Onyx make some exceptional ereader’s and being able to download apps onto your device will raise your productivity levels and get the best out of your device.
This simple cloud-based file hosting service is quickly becoming an essential part of any office desktop.
Its seamless integration with native file directories makes it particularly useful when saving important documents or reports that users can save and easily access on multiple devices and locations.
Dropbox has become as essential to my workflow now as Google is for searching the web and I think with it will become more widely adopted as we are all working more remotely from our offices.
One of the great features of having all your files in the cloud is when you come to upgrade your ereader or other devices, you simply install the Dropbox app and login and all of your files are there ready and waiting. No need to transfer anything in/out using clumsy USB cables.
The Basic package allows you to connect up to 3 devices to any one account. But if you’re like me, and have several devices connected to the cloud, then if you may benefit by upgrading to Dropbox Pro which gives you some added benefits which include: 3TB secure storage (from 0.2TB), document watermarking and larger file size transfer.
As ereaders become more powerful and power efficient we’re seeing a lot more apps that we use in everyday life. You will find a web browser now on all BOOX e-reader devices.
But not all web browsers are created equal and some of the manufacturers own default browsers are just plain irritating.
Generally, they are poorly designed and inefficient with longer load times.
There are three popular web browsers which dominate our desktop, these are: Safari (Apple), Chrome (Google) and Firefox.
There is also a dark theme option
I’ve gone with Firefox by Morzilla as it’s a lightweight, optimized browser with some interesting features. Morzilla is also a not-for-profit organization so I hope they are less likely to collect my search data than Google or Apple.
I have been using Firefox now for over a decade and find it reliable and fast, just what you want from a web browser.
Firefox also has a few interesting features; such a Private Window (also known as incognito on Google Chrome) which allows you to open a new window without any saved data or cookies. This can be useful when you are looking for something to buy for your partner on Amazon and you do not want them to see what you’ve been looking at.
You can also open an account with Morzilla which allows you to sync any bookmakers you may have between devices. Let’s say you have a webpage you want to save for later, you quickly click on the STAR icon to bookmark the page. When you go to your Firefox app on your ereader, provided your signed in, the bookmark will be there for you to access.
Firefox is an incredibly powerful and helpful tool and when used in conjunction with Dropbox, gives you instant access to resources and saved data.
Alternatives: Google Chrome, Brave, DuckDuckGo (Private Browser)
Now I appreciate most ereader’s will come with a pdf reader app pre-installed on your device. But I have found that most of these have limited functionality or are missing some features that you find on some of the more premium apps.
Having played around with over a dozen ereader apps on the Play Store I’ve final settled on the Xodo PDF Reader & Editor and it’s for a number of reasons:
Why did you not choose Adobe PDF reader?
It mainly comes down to price.
Whilst the basic free version is fine and does the job of reading pdf documents, more premium features such as editing come with a monthly subscription (that’s right you can’t even purchase outright).
You’re also constantly bombarded with pop-ups to upgrade to PDF Pro. To date I have not come across a single paywall with Xodo asking you to upgrade to their full version.
Now do not tell anyone this! But I used to be part of a Chess Club when I was a teenager.
I wasn’t particularly good, or had no understanding of strategic play and opening moves, but I found the game fascinating and still do to this day.
Chess is wonderful to play on an ereader as it does not require any high-end graphics or resolution and the e-ink really makes it stand out of the display.
I have played around with several chess apps over the years and have settled with Chess.com:
It also happens to be the Editors Choice on the Google Play Store and downloaded over 10 million times.
Chess Free has an online multiplayer mode, which means you can connect and play with family/friends or anyone over the internet. It’s a great way to improve your skills and you may even get a chance you play against myself sometime.
If you enjoy chess, then I encourage you download and give it go.
Other classic games with low-end graphics you could consider are Bridge, Sudoku and Dominoes. In fact, we have an article on 7 Cognitive Games to Play on your ereader.
The Kindle Reader app is not exclusive to kindle devices.
If you are thinking of buying a new ereader but are concern you can’t transfer your Kindle books over to another manufacturer, then fear not!
You can download the Amazon Kindle app to any Android ereader device such as the BOOX Nova 3 and still enjoy all the eBook’s you own on your new ereader.
Amazon have made a shrewd move by allowing their Kindle app on other devices as it’s likely that if you have purchased books with them before, it’s more likely you will continue to do this even if you switch to a different device.
As you would expect, the user interface is very impressive…
In a conscious effort to reduce the amount to time I spend on LCD displays I tend to read most of my news during the evening on an ereader as I find it less tiring while reading.
I have mentioned the New York Times and BBC News apps in the title, but some other great candidates include The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, FT, and CNN.
The Google News app is another useful resource which pools international news from around the world and from multiple news outlets and presents it to you in a structured manner.
You can also tailor Google News to specific news feeds by filter certain categories such as sport or business, so you only ever receive content that is relevant to you.
Of course, you could just access these sites directly using a web browser. But I find that they are structured better and are more dynamically responsive on a mobile device when using an app.
The Google Play store opens a plethora of fun and interesting apps for your BOOX device.
Whilst most of these apps will not be able to perform correctly on ereader’s, due to the performance limitations of the device compared to mobile phones, there are still many great apps that do.
I have covered some of the apps that I believe are essential for any BOOX owner, but there are any you feel that are missing or key to improving your workflow or reading, then please let me know below.
