomscrolling

The trend with E Ink devices lately has been pretty clear. For the most part, they’ve gotten bigger, with recent models like Boox’s 13.3-inch Tab XC pushing the technology firmly into tablet territory. The Picco bucks this trend: its 3.97-inch display is housed in a compact body about the size of a playing card and weighs just 58g (2oz).

This makes it significantly smaller than even the company’s own pocket ePaper models. However, the most interesting part is how you carry it with you. An included magnetic ring case lets you attach the Picco to the back of your smartphone, so you can always have it close at hand and don’t need a separate full-size e-reader.

Boox proposes it for things like queuing, commuting and quick breaks – the brief periods of downtime we’d normally fill by browsing social media. Rather than replacing your smartphone, Picco is intended to travel with it as a less distracting alternative.

The Picco’s screen has a modest design. Its monochrome ePaper panel runs at 235 PPI, with anti-aliasing to soften fine text and an adjustable front light that can switch between warmer and cooler tones. You can turn pages using the touchscreen or physical buttons, and the screen rotates in four orientations.

Boox supports a wide range of document and e-book formats, and you can adjust fonts, margins, and line spacing to whatever works best for you. This small format is probably not the best for dense PDF files, but it makes sense for short periods of easy reading.

When disconnected from your phone, the device is small enough to fit alone in a pocket or bag. The magnetic case also allows it to stick to other metal surfaces, such as a refrigerator, making it easy to have around the house in a place you can’t get lost.

Picco’s software is deliberately simple, but there’s still more than enough space to house a sizable library. It comes with a 16GB microSD card and supports up to 2TB, and you can transfer files via the Boox Tiles app, booxtiles.com, or via a direct USB-C connection. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are also integrated.

Rather than recreating Boox’s full Android-style tablet experience, the stripped-down interface remains focused on reading and a handful of utilities including the Pomodoro, Todo, and Countdown apps, plus customizable screensavers.

Pre-orders began yesterday, with prices starting at US$99.99, with shipping expected in November. Picco also marks the debut of Boox Tiles, a new category focused on smaller, more lifestyle-oriented ePaper devices.

It is clearly not intended to replace a larger e-reader. Ultimately, the appeal comes down to convenience and focus, and a way to minimize the temptation to make a terrible mess. By riding on the same device that’s likely to distract you, Picco could turn routine impulses to check your phone into speed-reading sessions.

Product page: Boox Picco