Smartphones are great. E-readers are great. They are both roughly rectangular and can display text, so why not combine them into one? That seems to be the idea behind the Astropad bookcase. And then the thinking stopped abruptly.
Okay, I see the appeal of making a larger, more comfortable case for a phone if you’re using it for long reading sessions. And that’s what this case does, with an interesting implementation: a Magsafe holder for connection and a small NFC tag to “activate” it. When the companion app is set up, putting your phone on the case will activate Do Not Disturb mode, theoretically making it an ideal and more comfortable reading device.
I even like the look of the thing. It’s covered in faux leather and has the name on the ‘spine’, giving you a great piece of gadget to hold. The center section is wide enough to fit most standard phones, although most Android models will obviously need a Magsafe adapter and large foldable phones won’t unfold.
Astropad
But the thing is, this little device is about the size of a typical e-reader. It does not fold or unfold in any way. So you don’t save any size or weight instead of just putting a Kindle in your bag or pocket.
And it costs $50, which is honestly a bit excessive for a piece of plastic, some magnets, and an NFC tag. For that price I would expect at least a battery, it already has plenty of space and a Magsafe connection. The $10 pre-order discount (shipping within six weeks!) hardly makes it any more bearable.
If you want to read comfortably, much more comfortably than on your phone, just buy an e-reader. Right now on Amazon you can buy a PocketBook Basix Lux 4 or a Kobo Clara HD for $100, or buy any number of older models of Kindle and other e-readers for even less. Look, here’s a refurbished Kindle Paperwhite for $50.
Go to your local pawn shop or just poke around on Craigslist or Facebook ads. These e-readers are everywhere, easily available, and they are designed to be comfortable to hold as well as read.
I read a lot of text on my phone and a lot on an e-reader. If I know I have some time left, I throw the latter in a pocket or bag. I can’t imagine any situation where I would want a device the physical size of an e-reader, with a smaller screen, and without the e-ink display that makes the entire product category viable.
Am I going crazy? I just don’t understand how anyone could want this thing, let alone design and manufacture it.
