So, every once in a while, a product comes along that [music] solves such a specific problem so well that I wish that I had built it myself. For me, that product is this, the [music] XT, Inc. X4.
It's a tiny pocket-sized e-reader. And after using it for the past couple of months, I can honestly say that this has changed the way that I read. Mainly because it removes any sort of friction associated with reading a book.
And I think [music] friction is the reason that most people don't read as much as they'd like. I've kind of noticed in my life that I don't just want one device that [music] does everything. To be real with you, modern smartphones just might be the greatest timewasting machines ever created.
So, I've become really sensitive to where my time goes. Plus, I can't be the only one that feels like reading something on a smartphone is just a bad user experience. Up until this point, the only alternative [music] has really been, you know, books, like, you know, the physical [music] kind.
And to be fair, I do love the feeling of turning a physical page. But physical books also [music] add a ton of friction just like phones do. First off, they can get really bulky, especially if it's [music] any sort of dense material.
Then there's this whole decision fatigue of picking what to read. And because of the physical size, you [music] kind of have to commit to the book that you want to read, especially if you're traveling or you throw it into your backpack, [music] you kind of just have to hope that later that day when you go to pull out the book from your bag, you're actually going to want to read that book still. And sometimes it's just that tiny bit of friction that makes you not want to read at all.
That's where this little device comes in. It's shockingly thin, lightweight. I can slip this in my pocket.
I can toss it into a bag and I barely notice that it's there. That means that whenever I have a few dead minutes while, you know, my computer is rendering or I'm out and about and I don't just want to pull out my phone, I can pull out this guy. And in the super rare occasion that I do decide to read in public, everyone around me just kind of thinks that this thing is a phone.
So, they don't really pay any attention to it. And I kind of like that. The reality is that the easier it is to start reading, the easier it is to read.
I never really find that I don't enjoy reading when I do it. It's more about that entry point of like actually sitting down and dedicating time to do it. And this kind of removes it.
It kind of turns reading into like this little bite-size consumption of information whenever you want it. And you can just flip through like a couple pages throughout the day and by the end of the week you've already completed a book. It almost feels like magic.
The e- in display on this thing is great. My eyes don't feel cooked after using it. I don't get headaches and it doesn't feel like I'm staring at another glowing rectangle.
It's just slower and more intentional in the best possible way. Also really love the physical buttons on the side. I actually found that clicking through these buttons on the side of the device actually helps keep me engaged while I'm reading, which is something that I haven't really heard anybody talk about, but you kind of get into this flow or rhythm while you're reading.
and it just it feels nice to have this tactical feeling of flipping to the next page even though you know it's on a screen. One thing I really enjoy about the X4 is that I'm not locked into a specific ecosystem. I can add my own books, my own PDFs, and I actually feel like I own a library in my pocket that I'm kind of building as time goes on.
It seems like more products these days are getting super locked down. And I'm hyper aware and appreciative of products that come out that I can purchase once that truly feel like I own them because I I do I spend my money to buy them. And also for $69, this is the most affordable e-reader out there.
And I know that a lot of people have been really concerned about the size of the screen. And I'll just tell you like flat out, this screen is big enough to read on. Like 100%.
Just the portability of this. Like I've taken this on planes. I've taken this on trains.
I've read in cars. I've read biographies, fiction, essays, PDFs. I even got manga working on here.
With that said, I don't think that it's the best device [music] for like heavy illustration or graphic novels, but it's definitely doable. The biggest downside is that there's no backlight. So, I kind of just need like a flashlight or a I don't know, a lamp.
I think one of the most interesting parts about this right now is actually the software. I'm running a community firmware called Cross Point. There's something really cool about using a device or a product that someone's made with the possibility of one of your suggestions actually making it into [music] the product.
And I know that when people use products that I've actually created, they absolutely love seeing their features [music] added. And so I'm kind of getting a taste of that on the other end and it feels really good. Reading and writing go hand in hand for me.
And I was actually inspired a lot by this device while polishing up my draft. When I finish a chapter or have a thought I don't want to lose, I need somewhere quiet to process it. And if you're new here, my draft is a local first writing app I built for focused writing, daily notes, and turning scattered thoughts into finished ideas.
This video isn't sponsored, but Mydraft is directly supporting the creation of more videos on this channel. If you're interested in trying it out, you can download it at mydraft. co.
Okay, back to the review. One tip that I actually recommend is trying to read more than one book at a time. I [music] never understood why people would force themselves to read a book they didn't enjoy all the way through.
I think life's too short and there's a lot of really good books out there. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something dense with a lot of data and explanations. [music] Sometimes I just want to turn off my brain and just kind of experience a new story.
Instead of forcing myself to read one book at a time, I have like this uh shakureri board of different flavors depending on what I'm interested in reading or what I'm focused on [music] at the current time. So, for example, you know, like if I'm gearing up for like a product launch and I need to market it, a lot of my reading will shift towards, you know, marketing material, copywriting frameworks, [music] books of that nature. But then when I'm actually trying to build a product, it gets a lot more technical and I'm researching and learning about [music] new technologies, how to incorporate existing technologies into what I'm building, etc.
, etc. And so, just being able to kind of like switch quickly [music] between those based off of what I'm working on in the week is so underrated. And I think if anything, that's probably like the best part about this [music] device and its form factor is that you can literally have an entire library in your pocket.
And that was kind of the core selling point for Apple when they made the iPod. [music] But this is kind of that moment for reading. To be clear, the X4 didn't make me want to read.
I already [music] wanted to read. It just made reading a much easier choice. Thanks for watching.
