Recommendations re writing tablets e.g. reMarkable
I want to get back into creative writing, and for work I prefer to take handwritten notes (I have my own weird shorthand and it helps with retention). I’d also like the ability to write at night and not disturb my partner.
I don’t want to go near iOS and the tablet would be primarily used for writing purposes.
Any recommendations or 'what to avoid’s?
Sorry if wrong community, I couldn’t find another relevant
I went down the rabbit hole of looking for an epaper note taker (some great YT reviews on all of them - this was my favorite: youtu.be/St5bZDCWRpE) and settled on the Boox Note Air Plus 2. I wanted long battery life and a backlight so I could read at night mainly.
There is a minor lag when writing but not troublesome for me - but I absolutely love it.
The only thing is I don’t fully trust the company that makes it since there are some issues surrounding the openness of the Linux OS they used so I don’t sign into personal accounts on it, but just transfer PDFs to/from it through the Wi-Fi drop.
I’ve got a Boox note device, which has a backlight and runs a version of Android. The good and bad of that is you can run many Android apps - I use my local library’s app for reading with a backlight and in a pinch you can browse the web on Firefox android etc
My advice is avoid tablets entirely. Even the best ones are not even remotely as good as paper.
Lots of people recommending the Supernote A5 X… I haven’t tried it, but a quick search says it has “15-20ms” of latency. I have an iPad (which I don’t consider usable for notes*) and it has 7ms latency which is too high in my opinion.
If you really must have your notes in digital form… try Whitelines paper notebooks. Their main feature is light grey paper with white lines, but more importantly they have subtle locator code on the four corners of the page, and Whitelines has a free phone app that uses those locator codes to perfectly sort out the perspective when you take a photo of the page to digitise it. That system works a lot better than regular edge detection other apps use, and also the white lines work better than grey or blue lines.
Officeworks has Whitelines notebooks. They’re available in various sizes and the same price as any other premium notebook (not as cheap as the Officeworks house brand… but it’s also better paper than that brand).
(* my iPad Mini is used as a portable web browser for situations where my phone is too small and my laptop is too big- which is a situation I find myself in regularly as part of my job… I have tired using it for notes and definitely don’t recommend it for that - a phone is definitely better than an iPad for note taking)
Thanks for the suggestion but this seems a cumbersome alternative. My work is in the digital space and note taking needs to be there in a fairly rapid and shareable way. I’m seeking an improvement to my onenote use (handy but not handwritten), and my scores of paper notes (handwritten but handy to no one else), plus the ability to handwrite creative pieces and not have to type them up online. Thanks again though!
If I had the choice I would have gotten a Supernote A5X because they are a more ethical company, conscious of sustainability (their pen nib does not need replacing) and they provide a road map for updates so you know what's coming. I'm not able to get one, however, because I live in the UK and shipping and taxes end up nearly doubling the cost.
That said, from what I read, the best writing experience is with the reMarkable, though as others have said, the subscription service is a frustrating addition. They give you a year free when you buy new. This was my best option and I'll be getting one soon.
I also looked at Boox which has color options and a back light but the writing experience isn't as good because there is a gap in the screen where the back light is meaning its more like writing on a white board than paper.
I went with a Supernote A5X around 2.5 years ago. My usecase was for college to take lecture notes and to read academic papers/epubs. I went with the Supernote over the reMarkable for the software support: I really like the concept of reMarkable’s Linux-based OS and being able to use community mods, but it felt like I would need the mods to have all the features I wanted, while the Supernote wouldn’t allow for modification but would have everything I wanted built in. I’ve been satisfied with the writing and reading experience, customer support is responsive via email and Reddit, and OS updates have been adding new features without a subscription.
I love my reMarkable 2, but I bought it before they locked all the best features behind their subscription. I’m grandfathered into a lifetime subscription, but if you buy one now you also have to cough up whatever subscription cost the Connect plan provides for persistent cloud storage and a few other useful features. For that sole reason I can’t recommend it.
If I was shopping for a device today, I’d be looking at one of the Supernotes.
I love my ReMarkable 2! I use it everyday for handwritten notes and for e-reading. It doesn’t support the major stores, but it loads epubs just fine. I’m also self-hosting rmfakecloud cause I’m that kind of nerd. You mentioned night use, so definitely be aware it does not have any lighting built in.
Ah gotcha. There was a guy next to me on the plane yesterday and he was writing in bright yellow text on a black background, I guess it gave the impression of being backlit. No idea what the tablet was and he seemed busy so I didn’t want to disturb him to ask.
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