A long time ago, in a universe far, far away, I used to write about / really care about digital reading. A whole chapter of my life / career pivoted around digital reading and books, what could be, and I travelled the world (?!) talking about this stuff. I lectured at Yale for nine years about this stuff! (“Margins”!!) But I haven’t really talked about reading on a screen in a long time. Mainly because: It’s been boring / depressing. Not much has happened. Patents and monopolies chopped the feet off digital books. Well, I’m happy to report that I think — I THINK — something is once again maybe — just maybe — happening:

I’ve been following the saga of the BOOX Palma ever since Craig first posted about it. I’m hoping the company (or other companies) is paying attention and will double down on a product suited perfectly for reading in a pocketable device. 

Reading is a passion of mine, a hobby, a pasttime. However, I don’t generally read longform. Something about my attention span or how I approach life, but I feel broken in that regard. Everytime I try to pickup a book or read on Kindle I last about 5 minutes then switch away to do something else. That’s why audiobooks has been a lifesaver. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts for hours each day. 

Like, I suspect, many others I’ve longed to keep reading books the old fashioned way. I bought a Kindle and loaded it up. But then the battery died and I’d have to find a micro usb charger to plug it in again. I’ve considered buying a USB-C Kindle, but know it will end up the same way.

I’m tempted by the BOOX Palma; but the cost is just too high at this point. 

(Via Craig Mod)