PADMU is a brand that takes ONYX BOOX e-notebooks and loads in custom software. They tend to offer two different models, one with a single screen and a dual screen one. The PADMU 5 came out a couple of months ago and is based on the BOOX TAB C, so this is the first PADMU with color e-paper.
The PADMU 5 features a 13.3-inch Kaleido 3 color e-paper display. It has a black and white resolution of 3200 x 2400 with 300 PPI, which is excellent for a large screen. I don’t think we have ever had this size reach 300 PPI for the resolution, so it should make PDF files and book fonts look razor sharp. The resolution of the color screen is 1600 x 1200 with a pixel density (PPI) of 150. This device does not use Wacom, which reduces the cost. Instead, it uses a new kind of EMR called InkSpire, which is also the name of the stylus that comes with it. Read during the day or night, thanks to the front-lit display and a color temperature system. A series of white and amber LED lights allows you to mix them to achieve the desired screen brightness.
Underneath the hood is a 2.8 GHz Octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. There is no SD card to enhance storage further. It has dual stereo speakers for audiobooks, music, or podcasts. Bluetooth 5.0 is available for those who prefer wireless earbuds, headphones, or an external keyboard. WiFi is available and features a USB-C port for data transfer and charging. A respectable 5,500mAh Li-ion Polymer battery powers it. The dimensions are 287.5 x 243 x 5.3 mm (11.3 x 9.6 x 0.21 in.), and it weighs 625 g (22 oz).
There are two operating systems, you can boot the device into the Padmu mode, and also boot it into the standard Boox OS, which is based on Android 13 so you can get full access to Google Play and their note taking/ebook reading app. You can download over a million paid and free apps. You can listen to a podcast via Bluetooth headphones or just read a good ebook. Padmu does not make an app for Android, so you will need the Padmu in order to get the most out of your sheet music.
The user is free to upload his own library of PDF files from existing Cloud as DropBox, Gdrive or directly from digital music websites. In this way the initial digitisation phase of the scores is in many cases bypassed since nowadays many users already have their own digital archives. By purchasing two PadMu devices you can take advantage of two screens for reading and practising your music. Two PadMu devices can always be connected with dual mode. In this mode you can browse your scores like a book and much more. There are different page turning modes to fit every musician’s need.
The PADMU 5 single screen retails for €730.00 and the dual screen version is €1,350.00.