I bought an experimental eink tablet for almost $500, because I like to read a lot.

Maybe the smugness is over the top, given the second clause doesn't succeed in following from the first. Paper and books are cheap, and reading epubs is a simple enough task on any device. But the Pinenote solves a specific problem I have more elegantly than I think any other device could, in a way that makes me curious what else I can use it to solve.

To get closer to the point, I've purchased a fair share of physical books off of sites like thriftbooks or biblio. While I like Emacs, I only want to use it when I need to be at the computer. Times where this is not the case is almost never. Pleasure reading is one of my few hobbies that does not require a computer, but only if I own a physical copy of the text I want to read, which again is almost never, especially because I'm reading at any time is done on a whim; I don't have a backlog to borrow or purchase.

It may be wrong to consider using the Pinenote a 'break' from computers, but eink feels extremely low tech. It looks like paper, gives off as much light as paper, and requires as much power as a piece of paper to keep the display on (each would-be-pixel stores a state similar to NAND flash when a charge is applied). In the pinenote's case, it almost feels like paper. I only wish it turned like paper.

Most importantly, the distractions of a laptop or phone are not there; eink isn't nearly fast enough for watching videos, it doesn't display color, and the frontlight eats through enough battery I am motivated to leave it off in favor of an external light. I didn't expect this kind of boon, but have even started using the device to hand write out the plot of my fiction rather than typing. Most of my usage has been limited to koreader, xournalpp, and a browser for some light research while preparing materials. In this case, Emacs as a writing environment fails to provide the most important thing: a distraction free environment.

In just a few days, I'm already appreciative the screen of an eink is never blank even when off; it gives the impression the device is always ready and waiting for me to use it (I make a point to leave the device 'suspended' on my desk with whatever I was doing still perfectly visible).

Of course; one of the main benefits is that the Pinenote is a full GNU/Linux device, which is without many restrictions and familiar enough. I'm excited to try running GNU Guix on it (I have no experience with troubleshooting or developing for ARM yet) and seeing if it can be used as a input device or drawing tablet on my laptop. I am in no rush though, for now I'm satisfied with the preinstalled software suite and much anticipated reading.