u/Ambivalent28

I took multiple tests when I was younger (aged between 15 to 18) and was always typed as an entj. Now some 20 years later with, not unexpectedly, many differing life experiences and have retaken several tests all of which type me as an intj.

How is this possible? Is this expected/normal with experience/age/time? Can't seem to find a decent answer online so reaching out to my (potentially?) fellow intj colleagues for advice.

I took multiple tests when I was younger (aged between 15 to 18) and was always types as an entj. Now some 20 years later with, not unexpectedly, many differing life experiences and have retaken several tests all of which type me as an intj.

How is this possible? Is this expected/normal with experience/age/time? Can't seem to find a decent answer online so reaching out to my (potentially?) fellow entj colleagues for advice.

I have seen a few recent posts on reddit and the YT video about the X4 pro with its new features, and frankly, I am gravely concerned about the direction that XTEINK has decided to take regarding the X4 pro. Below, I have tried to convey my thoughts as clearly as possible as to why I think this may be the beginning of the end for what is a fantastic device for two main reasons: firstly, to gauge whether the wider community agrees with my overall interpretation of these changes, and secondly, so that members of the XTEINK team hopefully come across this post (or similar posts) to guide their trajectory back towards the core of what is (or was) a phenomenal product.

(Please note that the information I have is incomplete and may be wrong, but the specifics are less important than the overall jist. It appears the YT video has now become "members only" so I am relaying only what I can remember from when I watched it.)

As per the posts/YT video, the main changes from the X4 to the X4 pro are:

- addition of the frontlight

- touchscreen and removal of the front 4 navigating buttons (the side buttons remain but appear to have slightly moved locations)

- pogo connector instead of USB-C

- pricing (MRSP from $69 USD to $99 USD)

- software updates/changes (e.g. building your own font?)

My thoughts:

Frontlight - this has to be the biggest and most beneficial change for me personally. I use the device for at least 3 hours a day, and for at least 30 minutes before bed, currently using a reading light when the lights are off. There are a few downsides to this though - first, this creates a bigger barrier from the edge of the top of the device to the actual display, which may make reading less clear and a little annoying. Secondly, this will inadvertently use more battery. However, I think for most users, this is a very welcome change, and likely the best addition from the XTEINK team.

Touchscreen and removal of buttons - I cannot overstate how detrimental I believe these changes are to the device. To begin, let's start with the positives. The biggest positives are the ability to use a dictionary for unknown words and to highlight text. Apart from these two, in my opinion, every other use of the touch screen goes against the ethos of the device. My view is that the identity of the device itself is meant to be as a near enough a replacement to that of a physical book. This means that the device is meant to be tactile, single purpose, rough, even archaic. That is the beauty of the device. Once features like touchscreen get introduced, the device is starting to shift its competition and use into different terrorities: is it now just a small kindle? Is it a crappy phone? The buttons also served this purpose - it was tactile feedback. Instead of flipping a page, I loved physically pressing a button. This sensory feedback is one of the reasons people still read physical books even in this digital age. I would've loved to have seen the opposite decision from XTEINK - bigger, sturdier, clickier buttons. Lean into your identity. For those who wish to argue about navigation outside of page flipping like navigating settings etc. - my counterpoint to that is how often do you actually do this? For me, I set my settings once, and then 95% of my actual interaction with the device is flicking through pages (which I use nearly entirely with the front buttons). There are other downsides too as many other people have stated (accidentally touching the screen, the visible grid, the latency of the touchscreen input etc). Also, to those who state that this can be disabled by software, though I agree that this can be done, my counter to this is why do I have to pay (30%+ more) for a feature that I will not use? And I can imagine the introduction of the touchscreen display is likely much more expensive (which is, also, against the ethos of a cheap, no frills, bare bones, pure utility device such as the X4).

Pogo connector - very curious decision by the XTEINK team. This almost surely has to be a commerical decision (must be cheaper for them to have in the device I assume?), as USB-C is so widely used and readily available, I can't imagine anyone who would prefer to use the pogo instead when nearly every person with electronic devices already has USB-C (phones, batteries, headphones etc.). Though the adapter comes in the box, I still think this is just one other thing that I have to keep track off, and one other thing that I can lose or have to replace. I can imagine for many people this might be enough of a deterrant to buy the device entirely. I just don't understand, as the consumer, the benefit to me for this change.

Pricing - because of the addition of the touchscreen (i.e. because you are now competing with other "standard" e-readers with the introduction of this "feature") then pricing is now a huge deterrance to any person wanting to buy the X4 pro, as you will now be compared to everything else which is "similar". At $99 USD, you are now within arm's reach of much more mature brands (like the Kindle Paperwhite), and actually, are more expensive that many used mature brands' e-readers. However, I firmly believe that at this price point, if XTEINK kept to its identity (i.e. was fundamentally different to other e-readers) and kept to only iterating around its enthusiasts, then, though expensive, I think the true fanatics (like myself) would still happily pay this much for this unique device.

Software - I didn't get to see much of the software in the YT video other than the ability to create unique fonts, but if this is anything to go by, I think focusing on things like the ability to create custom fonts is a complete waste of time. You are not catering at all to your true passionate readers. True users find a font, stick to it, and barely think about fonts again. A much better use of time on software would be to ensure the UI is flawless (e.g. copying exactly what crosspoint has done). It seems like a feature like this is an attempt to wow a potential new reader and ignore your power users who not only use your device daily, but will continue to buy your device over and over again if you keep improving it.

Overall - I understand that as a company your focus is on trying to grow and cater to new customers, but the direction that the X4 Pro is heading, you are becoming a medicore product in the middle of the pack. Think about what makes the X4/X3 unique, and iterate/improve on that. To me, your product is a tactile, no frills, raw, single-purpose, mobile e-reader that has no distractions, no bloatware, no extras. When you make a change like removing the front buttons, that is a direct "violation" of the core principle of product. There are other ways to keep the product/company profitable, which I think you may have neglected, one such example would be accessories such as covers, protectors, leather cases, lanyards etc. People are always looking for ways of personalising and protecting their devices, and the accessories that your official site currently has are quite limited. I would even consider partnering with retailers to create some limited edition/fancy accessories e.g. anime-related, book-themed, luxury branded.

Prediction - I predict that the X4 pro will be a failure. It may have some early success with people persuaded by the frontlight, but I feel that many people, particularly those who already own the device, will unlikely buy it just for the frontlight, as I suspect many of them will likely feel similar to me in that the core reasons for loving the device have been crippled by these changes. Many will wait for a different iteration (e.g. frontlight only change and nothing else) or simply just rebuy the "old" X4 when the time comes.

TLDR;

- changes to the device, such as removal of the front buttons and addtion of the touch screen, are not in keeping with the "ethos" of device, and thus the device will now be compared to other similarly functioning/priced device (such as the kindle paperwhite).

- some changes make no sense, or have no clear "benefit" to the consumer

- XTEINK need to consider what the true identity of the device is before continuuing to make changes/iterations of the device

- there are likely better ways to keep the company profitable/growing than trying to cater to a "wider" audience e.g. better accessories, partnerships with retailers etc.

I truly love the concept of this device and I don't want to see the core brillance and uniqueness of this device lost due to the company getting misguided away from the true identity of what made the device successful in the first place.

I have seen a few recent posts on reddit and the YT video about the X4 pro with its new features, and frankly, I am gravely concerned about the direction that XTEINK has decided to take regarding the X4 pro. Below, I have tried to convey my thoughts as clearly as possible as to why I think this may be the beginning of the end for what is a fantastic device for two main reasons: firstly, to gauge whether the wider community agrees with my overall interpretation of these changes, and secondly, so that members of the XTEINK team hopefully come across this post (or similar posts) to guide their trajectory back towards the core of what is (or was) a phenomenal product.

(Please note that the information I have is incomplete and may be wrong, but the specifics are less important than the overall jist. It appears the YT video has now become "members only" so I am relaying only what I can remember from when I watched it.)

As per the posts/YT video, the main changes from the X4 to the X4 pro are:

- addition of the frontlight

- touchscreen and removal of the front 4 navigating buttons (the side buttons remain but appear to have slightly moved locations)

- pogo connector instead of USB-C

- pricing (MRSP from $69 USD to $99 USD)

- software updates/changes (e.g. building your own font?)

My thoughts:

Frontlight - this has to be the biggest and most beneficial change for me personally. I use the device for at least 3 hours a day, and for at least 30 minutes before bed, currently using a reading light when the lights are off. There are a few downsides to this though - first, this creates a bigger barrier from the edge of the top of the device to the actual display, which may make reading less clear and a little annoying. Secondly, this will inadvertently use more battery. However, I think for most users, this is a very welcome change, and likely the best addition from the XTEINK team.

Touchscreen and removal of buttons - I cannot overstate how detrimental I believe these changes are to the device. To begin, let's start with the positives. The biggest positives are the ability to use a dictionary for unknown words and to highlight text. Apart from these two, in my opinion, every other use of the touch screen goes against the ethos of the device. My view is that the identity of the device itself is meant to be as a near enough a replacement to that of a physical book. This means that the device is meant to be tactile, single purpose, rough, even archaic. That is the beauty of the device. Once features like touchscreen get introduced, the device is starting to shift its competition and use into different terrorities: is it now just a small kindle? Is it a crappy phone? The buttons also served this purpose - it was tactile feedback. Instead of flipping a page, I loved physically pressing a button. This sensory feedback is one of the reasons people still read physical books even in this digital age. I would've loved to have seen the opposite decision from XTEINK - bigger, sturdier, clickier buttons. Lean into your identity. For those who wish to argue about navigation outside of page flipping like navigating settings etc. - my counterpoint to that is how often do you actually do this? For me, I set my settings once, and then 95% of my actual interaction with the device is flicking through pages (which I use nearly entirely with the front buttons). There are other downsides too as many other people have stated (accidentally touching the screen, the visible grid, the latency of the touchscreen input etc). Also, to those who state that this can be disabled by software, though I agree that this can be done, my counter to this is why do I have to pay (30%+ more) for a feature that I will not use? And I can imagine the introduction of the touchscreen display is likely much more expensive (which is, also, against the ethos of a cheap, no frills, bare bones, pure utility device such as the X4).

Pogo connector - very curious decision by the XTEINK team. This almost surely has to be a commerical decision (must be cheaper for them to have in the device I assume?), as USB-C is so widely used and readily available, I can't imagine anyone who would prefer to use the pogo instead when nearly every person with electronic devices already has USB-C (phones, batteries, headphones etc.). Though the adapter comes in the box, I still think this is just one other thing that I have to keep track off, and one other thing that I can lose or have to replace. I can imagine for many people this might be enough of a deterrant to buy the device entirely. I just don't understand, as the consumer, the benefit to me for this change.

Pricing - because of the addition of the touchscreen (i.e. because you are now competing with other "standard" e-readers with the introduction of this "feature") then pricing is now a huge deterrance to any person wanting to buy the X4 pro, as you will now be compared to everything else which is "similar". At $99 USD, you are now within arm's reach of much more mature brands (like the Kindle Paperwhite), and actually, are more expensive that many used mature brands' e-readers. However, I firmly believe that at this price point, if XTEINK kept to its identity (i.e. was fundamentally different to other e-readers) and kept to only iterating around its enthusiasts, then, though expensive, I think the true fanatics (like myself) would still happily pay this much for this unique device.

Software - I didn't get to see much of the software in the YT video other than the ability to create unique fonts, but if this is anything to go by, I think focusing on things like the ability to create custom fonts is a complete waste of time. You are not catering at all to your true passionate readers. True users find a font, stick to it, and barely think about fonts again. A much better use of time on software would be to ensure the UI is flawless (e.g. copying exactly what crosspoint has done). It seems like a feature like this is an attempt to wow a potential new reader and ignore your power users who not only use your device daily, but will continue to buy your device over and over again if you keep improving it.

Overall - I understand that as a company your focus is on trying to grow and cater to new customers, but the direction that the X4 Pro is heading, you are becoming a medicore product in the middle of the pack. Think about what makes the X4/X3 unique, and iterate/improve on that. To me, your product is a tactile, no frills, raw, single-purpose, mobile e-reader that has no distractions, no bloatware, no extras. When you make a change like removing the front buttons, that is a direct "violation" of the core principle of product. There are other ways to keep the product/company profitable, which I think you may have neglected, one such example would be accessories such as covers, protectors, leather cases, lanyards etc. People are always looking for ways of personalising and protecting their devices, and the accessories that your official site currently has are quite limited. I would even consider partnering with retailers to create some limited edition/fancy accessories e.g. anime-related, book-themed, luxury branded.

Prediction - I predict that the X4 pro will be a failure. It may have some early success with people persuaded by the frontlight, but I feel that many people, particularly those who already own the device, will unlikely buy it just for the frontlight, as I suspect many of them will likely feel similar to me in that the core reasons for loving the device have been crippled by these changes. Many will wait for a different iteration (e.g. frontlight only change and nothing else) or simply just rebuy the "old" X4 when the time comes.

TLDR;

- changes to the device, such as removal of the front buttons and addtion of the touch screen, are not in keeping with the "ethos" of device, and thus the device will now be compared to other similarly functioning/priced device (such as the kindle paperwhite).

- some changes make no sense, or have no clear "benefit" to the consumer

- XTEINK need to consider what the true identity of the device is before continuuing to make changes/iterations of the device

- there are likely better ways to keep the company profitable/growing than trying to cater to a "wider" audience e.g. better accessories, partnerships with retailers etc.

I truly love the concept of this device and I don't want to see the core brillance and uniqueness of this device lost due to the company getting misguided away from the true identity of what made the device successful in the first place.

https://preview.redd.it/23iymw05o47h1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd3badd253dc640db799aba78cd23f3ecaa6a210

Have had the X4 for a little under 2 weeks now, and wanted to share my honest review about the device with the wider community, targeted at people who are unsure about whether the device might be right for them.

Conext: I am a mid-30s father of 3 young kids, I work 9-5, and prior to this device, I have not owned a dedicated e-reader. I have an average reading ability and, prior to purchase, read around 4 books a year.

Hardware: the device is quite thin, and a little smaller than a standard phone. Fits in the hand quite comfortably and is very light. The buttons are reasonably clicky and the device overall is fairly well made (in keeping with the price of the product). I wouldn't say it is a premium product, but definitely not cheap/poorly manufactured rubbish. The screen is premium enough that the words are easy to read, however, I can almost feel how delicate it is. I protect it from my sons with ferocity, and place it down gently always. Regarding the SD device that comes with the X4, I have used it up until now (not reason not to until it "dies") but I do have one at the ready just in case. The battery is extraordinary - I have charged it once (upon arrival) to 100%, and it is currently sitting at around 65% despite regular daily use.

Software: I didn't bother much with the standard software, and downloaded crosspoint nearly immediately. Process was incredibly simple and fast. I will add a small caveat here that I think many people get caught up in selecting the perfect software for this product and waste a lot of time. My opinion: this is analysis paralysis. Crosspoint is perfectly sufficient for 99% of users. You don't need bells and whistles. Even something like tracking the number of hours read or number of books read - I think at first it will feel fulfilling and nice, but my fear is that you will tie reading "success" to the number of pages/books read, as opposed to just enjoying the reading process. My example here is if you love pizza, do you brag about eating 500 pizzas in a year, or do you brag that this year you ate a wide variety of wonderful, tasty pizzas? Again, my point is, don't think too much about this, and just download what works. Same philosophy for fonts, text sizes etc. Just pick and get to reading.

Cases: I bought both the magnetic case and the plastic case from the official site, as well as had a colleague print the 3d case for me. I ended up using the 3d case for an obscure reason: simply because it had the most "meatiness" to it which allows me to clasp on a reading light to the device and read at night. Otherwise, I think the sleakest is the magnetic flip case, which does the best job at protecting the screen (my primary fear). The benefit of the other two is it protects the corners (I learnt this the hard way after a fall onto my wooden floors - thankfully, the device is perfectly fine apart from a small scratch on the corner).

Use: My concern when purchasing this device was how was I actually going to incorporate its use into my day to day life. Other people (and even the xteink website) suggest plugging on the device onto the back of your phone and flipping over to it instead of doom scrolling. I have not used it this way a single time and I feel this use case is quite rare for the average person. It's simply because if I take out the X4 and my phone, then my phone is automatically more tempting and I will throw away the X4. Or, I use a little bit of mental alchemy and convince myself I should look at my phone first e.g. "maybe I should check my emails from work quickly" and before I know it, I'm scrolling through reddit or facebook. How I actually use it is I leave it in my pocket essentially all day and wait for the right moment to present itself during the day for me to whip it open and have a read. For example, I'll be waiting in line for my coffee and find myself with a spare few minutes. Then, instead of reaching for my phone, I find myself reaching for my other pocket with the X4 in it, and reading a few pages instead. Or, if I'm waiting for one of my sons to finish pooping on the toilet, and I'm loitering around the bathroom ready to wipe, I will stand there and read a few more pages. I now just leave my phone in my study and don't carry it around at all in my house. Initially, I thought that this "micro-dosing" of a book would be quite distracting and disorienting (where abouts am I in the story, where am I on the page etc.), however, because I frequently find myself with these snippets of time, it feels like I can pick up where I left off relatively easily because I was only just reading not too long ago. I have no idea how many hours I have read in the last 2 weeks, but I have managed to read 3 books to completion (flowers for algernon, a study in scarlet, and east of eden).

TLDR/Summary;

Pros:

- carry it around all the time for micro-reading at any given moment

- zero distractions (no bloated software, no android, no touch screen, no colour)

- single purpose

- tactile

- extraordinary battery life

- easy to use and configure

Cons:

- no frontlight - I initially wasn't going to add this to the list of cons of the device, as the majority of my use (90%) is during the day, or under a light, so it really makes no difference. However, because of my new obsession with reading (due to how much I use this device), I have found myself wanting to read prior to sleep, and it is tricky to read with the reading light attachment on my 3d case.

- screen feels relatively fragile (this could be due to bias because of previous posts on here)

- quite medicore stock software

Edit: multiple spelling and wording mistakes.

https://preview.redd.it/fqwhx2zdy15h1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11931a0365a9acc2085c2376d9027f0594eb450c

x4 arrived in the post today from the official site. Custom case is on, crosspoint downloaded, and 20% through my first book already (flowers for algernon). Best purchase of this year hands down. Thanks to this awesome community for all the help - everything working easily and smoothly!