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The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
11–20 of 283 posts
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#12> They are moving towards a subscription model. This is the biggest minus point for me. I want devices that I own, that I can use like I want to. I don't want to be caught in another cloud and pay monthly for something I don't want to use. Currently I'm looking into getting a device from Onyx, because those support the Android App Stores, so I could set it up with Notion or my Nextcloud probably. Remarkable seems to…
Well, from the review it does state that their hardware is Linux based, and you have root access. The device is not locked down in the way a Kindle is.
So it sounds like you do, in fact, own this particular device when you buy it. You could write applications for syncing files to your OwnCloud instance or whatever you’d like.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#13I’ve been using a Sony Epaper notebook for almost 2 years now and considering buying a Boox Note 5 or Air 2 (the remarkable didn’t make my short list)
They are running almost stock android and the quality seems better than remarkable.
I’ve watched My Deep Guide (https://youtube.com/c/MyDeepGuide) where they test every single feature of all note taking devices.
This article says that you have root access on the remarkable, but doing so will void the warranty.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#14I was not able to use this thing comfortably. I think my handwriting style might not be optimal for it, as too small details and tight loops seemed to disappear on me. My handwriting is pretty small to begin with, and only gets tinier with subscripts and tiny details in mathematical writing.
There was also a slight input delay that I found annoying. I love writing on paper, and so if the experience is significantly inferior I won't be sold. I totally disagree with the author's claim that this thing provides a superior writing experience, unless they've improved on their designs and it now actually does feel like paper.
I would instead highly recommend a much cheaper, though dumber, yet far superior LCD-slate (like one of these: https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-howshow-lcd-writing-t...). The writing is instant, and even the tightest loops and smallest details will show up as if on paper (though green-on-black). When I was in university, I would use this for sketches in discussions, rough calculations and drafts, and saved a ton of paper that I would otherwise just have thrown away.
The fact that it wouldn't let me save stuff or share my drawings didn't bother me at all. Worst case scenario, I'd just take a picture of it.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#15It's really the "pen computing" from the early 90s in some round 2. There were some pretty amazing things that the hardware wasn't ready for the first time (I'm thinking GO corp stuff) but when I asked the guys at CES 2020 if they had ever heard of it, it was a no. (For instance, if I worked there I'd get my hands on one of Jeff Hawkins GRiDpads (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRiDPad) here's a nice overview
History of tech needs to be more widely studied. I think we'd get really great products if people knew their history better.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#16often people want more feature, thinking more is better. iPad has color it is better right? Personally I would pay more to have e-ink. Looking at it is like looking at paper! It is easier on the eyes, less drain on the battery. And most stuff software development wise, b&w is good enough.
iPad has silky smooth scrolling and instant reaction to the input (milliseconds).
Once e-ink technology advances enough to allow for these, it might compete with iPad, but until then the lag is severely limiting what the device can do. Reading books (one screen refresh a minute) is fine, but not much else.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#17I would really like a color e-ink device though - like https://www.theverge.com/21507390/pocketbook-color-review-e-... but bigger.
I’ve got the boox note 3 color for my partner.
It’s 7”, a bit small for me but it’s pretty good.
She loves it but after couple of months she used only the black ’color’ and doesn’t bother to switch to other colors.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#18I was not able to use this thing comfortably. I think my handwriting style might not be optimal for it, as too small details and tight loops seemed to disappear on me. My handwriting is pretty small to begin with, and only gets tinier with subscripts and tiny details in mathematical writing. There was also a slight input delay that I found annoying. I love writing on paper, and so if the experience is significantly i…
Which version did you use?
I have a remarkable 2 which I use daily for 6+ months now. It does get really tiny details right. Since lines are pixelated I can see maybe up to 2px precision.
You have to use a smaller "brush" for this though.
I'm also not seeing any delay.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#19Note that the author receives $40 when you buy a reMarkable using the provided link.
I've been using a reMarkable for some weeks on the job, and I'm generally satisfied. However, the reMarkable is not a proud linux computer. When changing to the subscription model, they introduced new Terms of Services. Among others, these prohibit reverse engineering the cloud API. Upon request, a customer service employee who had clearly never heard of the GPL clarified that as a customer I would certainly not be allowed to modify the operating system. Their legal team stepped in later to clarify that they accept the GPL, but still I should not dare to touch their API.
reMarkable gave every customer from before the 12th of October a lifetime subscription that is not transferable, should I eventually sell the tablet. So, I paid a ton of money for a tablet that says "OCR your writing" and "Sync all your documents" on the box, but I can not sell it without losing functionality that is advertised with on the box. The pricing for the subscription is way above reasonable.
As a note to the author, since you mentioned you recommended it to a psychologist: Please don't, or at least strongly suggest to keep away from connecting it to the internet. A random startup's cloud storage is not a place for sensitive medical and personal data. There is no option to sync the reMarkable with a self-operated WebDAV share or similar.
Re: The reMarkable as a notebook and eBook reader
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just want to point out that there are good e-ink color display now! It is just that none of the integrators made a product/device using it yet really. There is a whole array of "notebook like" e-ink devices being created and released, but they mostly exist in, and target, the chinese and japanese market. Not the Western one. Remarkable is one of the exception and Kobo recently released one. Hopefully we will see mo…
Do you happen to have some links to Japanese/Chinese e-ink colour devices?
I'm not a fan of onyx devices due to many reports about questionable home-calling.
However, they do have some nice devices like this color notebook with a pen and I guess that is what you were looking for: https://onyxboox.com/boox_nova3color