This big dumb case turns your phone into a big dumb e-reader

Smartphones are great. E-readers are great. They’re both roughly rectangular and capable of displaying text, so why not combine them into one? That seems to be the thinking behind the Astropad Bookcase. And then the thinking abruptly stopped.

Alright, I can see the appeal of making a bigger, more comfy case for a phone if you use it for long sessions of reading. And that’s what this case does, with an interesting implementation: a Magsafe mount for connection and a little NFC tag to “activate” it. When the companion app is set up, slapping your phone down 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 imitation leather and the name is on the “spine,” giving you a big chunk of a gadget to hold on to. The center area is wide enough to accommodate most standard phones, though obviously you’ll need a Magsafe adapter for most Android models and big folding phones won’t be able to, well, unfold.

But here’s the thing: This gizmo is approximately the size of a typical e-reader. It doesn’t fold down or collapse in any way. So you’re not saving any size or weight versus just sticking a Kindle in your bag or your pocket.

And it’s $50, which is frankly a bit of a stretch for a hunk of plastic, some magnets, and an NFC tag. At that price I’d at least expect a battery in there, it’s got plenty of room and a Magsafe connection already. The $10 pre-order discount (shipping in six weeks!) makes it only barely more tolerable.

If you want to read comfortably, far more comfortably than on your phone, just get an e-reader. Right now you can grab a PocketBook Basix Lux 4 or a Kobo Clara HD for $100 on Amazon, or get any number of older models of Kindle and other e-readers for even less. Look, here’s a refurbished Kindle Paperwhite for $50.

Head to your local pawn shop or just sniff around Craigslist or Facebook classifieds. These e-readers are everywhere, easily obtainable, and they’re designed to be comfortable to both hold and read.

I read tons of text on my phone, and tons on an e-reader. If I know I’ll have some time on my hands, I throw the latter in a pocket or bag. I can’t imagine any situation where I’d 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 can’t see how anybody would want this thing, much less design and manufacture it.