E Ink and ePaper tablets it’s usually used for reading and taking notes, which makes sense because that’s what they’re good at. By using e-ink, they can display information in a way that’s more pleasing to the eye.
But what if you use that technology for something else? Yes, I wanted to try and convert mine Boox Go 10.3 review unit I plugged in a second monitor for my laptop while working on the road and came away with pretty positive impressions. As long as you know what you’re going to use it for, it’s a very nice setup that can give you a more comfortable experience.
Why use an ePaper/E Ink display?
It’s easier on the eyes
You may wonder why you would want to use an ePaper display with your computer, given that it will have a much slower response time and will generally be black and white, or at least close to it. And that’s a perfectly valid point, but there are good reasons to do so, to the point where some companies are even making custom desktop monitors that use ePaper technology. Like Philips.
The thing about ePaper (or E Ink) displays is that they usually don’t emit blue light or any light at all. E-paper works by placing bits of ink inside the display that can be moved up the panel to show color (or usually black) or down to return to white again. The display is made entirely of actual ink, which makes it look and feel like paper, making it easier on the eyes because no light is needed to make the content on the screen visible.
Consider how many modern devices have features like blue light reduction to help people rest their eyes and sleep better at night. E-paper overcomes all these and relies only on natural light, so it is the best choice in terms of health benefits.
Moreover, e-paper technology can be very energy efficient. In addition to the lack of light, e-paper is also useful because once a piece of content is displayed on the screen, no power is required to keep it there. Once the ink inside the screen is moved to a specific position, it only needs power when it needs to move again, so content can stay on the screen virtually indefinitely without expending more energy. So there are some obvious benefits.
Connecting a tablet to a Windows laptop
It was easy enough
Going into this, I was worried that I would have trouble finding a solution to connect my Boox tablet to a Windows PC to use as a second display. I know many devices support this, but it’s usually a special feature of specific brands, such as the Samsung or Asus GlideX software.
Thankfully, a quick internet search revealed a program called spaceDesk that can turn almost any device into a second display for a Windows laptop. Unfortunately, there is no way to run the display server on Linux, but I’m sure you can find a solution there.
spaceDesk actually works pretty well. Once both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can use the Android app to connect to the server on your Windows PC, and it instantly becomes a second display. You can then use the normal display settings Windows 11 for changing things like resolution, but it works pretty well out of the box.
You can also use a USB connection with spaceDesk, although it disables most other USB capabilities when running on your computer. It might give you a little better response when using a second display, but considering it’s already an ePaper display, you’ll be fine with wireless.
How well does it work?
It’s best if you use it for the right things
After testing this setup for a while, I’m actually pretty happy with the results. There are some caveats to using such a setup, some of which are as simple as adjusting the scaling settings (Boox Go has a small display, but a high resolution that causes Windows to choose every small scale by default) or the simple lag you have when using a wireless display.
But even with that out of the way, you have to remember that this isn’t a display you want to use for browsing the web or viewing content. As I see it, you can use it in two ways: if you have a large document or something you need to read, you can refer to the content, or you can use it as your writing canvas, and for me the latter made the most sense.
While I’m writing, I need to be referencing, researching, or messaging a lot of other things at the same time, so the low-sensitivity screen of the ePaper display isn’t really ideal for all other tasks. But it’s perfect for keeping my CMS window in sight at all times, and typing on that kind of screen works perfectly fine. Of course there is some delay, but I rarely need that instant response.
Keeping my eyes on the ePapaer display made it easier for me to focus on writing. I didn’t feel so inclined to open anything else or look at my other screen and continued typing. In fact, I wrote this article so far, which included testing things like switching between wireless and USB connections in less than an hour while using this display.
Of course, when I had to do something other than typeface, it was a bit more complicated. Moving the mouse is as slow as you’d expect, so I’ve slowed things down a bit to give the screen enough time to respond and make sure I’m clicking the right thing. At first, I would overmouse a few times and mistakenly click or select a larger portion of the text than intended.
Still, I enjoyed the experience, and I think I might do it again if I can get a better stand that brings my tablet a little closer to eye level.
E Ink monitors should be more common
If nothing else, this experience taught me that it’s strange there aren’t more ePaper/E Ink PC displays out there. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think they’re for everyone, but with all the examples of ePaper tablets and phones, and unique devices like the few Lenovo laptops that use E Ink, I’m surprised there isn’t a bigger place for such products.
Researching it on Amazon, it appears that only one brand sells ePaper monitors for consumers, and a simple portable monitor costs much more than a typical ePaper tablet, which is slightly smaller. It would be interesting to see this market grow and offer more options, as it could make computers less tedious for many people who need to use them for work.
8/10
- Resolution
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2480×1860
- Storage
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64 GB
- Brand
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Boo
- Screen Size
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10.3 inches
