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The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

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Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#13
I was thinking about buying it, because the stylus seemed to be much better than the one from the Sony DPT-RP1. However, I decided to buy the DPT-RP1 mainly for its size (13" is just perfect to read papers and taking notes!).

The writing experience of the DPT-RP1 is not great, but I have been using it for almost a year now and would never go back. The amount of paper that I have laying around at work now is minimal. I have created a virtual printer to just sent whatever file I am reading to the DPT-RP1.

Although there is no official support for Linux there is a very good python API developed by some guy, which works perfectly. Color e-ink would be nice to have for the next version, but I'm ok if only the stylus gets an upgrade.

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#14

For the price it has, you could as well buy an iPad Pro, which will do literally anything the ReMarkable will do, but better.

I agree it is overpriced just like every large form factor e-ink reader has been (likely unavoidable due to it being a niche product), but there are at least a few things that it does better than an iPad pro.

Note that I'm not saying its better in general than an iPad Pro, because overall its not. The iPad does way more, but that's besides the point because this is a device with a very specific purpose.

The most obvious advantage is the paperlike screen that reduces eye strain. Not everyone wants an e-ink screen, but for those to whom it is important, the iPad's screen isn't an acceptable alternative.

The next advantage is battery life. It isn't as good as a kindle, but its better than an iPad Pro by a long shot.

The other advantage is weight.

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#15

A good alternative seems to be Onyx Boox Max2 which seems to be more open (android based and can use all the normal apps including sync etc), have similar functionality and can also work as an external hdmi screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSv0g-pYMAk

I use this for reading and annotating papers. It's great for that use case thanks to the large screen and auto-crop feature of the PDF reader, but the writing experience, while very good, isn't good enough to replace a real notebook.

Also it's a bit too heavy to hold one-handed while reading on a couch.

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#16
I am actually wondering to see I buy one. Here is some links that I find interesting to consider before buying (some of those do answer some previous comments) :

* Here is a [previous occurrence on HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16321531).

* Here is a ["curated list of (code) projects related to the reMarkable tablet"](https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable).

* Here is a [framework](https://github.com/canselcik/libremarkable) for "developing applications with native refresh support for Remarkable Tablet " (with a growing Rust APi if you fancy that).

Some notes :

* As you will see by exploring some the links, the tablet is Linux-based so it is definitely possible to piggy-back on some API (see https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable#apis for examples)

* A bunch of alternative synchronization tools have already been implemented (see https://github.com/reHackable/awesome-reMarkable#cloud-tools)

* The company seems really attached to software updates to improve the device (see https://blog.remarkable.com/).

* From all above, I think that the device could reach a critical mass of adoption and blossom in uses and third-party development but only if enough people engage with the device. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#17

I bought and returned one a year ago. I found that the two use cases I wanted most...: * quick note taking * syncing and reading long books didn't work out that well. As the author says, APIs for syncing are no fun. I also found that the tablet didn't keep up with my writing quickly enough at all. It also didn't really allow for "let me just jot this down and then check it out later on my PC". Like, all I wanted was…

I bought one almost two years ago and sold it about a year later. I wanted to use it for doing math but the inability to see more than one page at a time while I was working made it painful. Ability to copy across pages would have also solved the problem, but that still doesn't appear to be possible. There is simply no way to keep developing an expression, line by line, beyond the bottom of the page.

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#18
I've had one of these since 12/18 and like it quite a bit. I use it as a sketchbook and to take notes. When I first got it the stylus felt a bit too slippery however after some use it feels more like a normal writing instrument. My only suggestion is that they should sort templates so that recently used ones appear first.

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#19

A good alternative seems to be Onyx Boox Max2 which seems to be more open (android based and can use all the normal apps including sync etc), have similar functionality and can also work as an external hdmi screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSv0g-pYMAk

It is also double the price

Re: The ReMarkable Tablet: A Review

#20

A good alternative seems to be Onyx Boox Max2 which seems to be more open (android based and can use all the normal apps including sync etc), have similar functionality and can also work as an external hdmi screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSv0g-pYMAk

The max3 is probably the better bet at this point. Just saw one yesterday, and it was just gorgeous.
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