Vital to my work is my small notebook. I use Leuchtturm notebooks (lined 1917, to be precise) to write notes in for my work, draw diagrams, keep records, sketch, and brainstorm. I know I could do this all with an iPad, but it just doesn’t feel right. Writing on it isn’t the same, it’s far too large, and it would mean carrying my iPad everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve brought my iPad to tech conferences to take notes because it was easier to combine text and drawings and I was going to need to carry something around all day anyway, but it’s just not the same as paper. I even am specific about using nice pens (currently the Uniball Deluxe Micro). With a pen, I favor a light touch and flow, with a fine line. I may even try a fountain pen at some point, but that seems like a lot of effort.
Yes, even a techie like me likes paper notes on occasion. That’s why the reMarkable 2 caught my eye. A touchscreen, a pen, and an e-ink display that looks like real paper. The new reMarkable 2 is thinner, lighter, faster, has new accessories and, perhaps best of all, has a real paper feel. The reMarkable 2 is a tablet made for the note taker, a paper replacer. It should be perfect for me.
But it’s not.
In This Article:
reMarkable 2 Features and Specs
The reMarkable idea is simple: it’s a tablet that mimics the look and feel of paper. In fact, it’s better to think of it as a digital upgrade to paper than a tablet like the iPad. Of course, you can use it to read pdfs or ebooks without issue, like a tablet. They’ll even look better than they do on a traditional screen. You can even send webpages to it to read on a nicer screen and mark up with your own notes.
The reMarkable 2 is a true notebook replacement. It looks like paper, it feels like paper, you can even write and erase on it like paper. But it’s not. It’s digital. That means better note organization, easier collaboration, written notes to printed text translations, sharing, and more. It’s paper, but better.
Features
The reMarkable 2 comes with the “marker,” a pencil-like stylus. It has a fine point on one end and a rounded end on the other, for erasing anything quickly. This is far more intuitive than other solutions I’ve seen for erasers. Just flip and erase. Simple!
It has two weeks of battery life, and is incredibly responsive for an e-ink display. It does this while still remaining light and thinner than a regular pencil. This is thanks to e-ink technology, which only requires power when it’s updating the screen, and can display a page for long periods of time. It’s faster than what you’re probably used to on a Kindle too. This is using a far more advanced screen, but it’s the same idea.
Your handwritten notes can be converted to typed notes, you can share diagrams, sketches, and notes, and it all just feels and looks like writing on paper. Paper evolved. The notebook is obsolete. No more bulk orders of Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks! Put that Moleskine away! The notebook is dead, right?
Unfortunately, no.
Size Does Matter
Most people use the “Large” size. The largest can’t fit on a desk unless it’s the only thing on your desk. But this tablet sits closer to that size.
Talk to someone who takes notes by hand or journals outside of school. Are they using large three hole punch binders? Any of that lined notebook paper in 8.5×11? No? What do they use? A Moleskine, Leuchtturm, or similar notebook. Something small, portable, durable, and timeless. Now look at the reMarkable 2. It’s slightly larger than an iPad! Who’s it for? School students looking to replace their 8.5×11″ paper? It’s too big for the kind of professionals who want to replace their notebooks! What were they thinking?
Where Does it Go?
I actually don’t use a back pack if I can help it. Not only because they’re cumbersome on the subway, but also because they just don’t feel as comfortable. I skate everywhere. I need something that stays locked to me and moves with me. Cyclists know what I’m talking about. So when I bring my notebook home, it fits in my sling bag. Something wider than 6″ wouldn’t fit very well, especially if it’s a thin, fragile tablet. Men likely use a jacket pocket for their notebooks, or carry them. Women fit them in purses and handbags. We need small tablets for that.
Small Desk, Big Tablet?
Furthermore this has to sit on my desk with my computer, keyboard, mouse, coffee mug, water bottle, multiple phones, AirPods, and two monitors! There’s little room left on this thing! It’s part of the reason I never use my iPad for these tasks, even though I’m working from home now and wouldn’t have to worry about transporting it anywhere (that and my second Smart Keyboard died). I need something small.
I’m a professional. A software engineer. I brainstorm ideas for work, sketch projects out, and, hell, I sketch for fun. I’m exactly who this tablet should be for, a techie who loves to write. But it’s not for me. I want to like this so badly, I even want to say, forget it, and buy it, but I know it would collect more dust than notes due to that size.
Maybe the reMarkable 3 will be more desk-and-bag-friendly? Third time’s the charm, after all. If they released a Moleskine-sized version of this, I’d snatch it up quicker than you can say “paper!”
However, if you don’t mind that size, I’ve got something for you that can replace that three hole punch binder or spiral-bound notebook of yours!