11 ms·

Notes on my Remarkable tablet

117 points by topcat31 3y ago

shinycode 3y ago
Anything an iPad can’t do ?
- echelon 3y ago
  Freely install software on it and hack the device, for starters. There's an incredible amount of clarity and focus around the device, which lends itself to productivity and mindful relaxation. The e-ink screen is brilliant and non-taxing, too. And the battery lasts forever.
- adastra22 3y ago
  Hold a charge for weeks of use.
- shinycode 3y ago
  It was a legitimate question. I saw the price of the last remarkable and its pricetag is quite high compared to an iPad. Given the context in which I use tablets, 2 weeks battery seems not that important to me given all the things the iPad can do and Remarkable can’t.
- fragmede 3y ago
  In today's attention economy and digital distraction landscape, the appeal of this product is in what it can't do and doesn't have. There's no web browser to get distracted with Reddit/HN on, there's no Facebook/TikTok/Instagram/YouTube app to doomscroll and waste away time with. it's a digital piece of paper, without the distractions of candy crush. When you open a new tab in your browser, what do you get? This gives you a blank piece of paper to draw on. A blank canvas of infinite possibility, not suggestions from the latest news.
  - shinycode 3y ago
    It’s kind of sad that the only way to get control over our devices is to buy one with such limited functionalities. Personally I don’t have the budget for an iPad and a remarkable so I prefer cutting off all socials and wasted time on websites and enjoy the iPad with all its potential
- bawolff 3y ago
  Have an eink screen? I know not everyone cares about this, but for me that is the biggest selling point.
- wslh 3y ago
  Using it without the need of recharging continuously.
- caseyf 3y ago
  Offer a big canvas for writing and drawing while weighing 400 grams (I have both)
- KennyBlanken 3y ago
  Yup, require an expensive cloud service that offers no data protection to do its primary advertised function.
- urbandw311er 3y ago
  Yes, the e-Ink screen. (Ie the primary reason for buying one)
chrisweekly 3y ago
Hi Tom, I'm a big fan of my rm2, too -- and am writing to respond to this: > "I’d also love a more formal diary / daily entry system. Kind of like Obsidian’s daily notes. Some kind of date-based notebook inside the Remarkable would be rad (even if it doesn’t sync with your actual calendar!). A daily journaling / diary / planning format would be great. (Yes, right now you can select a day-planner template, but you can’t then see them in a calendar view - the date isn’t a foundational element of the note)." Take a look at https://hyperpaper.me https://hyperpaper.me which has been transformative for me. Instead of using a static background template, it generates a (customizable) interactive PDF. This -- crucially -- means it supports navigation, eg jump from the month calendar view to your daily note page.
- ace2358 3y ago
  Is there something like this for iPad?
  - tinix 3y ago
    It's just a pdf, so yes. The only difference is"paper size".
  - layer8 3y ago
    This is (also) for iPad.
  - mikestew 3y ago
    There is Goodnotes, which supports such functionality for PDFs. I’ve purchased such PDFs (bullet journal calendar/notes) and, without trying it, I think it a safe assumption that Goodnotes could consume what is generated by the Hyperpaper link above.
  - funksta 3y ago
    It'll work just fine on an iPad, several folks are doing so (Goodnotes and Notability are the most common apps people use for loading and annotating the pdf). I've done a little work towards color themes to better support the iPad, but for now it's just black & white since most customers use eInk tablets.
dboreham 3y ago
I'd buy one if it supported reading books from the two platforms I use: Kindle and O'Reilly.
- tinix 3y ago
  There's an app that runs natively on RM2 that supports Zlib downloads. You'll have to tweak the source to work with your personal domain. I buy physical books and then get digital copies from Zlib (if publisher doesn't offer digital downloads that is...) You can also just use Google Drive or SSH to copy books from another device like Kindle, Android, or a laptop.
- stop50 3y ago
  I use calibre for managing my ebooks, syncthing for transfer and koreader to read them. I removed the DRM from buyed books, since koreader can't decrypt them.
- m463 3y ago
  I think calibre will do what you want. Convert to pdf because epub on remarkable2 is significantly slower. You will want to tweak your pdf conversion settings to get the font sized for easy reading.
tinix 3y ago
There are sellers on Etsy that make Remarkable templates (ex, navigable daily planner with monthly/weekly views). I've been using one for years. They will customize if you ask nicely...
- tinix 3y ago
  https://www.etsy.com/market/remarkable_2_templates https://www.etsy.com/market/remarkable_2_templates
porcoda 3y ago
I was a big fan of my RM2, but found the move to the subscription service a couple years ago to be off putting. Sure, I can turn off WiFi, or just use the network to ssh into it, but it felt less than great. I recently got a Supernote to replace it and so far love it. The company seems a bit more open and less likely to try to push me to some kind of subscription/cloud thing. They promote the “works great offline, no subscriptions” stuff right up front. Plus their pens are great - the one I got feels like a real pen.
- novalistener 3y ago
  I’m really excited for the upcoming Supernote A5X2. So many smart and community-friendly decisions in the design and software. My reMarkable 2 is still holding up, but I’ll be giving it a close look when the time comes for a replacement.
  - jadbox 3y ago
    When is the A5x2 coming and what exactly are you excited about it?
    - novalistener 3y ago
      End of Q1 2024, according to the Supernote website. Presumably it’s going to be very similar to the recently released A6X2, just larger. The specs are great (300dpi display and performance bumped SOC), the design is expandable and repairable (SD slot, replaceable battery, easy teardown), and the OS is based on Android (so you can install the Kindle app and more if you want).
- TheFreim 3y ago
  I have never tried a RM product, but when I was originally searching for an e-paper tablet I passed over them in favor of the Supernote A5X and it has been great. The software has been continually improved since I got it, I don't regret the purchase at all. Once the A5X2 comes out I might upgrade, especially because, if my memory serves me, it should have a user-replaceable battery.
- 3y ago
hecanjog 3y ago
I really liked my remarkable2, but I eventually got the issue where it just stops charging and now it's effectively a brick. Tried all the known workarounds I could find with trickle-charging etc. Someone had tracked the issue down to a malfunctioning temperature sensor preventing charging but I have no idea if that's the problem with mine. Remarkable support would like me to create videos showing every workaround I tried and I'm not totally convinced anything will happen if I do that... (seems like others jumped through those hoops without any success.) It's a bummer because besides the annoying push to the cloud recently I really liked the device.
- dmitrygr 3y ago
  The issue is actually that your usb-c receptacle broke free from the PCB inside. Open and you'll see. I emailed them about it a while ago. They majorly fucked up the design. The connector is on the very edge of a very thin finger of a thin PCB. There is nothing holding it to the case, only the few solder points to a thin PCB. They did not care. I sent photos, explanation, and a rather long essay as to why this should never be done on a product that expects contact with the real world, and how it should be done. I'll try to dig up my photos and post them here. It is a pathologically bad design. I fixed mine by replacing the usb C socket, adding a few blobs of epoxy to hold it, and wiring the USB data and power lines across the cracks in the PCB EDIT https://photos.app.goo.gl/eu4P8fnaNtV9vhMo7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eu4P8fnaNtV9vhMo7 the video in there, via microscope, you can see how the contacts peeled off. Larger photos show the PCB and how the connector is "affixed". Final photo is after it was fixed, but before the epoxy
  - tinix 3y ago
    If you use a case or folio, i recommend a wireless charger receiver that you just permanently leave in the port, no plug fatigue to worry about then. something like this: https://pakshwe.com/product/type-c-bottom-left-top-right-side-qi-wireless-charger-receiver-5w-for-non-qi-usb-c-phones-model-3c/ https://pakshwe.com/product/type-c-bottom-left-top-right-sid... Otherwise there are magnetic usb adapters that let you charge or transfer data with a cable still... while avoiding plug fatigue.
novalistener 3y ago
I love my reMarkable 2. I use it daily. It helps so much with productivity, and it’s a UX delight. That said, the company has made some remarkably (sorry) user-hostile and concerning decisions. In particular, two things. First, they tried to paywall a bunch of important features behind an expensive subscription service. They rolled back the worst changes after a backlash, but damage done. Second, they’ve been aggressively marketing the RM2 tablet, even though it’s outdated 4-year-old hardware. They hired some YouTube influencers to put out paid promotions disguised as reviews, and now they’re trying a big push in India. My assumption is that new hardware is imminent (it really has to be), so they’re using these underhanded tactics to dump inventory and have return periods expire before the new release.
nanna 3y ago
Any Emacs integration?
- stop50 3y ago
  There are a few terminals for the remarkable.
  - lovelyviking 3y ago
    can you mention which work better?
    - stop50 3y ago
      I personally like yaft, but there are multiple that use slightly different interfaces that might be better suited for you.
calamari4065 3y ago
The RM homebrew community has answers for some of the problems the author poses. I haven't tried it personally, but there is a VNC package that will let you use your tablet as an auxiliary screen. The hacking community is small but pretty dedicated. There's a few exciting projects in the works, like a complete desktop interface called Oxide. The RM tablets are kinda neat in that you get root access out of the box. You have a lot of power to write or isntall custom software. That said, Remarkable the company has been fairly shitty. They removed the links to the dev tools, and don't really respond to requests for source that they are obligated to release under the GPL in any reasonable time. They also made the inexplicable decision to ship a keyboard case for the thing, but the only way their software supported it at launch was a fixed textbox in the middle of the screen. You couldn't move or resize it, so it was basically useless. Fortunately, homebrew has your back. There's an app that just gives you a terminal with keyboard support. You can ssh to another machine or write in vi or whatever you do with a normal terminal
- terminus 3y ago
  > That said, Remarkable the company has been fairly shitty. They removed the links to the dev tools, and don't really respond to requests for source that they are obligated to release under the GPL in any reasonable time. Which project did they not release GPL'd code for? They do have the kernel source available: https://github.com/reMarkable/linux/tree/zero-sugar https://github.com/reMarkable/linux/tree/zero-sugar The top level github page also lists their trees for other projects.
  - gottoupvote 3y ago
    Last updated 3 years ago
- cge 3y ago
  I think it's important to note the wider limitations of the homebrew community. I bought an rM2 relatively early on, enough to have lifetime free subscription access that I've never used, as I've always used homebrew arrangements instead. There is a definite sense that the community is tired and diminishing. I think most packages are only compatible with the at this point quite old v2 software version, including the entirety of the toltec system. Some of the most important hacks, ddvk's packages, are both stagnant and closed source, with hints that being closed source comes from direct threats from Remarkable, not hypothetical concern over legalities. Toltec's maintainers, and others, respond with suggestions that they're going to be updating at some point, and that users are just being impatient, but it seems more likely that much of the homebrew infrastructure at this point will not be moving forward. The homebrew community was once small but dedicated, now I think it would be more accurate to just call it small. And I somewhat understand that. As much as it has its defenders, Remarkable has been at worst hostile, and at best unwittingly unhelpful. It often provides exactly what it thinks is legally required. V3 changed the format and system enough to break all homebrew software. Whether intentionally, or in response to a well meaning but enormously damaging user suggestion, Remarkable changed its kernel configuration in a very non-standard, non-recommended way with the only significant impact being to make compilation of modules impossible without entirely replacing the kernel (they did, after years, finally change this back). Kernel sources are available, but good luck compiling then. Does the keyboard case even work unless you're using V3, and this break everything homebrew, including that terminal? Remarkable seems like a textbook case of a company respecting the letter but not the spirit of free software. And that isn't even considering the dark patterns they have more generally: the intentionally non-standard USB C port so that third party keyboards that would otherwise work without any problems don't work, the wonky Ethernet-adapter behaviour rather than a virtual mass storage device, the tendency of the USB web interface to repeatedly turn off... there are justifications given for many of these, but as a whole they paint a problematic picture. And so those of us who use our modified Remarkables increasingly, at this point, are just using devices frozen in time, with everything working for us.
pjerem 3y ago
I actually have a hard time loving my remarkable. Such incredible ergonomics wasted by poor software. It could be such an impressive device with some extensions (not even apps) marketplace. I don’t want it to be another tablet with YouTube but I want to be able to scribble on my daily calendar and boom, with OCR it’s now on my caldav. I want to be able to make LINKS between pages. Like, let me write an index. Let me write summaries. Let me receive and send emails. I agree with the design choice that remarkable is just a digital notebook and not another generic device. But I do believe that a digital notebook can be smarter than a piece of paper.
- derriz 3y ago
  I had a similar experience. When I had one, I used it frequently but when I lost it, I never felt inclined to buy a replacement. I never loved it. I feel that this _type_ of device may have a mass-market future but we are a few generations away from a device which could have mass-market appeal. The software is clearly not good enough but even in terms of hardware, the slow e-ink refresh rate makes for a painful UX. So despite all the technology, doing anything more than using it as an etch-a-sketch was irritating. Also what I came to realise is that most of the stuff that I fill the many half-used notebooks lying about my home is of very temporary value - often only useful for an hour or a a day. When I switched to using the Remarkable, the issue of losing information went away but not in a good way; I now felt burdened with keeping the Remarkable "organised" - trying to categorize pages, de-duplicating notes, "garbage collecting", etc. Paper notebooks, which you fill and toss away don't burden you with this task.
janice1999 3y ago
I would love something like the Remarkable tablet. However I'm not buying a niche hardware product to have my data held hostage by monthly cloud sync fees. Let me use Nextcloud or a service I've already paid for.
- supersparrow 3y ago
  100% this. If someone can come out with a product I can sync to my own service, I’m buying it.
  - BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
    You can self-host rmfakecloud, an open-source reimplementation of the reMarkable cloud. You just ssh into the device and use a DNS trick to swap it out.
    - supersparrow 3y ago
      Oh! Awesome! I’ll check that out, thank you.
- Skywalker13 3y ago
  The cloud is optional and you have a root SSH access to the tablet. It's possible to impl. your own service for syncing or just sync via SSH with scripts.
  - paulcole 3y ago
    They don’t want a solution. They want to hate on a corporation.
greatgib 3y ago
I love my RM2 for the incredible hardware and the very good "paper like" experience. Reading and annotations of PDF is really great. But as other have said, I would not recommend it because the software is quite "user hostile". It could be so great with a little bit more freedom, but now it is quite expensive for what it is. For example, easy sharing or loading and "copy/paste" with copy are probably one of the main thing that anyone would want to do. But for that, the only solution, and not very convenient is to use shitty things with the premium subscription. Why isn't there an easy permanent and public way to load and unload documents? There is a very very shitty kind of web browser "web interface" that is available, but it will only work when connected to a computer through "usb", and each time usb cable is unplugged, you would have to re-enable the feature. I hate that soo so much.
geor9e 3y ago
Soon after Remarkable 2 was released, a hacked version of Remarkable 1 was released that added pretty much all the feature upgrades. You needed to buy a new stylus (to use the new eraser end), but you could choose from dozens of brands since it's a widely used standard. The hardware looks slightly different and might have clock speed differences, but is essentially identical. And you don't have to deal with the silly subscription model of the 2. I use it to jot my thoughts down on PDFs in direct sunlight at the park. My macbook/ipad is pretty unusable in sunlight, unless you like squinting and straining. I also bought a smaller Mobiscribe (same thing but small), but I prefer the Remarkable still.
- Eeems 3y ago
  They release software updates for both devices at the same time. There was no hacked version with all the same feature upgrades, it was, and always has been the official software update. They to this day still release all the same features to both devices.
- lovelyviking 3y ago
  can you elaborate more about “ hacked version of Remarkable 1 was released”?
graypegg 3y ago
I got an RM2 last year, and it's been the only product I've ever used a satisfaction guarantee on to return. I was looking to replace paper, which is basically always around my desk in sticky note or free-relator-notepad form. The RM2 didn't have a great way to just give me a blank note right away. It had the quick notes journal, but that was still its own notepad you had to open up. Everything was slow to get to. A physical button, screen clear, start writing. That's what I was hoping for. The lack of a backlight was surprising, it's easy enough to turn on a light, but when everything else seems to have one, it was a little annoying to have to turn it towards a window to read a note because it's a little later towards dusk. The note parsing was unforgivable, literally writing a whole new page rather than indexing your own handwriting. Search was abysmal, since it only seems to search these notes that have been transcribed, and turned into a new page of just text. It's a lot closer to an e-ink typewriter. I think they should market it like that. Had a lot of trouble using it as a notebook. (YMMV, I know a lot of people love it, though they tend to replace the software on it.) Everything was clunky. Back to my notepads!
- mdekkers 3y ago
  > The lack of a backlight was surprising This is common across electronic notepads. The lighting adds a thickness to the screen that would mean the input device would hover over the “paper”, instead of writing directly on it, which would be offputting.
KennyBlanken 3y ago
It is positively bizarre that HN will scream blue bloody murder about "the apple tax", "apple spying", "poor repairability" and so on, and yet cannot shut up about a device that: * REQUIRES a cloud subscription and active data connection to do its most core functionality: OCRing text you write on it * costs more after a year or two than an iPad with Apple Pencil * is completely unrepairable; no parts availability, no service options, etc and has no warranty unless you pay extra * depends on a cloud service run by a company located in a country infamous for both state and commercial espionage and intellectual property theft * has no theft protection, no on-device encryption, no end-to-end encryption, etc. An iPad can do everything the Remarkable can do, on device, no connection or cloud sync/service required, has infinitely larger accessory and software ecosystem, can be repaired at almost any corner phone repair shop and major electronic store chains, and has best-in-market security from the hardware itself to end-to-end encryption for its built-in cloud sync functionality.
- urbandw311er 3y ago
  They don’t make an iPad with an e-ink screen do they? For me, that’s what I like about my Remarkable.
- m463 3y ago
  I believe OCR as "the" core is just an opinion. This device allows you to do all your work offline. You do not need an account to use it. You can ssh into it. You don't have to ask permission to transfer files to/from the device. This device is the WORST e-reader... except for all the rest.
  - throwaway290 3y ago
    What about Supernote or Kindle Scribe, are they worse? I am considering RM2 but some recommend Supernote. The company looks shady as heck but hackability would be a big pro
kseifried 3y ago
I love the hardware and the feel but the software is terrible and the difficulty of putting templates on the device (you hack around and use ssh to copy a file in) really limits the usefulness. The subscription model is also pushed heavy with basic functionality you would expect not working unless you pay. Overall I regret buying one and I almost never use it.
deleted 3y ago
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sylens 3y ago
I really want to buy one of these eInk tablets but the thing that holds me back is I want seamless sync of my notes and pdfs with something like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox - whatever. I don’t want to be constantly emailing myself files
- eternal_braid 3y ago
  Remarkable has that built in. They offer their own cloud service that makes it trivial to sync your files. My flow is: 1. (Optional) Upload something on Google drive. 2. Copy it on remarkable. It syncs automatically on cloud. 3. Edit as I wish. 4. Upload final copy to Google Drive
turtlebits 3y ago
The RM2 is a great device, but it only does a few things, but does them very well. Notetaking/PDF annotation is excellent. They recently added a type cover and are continually adding text editing features. Their desktop app and their whole cloud sync is absolute trash. Uploading documents is basic, but it works. It's a perfect device for a grade schooler, I got one for my wife but my 7yo eventually took it over. It has just enough tech to be able draw, take notes, read e-books/PDFs, and recently, write documents/stories on.
mikebonnell 3y ago
I loved my RM2 but the pencil broke and without a warranty, it felt hard pressed to by another one. I replaced tips regularly, but the "tip-holding" piece shifted so it couldn't be reliably used any more. I wonder if any other folks hit this or if I just had a one-offf bad experience?
rramadass 3y ago
Anybody have any experience on using the "Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra" to read books/papers and take notes on? It is pricey but seems to have all the needed functionality, specifically; the large 14.6 inch screen helps you deal with A4 size properly.
rapjr9 3y ago
The things that stop me from buying a Remarkable or any similar products are: * Too expensive. I want to have one everywhere in my house, all wirelessly connected so I can just pick one up and scribble a note anywhere. I may carry one also, but mostly I'd rather have something I treat as paper and keep them handy to places I frequent. * Stores data in the cloud. I want to create personal notes, I do not want to share my personal notes with a cloud. * Wireless sync is not trivially easy. I should not need to manually sync it, configure it for a wireless network, connect it to the internet, or make backups, or manage the network, or manage the device. * Good organizational software for the notes. Many ways to sort notes/drawings, ways to search them, writing-to-text converters, drawing recognizers, all local and protected by good default encryption. If you're going to replace paper in my life, it's got to be as ubiquitous and easy to use as paper, as reliable, and offer advanced features as well. Otherwise it's an unnecessary expense that is more difficult to use and requires maintenance time.
- theshrike79 3y ago
  > * Good organizational software for the notes. Many ways to sort notes/drawings, ways to search them, writing-to-text converters, drawing recognizers, all local and protected by good default encryption. A love-child of Obsidian and OneNote would be my dream. Obsidian does the text bits just like I want it, it's mostly just standard markdown with frontmatter and a few plugins that do fancy stuff (like dataview) Canvas lets me make fancy displays of stuff like RPG character sheets. But what's missing is the ability to just freeform write/draw with a stylus. ReMarkable could be the tool for that, but I don't see it happening.
poisonborz 3y ago
People write about Remarkable like about hardware company but my impression is that it's a very small venture, and pushing out RM2 took their strength financially. Preorders in 2017, released in 2020, and all they could do since is release a keyboard cover. The software is really restricted, updates abysmal, stillnbugs left. Most things come from the small diehard fanbase. Their edge is that somehow nobody really attempted to create a true competitor - there are epaper tablets with pens, but not with this quality or services. The industry kind of hates epaper. Pebble - a company that had much better relation to its community, and a larger portfolio of products - couldn't make it, I don't see how they could.
Erratic6576 3y ago
I found about these new tablets shortly after buying an iPad mini. As much as I’d love to have an e-ink device, I don’t regret my purchase because you cannot yet plug those devices directly to a screen using a usb-c connector
almostarockstar 3y ago
I got mine (recently) for two reasons: 1- My desk was always covered in paper and I hated the mess. On this point, I am 110% satisfied. My desk is super clean. 2- I found it very hard to keep track of multiple projects, or discussions across notebooks, or pages in a notebook. On this I am still not quite there. It's better for sure but I really want to search for people, dates, or keywords, rather than being super careful and organised with folders and notebooks for every conversation, which then gets too messy. The benefit of root access to the device be default is that I can build what I need. In the two weeks I've had the device, I've been able to automate finding my device on the network, syncing my notes, converting them to non-proprietary files and OCRing them. The next step is to implement nicer search and discovery UI which admittedly is a bigger challenge.
bella014 3y ago
[dead]

117 points by topcat31 3y ago

shinycode 3y ago

Anything an iPad can’t do ?

echelon 3y ago
Freely install software on it and hack the device, for starters. There's an incredible amount of clarity and focus around the device, which lends itself to productivity and mindful relaxation. The e-ink screen is brilliant and non-taxing, too. And the battery lasts forever.
adastra22 3y ago
Hold a charge for weeks of use.
shinycode 3y ago
It was a legitimate question. I saw the price of the last remarkable and its pricetag is quite high compared to an iPad. Given the context in which I use tablets, 2 weeks battery seems not that important to me given all the things the iPad can do and Remarkable can’t.
fragmede 3y ago
In today's attention economy and digital distraction landscape, the appeal of this product is in what it can't do and doesn't have. There's no web browser to get distracted with Reddit/HN on, there's no Facebook/TikTok/Instagram/YouTube app to doomscroll and waste away time with. it's a digital piece of paper, without the distractions of candy crush. When you open a new tab in your browser, what do you get? This gives you a blank piece of paper to draw on. A blank canvas of infinite possibility, not suggestions from the latest news.
- shinycode 3y ago
  It’s kind of sad that the only way to get control over our devices is to buy one with such limited functionalities. Personally I don’t have the budget for an iPad and a remarkable so I prefer cutting off all socials and wasted time on websites and enjoy the iPad with all its potential
bawolff 3y ago
Have an eink screen? I know not everyone cares about this, but for me that is the biggest selling point.
wslh 3y ago
Using it without the need of recharging continuously.
caseyf 3y ago
Offer a big canvas for writing and drawing while weighing 400 grams (I have both)
KennyBlanken 3y ago
Yup, require an expensive cloud service that offers no data protection to do its primary advertised function.
urbandw311er 3y ago
Yes, the e-Ink screen. (Ie the primary reason for buying one)

chrisweekly 3y ago

Hi Tom, I'm a big fan of my rm2, too -- and am writing to respond to this: > "I’d also love a more formal diary / daily entry system. Kind of like Obsidian’s daily notes. Some kind of date-based notebook inside the Remarkable would be rad (even if it doesn’t sync with your actual calendar!). A daily journaling / diary / planning format would be great. (Yes, right now you can select a day-planner template, but you can’t then see them in a calendar view - the date isn’t a foundational element of the note)." Take a look at https://hyperpaper.me https://hyperpaper.me which has been transformative for me. Instead of using a static background template, it generates a (customizable) interactive PDF. This -- crucially -- means it supports navigation, eg jump from the month calendar view to your daily note page.

ace2358 3y ago
Is there something like this for iPad?
- tinix 3y ago
  It's just a pdf, so yes. The only difference is"paper size".
- layer8 3y ago
  This is (also) for iPad.
- mikestew 3y ago
  There is Goodnotes, which supports such functionality for PDFs. I’ve purchased such PDFs (bullet journal calendar/notes) and, without trying it, I think it a safe assumption that Goodnotes could consume what is generated by the Hyperpaper link above.
- funksta 3y ago
  It'll work just fine on an iPad, several folks are doing so (Goodnotes and Notability are the most common apps people use for loading and annotating the pdf). I've done a little work towards color themes to better support the iPad, but for now it's just black & white since most customers use eInk tablets.

dboreham 3y ago

I'd buy one if it supported reading books from the two platforms I use: Kindle and O'Reilly.

tinix 3y ago
There's an app that runs natively on RM2 that supports Zlib downloads. You'll have to tweak the source to work with your personal domain. I buy physical books and then get digital copies from Zlib (if publisher doesn't offer digital downloads that is...) You can also just use Google Drive or SSH to copy books from another device like Kindle, Android, or a laptop.
stop50 3y ago
I use calibre for managing my ebooks, syncthing for transfer and koreader to read them. I removed the DRM from buyed books, since koreader can't decrypt them.
m463 3y ago
I think calibre will do what you want. Convert to pdf because epub on remarkable2 is significantly slower. You will want to tweak your pdf conversion settings to get the font sized for easy reading.

tinix 3y ago

There are sellers on Etsy that make Remarkable templates (ex, navigable daily planner with monthly/weekly views). I've been using one for years. They will customize if you ask nicely...

tinix 3y ago
https://www.etsy.com/market/remarkable_2_templates https://www.etsy.com/market/remarkable_2_templates

porcoda 3y ago

I was a big fan of my RM2, but found the move to the subscription service a couple years ago to be off putting. Sure, I can turn off WiFi, or just use the network to ssh into it, but it felt less than great. I recently got a Supernote to replace it and so far love it. The company seems a bit more open and less likely to try to push me to some kind of subscription/cloud thing. They promote the “works great offline, no subscriptions” stuff right up front. Plus their pens are great - the one I got feels like a real pen.

novalistener 3y ago
I’m really excited for the upcoming Supernote A5X2. So many smart and community-friendly decisions in the design and software. My reMarkable 2 is still holding up, but I’ll be giving it a close look when the time comes for a replacement.
- jadbox 3y ago
  When is the A5x2 coming and what exactly are you excited about it?
  - novalistener 3y ago
    End of Q1 2024, according to the Supernote website. Presumably it’s going to be very similar to the recently released A6X2, just larger. The specs are great (300dpi display and performance bumped SOC), the design is expandable and repairable (SD slot, replaceable battery, easy teardown), and the OS is based on Android (so you can install the Kindle app and more if you want).
TheFreim 3y ago
I have never tried a RM product, but when I was originally searching for an e-paper tablet I passed over them in favor of the Supernote A5X and it has been great. The software has been continually improved since I got it, I don't regret the purchase at all. Once the A5X2 comes out I might upgrade, especially because, if my memory serves me, it should have a user-replaceable battery.
3y ago

hecanjog 3y ago

I really liked my remarkable2, but I eventually got the issue where it just stops charging and now it's effectively a brick. Tried all the known workarounds I could find with trickle-charging etc. Someone had tracked the issue down to a malfunctioning temperature sensor preventing charging but I have no idea if that's the problem with mine. Remarkable support would like me to create videos showing every workaround I tried and I'm not totally convinced anything will happen if I do that... (seems like others jumped through those hoops without any success.) It's a bummer because besides the annoying push to the cloud recently I really liked the device.

dmitrygr 3y ago
The issue is actually that your usb-c receptacle broke free from the PCB inside. Open and you'll see. I emailed them about it a while ago. They majorly fucked up the design. The connector is on the very edge of a very thin finger of a thin PCB. There is nothing holding it to the case, only the few solder points to a thin PCB. They did not care. I sent photos, explanation, and a rather long essay as to why this should never be done on a product that expects contact with the real world, and how it should be done. I'll try to dig up my photos and post them here. It is a pathologically bad design. I fixed mine by replacing the usb C socket, adding a few blobs of epoxy to hold it, and wiring the USB data and power lines across the cracks in the PCB EDIT https://photos.app.goo.gl/eu4P8fnaNtV9vhMo7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/eu4P8fnaNtV9vhMo7 the video in there, via microscope, you can see how the contacts peeled off. Larger photos show the PCB and how the connector is "affixed". Final photo is after it was fixed, but before the epoxy
- tinix 3y ago
  If you use a case or folio, i recommend a wireless charger receiver that you just permanently leave in the port, no plug fatigue to worry about then. something like this: https://pakshwe.com/product/type-c-bottom-left-top-right-side-qi-wireless-charger-receiver-5w-for-non-qi-usb-c-phones-model-3c/ https://pakshwe.com/product/type-c-bottom-left-top-right-sid... Otherwise there are magnetic usb adapters that let you charge or transfer data with a cable still... while avoiding plug fatigue.

novalistener 3y ago

I love my reMarkable 2. I use it daily. It helps so much with productivity, and it’s a UX delight. That said, the company has made some remarkably (sorry) user-hostile and concerning decisions. In particular, two things. First, they tried to paywall a bunch of important features behind an expensive subscription service. They rolled back the worst changes after a backlash, but damage done. Second, they’ve been aggressively marketing the RM2 tablet, even though it’s outdated 4-year-old hardware. They hired some YouTube influencers to put out paid promotions disguised as reviews, and now they’re trying a big push in India. My assumption is that new hardware is imminent (it really has to be), so they’re using these underhanded tactics to dump inventory and have return periods expire before the new release.

nanna 3y ago

Any Emacs integration?

stop50 3y ago
There are a few terminals for the remarkable.
- lovelyviking 3y ago
  can you mention which work better?
  - stop50 3y ago
    I personally like yaft, but there are multiple that use slightly different interfaces that might be better suited for you.

calamari4065 3y ago

The RM homebrew community has answers for some of the problems the author poses. I haven't tried it personally, but there is a VNC package that will let you use your tablet as an auxiliary screen. The hacking community is small but pretty dedicated. There's a few exciting projects in the works, like a complete desktop interface called Oxide. The RM tablets are kinda neat in that you get root access out of the box. You have a lot of power to write or isntall custom software. That said, Remarkable the company has been fairly shitty. They removed the links to the dev tools, and don't really respond to requests for source that they are obligated to release under the GPL in any reasonable time. They also made the inexplicable decision to ship a keyboard case for the thing, but the only way their software supported it at launch was a fixed textbox in the middle of the screen. You couldn't move or resize it, so it was basically useless. Fortunately, homebrew has your back. There's an app that just gives you a terminal with keyboard support. You can ssh to another machine or write in vi or whatever you do with a normal terminal

terminus 3y ago
> That said, Remarkable the company has been fairly shitty. They removed the links to the dev tools, and don't really respond to requests for source that they are obligated to release under the GPL in any reasonable time. Which project did they not release GPL'd code for? They do have the kernel source available: https://github.com/reMarkable/linux/tree/zero-sugar https://github.com/reMarkable/linux/tree/zero-sugar The top level github page also lists their trees for other projects.
- gottoupvote 3y ago
  Last updated 3 years ago
cge 3y ago
I think it's important to note the wider limitations of the homebrew community. I bought an rM2 relatively early on, enough to have lifetime free subscription access that I've never used, as I've always used homebrew arrangements instead. There is a definite sense that the community is tired and diminishing. I think most packages are only compatible with the at this point quite old v2 software version, including the entirety of the toltec system. Some of the most important hacks, ddvk's packages, are both stagnant and closed source, with hints that being closed source comes from direct threats from Remarkable, not hypothetical concern over legalities. Toltec's maintainers, and others, respond with suggestions that they're going to be updating at some point, and that users are just being impatient, but it seems more likely that much of the homebrew infrastructure at this point will not be moving forward. The homebrew community was once small but dedicated, now I think it would be more accurate to just call it small. And I somewhat understand that. As much as it has its defenders, Remarkable has been at worst hostile, and at best unwittingly unhelpful. It often provides exactly what it thinks is legally required. V3 changed the format and system enough to break all homebrew software. Whether intentionally, or in response to a well meaning but enormously damaging user suggestion, Remarkable changed its kernel configuration in a very non-standard, non-recommended way with the only significant impact being to make compilation of modules impossible without entirely replacing the kernel (they did, after years, finally change this back). Kernel sources are available, but good luck compiling then. Does the keyboard case even work unless you're using V3, and this break everything homebrew, including that terminal? Remarkable seems like a textbook case of a company respecting the letter but not the spirit of free software. And that isn't even considering the dark patterns they have more generally: the intentionally non-standard USB C port so that third party keyboards that would otherwise work without any problems don't work, the wonky Ethernet-adapter behaviour rather than a virtual mass storage device, the tendency of the USB web interface to repeatedly turn off... there are justifications given for many of these, but as a whole they paint a problematic picture. And so those of us who use our modified Remarkables increasingly, at this point, are just using devices frozen in time, with everything working for us.

pjerem 3y ago

I actually have a hard time loving my remarkable. Such incredible ergonomics wasted by poor software. It could be such an impressive device with some extensions (not even apps) marketplace. I don’t want it to be another tablet with YouTube but I want to be able to scribble on my daily calendar and boom, with OCR it’s now on my caldav. I want to be able to make LINKS between pages. Like, let me write an index. Let me write summaries. Let me receive and send emails. I agree with the design choice that remarkable is just a digital notebook and not another generic device. But I do believe that a digital notebook can be smarter than a piece of paper.

derriz 3y ago
I had a similar experience. When I had one, I used it frequently but when I lost it, I never felt inclined to buy a replacement. I never loved it. I feel that this _type_ of device may have a mass-market future but we are a few generations away from a device which could have mass-market appeal. The software is clearly not good enough but even in terms of hardware, the slow e-ink refresh rate makes for a painful UX. So despite all the technology, doing anything more than using it as an etch-a-sketch was irritating. Also what I came to realise is that most of the stuff that I fill the many half-used notebooks lying about my home is of very temporary value - often only useful for an hour or a a day. When I switched to using the Remarkable, the issue of losing information went away but not in a good way; I now felt burdened with keeping the Remarkable "organised" - trying to categorize pages, de-duplicating notes, "garbage collecting", etc. Paper notebooks, which you fill and toss away don't burden you with this task.

janice1999 3y ago

I would love something like the Remarkable tablet. However I'm not buying a niche hardware product to have my data held hostage by monthly cloud sync fees. Let me use Nextcloud or a service I've already paid for.

supersparrow 3y ago
100% this. If someone can come out with a product I can sync to my own service, I’m buying it.
- BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
  You can self-host rmfakecloud, an open-source reimplementation of the reMarkable cloud. You just ssh into the device and use a DNS trick to swap it out.
  - supersparrow 3y ago
    Oh! Awesome! I’ll check that out, thank you.
Skywalker13 3y ago
The cloud is optional and you have a root SSH access to the tablet. It's possible to impl. your own service for syncing or just sync via SSH with scripts.
- paulcole 3y ago
  They don’t want a solution. They want to hate on a corporation.

greatgib 3y ago

I love my RM2 for the incredible hardware and the very good "paper like" experience. Reading and annotations of PDF is really great. But as other have said, I would not recommend it because the software is quite "user hostile". It could be so great with a little bit more freedom, but now it is quite expensive for what it is. For example, easy sharing or loading and "copy/paste" with copy are probably one of the main thing that anyone would want to do. But for that, the only solution, and not very convenient is to use shitty things with the premium subscription. Why isn't there an easy permanent and public way to load and unload documents? There is a very very shitty kind of web browser "web interface" that is available, but it will only work when connected to a computer through "usb", and each time usb cable is unplugged, you would have to re-enable the feature. I hate that soo so much.

geor9e 3y ago

Soon after Remarkable 2 was released, a hacked version of Remarkable 1 was released that added pretty much all the feature upgrades. You needed to buy a new stylus (to use the new eraser end), but you could choose from dozens of brands since it's a widely used standard. The hardware looks slightly different and might have clock speed differences, but is essentially identical. And you don't have to deal with the silly subscription model of the 2. I use it to jot my thoughts down on PDFs in direct sunlight at the park. My macbook/ipad is pretty unusable in sunlight, unless you like squinting and straining. I also bought a smaller Mobiscribe (same thing but small), but I prefer the Remarkable still.

Eeems 3y ago
They release software updates for both devices at the same time. There was no hacked version with all the same feature upgrades, it was, and always has been the official software update. They to this day still release all the same features to both devices.
lovelyviking 3y ago
can you elaborate more about “ hacked version of Remarkable 1 was released”?

graypegg 3y ago

I got an RM2 last year, and it's been the only product I've ever used a satisfaction guarantee on to return. I was looking to replace paper, which is basically always around my desk in sticky note or free-relator-notepad form. The RM2 didn't have a great way to just give me a blank note right away. It had the quick notes journal, but that was still its own notepad you had to open up. Everything was slow to get to. A physical button, screen clear, start writing. That's what I was hoping for. The lack of a backlight was surprising, it's easy enough to turn on a light, but when everything else seems to have one, it was a little annoying to have to turn it towards a window to read a note because it's a little later towards dusk. The note parsing was unforgivable, literally writing a whole new page rather than indexing your own handwriting. Search was abysmal, since it only seems to search these notes that have been transcribed, and turned into a new page of just text. It's a lot closer to an e-ink typewriter. I think they should market it like that. Had a lot of trouble using it as a notebook. (YMMV, I know a lot of people love it, though they tend to replace the software on it.) Everything was clunky. Back to my notepads!

mdekkers 3y ago
> The lack of a backlight was surprising This is common across electronic notepads. The lighting adds a thickness to the screen that would mean the input device would hover over the “paper”, instead of writing directly on it, which would be offputting.

KennyBlanken 3y ago

It is positively bizarre that HN will scream blue bloody murder about "the apple tax", "apple spying", "poor repairability" and so on, and yet cannot shut up about a device that: * REQUIRES a cloud subscription and active data connection to do its most core functionality: OCRing text you write on it * costs more after a year or two than an iPad with Apple Pencil * is completely unrepairable; no parts availability, no service options, etc and has no warranty unless you pay extra * depends on a cloud service run by a company located in a country infamous for both state and commercial espionage and intellectual property theft * has no theft protection, no on-device encryption, no end-to-end encryption, etc. An iPad can do everything the Remarkable can do, on device, no connection or cloud sync/service required, has infinitely larger accessory and software ecosystem, can be repaired at almost any corner phone repair shop and major electronic store chains, and has best-in-market security from the hardware itself to end-to-end encryption for its built-in cloud sync functionality.

urbandw311er 3y ago
They don’t make an iPad with an e-ink screen do they? For me, that’s what I like about my Remarkable.
m463 3y ago
I believe OCR as "the" core is just an opinion. This device allows you to do all your work offline. You do not need an account to use it. You can ssh into it. You don't have to ask permission to transfer files to/from the device. This device is the WORST e-reader... except for all the rest.
- throwaway290 3y ago
  What about Supernote or Kindle Scribe, are they worse? I am considering RM2 but some recommend Supernote. The company looks shady as heck but hackability would be a big pro

kseifried 3y ago

I love the hardware and the feel but the software is terrible and the difficulty of putting templates on the device (you hack around and use ssh to copy a file in) really limits the usefulness. The subscription model is also pushed heavy with basic functionality you would expect not working unless you pay. Overall I regret buying one and I almost never use it.

deleted 3y ago

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sylens 3y ago

I really want to buy one of these eInk tablets but the thing that holds me back is I want seamless sync of my notes and pdfs with something like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox - whatever. I don’t want to be constantly emailing myself files

eternal_braid 3y ago
Remarkable has that built in. They offer their own cloud service that makes it trivial to sync your files. My flow is: 1. (Optional) Upload something on Google drive. 2. Copy it on remarkable. It syncs automatically on cloud. 3. Edit as I wish. 4. Upload final copy to Google Drive

turtlebits 3y ago

The RM2 is a great device, but it only does a few things, but does them very well. Notetaking/PDF annotation is excellent. They recently added a type cover and are continually adding text editing features. Their desktop app and their whole cloud sync is absolute trash. Uploading documents is basic, but it works. It's a perfect device for a grade schooler, I got one for my wife but my 7yo eventually took it over. It has just enough tech to be able draw, take notes, read e-books/PDFs, and recently, write documents/stories on.

mikebonnell 3y ago

I loved my RM2 but the pencil broke and without a warranty, it felt hard pressed to by another one. I replaced tips regularly, but the "tip-holding" piece shifted so it couldn't be reliably used any more. I wonder if any other folks hit this or if I just had a one-offf bad experience?

rramadass 3y ago

Anybody have any experience on using the "Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra" to read books/papers and take notes on? It is pricey but seems to have all the needed functionality, specifically; the large 14.6 inch screen helps you deal with A4 size properly.

rapjr9 3y ago

The things that stop me from buying a Remarkable or any similar products are: * Too expensive. I want to have one everywhere in my house, all wirelessly connected so I can just pick one up and scribble a note anywhere. I may carry one also, but mostly I'd rather have something I treat as paper and keep them handy to places I frequent. * Stores data in the cloud. I want to create personal notes, I do not want to share my personal notes with a cloud. * Wireless sync is not trivially easy. I should not need to manually sync it, configure it for a wireless network, connect it to the internet, or make backups, or manage the network, or manage the device. * Good organizational software for the notes. Many ways to sort notes/drawings, ways to search them, writing-to-text converters, drawing recognizers, all local and protected by good default encryption. If you're going to replace paper in my life, it's got to be as ubiquitous and easy to use as paper, as reliable, and offer advanced features as well. Otherwise it's an unnecessary expense that is more difficult to use and requires maintenance time.

theshrike79 3y ago
> * Good organizational software for the notes. Many ways to sort notes/drawings, ways to search them, writing-to-text converters, drawing recognizers, all local and protected by good default encryption. A love-child of Obsidian and OneNote would be my dream. Obsidian does the text bits just like I want it, it's mostly just standard markdown with frontmatter and a few plugins that do fancy stuff (like dataview) Canvas lets me make fancy displays of stuff like RPG character sheets. But what's missing is the ability to just freeform write/draw with a stylus. ReMarkable could be the tool for that, but I don't see it happening.

poisonborz 3y ago

People write about Remarkable like about hardware company but my impression is that it's a very small venture, and pushing out RM2 took their strength financially. Preorders in 2017, released in 2020, and all they could do since is release a keyboard cover. The software is really restricted, updates abysmal, stillnbugs left. Most things come from the small diehard fanbase. Their edge is that somehow nobody really attempted to create a true competitor - there are epaper tablets with pens, but not with this quality or services. The industry kind of hates epaper. Pebble - a company that had much better relation to its community, and a larger portfolio of products - couldn't make it, I don't see how they could.

Erratic6576 3y ago

I found about these new tablets shortly after buying an iPad mini. As much as I’d love to have an e-ink device, I don’t regret my purchase because you cannot yet plug those devices directly to a screen using a usb-c connector

almostarockstar 3y ago

I got mine (recently) for two reasons: 1- My desk was always covered in paper and I hated the mess. On this point, I am 110% satisfied. My desk is super clean. 2- I found it very hard to keep track of multiple projects, or discussions across notebooks, or pages in a notebook. On this I am still not quite there. It's better for sure but I really want to search for people, dates, or keywords, rather than being super careful and organised with folders and notebooks for every conversation, which then gets too messy. The benefit of root access to the device be default is that I can build what I need. In the two weeks I've had the device, I've been able to automate finding my device on the network, syncing my notes, converting them to non-proprietary files and OCRing them. The next step is to implement nicer search and discovery UI which admittedly is a bigger challenge.

bella014 3y ago

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