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ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

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Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#21

Post by floren »

I bought the original version but found that some PDF files absolutely destroyed it. Not massive files where each page is a scanned picture, just regular PDFs from academic journals. I'd open one, it would spend 20+ seconds displaying the "working" spinner, then often as not it would reboot. Had to return it.

I was also pretty shocked that there was no way to get a list of all annotations you've added to a given PDF; I really wanted a way to read through a book making notes as I went, then get an overview of where I'd made notes. Even a way to bookmark a given page would have been useful.

Fix those two issues and it would have been a great device for me; the page size was juuuust big enough to display pretty much any book at a readable size.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#23

Post by leggomylibro »

matsemann wrote: post #9
ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #8

> " The new tablet is just 4.7 mm (0.19 in) thick, thinner than the iPad Pro and Sony’s competing Digital Paper tablets, both of which are 5.9 mm. " At that thickness, I'd be worried about sturdiness and, in particular, bending, à la the problems with the iPhone 6. I can stick an iPad Mini or similar tablet into a jacket pocket or backpack and jog a couple of miles to a bus stop daily without concern. Will we be able…

The problems with the phone is that it's often carried in pants pockets. I don't think something of this size will have the same kind of forces applied to it.

Actually, I think that things which get thrown into bags on a regular basis face more stresses than a phone in your pocket.

It could be jostling around with corners of large books, laptops, cables, random containers, etc. It can also have more space to accelerate when you swing your bag around, whereas a phone is held firmly your leg when you run/jump/etc.

Durability in a bag is what separates great electronics manufacturers from decent ones. If I buy something and it doesn't survive bag life for several months, which is quite common, then I write off the manufacturer as a creator of fragile throw-away devices. But I've never had a phone have any sort of problem from pocket stresses.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#24

Post by ACS_Solver »

Terrible link, the actual reMarkable website is much better.

It's a very niche device but I've owned mine for nearly two years and am a big advocate. In some ways, the first model was proof of concept. Excellent hardware and writing experience, but the early versions of the software were horrible, and the device itself is very ugly. The software has improved dramatically in the time I've owned it, going from horrible to bad, then to almost acceptable, and now it's decent.

I'm happy to see the company is doing well enough to make a second generation reality. Looks like it will be an overall improved experience, with a magnetic marker, a slick-looking device and overall incremental improvements. I'd like to see some kind of trade up program though, it's expensive (and 50$ more for a marker with one extra sensor is ridiculous) and I can't justify paying that much for an incremental upgrade.

My only concern about the new specs would be the thickness, or rather the sturdiness. The first generation is thick by modern standards, but it's very sturdy. I've dropped the device, I've dropped the bag with it, I've bumped into things with it - not a scratch. Very refreshing in the age of fragile devices. Hopefully the rM2 doesn't sacrifice much sturdiness to be thinner.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#25

Post by magicalhippo »

java-man wrote: post #7

I don't understand the fascination with super-thin devices. Can you hold it for any extended period of time without much strain? Will it slip and shatter when the palms get slightly moist?

It weights about 400g, so about what a paper pad does I guess? In any case, it has a textured surface, and assuming it's similar to the reMarkable 1 it is not slippery.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#26

Post by ThrowawayR2 »

pushcx wrote: post #10

Any details on whether they've fixed search? Zoom? Or made it a mountable USB drive so it doesn't require their app or similar janky solutions? The first one really looked nice, but all the reviews were full of practical usability issues and this promo doesn't touch on the topic.

It still sounds as if it has the original's killer negative: everything you write is sync'ed to their servers, which is a huge no-no for work use without IT approval, at least at my workplace, or anything regulated by privacy laws like HIPPA. I'd love one of these things if it was able to function purely offline even if I had to sacrifice cloud features.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#27

Post by jastingo »

diffeomorphism wrote: post #6

Since the article is unviewable without throwing away your privacy, here is a primary source instead: https://remarkable.com/

I know I'm being too literal, but I got a chuckle when I read:

> reMarkable’s virtually instant response and texturized surface make for an unprecedented writing experience.

There is indeed a precedent for having literally instant response with a texturized surface: pencil and paper.

Re: ReMarkable’s redesigned e-paper tablet is more powerful and more papery

#28

Post by beezle »

beezle wrote: post #12

The speed improvements are impressive. Wonder though if there is any physical change in the display? It seems to be identical, was hoping they could bring something with a whiter background.

Also wonder about security of the pen if used with the book folio. Exactly how strong is that magnetic attachment?
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